The air above the Clover Kingdom had grown heavy with a strange kind of tension. Every magic knight, every noble house, even ordinary citizens could sense that something was stirring in the unseen layers of reality. Avi knew better. It wasn't just something — it was everything.
---
Inside the Akatsuki base, Avi sat in the center of the war room, surrounded by glowing floating runes, projected images, and system-generated status reports. His fingers danced across the projection like a master puppeteer pulling the strings of an elaborate web.
Avi (thought):
"The countdown begins. Zagred's resurrection is imminent. Patolli and the others will move soon. And behind all this… Lucius watches silently."
Another system notification chimed softly:
[Ding!]
[Update: Residual Elven magic at critical threshold. Shadow Palace entrance formation stabilizing. Estimated activation: 24 hours.]
Avi exhaled slowly, staring at the glowing map. The locations were already marked: the capital, the Shadow Palace ruins, the Golden Dawn headquarters — all critical points.
---
In another part of the Akatsuki base, Asta and Yuno trained intensely. Asta pushed his anti-magic sword through an enormous wood clone generated by Avi's system-enhanced simulation. Yuno, with Sylph floating beside him, sliced through summoned constructs with razor-sharp wind spells.
Asta (panting):
"Yuno… you feel it too, right? Something's coming."
Yuno (nods):
"Yes. The entire kingdom feels tense. Like the calm before a massive storm."
Avi entered, his calm, reassuring presence grounding the room.
Avi:
"You both are correct. Tomorrow will mark a turning point. A great battle awaits."
Asta (serious for once):
"We're ready. Just tell us when."
Yuno (firmly):
"Whatever this is, we'll face it together."
Avi smiled faintly.
Avi (thought):
"Yes… face it. But my hand will guide your paths without you knowing."
---
That evening, Avi activated his second identity — the mysterious dark-robed figure — and exited through a secret dimensional gate. His clone stood ready in the base, maintaining the illusion that Avi had not left.
Moving invisibly through the capital, Avi left suppression seals at key magical intersections, planted defensive arrays near the royal palace, and neutralized planted spies from Lucius' cult who were watching the royal court.
High above, in Julius' tower, Lucius stood by the window, his time-magic-enhanced senses faintly picking up traces of spatial distortions.
Lucius (to himself):
"Hmph. Shadows moving beneath my vision. I see the game continues…"
But even Lucius couldn't fully trace Avi's perfectly masked movements. After all, Avi was using system-assisted multi-dimensional cloaking spells far beyond any magic native to this world.
---
As midnight approached, Avi summoned Asta and Yuno to the top floor of the Akatsuki palace.
Avi:
"Tomorrow, you will be summoned with the other Magic Knights. When the Shadow Palace opens, the battle will be fierce. Your objective is simple: protect the kingdom, protect each other."
Asta (grinning):
"Got it! Bring it on!"
Yuno (serious):
"What about you?"
Avi gave a reassuring nod.
Avi:
"My role is elsewhere. But rest assured—I will be watching."
Avi (thought):
"From behind the scenes, as always."
---
The next day - Clover Kingdom Capital
The kingdom's strongest magic knights gathered at Julius' tower. Captains Yami, William, Fuegoleon, Nozel, Charlotte, Jack, and others stood at attention. Even members of Akatsuki blended into the crowd, carefully maintaining their cover.
The air suddenly twisted.
A dark red rift tore open in the sky above the capital. The entrance to the Shadow Palace began to manifest, spiraling with twisted energy.
Fuegoleon (sternly):
"It's begun."
Yami (lighting a cigarette):
"Tch. Looks like we're in for one hell of a party."
The magic knights braced as an enormous gravitational force tried to pull select individuals into the rift. Asta, Yuno, Nozel, Mereoleona, Fuegoleon, Yami, and others were chosen by fate — or so it seemed.
Avi (hidden behind layers of enchantment, watching):
"As it should be. My subtle pushes ensured the right people were drawn in."
---
Inside the Shadow Palace
The inside was a twisted realm of shifting dark marble, floating inverted castles, and ancient elven glyphs. The group materialized inside, immediately assaulted by the overwhelming pressure of pure mana.
From the center chamber, the reincarnated elves, including Patolli (now Licht), emerged.
Patolli (calm yet cold):
"Humans. You've stolen our future. Today, we reclaim it."
Zagred's disembodied voice echoed through the palace.
Zagred (gleefully):
"Yes… let the despair begin!"
As the battles erupted, Asta and Yuno rushed forward, their synergy more powerful than ever. Asta's anti-magic slashed through cursed runes, while Yuno's wind magic cut down the corrupted elves' defenses.
---
Outside, in the mortal realm
Avi remained outside the rift, monitoring the unfolding battle from the safety of his own dimensional pocket.
System notifications continued feeding him real-time information:
[Ding!]
[Multiple death flags detected.]
[High probability of Fuegoleon sustaining fatal injury.]
Avi's eyes narrowed.
Avi (thought):
"No. Not this time."
He activated a pre-prepared contingency.
[Deploy Phantom Intervention Protocol.]
Inside the Shadow Palace, just as one of the high-level cursed spirits launched a fatal attack toward Fuegoleon, a mysterious spectral blade materialized, slicing the entity apart before impact. Fuegoleon staggered but survived, his wounds far less severe than canon events.
Fuegoleon (startled):
"What… saved me?"
Avi smiled faintly from afar.
Avi (thought):
"A small tweak to fate. Enough to preserve the timeline… while keeping my presence unknown."
---
As the battle raged on, Yuno faced off against a powerful reincarnated elf, his wind magic pushed to its limits. Asta, meanwhile, confronted Patolli, his anti-magic sword clashing violently against light magic.
But deep within the core of the palace, Zagred's true form began to emerge — a grotesque devil with black tendrils and sharp teeth stretching beyond physical dimensions.
Zagred (laughing maniacally):
"Despair! Fear! Your souls will feed my eternal existence!"
The final battle was now approaching.
---
Outside again — Avi's hidden location
System Prompt:
[Warning: If host does not interfere, multiple key individuals may perish. Proceed with minimum interference?]
Avi (thought):
"The timeline must remain stable. I will assist… subtly."
Avi (command):
"Activate Shadow Guidance Protocol."
---
At that moment, within the Shadow Palace:
A burst of unknown energy subtly boosted Asta and Yuno's physical reflexes and coordination. Yuno's Spirit Dive shone with purer wind energy than before, while Asta's demon-slayer sword pulsed with heightened resonance to nullify Zagred's cursed runes more efficiently.
Asta (surprised):
"Huh?! My sword feels… stronger!"
Yuno (confused):
"My mana's flowing perfectly. What's going on?"
But they had no time to question it as they launched themselves toward Zagred.
---
The battle climaxed.
Zagred's true body was struck by Asta's anti-magic sword infused with the unexpected boost, slicing through the devil's heart. With a horrific screech, the devil disintegrated into cursed ash.
As the Shadow Palace began collapsing, all surviving knights were teleported out by Julius' emergency rescue spells.
---
Aftermath - Clover Kingdom Capital
The nation rejoiced at the victory, though many mysteries remained unsolved.
Asta and Yuno stood quietly in the aftermath, their eyes still glowing with the thrill of battle.
Asta:
"That was… crazy."
Yuno:
"We survived. Somehow."
Far away, hidden behind his veils of secrecy, Avi watched with satisfaction.
Avi (thought):
"Good. The timeline stabilizes. Lucius will see what he expects. But behind the curtains… my web grows stronger."
---
[To be continued...]