Asta was devouring Charmy's cooking with gusto. Though the food couldn't restore his magic, it did help replenish his physical strength—and after the fierce battles he had endured, that was exactly what he needed. Without the rest of the Black Bulls arriving in time, he might not have even made it this far.
During the activation of the Reincarnation Magic, most of the Black Bulls had been on a mission with Gauche. No one expected him to suddenly change into another person and attack them without mercy. Fortunately, the moment he received Rhya's telepathic message, the battle came to a halt.
The Black Bulls never gave up on their comrades. Without hesitation, Vanessa, Gordon, Grey, Magna, and Charmy had chased after Gauche all the way to the royal capital, joining the battle there.
It's also worth noting that former members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun—spatial mage Valtos, corpse magic user Rades, and the magic scholar Sally—had all been offered as sacrifices by Patry. However, Rades had awakened a new magic and successfully revived all three. Now, in an effort to atone and get revenge on Patry, they too had joined the group.
Together with Asta, they defeated several reincarnated elves wreaking havoc in the capital. But everyone had taken a toll and was now resting.
Suddenly, a blazing light streaked down from the sky and landed before them with a thunderous crash. Seeing no trace of the reincarnation glow on the figure's body, the group relaxed.
"Charles! You're okay?" Asta called out, overjoyed. "You wouldn't believe what happened—everyone turned into elves, and—"
He quickly pulled out the sword Charles had given him. "This sword you gave me… it's amazing! It can actually bring everyone back to normal!"
Charles didn't have time for chatter. "We can talk later. The elves aren't the real enemy. The one we're going to face next is the true mastermind behind all of this."
Without hesitation, Asta nodded. "Luck-senpai said that magic felt full of sadness and pain… so they were being manipulated after all?"
Charles grabbed Asta by the collar. "The key to this fight is your Anti-Magic. You have to go beyond your current 'Black' form and unlock more power—now."
"Whaaaat?!" Asta cried out, but Charles paid no heed. He took to the air with Asta in tow.
"And you, Yuno," Charles called out behind him, "You understand what's going on, right? Then hurry up and follow us."
A figure bathed in glowing magic light appeared behind Charles. Without hesitation, Yuno flew after them toward the entrance of the Shadow Palace.
"So, if we take down this mastermind you mentioned, everyone will return to normal?" Yuno asked.
Charles nodded. "Exactly. But don't let your guard down—this enemy won't go down easily."
Whether Yuno heard or not, he was already burning with the resolve to face any enemy.
By now, the entrance to the Shadow Palace had begun to close. The squad captains, now freed from holding off the chaos, entered the palace one after another.
Passing through a long corridor of warped space, Charles, Asta, and Yuno finally arrived inside.
The Shadow Palace wasn't luxurious—it looked more like the ruins of a decayed, ancient civilization. Its layout was based on the structure of the Tree of Life from Kabbalah—each circle a chamber, and the altar to open the underworld's gate located in the lowest level.
Most of the Apostles of Sephirah were fighting against the captains scattered throughout the upper rooms, so the trio made it safely to the bottom.
There, at the outer altar, stood only Rhya and Patry, talking amongst themselves.
"What? That child's consciousness hasn't fully awakened? And he has the magic stones too—what now?" Patry asked, flustered.
Rhya remained calm. "Relax. Don't worry—someone will bring the magic stones… In fact, they're already here."
The moment he spoke, the trio burst through the passage and entered the space.
Yuno, hearing what Rhya had just said, briefly suspected Charles of betraying the Magic Knights. If it weren't for his trust in Charles, he might have attacked first.
Rhya smiled. "See? The stones are here."
Suddenly, a figure cloaked in white—a member of the Apostles who had entered earlier—appeared behind Yuno and reached for the necklace around his neck.
Yuno, still in his Elf Union state, reacted immediately.
"Mana Zone: Spirit Storm!"
Yuno had grown remarkably. Not only had he mastered Elf Union, but he had refined his magic to the level of Mana Zone. With the power of Elf Magic and elven mana, he unleashed a powerful burst.
But the mysterious figure dodged the spell with incredible speed, reappearing beside Patry and Rhya.
"Mr. Ronne, you're here too!" Patry greeted him warmly.
The elf only gave a slight nod in response.
Patry continued, "Please help us retrieve the magic stones and complete the reincarnation magic!"
But suddenly, Rhya's expression shifted. He moved instantly, his dark-magic-infused katana slicing downward—only to split a stone.
"Rhya! What are you doing?" Patry demanded, confused.
"That's not Ronne," Rhya replied, voice now firm and cold. "You noticed it too, didn't you?"
While everyone was stunned, the figure reappeared before Yuno.
Yuno's Mana Zone told him that the object now in front of him had been a falling rock just seconds ago.
The enemy had used magic to switch places with other objects—and Rhya's reaction just now had momentarily unsettled him, delaying his response.
The fake "Ronne" snatched the necklace from Yuno's neck and teleported away just as Yuno struck back.
In the next instant, he appeared atop the altar.
"Though I'm not sure where things went wrong… all our efforts have finally borne fruit."
The expression the so-called Ronne wore sent chills down everyone's spine—his wide grin exposing pitch-black depths as if housing something truly evil.
Striding toward the altar, he spoke in a voice unfamiliar to Patry and Rhya.
**"The fifth leaf of the Clover resides the devil… That day, I used the bonds between the chosen ones of the four-leaf grimoire to birth a grimoire of despair.
What should've been mine then… today, I will finally take."
**
He embedded the magic stones into the altar. From it, black sludge-like matter oozed out and began forming a massive cocoon.
"Welcome back," a strange voice echoed from within the cocoon.
"I'm home," Ronne replied, as a mass of darkness slipped from his body and merged into the cocoon.
"That guy… he's the one Charles mentioned—the mastermind behind it all!" Yuno exclaimed, his body tensing with full alertness.
The oppressive magic emanating from the cocoon was unmistakably evil. Even those without mana sensing, like Asta, could feel the malice radiating from it.
Charles stepped forward, eyes sharp.
"At last… you've shown yourself. The devil from the underworld—Zagred."
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