Chapter 4: The Plan and Old Man

(Paru's Ship Bridge)

Haruna whistled happily that morning as she personally drove her ship through the skies of the magic world. She has always been fascinated by the discovery of magic and ever since Negi entered in her life nothing has ever been the same. Flying cities, dragons of the great beyond, magical creatures of a totally different world, even the adventure she was having was one of a kind. She considered herself to be the lucky few who managed to experience such an event.

"Zzzzt…" a noise came from her radio. She picked it up and awaited the speaker to continue, "Attention approaching vessel, this is the Kan of the 45th Ostian republic flee. You are entering dangerous space. This area is under the control of the Ostian-Hellian coalition force. Identify yourself or turn around and find another route to your destination"

The manga artist grinned and replied. "Oi oi, this is Paru sama! We have just returned on our successful mission with Negimaru! Mind giving us a little escort?"

"Ah Paru sama!" the captain of the other vessel spoke with glee. "Welcome back madam, Albireo Imma sent word that you would be arriving today. Please come on in. I'll inform the other patrol ships to grant you entry so there shouldn't be any problem"

"Thanks captain!"

"Ahh… but can you do me a little favor Haruna dono? (Eh?) CAN I PLEASE HAVE YOUR AUTOGRAPH!?"

"Yeah me too!"

"And me!"

"How about a photo? One shot will do! My sister is a big fan of your works Paru sama!" the crew of the ship shouted in agreement as well. After becoming such a famous warrior and an artesian and not to mention a comic book artist in the magic world, Paru had become renowned in country of Ostia along with her other friends.

"Tee hee, ok maybe later then" she agreed. "I'll see you all at the docking ports later tonight"

"Yay!!"

After closing off the radio and letting out a small and happy smirk, Haruna turned to her wide range speaker and shouted. "Attention passengers of the Paru airlines, we are now approaching the old capital of Ostia, but since this is not your regular standard flight, you are not required to use seatbelts or any safety gears for that choice. We would like to thank all of you for choosing Paru airlines, please disembark at your convenience and the captain Haruna would like to thank you and wish you a safe trip. Good bye" the way she spoke was like that of flight attendant's voice.

"Oi… this isn't a pleasure cruise you know…" Yue groaned at her since she was the only one with her at the time.

But when the broadcast was finished, the students of class 3-A quickly ran out towards the balcony area to get a grand view of the place. The old capital of Ostia stood solemnly on the floor of the earth, battered, beaten and rotting slowly. But what amazed them the most would probably be the coalition force base camp which was settled just a few kilometers from the old ruined city. There were tents and pavilions of different shapes, colors and sizes, there were ships ranging from a standard transport vessel to a Titan class battle seeker class cruiser and there were sentient of all kinds roaming the camp.

"Wow…" Konoka let out a happy gasp. "No matter how many times I see this scene, it never fails to take my breath away"

"I agree de gozaru" Kaede nodded proudly. "Negi bozu spent a lot of time and influence on assembling this host together. He wasted no effort on making his perfect full proof plan and I have to say that this feat is incredible… even for a ten year old"

"I he's not your average ten year old teacher teehee" Konoka let out a soft chuckle. "I have a good feeling after this is all over, Negi kun will become a great magister magi"

"Hey he's already a great mage, and a swordsman too if I may add de gozaru. Oh speaking of Negi… where is he anyway?" the kunoichi looked around trying to find the young child teacher. "I thought he would be awake by now"

"Oh he's probably sleeping with his pop right now" answered Rakan who just arrived on scene. "Honestly those two. Even though they're the most powerful mages I've seen on this side of life they sure act childish. That teacher of yours cried himself to sleep and Nagi stood up all night just to say how sorry he was. Man… what a tear jerking moment that was. I think Takahata may have let out a tear or two"

"Ah… I guess this is a time for a father and son moment" Kaede smiled. "But I guess we can allow him to rest today. After finding what he's been searching for six years, he deserves to have some time alone with his old man"

But she was quickly drawn away from the view as she heard Jack snickering like he had a plot in mind. "Oh yes indeed. Because now… I have a commemorative photo of father and son special moment!" he quickly showed the gang of a lovely photo with Negi and Nagi sleeping on one bed, their hands holding and the son's face nuzzled closely in the father's chest. "Beat that Ricardo!" once the girls caught sight of that photo, they couldn't help but go 'Awwww…' altogether. To see their teacher in such a cute pose with his daddy made him look like a ten year old boy.

"Aww, Negi looks so cute in that picture" Konoka squealed.

"You're right" Makie nodded, "It really shows the childish side of him"

"Oh… you're right de gozaru. I never knew that he could actually show such a cute face. Makes me wish I was ten again"

"Yeah aru!"

"I agree" Setsuna nodded. "He can turn from a mighty warrior to a leader to a teacher and to a ten year old boy in a blink of an eye" but then she suddenly wondered why would Rakan have such a photo with him.

...

...

...

...

"You're planning to blackmail this to them... aren't you?"

"Oh... you catch on pretty quick young lady"

"Ojou sama, this picture is a scandal" Setsuna urged, "You shouldn't be interested in such items. Such things are just items in which Rakan would blackmail or sell for his own personal profit. I believe Negi would never allow this thing to go without notice so I suggest that we just leave that picture as it… is?" but of course her speech of reason was dashed away when Rakan suddenly pulled out a podium from the back and began auctioning the picture.

"Alright, we'll start the bit with fifty thousand. Any takers? (raise) Yes you with the cute hair! Alright sixty, sixty, anyone going for a sixty? (raise) Right Makie raises it to sixty, let's go to seventy!"

"Ooo! Me me me!" Konoka waved her hand in joy. "I put in one-fifty if that's alright with you!"

"EH!?" the other gasped in shock. But Rakan simply had dollar signs on his eyes. "Oh! Since when were you rich young mistress?"

"Ahh no I don't have the money" came her innocent reply, "I was just wondering if you could bill my grandfather afterwards" everyone on the bridge face faulted except for Rakan and Kotaro who didn't understand why they would go through such length just for a picture.

"OJOU SAMA!!"

"Ooh… like a check you mean?" Jack smirked. "Very well then, I agree! The picture is sold to Konoka Konoe for 150 thousand Congratulations!"

"Yay!"

"Ojou sama! Were you even listening to me!?"

"Oh hi there Set chan. Look what I got! A cute picture of Negi. Isn't it lovely?"

"Ojou sama! Please listen to what you're saying! Do you realize that you just got your grandfather 150 thousand worth in debt!? Rakan is serious about the payment!"

"I know, but take a look, look!" Setsuna was about pull her hair at that moment. But when her eyes caught sight of the picture, Negi's cute face made her face go red.

"Ah… ah… ahhh… I…"

"Oi, everyone we're about to make a landing. Watch out and don't fall off now or you'll be hearing from me" Haruna shouted through the speaker. And to her truth, the docks of the camp soon came to sight. "Oh by the way Rakan san (hmm?) NO SMOKING ALLOWED ON MY SHIP!!! This is a strictly none smokeing flight! If I see just one cigarette butt on any parts of the ship, I will personally make sure you go overboard!"

Takahata, who was luckily out of the young girl's sight quickly hid his cigarette pack and doused the one he was smoking then. He didn't want to get on the bad side of any of the girls in this class because if he did then his health would suffer a lot worse than ten packs of cigarettes.

When the ship finally landed at the docks of the base camp, Negi and his students were greeted by a battalion of soldiers along with Ricardo and the tomboy princess of the Hellas empire, Theodora. They were the ones who backed the boy up when he requested the aid of the nation's might. To be honest, both countries were indeed reluctant to assist Negi at first seeing that he was still a wanted mage and that the enemy he was talking about was just one survivor of an old enemy. But when Fate's plans were exposed to them, they finally realize just how dangerous he was to their existence.

"Hey there Negi kun" Ricardo spoke out first with his usual wide smile. "How was your trip? Did you enjoy your little vacation?"

"Ah Ric san" the boy greeted back. "Ah well… we didn't exactly go on a vacation you know"

"Ha! I know I was just being cheerful! Because I'm sure you had fewer wounds when you left camp two days ago. If this is how you spend your vacation then I definitely have to be there when you go to battle HA!"

"Yeah" Rakan laughed. "His vacations are full danger and excitement Ricardo. You should try it too sometimes. It will actually make you feel young again"

"Oh hey there Jack. You look you went through hell itself" Ricardo grimmed at his wounds.

"Hey if I can survive hell then the living world will be nothing more but child's play HAHAHA!"

"Alright enough with the small talk!" Theodora groaned at the old legendary swordsman. "Did you find the guy or not? We've been postponing our attack plan for three days now just waiting for you guys!"

"Oh tomboy princess, wazzup?"

"Don't wazzup me Jack! You and Takahata went off with our best soldiers and Takahata without even telling us and you come back full of bruises!? What if Fate decided to ambush you on your way here!? Our strength level would plummet!"

"Best Soldiers?" Ayaka raised a quizzical look.

"Ahh yes… that's the princess for you" Takahata answered with a sweat drop on his head. "I guess to her… you girls are nothing more but soldiers to be put in the front line… ahehehehe"

"Well… that's royalty for you" Chisame muttered annoyingly.

"So!? Where is he?! That guy who's supposed to be dead!?" the princess barked. "I liked to see his face just so I can send him back to the afterlife again!" but as she scanned around looking for the Thousand Master in question, she felt a hand tap over her head. "Eh?"

"Oh… is this Theodora?" Nagi stated appearing out of nowhere. "My my, you're just as feisty as you were twenty years ago! Look how tall you've grown"

"Ah… ah… ah…" Theodora was in shock. She just said that was going to kill the man and now he was standing right in front of her like a demi-god. "AHHH!! YOU! The Thousand Master, Nagi Springfield!" his name swept the entire camp like a tidal wave crashing down on the beach in Utah. When Nagi's face appeared, the soldiers that stood idly began shouting his name in disbelief. Nagi, the one who returned from the dead, the Thousand Master who saved the world… was standing right in front of them.

"Nagi?"

"The Nagi Springfield!?"

"Oh my god he looks so much cuter in person" said a female knight.

"And that feint beard makes him look all the manlier…" her companion agreed. Whispers and mutters went on as the man's face became more and more apparent. The legedary hero who was supposedly said to be dead, was back and he was alive.

"Hey there princess, long time no see" Nagi smiled in his childish manner. "Boy you've really grown since I last saw you. When we first met, you were just a shrimp back then. About yay high... if I recall"

"Don't call me shrimp!" Theodora barked back childishly. "You sound just like Jack you know that!? And what's with you going into hiding and dying!? It made me look stupid holding a feast for your funeral!"

"Ahh yeah sorry about that. It's kind of a long story (which I don't want to explain) Why don't you ask Negi instead? He knows everything"

"Eh? Me?" the boy pointed to himself.

"Oh that also reminds me" Nagi popped his hands together. "The princess must be thirty years old now right? But according to Hellas rules, you're equivalent to a ten years human. Hey Negi, why don't you marry her instead and become part of the royal family?"

"EH?!" Negi's students gapped their mouths. If the princess should join in the rivalry than all hope of making Negi their bride will be lost. They're talking about a princess here. She could do anything! She has everything. Political power, dominance over an entire country, a personal army to do her every bidding, wealth beyond a man's wildest dream. That would be something hard to topple.

"WHAT?! Nagi you poop dripper! Come back here I'll rip your head off!" the princess gave chase to the man trying to hide the mad blush that was forming on her cheeks.

"Ah... the princess is mad at me again" Nagi laughed all the way.

"AH! Father, please don't be like that" Negi yelled at him embarrassed by his father's childish behavior. "You're embarrassing me in front of everyone! Wait! Father!"

"Ahehehehe…" Albireo sweat dropped. "Looks like he hasn't changed at all. Same old Nagi san"

But of course, the two of them didn't stop. They just continued on playing without a care who was watching them. "Ah! They're playing in the mud! Father, you'll get your robes all dirty!" as Negi tried to stop the two bickering adults from causing a bigger scene, he was suddenly pulled in to the fight with mud poured all over him. "Wahhh!?"

"Ah hey boyo, nice of you to join the game" his father humored.

"Father! This isn't the time to be playing in the mud! We have more important things to do!"

"Oh come on boyo, a little fun in the mud won't hurt anyone. Right princess?"

"Come a little closer and I might just reconsider that statement!" was her growling answer.

"But father! (Bonk!) Ageee!" Nagi bonked the boy on the head.

"Hey… didn't we agree not to call me that anymore?" he reminded him. "Call me pops or Nagi or any nickname that suits you because 'father' makes me sound old"

"No way!" the boy yelled rejecting. "That would be rude especially to you! I want to call you what I want and I pick father!" he slab a chunk of mud on Nagi's cape letting out a small bubble of tear on the corner of his eye.

"Ahh! Hey now that was foul play! Using your cute childish act just to put down my guard!"

"But father, this is serious! We need to discuss a plan! Why are you being so stubborn!?"

"ME!? You're the one insisting and bringing me here against my own will!"

"You came on your own free will!"

"Oh yeah…"

The other members who were part of the war could not help but to laugh at the scenery before them. To think that the two most powerful mages in the world and the princess of the Hellas Empire would be playing in the mud in such a childish way was completely unbeknownst to many.

"Ahh… look at that… Negi is being all cute again" Konoka giggled. "Even when he's angry he's still cute"

"I agree" Yuuna nodded.

"But playing in the mud looks like fun!" Fumika and Fuuka cheered in their kindergarten outfits. "Hey Negi sensei, can we play too? We want to play in the mud too you know"

"Ugh… even when we're facing the end, they still act childish" Chimase massaged her temples to this situation. "Do these people ever take a situation seriously?"

But just when they were all having their good laughs together, a familiar voice suddenly echoed in from the far off distance, catching Negi's attention. "NEGIIIIII!!!!" it was none other than Anya, the boy's childhood friend.

"Ah… Anya… san? GACKKK!!"

"Anya Overhead Kiiiiick!" wham! The girl rushed to the boy with amazing speed like a bullet fired from a .45 pistol. Her foot connected with the boy's face, plummeting him down to the mud like a block of sandbag. "Negi baka Negi!" she screamed at him like a worried mother. "You went on your own again without telling me!? (A… Anya san…) Don't you Anya san me! Haruna and the others said that you were going on a 2 day vacation in 'a far away land that I can't pronounce' and then an hour later someone told me that you were looking for your father again!"

"Oh yeah… I forgot about that" Haruna chibily remembered the little white lie she told Anya the day before they left.

"B… but Anya san…" Negi tried to reason but all hopes of voicing was thrown away by Anya's barrage of worried insults.

"And now two days later you come back looking like an undead mummy from one of those movies I saw back in London! What did you do!? Did you fight some sort monster again just to get stronger!? Tell me you dim wit or I'll beat it out of you!"

"Ano… could that be… little Anya?" Nagi spoke out.

"Be quiet! I'm not talking to you old man! And who the hell are you, to imitate Negi's older self!?" Anya barked at the Thousand Master clearly not knowing who he really was due to her rage. "And who are you to call me Anya chan!? Poser!"

"Ah… Anya san" Negi recomposed himself before gesturing to his father with a graceful hand. "Allow me to introduce to you, the Thousand Master himself. Nagi Springfield… my father"

Processing information…

"Eh?"

Compressing and extracting information…

"EHHHHH!!!!" she finally realized her faulty and began trembling in fear of the man's presence. "Negi! You must be joking! This old man!?"

"Hey, I'm not that old you know" Nagi sighed.

"Yes, he's my father. Can't you see the resemblance?" Negi pointed at the hair and face.

"Holy jumping kami Christmas biscuits!" the young sorceress screamed in her mind in panic mode. "I hit Negi kun right in front of his dad! And not to mention I bad mouthed him on our first meeting in ages! Crap crap crap crap! This is not good for my image! What can I do? Uh… let's see 1: Apologize Honestly 2: Pretend it was a joke 3: Run away and never show face again 4: Become a priest and hope for the best?"

Seeing that she looked frightened, Nagi placed his hand on top of the girl's head and compared her height with Negi's. "Wow it really is you Anya chan!" he laughed. "You probably don't recognize me because I only saw you when you were still in your cradle. And now that you mentioned it, you must be at least a year older than Negi, right?"

"Y… yes!?" she answered reluctantly.

"Ahh now I remember. You studied with him during your time at the academy" Nagi bowed politely to her like a princess on a throne. "I thank you for taking care of Negi while studying in Wales. You don't know how much I appreciate it. I know Negi may be a problem, but please bear with him (WHAT!?)"

Anya became all flustered as she tried to wave it off. "Ah! No not at all! He's no problem at all! I should be the one apologizing! Please don't bow your head like that, you're embarrassing me!"

"Father! What do you mean I'm a problem!?"

Again, another funny moment came to light as the gang laughed it all out. But just when the tension was about to die down, Negi felt a cold chill run down his spine as a familiar dark aura loamed his back. The boy knew that feeling well as he had learned to dread that aura during his time in Mahora academy. That irresistible lust for blood, that sickening feel of imprisonment, and that dark killing intent of a vampire that longed for freedom. The aura of an angry, slightly pissed off Evangeline A.K. McDowell.

"Hee hee hee hee hee… welcome back… boyo…" the young-semi-old vampire grinned evilly like a monster waiting for its prey to take the bait.

"E… e… Evangeline san?"

Eva was about to lung at him and suck his blood dry but Chachamaru stopped her. "I'm sorry master, but we have other duties to discuss, remember?"

"Tch… yeah I remember" she licked her fangs then turned to the boy and his father. "Oi, Thousand Mustard and boyo. Head on over to the main tent. Now that you two are here we can discuss our final preparations" she quickly waved herself off towards the briefing room, but not before giving out a strange glare at his pupil.

"Eh?" Negi caught the glare and wondered if he had done something to anger her. "Oh man… what did I do this time?" he trembled in panic, fearing what will come next. "She looked pretty angry at me"

(White Citadel) (Throne room) (Breakfast time)

It was breakfast time for Fate and his followers that morning. Even though they were a group bent on 'saving' the world, they were still mortals. They still needed food to replenish their stamina and rest to build up their strength. Shirabe, the violinist was eating alongside her compatriot Koyomi and Tamaki, the half-breed duos. Shiori, the copying mage was also with her friend Homura eating bacon and eggs for the day. Fate on the other hand was still sitting on the throne with a table in front of him and Asuna on the other side, sipping tea like she always do every morning.

'Shirabe' means 'Search'

'Homura' means 'Flame'

'Shiori' means 'Bookmark'

'Koyomi' means 'Calendar'

'Tamaki' means 'Bracelet'

A/N: If you are wondering about these characters, they can be found in Mahou Sensei Negima Chapter 215: Begin! Operation Return-to-the-Real-World

Surprisingly, there was a chess board at the center of the table of the table which they both shared, but many of the pieces were scattered and unfamiliar. Asuna glanced occasionally from her plate to the board like she was expecting some sort of development. "You seem nervous Kagurazaka Asuna" Fate brought her out of her focus from the board. "Is there something bothering you?"

"No… not really…" she replied somewhat tensed.

"Your voice denies your words" Fate marked on the spot. "Are you that excited to see the ending? Or are you worried that you will meet 'him' on the battlefield" Asuna's face fiercely pinched like she was trying to compose herself. "Ah… it appears I have hit the mark on the spot. (snicker) It appears you still fancy yourself as his personal knight in shining armor. You really should learn to let go. It's not healthy to have such thought cloud your judgment"

"I know that…" she placed her teacup back on the table and sighed depressingly. "More green tea please…" she ordered the butler golem which it gladly gave. "Thank you…"

"I'm surprised you thought about making a personal army of servants first Kagurazaka san. With them, our work has become quite simple"

"That's because a certain Cat girl always makes a mess out of the place" she gave out a feint hint towards Koyomi who flinched upon her nickname being sounded. "But putting that aside… I seem to have achieved the golem that you designed"

"Oh? Splendid. How many did you make?"

"A few thousand for a test run" she replied coolly. "However I needed the body to be faster to match up with the strength and skill so they will look different from the rest of the golem army. They're also a bit incomplete since I need to design the weapons and armor for them"

"Interesting… may I see one? I would like to witness how you managed to make my vision come to life"

"Certainly…" she placed her tea cup down and focused her strength on her crown. "Unit 00001, come…" immediately a golem in the shape of Chachamaru appeared, but oddly enough it was nude.

"AH!" the girls of Fate cried out like they were in the red light district strip club or something. "Asuna! What were you thinking making a stripper as a fighting machine?"

"Perhaps she plans on making the enemy surrender with pervertness" Shiori suggested.

"Take it easy… geeze, I did say it was incomplete" the twilight princess reasoned.

"Did you make it the way I wanted?" Fate sounded a bit unbelieving. "It looks pretty fragile compared to the others you've made for the past weeks"

"If you're not satisfied then why don't you test them out yourself?" Asuna challenged him to which Fate groaned upon. He quickly agreed and moved up to the android and observe its specs. To say the least he was impressed on the details Asuna put into it. The body texture and muscles looked so real that there was actually a two percent chance that the Ostian army would surrender just by looking at them. "Hey, stop starring like that. It's rude even though it is just a golem"

"I'm sorry. I was just observing what you put in them" he explained still with a cool and collected face. "I see that you've added extra titanium alloy in their skin making them more versatile and increasing its defense against physical attacks. But now… the real test begins…" he placed his palm at the chest of the golem and chanted a spell. "Ingresto Vex…" a moment of silence occurred. The girls expected something flashy to happen, but to their surprise… nothing showed up.

"Eh? Was that a dud spell master Fate?" Koyomi tilted her head in question.

But on Fate's side… he was astounded. He felt something… like a hallow nothingness, a dead empty space of magic. "Yes… this is it…" he smiled evilly but with a little hint of a nervous fear behind it. "This is exactly what I wanted. Hehehehehehe… Very impressive Asuna. To make such a creature in such a short time deserves praise. With this… nothing… not even the Thousand Master… will be able to stop me" he snickered out a laugh. "Hehehehe… AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" the whole world will now tremble at the might of Fate's new army.

Will Negi's strength be enough?

(Ostia-Hellas Coalition force main camp) (Briefing room)

The tenseness of the briefing room could not be easily explained by the students of class 3-A when they entered the tent. All they could hear was the muttering and murmuring of generals and leaders that came to aid Negi in his fight against Fate. They all took their seats around the briefing area and awaited the two highest people in command. Ricardo and Theodora. Negi and his father along with the other remaining members of Ala Alba remained on the sides like advisors for the war.

"Ahem…" the princess of Hellas spoke up. "I believe you all know why I have summoned you here. You all know that during the war that occurred twenty years ago, an organization ran the charades of attack throughout our country, making us fight one another while they plot their heinous scheme in destroying the magic world. But of course we were able to prevent that disaster from occurring again with our combined might and a little help from the famous Ala Alba" Nagi gave out a self nod. "But unfortunately a survivor of that war has resurfaced and has begun moving without our notice and he seeks to redo the tragedy that had befallen the city you see outside this tent. You all remember what happened when the old capital fell to the surface. (dramatic pause) I do not need to ask how many friends and family you have lost during that chaos for I too have suffered the same. I have lost my friends in the old capital and the experience alone was too much for me to bear. (pause) And so… we are gathered here today… to prevent that madness from ever happening again! Now that our true enemy is exposed to us, we will deliver a quick and merciless blow to his forces and bring an end to the threat of our world!" a round of applause followed soon after with several whistles and nods from the other half breeds.

"Wow…" Negi looked at the princess astounded. "That speech was amazing. I guess she isn't called a princess for nothing after all"

It was then Ricardo took the stage. "Now that we have that done. Let's get on with the briefing" a hologram of the old ruined city suddenly appeared at the center of the room. "As of the moment we hold a firmly tight grip on the old capital of Ostia where the tower of Dawn is located. Our enemy, Fate Averruncus's original plan was to use the princess of twilight and use a mass cancelation spell with an AOE (Area of Effect) of fifty kilometers on every major city in the magic world. (murmur) But fortunately we have the tower of Dawn in our hands so without it he cannot use the spell" the screen then changed to the scenery of the White Citadel where Fate and his army prep themselves for battle. "Unfortunately however, the enemy was able to elude our capture attempts and withdrew himself to the ancient fortress of Asgard"

"Ass guard?" Kotaro snickered at the name.

"It's Asgard" Negi corrected. "It's an old mythological place from the Norse legends meaning capital or the birthplace of gods"

"Oh…"

"Our information on this fortress is however very limited" Ricardo continued. "All we know that there is only one exit ground but six entrances that surrounds the city of the old capital. Which means whichever gate we take will only lead to the same position… which is in front of the White Citadel" the general groaned as he knew the next part would be hard to explain. "Right now our troops have set up defensive lines around each gate and constantly patrolling its borders to prevent any of the enemy from probing our defenses"

"Why don't we just destroy the portals then?" one of the officers recommended. "Can't we just destroy them and trap the in there forever?" the others muttered in agreement to the plan.

"That was our first attempt" he explained. "But each of the portals are protected with high level magical barriers which repels nearly every attack at long range. And even if we send a ship close enough to do damage, it would immediately be sliced in half by the defense unit that pours out from the portal" a cycle of uncertain murmurs echoed the room making the place a bit tensed.

"Then why don't we just destroy the tower of Dawn?" the demon lord suggested. "You said that Fate guy needed this tower to cast the spell right? So if we just destroyed it then his plan is useless"

Many others agreed to this and even Ricardo too if it weren't for the reason behind it. "That wouldn't work either" he stated. "Apparently the tower of Dawn holds an unstable amount of magical at the foot of the tower. If the tower was to be destroyed then that energy will leak out becoming the rawest form of magic. And if it does get destroyed, everything within a fifty mile radius would be incinerated in a blink of an eye. From Ostia to Heaven's Hill to the Hellas Empire will be nothing more but a smoking ruin. I've requested the aid of the magic guild in removing the feint traces of magic, but it will probably take them a year or so just to get half way done" it was probably like a ticking time bomb to those who understood the concept of magic.

"So… what do we do then?" another voice riled in.

Ricardo composed himself again before answering. "The princess of Hellas and I have agreed on a plan. We will take Fate's army head on (gasps!) But of course, the main battle that will be fought the areas around the city will only be a distraction. While the majority of the enemy is focused on us, a small team will use a loop hole within the enemy's defenses and attack the fortress from within"

"You can say it's our plan" Theodora groaned annoyingly in her head. "But the one who thought of it all was that kid" she eyed the little boy at the corner of her eye like she was trying to see some hint of fear. "Hmph… for a kid like him to order me around. He'd make a good king if he was in a royal family. (pause) Wait! What the hell am I thinking!?"

"Then why don't we just rush our army through that dent on their defense?" an officer questioned.

"We cannot" the general answered. "Apparently the loop hole in Asgard is a onetime use only and sadly it is not big enough to accommodate more than forty people. The one who will be leading this team will be none other than Negi Springfield, which I believe all of you know already" the boy in question tensed to the mere mention of his name. "He and his partners will charge into the fort and complete two tasks. 1. To find and destroy the crown of Twilight which controls the golem army. Without it, the enemy's strength will weaken and then we will have a chance of destroying the portals that leads into the fortress. Second, is to stop Fate Averruncus… at any cost"

The plan was a bold one to say the least even for Negi. To slip into enemy territory with no backup would be considered a suicide mission if he wasn't bringing his students and the most powerful allies he has able to gather for the past week. With the strongest punch gathered in one spot, maybe… just maybe… they would be able to win without taking any loses. It was a hope… perhaps even a mad and insane hope… that he was wishing for.

In all that planning… no other voice spoke up to question it…

(Time skip 1 hour)

'Then the plan is agreed upon. We will attack Asgard in three days time' Those were the final words Ricarco spoke out before dismissing the meeting. Once the leaders and officers were out, Negi and his friend gathered around their own private tent to discuss some other menial topics.

"Haaa… what a relief" the boy genius let out a relieving sigh. "For a moment there I thought that plan would stir up an argument amongst them. I'm glad no one had to fight"

"I doubt any of them would fight Negi sama" Setsuna chuckled. "Since you were the one who made that brilliant plan I'm sure everyone thought 'This plan will work' or something like that"

"Eh, but it was Ricardo san who explained it to them" he gestured to the general who stood next to him. "He said that he and the princess made the plan so they should get the credit"

"Oh Negi please, you flatter me" Ricardo smirked.

But Rakan simply laughed. "Ha! Please! That was probably just a political act in case some journalist or reporter came by for the scoop. Didn't you see the look on their faces? They already knew that you were the one who made the plan so no one argued about it. Besides, this tomboy princess and that lazy starfish head can't come up with such a simple yet affective plan like yours"

"Who are you calling starfish, muscles brain!!?"

"But anyway Negi" Nagi interrupted. "How do you intend to get passed the third dimension?"

"Oh that one is a bit complicated" he answered. "You see… when Fate used that one time mass teleportation spell, I was able to save some of its energy before it disappeared completely. At first I thought I could use this to chase after him, but I needed time to repair the spell incantation so I've been saving it for just this moment"

"It'll probably be the last thing he'd expect from us" Haruna added proudly.

"Oh… so a sneak attack huh?" Nagi cooed. "That's surprisingly cunning coming from you. Maybe you should become a tactician instead"

"Huh?! Oh no! I didn't come up with this plan alone! I had some help from Hasegawa san (Chisame)" the two of them turned to the genius computer student who blushed at the attention being given to her.

"Ahh crap… why did he have to mention my name?" Chisame groaned embarrassingly.

"Ah yes, now I recognize you from the roster Negi showed me last night" while Nagi was looking at her face to face, the others couldn't help but imagine that this was some sort of first round to impress Negi's father. "Negi said many things about you. That you know a lot about computers and stuff and love doing cosplaying too. Thank you for taking care of my son and I hope you become good friends with him"

A/N: Cosplay: meaning a person who impersonates a character from a movie, cartoon or comic book.

"Ah! Y… yeah… sure" was that she said back to him.

"Hoo… it looks like the battle has begun" Ayaka grinned along with rest of the class who eyed Nagi like a piece of steak hanging in a pit full of starving wolves. "Now remember Ayaka… first impression is always important. If you can win Nagi's heart then you're sure to earn victory over Negi!" she brushed through the others and bowed in front of Nagi. "Hello Mr. Springfield, I am Yukihiro Ayaka, the president of class 3-A. It is an honor to meet such a legend such as yourself. I consider myself to be one of the luckiest persons from earth to see you face to face" her face was so cute and her personality had changed into that of a nice-lady that you would see in 1600s England.

"Ah yes, Ayaka dono" the man smiled with his usual expression. "Negi also spoke great things about you too. He says that you're very reliable and trustworthy. It's a pleasure to meet you too" he bowed. "I trust Negi's well being in your hands and I hope you get along with him"

"Oh my… you really are Negi kun's father" Ayaka chuckled in a very ladylike manner, but her mind was thinking of something far off. "Great work Ayaka! You made one of the best impressions of today! Score one for the high class!"

Next came Ku Fei. "Hello there Negi's old dad" she spoke in her usual care free happy tone. "I'm Ku Fei, nice to meet you aru! Sorry about that punch yesterday aru"

"Ah yes, it was alright. I wasn't hurt that badly (And I'm not that old)"

Then Kaede came in with her head bowed. "A pleasure to meet you Nagi san. My name is Nagase Kaede. We met on the battlefield yesterday, but I did not properly introduce myself de gozaru"

"Ah yes, the kunoichi that Negi told me. I thank you for cheering my son up when he was down. Please be good friends with him"

"Of course de gozaru"

Next came Kotaro who only smirked at him. "So you're Negi's old man huh? You don't look pretty tough but I guess you can't judge people by their appearance"

"Ahehehe… that sounds pretty wise coming from a little puppy like you (And I'm stop calling me old!)"

"Hey! Who are you calling a puppy!? I'm a lot older than I look and I'm pretty strong myself don't you know!? I knocked out Rakan several times with my special attack!"

Afterwards the rest of the students of class 3-A followed their example, each of them introducing themselves in different and unique ways one after the other in a good line formation. Nagi was of course amazed on how many students Negi had to take care in order to stay at the academy. He noted each and every one of them and was surprised how different they were from one another. He had to admit that he'd go nuts if he had to spend a whole year with them. The Narutaki twins were really adorable to him, then the cheer leader squad (consisting Misa, Madoka and Sakurako) which offered a friendly handshake, then Hatsuki, then Mana and followed by the remaining members of the Ala Rubra (White Wing). He was slightly nerved when Chachamaru came by to offer her greetings. He didn't even know that androids were real in the human world.

But while the others finished their introduction, Nodoka finally came in line. But it seems like she was having a hard time moving up to the Thousand Master. "Hey Nodoka" Yue gave out a nudge. "It's your turn to say hi. Make a good impression and show your cute side to him"

"Ah… wait Yue chan" Bookstore gulped. "I can't do it. What if he hates me?"

"Don't be an idiot! What's there not to like? The others are already making their move so you've got to do it now to earn yourself some points!"

"N… no I'm too scared!"

"Fine, then I have no other choice! Haa!" Yue attempted to ram her best friend towards Nagi, but to her faulty foot works, she missed her by a millimeter and was unable to stop. "Wha? WHA!!!!?" she rammed right towards Nagi and fell on her butt.

"Ahh… you must Ayase Yue san" Nagi offered his hand to help the girl which she accepted reluctantly. "Negi said many things about you too. You lost some part of your memory when you got here in the magic world. I'm sorry you had to experience that. I hope it did not ruin your relation with my son"

"R… r… relation?" Yue tried to fight back the blush creeping on her face but failed miserably. She began to panic when the Thousand Master lowered his head to her. "Ahh! Please don't bow! It was nothing really! It was all just a big misunderstanding and ugh… I uh… I uhh…" she looked around trying to find something else to talk about, but found none until she returned her eyes to Nodoka. "AH!" with a quick work of the hand, she pulled her best friend next to her as morale support. "Umm… this is my best friend Nodoka! She works in the same club as me and stuff! Say something Nodoka" she whispered that last sentence to her friend just to get the road going.

"Umm… hello… Nagi… san" she said slowly like she was both afraid and shy.

"Ahh, you must be Miyazaki Nodoka" Nagi recognized her from Negi's roster. But to his surprise, the girl in front of him looked so much cuter than the one in the picture. He smiled and chuckled. "Hmm… Negi was right. You do look a lot cuter when you don't cover your eyes with your hair" the girl visibly blushed at his words for it almost sounded like something Negi would say. "From the look of your Pactio, you're a mind reader aren't you?"

"Y… yes…" she replied proudly.

"Well that's a pretty rare artifact you got there Miyazaki san. How many times have you used that to peek in your friend's thought?"

"Eh!? No I would never do such a thing!"

"Actually… she does it plenty of times before" Chamo stated with a little sweat drop. "Even though they were not really emergencies"

"Ah! Chamo kun, you're making me look bad!"

"Hehehehe it's alright Miyazaki san" Nagi waved it off. "Being curious of what other people think about is a natural thing for a human (Wha!? No!) You probably couldn't resist the temptation and did it. Heck even Rakan wouldn't hesitate to use that artifact hehehehehehe"

SHOCK!

Nodoka was heartbroken by his words and felt like glass that was broken by a bowling ball. She moved to the corner of the area and sulked while scribbling her will on the muddy ground. "Hooo… I feel terrible"

"Ahh… was it something I said?"

"Father! You made Nodoka cry!" Negi yelled with comical tears falling down his eyes. He and Yue quickly ran over to Bookstore's side to try and comfort her. "Ahh Nodoka san don't cry"

"That guy's got no sense of a woman's feelings at all!" Yue yelled in her head. "But I guess Negi also has that gift of speaking from the heart"

"Ouch…" Haruna giggled unsure of how to react. "Well I guess that's a normal reaction after being compared with Rakan san like that"

"Hey!" the swordsman felt insulted. "What's that supposed to mean!?"

But just when Nagi was about to go and apologize, he felt a tug on his cloak making him jerk his head towards Konoka. "Eh?"

"Ah hello there Negi's dad" she greeted politely. "I'm Konoe Konoka, the daughter of Konoe Eishun"

"Ohhhh! Kono chan!?" Nagi recognized her almost instantly. "Little mini Kono chan!? Oh my you sure have grown! How's your father doing? I haven't seen him in ages! The last time we met, you could barely even walk. Oh wait… I think I have a picture that your dad gave to me when you were still a baby (Eh?)" Konoka popped up an imaginary question mark on her head as she looked at the photo. It was indeed her and her father when she was recently born. It showed her sucking on a pacifier and her father giving out a peace sign. "Man… you were cute back then Kono chan. You even gave the maids a hard time when you didn't know how to use the toilet"

"WHA!" Konoka quickly tried to signal the old man to stop before he embarrassed her any further.

"Awww how cute!" Makie squealed. "Konoka looks like a new born princess surrounded by peasants teehee"

"Ahh! Makie chan, don't look!"

"Oh don't worry" Nagi waved it off. "Eishun had an album full of these pictures so he sent me a copy. Look there's even a picture of Konoka when she tore her kimono during the harvest festival"

"WHA!!!! Nagi san!"

Yue and Kaede sweat dropped. "Somehow… he suddenly turned from a mage to a father that likes to embarrass his own kids"

"I agree…"

But just as the kids looked through Konoka's embarrassing photo album (much to her dismay) the young mistress realized that only Setsuna had not given her greetings yet. "Ah yeah, Set chan, why don't you greet Nagi san? You're the only person who hasn't said hi yet"

"Ah… that's alright ojou sama. I already that… ahehehehe" she let out a fake laugh. "Actually, he already knew me back when we were fighting"

"Oh… is that so? Oh well" but then she saw the girls showing Negi the photo album. "Ahh! Negi! Don't look! It's embarrassing! (laughing) Ahh! Please don't laugh, it isn't funny! I was only four two when I learned how to use the toilet! I was short back then and so I couldn't reach the handle! (more laughs) Ahh! Come on now you guys, quit it!"

"Hehe…" Setsuna chuckled. "Looks like ojou sama is enjoying herself. I haven't seen her this embarrassed or relaxed in a long time now" but then suddenly, a familiar ominous feeling dread Negi's presence. "Eh? This feeling…………… its…!"

"EVA BUSTER KIIIIICKKKKKK!!!" Evangeline soon appeared out of nowhere and slammed her feet against Negi's face, sending him to the ground on a long dirt nap.

"AHH!" the boy recovered after accidentally eating some of the dirt on the ground. "M… m… master!?" he felt the vampiress's hands grabbing his collar and pulling it closer to her face.

"Hello there boyo… nice to see me again?" she said in her threatening seductive tone. "You dare teach one of my most favorite spells to one of your students without my permission? You certainly got some guts Nagi. I should probably kill you and drain all of your blood right now. That should be sufficient for your punishment"

"AHH! Master! Please forgive me! I didn't know that it was a forbidden technique!" he reasoned pleadingly. "I just thought that it would be good for someone to have the same power as me to protect others you know!"

"That's not a good enough…… REASON!" she slammed him against one of the giant barrels where they the rum for the soldiers. "You should know better than anyone that, that technique isn't meant for ordinary humans. The side effects that comes afterwards will paralyze the user greatly and may even cost that person his life on a battlefield"

"Y… yes… I know that…" Negi quickly regretted getting up as he was kicked again on the stomach, sending him back to the muddy area. "WAhh!"

"So you knew that side effect and still you opted to teach her!" a vein throb appeared on Eva's head telling others that she was pissed off. "I really should just kill you right now!" but before she lounged at him, she turned at the Thousand Master. "And you! (Eh? Me?) Yeah you! Stay right where you are! Once I'm through with your little boy I'm coming for you next! I still have a score to settle with you!"

"Eh… ok…"

"W… wait Eva san!" Setsuna stopped her. "Negi didn't teach me this willingly. I… I uh… I kind of forced him to teach it me"

Eva looked at her with a slight surprised look. To think that Setsuna would quickly rush to the boy's defense like that. But she just waved it off. "Who the hell was asking for your opinion!!" she roared. "Even if you did force him, I gave him specific orders that only he can learn this technique and no one else!"

"B… but…" Setsuna held the blush that was appearing on her face, but Eva's eyes were quick enough to catch a glimpse of it.

"Oh…" she smirked evilly and seductively like a mistress of slaves or something. "I see…… so you actually went that far to get him to teach that technique to you? Hoo hoo (Huh?) My my, I did not that you were that sly… Sakurazaki. To actually go and use your own body to persuade Negi bozu to teach that… hoohoo… then I guess it is understandable for a kid his age…"

"WHAT!" Setsuna barked, her blush became apparent.

"Whoa! Seriously Setsuna nee chan?" Chamo grinned mischievously. "I didn't know you had it in you?"

"Wow… I never knew that Setsuna was like that" Haruna was snickering up a laugh that her nose bled.

"Setsuna chan…" Nodoka also bled from her nose along with Yue and Ayaka.

"Such a despicable woman" the class rep stated frightfully. "To go that length where no woman has gone before"

"WHAT?!" the samurai denied it wholeheartedly. "No NO NO NO!!! YOU MISUNDERSTAND!! I WOULD NEVER DO SUCH A THING!! Eva! You're manipulating the majority against me!!"

"How else do you think you were able to persuade him!?" she asked. "It was the only thing I could think of! You spoiled body! Stay away from me!"

"You misunderstand! I just asked him and gave him a couple of sandwich from his hometown as payment!!" she explained loudly which made the vampiress pause in shock and question.

"Sandwich?" she turned to Negi with even more rage inside. "You taught her that technique… in exchange for… sandwich!?"

"Ah… I'm really gonna die aren't I…?" Negi tilted his head in defeat and awaited his punishment. But strangely enough… it never came. He looked up and saw Eva hovering above him. "Ah?"

"Come with me boyo" she demanded in a serious tone. "Let's go to my resort"

"Ara… she's angry again" Rakan chuckled. "Sometimes I think that she just hurts the boy because she's worried about him"

"Hehehe… I agree" Takahata laughed. "I guess the saying 'You always hurt the ones you love' proves this situation to be true"

(Training grounds) (Eva's resort)

A/N: For those who have not read the manga of Mahou Sensei Negima, I will explain the spell of Eva's resort. When a person enters it, they cannot leave the place until 24 hours have passed. But since it is compressed with magic, only one hour will pass in the mortal world. Negi uses this place often to train himself often along with his students.

When the gang arrived on scene, Eva and Negi stood on opposite sides of the field waiting for their training to commence. How did they know it was training? Well it was simple really. If it was punishment then Negi would've already been barraged by a volley of hammers and nails by now and hung up on the hanger for dry clean.

"Eh! Eva san, wait a minute!" Setsuna called out. "Negi just got out of bed and his injuries haven't really healed yet! He can't go on training like this!"

"Oh shut up" came her annoyed reply. "You're the reason why I have to do this in the first place! (to Negi) Alright boyo, show me that technique you used when you fought your old man back in your village! Make it flashy!"

"She called me old…" Nagi sobbed.

"Eh? Do you mean Magia Erabea master?" the boy looked at her questioningly.

"No shrimp! The other one! The one you kicked their asses with!" she was pointing to Rakan, Takahata and Nagi who was still sobbing. "The one with the blue flame and everything!"

"Blue flame?" he raised a quizzical look.

"Ahh… it looks like he doesn't remember" Eva thought. "I guess he must've been unconscious when the Darkova took over" she paused for a moment and sighed. "Fine then… let's just start by using your dark magic. Don't hold anything back cuz I hell won't be showing you any mercy this time!" the boy nodded and began chanting Magia Erabea by removing the seals. "Even though I said that, that brat is already way stronger than me even without Magia Erabea. Maybe I said too much?"

"Deko na verentus. Oel nahafirig. Wavil no flois! (Darkness within. Open the gateway to desire. Awaken the wave!)"

"Here it comes…"

"Ooo… Negi sounds so gallant using his low toned voice" Ayaka giggled happily. "I wonder if he grows old his voice would become like that"

"Don't wish too much class rep" Makie chuckled nervously. "That wouldn't sound like Negi anymore aehehehehe. It would sound a lot more like his old dad"

"Hey! I'm not that old you know!" Nagi groaned. "I'm still in my mid Thirties!"

But just the boy charged up his powers. He felt something strange stirring within his heart. He charged up more and more but then………… nothing happened. The Magia Erabea failed. "Eh? That's odd? Let me try again…" he cast out the same spell again, but still it did not work. He chanted louder and made sure every word was correct. He tried everything from striking a pose and putting the cold face on but still nothing happened. "Eh? That's really strange? Maybe I got the face wrong (WHAM!!) Gaaccck!"

"QUIT SCREWING AROUND!!!!" Eva kicked him out of annoyance. "Stop playing around and start getting serious boyo! If you don't then I really might just kill you without knowing it! Are you trying to piss me off on purpose here!?"

"Ahh… wait Eva san! I really am trying!" the boy begged her to give him another chance. "Please wait" he paused and began chanting the spell again. The power within him flowed, but not the one he was looking for. "Eh?" instead of dark magic, a puff exhausted smoke rose from his body. "That wasn't supposed to happen… uh oh…"

"BOYO!!!!!" another kick was laid on his face, sending him to the ground. "What's the matter with you!?"

"Master! I'm being honest! I don't know what's wrong. I did everything right, but nothing's working!" Negi reasoned, but Eva locked his neck to the ground and say on top of him. "Gulp… Master?"

"Hold still and don't you move a muscle boyo" she ordered seriously. Negi followed it to the letter not daring to move one inch fearing that she might do if he did. But Eva was simply scanning the magical energies flowing on Negi's body. "What the hell!? If that boy is pulling off some kind of joke then it an't funny" Eva groaned in her head. "The only reason that my dark magic isn't working would probably be because…" and when she looked up onto the boy's heart, her eyes widened with dread imprinted on her face. "It's… it's gone" she muttered. "There's nothing… not one bit of hint of darkness at all…"

"Master?"

"That's enough for today boyo" she told him coldly. "Go and rest for today and we'll have a practice tomorrow" everyone was surprised to see Eva act that way. Usually by now she would've given Negi a beating or two, but she just left him… just like that. That was definitely not something she would do.

"Negi sama!" Setsuna rushed to the boy's side to see if he was alright. "Are you alright?"

"Ah… I'm ok Setsuna chan" the boy replied wearily. "Eva seemed to have given me a break today. (sigh) I'm glad… I thought I was going to die for a moment there"

"But that was odd though de gozaru" Kaede placed her hand on her chin in suspicion of Evangeline's actions. "That didn't seem like Eva at all"

"I agree aru" Master Ku nodded. "Giving Negi a break like that isn't something she would do… ever! Aru"

"Something is up… and whatever it is, it has to do with the reason why Negi can't use Magia Erabea… de gozaru…"

"Oi you two" Rakan placed a hand over them like a bunch of kids. "Stop thinking too much or you'll grow wrinkles. This isn't the time to be worrying about troublesome things. Shouldn't we be celebrating about Negi finally finding his dear old dad?"

"Don't call me old! I'm not that old!" Nagi yelled annoyingly.

"That's a great idea Rakan dono!" Haruna totally agreed. "Hey everyone! Who's up for a party to celebrate Negi's old man's return!? (I'm not that old!)"

"Hey that's a great idea Paru!" Ako and the cheer leaders nodded. "We can bring the food from the lower levels! Hey Chachamaru, do you think we can use some of the supplies you have stored in here?"

The android perked up a rare smile. "Why of course" was her answer. "I'm sure we have some food stocks left in the basement level of the resort. I can cook up something for everyone"

"Ah! I'm sorry to trouble you Chachamaru san" Negi apologized modestly.

But the android simply smiled it off. "If it is for Negi sensei and the return of his father then I don't mind. I can simply restock everything tomorrow. Besides, it's been so long since this place had any good atmosphere. I will go and fetch the necessary requested provisions"

"Alright! Then a party it is!" Paru cheered along with the rest of the gang. "Let's give three cheers for Negi! Hip hip!?"

"Hooray!"

"Hip hip!?"

"Hooray!"

"Hip hip!?"

"Hooray!"

"And another three cheers for him finding his old man! Hip hip!"

"STOP CALLING ME OLD!!!!"