SailorStar9: After getting Chapter 52 out, this is Chapter 53 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?

Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny and my OC.

Chapter 53: Mastermind

"Rhya!" Patolli hurried over to his gravely injured friend. "What's the meaning of this, Ronne?" he demanded, activating 'Healing Ray of Light' on Rhya.

"The three leaves of the clover represent faith, hope and love." the still disguised Zagred related. "Within the fourth leaf dwells good luck. And..."

"Holy Magic: Prison Field." Freyja trapped Zagred in a rectangular cube barrier of holy magic. "Whereas a fifth leaf resides a devil." she finished Zagred's sentence. "You understand this now, don't you, Patolli? He was the one who took advantage of the bond between Licht and Lemiel and created a five-clover Grimoire from that tragedy using Licht's Grimoire."

"Unseal." Zagred freed himself and floated over to the stone pedestal. "I can finally obtain what should've been mine. This Shadow Palace, which lies between this world and the next, and the spell of the magic stones that can draw out what I desire from the Underworld." he inserted Yuno's magic stone and a black magical mass rose from the portal, before solidifying into a black coffin-like structure. "I'm back." he left Ronne's body to merge with his true form.

"What is this cold, pitch-black magic?" Yuno gawked.

"Though it's be incomplete, I haven't been in my own body for centuries." Zagred reveled. "What a wonderful feeling."

"Finally regained your own body, huh, Zagred?" Freyja snarled.

"Elf that was chosen by a four-leaf Grimoire, I commend you." Zagred mocked. "I praise you from the bottom of my heart for everything you've done up to this point, as well as the results you have shown me. And now, I shall have you taste the depths of despair, like he did back then."

"Silencio." with a snap of her fingers, Freyja muted Zagred. "500 years ago, back then, the one who enticed the human nobility into destroying the elves was him. Lemiel and me... we underestimated how easily greed can corrupt the nobles. They stole the magic siphon tool Lemiel and Secre had developed and use it to not only steal the elves' magic, and also to imitate Lemiel's magic."

"Then, the real target for our revenge should've been..." Patolli glared at Zagred, unleashing a 'Light Sword of Judgment' at the devil.

"Return." Zagred intoned, reflecting the attack back at its caster.

Using 'Spirit Dive', Yuno swooped in and brought Patolli an Rhya to safety. "That body belongs to Captain Vangeance." he reminded. "I won't let you die like that."

"I'd prefer to deal with you two adopted siblings later." Zagred told Yuno and Freyja.

"You can't be serious." Yuno spat. "You just show up out of nowhere. Though I'm very aware that you're nothing more than trash. If all I have to do is destroy you the end all of this, so be it. Mana Zone: Spirit Storm."

"Vacuum Wall." Zagred blocked off the attack.

"Kotodama Magic." Freyja voiced. "Using mere words, he can materialize just about anything."

"Yuno!" Asta yelled, falling in with Mimosa.

"I see that some uninvited guests have arrived." Zagred remarked. "I'll leave them alone for now. More importantly, 'Come here'." he teleported Patolli in front of him.

"Don't mess with me." Patolli snapped. "Light Creation Magic: Bright Judgment Whip."

"Vanish." Zagred dispelled the whip with a single word. "Iron Spears." he pierced series of iron spikes through Patolli's body.

"Miracles of God: Disintegration!" Freyja cast her offensive holy magic spell, a five-layered magic circle stretched up into the air, engulfing the area around Patolli with holy light. A single beam of light shot down from the magic circle, melting the spears that held the reborn elf captive.

"Asta, that creepy black thing is behind all of this." Yuno informed.

"I figured." Asta fired back, both adopted siblings leapt to attack Zagred.

"Storm of Blades." Zagred let loose of flurry of swords.

"Mimosa." Freyja addressed the healer. "Can I leave Rhya to you?"

"Yes." Mimosa nodded.

"Holy Field." Freyja shielded the healing station in a pyramid barrier.

"Vacuum Wall." Zagred pressed both Asta and Yuno onto the ground. "Be crushed. Smashed." he pressed both brothers deeper into the ground. "Broken to pieces. Riddled with holes." his word magic caused the walls to fall apart, the debris falling onto the defenseless boys. "I will not allow anyone to get in my way. Are you awake?" he strolled towards Patolli. "Thanks to you, the time that stopped for me finally will begin moving again. I commend you, hero. Five centuries ago, they got in my way. And though I was close, my incarnation failed. You were the next one I set my sights on. A new sacrifice that was loved by mana, still young, and swayed so easily. Tragedy and a sense of mission; that was enough for you to dabble in forbidden magic which allowed the elves' souls to be reincarnated in human bodies."

"The one who reincarnated us was Licht." Patolli insisted. "Even if it meant dabbling in forbidden magic, he gave us our last hope."

"It's not Licht's doing." Freyja corrected. "Because of the despair he experienced from the massacre, Licht's Grimoire was turning into a five-leaf clover. It was then Zagred tried to take over Licht's body. But Lemiel's arrival prevented that. Licht, in turn, used the magic stones to transform into a giant demon and forcing both me and Lemiel to kill him. However, even before Secre managed to seal him, Zagred used the magic stones to cast the 'Noad Nephesh' spell."

"The little magic princess is right." Zagred mocked. "Your leader doesn't want the humans exterminated restoring the elves and that revenge you longed for; all false goals. You merely walked down the road I prepared for you, neatly leading the other fools to follow you. You truly did a splendid job. In the end, it led you to a future that Licht didn't want and my incarnation, which finally allowed my soul to return to my body. You were indeed chosen as my brilliant and foolish pawn. Excellent work."

"Patolli, calm down!" Freyja barked, seeing Patolli's Grimoire slowly turn into a five-clover. "It isn't your fault..." she threw her arms around the grieving elf's waist. "This isn't your fault..." she whispered.

"This is just too amusing." Zagred taunted. "Elves and humans... your dreams and ambitions make the best playthings."

"Don't give me that crap." Asta snapped, he and Yuno freed themselves from the rubble.

"You just show up outta nowhere and make a mess of everything." Yuno retorted.

"You're super strong and scary." Asta admitted. "But who the hell do you think you are? You made Rhiannon cry."

"Whatever you are, you piss me off." Yuno snarled.

"Storm of Blades." Zagred released his attack.

"Asta." Yuno barked.

On cue, the two siblings combined their magic to cancel out the sword attack.

"Heal." Zagred shrugged, closing the flesh wound on his wrist caused by Asta and Yuno's attack. "How impressive that you were able to wound me. Having the power of a Spirit and loved being by mana, and the power of a meddlesome comrade who dwells inside the five-clover Grimoire that I should have possessed. I don't know where you came from, but you may have that Grimoire. When the owner of a four-clover Grimoire is engulfed in deep despair, a five-leaf Grimoire is born. Five hundred years ago, I succeeded in creating a Grimoire of despair, but I was met with resistance to the very end. So this time, by using forbidden reincarnation magic, I mingled wicked thoughts with their souls, making it easier to steal their egos. I wanted my stepping stones to do their job and allow themselves to be stepped on. For the sake of this moment, I have deceived, killed and plundered."

"You're unforgivable." Asta spat. "I'm not going to allow you to get away with that."

"Rhiannon, purify him." Yuno instructed. "Leave this guy to us."

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.