Chapter One-Hundred Sixteen: End of Night, Rise of Dawn
Hey there, readers, in case I'm not able to get the next chapter out in time, I just want to wish my American viewers a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving, enjoy the company of your loved ones and some good eats, I'll be doing the same. Cya.
They did it.
It took everything everyone had, whether it was pushing past their limits or harnessing new strength, but with one decisive slash from the swordsman, Zagred was stricken down, a result of karma that was 500 years in the making. The devil couldn't believe it, he was supposed to be stronger than these insignificant worms, so how? How did these mere mortals best him?
In a way, he'd get an answer to that as the fifth leaves of both his and Asta's grimoires began to glow while they were in proximity.
"What the?" Zagred suddenly found himself in a completely red space divided by a black line, now staring down Roth who was positioned comfortably.
"Hey there, chief," the anti-magic devil greeted his kin.
"It's you, the comrade who helped that brat. Where are we?! Answer me!"
"Fufufu," Roth chuckled strangely. "You seem angry. Relax, I just initiated a Cross, that's all,"
"A what?"
"Oh yeah, your kind don't usually have grimoires, so you wouldn't know what this is. Apparently, this is a technique the angels made," he explained.
"And just how did you figure out how to do it, comrade?" Zagred questioned.
"You don't need to know that. Oh, and stop calling me a comrade, I'm not one of you,"
"Yes you are, stop joking! Being of our kind is an honor that has no equal! To live for ourselves and torment creation, eternally following the proverb HE gave us!"
Roth faked a yawn. "Are you done yapping? There's one big difference that separates me from the rest of you,"
"And what's that?"
The anti-magic devil flew right into the face of the word devil, grinning evilly. "You're weak, and I'm not, that's why you're going to disappear, and in time, the rest will follow," he backed up, taking joy from the sight of Zagred's silhouette beginning to crumble away.
"No! No, I can't die, I won't accept it!" he yelled, his tone filled with panic. "I'm stronger than you all, do you hear me?!"
However, his cries weren't acknowledged by the only other one there, instead, he watched silently as the limbs crumbled away first, then the chest, until all that was left was his face. But right before it was over, Roth opened his mouth, speaking four words that would be the last thing Zagred ever heard.
"See you never, loser,"
And just like that, the Cross promptly ended, perspective shifting back to the outside where the word devil crumbled away entirely, leaving nothing behind, once that happened, all the spawns and mana eaters did the same.
"Now that's what I like to see," Yami commented with relief. "It's finally over. Thanks for your help, I couldn't have done it without you,"
"You're welcome, it was the least I could do," Charla said back as she noticed a portal form in the distance. "What's that?"
"Hey, those are the kind of portals that Valtos guy makes, he must be forming them everywhere to bring us together," the dark mage reasoned, and his hunch was on the money as Rhya's head popped out from it.
"It's Yami and Charla, just where Mimosa said you'd be. C'mon, we're going to go get the others,"
"We're coming," the possessed captain began walking his way, but noticed the man's head turned in a direction that had nothing there. "What's wrong?"
"Hold on for just a minute,"
Heading back to the top room, everyone was in a celebratory mood, and for good reason. "We did it!" Asta was the most excited of all.
Kenos flew over to them as the three boys undid their transformations in unison, Yuno creating small tornadoes for the pair. "That was an amazing final attack,"
"Aw shucks, you're giving me too much credit, I couldn't have done it without you two and Captain Yami. By the way, how are you? You said Double Boost would have some backlash,"
"And indeed it is," Kenos motioned to his hands, both twitching uncontrollably. "But compared to how it was the last time, I'll gladly accept this,"
"Yuno, I think you were the most amazing!" Bell leaned on her partner's shoulder. "I never was expecting you to make such a pretty sword!"
"Now that she mentions it, I wasn't expecting that either, especially since you don't use swords," Kenos said.
The wind mage became a little embarrassed. "Well, I wanted to base it after someone I admire,"
"C'mon, you're going to make me blush like crazy," Asta patted his brother on the back while grinning from ear to ear.
"It's not you," the teen deadpanned, crushing his blissful look.
"What?! It's not?! Then who is it, tell me?!" the magicless mage comedically whined.
Yuno just met his tantrum with a smirk. "I'll never talk,"
Kenos couldn't help but laugh as his gaze wandered to the other four. "I wonder how they're feeling about this,"
"We…we did it," Patri muttered, turning to Licht. "He's gone, the devil is gone,"
"Yes," the elven leader solemnly nodded. "Everyone we lost that day has been avenged,"
Secre flew over to Lumiere. "How are you feeling, my prince?"
"I'm fine, we're all fine. That was an amazing move you did at the last minute when you helped out Asta, I expected nothing less,"
"You flatter me, my prince,"
Unfortunately though, the joyous atmosphere couldn't last forever as the Shadow Palace itself began shaking violently, debris falling from above.
Asta looked around. "What's going on?!"
Kenos' grimoire opened. "It's those things Zagred made with his magic, they must've consumed enough to compromise the palace's structural integrity," Emmanuel explained. "It's going to collapse!"
"Then what are we waiting for?! The exit's right there, let's skedaddle!" Bell exclaimed in a panic.
"No, we can't leave without everyone else!" Asta reminded her.
"But can we get to them all in time?" Kenos asked the crucial question.
Lumiere flew to them. "I should be able to manage it. With my light magic, I can head into every room and lead them all here,"
"Are you sure?" Licht questioned. "You're not at full power right now, you may not be fast enough,"
"Perhaps, but we don't have a choice. We didn't protect all of them during the fight just to let them die afterward,"
"He's right," Patri agreed. "I'll help out, we have a better chance if we split the burden,"
"Thank you,"
The two light mages were about to descend to the next floor, but before they could, a voice spoke up. "Wait!"
All eyes turned to the swordsman. "What is it? We're kinda in a hurry," his brother asked.
"I'm picking up on a ton of familiar ki signatures, and they're getting closer,"
"Where do you sense them?"
"Right over…," he pointed to the far north. "...There!"
And lo and behold, just as he said it, a large portal opened, the others all falling out, with Rhya and Valtos coming out last.
"Hey there!" everyone called out to one another.
"Licht, everyone's present and accounted for!" the copy mage confirmed.
The sword mage nodded. "Then we're good to go!"
Secre flew over to the exit. "Sealing Magic: Inverse Release!" she exclaimed, the gate glowing as a smaller portal akin to the palace entrance formed, the group wasting no time entering it bunch by bunch.
However, rather than floating in the middle dimension, the mages found themselves back in the mortal world in an instant, landing rather unceremoniously around scattered parts of Clover Castle's roof.
"Ugh," Kenos painfully groaned. "That didn't happen last time,"
"I think we already know what's responsible for that," Asta stood up, nursing his head. "How are you feeling, Yuno?"
"I'll live,"
"Great. And what about you two-," he turned to another pair, pausing once he realized it was Gueldre and Revchi.
On the other hand, the men pointed and loudly yelled at him. "There you are, you little shit!"
"What the?!" Asta pointed at one of them. "It's the former captain of the Purple Orcas!" he then moved to the second one. " And, um…um…um. Who are you again?"
"Huh?! How can you not recognize me?! I'm Revchi, the master thief, wielder of chain magic!"
"Chain Magic?" the teen was beginning to recall it. "Oh yeah, now I remember you! You're that guy who tried to steal Yuno's grimoire!"
The wind mage stood up soon after, giving the man a good look as well. "Yeah, it is him, I kinda forgot about him. Weren't they arrested?"
"We were, but then this whole catastrophe happened and we were freed," Gueldre explained.
"And you guys were in the Shadow Palace, why?" it came from Kenos.
"Treasure, but we didn't find any, all we ended up running into was that Yami Sukehiro brute," the former magic knight replied.
The solar mage raised a brow and grinned. "I see. Well, I hope you enjoyed your short-lived freedom, because you two are going to jail…again!" he said gleefully, motioning toward them, but before he could do anything…
"Death to the humans!" everyone there turned their heads in multiple directions, beholding the still ongoing chaos at the hands of the possessed knights.
"Shit, that's right, we still have to deal with them," Jack sucked his teeth from where he was standing, but in time, he grinned madly. "Oh well, let's get out there and kick some ass!"
Mereoleona came up beside him, punching her palm. "I like that plan!"
"Hold on," Noelle protested. "We used up too much mana while in the Shadow Palace, we definitely don't have the strength to take them all on,"
"Then what do we do?" Zuka asked her.
"I…I'm not too sure," she replied with uncertainty.
From where they were located, the pair of criminals were looking ecstatic. "Well, it looks like you have your hands full, so we'll just leave you to it," the permeation mage said.
"Yes. We'll try to kill you some other time, don't be a stranger," Revchi added.
Asta's eyes widened. "You two aren't going anywhere!"
"That's where you're wrong. Cya. Permeation Magic-," they were about to make their getaway, but that's when a mysterious force suddenly slammed their heads, knocking them out, revealing Yami and Charla behind them.
"Good ol Lightless Blunt Strike, you never let me down," the captain said as the red rose mage entrapped them in her vines.
"We owe you one, Captain Yami, catching them again would've been a real pain," the solar mage gave him a thumbs-up.
The man returned it. "No problem. Now we have to address the bigger issue at hand. How do we stop these guys?" he wondered aloud, but then, an answer to his question came as someone shouted.
"Everyone, meet up with me!" Patri's voice boomed as he raised an arm. "I have a solution!"
In time, the mages all converged at the center, eyes on him. "What's your plan?" Nozel asked the question on everyone's mind.
"We have to use the Demon Destroyer Sword to undo the reincarnations,"
Asta pulled out his third sword. "I mean, yeah, but how are we going to pull it off? There are too many to go after them one by one, not to mention we're not all full power,"
The elven light mage nodded. "You're right…that's why you're going to undo every reincarnation at once, with Licht's help of course,"
"Undo it all at once? Do you even know someone who can help us do that?"
In response, Patri smiled somberly, placing a hand on his heart. "Yes, I do. We're going to need William," he answered.
Yami nodded. "He's got a point, Goldy Boy's attribute is great at distributing magic," he then turned to the elf. "I guess that means…,"
Patri nodded back. "Yes…I'll be the first one here to go back. Asta, if you would?"
The swordsman walked over to him. "Are you ready?"
He cemented his resolve by taking hold of the Destroyer and pressing it lightly against his chest. "I am. I have many regrets about this second life of mine, but the least I can do is face my end without fear," he then turned to his former subordinates. "Rades, Valtos, Sally, Annalise, before I go, I owe the three of you an apology. I took advantage of your pain and made you follow me through hell, all the sins I accused you of are ones I'm guilty of tenfold. I know you won't forgive me, and that's alright, I just want to set the record straight,"
The trio didn't answer him at all, nor did their faces give away how they were feeling, but that didn't bother the elven light mage too much. "Do it,"
Asta complied and gave the Destroyer one last push, the familiar circle forming behind it as it faded away, Patri's features slowly doing the same until William stood before them, a spectral form of the elf floating up into the air.
The world tree mage said nothing for a time, bringing up his hands as he stared at them, tears falling down his face as he spoke at last. "Patri, my best friend, forgive me, I should've never let you go along with your plan. I was the one who was closest to you, I should've tried to quell your anger, but instead, I stood aside and did nothing,"
Taking a few seconds to compose himself, he wiped his face, revealing an expression of determination. "But not this time. Valtos, can you retrieve my grimoire?"
The spatial mage wordlessly formed a portal beneath him, sinking into it, coming back up seconds later with the man's book, walking to him and handing it over.
"Thank you," he said, commanding it to float and open in front of him. "World Tree Magic: Mistilteinn Seed," a glowing green seed materialized, floating in between his hands before he separated them and gestured them upwards, his creation doing the same until it was far above everyone.
"I take it that it's my turn?" Licht asked the captain.
"Correct. It needs to be charged with mana, normally, it'd absorb surrounding mana, but I know you should be able to do it yourself," he explained, stepping aside
"Okay then. Everyone, make room," the elven leader advanced, standing directly below the seed, raising the Dweller above his head as the sword glowed with white mana. He then tightened his grip, firing the charged mana as it hit the object in the air, the seed growing in size as its roots touched the surface of the roof, reaching its final form.
"Combo Creation: Demon Dweller Sword - Spirit Light Tree!"
The group looked in awe at the large tree with leaves that glowed a bright green color against the darkness of the night, but they weren't the only ones, those at ground level noticed it too, putting a temporary end to the fighting.
"What in the world is that?" Joshua gasped.
"I…I don't know," Dante added.
However, Shauna had an idea who it came from. "Do you think…," she turned to Oliver.
The boy's eyes narrowed. "No doubt about it, that's his magic,"
With the spell having taken shape, Licht now pointed his sword straight ahead, the tree firing an innumerable amount of light beams that traveled various distances both near and far, striking the heart region of every single possessed person.
"Woah, this feels weird," Zuka commented.
Licht set his eyes on the magicless mage. "Asta, I can feel everyone's connection, use the Demon Destroyer Sword, now!"
"I'm on it!" he obeyed, striking the base of the tree as it grew black in color, spreading throughout the entire thing as the beams of light also darkened.
And then…it happened.
All the elves who were laying waste to the kingdom stopped simultaneously, their faces of anger changing into ones of calm as elven souls rose up from their bodies, the red markings crumbling away. They knew everything now, the truth of it all, a somber look on all of their features over what they've done, so they descended and wrapped their arms around their hosts, whispering silent words of apology before they ascended, lighting up the sky with blue.
Yami whistled. "Well, ain't that just one of the prettiest sights. Wouldn't you say, Charla?"
The red rose mage smiled in a melancholic fashion. "I suppose. Y'know, it's a bit of a shame, I never did get to find my little brother,"
"You have a brother?"
"Yeah, his name's Rufel, he's a good kid, he means the world to me,"
"I can imagine that, there's nothing more important than family,"
"What about you? Do you have siblings?" she asked curiously.
The dark mage held his chin. "Um…no, but I love most of my peers like they were family, and I guess that extends to the Prickly Queen too,"
Charla's soul then rose up from her temporary body, placing a hand on her hip. "Then make sure you treasure her. I've been in her head, she's as awkward as I am, but she's got a good heart,"
Yami comically deadpanned as Charlotte's body fell onto his. "Believe me, I know that better than anyone. It was nice knowing ya,"
"Likewise," she said back before flying up.
But just then, the man began to hear the woman groan, her eyes partially open. "You woke up pretty fast. How are you feeling?"
"Not the best, my head is throbbing like crazy. That was certainly an experience," she replied, slightly disoriented.
"I bet it was, but look on the bright side, at least it's all over,"
In response, Charlotte absent-mindedly wrapped her arms around him. "You're right, and now that it's over, we can-," she paused, her widening as she finally realized the position the two of them were in. Her face became like a tomato as she quickly pushed herself away, covering her hands with her face.
"Are you okay, Prickly Queen?" he tried to walk to her.
"N-No, stay right where you are, I'm fine!" she yelled, flustered.
Yami playfully smirked as he backed up. "Whatever you say,"
"W-What's with that look?!"
"Nothing,"
Shifting perspective to Zuka, the sparkle mage exhaled deeply as the elven soul exited her body, now floating in front of her. "It looks like it's time for you to go. That's a bit of a bummer, I was actually getting used to you being inside me,"
"I'm touched, but we both know I can't stay. However, it was a pleasure to work alongside you, even if just for a while," Yoveen said. "I'll never forget you,"
"Same here, I even have a whole spell to remind me whenever I use it," the girl joked, gazing at her transformed body.
The elf giggled. "Yeah-," before she could say anything else, someone suddenly embraced her.
"Baby sister!" Yurim's soul exclaimed, crying tears of joy. "There you are! Let me look at your beautiful face!"
"Big sis!" she was crying too, returning the embrace. "It's so good to see you back to normal again!"
"I'm happy to be back, and it's all thanks to your friend over here," she gestured to the human.
Zuka waved it off. "It was my pleasure, I'm just happy to see you finally at peace. Enjoy your time in the afterlife, or wherever you end up going,"
"Hold on, I don't think it's right to leave you empty-handed, not after what you've done for the both of us," Yoveen stated. "I want to give you a gift,"
Zuka tilted her head. "A…gift? How would that work? You don't exist on a physical level anymore,"
"I know, but it's still possible for me to give you something now. After what we pulled off earlier, the two of us are sort of connected now, I can feel it, tiny remnants of my magic and my soul are still within you,"
"Oh, you don't say?" she was surprised upon hearing that. "Alright then, bring on the gifts," she rubbed her hands excitedly.
Yoveen reached down and tore off a long piece of her garment, the material shifting from blue and translucent to white and opaque. She then descended, gesturing for Zuka to roll back her right sleeve, after doing so, the elf tied it around her wrist.
The sparkle mage was surprised once again. "Not to sound ungrateful, but what exactly is this supposed to be?"
"It's the catalyst for my best spell. Back when Yurim and I were alive, I'd always use it so I could stay in touch with her, no matter how far apart we were. Thanks to our connection, it should allow you to make contact with me even after I enter the world of the dead, however, without my grimoire, it's only good for one use, so make it count,"
"Why exactly would I need to speak with you?" Zuka questioned before realizing how it sounded. "I-I mean, it's not that I wouldn't like to speak with you, it's just-,"
The elven sisters chuckled as the younger one spoke. "Relax, I get it. I may have died young, but I'm still an elf, I've got a decent amount of knowledge in this head of mine regarding magic techniques and whatnot, stuff you humans might not know, so if you ever find yourself in trouble and you need someone to turn to, you got me,"
"Now that you say it like that, it makes a lot more sense, thanks. So, how do I use this exactly?"
"It's easy. You just have to put your whole hand over the strip and declare the spell's name: Cloth Exchange Magic: Connecting Weaves," Yurim replied.
Zuka nodded, staring at her gift with a smile. "I'll make sure to put it to good use,"
Yoveen smiled back at her. "I know you will. Well, I think the two of us should be on our way, I'll be expecting a call from you in the future,"
The teen gave her a thumbs-up. "I'll see you then," she said her last words to them before watching them fly away.
Yuno stood quietly where he was as he could feel the elven power within beginning to leave him, signified by the fading red mark, but to his partial surprise, Licht approached him, the two standing side-by-side as the sword mage stared up at the ascending souls. "Can you feel them up there?"
"Um, yeah, I can, I wasn't expecting there to be so many, and they all feel fairly powerful," he answered with a little uncertainty at the start, becoming plain at the end.
"True, that's a core trait of the elves, and the same can be said for you. I was very impressed by what you were able to pull off against Zagred, especially when you made that Spirit of Zephyr,"
"Thank you, but I wasn't able to do it by myself. As you saw, I had a fair amount of help," Yuno tried to answer modestly.
Licht laughed. "I know, fighting together is how we overcome the greatest obstacles, after all, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm proud of you,"
The wind mage fixated on those last four words. "It's not a problem if I ask you something, is it?"
"Not at all, ask whatever you like,"
"The soul that reincarnated inside of me, is he your…," he paused midway, feeling a little uncomfortable to continue, but Licht put his unease to rest as he nodded with a warm smile.
"Yes. I'd like to thank you, Yuno, for giving me a chance to fight alongside my son, the greatest honor a father could ask for,"
"He's not the only one who's grateful," Lumiere entered the conversation. "Thanks to you, I got to fight alongside my nephew,"
The black-haired boy smiled in an almost goofy manner, nearly starstruck at the thought of the first wizard king thanking him directly. "I was glad to be of help to you both,"
Then suddenly, Licht got a little closer, placing his hand on Yuno's heart, gazing at it with compassion, now speaking to the soul within. "I know that you probably won't be able to understand me given your age, but regardless, I just want you to know how happy you've made your dad today. I'm proud of you, Simon Ruach,"
Yuno and Bell both exchanged confused looks at each other at the name he used. "Is that what you wanted to call him?"
The chieftain gave a brief nod. "Correct. You see, my wife and I were brainstorming names for our child before he was born. When it came to the possibility of the baby being a boy, my wife liked the name Simon, on the other hand, I preferred Ruach, so to nip any potential arguments in the bud, we decided we'd just combine the names,"
"Oh wow, that's such a cool idea," Lumiere fully agreed. "He could've even had a nice nickname like Siru or something,"
"A combination of the first syllables? That wouldn't sound like a bad idea," Licht said before frowning slightly. "Alas, it wasn't meant to be. I would've loved to see him grow up into a fine man, but I suppose the afterlife is the next best thing,"
With that, both men walked away, but because they did…they never saw that the child's soul had yet to leave Yuno.
Now that he finished his talk with his son, Licht began approaching the former members of the Third Eye. "Are you three also ready to go?"
He was still a good distance from them, making him unable to hear the chat they were having amongst themselves, but then they turned to face their leader, all with frowns present.
"Sorry, but no," Vetto answered for them.
"Why not?" he asked, but once he was close enough, he pieced it together on his own. Despite how many minutes had passed, their elven features remained as they were.
Rhya began to explain. "I reincarnated twice into this dead body, as for Vetto and Fana, their consciousness are in cloned bodies, meaning they no longer have a host. I'm afraid that we're stuck here, we can't move on with you and the others,"
"Oh…I see,"
Focus was put on the flame mage's defeated expression, but then it shifted slightly once she felt someone embrace her from behind. She nudged her head behind her, seeing the spark mage.
"Annalise?"
"I heard everything. I know it must suck to not be able to go with your friends, but at least you won't be alone in this life, you'll have me," she said in a tone that felt like a mix of sadness and optimism.
Fana allowed herself to smile as she separated herself from her friend, turning around so they could embrace properly. "I'm happy to hear that, and I'll spend however long it takes to make it up to you for everything that's happened,"
"You don't need to do that, the three of you don't need to do anything at all. I already forgave you,"
The sword mage smiled too. "Annalise, was it? They're lucky to have a friend like you, I leave them in your hands,"
"Hey…Licht," the man heard his name and turned around, seeing the swordsman.
"Yes,"
Asta took out his grimoire, holding onto it tightly, and then, he extended it. "Here,"
"Pardon me?"
"This used to belong to you until Zagred showed up, you can have it back. I don't want to keep something that isn't mine," he answered, showing no reluctance.
And it was that fact that surprised Licht the most, but regardless, he walked over to the teen, looking like he was about to take it, instead, he pushed against it. "Keep it,"
"R-Really?"
Of course. I won't have any need for it where I'm going. Besides, I already said it back when we were fighting Zagred, you made good use of it along with my swords. If it makes it easier on you, think of it as me appointing you as my successor," he told him, extending the Dweller to him.
Asta took hold of it and opened his grimoire, placing it inside as it returned to its rusted state. "I won't let you down,"
"I have zero doubt about that,"
"Same here," Lumiere neared them, slinging an arm around his brother-in-law. "You don't have any magic, so you're going to need those if you want to try and be the Wizard King,"
"You're right, I'm going to work even harder than before,"
"Then I wish you luck in your future endeavors," Licht told him before he did a quick scan of the vicinity. "I don't feel any more elven mana besides those three, that means I'm the last to go, but there's one more thing I have to do," he eyed the one next to him, the light mage returning the gesture as they separated, now face to face.
"Lumiere, my brother, even though it was brief, I enjoyed fighting alongside you. Goodbye,"
"I feel the exact same way. Oh, and if you see Tetia, tell her that her big brother misses her,"
"I will," he said his last words as his soul rose up, the eyes of his body closing shut as he joined the rest of his brethren.
And then, as if it was waiting for its cue, rays of sunlight began to piece the darkness, marking the start of a new day.
"It's bright," Kenos said to himself with happiness, glad he was able to see the sunrise.
However, while everyone was admiring the solar star, the eyes of four looked at the souls in the air instead, fixating on the highest one. Then, one of them spoke.
"NOT YET!" Rades' declaration got everyone's attention, the man raising a hand to the sky, his grimoire opened on a page already. "You can't get away that easily, after all, you fit the bill. Wraith Magic: Soul Abductor!"
His hand glowed a bright purple, shooting out a beam that took the form of a hand, rising above the other elven souls until it reached the one he wanted, grabbing it tightly. Spinning around, the man pointed his glowing hand at the vacant clone body, the soul in question being pulled into it as the body shook with life.
"What the hell?!" everyone couldn't believe what they saw, believing he managed to bring back Licht, but as the new owner showed his face, they all saw his familiar twin-colored sclera.
"P-Patri?" Rhya gasped.
It was indeed the former terrorist leader, but he couldn't believe it himself. "I-I'm still alive? Is this reincarnation? No, it must be reanimation," he stared at Rades. "That was the spell that saved you, wasn't it?"
"Good guess, and now, I saved you, but don't think I did it out of the kindness of my heart!"
Patri closed his eyes, smiling in a manner never seen before, like he was accepting his fate. "I know. Whatever you deem acceptable as your revenge against me, I'll gladly accept it,"
"Good, because when we're done with you, you're going to fear the very mention of our names!" Annalise joined in.
"I very much hope so," he turned his attention to the solar mage. "Kenos, if it's alright with you, may I speak to Emmanuel, face to face?"
"It's no problem with me if it's no problem with him," was the answer, but just then, the angelic grimoire opened, the heavenly being exiting it as he walked to the elf.
"Make it quick, I don't have long,"
Not wasting any time, Patri knelt on one knee. "Oh Sacred One, at the moment, you are the closest connection here to the Almighty, so, with you acting on his behalf, I'd like to tell him I'm truly sorry for all my actions, and that I will do anything and everything in my power to atone, even it takes me until the day I die again,"
The heaven mage knelt down too, but only to help Patri stand back up. "While it's true that you committed a great number of sins, if your intentions are just and you are truly repentant, the path to forgiveness won't be a long one. I wish you luck in your road to redemption, for such a thing brings joy to the eyes of God," he spoke words of hope before returning to the tome.
Tears trickled down the elf's cheeks. "Thank you," he said before wiping them away. He then perked up as he felt a hand on his shoulder, seeing that the person in question was William.
"I never thought we'd ever get to see each other like this," the world tree mage spoke warmly, pulling him into an embrace. "We both made mistakes, but one thing I'll never view as such was getting to know you. You put an end to my loneliness, for that, I owe you so much,"
"I owe you the same debt, you became the first friend I had in this new life,"
The two then broke apart. "So, will you be staying in the Clover Kingdom?"
He shrugged. "I couldn't tell you for sure. Maybe, maybe not,"
Asta took a seat right where he was, relaxing. "Speaking of the kingdom, I have the strangest feeling there'll be a lot of fixing to do,"
Yuno did the same thing right next to him. "You're right about that, but hey, maybe they'll make other people take care of it for us,"
Kenos chuckled. "C'mon, don't be like that, a good day of rest and we should be ready to help. All hands on deck will get the job done faster,"
"Hey, I see the boys!"
The solar mage recognized the voice in question. "Oh yeah, we were all closeby, but I haven't actually spotted her yet. Zuka, how'd you do against-!" he began turning around, but what he saw shocked him.
"What's wrong?" the brothers inquired.
"I-I think you may want to see it for yourselves," he answered, the two taking his word for it as they did so, and like him, they audibly gasped, beholding the transformations of their female allies.
Noelle and Zuka stopped once they got close enough, the latter smirking. "Oh my, you seem awestruck,"
Asta stood up in an instant. "You better believe we are. When did this happen?! Hold on, first things first, what are they called?"
"This is Valkyrie Armor,"
"And you can call mine's Shining Battle Garment,"
"I'm guessing you unlocked them while fighting elves?" Yuno asked.
The water mage flicked her ponytail. "Well, of course. Who else were we fighting all night?"
"You two look awesome as all hell!" Kenos inspected them entirely. "Now I think about it, that means all five of us have transformations, that's even cooler,"
Zuka blushed slightly. "Aw, you're too kind,"
"He's right, all of us having forms to access is a sign of our growth," Yuno chimed in, a smirk tugging at his lips. "However, I think we all know mine is the strongest one, after all, I'm the one with the spirit, not to mention it's way more stamina efficient,"
Those words managed to spark multiple comedic looks from the other four, all of them glaring right at him.
The sparkle mage rested her arm on Noelle's shoulder. "Did he just say that? He did not just say that,"
"Oh, he definitely said it," she crossed her arms. "Look, Spirit Dive is cool and all, but I'm obviously the one with the stronger form here. I mean, I am royalty, plus, I'm pretty sure it lets me fly and maneuver faster in the air than all of you,"
"Woah, slow your roll there, girl. I'm not saying you probably didn't have to work super hard to get this far, but my spell was partially created with the help of an elf. Now, I might not be able to fly, but I can do a ton of other cool stuff that the rest of you just can't,"
"What? You're speaking nonsense," Noelle protested as she eyed where Zuka's arm was, promptly taking a step in the opposite direction. "For that, you don't get to make friendly contact with me anymore,"
"Oh c'mon, you can't possibly mean that?" the commoner pouted.
The royal crossed her arms, shutting one eye while the other side-eyed her. "I do for the next five minutes,"
Zuka couldn't help but giggle at that. "Okay, I'll be waiting. But as I was saying, elves are stronger than all of us, so Yoveen helping me out makes my spell the strongest,"
"Okay, I'm going to stop you right there," Kenos pressed his palms together in front of his lips, shifting them from a vertical sense to a horizontal one. "Factually, angels are the strongest among us, the elves don't revere them for nothing, and just to add to the list, Angel's Child gives me access to a whole other attribute. Now, by a gracious show of hands, how many of you can do that? What about you, Yuno?"
"Why are you asking me specifically?"
"You were the one to start this,"
He sighed. "No, but two attributes aren't the end-all-be-all,"
"I beg to differ," Kenos playfully grinned.
Noelle eyed Asta. "Hey, what about you? You haven't said anything yet,"
In response, the swordsman just chuckled confidently, rubbing his nose. "Friends, friends, there's no need for me to get involved, my Black form wins by default. Anti-magic would beat any of you,"
Kenos sucked his teeth. "Now hold on for a ding dang minute, anti-magic doesn't even work on me, turns out it's thanks to some angel trick, the same thing happened when I fought Zagred,"
"Really?"
"Yup,"
From a few yards away, Mimosa watched the quintet continue their friendly bickering. "They seem to be enjoying themselves,"
"That's our friends for you," Charmy approached her.
"Oh, you shrank back to normal? Where's Fenris?"
"I'm not too sure. Once I reverted back, he faded away. From what I can tell, he's linked to my Strike of the Sleeping Sheep spell,"
The royal raised a brow. "Is there something special about that spell in particular?"
"I'd imagine so, it's my very first spell," she replied.
Their conversation was cut short as Asta noticed them. "Charmy! Mimosa! There you two are! I'm glad to see you two are okay!"
The girls wasted no time going over to them. "Yeah, we're fine. So, what were you all talking about earlier?" the plant mage feigned ignorance.
"It was about who has the best transformation," they answered in unison.
"And what's our verdict?" the dual mage now asked.
"We've decided that we'll have an all-out battle to the death some time in the future to decide," they replied in unison once again, completely straight-faced, giving the newcomers comedic unease.
"Um, sure,"
Just then, Zuka felt something. "I think my spell is reaching its limit,"
"Yeah, I can feel it too," Noelle agreed as they reverted back together.
Once they did that, Kenos immediately focused on the sparkle mage, something she noticed in a few seconds. "Um, yes? Is there something on my face?"
"Your hair,"
"What about it?"
Kenos acted fast, succeeding in stopping the small blush that would've risen to his cheeks for all to see, but the same couldn't be said for the look of awe and fixation in his eyes, like he was gazing at a beautiful flower. "I…I've never seen you with your hair down before,"
"Oh yeah. My ponytail got unraveled when I transformed. I'll fix it up later,"
"Sure, no problem, but if I could just make a small comment, you…look really nice when it's like that. I-I mean, it's not like you didn't look nice before, it's just that…I like it,"
Zuka couldn't do as well as her crush, her blush rising in seconds, but thankfully, she used her long hair to hide her cheeks, turning around for extra measure. "Oh, um, thanks for the compliment, it's not something I've heard anyone say about me,"
There were two types of reactions occurring from that exchange. One was the look of intrigue from the Black Bulls, brows raised to see what would come next, and on the faces of the pair of Golden Dawns was the other reaction…sheer confusion.
"What the hell am I looking at?" they asked themselves. "Wait a minute, do the two of them-," they turned to Asta and Charmy for silent confirmation, but instead, they were met with gestures that told them to not say anything out loud.
Thankfully, the atmosphere shifted as Lumiere and Secre convened with them, the prince appearing gleeful. "You all seem to be having fun. I hope you don't mind, I just came over to congratulate the three of you again. What you managed to do during that fight was all sorts of awesome!"
"We're honored to hear such praise from the first Wizard King himself," Yuno said. "You were a really big help too, I don't know where our friends would be without you,"
"Thank you, but I'm not the only one to praise," he motioned to his servant. "Secre was the one who made sure I could be here in the future, I also owe some of it to that Finral friend of yours,"
Asta wasn't expecting that. "No way. You met Finral?"
"I requested the help of his spatial magic," the sealing mage explained. "He brought me to Hage,"
"What for?"
"Because that's where the final hideout of the Eye of the Midnight Sun was, right in the demon skull, where they were keeping the Magic Stones,"
"Really?!" the rivals gasped.
"I used the train there all the time. How the hell did I never notice it?" Asta questioned himself.
"Maybe because it was in a different region," Yuno tried to deduce. "You always trained in its mouth,"
"Yeah, that must be it,"
"Hold it, something isn't adding up," Noelle turned to the girl. "You said you requested Finral's help, but how did you even know to ask him? You don't know what kind of magic he has,"
"I actually think I can explain that. I had a little trouble matching up your ki signatures earlier, but now I'm positive…," the swordsman pointed at the servant. "...You're Nero, aren't you?"
The silver-haired girl looked at him like he was crazy. "Did you hit your head or something, Dorksta? She's clearly not a bird," she then addressed Secre. "Sorry about him. Can you just tell him he's wrong before he goes all in on it?"
The sealing mage comically deadpanned. "No, he's right,"
"Excuse me?!" the group was dumbfounded.
"Wait, so you were a girl this whole time? And you're a cutie," Charmy commented.
"Um…thank you?" Secre didn't know what to make of the blunt compliment. "Anyways, when I used the Magic Stones 500 years ago to seal the prince, I turned into an anti-bird. It was only after the Shadow Palace opened that I could speak,"
"That makes sense," Emmanuel gave his two cents. "Since your affliction was caused by the stones, it was centered around forbidden magic, which is as close to devil magic as you can get without employing an actual devil. Since the Shadow Palace was primarily made with angelic mana, opening it must've released a surge that began to weaken the impure mana inside you, letting you attempt to transform back. I'm not 100% sure, but it seems like the best reason,"
"Whatever reason it is, it works for me," Secre shrugged, but all of a sudden, her eyes widened.
"What's wrong?" Mimosa asked. "Is it an enemy?"
The others immediately put themselves on guard, but the girl's next words calmed them. "No, it's a signature of mana that feels…" her expression softened ever so slightly. "...Familiar,"
"So, when were you planning on saying hello?!" a figure scaled to the top, getting everyone's attention, but no one of the present-age knights recognized him.
However, Yami's eyes widened, not at who he was, but at what he was wearing. "It can't be,"
On the other hand, the mages of the past knew who he was in an instant. "Teiko!"
The foreigner first set his eyes on Patri and the trio. "I was expecting the possibility of seeing you guys again," he greeted them, now beginning to turn to his friends, but before he could even get out a syllable, they rushed into him.
"Woah, it looks like some people are happy to see me," he quipped.
"You could say that," Lumiere nodded.
"How are you two even alive right now?"
"The one responsible is hugging you right now,"
Waiting until their embrace ended, Kenos approached the stranger. "Hello. So, you're from the past too, I assume? You don't look that old. Did you get turned into a bird too?"
"A what?" Teiko was flabbergasted.
"That's how I was able to survive," Secre told him. "No, Teiko's still around for a…different reason,"
The solar mage picked up on the intentional vagueness of her answer and pursued no further. "I see,"
"I'm so glad we could all see each other again, after all these centuries," Lumiere was happy, until he wasn't. "Well, not all of us. I bet Azaela passed on a long time ago," he hung his head in reverence, not noticing the girl's face, holding minor guilt.
"It's okay though, she'd want us to continue on," Teiko tried to comfort them. "It's a brand new world out here for us, there's so much we can do. Don't worry about a place, you can both stay at my house for the time being, we've got a lot of catching up to do,"
The light mage smiled somberly. "I'd like that,"
However, it seemed like it wouldn't come to pass as cracks loudly formed, his body looking like it wouldn't last much longer.
"My prince!"
Mimosa hurried over to him. "I have recovery magic, I can help!"
But Lumiere just shook his head. "No, don't waste your mana. The stones are running out of magic, meaning they'll no longer be able to sustain my body," he stared longingly at his friends. "I'm afraid I'll have to refuse your invitation, but don't be too sad, you still have each other. Before I go, I want you to promise me something,"
"Yes," Teiko answered as Secre was beginning to get overwhelmed with emotion.
"Promise that you'll help the knights of this generation achieve the dream the four of us began all those years ago, to bring true equality and happiness to the Clover Kingdom,"
"You can't count on me," he replied with underlying sorrow, the others watching on with sadness at the heartfelt exchange.
"Then I can leave-,"
"No, not yet!" Secre yelled, cutting him off. "There's…something I need to tell you," she got close and took hold of his hands. "Thank you for everything, for seeing something in me that not even I saw, for finding worth in me when I thought I was useless. Thank you for giving me the chance to get to know our wonderful friends. Thank you for being so kind, and warm, and cheerful,"
At this point, tears were streaming down freely. "And one last thing. My prince, no…Lumiere…thank you for being someone I'm proud to have fallen in love with!"
That final part stung everyone present, but for the light mage, he just smiled. "And thank you for being so loyal, so caring, and so good to me. Perhaps, if we had more time back then, I could've come to love you too, but I'm happy anyway," he tightened his grip on her before ultimately letting her go.
"Goodbye my friends…and enjoy your lives," and with that, he crumbled away, the wind scattering what remained. Secre buried her face in Teiko's chest, bawling her eyes out, and while the water mage shed no tears, his feelings were clear to see.
The elves paid the prince a moment of silence before Patri spoke up. "I think it's time for the four of us to go, we'll find somewhere to settle eventually,"
That got Teiko's attention. "Actually, I know a place you can go, however, you can say it's…far away from here," he made sure not to disturb his friend's grieving as he pulled out a slip of paper from his kimono. "I made a map,"
"That's alright with us," he replied, coming over and taking it from him, but not before saying one last thing to his former subordinates. "Once we get there, Rhya will give you the coordinates. I'll be expecting you,"
The five of them exchanged silent gestures as two of the elves covered themselves in light, grabbing a hold of the other two before they flew off into the sunrise.
Teiko stared up at the sky, smiling hopefully. "They're in your hands now, please take care of them," he thought as he caressed Secre's head. "It's okay, let it out,"
Her crying went on for about thirty more seconds before it died down, now replaced by sniffles. "I'm okay, thank you," she then let go of him, taking deep breaths. "I'm good now,"
Yami stepped into everyone's line of vision. "If the little lady's alright, then it's finally time we close the book on this adventure, we made it out alive and stronger than when we began, that's about as much of a victory as we can call it!" he said with a raised voice. "Let's all head back to our humble abodes and get some well-deserved sleep,"
After the crazy day and night they all had, the group was more than happy to oblige, but before anyone could leave, William got their attention. "The others may go where they wish, but if it's alright with you, Yami, I need you to take me somewhere,"
"And that place is?"
The world tree mage paused, hesitation building up, but he pushed it aside. "I want to see Julius,"
The sound of that question brought a sense of dread to Asta and Yami, but to the others, it was hopeful.
"Wait, so you've known where Julius has been this whole time and you didn't tell us?" Nozel crossed his arms. "Talk about irresponsible,"
"Now, let's not resort to insults," Fuegoleon said back. "Yami isn't stupid, he must have his reasons, besides, we all know how Julius is, he's no doubt out there helping. In fact, after seeing William's tree, I bet he's probably on his way here now,"
"Ooh, smart thinking," Rill took his chance to chime in. "Then we can all just wait for him,"
Kenos slung his arms behind his back. "Works for me, I'm in that much of a rush to leave. Plus, I can't wait to tell him about my new upgrade," he turned to the fellow five-leaf holder. "What about you, Asta? I bet he'll be super excited to see Black Divider,"
However, the joyous look on his face faded upon seeing his friend's crestfallen one. "Hey, you don't look happy. What happened?"
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing," he tried to lie, but he didn't sound very convincing and he knew it. "Sorry, it's something I don't want to talk about,"
Without giving any pushback, Kenos nodded. "I've been there. If you ever change your mind, I'm here,"
"Yeah, thanks,"
The solar mage now focused back on the previous topic, peering around in all directions. "Hm, I'm not sensing Julius' mana nearby, he must be far away,"
"You can quit looking, Julius isn't coming," Yami stated, clenching his fists tightly, the pain in his voice becoming more noticeable.
"Why not?" the question came from Mereoleona.
"Because…Julius…is dead,"
In that very moment, the atmosphere shifted drastically, not a single uninformed person could maintain a straight face, and for good reason.
"T-That's not possible! Julius can't be dead!" Nozel vehemently denied the statement.
"He's the strongest of us all, no one out there should've been able to beat him!" Fuegoleon added.
"No way, someone managed to kill the wizard king," Yuno stared at the ground in disbelief, slowly facing Asta, his brother giving off a feeling that was different from the others.
"...You knew, didn't you?"
"...Yeah. I found out when I went into Patri's head,"
Zuka pieced the facts together. "Wait, but then does that mean…Patri was the one who did it? I know the two of them were fighting earlier, but Julius won, didn't he?" she was trying to wrap her head around it.
"No, he didn't," William answered somberly, rubbing his arm, not looking anyone in the eye. "I couldn't…I couldn't decide who's side to fight on, I owed them both, so…I decided that they would fight, and that I would side with the victor. For the majority of the battle, Julius was winning, but then Patri threatened to kill most of the kingdom's population, so Julius…sacrificed himself, and that's when he was stricken down,"
Hearing the full story only served to amplify the shock that the group felt, so much so that relative silence reigned, and everyone retreated to their respective minds to try and make sense of what they were just told.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"What?"
Thanks to the aforementioned silence, all eyes turned to see as Kenos spoke the singular word softly, cutting through the absence of noise, his features portraying the most heartbreak of them all.
He then peered into his own mind, conjuring the image of a grassy field with many trees, spotting a younger version of himself under one of the trees, crying, but that's when the time mage showed up, changing his tears into smiles and laughter, but that happy memory burned away as he recalled the terrible feeling he felt earlier that night.
While he was doing that, his gaze wasn't on anyone, but then, without warning, it was now on William, the unease coming from it being very palpable. "What did you do?"
The world tree mage refused to answer, merely looking away in shame, turning the noble's uneasy calm into unbridled fury, mana rushing to his feet as he blitzed past everyone's watch, punching the man dead in the nose, and sending him to the ground.
Kenos wasn't done there though, not even close. He quickly got on top of him, reeling back his fist again. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" but before the second punch could connect, Yami and Asta zoomed there and held him back.
"Let me go! Let me fucking go!" he yelled with a level of anger none believed him capable of, fighting against their combined grip.
William slowly rose, a little disoriented. He placed a finger over his nose, not surprised as it became wet with his own blood. In his peripherals, he observed the others, all obviously stunned by the boy's action, but none dared to intervene further.
"He was a good man!" his eyes focused back on Kenos, the noble still struggling. "No, he was a great man! He was kind and understanding, and he was strong, stronger than anyone else, but he never left us behind! And…and…he saved me!"
He now began to cry profusely. "I used to hate my magic because it was different from everyone else's! I thought something was wrong with me, I thought I was a freak! But then…I met Julius and he told me that I was special instead, and he was right! This power, this magic, was connected to an amazing person I'm honored to know, and it's thanks to him that I didn't push any of it away!"
The world tree mage's shame only grew from the passionate outburst. "...I understand how you feel. Julius saved me too," that was all he could say.
"Then why did you let him die?!" Kenos' anger rose further, his struggle increasing. "Was everything he did not good enough for you?! Why'd you let it happen, huh?! At least Patri was being manipulated by Zagred! What's YOUR excuse?!"
"I…I don't have one, nor will I try to make any. I…my indecisiveness will forever be my greatest sin, and I swear to you, I'll do anything I can, anything at all, to make it up to this kingdom,"
"Those are sweet-sounding words, but they don't mean shit!" the boy spat, his tears growing to the point where he could hardly keep his eyes open. "At the end of the day, Julius is still dead!"
"Kenos, I know you're mad, I am too, but fighting with each other isn't what we should be doing right now," Yami tried to reason with him. "All this elf stuff has left us weakened, so please, calm down,"
"He's right. Everything you're feeling right now is completely valid, but losing our cool during such a crucial moment will only do more harm than good, and that's not what the wizard king would've wanted. Surely you can see that too?" Asta joined in.
The solar mage's breathing was still heavy, but he finally stopped resisting, prompting his squadmates to let him go. Wiping away his tears the best he could, he broke into a mad dash in the opposite direction, enhancing his legs as he jumped down to ground level and ran somewhere.
"Wait, I have to go after him," William was about to give chase, but someone stopped him.
"No," Zuka's voice was oddly serious and commanding. "Leave him be, and that goes for the rest of you as well," she walked to the edge, spotting him below, her face tinged with a sadness she knew all too well. "Take it from me, when you're grieving, the best thing anyone can give you is space,"
The captain sighed. "Okay then," he turned to the dark mage. "Shall we go?"
"Yeah,"
William nodded. "Yuno, we're going to need your help,"
"So…I take it this is the place?"
A good amount of time passed before both captains peered down at a dense woodland below, halting the tornadoes that were carrying them.
Yami nodded wordlessly to the man's question. "It is, let's land,"
The two did just that and were now on foot, the dark mage leading the way as his peer followed from behind, and secretly, William was thankful for that. The journey to get there had been a completely silent one, neither party daring to even look at the other, that silence only coming to an end when he asked his prior question.
"It'll take us a good while to get there, so don't slow down," Yami's voice was uncharacteristically nonchalant.
Even though he knew the reason for the silence and the coldness, the world tree mage dreaded the awkward mood, so he tried to make neutral small talk. "How did you end up finding this place? It's disconnected from even the Forsaken Realm,"
"I stumbled across this spot one time back when we were in the Gray Deer. I was on a mission with an…old friend,"
William's eyes widened. "You don't mean-,"
Yami cut him off as his head turned back, shooting him a glare that told him not to continue, and he obeyed. "Sorry, I know how close you two were," he said, but there was no answer.
The trek continued quietly for another fifteen minutes, until they arrived. "We're here. If that Sol girl followed the map, my Black Cocoon should be somewhere around here,"
The two men looked in every direction, but to their ever-growing shock, the spell was nowhere to be seen. "That's not possible, it should've been somewhere, there's no way she screwed it up,"
"Do you think wild animals are responsible?"
"Not possible, there aren't any around here except tiny critters,"
They continued to wonder what could be the explanation, but just then, they began to hear footsteps behind them.
"I knew you'd get here eventually," the sound of an adolescent was heard.
"What's a kid doing here?" they both asked themselves as they turned around, but once they got a look at him, they couldn't believe it.
In front of them was a short boy with blond hair, but what got their attention immediately was his oversized clothing…the time mage's clothing.
Not surprised by their reactions at all, the boy just smiled back. "Did you miss me?"