Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Purple-gray spheres of mana streaked through the air like artillery shells, bombarding Yuno from above.
Mana Coating!
A pale cyan glow wrapped around Yuno's body as his figure darted rapidly across the ground, narrowly dodging the incoming mana orbs one after another.
The magic techniques Yuuki created back then really are useful, Yuno couldn't help thinking as he moved.
Mana Coating hadn't diminished with his growth—in fact, as his mana increased, the enhancement it provided only became stronger.
Under Catherine's control, the mana orbs didn't just track their target—their numbers continued to multiply.
Yuno's expression darkened slightly. The sheer volume of attacks she could unleash at once was proof of just how vast her mana reserves were.
Whoosh!
Yuno's sprinting figure suddenly halted. Faced with mana orbs flying in from all directions, he stomped hard against the ground and leapt skyward.
Powerful wind-aspected mana surged forth under the effect of Mana Coating, forming visible air currents around his body and lifting him into the air.
Not only did he evade the barrage below, his movements in midair were extraordinarily agile.
Seeing this, a trace of surprise flashed across Catherine's face as she hurriedly pursued him atop her flying broom.
"So it really is you, Yuno. To think you've already learned how to fly using your own mana in such a short time," Yuuki mused to himself as he observed their fight.
"Your mana's grown a lot too. Looks like the wind spirit's passive boost is even stronger than expected."
Yuuki remained standing atop the rooftop, watching the nimble figure in the sky with a sigh of admiration.
It hadn't even been a week since the Dungeon incident, yet by Yuuki's perception, Yuno's mana had nearly doubled.
He had completely reached the Fourth-Domain level.
Such an astonishing increase was impossible to achieve through talent alone in such a short time. There was no doubt—the wind spirit was responsible.
"No wonder they're one of the four great elemental spirits," Yuuki murmured.
Just wielding the wind spirit's power was enough to reach captain-class strength. Add a four-leaf clover grimoire on top of that, and it was hardly surprising that Yuno could surpass captains in under two years.
High in the air—
After a brief exchange, Yuno was beginning to fall into a disadvantage.
Catherine's Ash Curse Magic was extremely powerful. Combined with her prior absorption of others' mana, her total mana had reached a terrifying level.
Coupled with her extensive combat experience, Yuno simply couldn't gain the upper hand against such an opponent.
"Ash Curse Magic—Giggle-Bad Ash!"
"These curse-loaded spell bullets are packed with all kinds of effects. I wonder what'll happen when they hit you~ How exciting!"
Catherine's smug laughter echoed through the air.
The number of purple-gray mana orbs increased even further. Though Yuno avoided many through agile movement and blocked some with magic—
Several still struck him.
"My body… it feels heavier. My senses are dulling," Yuno muttered as he felt the changes spreading through him, his expression turning grim.
"Oh my, oh my~ You're getting slower and slower," Catherine said gleefully, watching Yuno's increasingly sluggish movements.
"Which curse do you think is working, hmm?"
Then she giggled sweetly.
"Ah, right—no idea if you can even hear me anymore. Just savor the terror little by little, handsome boy~"
Her delighted laughter rang endlessly through the air.
At this point, Yuno had stopped dodging altogether. He hovered motionlessly in midair, as if he had completely abandoned resistance.
Yuuki narrowed his eyes as he watched the unmoving Yuno. Magic that continuously eroded a target's five senses was indeed extremely troublesome.
Even if he were in Yuno's place, Yuuki's options would be limited—either rely on Mineral Magic to form solid physical defenses against the spell bullets, or draw upon the Demon-Destroyer Sword.
If Catherine couldn't be defeated quickly, prolonging the fight would inevitably lead to a situation like Yuno's.
"…Hm?"
Yuuki's expression suddenly shifted as his gaze locked onto Yuno.
Through his perception, he sensed a strange disturbance in the mana around Yuno. Even the normally languid natural mana in the air began to stir restlessly.
"I'm telling you, hurry up and beg for mercy already~ Or I'll kill you, you know? Hahaha!"
Like a cat toying with its prey, Catherine taunted Yuno, even though she knew he might not be able to hear her anymore.
BOOM!
Suddenly—
Yuno's floating grimoire erupted with dazzling green light. An astonishing surge of mana burst forth from his body, forming a sky-piercing tornado centered on him.
The sudden change in mana dragged in air currents from all directions, converging into a massive vortex that enveloped Yuno at its core.
Even from where he stood, Yuuki could clearly feel the raging winds—but what caught his attention even more was the natural mana in the atmosphere flowing toward Yuno.
"Is it finally happening?" Yuuki's spirits lifted.
Whoosh!
The swirling wind mass abruptly compressed, revealing Yuno once more. More striking still—
A tiny spirit appeared before him, no bigger than two fists, with a pair of small wings fluttering at its back.
The Wind Spirit — Sylph!
"I'll tell you one thing about myself—"
Yuno roared toward the panic-stricken Catherine,
"I'd rather die than give up!"
"Wind Spirit Magic—Sylph's Breath!"
BOOM!
Overwhelming mana condensed into a colossal torrent of wind, blasting straight toward Catherine.
Feeling the terrifying power contained within that spell, Catherine's face turned deathly pale. She hurriedly tried to maneuver her flying broom to evade—
But the very next instant!
She realized she had been completely locked in place by the surrounding airflow. Unable to break free, she hastily erected a mana barrier around herself.
CRASH—!
The powerful spirit magic shattered her barrier in an instant, sending Catherine flying violently backward.
Elsewhere—
Yuuki watched the release of Yuno's spirit magic with a grave expression. Even without facing it head-on, he could feel its sheer terror.
"If I were hit by that… I'd be seriously injured," Yuuki concluded.
He realized that with the magic he currently possessed, there wasn't a single spell capable of fully blocking a casual strike of spirit magic.
And more than that—
Yuuki knew very well that the true power of the four great elemental spirits wasn't limited to spirit spells alone. They also possessed a terrifying ability known as Spirit Assimilation.
"What a frightening power," Yuuki sighed.
Having witnessed it firsthand, his interest in spirit magic only deepened further.
"Looks like the show's about over. Time for my entrance."
Watching Yuno chase after the blasted-away Catherine, Yuuki kicked off the rooftop and swiftly followed.
At the Magic Knights Headquarters
With a thunderous crash, a sturdy wall was smashed to pieces as Catherine was hurled inside by Yuno's Wind Spirit Magic.
Her once youthful appearance had withered dramatically due to the massive mana consumption, leaving her looking extremely aged.
"My mana… it's gone…"
Her voice was feeble as she struggled to raise her head—just in time to meet the gaze of a petite girl wearing a Black Bulls cloak.
Yuuki bounded across rooftops, rapidly approaching headquarters.
With the royal capital under attack, the headquarters—normally guarded by many Magic Knights—was now eerily empty, its members dispatched to assist across the city.
By the time Yuuki arrived—
Catherine had been completely defeated, lying unconscious in a corner.
Yuno was also unconscious, resting atop a soft, cotton-like mass. Beside him stood a petite girl holding an enormous platter of food, her face filled with joy.
Yuuki only spared Catherine a brief glance before focusing on Yuno and the small girl.
Yuno's unconsciousness was likely due to his lack of familiarity with spirit magic—the burden had been too great, draining his mana entirely.
As for the petite girl—
Yuuki's eyes gleamed.
Charmy Pappitson of the Black Bulls. A human–dwarf hybrid who possessed an extremely rare power—dual magic—a fact she herself had yet to realize.
(End of Chapter)
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⭐ Enjoying the story?
You can read ahead and support the translations by joining my Patreon! Your support helps me update faster and take on more projects. Thank you for reading!
Read up to 50 chapters ahead!
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Next bonus chapter at 1000 powerstones.