"The gap is even bigger than I imagined."
Yuuki's mana boiled violently as he continued casting spells without pause, his figure streaking rapidly through the air.
Whoooosh—!
A massive tornado suddenly formed ahead, blocking his path. Under the influence of the chaotic mana in the strong magic region, the storm grew even more terrifying.
Yuuki casually waved a hand, and surging mana transformed into a shockwave that blew the tornado apart on the spot.
From beginning to end, his attention never lingered on the effects of the strong magic region. Instead, his gaze remained locked on the continuous thunderous detonations rising from below.
Yuuki's expression had grown extremely grave. This gap wasn't just a difference in raw strength—it was also a difference in combat experience and technique.
At this moment, he suddenly understood the frustration Laia of the Eye of the Midnight Sun must have felt during his first battle with Mereoleona.
Even though Laia possessed more mana than her and commanded a wide variety of magic, he had still been completely helpless before Mereoleona.
Ordinary magic simply couldn't inflict any damage on her.
Mereoleona had long since tempered both her mana and her body to the absolute limit, allowing her to block attacks in the simplest way possible—and retaliate with maximum power!
As a result, there was virtually no room for tricks when fighting her.
In that instant, Yuuki became keenly aware of his own shortcomings.
Though he wielded a vast array of magic, he lacked a decisive spell capable of fundamentally shifting the tide of battle. Against opponents of similar strength, his versatility was more than enough to overwhelm them.
But when facing a powerhouse like Mereoleona, that advantage was inevitably weakened.
And more than that—
He hadn't truly brought out the greatest strength of Replication Magic.
With such diverse attributes at his disposal, he could have developed far more powerful combination spells. This was something Yuuki had thought about long ago—but the time required for focused research was something he simply didn't have.
As the revival of the elves drew closer, the number of things he needed to do and plan continued to pile up. For Yuuki, investing time into deep magical research was far less direct—and far less efficient—than acquiring strength through Perfect Replication.
To put it simply—
He didn't have the time.
From the moment he left Hage Village to his arrival in the royal capital, just over a month had passed. In that short span, Yuuki had grown from a frail novice who had just obtained a grimoire into a mage with captain-class strength.
Such a growth rate, if revealed, would shock the entire kingdom!
And yet, Yuuki felt no pride whatsoever.
Because—
"Next!!"
A thunderous roar rang out from below.
Bang! Bang!
Explosive sounds erupted beneath Mereoleona's feet as she accelerated through the air, smashing through Yuuki's layers of suppression and charging straight into his field of vision!
"Because this world is packed with absurdly powerful monsters!"
Yuuki's eyes widened as he stared at Mereoleona rushing toward him. Knowing he could no longer evade her, he let out a roar—
"Mineral Magic—Titan's Heavy Armor!"
BOOM!
A staggering surge of mana erupted from Yuuki's body, turning half the sky a brilliant mineral silver. Under the influence of this overwhelming mana, flowers made of solid mineral bloomed across the heavens.
At this moment, Yuuki's mana had already surpassed that of the original caster, Mars.
Thus, when he unleashed this spell at full power, Titan's Heavy Armor rapidly formed into a colossal mineral beast—an enormous monstrosity standing nearly ten meters tall!
Its massive shadow swallowed Mereoleona as she surged upward from below!
Sensing the terrifying mana fluctuations above—
"Now this is what I call interesting!"
Mereoleona's grin stretched wider and wider, the excitement on her face twisting into something almost feral.
It had been a long time since she'd fought a mage of this caliber—especially one whose magic reminded her so strongly of someone from the past!
"Come!"
She laughed loudly as flames suddenly exploded around her left arm, the air sizzling as it burned.
"Fire Magic—Scorching Arm!"
At the same time—
Yuuki voluntarily dismissed the wind magic sustaining his flight. Using the sheer weight of the towering mineral beast, he began plummeting straight down from the sky.
Mid-descent, he even poured additional mana into the beast's back, further accelerating its fall.
BOOM—!
Deafening sonic booms detonated continuously in midair.
"Titan Beast's Crushing Blow!"
Yuuki commanded the mineral colossus to raise its massive, ore-thick arms. With its hands clasped together, it swung them downward in a devastating hammering motion, smashing toward the charging Mereoleona!
The terrifying acceleration of the falling titan, combined with the reinforcement of Yuuki's magic, produced an impact so powerful that even Yuuki himself couldn't fully gauge its destructive force.
"Come on!"
Mereoleona roared back, her flaming fist driving upward without the slightest hesitation!
CRASH—!
The instant their attacks collided, the chaotic mana of the strong magic region fell into an eerie, momentary silence.
The next moment—
RUMBLEEEEE—!!
An earth-shaking explosion erupted high above.
The horrific shockwave tore outward in all directions, blasting apart the gloomy storm clouds hanging over the strong magic region and revealing the blazing sun. For an instant, the entire region seemed to fall still.
Two black silhouettes were flung from the sky, plummeting downward in the blink of an eye and smashing into the ground, carving out two deep craters!
"That was a fine blow."
Mereoleona's voice rang out first as she stepped from one of the craters, flames still raging across her body. Her once-neat clothing was torn and damaged.
The sleeve on her striking arm had been completely blown away, and blood seeped from the tiger's mouth of her clenched fist.
Step.
Yuuki also emerged from his crater, though his steps were noticeably heavier. Compared to Mereoleona's steady breathing, he was gasping for air.
The colossal mineral beast had been completely shattered by their clash, reduced to powder. Meanwhile, Yuuki's Nemean Armor, prepared in advance, was now riddled with dense cracks!
"Cough—"
A sudden sweetness rose in Yuuki's throat. He couldn't help coughing, a mouthful of blood surging up—yet he immediately shut his mouth, forcibly swallowing it back down.
The flames of Phoenix's Feathered Robe still wrapped around his body, continuously restoring his injuries.
Yuuki lifted his head, staring at Mereoleona, who looked like a blazing inferno incarnate. He raised a finger and wiped the trace of blood from the corner of his mouth.
So strong…
Yuuki couldn't help sighing inwardly once more. Thankfully, he had prepared in advance and kept Phoenix's Feathered Robe active at all times.
Otherwise, in that moment just now, he wouldn't have even had time to cast a recovery spell.
"You're impressive."
"Even among Magic Knight captains, you'd earn a place. I never imagined the Clover Kingdom still had a mage of your caliber hiding away."
Mereoleona glanced at the wound on her hand, then looked back at Yuuki with a brilliant grin, her eyes blazing with battle lust.
"Whatever you're trying to hide, if that's all you've got… then today, your fate is to be captured alive."
Hearing her words, Yuuki took a deep breath. Mana surged once more through his body, repairing the cracked Nemean Armor.
"Worthy of the title Uncrowned, Unbeaten."
"But if you think you can capture me alive—"
"That won't be happening."
Yuuki let out a low shout. Two small spatial gates opened simultaneously at his sides, and he reached into them with both hands.
The next instant—
In his left hand was the black Demon-Destroyer Sword; in his right, the golden Guardian Sword. A grimoire floated beside him, along with a transparent, spherical magic tool.
The Elemental Orb!
BOOM!
Under the amplification of the Elemental Orb, Yuuki's mana not only failed to diminish—it surged even higher. Torrential mana formed invisible shockwaves that swept outward in all directions!
"This is my full power!"
Dual blades in hand, Yuuki's eyes burned with intensity as he locked onto Mereoleona.
Battle was the best way to grow stronger.
In the past, Yuuki hadn't fully believed that saying. But after such a short exchange with Mereoleona, he could already feel it—
The rampant mana that had recently surged into the Zero Stage was now flowing far more smoothly. His spellcasting had grown noticeably more flexible as well.
"Oh ho! You even wield spatial magic?"
Mereoleona clenched her fists, her fighting spirit surging violently.
"How fascinating. You really do remind me of someone—someone who wielded magic much like yours!"
"I can't wait to crush you completely!"
Her laughter rang out, brimming with savage exhilaration.
(End of Chapter)
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