The moment Mereoleona Vermillion stepped into the tavern, a scorching wave of heat rushed in after her, instantly turning the previously cool air stifling and dry.
Sensing the overwhelming mana radiating from her body, Mariella and Neige both tensed, their expressions growing grave as they stared at her warily.
"So you're Mariella and Neige—the ones who use dual magic?" Mereoleona said, raising her fiery red brows as she looked them over.
"Not bad. You're stronger than quite a few of those useless Magic Knights."
Boom!
Another thunderous crash erupted at the entrance. The already-damaged doors finally gave out under the pressure and shattered completely. Several figures appeared behind Mereoleona.
The instant they saw who it was, shock flashed across the faces of Mariella, Neige, and Rebecca.
Asta, Yuno, Noelle, the Black Bulls' captain Yami Sukehiro, and the Blue Rose captain—who still looked slightly drunk—Charlotte Roselei.
Any one of them showing up would have been surprising enough.
But all five of them were currently being hoisted into the air by massive claws of flame gripping their heads, dangling helplessly like decorations.
If it had only been Asta and the others, that would've been one thing.
But two Magic Knight captains—utterly unable to resist and reduced to this state—was genuinely shocking.
After a brief moment of silence, laughter rang through the tavern.
"They look like a bunch of grapes hanging off a vine—ahaha!"
Yuuki clutched his stomach, laughing heartily as he sat back in his chair.
"Yuuki, you jerk!" Asta yelled, swaying wildly in midair.
Yuno let out a soft snort, clearly embarrassed by his current predicament.
Noelle's face was bright red as she lowered her head.
Yami, meanwhile, still had a cigarette in his mouth despite hanging upside down, his expression as lazy as ever.
Charlotte, on the other hand, didn't seem to have sobered up at all.
"Since I've found you, we're leaving," Mereoleona said bluntly. "Come on, you arrogant brat."
Without another word, a giant flaming hand surged forth from her mana and reached straight for Yuuki.
The moment they saw this—
Mariella and Neige moved simultaneously, their eyes flashing coldly.
Snow Creation Magic — Snow Friends!
Neige rushed forward first, shouting as five snowmen formed instantly and charged toward the incoming flame hand.
Mereoleona's eyes lifted slightly. The flaming hand abruptly accelerated, leaving afterimages as it pierced straight through all five snowmen in an instant.
Neige showed no surprise.
Snowmen had never been meant for defense—their true purpose was freezing anything they touched.
The five snowmen pierced through the chest released intense cold simultaneously, attempting to freeze Mereoleona in place.
"Childish," Mereoleona said flatly.
Her flame hand erupted with even greater heat, instantly dispersing the freezing magic—and burning the snowmen to nothing in the blink of an eye.
The flame claw then descended upon Neige's head, grabbing him and lifting him into the air.
At the same time—
Asta and the others finally noticed something off.
Mariella's figure had vanished without warning.
And in the very next instant—
She reappeared at Mereoleona's side, a razor-sharp ice blade forming instantly as she thrust toward Mereoleona's armpit.
"There!" Asta shouted reflexively.
"Shut it. Big Sis doesn't need you warning her ," Yami muttered, rubbing his ear while still dangling.
"My name isn't that casual," Mereoleona snapped irritably.
She didn't even attempt to dodge. Instead, she commented calmly:
"Spatial movement combined with suppressed presence, plus assassination techniques… nicely integrated."
Slash!
The ice blade struck true—but Mariella's expression changed instantly.
The moment the blade touched the crimson mana skin enveloping Mereoleona's body, it melted away like snow under a blazing sun.
Bang!
Another flame claw formed and grabbed Mariella before she could retreat.
Yuuki watched the entire exchange calmly, utterly unsurprised.
"No need to struggle," he said evenly.
"This is a binding-type spell. With your current strength, neither of you can break free from Lady Mereoleona."
He turned his gaze toward Mereoleona—
but before he could say anything, yet another flaming claw surged toward him.
Yuuki narrowed his eyes.
Reaching into empty space, he pulled out the Demon-Dweller Sword from another dimension and swung it casually.
A silver mana slash cleaved the flame hand cleanly in half. The attack continued forward, splitting midair into two smaller slashes that shot toward Mariella and Neige.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
With the sword's anti-magic effect, the mana slashes severed the flaming restraints holding them.
The instant they were freed—
Mariella and Neige retreated rapidly, regrouping at Yuuki's side, their expressions heavy as they stared at Mereoleona.
Throughout all of this, Mereoleona hadn't tried to stop him.
Instead, a wide, delighted grin spread across her face.
"So, it really was you."
She bared her teeth at Yuuki, and despite the smile, the air suddenly grew oppressive.
"It's been a while, Lady Mereoleona," Yuuki replied calmly.
He'd expected to be recognized during the festival—this was simply her final confirmation.
Yami's eyes gleamed with surprise. He hadn't expected Yuuki and Mereoleona to know each other.
"Got the guts to come with me?" Mereoleona said, jerking her thumb behind her.
"Of course," Yuuki replied with an easy smile. He turned to Rebecca.
"I'll leave the tavern to you for now."
"Don't worry. I've got it," Rebecca said, nodding firmly.
With that, Yuuki—along with Mariella and Neige—followed Mereoleona as she turned and left.
He already knew where she was taking them.
Mariella and Neige were strong, but still short of captain-level.
If they could learn Mana Skin, their strength would increase noticeably in a short time.
As for Rebecca, there was no need to worry—once Yuuki fixed the spatial coordinates, he could bring her along anytime.
Grand Magic Zone — Ultime Volcano
Boom! Boom!
Erupting volcanoes and rivers of lava kept the entire region at a blistering temperature.
As far as the eye could see, molten rock flowed across the land.
The searing heat rolling toward them caused the Crimson Lion members to break into sweat almost instantly.
"So this is the Ultime Volcano in the Grand Magic Zone…" Yuuki murmured, eyes bright.
"It really is perfect for training Mana Skin."
He'd been searching for this place for a long time, but hadn't managed to find it before. Now that Mereoleona had brought him here, it was a pity he'd already mastered Mana Skin himself.
Still, it was ideal for training Rebecca and the others.
The other grand magic zones he'd found—lightning fields and raging sandstorms—didn't compare to this place.
Heat was invisible and omnipresent. Training Mana Skin under such conditions made mastery faster and more stable.
"T-This… this is the hot spring?" Asta stammered, staring ahead blankly.
Not just him—everyone else was equally stunned as they looked at the constantly erupting volcanoes and flowing lava, their throats tight.
They were still on the mountain path at the edge of the region, and the heat alone was already unbearable. Near the core, it would be far worse.
"This is Ultime Volcano," Mereoleona said, arms crossed.
"A volcanic grand magic zone rich in underground mana. Eruptions can happen anytime."
Hiss—
As she finished speaking, steam suddenly rose from beneath their feet.
The scorching ground caused their boots to smoke, forcing several Magic Knights to jump back in alarm.
"This isn't a place ordinary humans can approach," Mereoleona continued.
"But near the summit are special hot springs that strengthen the body."
"Well? Starting to get excited?" she roared. "Come on—charge for the summit!"
The group fell into stunned silence.
In that strange quiet, Yuuki laughed instead.
"Hot springs, huh? Perfect. A soak after a full meal sounds great."
He rolled his shoulders casually.
"Yuuki!"
"Yuuki!"
Asta and Yuno snapped out of their daze instantly, their eyes blazing as they turned toward him.
"Then let's see who reaches the summit first!" Asta shouted, tugging at his sleeve, sweat pouring down his face.
"That's the spirit!" Leopold Vermillion roared, clenching his fist.
"Two hotheaded idiots," Yuno muttered—but his eyes quickly shifted to Yuuki, brows lifting slightly.
He was clearly interested too.
"That's more like it!" Mereoleona laughed loudly.
In the next instant—
Everyone except Yuuki, Mereoleona, and a few others charged forward simultaneously.
But after only a short distance, they all stopped abruptly, their faces draining of color as sweat poured off them like rain.
The moment they left the edge of the region, the sulfurous air and heat multiplied several times over. Breathing became difficult, a suffocating pressure gripping their chests.
"What is this heat?!"
"My sweat glands are about to explode!"
"I—I can't breathe!"
"Cough… it feels like my heart's burning!"
Groans echoed through the group.
Just as they began to think passing through was impossible—
Yami and Charlotte suddenly surged forward, mana flaring around them as they shot into the depths of the region like arrows.
The scorching heat and falling magma seemed nonexistent to them as they rapidly disappeared into the distance.
Mariella and Neige stared in disbelief.
"How are they doing that…?" Mariella murmured.
"It's Mana Skin," Yuuki said with a smile from behind them.
Step.
He placed his foot on the burning rock, completely unfazed by the heat, and looked calmly at the group.
As the host of Salamander, one of the Four Great Spirits, this level of temperature was meaningless to him.
"Most mages instinctively use mana to strengthen their bodies during combat," Yuuki explained.
"When that technique is refined to its extreme, it becomes what's known as Mana Skin."
"Captains like Yami use it to stabilize their mana, block out environmental interference, and protect themselves—even here."
His explanation wasn't for the Crimson Lion members—they were mostly nobles and already familiar with the concept.
He was explaining it for Yuno, Asta, Mariella, and Neige.
Yuno froze.
Mana coating…? No—this was something similar, but far more advanced.
He glanced at the distant figures of Yami and Charlotte, then clenched his fist.
As expected of Yuuki… he's already mastered something even more incredible.
His fighting spirit burned brighter.
(End of Chapter)
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