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The next day, Sekke woke up groggily. He slept a bit late, so he still felt a bit uneasy, but he decided to ignore that. He knew that once he moved around a bit, this feeling would fade away.
Feeling some warmth around him, Sekke turned to his side and spotted the familiar faces of his fiancées. All of them were sleeping peacefully, clinging to him and making it a bit difficult for him to move — but still, he decided to endure that "burden" for now.
After around half an hour, Anna's eyes twitched, and soon she woke up.
"Good morning," said Sekke, greeting the groggy Anna.
Hearing his voice, she lightly smiled and looked at him.
"Morning Sekke-kun," she whispered and moved a bit to peck his cheek.
"You were wild last night."
"So were you all. The Dark Lord can't be losing anytime soon."
She smiled and leaned a bit more on him, enjoying the feeling of closeness.
"You know..." she muttered.
"When you helped me when I was a kid, I promised myself that I would come forward to help you one day and be together with you. Now that my dream is turning into reality, I cannot express how happy I am. Sekke-kun, I know that compared to others, I am not of exceptional status. I cannot express my emotions very well either, but always know this, my love for you is not weaker than anyone else's out there," said Anna and moved his hand to touch her chest.
"Even right now, my heart's pounding so fast. It's always like this whenever I think of you," muttered Anna.
"Umm....I cannot exactly move right now, so can you get a bit closer?" asked Sekke with a smile.
She nodded and moved closer to him, making it easier for Sekke to plant a kiss on her forehead.
"I don't mind status. I don't mind that you cannot express yourself well. I can understand what you feel most of the time. You don't have to worry about that stuff. I will love you so much that you might even complain. I will take care of you until you get tired of me, and I promise you I will make sure you don't. So, prepare yourself to stay beside me. I know it won't be easy, but you will have to deal with it. Are you up for it?" asked Sekke as he used the hand that she was leaning on to pull her closer.
"You said it now. You cannot get rid of me in the future. Don't regret your words, I can love you super strong," replied Anna, and kissed his lips.
While the two were kissing, light clapping sounds echoed nearby, making them look to the side and spot the other two—now awake and smirking.
"So bold. Is this scheme valid for me too?" asked Secre.
"Me to Sekke-san! I want to be a part of the deal as well," said Mimosa with a smile.
"All of you are included by default, no running away now," replied Sekke with a smirk.
"My~ Sekke-san has captured us~" said Mimosa with a giggle as she leaned closer to him.
"Whatever will we do? Looks like we won't be able to go back. Who will save the Dark Lord from us now?" teased Secre.
"Huh? It should be the other way around, right?" asked Sekke.
"Are you sure about that?" asked Secre as she caressed the bulge near his crotch.
"Such a lively Dark Lord," said Anna, and pulled away the sheet that was covering them.
"Sekke-san, so lively in the morning....I will do my best," said Mimosa with a determined look on her face.
The three sat up in front of him.
Sekke's gaze moved around, catching the sight of every inch of their bodies.
"Enjoying the view?" asked Secre.
Sekke nodded.
"Good. Now you will enjoy more," replied the lewd bird with a mischievous smile on her face.
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After a heated 'argument', the four of them left his room and headed straight towards the bath. All that 'hard work' made them very sweaty, and they wanted the sticky feeling to go away.
Once Sekke was done with his bath, he came out and started looking around. No familiar face was in sight.
"Undine", called Sekke.
"Lord Sekke, a very good morning to you. I hope that you had no trouble sleeping," said the water spirit that materialised near him.
"Good Morning to you as well. I slept well. Where is everyone?"
"All of them are gone for their training. Do you need me to call anyone?"
"It's fine, let them train. Can I get something to eat, nothing too heavy though and preferably something rich in protein?" asked Sekke.
"I will have it prepared right away. Let me escort you to the dining hall," said the Water Spirit respectfully, and led Sekke.
"Where is Lolopechka? Don't you need to be with her?" asked Sekke.
"She is in the bath with Secre, Anna, and Mimosa. She slept quite late since she was absorbed in practicing the offensive magic you taught her," replied Undine with a smile.
"Such a hard worker, though sleep is just as important, make sure she remembers that."
"I will do so, but I highly doubt that she will listen to me. That girl is too stubborn."
"Good. A ruler should be stubborn or he will be treated like a puppet by their subordinates."
"Hehe. Don't tell her that or she will let it go to her head."
The two chuckled at that and continued walking.
"Lord Sekke, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving Lolopechka-chan from that curse and giving her new hope through offensive magic. That girl had to grow up faster than others to look after the Heart Kingdom, and because of that, somewhere along the way, she started suppressing her happiness. Yesterday, for the first time in a while, I saw her smile genuinely. Thank you so much for helping her get that smile back," said Undine and bowed her head.
"No need to thank me that much. I did help her, but only because I wanted to. If she gained her smile back then, that's just a bonus. And if you still think that it's too much, just think of it as my way of repaying you all for hosting me here," said Sekke.
Undine smiled at his words and gave a nod.
"Lord Sekke really is a very benevolent man."
"That I am," replied Sekke with a smile.
They finally arrived in the dining area, and Undine immediately went to inform the chef about Sekke's request.
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Meanwhile, in the girls' bath, Lolopechka was intently listening to the spicy details the other three were sharing. The knowledge was… new to her—and hearing it made her feel like her mind was being defiled.
"Lolopechka-chan~ I'm back," said Undine, appearing beside them.
This made the others stop for a while and look at Undine.
"What was it, Undine? Did Lord Sekke call you?" asked Lolopechka.
"Yes, he came out of the bath and was wondering where everyone else was. Now he is waiting in the dining hall for a meal. I already told the chefs about it," said Undine.
"Good, Undine. He must be hungry after all that…" she muttered, then went red after realizing what she'd just said—especially after the details the others had told her.
"I thanked him on your behalf as well. He said not to think too much of it—that he helped you because he wanted to. Also, he told me to make sure you rest plenty and take care of your health. No late-night magic training!" said Undine with a smirk.
"Eh? Lord Sekke told you that? He's so caring…" muttered Lolopechka with a blush.
The other three looked at the Heart Kingdom queen and blinked their eyes in surprise.
The other three looked at her, blinking in surprise.
Secre just facepalmed while Anna and Mimosa pulled her back to whisper questions.
"EH? But what do you mean by no late-night Magic training?! I want to master my offensive magic as soon as possible!!!" protested Lolopechka.
"I know that is important, but your health-"
"I can't listen to you! La La La La," said Lolopechka and covered her ears.
Undine just sighed.
'Stubborn as ever.'
But soon a smile bloomed on her face.
'Still, she seems to be enjoying it.'
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After Sekke was done with breakfast, he got out of the castle and flew away to look around the Heart Kingdom.
While looking around, he spotted Gadjah, Luck, and Asta training together and decided to check on them.
"Lord Sekke," greeted Gadjah and bowed to him.
"At ease. So how's the training going?"
"Sekke!!! Are you here to train as well?!" asked Asta in excitement. It has been a while since the two of them trained together.
"Sekke!!! Fight!!! Fight!!! Fight!!!" chanted Luck and appeared near him as well.
"You want to fight? Let's do it then. I won't use my Grimoires, sword, Exodia, and Vritra to make it a bit balanced," replied Sekke.
"...Sekke, I know you are strong, but even for you...." said Asta.
"How can we fight to the death if you hold back?" asked Luck.
"Oh, trust me. It's still very much in my favour. What do you say, Gadjah? Want to join the brawl? I want to see how good you Spirit Guardians are," said Sekke with a smirk.
"...I will take you up on that offer," said Gadjah. He, too, was curious about the strength of the so-called Mana King that Undine has been praising so much.
"Alright then, let's get this show on the road."
Asta, Luck and Gadjah moved away from him to get some distance.
Sekke simply remained calm and did some stretches.
"Are you ready, Sekke?" asked Asta.
"Yup! Come at me whenever you want!" replied Sekke and formed two bronze swords in his hands.
"Alright!" declared Asta and immediately changed to his black form.
[True Lightning Magic: Thunder Fiend]
Seeing the two of them transform, Sekke released his restraints as well, making a wave of mana flow into the surroundings.
Gadjah became vigilant. At first, he was confused as to why Asta and Luck transformed into their stronger forms when Sekke was holding so much, but the sudden wave of mana that came out of Sekke's body made him realise why the two of them did that.
[True Lightning Magic: Irial Astrauza]
A large amount of mana gathered in the sky as dark clouds brimming with lightning magic roared.
Sekke looked up at the thundering clouds.
Right now, he was fighting with opponents that were his worst possible match-up.
Two lightning mages, when his main attribute was bronze that conducted electricity and Asta, the anti-magic muscle man who can tank hits very well.
In hindsight, he should have considered this before giving so many handicaps to his opponents.
'But that simply isn't the Dark Lord's style,' thought Sekke.
'You sure you take that attack nicely? The lightning is looking quite strong in those clouds,' said Vritra.
'...' Exodia remained silent. He was worried about his king, too, but if his king had made a decision himself, then he was not one to doubt him.
'Relax. I am the Dark Lord. Fighting with me for so long, you should now know that no handicap is enough to force me too much.' replied Sekke with a smirk.
Gadjah continued gathering the mana in the air, Asta and Luck waited for the spell to land so that they didn't get caught in the crossfire and then intercept Sekke the moment he dodges the attack or takes it head-on and suffers a bit of damage from that.
"HA!" yelled Gadjah as strong bolts of lightning started dropping on him from the sky.
Sekke just looked at the incoming bolt, not moving an inch, and smiling at them.
Gadjah was confused by his action, but still, he didn't stop. If the opponent was underestimating him, then that's the opponent's fault.
The lightning continued to zap Sekke for a while, and the entire area was filled with smoke, making it difficult for them to see what was going on in there.
The bolts finally stopped zapping, and the smoke started to clear.
Once it was clear enough, all of them saw Sekke still standing there without a single scratch on his body.
"That was a good attack. Quite a bit of power behind it as well," complimented Sekke and dusted off his clothes.
"Oi! Sekke! What the hell is that?! How come you are not damaged at all!" yelled Asta, pointing his sword at him.
The black bulls knew that one of Sekke's few weaknesses was Lightning Magic, and both he and Luck also knew that Gadjah's attack was strong as well.
So seeing Sekke without any harm after taking on such an attack head-on left them speechless.
Luck wanted to just jump in and attack, but seeing Sekke take no damage from lightning magic made him stop and find out why it was so.
"Oh, that. Just used a new spell that I got in the other dimension. I cannot use my Grimoire, but that doesn't mean I cannot use non-grimoire spells as well."
[Law Debuff Magic: Rule Breaker: Electricity Conduction]
Without a Grimoire, the spell's range and effect were low, but Sekke, who literally had loads of mana, overcoming such issues was a simple task.
"Now what will you guys do next?" asked Sekke, taunting the three of them.
Asta and Luck blinked.
Wasn't this outright cheating to remove one of his already few weaknesses?
Still, the two got excited. They were black bulls. Giving up was the last thing that they would ever do.
"If it's just a spell, then I will remove it with my anti-magic!" said Asta.
"And once Asta does that, it's zappy zap zap for you!" said Luck with a menacing smile.
"I now realise how strong you are. But as the leader of Spirit Guardians, I will show you that we are not inferior to the Clover Kingdom at all."
Sekke smirked at those words.
"Then ready or not, here I come!" declared Sekke and launched towards them.
His first target was Luck since he was the fastest one on the field, and the moment Asta removed his spell, Luck would strike him without Mercy.
A bronze sword appeared in Sekke's hand, and countless others appeared in the sky.
Not giving any of them any time to counterattack, Sekke started firing the swords at Asta and Gadjah, making sure that the two of them stayed away from him.
[True Lightning Magic: Lightning God's Gloves] + [True Lightning Magic: Lightning God's Boots]
Luck's signature lightning gloves and boots appeared on him, but being strengthened by the natural mana, the spells got even more dangerous.
Luck smirked as mana arrays appeared on his arms and legs.
Before Sekke could react, a solid kick was planted in his gut.
"Wha! When did you get this fast?!" asked Sekke while he stabilised his body mid-air.
"Hehe. Since our last fight, I have been working on mana methods to boost my speed even more!! I don't know how it compares to your Light mode or armour mode, but against the current you, it will be faster!!" explained Luck and launched at Sekke once again.
Sekke's smirk widened; his initial guess of Luck being the fastest one on the field was solidified even more, and it was true that Sekke couldn't keep up with Luck in his base form.
[Mana Skin]
A glow covered Sekke's body, and immediately Sekke launched at Luck with an equally impressive speed.
"You caught up already?! You really never disappoint me, Sekke!!" laughed Luck in amusement.
The two started their clash. Punches and Kicks flew between the two of them, and small cracks started to form on the ground.
But because of Sekke's superior physical might, Luck was the one who was sustaining more damage.
Sekke, on the other hand, was now even better at taking hits after his various power-ups in the other dimension. It wasn't like he wasn't hurting, but the damage was almost negligible.
'I need to land a decisive hit!!!' thought Luck.
He tried to shrug Sekke off him, but the Dark Lord could read his ki and could understand what the lightning mage was trying to do.
"Luck!! Move aside!!!" yelled Asta, flying straight towards them.
[Demon Slayer: Black Divider-Black Meteorite]
The demon slayer sword grew in size a giant black anti-magic blade appeared on top of it.
[Mana Bullet: Giant Rasengan]
A big spiralling orb of mana appeared in Sekke's hand as he slammed the orb into the ground, drilling through it and barely dodging the sword swing.
The moment the sword went over him, he jumped up and launched at Asta.
Asta's eyes widened as he sensed Sekke coming towards him.
But all Asta could do was sense him since Sekke was way faster than him.
Sekke appeared in front of Asta, stomped his leg with his own, holding him on the spot and covered his fist in Bronze Magic.
[Bronze Magic + Sleep Debuff Magic: Left Right Good Night]
Two punches landed on Asta, sending him flying.
Asta's eyes immediately started to close; drowsiness was taking over him thanks to the Sleep Magic effect.
[Demon Destroyer]
The demon destroyer flew towards Asta and struck his head, making the anti-magic twerp wince in pain but also cancelling the sleep effect.
"Anti-Magic is annoying," muttered Sekke in annoyance.
[True Lightning Magic: Keraunos]
[True Lightning Magic: Tenjiolia]
The two lightning mages launched at Sekke.
Mana gathered in Sekke's fists as he clenched them tightly.
Sekke kept a read on their ki and Mana, and the moment the two came in range, his fist flew towards them.
[Gem Debuff Magic: Sealing Crystalization]
Once his connected to Luck, Sekke felt the force behind the attack that sent him flying towards Gadjah.
Gadjah tried to attack him, but Sekke was faster than him. He grabbed Gadjah's incoming fist and threw him at Luck.
Luck tried to dodge Gadjah but saw that his body was starting to get covered in crystalline Gem.
The same was happening to Gadjah; the place where Sekke touched him was already covered in a gem-like structure.
[Demon Dweller: Flying slashes]
Flying slashes of anti-magic came from behind him.
Already knowing about them through his ki sensing, Sekke flew up, dodging them.
The slashes continued moving and struck Luck and Gadjah, freeing them from the gem.
"You are learning new and unfair spells!!!" yelled Asta.
"Everything is fair for the Dark Lord!!!" yelled Sekke back.
"Luck! Gadjah! I will hit him with my anti-magic to remove his electricity-blocking spell! Make an opening for me, and then you two strike him after that!" explained Asta, making the two lightning mages nod.
"You sure it was a good idea to tell me your strategy?" asked Sekke with a smirk.
"Doesn't matter! We will bring you down!!!" declared Asta. His other two swords flew beside him. He decided to take the demon dweller and demon destroyer swords, since against Sekke, reacting faster mattered more.
Luck and Gadjah vanished from their spots, leaving behind some lightning sparks.
[True Lightning Magic: Keraunos]
[True Lightning Magic: Tenjiolia]
The two tried the same attack again, only this time Asta was headed towards him as well.
[Frost Debuff Magic: Frost Touch]
Two mana bullets, emitting a bone-chilling energy, launched towards Luck and Gadjah.
Luck, who was familiar with the attack, immediately dodged the attack and continued his attack.
Gadjah, on the other hand, underestimated the minuscule mana bullet and was immediately frozen in ice and started falling.
Seeing Gadjah fall, Asta fired an anti-magic slash at him to free him from the frost.
"Asta!!!" yelled Luck, making Asta turn towards them, only to find a giant bronze fist heading his way.
Not even thinking twice, Asta slashed the giant fist in half and flew straight through it.
"Surprise, Motherf*cker!" yelled Sekke, emerging out of the split fist.
His body was made of bronze and was merged with the bronze fist.
Asta looked to his side, not expecting such a move at all. He could sense ki, but thought Sekke was behind the fist, not inside it.
Sekke's upper body gained its colour, and Asta noticed a small cut on one of Sekke's fingers.
[Blood Debuff Magic: Bloody Impact]
A red glow covered Asta's vision as Sekke's fist, enhanced with Bronze Magic, Mana skin, and Bloody Impact, landed on him, sending him flying and planting him straight in the ground.
[True Lightning Magic: Keraunos]
Luck came without a moment's delay and struck Sekke with all the power that he could muster, sending Sekke straight to the ground as well.
Sekke landed and skidded a few meters.
The last attack packed some punch. He looked at his chest, which was badly dented at the spot where Luck attacked.
He was in his [Bronze Body] spell; otherwise, he would have a cracked rib or two.
"They really are not making it easy for me. What all does the Dark Lord have to do to make sure that he does not fatally wound his friends?" muttered Sekke.
He wanted to end the fight without resorting to dangerous attacks, but anti-magic was not helping with his cause.
"Exodia form a barrier around the area and makes sure my friends won't die," ordered Sekke.
Exodia, in his full glory, materialised above him.
"As you command, my king!" said Exodia in his deep voice and formed a barrier around them.
[Sun Spirit Magic: Solar Aegis]
[Sun Spirit Magic: Morning Glory: Dawn's Blessing]
"Oi Sekke!! You told us that you won't use Sunny Man's magic!!!" complained Asta.
"Idiot! It's not for me. It's for you all," said Sekke as a large amount of mana gathered in his hand.
Gadjah's face turned pale, sensing the amount of mana. Luck's expression turned dark as well; his sensing was even sharper after all.
A beautifully made Bronze Sword appeared in Sekke's hand.
"I was planning to finish this without injuring you all too much. But what can we do?" said Sekke with a shrug.
"This ki....Oi Oi Oi! We will die!" yelled Asta.
"Don't worry, you will almost die at best. I will hold back," replied Sekke with a smile.
"That's bad as well!!!"
"Shhh! Take it like a man!!!!"
"Why are you copying Yami-san now?!"
Sekke snorted and raised his sword.
[Bronze Creation Magic: Shater Sabre of Destruction]
Mana erupted out of the sword as Sekke swiftly swung the sword down.
The sword hit the ground and immediately shattered on contact.
Asta blinked in surprise. The attack ended just like that?
However, the moment the sword broke, mana burst out of the sword, destroying everything around him except for Sekke.
In seconds, the entire field was covered in bright light and was reduced to dust.
Once the light died down, Sekke spotted Asta, Luck and Gadajah, who were blown away, covered in blood and injuries and without any clothes.
The only saving grace was that Exodia's magic was rapidly healing the three of them, preventing any serious injury.
"Hmph, you all are 1000 years too young to think that you can beat the Dark Lord even if he is holding back!!!" declared Sekke and laughed out loud.
Meanwhile, Lolopechka and the others were looking at the scene through her Water Magic that broadcast a live feed from all over the kingdom.
They were alerted, thinking that the kingdom was under attack, but now they saw it was just a 'friendly spar'.
"So strong..." muttered Undine and Lolopechka.
Secre was facepalming at her partner's action. He frightened all of them, thinking they were under attack.
Mimosa just laughed helplessly.
"Well, it's just like Sekke-san to do such a thing."
"Seeing Sekke-kun in action power always makes me excited," muttered Anna. 'I am even wet right now...' thought Anna.
Meanwhile, Noelle was busy staring at one particular screen, the one that had a naked Asta in it.
'NO!!!!! BAD NOELLE!!!!' mentally screamed the silver-haired royal.