"Damn it…"
Anna staggered back in alarm, her hands spinning the Sling Ring in a rush as she tried to open a portal and escape. The dark aura radiating from her opponent wasn't just strong—it was overwhelming.
This was no ordinary intruder.
What stood before her was a high-level invader from the Dark Dimension.
From what Anna knew, something like this was far beyond what a mere apprentice sorcerer could handle. At the very least, it would take a Sanctum Guardian to stand a chance.
And in New York—where one of the Earth's three great Sanctums was located—such a creature should have been noticed immediately.
If this monster had managed to hide from the Guardian of the New York Sanctum, then perhaps… it was even stronger than the Guardian himself.
She had to alert Master Mordo.
"This kind of dimensional intruder… it's way beyond the level of a trial," Anna muttered under her breath, her mind racing as she quickly sent a signal to Mordo requesting aid.
Because not only was the creature's power far beyond anything she had expected, but she had also noticed something else—
A Black Magic Barrier had been erected around them.
It was this barrier that suppressed her spells.
Even though Senju Haruto's natural talent and power were impressive, Anna knew that as long as the barrier remained, even his strength would be hindered. He would never be able to unleash his full potential.
"I've read about this kind of barrier in books before. It can't be broken from inside—it has to be destroyed from the outside…"
Her lips tightened.
"I just hope Master Mordo can get here in time."
Forcing a calm tone, she turned to reassure Haruto:
"But don't worry. Because this enemy is far too advanced for us, even if we receive outside help, it won't disqualify us from the trial."
She remembered clearly from her studies—there was a rule that covered situations like this.
"Useless."
The monster before them sneered at her signal for help.
"As long as you're trapped inside my Black Magic Barrier, no other sorcerer will be able to detect you."
"You will die here, and no one will ever find your bodies!"
The beast roared, its voice shaking the street.
His mission was not merely to kill an apprentice. No, his purpose in invading New York from the Dark Dimension was to destroy the Sanctum itself.
But the Sanctum had hidden itself well.
He had searched the city for days without finding its location. Then fate handed him a gift—an apprentice of Kamar-Taj wandering right into his grasp.
A cruel grin spread across the monster's face.
A sorcerer trained by Kamar-Taj would certainly hold clues to the Sanctum's whereabouts.
If he devoured Anna's memories and her magic, he would have the knowledge he needed to launch a sneak attack on the New York Sanctum.
And when that happened…
The defensive wards left behind by the first Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto, would weaken.
Then the Dread Lord Dormammu could flood this dimension with endless soldiers—
And Earth would be drowned in blood.
"All of this…"
"…is for Lord Dormammu!"
The beast roared as he raised a thick arm, black energy swirling into his palm. In an instant, the formless miasma solidified into a massive battle axe.
Crack!
He gripped the weapon and slammed it into the street.
The ground split apart in jagged fissures, spreading across the entire block.
The earth shook violently.
Anna lost her balance and fell hard to the ground.
She was far too weak to stand against a monster of this level.
"Haruto…"
"The portal—you might be able to—"
Suddenly, the thought struck her. She collapsed to the pavement, her voice desperate as she shouted to the boy at her side.
The Black Magic Barrier wasn't a complete severing of Kamar-Taj's sorcery. It was more like a suppression, a weakening.
And Haruto's mental strength—his raw power—was greater than hers.
Maybe… just maybe, he could force open a portal strong enough to take her and Kaguya out of here.
But…
Even as Anna's panic reached its peak, Haruto remained calm. He didn't flinch, didn't speak, only observed quietly with those steady eyes of his.
"Do you need me to deal with him?"
Kaguya's voice was soft but cold. She stood at Haruto's side, her pale gaze fixed on the monster.
The barrier had been designed to cripple Kamar-Taj sorcery. But Kaguya didn't use magic.
Her power came from chakra—from ninjutsu.
It was an entirely different force.
She lacked experience, lacked the instinct of a warrior, but even she could sense how powerful the enemy was.
"You think you can kill me? Hahaha…"
The monster burst into laughter at her words.
He suspected she was just spouting nonsense out of fear.
"In that case, I'll start with you!"
With a deafening roar, the beast raised his axe high and swung it straight for Kaguya's head.
Her body tensed—her first instinct to defend.
But before she could move, Haruto stepped forward.
His hand shot up—
And caught the descending axe.
BOOM!
The collision erupted like a thunderclap, a shockwave ripping outward. The lesser Dark Dimension creatures nearby were annihilated in an instant.
Even the massive monster froze in shock.
Impossible.
He had erected the Black Magic Barrier precisely to suppress white magic. That apprentice, Anna, couldn't even cast the simplest of spells inside it.
Every sorcerer of Kamar-Taj fought through white magic.
So why—
Why did this man give off no magical presence at all?
It felt as if he had simply raised his hand… and stopped the attack with raw, physical force.
Was he even human?
"Who… what are you?" the monster growled, unease coiling in his chest.
But Senju Haruto had no interest in answering questions.
The only thing that mattered to him was this—
The creature before him was a monster.
An invader from the Dark Dimension.
And if he killed it, he could return to Kamar-Taj and collect his next reward.
That was all.
His fingers tightened.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the surface of the axe, spreading from beneath his grip to the weapon's edge.
The monster's eyes bulged.
This wasn't just any weapon.
This axe was forged from Black Magic itself—a gift bestowed upon him by Lord Dormammu to slaughter even the Guardians of the Sanctums.
But in just their first exchange, this boy had already broken it.
Snap!
In the span of two or three breaths, the axe shattered completely.
The explosion of dark energy hurled the monster back several steps.
And Haruto?
He stood firm, expression unchanging, a ripple of repulsion from his Shinra Tensei dispersing the blast with ease.