"Divine Pegasus's Salvation."
"Atomic Blackstar Cannon."
Astro created a giant Pegasus of light around him, almost half the size of a mountain. The creature spread its wings wide and let out a sharp screech before diving straight at Riser.
At the same time, Riser gathered a massive black beam in front of him. The magic was so dense it bent the space around it, ready to destroy everything in its path.
The two attacks clashed in the middle. The explosion was so strong that it wiped out everything within a kilometer. Through the noise, Astro could hear Riser's voice. "There's no way you can win against this! Just give up!"
Astro didn't reply at first. His Devil Force marks slowly started to fade, and his red right eye turned back to purple. "It doesn't matter if I don't have the strength to win," he whispered. "I still have to win. There's no other option." The Pegasus glowed brighter as if responding to his emotions. Astro smiled softly.
Riser's eyes widened. "Your magic….Are you getting stronger again? What is this? Why don't you have any limit?" Breaking limits and getting stronger is all he wanted. The reason he killed Vermica, the reason he turned his own daughters into pawns—he did it all to chase power, to break past his limits.
Astro let out a short laugh. "Limit, huh?" Riser gritted his teeth and forced more magic into his beam. The Pegasus started to fall back. Astro's markings disappeared more and more, and at the end, the mark only stayed on his right forearm. Astro realized his Devil Force was not yet perfect; one ultimate attack was the best he could do in this mode.
But he refused to back down. "You're strong," Astro said. "No doubt about that. You had incredible potential. But you never understood magic."
Riser heard him clearly even through the chaos."What did you say? I've studied magic for decades! I've seen more than you could ever imagine!" Riser shouted, his power rising again.
Astro shook his head with a small smile. "Maybe. But in chasing strength, you forgot everything else. You stopped growing as a person." His eyes glowed bright purple again. The Devil Force mark returned, spreading from his hand up to his face. "You gave up your heart… your feelings… all to get stronger."
The Pegasus flared with blinding light. The glow swallowed Riser's black ray completely and the pegasus crashed into the ground, disappearing in a massive burst.
Riser screamed as the wind from the impact picked him up and threw him into a distant mountain. Before he could hit the rocks, Astro appeared above him like a shadow. In Riser's blurry vision, the bottom of a boot filled his sight.
"To grow your strength, you need the right motivation," Astro said coldly. "And you had none, just endless greed."
Astro's kick landed hard on Riser's chest, slamming him deep into the ground. Blood burst from Riser's mouth as a crater spread beneath him. Astro flipped in the air, his head now facing the ground. A platform of purple wind formed under his foot. He kicked it hard, launching himself straight down like a meteor in the process. Riser looked up towards Astro with shocked eyes..
"Only when you turn your emotions into power can you truly grow," Astro shouted as he fell. "You became empty when you threw them away." His fist slammed into Riser's stomach with a thunderous impact. The crater grew larger, cracks spreading out in every direction. When the dust settled, Astro stood beside Riser, breathing heavily.
Riser groaned in pain. Images flashed in his mind—his moments with Vermica and his daughters. He once had everything, before greed swallowed it all. Astro crouched beside him, "Magic is a reflection of our emotions, and you could never grow as a person the moment you started hiding your emotions, so you never became stronger anymore," he said in a tired voice.
Riser tried to say something to retort, but no words came out. His whole body ached. He had no magic power left. The Aetherkrone lay far away from him, pulsing faintly. He knew he had lost. And strangely, instead of feeling anger, his mind felt clearer than ever. Memories—both happy and sad—flashed through him again and again.
"I guess it was true," Riser murmured in a hoarse voice. "I'm a failure… through and through."
"Well, at least you realized it, better late than never," Astro said through clenched teeth. He could sense the dark wizards moving toward the royal castle. He had to hurry, but his body refused to listen. He had already used everything he had. He started devouring the air around him to regain magic. Though his magic slowly returned, his body was still full of pain that was not going away, even with the healing magic.
"That Devil Force took a huge toll on my body," Astro murmured as he took one step forward.
"I have to do it." Riser watched him whisper those words. His body was broken too after getting out of Devil Force, yet he still forced himself to move. One shaky step after another, faster and faster, until he began to run. Two large purple wings burst out from Astro's back as he shot forward to the sky and headed straight for the royal castle.
"The power of emotions… is this what I abandoned chasing you?" Riser looked toward the Aetherkrone lying nearby. The weapon pulsed with black light, then slowly became surrounded by purple wind. It shimmered, turned into a streak of purple light, and shot off in the same direction Astro had flown.
"How stupid," Riser whispered with a faint laugh before his eyes closed and darkness took him.
Far ahead, Astro saw the royal castle. From this distance, he could sense dark wizards breaking through the outer walls. The guards were stopping them for now, but they couldn't hold out for long. Once they fell, his friends would be next—and most of them were still too hurt to move.
"Please… I need to make it," Astro muttered, forcing his wings to push harder. His vision blurred. And his consciousness began to fade from exhaustion. He bit his lip hard, using the pain to stay awake. "Please…"
Then, out of nowhere, a bright purple light came racing toward him. It was so fast he couldn't even react. It slammed into his chest when he just turned around on instinct. Astro froze, looking down in confusion. "What? It doesn't hurt…?"
A calm voice echoed in his mind—Alvemak's voice. "The Aetherkrone. It seems it has acknowledged you, too."
Astro's eyes widened as a warm rush spread through his body. The exhaustion melted away. His magic surged to its peak again, overflowing inside him. It felt like the weapon was not only gathering magic from the wind and giving it to him, but it managed to heal the exhausted body, too, something even he failed to do.
"Wait, didn't you say that it was Zeref who created it?" Astro panicked when he finally registered Alvemak's words.
"Yeah, but what history tells you is not always true. Don't judge a person by the history books. There is so much to Zeref that you could never know just by reading those."
"Well, I guess you have a point," Astro murmured. It was not the time to think about it now anyway.
He clenched his fists, focused ahead, and flew way faster than before toward the castle.
As Astro had sensed, the royal guards at the castle gates were standing in formation, their spears raised toward a group of dark wizards approaching the entrance.
The captain shouted, "Don't take another step forward! The royal castle isn't a place for criminals!" His voice was loud but shaky. Even though Velmora had pardoned some of the dark guild members, most of these wizards were still criminals with high bounties on their heads.
"Don't act like you don't know who we work for," one of the dark wizards yelled back. The others burst into mocking laughter. The captain's expression stiffened. He and his men all knew what that meant. If they resisted, they'd be defying the queen's orders. But if they gave in, they'd be betraying their duty to the kingdom.
A few guards lowered their spears. Some still held on tightly, but their hands were shaking. One of the dark wizards at the front grew impatient. "These idiots… do they really think they're still in charge? This kingdom belongs to us now," he said with a sneer. He stepped forward slowly, enjoying their fear. No other wizards stopped him. The guards only watched, hoping someone else would act.
The wizard grinned. "Pathetic." He raised his hand toward the nearest guards.
"Raging Inferno!"
A wave of black and red fire erupted from his palm like a living snake, rushing toward them. "Brace yourselves!" the captain shouted in a panic.
Some tried to dodge, others simply crouched down, knowing they couldn't escape in time. The captain clenched his teeth as the flames reflected in his eyes. "Is this the end?" he muttered.
Then, in an instant, a gust of purple wind crashed down from the sky. A figure appeared in front of the guards, standing between them and the dark wizards. His eyes glowed a deep purple.
Before anyone could react, Astro raised his hand.
"Sky Devil's Aether."
A sword materialized in his right hand—not one made from wind like before, but a real blade with a glowing hilt and edge, pulsing with purple wind inside it. The sword hummed softly, almost like it was happy to see him.
Astro swung it once. A single horizontal slash cut through the oncoming fire. The fiery snake broke in two, then into four, then into countless smaller pieces, until the flames vanished completely into the air.
The wizard stumbled back in shock. "What? My attack was stopped—by a kid?" His voice trembled. He knew he hadn't held back, yet the boy had destroyed it effortlessly.
Astro didn't even look at him. His gaze fell on the weapon in his hand. "So this is the power of the Aetherkrone," he murmured. "Do you want to follow me? I'm not your former master, Alvemak—you know that." The sword glowed brighter, the color deepening.
"You can keep it," Alvemak's voice echoed softly in Astro's mind. "I gave away most of my power long ago. It would only be wasted with me."
Astro nodded slightly and looked back toward the dark wizards. "So… are you connected to my mind permanently now?" he asked silently as he took a slow step forward.
"Don't worry," Alvemak replied. "Because you broke your limits and awakened the Devil Force, our link has strengthened. We can speak whenever any of us wishes. But for now, I'll rest. You seem busy."
Astro narrowed his eyes. "And what's the connection between sky magic and telepathic communication like this?"
A small laugh came from within his mind. "Oh, did you not realize it yet? It's your own magic, not mine."
"What do you mean by—" Astro stopped mid-thought. The connection had already faded. Alvemak's presence was gone.
"Hey, who are you? You don't look like a wizard from Joya's. Do you even know who we are?" one of the dark wizards shouted as Astro walked toward them. What unsettled them most was his attitude—he didn't even look at them like they were a threat. There were hundreds of them, and only one of him. Did this guy really not care?
Astro finally stopped and looked their way. "Listen," he said calmly, "Of course I don't know who you guys are, and I really don't want to learn the names of a hundred people this late at night. But if you're here to fight, let's just get it over with."
His voice was quiet, almost lazy, but the confidence behind it made the dark wizards grit their teeth. Now that his friends were safe, Astro was not worried anymore. And as long as he was here, no one would get past him.
"You bastard! You think you can take on all of us alone?" a wizard from the front shouted, thrusting his palm forward. "Inferno Blaze!"
A stream of black and red flames burst toward Astro. He didn't flinch. He had fought enough tonight—this was just the desert after the main course. The Aether in his hand pulsed with excitement, almost begging to be used.
"Alright then," Astro whispered, narrowing his eyes. "Let's do it, Aether."
He dashed straight into the flames. With one clean swing of his sword, he cut a path through the fire. His figure vanished from sight and reappeared right in front of the fire wizard.
"Sky Devil's Hunt."
His blade swung again, releasing a massive wave of purple wind that sent dozens of dark wizards flying backward. Before they could react, Astro disappeared again, zigzagging through them at an incredible speed.
"Nebula Vortex!"
"Dark Claw Strike!"
The dark wizards unleashed their attacks in panic, but Astro didn't even try to dodge. Every time an attack came at him, he sliced it apart effortlessly. Each swing of his sword created a new purple wind wave, tearing through wave after wave of enemies.
Within moments, half their numbers were down. Astro stopped and looked at the remaining wizards. "It's time to end this."
The Aether in his hand glowed brighter and shifted form, transforming into a long spear as if it had read his thoughts. Astro held it in one hand and swung the sharp side of it down to the ground.
"I had nothing against you," he said softly in a low voice. "But—" his eyes turned sharp—"If I leave you guys alone, you would be a danger to my friends."
"Sky Devil's Tempest Spiral!"
Not only the wizards but the royal guards also felt chills crawl down their backs. The ground trembled, cracking open beneath Astro's feet. A massive tornado of purple wind erupted upward, tearing into the sky.
The vortex swallowed all the dark wizards, dragging them high into the air as they screamed. The guards could only watch, speechless, as the enemies who nearly killed them were lifted helplessly into the storm.
Astro pulled the spear from the ground, and the tornado began to fade. As the winds calmed, the dark wizards fell to the ground behind him. Astro turned around and walked toward the royal guards. All the dark wizards started falling to the ground behind him.
"Prince Sylvain has defeated the queen and her sister and reclaimed the throne," Astro said, his voice calm but commanding. "He'll give you your orders next. For now, take these dark wizards to prison."
He created purple wings made of wind again and spread them wider, the wind rippling across the courtyard. Then he took off into the sky, heading back to find Riser now that the situation was under control. Whatever happened next was Sylvain's decision—it wasn't Astro's place to interfere anymore.
The guards watched him soar into the night sky, silent for a moment.
"What do we do now, Captain?" one of them asked quietly.
The captain blinked, snapping out of his daze. "Restrain all the dark wizards with magic-sealing cuffs," he ordered. "We'll wait for further instructions from higher command." He tried to sound steady, to keep his men focused, but part of him couldn't shake what he'd just witnessed.
"So that's the power of a Fiore wizard," one of the guards murmured.
The captain's jaw tightened. He was grateful that Astro had saved them, but seeing one foreign wizard so easily overpowering Joya's own mages left a bitter feeling in his chest.
Inside the castle, Sylvain walked quietly toward Lisa. She had just woken up, lying on the floor and was looking at the ceiling.. For a while, neither of them said anything. The silence between them felt heavy.
"What do you want me to say?" Lisa finally spoke, her voice rough. "Apologize? Saying I regret it? Or gloat for fooling you all these times?"
Sylvain sat down beside her, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. "I don't know," he whispered.
Lisa turned her head slightly, then looked away again. "I didn't…" she started, but stopped halfway through.
Sylvain didn't interrupt.
"I didn't want to fool you," Lisa said softly after a pause. "I—"
"Yeah," Sylvain cut her off gently. "Don't bother with it."
Lisa's eyes grew red. She bit her lip, trying to hold the tears in.
"We'll go through it together," Sylvain said quietly.
Lisa's eyes widened. She turned toward him in surprise. Sylvain gave her a small, tired smile and reached over to rub her head. Then he stood up. "There's a lot I have to do now," he said, glancing toward the now destroyed throne room. "If I don't act soon, the castle and the city will fall into chaos."
Lisa watched his back as he walked away. She wanted to say something more, but the words never came. The tears that had gathered finally fell, no matter how hard she tried to hold them back.
From a distance, Hibiki had been watching. He smiled faintly, arms crossed. Then a flicker of magic caught his attention. He could feel Astro trying to reach him.
He raised a magic panel in front of him. Before he could say anything, Astro's voice came through. "Riser is defeated, and the dark wizard groups are caught. I'm taking Riser back now."
"So… we won?" Hibiki asked, relief creeping into his voice.
Astro paused. He looked down at Riser, lying unconscious on the ground. The night had been long—too long—but finally, it was over.
"Yeah," Astro said with a faint smile. "We won."