A brand-new world where everyone laughed and lived happily?
"An enticing idea, I'll admit."
Yuuki rolled his wrist, flicking the Demon-Dweller Sword before lifting it once more and holding it horizontally before his chest. He looked straight at Conrad.
"But for a Wizard King to destroy his own kingdom? That's insanity."
At those words—
The madness on Conrad's face slowly faded. His outstretched arms lowered, and his gaze grew cold and detached as he stared at Yuuki.
"I once believed that becoming the Wizard King would allow me to change everything," Conrad said quietly.
"But even as Wizard King, nothing changed."
"This insane world isn't worth protecting."
With a sweep of his left hand, a terrifying gale exploded outward, obliterating the spectator stands to his lower left.
"So—are you going to stop me in the name of 'justice' as well?"
His voice was icy.
"You've misunderstood something."
Yuuki chuckled softly and shook his head.
"Whether you destroy the kingdom… or destroy the entire world, it has nothing to do with me."
"Beyond the people close to me, the lives and deaths of others—their happiness or suffering—aren't things I particularly care about."
"Of course, if improving this country's lives happens to be convenient, I don't mind doing that either. As for 'justice'—I'm not one of those Magic Knights."
A hint of disdain crept onto Yuuki's face as he continued calmly:
"In the eyes of this kingdom's royals and nobles, there's no difference between you and me. We're both villains."
Conrad narrowed his eyes at Yuuki. After a brief silence, he let out a low laugh.
"You really are a selfish man."
Yuuki shrugged.
"Human nature is selfish by default. What's wrong with that? What you're doing isn't any different."
"In my view, ideals, ambitions, dreams, aspirations—there's no real distinction. It's just that some people choose to dress their selfishness up as 'justice.'"
His tone was casual, laced with faint mockery.
Conrad stared at him deeply. Then the pressure of his magic surged once more, sharp and violent.
"It seems there's no possibility of cooperation between us."
He could feel it—Yuuki had his own objective, just as Conrad had his own path. Words alone would never change either of them.
Whether now or later, this black-haired boy would inevitably become an obstacle on the road to destroying the Clover Kingdom.
"I've been clear about my goal from the very beginning," Yuuki said lightly.
"I want your Key Magic."
"As for your offer—rebuilding the kingdom first, then giving me the magic—I'll admit, it was tempting."
"But unfortunately, I don't believe you'll succeed."
Yuuki tilted his head slightly, the corners of his mouth lifting as he calmly met Conrad's gaze.
Conrad was undeniably powerful. But this wasn't ten years ago.
The Nine Magic Knight Captains had all been replaced—working together, they wouldn't be easy for Conrad to defeat.
There was also Mereoleona, a monster who existed on a level above the captains.
And above all—
The current Wizard King, Julius, who remained hidden in the shadows.
Even beyond the Clover Kingdom, any single member of the Dark Triad from the Spade Kingdom would be more than Conrad could handle.
Since Conrad was destined to fail, his promises were nothing but empty bait.
And before achieving his goal, he would never willingly hand over Key Magic.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Conrad burst into laughter—then abruptly stopped, his eyes turning icy.
"You're right. If I can't even defeat you, then creating a new world is impossible."
"No one can stop me."
"Your blood will become the foundation of the new world!"
BOOM!
His speed surged yet again, leaving behind a phantom as Conrad appeared directly before Yuuki.
Beast Magic!
Yuuki's eyes widened as crimson mana erupted from his body. His muscles swelled violently, and in an instant, he transformed into a towering, two-meter-tall mass of raw muscle.
CLANG!
Conrad's lightning-fast slash was blocked by the Anti-Devil Sword.
The collision unleashed a ferocious shockwave. The air in the surrounding area was completely blown away, followed by a crushing pressure collapse.
Within moments, two massive tornadoes formed and collided in midair—like a natural disaster.
Permeation Magic!
After blocking the full-force blow, Yuuki vanished once more into an invisible state.
"I told you—it's useless!"
Conrad roared, arcs of lightning-like mana flashing in his eyes.
But the next instant—
His head snapped violently to the side.
A bead of crimson blood floated through the air.
His pupils shrank.
A sword mark had appeared across his right cheek.
How—?!
Shock exploded in Conrad's mind, yet his body reacted instantly, flashing away again and again through the air.
Then—
More wounds appeared.
Cuts of varying sizes bloomed across his body.
At this moment—
An invisible Yuuki was relentlessly swinging the Anti-Devil Sword, unleashing a brutal barrage of attacks.
Within the Mana Zone, Conrad's sensitivity to magical attacks was exceptional—but his perception of purely physical attacks was weaker.
That was the conclusion Yuuki had reached earlier.
Now, empowered by Beast Magic, Yuuki's speed and reaction time had increased dramatically—enough to keep up with Conrad.
"What terrifying regeneration," Yuuki muttered, watching Conrad's wounds rapidly heal.
This must be the new power produced by fusing four elemental attributes.
Whoosh—
Conrad's body turned into a streak of emerald light, darting wildly through the sky—appearing like a mage who had completely lost control.
Yet a careful observer would notice—
He was fighting an invisible enemy.
"Damn it!"
Conrad's face twisted with rage—but beneath it was suffocating frustration.
Being attacked relentlessly while unable to strike back filled him with helpless fury.
This couldn't continue.
Maintaining Mana Zone consumed enormous mana and mental focus. If this dragged on, defeat was inevitable.
Then—
He would gamble everything.
Conrad abruptly descended.
BOOM!
The ground collapsed upon impact.
"Earth Magic — Desertification!"
Raising his head, Conrad slammed both hands onto the ground.
In a single breath, all moisture was drained from the arena floor, turning it into dry, crumbling sand.
Yuuki descended as well. Seeing this, his brows furrowed as he retreated instead.
RUMBLE—!
Centered on Conrad, a violent airflow erupted, sweeping all the sand upward into a colossal dark-brown sandstorm!
The storm expanded at terrifying speed, engulfing the entire arena.
The sand particles, empowered by the rotation, became bullets—colliding, ricocheting, tearing through the air.
Within this chaos—
Conrad noticed something.
One spot in the arena where the sand was constantly being pushed aside.
His expression lit up.
"I've found you, Yuuki!"
He stomped the ground, launching countless small stones into the air.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
His hands became blurs as he grabbed the stones and hurled them toward that exposed point.
Without a shred of mana—pure strength alone—
Each stone became a devastating artillery shell.
BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions roared across the sky.
"I've found the flaw in your magic!!"
Conrad's eyes gleamed with manic excitement.
Though he still couldn't see Yuuki, the sandstorm allowed him to pinpoint Yuuki's general location.
At last—an opportunity to strike back.
Conrad had always believed that no magic was perfect.
Not even his own Key Magic.
So, he gambled—
If Yuuki's magic completely nullified mana, then surely it had limits against pure physical force.
Now, it seemed he was right.
Truthfully—
Had the Imperial Sword not fallen into Yuuki's hands, Conrad would have already retreated.
Just as he prepared to launch his counteroffensive—
"Meow~"
A faint cat's cry echoed.
In the next instant, Conrad realized—
The sandstorm could no longer reveal Yuuki's position.
"How is that possible?"
His disbelief surged. The method had just worked moments ago.
Was it because of that cat's cry?
What kind of magic was this?!
His temple twitched violently.
From the beginning of the fight until now, Yuuki had barely used any large-scale offensive spells.
Instead, one bizarre ability after another emerged.
An ominous feeling surfaced.
Conrad immediately tried to withdraw. Retreat had already formed in his mind—but the Imperial Sword was too critical to abandon.
Then—
A red cat appeared before him out of nowhere, stepping on empty air as it leapt toward him.
Its movements were slow—
Yet in a blink, it was right in front of him.
Conrad slashed instinctively, cleaving the cat in two.
But the blade passed through it harmlessly.
The cat landed on his shoulder.
In that instant—
A deathly premonition washed over him.
His entire body broke out in goosebumps.
Conrad transformed into a bolt of emerald lightning, flashing wildly, trying desperately to shake the cat off.
But the cat remained unmoved.
It calmly lifted a paw—
And gently tapped his cheek.
The deathly sensation vanished.
Buzz—
Conrad's mind went blank.
His white hair turned black.
The four-element halo behind him vanished.
The emerald energy enveloping his body dispersed completely.
The overwhelming power drained away—
Leaving him frozen in place.
"I… I canceled my Mana Zone myself?"
He muttered in disbelief.
Danger!
His instincts screamed as he tried to re-enter Mana Zone—
Clatter—!
Chains rattled.
Once again, Conrad was bound by Chain Magic, his mana sealed instantly.
"It's over, Lord Conrad."
Yuuki slowly appeared before him and immediately seized his grimoire.
"Complete Replication."
Silver mana enveloped the grimoire—and swallowed it whole.
The bond was severed.
So… this is his magic?
Bitterness twisted Conrad's expression.
To think that a former Wizard King would lose so miserably.
Even against Julius, he had never felt this humiliated.
"Damn it!"
"DAMN IT!!"
His eyes burned red as he struggled wildly.
"I haven't given up! I haven't given up!!"
"This country must be destroyed!"
"It's rotten to the core—its very foundation must be erased!"
"I have to save everyone—this is the only way!!"
The chains creaked violently as he roared.
"You can't save anyone."
Yuuki sighed softly and raised the Anti-Devil Sword.
Blood sprayed.
The blade pierced straight through Conrad's heart.
PFFT!
Blood poured endlessly from Conrad's mouth, yet he seemed strangely indifferent—his gaze locked onto Yuuki, trying desperately to speak.
But the blood wouldn't stop.
"I can't judge whether what you wanted to do was right or wrong," Yuuki said calmly.
"This battle had no justice."
"But if we must judge—then I am justice."
"Because you lost."
"And the loser is always wrong."
"The victor decides justice."
Conrad's eyes gradually lost focus. His head drooped.
Yet a faint smile curved his lips.
Right… I lost.
Sorry. In the end I still couldn't change anything…
His gaze drifted to the red pendant on his chest as his thoughts faded.
(End of Chapter)
T/N: Sorry for the late chapter. I underestimated the amount of work I would have to put in for the Youtube channel. (I've been in front of my computer for nearly ten hours.)
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