Slash—!
Yuuki drew the Demon-Dweller Sword from Conrad's chest. Fresh crimson blood slid down the blade, adding a trace of complexity to Yuuki's otherwise calm expression.
From the moment he began gathering information about Conrad to the end of this battle, Yuuki had never truly understood Conrad's life in detail.
And yet—
He could feel it.
As Wizard King, Conrad's despair toward the Clover Kingdom… and the fury buried deep within it.
That was precisely why Yuuki found it impossible to judge Conrad's plan—to destroy the kingdom and rebuild it—in terms of right or wrong.
Yuuki had briefly considered subduing Conrad and forcing him into service.
But the thought was dismissed almost instantly.
A Wizard King.
The strongest existence in a kingdom.
Neither pride nor will would ever allow Conrad to submit to another.
Thud.
With the sword withdrawn, Conrad's body finally lost all vitality and collapsed onto its back, stirring a faint cloud of dust.
Suddenly—
Silver light flickered within Yuuki's eyes.
Through the power of Corpse Spirit Magic, he saw it.
A shadow shaped like Conrad slowly rose from the corpse—and the moment it touched the air it began to disperse.
Is that… Conrad's soul?
Without hesitation, Yuuki activated his magic.
"Corpse Spirit Magic — Soul Abductor!"
Buzz—
An invisible wave of magic spread outward.
Conrad's soul was forcibly wrapped and bound in place, its dispersal abruptly halted.
With a thought, Yuuki pulled it closer, curiosity flickering in his gaze.
Perhaps due to the magic's influence, Conrad's soul condensed into a fist-sized emerald flame, floating quietly before Yuuki.
"This form… 'soul flame' might be a more accurate name," Yuuki murmured.
He increased the output of Corpse Spirit Magic, conducting simple tests.
The result was clear.
Corpse Spirit Magic could only exert basic control over souls—it couldn't interfere at a deeper level.
Moreover—
Even under Yuuki's control, the soul flame continued to dissipate. The speed was slower, but it was still fading.
Without another method, Conrad's soul would vanish completely sooner or later.
"What if I return the soul to the body?"
The moment the thought surfaced, Yuuki guided the soul flame toward Conrad's corpse.
Under his gaze—
The soul entered the body… and passed straight through it.
No fusion. No reaction.
Yuuki raised an eyebrow, surprise and contemplation flashing through his eyes.
"Rades, Valtos, and Sally were revived because their souls were retrieved before death…"
"But Conrad died first, and only then had his soul returned. Is that the difference?"
On the surface, both seemed identical—recovering a soul after death.
Yet the results were completely different.
If the body was a container—
Then a naturally dead body was a broken container, unable to hold a soul.
…No.
It wasn't that simple.
There had to be some deeper force at play—something beyond his current perception.
Yuuki pushed those thoughts aside. Now wasn't the time to investigate.
The soul flame was growing increasingly faint.
"I hope what you said earlier wasn't empty talk."
Yuuki raised his hand and retrieved the Imperial Sword from subspace.
Whoosh—
Under the sunlight, the gem-like blade traced a gleaming arc through the air and plunged into Conrad's soul flame.
A faint white light flashed across the sword.
Before Yuuki's eyes—
The soul flame was absorbed into the Imperial Sword.
Yuuki's eyes lit up.
"So it's true… Conrad modified the Imperial Sword to store souls."
He muttered in astonishment.
This meant Conrad's plan—to destroy the Clover Kingdom and rebuild it—had been fully thought through, even accounting for the countless deaths along the way.
With the Imperial Sword's ability to absorb souls—
Every soul lost could be stored, then revived later using Key Magic.
The only concern was the sheer scale of mana required.
Not just immense—but continuously consumed.
But the Imperial Sword could absorb and store mana.
Which meant—
Conrad's plan could, in theory, be executed perfectly.
Yuuki couldn't help but feel awe.
Even compared to Wizard King Julius, whose ambitions were grander and more refined, Conrad's methods were still worthy of respect.
"A truly remarkable man," Yuuki murmured softly.
A pity.
No matter how grand a plan was, death erased everything.
And that so-called "resurrection" depended entirely on Conrad's magic.
The moment the magic was withdrawn—or disrupted—the revived would die again.
It wasn't true resurrection.
And yet—
Yuuki couldn't deny that it surpassed what ordinary mages could ever achieve.
"A false resurrection… is still resurrection."
Yuuki lifted the Imperial Sword, its crystal blade glittering brilliantly under the sun.
"And now… I possess this power as well."
Suddenly—
The silver glow in Yuuki's eyes flared violently as he stared at the sword.
With Corpse Spirit Magic reinforcing his perception—
He sensed Conrad's soul within the blade.
But not only that.
There were twenty-six other distinct soul signatures inside the Imperial Sword.
Yuuki froze.
These are…
He recalled the information stating that only the Wizard King could wield the Imperial Sword.
Could these be—
The lingering soul traces of the previous twenty-six Wizard Kings?
Wait.
Yuuki frowned.
The Imperial Sword only gained the ability to store souls after Conrad modified it.
Before that, it should have only absorbed mana.
So why did it contain their soul imprints?
Mana absorption…
Yuuki's frown deepened as a possibility surfaced.
In this world, magic exists because a Mana source or origin resides within the soul.
That alone proved how deeply mana and the soul were intertwined.
His thoughts drifted to the Naruto world.
Chakra was formed from physical and spiritual energy—naturally carrying a person's soul imprint.
Orochimaru's so-called "immortality" relied on that very principle.
This world's mana likely functioned the same way.
Otherwise—
There was no way to explain why the Imperial Sword carried the soul traces of successive Wizard Kings.
As the symbolic artifact of the Wizard King, it had been in prolonged contact with their mana.
Absorbing fragments of their soul imprints over time was only natural.
"No wonder my 'ki' has always been so chaotic…"
Yuuki murmured.
He had long suspected that the disorder in his aura stemmed from possessing too many mana sources.
Now he understood.
Fortunately—
His magic wasn't devouring magic, but Replication Magic.
He didn't absorb others' souls; he recreated their mana sources within his own soul.
At its core, the power still belonged to him.
It merely fragmented his soul's aura, causing multiple independent signatures.
If it were devouring magic—
His soul would have been polluted long ago.
That would have been true trouble.
Yuuki waved his hand, returning the Imperial Sword to subspace.
Aside from storing souls, he couldn't use any of its other abilities.
It clearly hadn't acknowledged him.
Which left Yuuki speechless.
He didn't believe a magic tool—even a national treasure—possessed true will.
Most likely—
The residual soul imprints of past Wizard Kings prevented anyone else from wielding it.
Still—
With Key Magic, Yuuki could forcibly use it.
An imperfect outcome, but acceptable.
"Orochimaru's Living Corpse Reincarnation… definitely has ideas worth borrowing."
The thought flickered through Yuuki's mind.
Orochimaru achieved reincarnation through curse marks.
And Yuuki realized—
That wasn't so different from how he bestowed magic upon others.
Of course, he only understood the theory.
The actual execution—and its countless risks—were entirely unknown.
For now, it would remain a future research subject.
A hidden trump card.
"Corpse Spirit Magic."
Yuuki looked at Conrad's body and activated his spell.
Gray-black mana surged forth, enveloping the corpse.
In the blink of an eye—
Conrad rose from the ground.
A lifeless shell.
"A body like this is far too valuable to waste."
With a wave of his hand, the corpse vanished into subspace.
If Rades could preserve and enhance the abilities of powerful corpses—
Then Conrad's body deserved even more careful modification.
Those plans could wait.
Right now, the ritual took priority above all else.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Four figures descended from outside the ruined arena.
Mariella, Fana, Neige, and Rebecca landed before Yuuki.
Seeing that aside from torn clothing and weakened mana, he bore no injuries—
They all let out heavy sighs of relief.
They'd sensed the battle ending, and when Conrad's stolen magic returned, they rushed over immediately.
"Yuuki-sama… where's Conrad?"
Mariella scanned the surroundings, finding no trace of him.
"He's been dealt with."
Yuuki brushed dust from his clothes, smiling lightly without elaborating.
"As expected of Yuuki-sama!" Neige exclaimed excitedly.
That was a Wizard King.
They had personally felt Conrad's overwhelming strength.
And yet Yuuki had defeated him in such a short time.
Rebecca smiled faintly, her pale face relaxing.
"The magic you used earlier was incredible, Rebecca," Yuuki said warmly.
"I-it wasn't that much…" she replied shyly, cheeks reddening.
"Shall we head for the capital next?" Fana asked quietly.
At once, all eyes turned to Yuuki.
They knew—the capital was what truly mattered to him.
"No rush. Recover your mana first."
Yuuki glanced at their exhausted states, then let his mana surge.
"Cotton Creation Magic — Sheep Chef: Head Chef!"
In an instant—
Woolly sheep, each about half a person tall, popped into existence.
Yuuki handed them ingredients from subspace.
Moments later—
An irresistible aroma filled the shattered arena.
"The food restores mana. Eat as much as you can."
The four exchanged glances, stunned.
But hunger won.
Knowing another battle awaited, they ate without hesitation.
As for Yuuki—
He sat cross-legged on a relatively clean patch of ground, eyes closed, entering a tranquil meditative state.
Through Replication Magic, he viewed his own soul from a god's-eye perspective.
Countless mana sources—each a different color—floated within his soul, painting it in chaotic brilliance.
Yuuki focused.
Quickly locating the Key Magic mana source, his breathing grew slightly uneven.
This was why he had to obtain it.
To contain the excess mana sources.
To free enough space for the ritual's "Ten Circles."
If Key Magic failed—
Then Rhya's Imitation Magic would likely fail as well.
And that would leave only one option.
Discarding mana sources.
An outcome Yuuki refused to accept.
This—
Was a truly crucial step.
(End of Chapter)
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