---
The Clover Kingdom basked in a brief moment of calm after the chaos of the Elves' partial awakening. Thanks to Avi's secret interference, many of the reincarnated elves had their rage dulled or delayed. The kingdom's defenses, however, were far from intact.
Avi stood at his private chamber inside Akatsuki's dimension, reviewing dozens of invisible floating magic screens. On them were detailed reports gathered by his clones, mirror constructs, and enchanted informants scattered across every corner of the kingdom.
> [System Update: Zagred's next phase imminent. Shadow Palace formation detected beneath the Clover Royal Castle.]
Avi (cold smirk):
"Right on schedule. This is where Julius will 'die.' But even his death is a stage prop now."
He summoned his system interface again.
> [Mission Created: Covert Manipulation of Shadow Palace Events]
[Objective: Limit civilian casualties. Subvert Zagred's possession scheme. Prevent Lucius's surveillance from detecting your true identity.]
---
The Magic Knight Captains were summoned once again. Yami, Fuegoleon (recently healed thanks to Owen), Nozel, Charlotte, and others gathered with Julius at the royal castle.
Julius:
"The kingdom has suffered heavy blows. But it's not over. I sense another deeper disturbance."
Yami lit a cigarette, staring at the ceiling.
Yami:
"We're being played like pawns. Something is watching us, manipulating behind the curtain."
Fuegoleon:
"Indeed. Whoever tempered the reincarnation ritual weakened it but also complicated our enemy's plans."
No one knew that person was standing behind the scenes — Avi.
Meanwhile, Asta and Yuno, along with the Akatsuki squad, had returned to their hidden dimension for final preparations. But even there, the atmosphere was tense.
---
Asta (clenching fists):
"Something big is coming."
Yuno (sternly):
"I feel it too. The mana itself is shivering."
Avi (calm):
"The true mastermind behind the Elf resurrection ritual will soon reveal himself. A devil called Zagred. But we will remain hidden for now."
Asta:
"You're not letting us interfere?"
Avi (serious tone):
"Not yet. This is still Julius and the captains' stage. If we interfere openly now, we'll draw attention from enemies far beyond just Zagred… including Lucius."
Asta (deep breath):
"…Alright. But I'll be ready."
---
Suddenly, an enormous surge of black mana erupted directly beneath the Royal Castle. Cracks burst from the floor as dozens of grotesque magical runes ignited in crimson light.
From below, twisted roots of dark magic clawed upward as the Shadow Palace materialized in the physical world.
Screams echoed as civilians and knights struggled to escape the unstable gravitational pull caused by the dimensional merging.
Possessed Elf (Ronne):
"The door is open… our paradise shall return!"
Julius (activating Time Magic):
"Everyone — evacuate the civilians! Captains, hold formation!"
---
Inside the Akatsuki base, Avi watched this unfold. He extended his hand toward a floating system sphere.
> [System: Deploy Advanced Stealth Puppeteer Protocols.]
[Command Confirmed.]
Multiple invisible wooden puppets—silent agents created by Avi's Origin Magic—emerged near the Shadow Palace, hidden even from devil perception. These constructs carefully redirected civilians and magic knights who would have otherwise perished in the sudden chaos.
Avi (thought):
"I cannot prevent the Shadow Palace's birth — it's a fixed point. But I can minimize needless loss."
---
High inside the newly formed Shadow Palace, the possessed Licht (Patry) faced off against Julius.
Patry's ancient grimoire spun wildly as powerful Light Magic clashed with Julius's Time Magic in an extraordinary battle.
Patry (screaming):
"You humans stole everything from us! This world should belong to the elves!"
Julius (calm yet stern):
"This world belongs to everyone who lives here — human or elf. I will not allow history to repeat itself."
Their battle rocked the entire palace, the sky above flashing with swirling time bubbles and beams of searing light.
---
While Julius fought, Avi silently slipped several of his micro-clones into the palace structure. Their job wasn't to fight — but to observe, manipulate cursed anchors, and distort Zagred's control.
> [Anchor Node #1 Severed.]
[Possession Control Reduced by 10%.]
With every silent disruption, Zagred's eventual arrival would face more resistance from the half-aware elves.
Avi (thought):
"Zagred relies on full domination of the elven souls to fuel his manifestation. But if I erode his control subtly, the elves themselves may rebel once he fully emerges."
---
Back at the core battlefield, the inevitable moment arrived.
Patry, in his rage, unleashed a devastating Light Magic spear aimed directly at Julius's chest. The attack was too sudden, too fast—even for Julius's Time Magic to fully negate.
The spear pierced through the Wizard King.
Julius (smiling faintly):
"It seems… my time has run out."
He fell, his grimoire's remaining pages vanishing into light. The city fell silent in horror.
Yami (furious):
"Patry, you bastard—!"
But suddenly, Julius's body shimmered faintly.
---
Unknown to all present, Avi had planted a subtle temporal fail-safe weeks prior.
A fragment of Julius's original time reserves, stored safely within a stasis bubble using Avi's Origin Magic, activated.
As Julius collapsed, his body stabilized enough to survive — barely alive, but appearing dead to all outward perception.
> [System Update: Wizard King Julius's "death" faked successfully.]
Avi (thought):
"Your 'death' must happen to preserve canon. But you won't truly die, Julius. Not yet."
---
Suddenly, a horrifying dark portal tore open at the highest peak of the Shadow Palace.
The devil Zagred's true form finally emerged — grotesque, twisted, radiating unspeakable malice.
Zagred (grinning):
"Finally… my birth into this world is complete. How delightful... humans, elves, all gathered for my feast."
---
The battle shifted into complete chaos.
Possessed elves clashed with magic knights.
Devils' cursed creatures spawned across the palace.
Asta, Yuno, and others prepared to charge in.
Inside Akatsuki base, Avi finally stood up.
Avi (softly):
"Now it's time to subtly push the final pieces into place. My role as hidden puppeteer remains intact. No one will notice my hands guiding their fates…"
With that, he activated an entire new network of emergency support nodes hidden within the capital, subtly empowering the true heroes while remaining unseen.
---
Far away in the Spade Kingdom, Lucius observed everything through his Time Eyes, frowning.
Lucius:
"There it is again. The anomalies. Every time fate seems to reach its peak, something unseen interferes. Someone is rewriting threads I've already foreseen."
Adrammelech hovered nearby.
Adrammelech:
"A hidden player, hmm? Deliciously interesting…"
Lucius narrowed his gaze, whispering coldly.
Lucius:
"Let them play. Eventually, their strings will cross with mine."
---
As Zagred laughed inside the Shadow Palace, and all factions converged toward the final battle, Avi whispered quietly, still unseen:
Avi (whispering):
"Zagred... Lucius… This is only your beginning. But for me… it's already far beyond you."
And with that, the curtain for Clover Kingdom's most terrifying battle continued to rise.
---
TO BE CONTINUED…