Watching Asta carefully cradle his grimoire, Yuuki's expression didn't change—but inwardly, he couldn't help feeling a twinge of disappointment.
As someone who had transmigrated into this world, he naturally knew just how powerful Anti-Magic truly was.
Moments ago, he'd deliberately borrowed Asta's grimoire, intending to use his Replication Magic to see whether Asta's magic could be copied.
The result, needless to say, spoke for itself.
Though Yuuki had somewhat expected it, the failure still left him with a faint sense of frustration.
The moment his replication power touched Asta's grimoire, it dispersed instantly—there was simply no way to complete the process.
That outcome, while disappointing, wasn't surprising. After all, the power of Anti-Magic originated from the black grimoire—or, to be more precise, from the demon dwelling within it.
Anti-Magic itself was fundamentally unlike ordinary magic. Even setting that aside, demon magic far surpassed anything humans could wield. Put simply, human magic had no effect on demonic power.
So, his replication failing was only natural.
But what Yuuki truly regretted was not being able to replicate Sword Magic.
Anti-Magic? Sword Magic?
At first glance, the two might seem entirely unrelated—but in reality, they were closely intertwined.
Asta's grimoire was originally the Four-Leaf Clover Grimoire of Licht, the leader of the Elf Tribe that had been wiped out five hundred years ago—its true nature being Sword Magic.
Anti-Magic, on the other hand, came from the demon residing within that grimoire. The two must be distinguished.
To put it simply:
Asta himself possessed no magic power. When he drew forth his heavy sword from the grimoire, he was actually channeling the demon's Anti-Magic energy to activate the Sword Magic stored within.
In other words, Asta used the demon's mana as a substitute for his own—simple enough when explained that way.
The process of Asta summoning those great swords from his grimoire was, in truth, the use of Sword Magic.
That was precisely the magic Yuuki had wanted to replicate. Unfortunately, the sword grimoire had already been tainted by Anti-Magic; even his Full Replication ability was neutralized the instant it came into contact with that power.
In the anime, the three magic swords Asta wielded were nothing short of unforgettable.
The first sword — Demon-Slayer Sword:
Nullifies any magic it touches, and its massive blade can even deflect spells.
The second sword — Demon-Dweller Sword:
Absorbs magic and releases it as empowered slashes or shockwaves.
The third sword — Demon-Destroyer Sword:
Cuts through causality itself, erasing the effects of magic altogether.
Each of these abilities was astonishing—and Yuuki would be lying if he said they didn't make his heart race.
In the series, there wasn't much detail on Licht's Sword Magic, but with a bit of analysis, one could infer that it functioned more like a support-type magic.
Many assumed the three magic swords originated from the grimoire itself, but that wasn't actually the case.
Of the three, only the Demon-Slayer Sword was currently housed within Asta's grimoire. The Demon-Dweller Sword remained sealed within a dungeon, and the Demon-Destroyer Sword was in the hands of the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
If all three swords were truly conjured magic weapons, how could they have persisted for over five hundred years after Licht's death?
Clearly, the three swords weren't spells—they were weapons, likely ancient magical tools forged by the Elves.
The Sword Grimoire, then, was not a book that created the swords, but rather one that could contain them and amplify their power.
This theory aligned perfectly with what happened when Asta obtained the Demon-Dweller Sword—the grimoire had overflowed with glowing runes, signifying successful integration. Later, it even accepted Captain Yami's katana as well.
All of this pointed to the true ability of Sword Magic: to house and enhance weapons.
Thinking of this, Yuuki shook his head ever so slightly. The power of Anti-Magic was far too unique—there was simply no way to replicate it.
As for the three swords… the Demon-Slayer Sword was already in Asta's hands, so that one was out of the question.
Even if Asta were to hand over the Demon-Slayer Sword to Yuuki, the weapon—tainted by Anti-Magic—couldn't be wielded by anyone other than Asta himself.
Even the Wizard King, upon touching the sword, would find his mana constantly corroded by the Anti-Magic flowing through the blade.
Perhaps only Licht, the original user of Sword Magic, could use his immense mana to purge the Anti-Magic clinging to the sword.
In the anime, when Licht was resurrected, he did in fact seize Asta's Demon-Dweller Sword, cleansing it of Anti-Magic and restoring its pure white sheen.
Of the three swords, the one Yuuki had the best chance of obtaining was the Demon-Dweller Sword still sealed within the ruins.
It was also the one he most desired—because this sword could absorb incoming magical attacks and dissolve them, then convert the absorbed energy into magical slashes or shockwaves to strike back. It was an exceptionally troublesome weapon to face.
To some extent, the power of the three swords overlapped with Asta's own Anti-Magic, amplifying its nullifying effect to an almost broken degree.
"Huh? Seriously!?"
"So that means my magic's even stronger than Yuuki's!" Asta exclaimed, eyes sparkling with excitement after hearing that Yuuki couldn't replicate his magic.
"Idiot. Just because your magic cancels others doesn't mean it's stronger than his," Yuno replied coolly. "A magic knight's battle is never decided by magic alone."
"You're the idiot, Yuno!" Asta shot back instantly, his voice rising.
Watching the two argue across the dinner table again, Yuuki could only shake his head softly. His gaze drifted down to his silver grimoire, a thoughtful light flickering in his eyes.
Earlier, he had borrowed not only Asta's grimoire but also Yuno's. However, since Yuno had only just received his grimoire and hadn't yet discovered his own spell, there was nothing to replicate.
From these experiments, Yuuki concluded that his Replication Magic could copy virtually any type of magic—except Anti-Magic and demonic spells.
As for the latter… he wasn't in a position to touch such power yet. But perhaps, someday in the future, he could.
Sister Lily, watching Yuno and Asta bicker across the table, felt a small smile surface in her soft blue eyes.
She had been worried when Asta failed to receive a grimoire, but now that all three boys had obtained theirs, her heart finally felt at ease.
Turning her head, she looked toward Yuuki, who seemed lost in thought as he studied his magic. Her gaze flickered, and after a moment, she rose gently to her feet and walked toward him.
Yuuki blinked in surprise as Sister Lily stopped beside him. He looked up, puzzled.
"There's something I'd like to talk to you about," she said kindly.
"All right," Yuuki replied with a nod, standing up to follow her outside the church.
Yuno and Asta both paused mid-argument as they noticed Yuuki and Sister Lily leave. The two exchanged bewildered glances.
(End of Chapter)
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