After a brief exchange of glances, Yuuki was the first to act. His silver grimoire flipped open rapidly, revealing the very first page.
"Water Creation Magic — Loving Holy Fist Assault!"
He called out sharply, eyes gleaming with focus.
After six months of training, Yuuki was confident that Yuno had completely mastered the tremendous surge of mana that came with obtaining his grimoire.
Facing an opponent whose mana far exceeded his own, Yuuki had no intention of fighting a battle of attrition!
Water gathered in midair, forming a fist roughly a meter wide that shot toward Yuno.
"Not using Chain Magic this time?"
Yuno noted inwardly, though his movements didn't falter. While retreating, he swung his arm and spoke in a calm voice:
"Wind Creation Magic — Gale White Hawk!"
Whoosh!
A sharp gust of mana condensed before him, taking shape as a half-meter-long hawk with wide-spread wings.
"Caw!"
The wind hawk let out a piercing cry. Its wings flapped once, and it shot forward like a white arrow toward the oncoming water fist.
Yuuki's eyes widened slightly at its incredible speed.
Head-on, his water fist would clearly lose.
"But it won't be that easy for you to break through!"
A flash of determination lit Yuuki's gaze as he quickly controlled the flying water fist.
In the next instant—
The water fist that had been heading straight toward Yuno suddenly curved, drawing a circular arc through the air to dodge the rapidly approaching hawk.
"You can't escape," Yuno murmured, unflustered even as the water fist closed to within half a meter of him.
"Caw!"
The hawk cried again, and its talons — formed entirely of wind — slashed downward from above, striking the water fist with immense force.
Boom!
Water exploded in every direction.
Yet before even a single droplet could touch Yuno, a gust of wind rose around him, scattering them harmlessly to either side.
He had effortlessly neutralized the attack—
—but before he could relax,
Clang! Clang!
Black chains suddenly burst up from beneath the ground, lashing out toward him.
The chains struck with blinding speed. Even though Yuno was on guard, he couldn't dodge in time.
Clatter!
In a heartbeat, he was bound tight from neck to toe, leaving only his head exposed.
The vast mana within him vanished as if sealed away, leaving him utterly powerless.
That all-too-familiar helplessness made frustration flicker across Yuno's face.
Across from him—
"Chain Magic — Magic-Binding Iron Lock Formation!"
Yuuki exhaled in relief, his tension easing slightly.
Fighting Yuno always came with pressure — pretending otherwise would be a lie.
"I lost," Yuno said plainly.
He tried to summon his mana, but the sealing effect of the chains rendered the effort meaningless. Lifting his head, he met Yuuki's gaze with calm resignation.
As Yuno conceded, Yuuki immediately dispelled his magic.
The chains vanished, and—
Yuno stretched his arms, rubbing the spots where the chains had tightened, before walking over and holding out his four-leaf grimoire.
"Here — our wager."
Yuuki blinked, then chuckled as he accepted it. "If I didn't have that magic, I wouldn't stand a chance against you."
He wasn't being modest — it was simply the truth.
Yuno's mana was several times greater than his own. In these six months, Yuno had not only stabilized his overflowing mana, but even expanded it further. If not for the unique properties of Chain Magic, Yuuki wouldn't have been able to defeat him.
"A loss is a loss," Yuno said, shaking his head. He wasn't one to make excuses.
That chain magic, which could seal mana, was Yuuki's replicated spell — part of Yuuki's strength, fair and square.
Taking Yuno's grimoire, Yuuki placed it atop his own. Silver mana flared outward, enveloping both books.
Moments later—
The spells inscribed in Yuno's four-leaf grimoire surfaced in Yuuki's mind:
Wind Creation Magic — Gale White Hawk
Wind Magic — Tower of Tempest
Even though Yuuki already knew Yuno possessed extraordinary talent, he couldn't help but be amazed that his friend had developed two new spells in just half a year.
He had once mentioned that gaining a grimoire and developing magic were entirely different matters. For instance, the royal Noelle Silva — one of the female leads in the anime — was born with immense mana, yet so far had only created a single spell, and a defensive one at that.
Yuuki compared the two of Yuno's spells in his mind, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses.
He currently had four pages available for replicated spells. If he wanted to copy Yuno's magic, he would have to overwrite one.
Out of his existing four, Yuuki chose to replace Loving Holy Fist Assault. Its power was simply too low — Sister Lily had never been suited for battle, so her spells lacked offensive strength.
Now he had to choose between Yuno's two spells:
One was wind-attribute creation magic.
The other was a pure wind-attribute attack spell.
Though their prefixes differed, in practice, there was little difference between them. Simply put, magic effects could be divided into ten categories:
Attack, Creation, Restraint, Recovery, Weakening, Enhancement, Curse, Trap, Spirit, and Composite.
"Creation," in particular, referred to spells shaped by the caster's imagination — their form and function varying from person to person.
Essentially, creation magic fell under the broader category of attack magic, but because many mages incorporated personal flair or unique mechanics into their spells, it was classified separately.
Both of Yuno's spells had appeared in the anime. Gale White Hawk boasted strong offense and precise control — Yuno's very first creation spell, known for its capacity to grow.
At its current stage, the hawk was the size of an ordinary bird. Later, during Yuno's first mission as a Magic Knight, its size increased to about a meter — and eventually, it could grow large enough to carry passengers.
Gale White Hawk was excellent — but Yuuki chose the second spell instead:
Wind Magic — Tower of Tempest.
Its effect was straightforward — to conjure a massive tornado and unleash it upon the enemy.
Creation magic was deeply tied to a mage's individuality. The growth of Yuno's hawk came entirely from his vast mana reserves.
And mana was precisely what Yuuki lacked most.
(End of Chapter)
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