The barrier hourglass trembled violently.
The vibrations coursing through it felt as though the seal could be shattered at any moment.
Mariella and the others' expressions darkened at once. They knew Conrad would be difficult to deal with—but they hadn't expected him to break free in such a short span of time.
Just as they were about to increase their mana output and suppress Conrad within the barrier space, the violently shaking hourglass suddenly… calmed.
But—
Before Mariella could even process the unease rising in her heart, the space around the suspended barrier hourglass rippled.
A golden key slowly emerged from the distortion, twisting gently—like someone unlocking a door.
The next instant—
Conrad stepped out of the barrier hourglass, his expression calm and composed.
Throughout the entire process, neither the barrier hourglass nor the mana-sealing chains released by the four of them showed the slightest abnormality.
Mariella, Rebecca, Fana, and Neige all felt their pupils contract.
They had read reports describing Conrad's magic before—but reports were only words on paper. Only by facing him directly could they truly grasp the terror of Key Magic.
He had opened the barrier space itself—and the seals along with it—as easily as opening a door.
"An impressive technique," Conrad said coolly, standing in midair.
He casually waved a hand to his side.
A green spatial gate appeared, and the four streams of mana entwined around the barrier hourglass were forcibly dragged in and swallowed whole.
Mariella and the others immediately cut off their mana supply and regrouped at the center of the arena, forming up defensively as they stared up at Conrad.
He merely glanced at them indifferently.
Reaching forward, he grasped the air—and the barrier hourglass suspended above instantly fell into his hand.
Compared to the four below him, this magical tool was far more interesting.
"Damn it—that's Yuuki's!" Rebecca shouted angrily, flames flaring from her palm.
"Calm down, Rebecca!" Mariella snapped. "Our mission is to stall him. Yuuki-sama will reclaim the artifact himself."
"Yuuki?"
After examining the hourglass briefly and grasping its function, Conrad lowered his gaze toward them.
"Who is that? Your Magic Knight captain? You seem rather confident in him."
A hint of curiosity flickered across his face.
To possess such a magical tool—and to dispatch people here immediately after he broke free—along with four subordinates of this caliber…
In Conrad's eyes, that person was likely a Magic Knight captain.
"We're not part of the Magic Knights," Mariella snorted coldly.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Mariella, Rebecca, Neige, and Fana moved at the same instant, turning into streaks of light as they charged Conrad from all directions.
If ranged magic would simply be absorbed by his spatial gates, then close combat was their best option.
"Not Magic Knights?" Conrad looked mildly surprised—but only mildly.
"It makes no difference. Playtime is over."
Whether they belonged to the Magic Knights or some other faction was irrelevant to him.
Now that he had broken free of his seal, he would simply continue what he had left unfinished.
To create a world where everyone could live in happiness.
He was not wrong.
Which meant—
The world itself was wrong.
"Offer up your mana."
Conrad reached toward the spatial gate beside him.
From within it, he drew a sword that gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight—luxurious beyond measure.
The hilt was golden, embossed on both sides with the clover insignia, while the blade itself looked as though it had been forged from flawless blue crystal.
It resembled less a weapon than a work of art.
This sword had been sealed alongside Conrad by Wizard King Julius—the national treasure of the Clover Kingdom, said to be wielded only by a Wizard King—
The Imperial Sword,.
Holding the sword, Conrad raised his arm and pointed skyward.
The next instant—
For the first time, surprise flashed across his usually indifferent expression.
The Imperial Sword possessed the ability to absorb and store mana. It could unleash that stored mana in a single burst—or continuously supply its wielder.
Yet now—
It failed to draw even a trace of mana from Mariella and the others.
This had never happened before.
In the brief moment of hesitation—
Whoosh!
Mariella appeared in front of Conrad, an icy blade flashing toward his neck.
Neige emerged behind him, arms sheathed in frost as he struck for Conrad's back.
Rebecca and Fana flanked him from either side!
In an instant, all four directions were sealed—a perfect killing formation!
Boom!
Their combined attack struck Conrad dead center, erupting in a thunderous explosion.
But none of them smiled.
Because just before the attacks connected—
Conrad vanished.
Where?!
Mariella and the others immediately pressed back-to-back, scanning their surroundings.
Nothing.
Suddenly—
A green spatial gate opened above them, releasing an overwhelming surge of mana.
"Above us!" Neige shouted, raising his arms.
"Snow Magic — Snow Limestone!"
A torrent of white snow erupted skyward, rapidly solidifying into a dense, limestone-like barrier.
Boom!
The mana previously swallowed by the spatial gate condensed into a massive blast and fired downward.
The explosion rocked the arena.
Mariella, Rebecca, and Neige were hurled downward like meteors, smashing into the arena floor.
Fana—whose combat awareness was the weakest among them—was seized by the throat and lifted into the air by Conrad.
"So that's it… a magic tool that isolates mana?" Conrad murmured, admiration in his voice.
"What a brilliant design. Whoever made this—even in my era as Wizard King—would have stood among the very best magical tool craftsmen in the kingdom."
In his hand was a rougher, sandglass-shaped device.
Clearly inspired by the barrier hourglass—but serving an entirely different purpose.
A tool designed specifically to cut off mana flow, tailored to counter the Imperial Sword.
"L-Let… go…" Fana gasped, pain etched across her face, yet resolve burning in her blue eyes.
Scorching flames erupted around her body, heat waves surging outward.
Roar!
A crimson, dragon-shaped blaze formed behind her, letting out a furious roar toward Conrad.
His eyes flickered with surprise.
Such immense mana—from this pink-haired girl?
Even better.
A smile curved his lips.
The Imperial Sword glowed pale white.
Fana's vast mana was rapidly drained into the blade. The blazing dragon vanished in the blink of an eye.
Then—
Conrad produced a golden key and calmly inserted it into the red grimoire floating before Fana, twisting it gently.
The red glow faded. The scarlet leaves turned gray.
Whoosh—
The flames cloaking her body extinguished like a candle snuffed out by the wind.
Fana stared in disbelief.
Her mana was vanishing—and with it, her ability to use Fire Magic at all.
After stripping her of both mana and magic—
Bang!
Conrad casually hurled her into the spectator stands, the impact echoing through the arena.
In the next instant, he appeared at the arena's center, gazing down at Mariella, Rebecca, and Neige as they struggled to their feet.
"This tiresome diversion is over."
He walked toward them at an unhurried pace.
Now that he understood why the Imperial Sword couldn't absorb their mana—thanks to that specially crafted tool—they no longer interested him.
After enduring sealing by Wizard King Julius and breaking free once more, Conrad had no intention of rushing back to the Clover Kingdom for revenge.
It was meaningless.
The loss of his precious bonds.
The corruption of royalty and nobility.
The betrayal of the Magic Knights.
Long years of sealing had clarified his resolve.
He needed to accumulate power.
Until then, revenge was nothing more than a distraction.
Anyone who stood in his way—
Was an enemy.
"You hurt my friend!!"
Seeing Fana buried in the ruins, Neige roared as mana surged from his body.
"Snow Magic — Snowman Friends!"
Countless snowmen formed from all directions and charged toward Conrad.
"Childish."
He didn't even bother lifting his gaze.
A green spatial gate opened before him, and roaring flames—Fana's Fire Magic—burst forth.
The arena was engulfed in fire. The snowmen melted and evaporated instantly.
Stepping out of the inferno, Conrad appeared before Neige in the blink of an eye.
Before Neige could react—
Conrad grabbed his white hair and swung him downward.
Bang!
Neige's body smashed into the arena floor, cracks spreading outward.
He spat blood, struggling to rise—
Only for Conrad to plant a foot squarely on his chest, grinding him back into the ground.
"Get your filthy foot off him!"
Mariella appeared behind Conrad in silence, an icy blade thrusting toward his vital point.
"Too slow."
As his voice rang out, Conrad's hand had already closed around the blade.
Crunch!
The ice shattered.
Mariella twisted midair to retreat—but Conrad was faster.
He seized her arm and crushed it.
Crack!
The bone snapped.
Pain surged—but Mariella bit down hard, refusing to cry out.
She spun and lashed out with a whip-like kick toward his head.
Yet—
Her smaller stature left a fatal gap.
Under normal circumstances, the kick wouldn't reach him.
Crack—crackle—
Ice rapidly formed at her toes, extending into a sharp spike mid-kick.
A lightning-fast, lethal strike!
The ice spike was moments from piercing Conrad's temple—
When it suddenly melted away.
The kick passed harmlessly through the air.
Mariella froze.
Only then did she realize—her Ice Magic would no longer respond.
Conrad stood expressionless, two keys rotating as they extracted the magic from Mariella's and Neige's grimoires.
Bang!
He kicked Mariella in the chest, sending her flying.
After dealing with the two of them—
Conrad tilted his head slightly.
A beam of crimson fire grazed past his face by a hair's breadth.
"Fire Magic — Radiance of the Little Sun!"
Rebecca clicked her tongue as the spell failed, blasting backward on jets of flame.
But Conrad flashed behind her.
Boom!
A violent blow sent her crashing into the ground.
At the same time—
A golden key twisted against her grimoire… and vanished.
"Such a waste of time."
Conrad dusted off his clothes and turned to leave.
Then—
"Mineral Magic — Sword of Victory!"
A soft, feminine cry rang out.
Conrad's eyes widened in disbelief as he turned—
To see the pink-haired girl whose magic he had stolen, swinging a massive mineral greatsword down toward him.
(End of Chapter)
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