At this moment, Negi, who had summoned Kagurazaka Asuna, was in a tough battle. He had studied Chinese martial arts with Kouhi for several months and trained his own magic. Negi felt that he was indeed quite strong. As Ryuudou later put it, he was already a formidable magician, but… Negi now realized that he was still far from it, at least when facing the white-haired youth in front of him. He was still very far behind, and according to the youth who called herself Fate, she had once fought his father and been defeated by him. So it seemed that the gap between himself and his father had not narrowed at all. Yes, until now, he had not even fought his master, so he must still have a long way to go!
He recalled his battle with Yoshino's 'good' when Yoshino was taken away. That feeling of powerlessness was just like now, but she hadn't done anything lethal, only pinching his face and flicking his forehead. Yet, he had been completely helpless. It seemed Yoshino's goal back then was to make him realize how weak he still was, but he hadn't noticed it at the time because he was too scared.
However, he couldn't give up, at least, if he gave up now, then the class president, Yamato-kun, Yuuna-chan… they would all be permanently turned into stone statues here, which would be too unfair to them! It was his responsibility as a teacher to safely bring his students back. So, no matter how difficult, he had to succeed! He believed his father and Teacher Yoshino would also make such a decision!
What he needed to do now was to rescue Konoe Konoka. His task was to hold back Fate, so that Sakurazaki Setsuna would have a chance to approach. With the advantage of flight, she should be able to successfully rescue Konoe Konoka. At the very least, he had to hold out until Yoshino finished her battle. Only with the help of Yoshino, a member of Red Wings, and Evangeline, of Dark Gospel, Fate would definitely not be a match for these two.
"Trying to hold me back, Negi? Although it's not enough, I must say, you are indeed worthy of being the King of Thousand Curses's son. At only ten years old, while you are still far from Nagi or the other members of Red Wings, you are able to hit me, and that surprisingly powerful magic, those brilliant spells, all indicate that you are worthy of being my opponent. But as I said, you are still too young!" Fate said to Negi expressionlessly, while also giving him a very high evaluation.
"I find it strange that she is right beside you, yet you haven't learned any magical knowledge or techniques from her. Although her most famous magic is healing magic, her offensive magic is also one of the strongest in the Magical World. It seems you are just a playful ten-year-old child. You are simply too young!"
But Negi ignored Fate's words. He knew that if he allowed her to attack him, Fate would easily disengage from the battle. In that case, Sakurazaki Setsuna, who was struggling in a fierce battle with Tsukuyo on the other side, would undoubtedly have no chance at all. So Negi could only choose to continuously attack, giving her no chance to react.
"Release! Magic Archer · Wind of Admonition!" Just as Fate suddenly cut in during an opening and delivered a heavy punch to Negi's abdomen, Negi revealed a triumphant smile. Immediately after, the delayed spell Negi had cast earlier took effect. A magic arrow at extremely close range, even Fate could only awkwardly block it. Although she wasn't injured, the binding effect of the Wind Arrow caused Fate to slow down for a moment.
"Come on! Void Lightning! Sweep away my enemies! Axe of Thunder!" Negi immediately seized this opening, using a move he had recently learned from Yoshino. A violent lightning strike directly hit Fate without any obstruction. Seizing this opportunity, Negi felt that he could immediately go and rescue Konoka. In that case, everyone's goal would be achieved, but… "Too bad, little brother, you seem to be one step too late! Hehe~" This person was the female oriental magician who had abducted Konoe Konoka, Amasaki Chigusa. At this moment, she was smiling triumphantly. In the air in front of her, Konoe Konoka, the target Negi and the others wanted to rescue, lay horizontally suspended. From her appearance, she seemed to be in great pain.
Behind Amagi Chigusa, a colossal creature stood, with a face on both the front and back of its head, towering over twenty zhang. Immense magical power swirled around it; merely seeing it evoked an unconquerable feeling. This was precisely Amagi Chigusa's purpose in abducting Konoe Konoka: to utilize her potent magic to revive and control this ancient great demon god, Ryomen Sukuna, which had been documented sixteen hundred years ago.
Undoubtedly, Ryomen Sukuna, a being that could be called the strongest fantasy species, was not something the current Negi could handle. According to a muscle-brained man, Ryomen Sukuna's magical strength was at least around eight thousand, placing it at an SA-rank. (This is based on Volume 22, Page 64 of the manga.) Negi's current combat power was around three hundred, which is about B-rank. Such a vast disparity could only be overcome by other means. However, the current situation told Negi that if he wanted to successfully rescue Konoe Konoka, this obstacle absolutely had to be overcome! Even against a terrifying enemy, he had to try.
"Las Tael Masgil Magister! Come! Spirit of Thunder! Spirit of Wind! Blow with lightning! South Sea's Roar! Thunderstorm!" This was the strongest offensive magic Negi could currently cast, and it was his last resort. He gathered all the magical power he could muster, attempting to unleash a decisive strike.
The magic, bearing destructive force, shot directly towards Ryomen Sukuna in everyone's eyes. No one dared to underestimate the power of this strike; even Fate, whose strength far surpassed Negi's, was taken aback. White steam rose from him, making him appear somewhat disheveled, yet he was completely unharmed. If there were discerning individuals present, they would surely realize that this young man likely possessed strength comparable to Ryomen Sukuna.
The powerful magic was indeed blocked in front of Ryomen Sukuna by an invisible barrier, a defensive enchantment it possessed. Its strength was such that even a barrage of magic from a group of powerful mages would leave it unscathed. Yet now, this supposedly unbreakable barrier developed numerous cracks under Negi's attack. The next moment, the barrier shattered like glass, and the magic's remaining powerful force struck Ryomen Sukuna's body fiercely.
A massive cloud of smoke billowed out, accompanied by Ryomen Sukuna's wails. Undoubtedly, Negi's magic had inflicted damage on Ryomen Sukuna. After the smoke dispersed, everyone saw Ryomen Sukuna's current state: numerous scorched and lacerated wounds covered its colossal body. However, regrettably, Ryomen Sukuna had not sustained any fatal injuries.
'Royal magic? As expected of that woman's son, has he even inherited this physique? With the aptitude of the King of Thousand Curses and the royal magic of the Calamity Queen, this guy's future achievements will definitely surpass the King of Thousand Curses.' Fate then looked at the panting Negi and shook his head, saying, 'It seems that move was just something he accidentally used, and he's completely exhausted all his existing magic. He's still too young after all.'
"How is this possible... A ten-year-old boy can use magic of this level... Is this the power possessed by the son of the King of Thousand Curses?!" Amagi Chigusa watched everything in astonishment, expressing her surprise, but quickly composed herself and recovered from her shock.
"Too bad, kid! Though you startled me, it proves that the ultimate victor is me! Oh ho ho ho!" Amagi Chigusa laughed triumphantly, while Negi, having exhausted his magical power, struggled even to stand.
"Negi, you are indeed an exceptionally talented mage, so powerful that even I am surprised. But this time, it's quite suspicious, you've failed!" Fate, whose clothes were only slightly dirty but otherwise unharmed, calmly uttered these words. Then, he raised his hand and pointed at Negi.
"Repair Taruri Shutaru Wangite! Little King, eight-horned lizard, Lord of the Evil Eye! Breathe out the poisonous breath that steals time! Breath of Stone!" Kagurazaka Asuna, who had just been summoned, had fallen to the ground in the previous battle. Seeing Negi in danger, she struggled to stand, wanting to go and protect him. But now, it was undoubtedly a dead end!
—"Light Blade!" Just as the petrifying breath was about to hit Negi, a milky white light screen suddenly appeared on him, blocking the attack. Then, a clear, cold voice resounded. The dispersed Extinction Angels, as if possessing independent consciousness, flew through the air on different trajectories, firing beams of light at Fate from all directions, as if he were trapped in a prison of light. Moreover, this was a violent prison where even a touch would cause severe injury.
However, Fate's body, when struck, seemed to turn into water and vanish from its original spot, without a single scratch. Sakurazaki Setsuna in the sky also took advantage of everyone's momentary Stunned to rescue Konoe Konoka, who had been abducted by Amagi Chigusa.
Just as Tsukuyo was about to step forward to engage, a gun was pressed against her back, followed by a faint voice: "Don't move, or I'll shoot."
"Oh my, oh my~ That's quite scary, to appear behind me without a sound. I wonder if my strength isn't quite mature yet, or if you're simply too good at concealing yourself." She wasn't afraid of ordinary bullets, but the other party clearly gave her a sense of danger, a fatal one at that. So she could only obediently raise her hands to indicate she wouldn't resist.
"Can't be helped, after all, I haven't been much help before. Since I've already been hired, I need to do something. Otherwise, taking the employer's money for nothing would make me very uneasy." Ryugu Mana said with a hint of helplessness in her tone. She had merely watched Tobiichi Origami's performance during the previous demon attacks, doing nothing herself. At the very least, she had to stop one of the enemies.
Evangeline's figure gradually emerged from the shadows in front of Negi. "It's you indeed. It seems you've acted as we agreed."
"As for now, this boring matter is about to end."
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