Ulunos' howl—filled with rage and venom—exploded across the ruined village, like the dying wail of a beast and the manic roar of a demon all at once.
At his waist, the cracked black crystal sphere trembled violently. Spiderweb-like fractures spread rapidly across its surface as the once-contained blue-purple light burst outward like a broken dam, scattering into the air like shattered stardust.
Inside, the villagers' silhouettes grew clearer.
Their cries—despair, sobbing, children wailing—pierced through the magical barrier like blades, striking directly at Arlen and Ultear's hearts.
"You… you dared destroy my artifact… destroy everything I built! I will grind your bones to dust!"
Ulunos slowly raised his head. His already grotesque, aged face twisted completely under rage. His sunken eyes were bloodshot, and black curse marks crawled across his pale skin like living things.
Forbidden space-time magic and dark power collided violently around him, forming a raging black-purple storm. Stones lifted, branches cracked under pressure—the distortion of space and the surge of evil magic multiplied several times over.
Arlen responded in kind.
His magic erupted fully. His silver cloak whipped wildly as gravity magic condensed into a protective barrier around himself and Ultear.
Looking at the maddened Ulunos, Arlen spoke coldly:
"Your ritual is finished. Release the villagers now—perhaps I'll leave you an intact corpse."
As for handing him over to the Magic Council?
Not worth the risk.
Someone like this—capable of space-time manipulation—would turn a prison into a catastrophe.
Ulunos burst into hoarse laughter, filled with madness.
"Ridiculous… utterly ridiculous! I spent years planning this—scouring ruins across Fiore, studying lost black magic—just to obtain Lord Zeref's artifact! I was one step away… ONE STEP from eternity!"
"And you ruined it."
"Then you'll pay with your lives!"
Before his words even fell—
His fingers moved rapidly, tracing obscure runes. Dark magic fused with space-time power, and the surrounding space began to twist violently.
Ultear's face darkened.
She could feel it clearly—
He was about to detonate the remaining space-time energy.
If he succeeded, the entire village would be swallowed by temporal chaos.
"Arlen-sama! I'll disrupt his casting—destroy the crystal completely!"
Her magic exploded outward.
"Future Flash!"
Countless crystal spheres manifested from different timelines, compressing into devastating beams that assaulted Ulunos from all directions.
At the same moment—
Arlen moved.
A magic circle flared beneath his feet as he vanished, reappearing above Ulunos and striking downward.
Ulunos roared, forcing his magic outward despite the pain. Several black-purple space-time spears formed at his fingertips and shot toward Arlen.
"Send them to the future—disperse!"
Ultear activated Arc of Time again, erasing the spears—but her face turned pale.
That single move had consumed nearly half her magic.
Ulunos, already stronger than her, had fused dark and space-time magic into something far more destructive.
If not for Arc of Time—
She would have paid a heavy price.
Enraged, Ulunos stomped the ground.
A massive black six-pointed magic circle spread beneath him.
"By the souls of the sacrifices—Space-Time Lock!"
A crushing force descended.
Arlen's body stiffened midair. Even his magic flow faltered—the more he resisted, the tighter the bind became.
Ulunos grinned cruelly, raising his hand for a killing blow.
"Not bad," Arlen said calmly.
No fear. No panic.
Only cold evaluation.
"Still pretending?" Ulunos sneered. "Die, brat!"
Several space-time spears formed again—
But—
"Hmph."
Arlen's gravity magic erupted completely.
The surrounding space twisted violently under overwhelming pressure—
And the space-time lock shattered.
In midair, Arlen spun—
"Wind Scar!"
Three golden slashes collided head-on with the incoming spears, explosions rippling outward.
"Impossible… how did you break my lock?!"
Ulunos' expression froze in disbelief.
But Arlen didn't answer.
Because Ultear moved again.
"Radiant Storm of the Gods!"
Even more beams than before rained down, striking Ulunos relentlessly.
He screamed, his body locked in place under the barrage.
That instant—
Was enough.
Arlen vanished again.
Reappearing behind Ulunos—
His blade fell.
"—!"
Ulunos sensed death and twisted his body desperately.
A flash of steel—
Blood sprayed.
He avoided being split in two—
But his arm—
Was severed.
Along with it—
The crystal sphere.
Crack—BOOM!
The already fractured artifact exploded completely, shards scattering everywhere.
A soft white light rose into the air—
The villagers' souls, freed at last.
Their cries faded.
The oppressive magic dissipated.
The distorted space began to calm.
Ulunos collapsed to the ground, screaming, clutching the stump of his severed arm.
But worse than the pain—
Was what lay shattered before him.
"My artifact… my arm… EVERYTHING… GONE!!"
For a brief moment—
Despair.
Then—
Something deeper swallowed him whole.
Madness.
He threw his head back and howled. The remaining magic in his body spiraled out of control. The black curse marks on his face flared with blinding light.
At this moment—
Ulunos was no longer human.
He had become a rampaging embodiment of black magic.
And in his mind—
Only one thought remained:
Drag them both into death with him.