The unsealing process was still ongoing.

Sweat streamed down Secre's forehead as she stared at the chaotic puzzle before her.

These puzzle pieces weren't something that could simply be pushed into place by hand.

They were a mess—scattered, disjointed, and without a clear structure.

Even figuring out which piece connected to which took immense concentration.

And when she tried to move them, the resistance was immense—

each piece felt as heavy as a mountain.

Had her magic not been specifically attuned to this kind of sealing magic,

she wouldn't even be able to make a dent.

Wiping her sweat, Secre whispered:

"Almost there… about one-third of the pieces remain."

Yes, it was difficult. But it was possible—the problem was just time.

And right now, time was the scarcest and most precious resource they had.

---

"AAAHHH!!"

Like men possessed, Asta and Yuno continued to charge headfirst into the battle against the demon.

In the original anime, the demon would've already fallen under their protagonist aura.

But this wasn't the anime.

This was reality.

And in reality, no villain was going to stand around and let themselves be hit.

The Word Magic Demon was now fighting at full force—

and showing the world what a true archdemon looked like.

"Inferno."

"Frostbite."

"Gravitational Collapse."

The demon's words were law.

The moment he whispered, his Word Magic manifested instantly:

Fire and ice erupted around them.

Crushing gravity bore down like a mountain,

forcing everyone to their knees.

He knew exactly who posed the biggest threat to him right now.

Licht's sword magic was strong—strong enough to obliterate his body once.

But that had required the combined strength of many elves and wasn't easily repeatable.

Lumiere's light magic was refined and deadly,

but his body was still damaged by the centuries-old wounds.

He could collapse at any moment from the strain of the Elf Stone.

Both of them were weakened.

But these two boys—the ones who'd appeared out of nowhere—

Asta and Yuno—they were a different story.

Their attacks had already forced him into dangerous situations several times.

"So it's speed, huh? Then let's see how fast you are with THIS."

BOOM!

The gravity doubled.

Both Asta and Yuno staggered mid-air.

The combination of Devil and Wind power had made them fast—almost untouchably so.

But now, under this crushing weight, their speed was cut by a third.

"Keh keh keh… I told you, didn't I?"

"You can't kill me. You can't even touch me!"

The demon's mocking voice made Asta's blood boil.

He was certain that if he could just land a clean hit,

his Demon-Slayer Sword could end this.

But this wasn't a wooden training dummy.

The demon wouldn't just stand still.

And worst of all…

"I… I don't have much time left…"

His body was wracked with pain.

The prolonged Devil Transformation was eating away at him.

Every second felt like a thousand insects gnawing on his bones.

He was moments away from collapsing.

If he lost this form now,

he wouldn't be able to enter it again anytime soon.

---

"We're going all in, Yuno!!"

"Yeah!!"

No words were needed—they met each other's eyes and understood.

[Spirit Magic – Tower of the Tempest!]

Massive wind magic swirled under Asta's feet,

launching him like a spring toward the sky.

His black demon wings spread wide,

his face filled with fierce determination.

The Demon-Slayer Sword surged with rejection magic as he rocketed upward.

CLANG!

A clean hit.

The demon's trident shattered on impact.

But that brief opening… also gave the demon time to dodge.

The massive sword only pierced his left wing, missing his vitals.

"You little pest!"

Once again—AGAIN—this brat had landed a hit on him.

"I've had ENOUGH!"

The demon's claws lunged forward—straight at Asta's chest.

Asta knew—this was it.

He couldn't dodge. He couldn't block.

"Am I... going to die here?"

But then—

[Dark Magic – Dimension Slash!]

A massive blade of compressed void roared across the battlefield.

SPLIT.

It tore through space—and through the demon's body.

It wouldn't kill him. His regeneration would kick in.

But it hurt him.

It humbled him.

"All of you... must DIE!!"

---

[Bladestorm!]

The demon snapped.

He wasn't here to toy with humans anymore.

This was an execution.

Thousands of black blades rained from the sky.

At the same time, the void overhead cracked open once again—

flooding the battlefield with shadow creatures.

"Damn it. Is this how it ends!?"

Ethan cursed inwardly.

The tide had turned again—this time for the worst.

Asta had collapsed, no longer in Devil form.

That was their ace, and now it was gone.

Even if the others were at full power, their odds looked slim.

Only one chance remained—

"Secre... are you DONE YET!?"

He glanced at her, still casting her spell beside him.

But she was completely immersed—eyes shut, magic deep in trance.

She didn't even hear him.

She had no idea how desperate the situation had become.

---

[Light Magic – Judgement Blade!]

[Dark Magic – Black Hole!]

[Sword Magic – Sever!]

Everyone threw everything they had at the incoming tide.

But the effect?

Like tossing stones into a tsunami.

---

"That's it, then…"

Ethan sighed.

His plan was to kill the demon here and now.

But that was no longer realistic.

If they didn't retreat soon… they would all die here.

"Everyone—withdraw from the Shadow Palace! We'll deal with the demon later!"

Licht and Lumiere hesitated the most.

But they knew he was right.

If they stayed now, it wouldn't be a heroic stand—it would be a massacre.

"Let's go!"

"Oh? You think you're leaving?"

The demon sneered.

If it had been earlier, he might've let them crawl away like insects.

But now?

BOOM!

The exit ripped open.

A black flood rained down like a storm—completely sealing their escape.

The mages were forced back.

Black creatures filled every direction—up, down, left, and right.

Worse than being surrounded—they were smothered.

---

[Time Magic – Temporal Domain!]

Suddenly, a massive grimoire of time manifested above Ethan's head.

A shimmering dome expanded outward, shielding everyone.

"Nice one, Ethan!"

"You have Time Magic too?!"

"It's just like Julius's grimoire!"

Everyone was stunned.

They had no idea Ethan was holding something this powerful in reserve.

Time Magic might be the key to getting them out of here.

But if they could read Ethan's mind, they'd know—

"You're thinking too much."

This was Julius's grimoire, yes.

And it came with all the stored time Julius had left.

If there had been twenty years of time left, he could've easily teleported them out.

But after the fight with Saint Mage Corin, most of that time had already been used up.

Now?

There wasn't enough left to save everyone.

Outside, the shadow flood was already eating away at the edges of his magic.He could hold them off for a little while—

but not forever.

And if nothing changed…

They were all going to die here.

-------------------------

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