Time Reversal

Ultear's face darkened. "So you were already planning to betray the guild before this?"

"That's right." Now that things had come to this, he admitted it outright.

"Then you should know what happens to those who betray the guild," Ultear said.

"I do... so what?"

"Puchi!"

Just then, a sharp sword suddenly pierced Ultear from behind.

The girl turned around in disbelief, only to see a familiar, kindly face.

"Sorry, Lady Ultear." He smiled at the girl as she slowly sank to her knees, his voice as gentle as ever.

"Sa... Sawen, I never thought even a mage of your caliber would be a lapdog for Shadow Skull." Ultear knelt on one knee, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth as she gritted her teeth.

"We've been waiting for this chance to eliminate a genius mage like you, someone who might surpass the current generation of the Seven Kin of Purgatory." Sawen smiled faintly. "Besides, even against you as you are now, I'm not certain I can win."

"You mean there's more than one of you?"

"That's right. Sawen has been one of us in Shadow Skull all along." Puroke stepped over to Sawen's side with a faint smile.

"And we at Shadow Skull have never accepted traitors." Dark magic swirled around Sawen's fingers, and he killed Qiaote as the latter watched in terror.

"You're next, Grimoire Heart's genius mage." Sawen looked down at the girl before him and spoke calmly.

Fuck, is Sister Lei going to die?!

Chiba, fighting in the crowd, had clearly seen the whole thing unfold.

He pulled a large handful of Shuriken from his ninja tool pouch and threw them one after another.

Rat, tiger, dog, ox, rabbit, tiger!

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Several sudden volleys of Shuriken wreathed in Phoenix Flower Fire flew toward Sawen and Puroke. But both were A-Class mages with extremely sharp senses.

"Dark Spirit!"

Sawen gave a low shout, and a magic circle formed beneath his feet. Wisps of dark magic surged out and gathered above his head, taking the shape of a monster carrying a sword.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

Man and monster raised their blades together and slashed at the Phoenix Flower Fire Shuriken. But there were too many of them, and their impact was powerful, forcing Sawen and Puroke to retreat for the moment.

"Who?!" Sawen shouted.

"Boom!"

A crash rang out, sending dust billowing into the air. Amid the cloud, a figure slowly rose to his feet.

Uchiha Star King had arrived!

"Fire Style! Great Fireball Technique!"

Clapping his hands together, Chiba used the simplified version of the Great Fireball. He felt the Chakra throughout his body stir naturally and burst into flame. It was the kind of overconfidence a mouse felt after drinking erguotou and getting ready to pick a fight with a cat, bottle in hand!

Here it comes, a Great Fireball with triple the power!

A huge, blazing fireball erupted from his mouth. Its searing heat melted the surrounding snow into water, then evaporated it into steam. The Great Fireball's range had also tripled, so this single attack left more than a dozen people dead or seriously injured.

At the sight, Chiba was practically in tears. Finally! My ancestors' Great Fireball has flourished in my generation. It finally burned someone to death!

Until now, Chiba had fought hand-to-hand using Kunai and his Sharingan. Though he had killed quite a few people, he had been nowhere near as conspicuous as he was now. This move drew the attention of many dark guild mages.

"He's using the fire element without any magic fluctuations?"

"Is he from our guild?"

"But he doesn't have the guild's emblem!"

"He seems to be Lady Ultear's guard!"

People whispered among themselves, and Sawen, who had been driven back, also remembered the inconspicuous boy Ultear had brought with her when she suddenly returned a week ago.

He hadn't sensed any magic fluctuations from the boy, so he had subconsciously assumed at the time that Chiba was merely someone Ultear had picked up... as her boy toy.

After all, in his opinion, Chiba had the makings of a pretty boy.

Of course, if Chiba had known, he would probably have said the old bastard was complimenting him on his looks.

Still, that only applied to mages like Sawen, whom Chiba couldn't beat. If it were someone else, he would have greeted them with a simple, "Do you want to dance?"

Sawen hadn't expected this boy, who wasn't even a mage, to be able to control elemental power.

But if that was all he could do, compared with Ultear... he was still a long way off...

"Dark Spirit, attack!" He commanded the black monster above his head, and it flew straight at Chiba, carrying a longsword formed from black magic.

"Hehehe..."

The monster let out such a strange laugh that Chiba wondered if it had phlegm stuck in its throat. Then it suddenly stopped partway through its flight, raised its longsword, and sent a sword wave slashing toward Chiba!

Chiba was dumbfounded. I thought you were coming to fight me up close! You flew part of the way here just to use a ranged skill?

Then what was the point of flying over here? Just so you could laugh a couple of times and scare me? Or to prove you really do have phlegm stuck in your throat?

Maybe its ranged skill wasn't in range yet...

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

He dutifully formed the Hand Seals, then opened his mouth and spat out a great volume of water. As the highest-level technique Chiba currently knew, the Water Formation Wall's defensive power was beyond question, and it blocked the monster's attack outright.

Chiba turned to the girl and asked quietly, "Big sis, are you all right?"

But Ultear gave a long sigh. "If you hadn't come, I would have killed those two already."

"???"

Chiba was dumbfounded.

Under the shocked gazes of Chiba, Sawen, and Puroke, the wound in Ultear's chest gradually healed, and even her torn clothing returned to its original condition.

"Time Reversal. It's the strongest magic I've developed so far. As long as my injuries or magic consumption aren't too severe, I can return myself to my best condition. Although I can only use this magic once a month, once is enough."

Ultear spoke calmly.

A mocking smile curled the girl's lips. "Sawen, did you think I really didn't know you were with Shadow Skull? Why was I so eager to start this battle? It was to make you expose yourself. Otherwise... how would I have had a chance to kill you?"

Sawen gritted his teeth and cursed, "Bitch!"

"Now that everything's out in the open, you can die." Ultear conjured a Free Ball in the air before her. Then dozens of Free Balls formed lines and attacked Sawen.

"Dark Spirit!" Sawen gritted his teeth and gave a low shout. The black monster above his head swung its sword at the countless Free Balls.