Sinister Schemes and True Strength

Impossible... How could this be?

Revchi knelt halfway to the ground, endless despair filling his eyes. He looked up at the pitch-black night sky, unable to understand how three brats like them could unleash such terrifying power.

Setting aside Yuno and his Four-leaf Clover, Asta's broad black greatsword gave Revchi an immense sense of pressure. Fortunately, the boy lacked stamina. Otherwise, it would be hard to say who would wear the other down first. Still, all of that was within manageable limits.

The one who truly drove him into despair was Carl.

Her Grimoire was damaged, with not even a single page inside. Everyone knew that a Grimoire's thickness represented the magic recorded within it. Likewise, if a Grimoire did not even contain paper, it could not possibly record any magic at all.

That was precisely why he had looked down on Carl.

Yet Carl at this moment had far exceeded his imagination.

She had thrown only three attacks, yet unleashed three completely different kinds of magic. It was as though the world's original laws—even the supreme magical system of Grimoire—had lost all effect upon her.

Each of these three brats was stranger than the last.

The wounds on his body had been inflicted by the technique called Divine Dragon Tail. It was water-attribute creation magic, and its power was no weaker than fire magic—perhaps even comparable to certain slashing spells.

Blood seeped from the long, narrow wound on his body.

Revchi muttered to himself as though he had completely abandoned any thought of resistance.

Carl slowly walked toward Revchi, one step at a time. Her footsteps were like the countdown before the Grim Reaper swung his scythe. Every step made Revchi's pupils tremble, as well as those of Asta and Yuno nearby.

At last, Carl arrived before Revchi.

She looked at him and revealed a strange smile.

"When you live by the blade, sooner or later, you have to pay the price. You should have known that."

"If we had been the ones who failed, you should be able to imagine how miserable the three of us would have been."

"Revchi the magic thief, do you have any last words?"

Carl showed no sign of softening as she looked at Revchi's vacant expression.

But just then:

Revchi's muttering ceased, and his unfocused eyes suddenly became wild.

"Ah—hahahaha!"

"You finally fell for it!"

"Brat, do you know what's most important when you're out in the world? Not strength, but being ruthless enough!"

"You think you're strong? You think being able to use magic of three attributes makes you some peerless genius?"

"In the end, you'll die by the hands of Revchi the magic thief!"

"I'll remember you. I'll keep your four-leaf clover grimoire by my side forever, as a memento of Revchi the magic thief's achievement!"

Revchi let out a crazed, arrogant laugh.

Then his blood surged, his magic power rapidly swelled, and the chains around his body shook violently. They continuously channeled power through him, as though they were forcibly squeezing out every last bit of his potential.

His eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.

A dangerous glint immediately appeared in Carl's eyes.

Revchi's gaze was filled with madness.

Although Carl had defeated him, during their long-range exchange, he had already seen through her methods of attack.

Carl needed to use absurd methods like her fists, her body, or even attacking a Grimoire in order to unleash her magical abilities.

Though she did not need to chant, that also indirectly meant that there was a moment when she could not defend her own body.

And that gap was exactly what Revchi wanted.

All his earlier daze and helplessness had been part of the scheme for this very moment.

With his plot successful, Revchi's lips curved into a scythe-like smile.

"Die! The victor will ultimately be me!"

The next moment, as the chains around his body shook frantically, two thick chains shot out in an instant and charged madly toward Carl.

Yet his crazed, excited laughter abruptly stopped, like a duck whose throat had been seized.

"No... How is this possible?!"

Carl had grabbed the two chains in an instant, one in each hand.

As the chains crossed—

Crack! Crack! Snap!

The chains were crushed apart by her bare hands!

Revchi felt as though he had been struck by lightning.

"What? Your strength is actually this terrifying?!"

"Th-these are my magic chains!"

Even if Revchi were beaten to death, he would never have imagined that Carl's physical strength could withstand Chain Magic head-on.

This had completely surpassed his understanding.

And in an instant, Carl turned the broken chains into Revchi's final noose.

Revchi's body was torn apart like a rag doll.

Even at the moment of death, his eyes remained full of disbelief.

Blood splattered everywhere.

In the distance, Asta's eyes widened round.

"Th-this is Carl's true strength?"

"That was so awesome! So hot-blooded!"

To be honest, when Revchi had erupted so suddenly just now, a trace of fear and despair had even risen from the depths of Asta's heart.

Those people who spent their lives lurking around the edges of the Clover Kingdom, even moving between the Heart Kingdom and Diamond Kingdom, were simply too terrifying.

Their cunning far exceeded anything he could have imagined.

Asta was certain that if he had faced that attack just now, he would have been severely injured almost immediately, reduced to meat on the chopping block for others to carve up as they pleased.

But Carl had used nothing but her own strength to tear apart Revchi's iron Chain Magic—and even rip him to pieces.

Huff—

Asta exhaled a breath of white mist, his eyes filled with unparalleled excitement.

Meanwhile, Yuno in the distance sensed the surrounding Chain Magic rapidly softening before finally turning into specks of magical light and dispersing into the void.

Only then did he fall from the air and land on one knee.

His eyes held both the relief of surviving a disaster and complicated, indescribable feelings toward Carl.

They both possessed Four-leaf Grimoires, and his was even a more complete wind-attribute Four-leaf Clover.

A Four-leaf Clover was supposed to stand above all others.

Just as he had declared before Charlotte—he would become the Wizard King.

Yet compared with Carl now, Yuno only felt his face burn.

Why?

Why was Carl, who had only a damaged cover, so powerful despite also possessing a Four-leaf Clover?

Carl sent him a distant smile.

With a raise of her hand, the magic necklace that had originally belonged to Yuno, now missing a piece in the middle, slowly floated back before him.

Yuno silently put the necklace away.

He would keep this necklace forever.

It would serve both as a warning of danger and as a reminder to pursue Carl's strength.

Yuno lifted his head and looked at Carl with a cold, resolute gaze.

"Thank you for saving Asta and me."

"But at the same time, you are our opponent."

"I will definitely become the Wizard King."

"One day, I will become strong enough to catch up to you fair and square, Carl."

Carl grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

Yuno, who had been waiting for Carl to answer back, froze before falling silent. Meanwhile, Asta dragged his pierced legs and slowly moved forward.

It had to be said that his physical strength was truly astonishing.

He walked over to Revchi's corpse.

Revchi's Grimoire had already disappeared.

But an embroidered pouch caught Asta's attention.

Asta picked up the pouch and casually tossed it to Carl.

"Here. See what this is."

"This is your loot."

"But that guy Revchi was way too poor, wasn't he? He didn't even have a single gold coin on him."