"However, this operation was not without meaning. When 'Evil' called the kid a sinner, his emotional fluctuations were unprecedentedly high. Shame, anger, and self-reproach filled his heart, which was a greater emotional fluctuation than when 'Evil' stepped on him earlier. It seems he truly cares about the village destruction incident six years ago."
Looking at Negi, whose eyes were vacant as if he were broken, Evangeline showed a faint smile.
If he couldn't overcome this shadow now, this dark seed would lie dormant in his heart, slowly growing stronger.
"After all, 'Evil' wasn't wrong at all. Because of him, everyone in the village was petrified, and whether they can live on is still uncertain. If those people cannot return to normal, then Negi could be said to be indirectly their murderer. I don't think a ten-year-old child can bear such sin. Oh? It seems things are taking an unexpected turn."
'Good,' who was about to retreat with Konoe Konoka, suddenly saw the changes happening to Negi, and a glimmer of light appeared in her eyes.
"Oh? This magic power... is it Royal? No, this is only a part of it. It's a bit mixed and cannot be considered Royal magic power. It seems he can't firmly control it yet. However..."
She stomped hard on the ground, and a throne rose from the earth. She threw the tyrannical duke she was holding onto the ground.
The tyrannical duke landed perfectly on the back of the throne. She didn't intend to use the tyrannical duke's power against Negi now.
Negi was now surrounded by much stronger magic power fluctuations than before, very similar to Erica's Royal magic power.
After all, he was Erica's son, so inheriting his mother's physique made sense.
However, this magic power was somewhat chaotic and filled with anger and madness.
One could say that the current Negi made 'Evil' feel a sense of kinship, which brought a smile to her face.
No wonder Negi was later able to perfectly adapt to Evangeline's Magic of Darkness. The reason was that the seed of hatred had been planted in his heart six years ago; it was just hidden during normal times.
"It's here! It's here! You really made me wait, kid! Has the darkness in your heart finally been stirred? Is it shame, anger, or resentment that has awakened the darkness within you? Ah, never mind. You don't need to tell me all that; I'm not interested anyway. Although Yoshino doesn't allow me to use petrification magic, I think this kind of thing is still allowed. Come on! Let me see what you can do!"
Although she was wearing a dress-like outfit, this did not affect her combat. She could already feel the magic power on Negi's body gradually increasing!
In an instant, Negi disappeared from his original spot. It wasn't the Instant Movement Technique or the Shrinking Earth technique, but rather his immense magic power that granted him extremely fast movement speed.
Using this power, Negi appeared before 'Evil' and swung a fist at her small face. But it was blocked by 'Evil's' elbow, and the ground where they stood cracked from the magic-infused punch.
"Heh heh~ A completely different feeling from just now. You really are suited for darkness, kid. If Yoshino is a human embodiment of an angel, then you are a human with a demon contained within your body. You, in your current state, are truly much stronger than your ridiculous appearance from before!"
'Evil' opened her crimson pupils and looked at Negi. As he was about to make his next move, she raised her right hand, slid her left foot forward, and unleashed a powerful palm strike to Negi's lower abdomen, sending him flying.
Then, 'Evil' immediately followed Negi's figure, forming her hands into blades, striking upwards from below, directly at Negi's face. Although she had no intention of killing him, such an attack could still knock him unconscious.
Surprisingly, Negi, with a speed difficult to perceive, brought both hands together to block 'Evil's' strike at his face. His legs carved two furrows in the ground.
After Negi's body stopped, he immediately charged straight at 'Evil' again, his eyes blank, like a precise fighting machine.
At the same time, he unleashed the immense magic power within him, with lightning and wind elements responding to Negi's magic.
'Evil' saw this and knew that this was Negi's true test, to see if he could control himself, if he would master the power, or let the power's instincts drive him. If he could regain consciousness on his own, then that should be enough!
'I wonder if he can recover on his own? It's really curious. His personality is completely opposite to Nagi's. Right now, he's fighting purely out of 'anger'; before, he was only fighting out of a sense of duty to save Konoe Konoka.'
'Evil' thought, looking at the blank-eyed Negi during their battle.
'Because he's only studied magic theoretically before, he can't fully unleash the powerful magic within him. He's not paying attention to his surroundings, nor is he delivering fatal blows to the enemy; he's just fighting with raw power. A kid who grew up in peacetime can only be this skilled.'
After easily kicking Negi away, 'Evil' raised her right hand and began chanting.
"Come, Ice Spirit! Dark Spirit! Let a blizzard rage in the night! Eternal Night Blizzard! [Dark Night Blizzard]! Take this, kid! I can't guarantee the consequences if you get hit!"
Just as Negi was getting up from the ground again, intending to block the attack, Kagurazaka Asuna came to his side, hugged him, and turned her back to the magic unleashed by 'Evil'. But just as [Dark Night Blizzard] was about to hit her, it encountered some power and vanished into thin air.
"Whack--" Asuna slapped Negi hard across the face, making him pause slightly. Then he saw Kagurazaka Asuna's stern gaze. Negi stopped, but before he could do anything else, Kagurazaka Asuna delivered another heavy punch to Negi's head.
"You're still just a kid, Negi! Are you an idiot?! If you act like this, aren't you just falling into their trap?! And also! Aren't you a magician? You're really stupid without using magic!"
Kagurazaka Asuna said this to Negi, who now looked up.
"Waaah~ Asuna! You hit too hard! It hurts!"
Negi clutched his head like a normal child, tears welling in his eyes, and complained to Asuna with a tear-stained face. All in all, Negi had come to his senses. He complained to Kagurazaka Asuna with a wronged expression, while 'Evil' on the side showed an interesting, but fleeting, smile.
"Uh... hmm... don't worry about it too much! You won't grow taller!"
Kagurazaka Asuna's face was a little red; she realized she had been a bit heavy-handed, turned her head away, and said unceremoniously to Negi.
"Oh my, oh my, I didn't expect Asuna to actually plan to attack for Negi's protection.
Could it be that during your time with Negi, you've gone from being a 'daddy-chaser' to a'shota-chaser'?
Well~ that's not incomprehensible.
After all, familiarity breeds affection, and Negi has been with you for several months.
Perhaps you've already... slept together, haven't you?"
Just as Kagurazaka Asuna was about to say something, 'Good', holding Konoe Konoka, came before them and said softly. Unlike 'Evil', she carried a radiant and gentle smile, with no hint of malice about her.
However, her words made them realize that she was not as gentle as she appeared.
"What are you going to do? Are you planning to kill Negi? I will absolutely not allow it!"
Ignoring her malicious words, Kagurazaka Asuna stood in front of Negi and said to 'Good'.
Seeing such a scene, 'Good' covered her mouth and let out a pleasant laugh, leaving Kagurazaka Asuna bewildered, not understanding why she was laughing.
"How touching, I saw your determination just now. But with your current strength, you can't deal with me. If I really wanted to deal with Negi..."
At this point, a huge ice spike suddenly emerged from the ground, striking towards Negi's neck, stopping mere centimeters away. But the instant encounter with death left Negi drenched in sweat; it was his first time facing death so directly, and he had no way to stop it.
"You see, I can almost kill Negi whenever I want, so your help is useless. However, killing you is not part of our plan this time. According to the original plan, you should still experience some peaceful time. But there's not much time left for you to relax, Negi. Now I need to put some pressure on you to make you grow."
At this moment, an ice wall suddenly appeared behind her, blocking Sakurazaki Setsuna, who was attempting a sneak attack. Then, Setsuna's entire body was instantly frozen, with only her head exposed.
"Oh no, that won't do. While a sneak attack can indeed catch an enemy off guard, due to the vast difference in strength, even a sneak attack is meaningless. The fun I've had today is enough, so I won't play with you all here anymore. I'll say goodbye for now." After speaking, a light blue magic circle appeared beneath them, enveloping them. This was a transfer magic for teleportation.
"Wait! Leave the Young Lady here! Let go of the Young Lady!"
Although frozen, Sakurazaki Setsuna cried out excitedly, seeing Konoe Konoka about to be taken away.
The ki around her began to break free, and cracks gradually appeared in the ice on her body.
"No way~! If you want to rescue Konoka, come and get her yourselves!"
After saying that, her head, like a mischievous child's, then vanished from their sight.
"Young Lady! Young Lady! Konoka!?"
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