A week passed after the uncovering of the devil-elf hybrids. Avi had dispersed several covert clones across the Clover, Heart, and Spade Kingdoms, tracking fluctuations in mana flow and forbidden magic residue. He sat calmly within the Akatsuki base's inner sanctum, a space only he could access, surrounded by a massive magical simulation sphere projected by the system.
On the simulation sphere hovered magical constructs of every major figure—Julius, Lucius, Nacht, Nozel, the Elves, and even ancient devils. Interlinking threads of fate spun between them, some fraying, others converging.
Avi (thought): "The awakening of Licht's soul will draw in the Shadow Palace arc. But if I tilt fate even slightly, I can accelerate Lucius's missteps... and bait him into revealing his inner circle."
---
Elsewhere, in the Clover Kingdom capital, Julius Novachrono stood atop a tower, gazing over the horizon.
Julius: "Time is warping subtly... as if someone is rehearsing the future."
Damnatio Kira: "You've sensed it as well?"
Julius: "Yes. The Akatsuki squad is central to this shift, and yet, their power is shrouded. Especially that boy... Avi."
---
Back in the Akatsuki base, Asta and Yuno were undergoing an intense new training regimen. Avi had modified a simulation chamber into a replica of the Underwater Temple, complete with pressure magic and demon-enhanced beasts.
Avi: "Prepare for something bigger. The ancient seabed shrine hides a piece of the Devil's Grimoire... that was never found in the original timeline. This time, it will awaken."
The underwater temple arc had been subtly altered by Avi.
He sent out a clone as the old priest and maneuvered the Sea God's trial. However, as the battle raged between the Black Bulls and Vetto, an unfamiliar entity emerged—a shadowy devil hybrid cloaked in runes of abyssal origin. While Vetto fought Asta and the Bulls, this hybrid attacked the temple's core, intent on corrupting the ancient altar.
From the shadows, Avi intervened—not in person, but through a seed of Origin Magic he had planted inside the altar long ago. The moment the hybrid devil tried to drain the altar's essence, it backfired, burning the entity from within.
Avi (thought): "The moment I reveal my hand too openly, Lucius will alter his strategy. But as long as they believe it's fate turning against them, I remain invisible."
---
After the Underwater Temple battle, Yami and the others returned triumphant. Fuegoleon, now recovered, paid a visit to the Akatsuki squad's location under Julius' order.
Fuegoleon: "I have heard much about your strength. Especially you... Avi Caesar."
Avi (bowing slightly): "I'm honored, sir. We merely follow the will of the Clover Kingdom."
Fuegoleon: "Even still... I sense something deep within you. Something... ancient."
Avi simply smiled, nodding silently.
---
Later, that night, Avi slipped into a secluded chamber. Before him stood a mirror infused with Origin Magic, showing visions of the Shadow Palace. A twisted echo reverberated across the mirror's surface.
Zagred (echoing): "Who... interferes with my will?"
Avi: "A ghost. A whisper. A shadow that walks before light."
He snapped his fingers. The mirror shattered.
---
Elsewhere, in the Spade Kingdom, Lucius Zogratis awakened from a deep meditation. His eyes blinked in confusion.
Lucius: "Something... just clouded the timelines. This has never happened before."
He rose from his seat and activated a magical projection of the future—but for the first time in his life, it was blank for ten seconds.
Lucius (alarmed): "Impossible... No fate is hidden from me."
In the void between those ten seconds, Avi's smile shimmered faintly in the ether.
---
To be continued...