"What a dramatic entrance. I thought someone important had shown up, turns out it's just a pathetic loser who doesn't even have a grimoire. How tragic. Born in a kingdom of magic, and yet not a single trace of mana in you. You're truly one of a kind."
Rebuchi stared for a moment, then burst out laughing, as if a joke had just walked up to him.
"You really do talk a lot, huh, you Orochimaru knockoff."
Houma picked at his ear, his expression darkening. Just as he thought, people who look like Orochimaru are always annoying.
"Orochimaru? Don't know who that is, but the word 'offspring' really ticks me off."
The grimoire floating in front of Rebuchi suddenly flared with light. From its pages, seven or eight black chains shot out like serpents, whipping through the air as they surged toward Houma.
"Asta, run!" Yuno shouted instinctively.
From his understanding, there was no way either of them could stand up to this ex-Magic Knight who'd been banished from the order. The best chance now was for Asta to escape and bring help.
Luckily, they were close to the Grimoire Tower. Surely the Tower Master wouldn't just sit by and watch.
But just after Yuno cried out, something bizarre happened, Houma didn't run at all. Instead, it was as if he had eyes all over his body; every single chain that tried to ensnare him was effortlessly deflected.
"I'm just gonna stand right here and let you try. Let's see how long you can keep this up."
Houma yawned, completely at ease. After all, he was a man trained by the King of Taijutsu, Might Guy himself. In a world that had long forsaken martial arts, his movement alone was unrivaled.
"You've really pissed me off now, brat!"
"Creation Magic: Binding Iron Serpent Formation!"
Rebuchi pointed at Houma, unleashing his full power this time. He wasn't taking any chances.
Dozens of black chains, writhing like dragons, roared toward Houma from all sides. But as if proving a point, Houma stood perfectly still, dodging each and every chain with the subtlest of movements. The scene, though nerve-wracking to onlookers, seemed like a lazy morning stretch to him.
"How is this possible? Even that once-in-a-century genius chosen by a four-leaf clover couldn't evade my spell! How the hell are you, a nobody without even a speck of magic, dodging this!?"
Rebuchi's voice grew shrill with disbelief. The air around them buzzed as his anger triggered even more chains, forming a fearsome magical pressure field.
And then, just then, a voice whispered into Houma's ear.
[Ding! Unknown power detected within the host. Would you like to initialize?]
"Confirm."
Houma raised an eyebrow. So there was a second power hidden in this body after all.
[Initialization in progress... 1%... 2%... 3%... 28%... 57%...]
A translucent progress bar appeared in front of his eyes, rapidly filling. Meanwhile, Rebuchi's spell finally managed to restrain him, though Houma barely reacted.
The chains were so limp and flimsy that he feared even stretching too hard might snap them.
"I knew it. A loser like you couldn't possibly dodge my spell. Honestly, I wasn't even sure people like you could exist, no mana at all? But the feel of these chains confirms it. You really are a zero."
Rebuchi sneered. His eyes, slit like a serpent's, glowed with manic glee.
"Your buddy there, at least he's got some worth. He was chosen. But you? You were born a stray. A disgrace. Must suck, huh? Being abandoned by the world?"
"So… if you don't want to die here and now, you'd better just accept your fate. Otherwise, I'll send you straight back to the void."
Rebuchi's voice took on a mocking lilt, reveling in his superiority. Today had turned out better than he'd imagined, two losers, one after another!
[99%... 100%... Initialization complete!]
As the system voice finished speaking, Houma opened his eyes.
His eyes, usually a deep obsidian rimmed with amber, now blazed blood-red.
Then, darkness fell.
A black veil swallowed all light at once, and before anyone could react, glowing red particles, like drifting dandelions, began rising from the earth.
The light floated gently upward, and a grimoire cloaked in that same red glow descended slowly before the crowd.
As the blood-colored brilliance faded, the back cover of the book was finally revealed.
"The Five Leaves Have Bloomed!"
Those five luminous leaves stabbed directly into Rebuchi's pupils like shards of light.
"F-Five-leaf… It's a five-leaf clover?"
Rebuchi stumbled back, horrified. A four-leaf clover was already legendary. But five? That was unheard of.
"A five-leaf clover… this world actually has such a thing?"
His voice trembled as he stared at the book. The more he looked, the deeper his dread grew. That dense crimson glow, it wasn't just light. It felt like demonic blood, thick and terrifying.