The Clover Kingdom had become unrecognizable. Entire towns were caught in the Eye of the Midnight Sun's ritual, with humans transformed into elf-like vessels. Knights, villagers, and even small squads of Magic Knights found themselves facing friends and comrades under the influence of Elven memory and magic.
Satoru hovered above the chaos, Star Magic orbs spinning, analyzing the battlefield. The system provided real-time updates: Ally effectiveness: 72%. Enemy concentration: 89%. Civilians affected by Elven conversion: 64%. Critical threat: central ritual node with Licht presence.
Asta and Yuno fought desperately below, striking gaps in the formations of corrupted knights, but each move seemed to push them closer into the epicenter — where Licht orchestrated the battlefield like a puppeteer.
Satoru's orbs flared. "We need to break the control, not just fight blindly. Focus on their connection to the ritual node. Yuno, follow my threads; Asta, trust the gaps I create."
The Star Infinity grid enveloped the area in a precise lattice. Hollow Purple barriers intercepted stray mana attacks. Reversal Red arcs reflected hostile spells. Shooting Star projectiles cut through lines of converted fighters without harming the civilians who still had a chance of salvation.
At the center, Licht's mana pulsed violently. The first Wizard King's spirit began to appear, drawn from the residual ancient mana bound within the kingdom. This ancient King, a being of pure light and authority, rose amidst the chaos, his eyes sharp, his aura commanding. Unlike Julius or any present Wizard King, he exuded raw, primordial authority — the kind that demanded both reverence and fear.
Satoru's system detected a critical shift: Wizard King (first) presence: stabilizing. Licht focus: maximal. Probability of tactical collapse if uncontrolled: 97%.
Satoru turned his attention to coordinating a combined assault. Using Star Infinity, he directed subtle threads of magic to bypass the Elven memory link, giving Asta and Yuno a chance to resist Licht's control. Yuno's wind currents shredded the threads binding their allies, while Asta's Anti-Magic blade severed the direct connections to the central node.
The first Wizard King's voice echoed across the battlefield: "Allied forces, stand firm. We will reclaim our kingdom!"
Seeing the first Wizard King alive, the converted elves faltered for a moment — a sliver of their old selves flickering through the Elven overlay. Satoru exploited this window, deploying Hollow Purple barriers to isolate the corrupted fighters from one another, while Reversal Red arcs reflected their own mana back to suppress the ritual influence.
At that moment, Licht stepped forward, full power radiating like a storm. He unleashed a cascade of Elven magic designed to overwrite the first Wizard King's presence, but Satoru anticipated it. Shooting Star projectiles coordinated with Star Infinity grids struck at the exact nodes transmitting Licht's mana, blunting the assault. Yuno's winds carried precise blasts that disrupted the flow of the ritual, and Asta's Anti-Magic cleaved channels of control that bound the corrupted fighters.
For the first time, Licht's calm dominance wavered. The combined effort of Satoru's Star Magic, Yuno's precision, Asta's Anti-Magic, and the resurrected first Wizard King forced Licht to retreat, if only temporarily.
Satoru looked at the battlefield, knowing the war was far from over. The first Wizard King's presence was a stabilizing factor, but the true enemy—the demon manipulating the Eye of the Midnight Sun—remained hidden.
System Update:
Star Magic mastery: +20
Tactical intelligence: +15
Quest progression: "Protect First Wizard King & Contain Ritual Nodes" activated
Allies stabilized: 68%
Enemy nodes disrupted: 74%
As the dust settled, Satoru, Yuno, and Asta regrouped with the first Wizard King. The kingdom had been saved from immediate collapse, but the war had only escalated. The true threat was no longer just Licht or the converted elves; it was the demon lurking behind the Eye of the Midnight Sun, whose influence threatened every living soul in the Clover Kingdom.
Satoru's Star Magic hummed softly. The battlefield had taught him a brutal lesson: strategy and precision could win battles, but understanding the enemy's ultimate plan was the only way to win the war.