"Who is the traitor?"
Adam sat on the sofa with a grim expression. The Wizard King, who was supposed to help, was just sitting there doing nothing. Honestly, what was the point of bringing him here?
"You'll find out tomorrow," Julius said quietly.
He stood by the tall window, gazing in the direction of the Golden Dawn's headquarters with eyes full of worry. He hoped—no, he prayed—that his prediction was wrong.
"I hate the Riddler," Adam muttered, standing up to join him.
He had always wondered how this man could cast such incredible spells without even holding his grimoire. It was almost unnatural.
"Wizard King," Adam asked curiously, "why is your magic so powerful, even without your grimoire?"
Space reigns supreme, but time rules all.
In this world, a mage's power usually flowed through their grimoire—the tool that refined their magic. Even Adam's divine power required the book as a medium.
But Julius… was something else.
The Wizard King didn't respond. Instead, he simply raised his hand toward the sky.
Adam followed his gaze—and his jaw dropped.
Above them floated a massive white page, as bright and pure as polished jade. It shone like the sun, radiating waves of time magic that blanketed the entire Clover Kingdom like an ever-open umbrella.
Nani?! That's supposed to be a book?!
Adam was completely stunned. Just how many spells could possibly be inscribed in something that massive?
"I don't think I'm needed for this anymore…"
He scratched his head awkwardly. With power like that, even if the Eye of the Midnight Sun attacked with everything they had, they'd stand no chance.
"Everything has contingencies," Julius said with a soft smile. "I'm just adding a layer of insurance."
He turned back to Adam, the morning light reflecting in his golden eyes. "You're special, Adam. Just like my coverless grimoire of Time. I used to think I was the only one like this."
Since Julius became the Magic Emperor, the entire kingdom had changed. Arrogant nobles were humbled, corruption had lessened, and hope had spread through the land.
But where there is light… shadows are born.
Even someone as powerful as Julius couldn't banish all darkness.
"Adam," Julius said calmly, "you're also… different. As if you don't truly belong to this world."
Adam froze, eyes narrowing slightly.
"You don't look like you belong here either," he said coolly, patting Julius on the shoulder before turning toward the door.
Julius blinked in surprise, then smiled.
"In a world where status rules everything, chasing equality may be foolish… but it's not wrong."
Adam paused briefly at the doorway as Julius called out, "You must come tomorrow!"
"Tomorrow or an accident," Adam muttered under his breath, "who knows which will come first…"
In the training dorm of the King's Chosen Knights, everyone gathered under strict orders—no information about the coming counterattack on the Eye of the Midnight Sun could leak.
But even the tightest security has cracks.
A shadow magic user slipped into Asta's shadow undetected.
"Newcomer number two—this guy came in with you!"
Mereoleona's roar shook the room.
The spy barely had time to blink before she yanked him out of Asta's shadow and beat him senseless.
"From what I got out of this bastard," she said, tossing the unconscious traitor aside, "the Eye of the Midnight Sun still doesn't know our movements."
She crossed her arms and barked, "To avoid any chance of them finding out, we move the plan forward. We depart tomorrow morning!"
"Tomorrow? Isn't that a bit too—"
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"
"Yes, ma'am!" the room shouted in unison.
Ulutim Volcanic Region
Adam stood on a cliff overlooking the violent, smoking landscape. His heart was uneasy. Something big was coming.
"It seems… I'll have to use its power."
He flipped open his grimoire. On the first page, the golden Rat Talisman symbol glowed brightly.
"Transform stillness into motion. Give life to the formless. Turn fiction into reality…"
The Clever Rat—its power was to create life.
"Xiaolan, come out!"
With a burst of red light, a 20-meter-long azure dragon burst forth from the pages, roaring as it circled the sky.
Adam clenched his fist. "Let's do something big."
He began to channel all his magic into creation.
"Lord of the Sea, Queen of Atlantis—grant me the full might of the Water Demon!"
Water surged around him, his body glowing blue as the ground trembled beneath his feet.
BOOM!
The volcano erupted violently. Magma geysers burst skyward as shockwaves rippled across the entire Clover Kingdom.
Black Bulls Headquarters
"What the hell was that?!"
Everyone ran outside in panic as the entire base shook. Similar tremors spread throughout the kingdom.
Julius, watching from afar, frowned deeply. His gaze seemed to pierce space itself, reaching toward the volcano.
"What happened…?"
Even Asta woke up from his nap, grabbing his grimoire. The others followed, ready for battle, thinking it was an invasion.
"Don't panic," Mereoleona said sternly, staring toward the distant Ulutim peaks. Her instincts told her—this wasn't the enemy. It was him.
"Give it form!"
Adam pressed his palms together, magic surging wildly. A small humanoid shape formed in front of him—made entirely of water.
The ground stilled, but the kingdom still quaked in awe. Hidden in the shadows, the Eye of the Midnight Sun began their next move, clutching the Elves' relics.
Then, Julius's image appeared across the skies, projected by spatial magic.
"People of Clover, don't panic—I'm here!"
His calm, steady voice washed over the kingdom like a warm wave, settling the frightened masses.
The power of a true leader was immeasurable.
Back at the volcano, Adam's magic had nearly run dry—but he refused to stop. His body trembled, veins glowing blue.
"It's not enough… I still have more!"
He forced out the last of his mana, pouring it into the watery figure until his vision blurred.
At last, golden light streamed into the creature's chest.
"The Clever Rat lets me revive all myths," Adam whispered, smiling weakly.
The small water figure blinked its eyes for the first time—and breathed.
"Just call me… Xiaoshui!"
A soft, melodic voice rang out.
Adam's mouth twitched. The thing he'd created looked way too much like him.
"Uhh… just call me Boss," he said awkwardly. "And if you don't like how you look, you can change it."
Xiaoshui stood on his palm, spinning once before striking a dramatic pose.
"I am the Son of the Sea—God of the Waves, Ruler of the World!"
Adam stared. Then sighed.
"…Great. He's even more pretentious than I am."
...
Author's Note:
The full completed version of Black Clover: I Awakened the Power of the Twelve Zodiac Talismans is now on Patreon!
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