The magic +???=??

A silvery energy with dark streaks surged toward Blackheart, seemingly ready to slice him in half.

The enemy moved at high speed, dodging to the side. As soon as he finished this movement, energy blasts and extensive claw attacks came my way.

With a calm smile hidden behind my mask, my sword cut through the extensions that tried to strike me, while my left hand moved—summoning a magical circle in front of it. A shield of ice formed, successfully blocking the attacks.

Upon seeing the ice structure, he looked at me with both caution and curiosity.

"Your magic seems different from that of sorcerers. Somehow, you use magical energy attacks, yet you also appear capable of wielding spiritual attacks—essentially, strikes infused with soul energy. A rather peculiar feat."

"I'm growing increasingly curious about your identity," Blackheart remarked.

At the same time, his body vanished from sight.

My left hand moved in an instant.

"Clackkk!!!"

The sound of colliding objects echoed.

My enemy's claws clashed against white threads, which seemed to solidify more and more.

Blackheart frowned as he realized I had another trick up my sleeve. Unbothered, I swung my sword in a unique motion.

In an instant, a magic circle formed on the ground, and five sharp ice spears shot toward him.

He conjured a barrier of demonic and magical energy, shielding himself from the attack and allowing him to retreat.

I felt slightly dissatisfied with my performance, however. In truth, I had already revealed more of my abilities than I intended—and too soon at that. I should have created a stronger ice shield or simply relied on my internal energy.

I possess many skills, powers, and spells, all of which hold great potential. And in the strategy of a rabbit pretending to be a tiger, I prefer to avoid revealing too much too soon—allowing me to unleash surprise attacks when needed.

Returning my focus to the fight, my left hand propelled my body forward, making me appear right in front of him.

In my left hand, threads charged with powerful lunar energy glowed, while my sword, imbued with silvery energy, slashed toward his body.

And so, we exchanged countless blows. His speed was remarkable, and his energy, along with his physical strength, was undoubtedly powerful. However...

"Agh!!"

Blackheart's cry rang out as, with a powerful strike, I severed his right arm.

At the spot where the arm had been, orange and red flames ignited, continuing to burn and preventing regeneration.

"Compared to Uncle Ares, he's not that strong... at least, not this version of him… and he's definitely more arrogant," I murmured, my voice low enough that only I could hear.

Placing my sword at my side, my hands gently touched the ground.

'Ice Make: Rose Vines'

A large magic circle appeared, and crystalline ice vines sprouted from the earth, attacking his body. The movement was swift, and the previous impact seemed to have affected him—his leg was struck hard.

The ice energy seeped into his body.

"This is going beyond my limits," he muttered, his voice carrying frustration and fury.

At that moment, he seemed to decide to use everything he had.

His body began to emit an overwhelming amount of energy, but more than that—I could sense, through both my eyes and my Haki, that he was attempting to connect with another dimension, likely seeking reinforcements from his alternate self or true form.

I walked in a circular motion around the area, meticulously observing the events. The upcoming moments were particularly unique to me.

Like a fracture in reality, I saw faint traces of a realm engulfed in lava, crimson energy, and black energy—similar yet distinct from Blackheart's own.

Just as he was attempting to complete the connection, golden runes and magic circles appeared around the fracture, restricting and preventing the influence from the other side from reaching this world.

"Of course, another scheme by the sorcerers. And yet, they call us demons..." he said irritably, though he seemed to have anticipated this possibility.

Despite the interference, the energy from the other side managed to break through one of the sorcerers' restrictions and began enveloping his body. Naturally, the amount of energy was significantly reduced, but it would still serve to strengthen him.

A silver light, streaked with fiery orange-red flames, surged like a destructive tide.

"Sorry, but you're not the protagonist—I won't just stand here and let you power up," I taunted.

Gripping my sword with both hands, I launched my attack.

He resisted the strike, and over time, his counterattack seemed to gain the advantage.

I smirked, releasing my grip and allowing my sword to float midair through mental control, while each of my hands turned to my sides.

With two magic circles, two creatures of magical ice were formed—a gigantic eagle and a large saber-toothed tiger.

At my command, the two creatures lunged forward at high speed, radiating freezing magical energy with ferocity.

Realizing he was being attacked from three fronts, Blackheart grew frustrated and unleashed even more energy. I also noticed he was trying to channel power into his severed arm, attempting to extinguish the lingering flames and regenerate it. However, it proved to be a difficult task—especially while fending off my attacks.

An interesting observation: physical attacks seemed to pose less of a threat to him. I particularly noticed this when I tried to strike him with my threads alone. Fortunately, my tiger and eagle were made of magical ice, which proved effective against him.

"Irritating! Irritating!! Inferior beings from a weak dimension—how dare you?!"

His energy erupted with immense force, shattering my sword attack and pushing my ice magic away.

I frowned but seized the opportunity.

Using teleportation, I appeared above him and, with a swift motion of my sword, unleashed a dense surge of silvery sword intent.

The energy forced him toward the ground, but he managed to break free using his claw, which was now engulfed in a powerful aura.

"Foolish! But you are strong—submit to me, and I won't be too cruel," my enemy's voice echoed in my ears.

I rolled my eyes. Typical villain speech.

Slowly, I descended, using gentle gusts of wind to aid my movement.

"Dear demon villain, my apologies, but I must decline. Oh, and by the way—thank you for your help," I said, my tone lighthearted.

My right hand moved, forming quick hand signs, while my left hand conjured my wand.

"Joint Art: Sealing Jutsu + Binding Spell."

The enemy had no time to react as a fusion of inscriptions spread across the ground and enveloped his body.

The markings were a combination of sealing jutsu sigils and witchcraft enchantments.

It was a rather primitive and unstable combination, yet one that intrigued me. I thoroughly enjoyed experimenting with both.

Alongside the sealing and cursed jutsu sigils were unique symbols of enchantment and witch language.

My wand moved gracefully, and magical threads—white, yellow, and flickering with soft blue flames—appeared, tightly restraining his body.

"No!" Blackheart shouted in frustration as more energy condensed around him, trying to break free from the restraints binding him.

It became clear that they wouldn't hold for long—both due to his level and my own inadequacy in properly merging the techniques.

Without hesitation, I let my wand float in the air beside a scroll I had prepared in advance. Both would maintain the restraints with some degree of stability.

Slowly, I stepped into the sealing circle.

My eyes began to take on a draconic form.

Deep within my soul, a dragon-shaped flame emerged, radiating destructive fire energy laced with divine and ancient power.

"I'm using too much of my Soul Energy and this flame. If I'm being honest, I'm not a fan of it… but right now, it's my most destructive ability—especially against enemies sensitive to magical or spiritual energy, like you."

My body began to glow with orange and red flames. Not only that, but traces of light energy from my magic flickered around me.

The demon, quite obviously, sensed the danger and struggled even harder to break free.

I gave him no chance.

In an instant, I appeared in front of him. A dragon's roar echoed, and my hands transformed into blazing claws that immediately slashed at his body.

Unable to withstand the attack—still restrained—his body began to turn to ashes and fade into nothingness.

Unfortunately for me, someone on the other side of the rift seemed to notice what was happening and attempted to send more energy to strike me.

"Enough interference," I said, turning toward the portal.

A surge of mental pressure and a dominating aura reached the fracture. With a swift motion, I sent red-orange flame threads toward it.

The flames incinerated the attempted interference, while my mental pressure temporarily restricted the enemy.

This gave the sorceress just enough time to seal the rift.

When it was all over, I stood alone in the center of the battlefield.

The flames around me slowly faded.

With a simple command, my wand and scroll returned to my hands.

Standing still, I gathered the remaining fire at the tip of my wand, where runes and magical incantations swirled back into it.

"Expecto Patronum."

Three magical crows, formed from light and tinged with fire, appeared.

With a flick of my wand, they flew off in different directions.

"Looks like you noticed that he tried to escape by scattering traces of his energy," Livia's voice came from my side.

She and the four injured sorcerers approached slowly.

I turned to her and replied, "Yes. I sensed the previous attack, and the so-called retaliation from the rift seemed more like a diversion. Not only that—he tried to plant something beforehand. As expected of a being that has lived for centuries."

In truth, I had perceived it more clearly when I used my domain power—along with a warning from Blackie, the divine turtle residing in my mental sea.

"Well, you've done your part. We'll try to track the remnants, but completely suppressing his energy is always complicated. At the very least, in the Mirror Dimension, he won't be able to affect Earth directly. Besides, he won't reach our dimension so easily now."

I nodded and shifted my gaze back to her small group.