𝐖𝐀𝐇𝐋𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐆 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐀𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐇. "What are you doing, Mash Burnedead, Y/n L/n? This man is after you! You must go immedi---"
Mash politely interrupted him in mid-sentence. "I was raised to be kind to the elderly."
"Real." You nodded in concurrence.
Wahlberg's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're saying that you both will treat me just like any old man out there?"
Innocent Zero chuckled heartily. "As I'd expect from Mash Burnedead. I'm glad you came all the way out here to see me. My son. Now, you shall come with me."
"Wha..." Mash bluntly refused.
Mash's blunt response offended Innocent Zero, causing him to clench his fist in aggravation before giving Mash an order. "Come."
"Wha..." Mash bluntly refused again.
"That's why assuming things is so embarrassing." You deadpanned.
"I see." Innocent Zero clicked his tongue. "Then I'll have to take you by force. But before that..." Innocent Zero smirked, pointing his wand at Wahlberg and you.
In the blink of an eye, Innocent Zero time magic engulfed you and Mr. Wahlberg.
"Y/n!" Mash got panicked and immediately stretched out his arm to grab you but he was too late.
"Mash, I'll be fine." You reassured him. "Help Mr. Wahlberg."
"Okay." Mash tentatively nodded. Even though he was certain you would be fine. You had what it took to deal with any type of danger, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy for some reason and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Barrier." You mumbled before being swallowed by magic.
Unfortunately for Wahlberg, it was too late. He couldn't do anything but stay trapped inside the Time spell cage, letting Innocent Zero steal his magic.
"With repeated physical reconfiguration of my body, I became able to steal others' magical abilities." Innocent Zero bragged. "Of course, I obtained our master's dark magic as well. And now Y/n, Wahlberg, your omniscient magic and spatial magic are next."
You broke his time spell cage with your Anti-magic and escaped unscathed, while Mash yanked Wahlberg out of it.
"Too late." Innocent Zero scoffed. "I finally got omniscient power." Innocent Zero pointed his wand at the mountain in front of him with a sly smile. "Space sacrifice." The spell teleported half of the mountain into space.
'This can't be...My magic...but such a difference in magical capacity...' Wahlberg contemplated, gazing at the mountain in utter stupefaction.
"Darn." Mash muttered, covering his mouth.
"I gained the power to rule this world. The world is mine now." Innocent Zero muttered with solemn expression.
"Someone is dreaming big." You deadpanned.
"Now I'll make you pay for humiliating me earlier with your own magic. It's time for you to face your karma." Innocent Zero smirked, pointing his wand at you.
"Plot twist: Karma takes my side. Go ahead and give it a shot." You spoke bluntly.
"Don't mind if I do." Innocent Zero's smirk faded quickly, and he got dumbfounded when nothing came from his wand. "How?"
"You can't steal my magic from me Innocent Zero. Don't mean to offend you or crush your ego, but try harder next time." You smiled warmly at him.
"Oh." Innocent Zero's brow furrowed in annoyance, thinking you were mocking him, which wasn't the case. "How did you..... " He paused as realization dawned on him. "Oh right, you're a high-quality ingredient for me. I should've expected this much from you."
"Ingredient?" You grimaced. "Never once in my life, I felt this revolted. What are you, a container for storing ingredients?"
"We will see soon." Innocent Zero scoffed. "Mash Burnedead, Y/n L/n. You're next. You'll be mine. "
Innocent Zero's sentence left Mash with a sour taste in his mouth. "Y/n is no one's possession." Mash muttered, his expression dead serious.
Mash swiftly sprinted toward Innocent Zero and began kicking and punching him several times, but unbeknownst to Mash, his attack didn't even graze Innocent Zero. "Go find someone around your age."
"Slay Mash." You snickered, clapping your hands.
"Doesn't faze me one bit." Innocent Zero smirked, making Mash punch him, but he blocked it with his hand. "I said it doesn't faze me. " Innocent Zero taunted Mash.
Mash was about to attack him again when he realized his foot was about to be caught in Innocent Zero's magic. Mash reacted abruptly and jumped back to avoid being caught in his spell.
"That was close." Mash breathed a sigh of relief.
"You felt an overwhelming difference in power with your own body. I'll take you home with me, Mash Burnedead." Innocent remarked.
"Sure, if only you could." You interjected.
Suddenly, Innocent Zero experienced an excruciating headache, causing him to clutch his head in anguish and his magic to wither.
"What now?" Mash pondered, tilting his head in perplexity.
"His magical power is running beyond his physical capacity. That's the price of greedily seeking power. " Wahlberg pointed out.
'I only wish to become a perfect human. Undying, beautiful and powerful. That's all I want.' Wahlberg recalled before contemplating. 'A perfect human. To obtain a physical body that can hold all magical powers. That's why he's after Mash Burndead.'
'That's explains why Mash is so strong. But seriously, a container? How can he see Mash as a container?' You contemplated.
"You seemed cool until you showed this. How pathetic. I'm so embarrassed for you that I can't even laugh. If You can't even control your power. Ain't becoming a perfect human being just a pipe dream for you then?" You enquired.
Innocent Zero clenched his jaw and glared at you. "Don't be cocky, brat. You two are nothing more than my ingredients."
"How repulsive. I'm so disgusted that I can't even laugh it off." You muttered with repulsion.
"Shut up, you disrespectful brat." Innocent Zero snapped at you. "Listen, your sole purpose in life is to elevate me to a higher state of being."
"Wow, talk about asking for too much." You deadpanned.
"That's simply your ego talking" Wahlberg chimed in.
"Are you egoistic because you're Innocent Zero? Or are you Innocent Zero because you're egoistic?" You snickered.
Innocent Zero felt his brow twitch with irritation. "Didn't F/n teach you how to speak with your elders? I'm your father's age. Keep your language in check when speaking with me. Last time, I simply let down my guard. Don't get cocky! I'm a superior being."
"He has a superiority complex. How concerning." You shook your head in disappointment.
"I said watch your langua—"
Your blunt voice interrupted him in mid-sentence. "I see no problems with the way I'm speaking. You're being rude, and you expect me to be polite. Don't be a hypocrite."
"Y/n, that's not how you talk to your elders!" Wahlberg exclaimed.
You disregarded Whalberg's statement. Your expression changed to one of seriousness. "Mash ain't your ingredients. He's a human being and as a human being he has right to decide the course of his own life. Just because you're his biological father doesn't give you right to make his decision for him. Nowadays, water is thicker than blood and Bonds are stronger than blood. So, don't use "I'm your Dad." card to coerce Mash into doing what you want. Keep those fake cards to yourself. Mash has a real card now."
"Hm" Mash nodded, moved by your words.
Innocent Zero chuckled. "The course of his own life? Humans like you who can't use magic can't live within this realm anyway."
'Shock!' Mash got petrified by the shock.
"It's your fault Mash is like this." You pointed your finger at Innocent Zero. "You were definitely lacking something when you made Mash."
Wahlberg and Innocent Zero got speechless. 'Having a lot of knowledge can be scary sometimes.'
Innocent Zero coughed. "Adam Johns had ruled over the magic Realm for a long time. He kept saying, Nobless Oblige and the like, but in the end, he couldn't stop the exclusion of those who couldn't use magic. Can't I say the same to you? Right, Wahlberg?" Innocent Zero taunted Wahlberg, casting space magic at him.
'Oh no. With almost no magical power left, I can't completely dodge it.' Wahlberg contemplated.
You used your magic to erase his magic then looked at Innocent Zero with solemn expression. "That was so cowardly. What do you think you will gain from defeating a defenseless old man?"
"Hmph," Innocent Zero scoffed.
"What a convenient tale, isn't it? In a world where magic is everything, the best magic user is such a despicable guy. " Mash curled his fingers into a fist as he stared at Innocent Zero. "He's so worth defeating with my muscles."
"Yeah, Mash." You nodded.
"Then the world will accept me. " Mash seemed proud when he said that.
"Ignorance can be such a scary thing." Innocent Zero chuckled at Mash's ignorance.
"Y/n, why is he copying your lines?" Mash deadpanned.
"Fan, I guess." You joked.
"Ignorant kids. It seems you can't comprehend me, an omnipotent being...." Innocent Zero paused, and the sky behind him fragmented, revealing a dimension portal. " However, it seems I do require some time to acclimate to this body as well."
Innocent Zero furrowed his brow and glared at you. "Once I become a perfect human being, you're the first person I would kill for humiliating me."
"Good luck then." You smiled, giving him a wave.
"Now, if you will excuse me." Innocent Zero turned and approached the dimension gate.
'That easy...' Wahlberg pondered in disbelief.
Innocent Zero stopped and turned himself to face you and others. "We'll finish this another time." Innocent Zero used magic to make the defeated monster disappear from the arena.
"What's this magic?" Dot wondered.
"The demons are disappearing," Lance noted.
"It's pointless to transfer all the ones we have defeated," Macaron stated.
'They're right but this is Innocent Zero we're facing. There has to be some reason..' kaldo contemplated.
All of the corpses fused together and created a gigantic monster.
"I-It is gotten huge!" An alarmed member of the audience exclaimed.
'He fused together the corpses of the demons we defeated to create a giant monster. ' kaldo pondered.
"What is that?" Mash inquired, keeping his gaze fixed on the monster.
"That's..." Wahlberg's voice trailed off.
"You sure have quite a big mouth. So stop it if you can, Mash Burnedead." Innocent Zero stated sternly. "If someone without magic is even capable of such a feat." Innocent Zero disappeared along with the dimension gate.
'A monster in that state has enough power to destroy an entire town instantly. He decided to fight power with power and an overwhelming one.' Wahlberg Pondered.
Wahlberg clutched his head, apparently suffering from a headache. 'Oh no, my magical power....'
He began falling toward the ground from the sky due to losing his magical power. You noticed this and quickly waved your wand to form a barrier. A blue barrier appeared behind him, saving him from a disastrous fall.
"In the end, I arrive just on time during a crisis. That's who I am.." Ryoh boasted despite doing nothing.
"Just like his age, his eyes are also aging, making it difficult for him to notice his lateness." You stated, looking down at Ryoh.
"Ryoh." The headmaster spoke after hearing his voice.
"Mr. Wahlberg." Ryoh got panicked to see his injuries. "Those injuries. We must take you to the Bureau of Magic Hospital...."
"B-Be careful, Mash....Burne...." He passed out before he could finish his sentence.
"Mash? Mushroom head was here?" Ryoh was taken aback to hear that. 'Oh, then I'll go look for him.' Mash's words echoed into Ryoh's mind.
"Sheesh." Ryoh grumbled. "You promised me. You will let me know when you find him. However..... this was quite some hot stuff you did here."
𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐇 after devising a strategy to make him shine. "Mash, I have a plan."
"A plan?" Mash repeated with curiosity. You nodded before explaining your plan to him. Mash listened intently.
Magic vanished, freeing the students.
They got perplexed by the sudden change in their surroundings and began whispering among themselves.
"H-Huh?"
"What? What happened?"
"I feel like I was sleeping the whole time. "
"What in the world..."
"Huh? Where's the dragon?" Lemon wondered.
"Dot? Lance?" Finn looked around.
"The time stoppage magic is gone." Kaldo noted, holding his chin.
"That's not good!" Dot exclaimed, looking at Lance.
"People are going to panic." Lance forecasted.
"No doubt" Macaron nodded. "I mean, we have that monster over there.."
When students saw the monster, shivers ran down their spines and they started whispering to one another.
"What's that thing?"
"Is that a monster?"
"Nah, it's an angel who has come to take Y'all to heaven." You deadpanned.
"You're kidding me!"
"Hey, it's heading our way!"
"Is it trying to destroy our school?"
"Nah, just in mood to play football" You stated sarcastically.
"Y/n shouldn't you teleport us there?" Mash asked.
"I'm just waiting for the right time." You replied. Mash didn't quite get but decided to go with your plan.
"Lord Able... That's...." Love shivered, clutching Abel's sleeve.
"Innocent Zero." Abel stated.
"Mash, Y/n" Lemon quietly begged you and Mash to save her. Cold sweat coated her skin, displaying how terrified she was.
The monster punched the wall, sending debris flying over the students.
"T-The rubble..." Finn stammered, his eyes widening with fright.
"No!" Lemon cried out.
"Help me, big brother!" Anna cried out.
"Anna don't be afraid. We have Lance with us." You stated, hugging Anna tightly to block her vision.
"Graviole!" Lance exclaimed aloud, pointing his wand at the falling rubber, making them stop in midair.
"What? They stopped!" One of the students exclaimed.
Lance smiled with closed eyes. "Don't worry, Y/n. My sole purpose in life is to protect you and Anna from any harm. Just leave it to your husband."
"What was that cutscene just now? Did I see one of your fantasies? Me?" Dot got freaked out by Lance's vivid and authentic fantasies freaked. He quickly backed away from Lance. "freaky?!"
"Sounds Re!" Macaron used their magic to crush the dropping rubber before turning their attention to the students. "Hurry! Get out of here!"
Students rushed up to the exit.
"We can't win against a monster like that.." Finn muttered as he was pushed by students.
"MASH! Where are you, Mash!?" Lemon cried out.
Dot confidently stood a few feet away from the monster. "No matter how big this thing is..." He pointed his wand at the monster. "Explomb!" Dot fired fireballs at the monster, but they were blocked by an unexpected barrier in front of the monster.
The unexpected shock caused Dot to completely turn to stone. 'It totally pulled that barrier thingy out of nowhere... what's up with that?'
"That's a magic nullifying barrier." Kaldo mentioned, approaching him.
"Barrier" Dot faced Kaldo with puzzled expression. "You mean the same thing that protected that thorny dude?"
"Yes," Kaldo nodded. "One of Innocent Zero's casters who put that up should be around here somewhere. If we don't defeat them, magic won't work against that thing. Orter and O/b/n are after the caster right now, but I'm sure they're deftly hiding. We can't do anything at present. So I'm going to join the investigation. "
"M-Me too!" Dot followed him.
𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐑.
"Hey, don't push! Help!"
"A monster that magic doesn't work against? It's all over!"
"No good. There's a barrier over here too, so we can't escape!"
"You're not gonna run?" Lance asked, approaching Macaron.
"Who are you saying that to?" Macaron scoffed.
"No matter what comes, I'll stop it." Lance spoke sternly.
"It looks like I'll be able to perform a wonderful melody." Macaron snickered.
'Damn it, a caster who put the barrier? And that monster's almost on us. We're gonna be doomed at this rate. ' Dot pondered with frustration, running through the corridor with Kaldo.
"Save us!" The students continued their ramblings.
"I don't wanna die yet!"
"Done for... We're all done for. "
"Help! Someone help us!"
"Why did things end up this way?" Finn wondered, looking utterly spooked.
Lemon clutched her head in frustration. "And I haven't gone on my honeymoon yet!"
'Seriously that's what you really worried about?' You left speechless.
"We're about to get killed and you're only worried about doing boombayah with Mushroom head. I'm so disgusted that I don't want to die in same space as you." Runa grimaced, walking past her.
Lemon got offended by her blunt remark and snapped at her. "Hey!" but she chose to ignore Lemon and went to help Macaron and Lance.
Abyss drew his sword, ready to defend Abel. "Lord Abel."
"This time, we're done for! It's all over for Easton!" The students cried out. The monster stretched out his hand to punch school wall.
"What? crap!" Dot exclaimed, watching from outside.
'We won't make it in time.' kaldo pondered, gritting his teeth.
𝐔𝐍𝐁𝐄𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐄, Mash dragged the monster who was about to destroy the school wall.
"How...." Finn furrowed his brow in puzzlement.
"Why...?" Lemon got perplexed.
"It's being dragged back. Is that magic?" Abyss wondered, seeing the monster being dragged back by someone.
"No, the barrier nullifies all magic. Which means, that's likely...." Abel paused as realization dawned on him.
"It's him!" Dot finished his sentence.
"Impossible." Kaldo was amazed to see Mash dragging the monster back with the chain fastened around its chest.
Finn and Lemon were first to approach the arena's windows and noticed it was Mash who was dragging the monster back.
"Huh? No way." Lemon gasped.
'Ever since I met you... I've always felt this way but this is simply way too ridiculous Mash.' Finn pondered in disbelief.
'The plan is working well as I thought' You smirked.
"Hey, that....Isn't that Mash Burnedead?" One of the students pointed out.
"Y-You're kidding me"
"He's playing...tug of war with it!" The trio, who no one knew, exclaimed in unison.
"But is it all right?"
"He can't use magic, right?"
"Can someone like that be at the top of this school?"
"We can't allow that."
"There's no room for someone who can't use magic in this world."
"Hypocrisy at its peak. That's a bit rich coming from bystanders." You scoffed. "Don't you feel ashamed to see how you can't do anything despite having magic and running to save your lives? While he's without magic fighting for garbage like you and the school. If there is no room, make one. The world is a big place, dumbass."
"She called us dumbasses. The audacity of this bitch" The students fumed.
"She has a point, though. Does it really matter? Whether or not you can use magic... " A student stated, capturing everyone's attention.
"Yeah, right now he's fighting for us and our school. He's giving his all to fight for us." Adrian added.
"You can do it." A student cheered and Others eventually joined him.
Finn got moved to see how everyone was now rooting for Mash. 'I'd never have imagined this. Mash Who was always scolded at school. Mash who was about to be expelled. Mash who can't use magic. He's overriding every rule in this world where magic is everything.'
"You did a good job, Mash. Now, leave it to me." You used your Anti Magic to create a black flame sword and slashed the monster in half with a single strike. The Monster's half-cut body got quickly reduced to ashes before it could reach the ground.
"Wait, what was that?" The audience got dumbfounded and perplexed to see that.
"Magic don't work on it, right?"
"If you were that capable?! Why you didn't save us sooner!" The students exclaimed with aggravation.
"Keeping students safe is teachers' responsibility. Take that question to Mr. Wahlberg, who always brags about Nobless Oblige." You simply ignored them and walked towards Mash.
"Don't ignore us!"
"𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐇, 𝐘/𝐍" 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐍 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃, approaching you both with Lemon and Lance. "I'm glad you were all right. "
"Yeah, thanks." Mash stated with sincerity.
Lance felt a sense of relief wash over him when he saw you unharmed. He smiled softly and gently patted your head. "I'm glad to see you unscathed, Y/n."
"Me too, Lance." You smiled.
"Um..." Lance felt heat rush up to his cheeks and his heart fluttered at the sight of your angelic smile.
"Mash, you were so amazing! That was so awesome!! I'm so proud of my husband!" Lemon gushed. She closed her eyes and leaned toward Mash, expecting to be kissed by him. "Take me, and eat up."
"Eat up." Mash repeated.
"Yeah," Lemon stated eagerly.
"Tasty, so tasty" Mash murmured, eating creampuffs.
Lemon's eyes snapped open. "What? A creampuff? Why?!" She cried out.
"Mash prefers creampuffs cream instead of yours." You deadpanned, handing her a handkerchief.
"WHY?!" Lemon shrieked, clutching your shirt tightly and shaking you violently because she was going through emotional turmoil.
"Y/n please stop yourself from saying something like that!" Finn exclaimed with flushed face. "Match your words with your age!"
You looked at Finn over your shoulder. "Why? I only spoke fact?"
"I refuse to accept!" Lemon snapped, letting go of your shirt, causing you to scramble backward.
Your back hit Lance's chest. "That was a close call." Lance's relieved voice echoed into your ears.
You felt your lips curving into a smile.
"Thanks for always being there for me, Lance."
With a gentle smile, Lance locked eyes with you, his gaze brimming with affection. "No matter what, I'll always be there for you, even when death do us part."
You felt the depth of his love in his tender, affectionate gaze when you locked eyes with him. You could tell his words were sincere and authentic, with no sugarcoating. He never sugarcoated his emotions. That's what you liked most about him.
"Mash take me and eat up, and you will understand." Lemon once again closed her eyes and leaned toward Mash, expecting to be kissed by Mash. "It might prove Y/n wrong."
"Lemon, please." Finn exclaimed with flushed face, The secondhand embarrassment he was feeling for her was beyond description.
"What exactly are you talking about?" Mash asked, still eating his creampuffs.
'Mash is too innocent to understand.' You and Finn contemplated.
You shifted your gaze to Mash. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and you have taken those steps, Mash. I'm so proud of you."
"Um..." Mash nodded.
𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐇 𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐈𝐌𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅 𝐓𝐎 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐖𝐍. "I see, I get it. Thank you for the report. "
"Now if you'll excuse me. " Shawn bowed before exiting the hospital.
"Ryoh." The headmaster called.
Ryoh turned to face him after hearing his voice. "Mr. Wahlberg. It seems like they did it. That mushroom head and Y/n."
"I know right? My daughter is queen" Your mum gushed, entering the room.
"Miss. M/n. You never age, do you?" Ryoh teased.
"Unfortunately I can't say same for you, Ryoh." M/n deadpanned.
"How is his condition?" Ryoh asked, trying to change the topic.
"He's fine but we can't restore his magical power." M/n informed him.
'Nobless oblige. In this magic realm, the one who embodies that concept the most are you and y/n.' Wahlberg contemplated.
M/n sighed, tired of hearing same lines over and over. "Drop that Nobless Oblige. It's kinda cringe Wahlberg."
'I forgot she can read mind.' Wahlberg mentally facepalmed. "Listen, Nobless Oblige---"
M/n quickly walked toward the door before he could finish his sentence. "I'm done with treatment. So I'm leaving."
"Hey, hear me out--" Wahlberg paused when he saw her closing the door.
𝐎/𝐁/𝐍 𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐂 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐄𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐑 𝐆𝐔𝐘. "O/b/n." Kaldo approached him with Dot.
"Good job. Where is Orter?" Kaldo paused when he noticed the barrier guy being dragged by sand.
"H-Help..." He pleaded as sand engulfed him.
"Speak of devil." O/b/n snickered.
"Orter..." Kaldo muttered.
After dealing with the caster, Orter shifted his gaze to Kaldo. "Kaldo, I hear you have sided with Mash burnedead. To be swayed simply from a small show of brawn... How you have fallen. I'll not accept him."
Kaldo chuckled softly. "It's not like I fully accept him, either. However, his strength is legitimate, if nothing else. There may come a time when you'll have to accept that. " With that, Kaldo left with Dot.