Alan Stormborn's words echoed throughout the world, seeping into the seams of laws.
Like the passing of time, a tall, middle-aged man appeared in front of them silently.
His hair was short and messy, and his eyes were purple. His head was lined with at least a dozen six-pointed stars. There were stars on the back of his hands, and his neck, too.
Black looked ahead and failed to recognize if he was looking at a person or an entire world.
The red-robed man had a blank expression on his face.
Suddenly, the expression crumbled into joy!
"Alan!" Julius shouted merrily like a kid. "Dear gods! After all these years…"
"Hahaha!" Alan laughed boisterously, puffing out his huge chest. "Rascal! Stop teasing me…"
Huh? What's going on? Black couldn't make sense of it.
Right at that moment, the Ad Infinitum picked up something.
There was a mountain range visible in the corner of his right eye.
Suddenly, the entire range disappeared as if it were a mirage. The destruction was so thorough that not even sound originated from it.
This… Black mechanically looked at the disappeared mountains and then at his father and the man in front of them. Did they already exchange moves? When?!!
Alan's hand fell upon Black's shoulder. "Think less," he said, putting a cigar in his mouth. "Let me introduce you."
It was then Julius gave Black a look. "Oh! Is he…"
"Julius Novachrono," Alan said, blowing out smoke, "the 28th and the last Wizard King of the Clover Kingdom's Magic Knights. He possesses the Supreme Providence of two of the seven Primary Timelines of Black Clover Random World."
Black's eyes widened. What did he say?! How is that even possible?!!
Alan then put his hand on Black's head and ruffled his hair. "My son."
Julius grinned. He blinked in front of Black and held his hands. "What kind of magic do you use?!" he asked excitedly. "Come on! Show me!"
Alan's mouth twitched. "Not now, Julius," he said, pulling the man away by his red cloak. "We are pressed for time already."
Then he looked at Black. "Take the book out."
"The book?" Black asked.
Alan flicked the rim of the Sorting Hat. "The Book."
Black's heart skipped a beat. Is it related to… His hand flicked and he took out the Tales of the Beedle the Bard.
In the next moment, the Book was already in Julius' hands.
"WOW!" The Wizard King exclaimed, looking it up and down. Then he opened it and began… reading it. "Whoa! Interesting… Ah! Whoopsie! Haha!"
Alan didn't interrupt the man, letting the expert take care of the business. After a minute, he asked, "And?"
"It's hopeless," Julius said, smiling. "You will die, Captain. I will die with you, I guess. Haha!"
Alan smiled. "That's why I am gathering all of you."
Julius snapped his gaze off the book. "All of us?!" he asked, shutting the book. "Really?!! Let's go! Man… they must have become stronger. Maybe they have created some new magic, right, Alan?"
Alan's mouth twitched again. "Don't you have to…"
"No, no," Julius said, nearing Alan. "Let's go. Come on, hurry!"
"Get off me!" Alan snatched his arm away. "Alright."
Black was about to ask the Book back when Julius covered it in a blue ball of magic, sealing it.
"Look at him," Alan whispered to Black, raising his spear. "Look at Julius hard. Don't wonder how strong he is. Because…
"… Beyond him lie The Graveyard."
Julius looked up and smiled.
Black's eyes fell, his Source shaking in realization.
This was it. Julius Novachrono, as he stood there with a childish smile on his face, represented the truest height of power.
Beyond him, there were no Missions.
Beyond him, there were no Milestones.
Beyond him, there were no Skills, Items, or Abilities.
This was where the Random Worlds ended. This was where the World of Cartoons began.
As the spear fell and shattered the dimension, Black again looked at his father.
Just how strong, Black asked himself, is… He?!
…
They appeared in a majestic hall.
A tall, middle-aged man was sitting on a high-back throne in front of them.
He had a long face, broad chin, pronounced cheekbones, and reddish-brown eyes topped by thin eyebrows. His long black hair reached to his lower back, and apart from his mustache he remained clean-shaven. He was wearing a tattered, ankle-length, maroon-black cloak that had a red ribbon near the neck and was fastened to the left with a single large button.
The moment Alan, Julius, and Black landed on the floor, he opened his eyes.
Unlike before, Black couldn't sense Mana here much. But what he did sense was an overwhelming Spirituality. He could feel something calling to him. The voice originated not from outside, but from within.
His Zanpakuto was… screaming.
It was then the pupils of the man on the throne split, becoming two.
"Is that why I couldn't see this moment?" he asked with a deep voice, smiling. "Long time no see… Captain. You brought someone interesting with you. I can feel… her… Interesting."
Before Alan could say something, Julius pounced forward, blinking right next to the man.
"Tell me you came up with a new magic!" he exclaimed, nudging the man with his elbow. "Didn't you say you are working on something related to Reality? Yeah? Yeah?"
Black looked around and saw the guards.
Some of them were wearing white and some of them were wearing completely black. All of them were carrying a sword.
He didn't want to, but Black could feel it, too.
They weren't mere swords and those weren't mere guards.
Black couldn't believe it.
After all this time, he was finally here; In this Random World.
Alan Stormborn puffed out smoke and smiled at his old friend. "We need you, Your Majesty."
The man on the throne smiled back. "Don't tease me," he said, standing up. "Just call me… Yhwach."
…
Yhwach looked at Black with his dual pupils.
Black felt naked under the direct impact of that gaze.
It was like he had no secret that he could hide from this man; those eyes.
No matter how much the Ad Infinitum tried to theorize a way out, it failed. Calculations were useless if he didn't even know the variables he was working with.
Alan puffed out smoke and smiled. "Found something interesting?"
Yhwach looked away from Black, looked beyond him, and then finally met Alan's gaze. "Is that why you are here, Captain?"
Alan pointed at the sealed Book with his chin.
Yhwach gave another look at the space just behind Black and then turned around, planting his gaze on the Book. Suddenly, he shuddered.
"I… see…" Yhwach said gravely.
Julius blinked near Alan.
Captain of the Storm Pirates, Alan Stormborn, hacked the space to his left with his spear and shattered the dimension.
"Have you chosen an heir, Your Majesty?" he asked, blue-black gusts of wind howling out of the cracked dimension. "How about my son here? Not bad, huh?"
Yhwach's dual pupils became one. "Not bad at all," he nodded, stepping toward the dimensional crack. "But… not enough, Alan. The more you help him, the more you will ruin his destiny."
Alan guffawed. "Hahaha! It's not like I had a choice."
Yhwach scoffed, looking at the sealed Book. "That's true, Captain."
Behind them, Black just stood there, knowing not what to say.
He felt off, out of his element, and beyond his reach.
Just before the Sorting Hat Ceremony, Black had considered himself at the Peak of Absolute Power. Now…
… He felt humbled.
**************
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