Chapter 33 (Patreon)

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"Don't let the shadows of yesterday consume you. The best power-ups are always found in the light of a new dawn."

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Chapter 33

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"Wha—?"

She didn't even have time to finish her thought.

Because then she felt it.

The air warped. Pressure coiled around her like a crushing, ancient tide.

The magic—so dense, so heavy, so old. And so, so furious.

She turned, her whole body jerking—

And there he was.

Standing behind her.

Naruto Uzumaki.

His staff was held low, and his robes fluttered in the still air. His red hair was a mess, and his eyes glowed faintly with a jade light under the falling ash.

He didn't even look like he was in a fighting stance. He looked relaxed, his arms loose, with his guard completely down.

But Solitär didn't dare to move.

He was silent for a moment.

Then, softly—

"I think I know now," Naruto said, his voice quiet, but sharp enough to split mountains. "Why the hag is so racist. You demons… you're not sad or tragic. You're just pure evil trying to sound poetic."

Solitär's mouth opened.

She didn't beg this time.

She ran.

Stumbling and gasping, like a child who knew they had done something horribly wrong.

"I—I'm sorry—no, wait—please—I was just scared—don't—!"

But it was too late.

Because in that moment, for the first time in her entire life—

Solitär felt something that no spell, no book, and no experiment had ever taught her.

A human emotion.

Fear.

Solitär fell to her knees, ash and blood dripping from her cracked lips. Her smile was completely gone now. Her arms and legs trembled, not with power—but with terror. The once-proud demon who laughed at death was now clinging to life like a child lost in a storm.

"Please…" she rasped, her voice hoarse. "Please, Naruto Uzumaki… don't. I—I don't want to die. I can change. I'll stop. I swear it—I'll stop hurting people. I'll learn. I'll… I'll try."

Naruto didn't move. His green eyes remained cold and unwavering.

His staff pulsed with dense magic. The air shimmered around him as a fierce wind whipped through his white robes, even though there was no breeze before.

He took a step forward.

Solitär shrank away from him.

"Your only mercy," he said, his voice low and firm, "is death."

The Rasengan whirled in his hand, a swirling storm of compressed magic, glowing like a final judgment. The moment he launched it, the world seemed to freeze.

And in that instant, Solitär's life flashed behind her eyes.

Not her battles.

Not her victories.

Not her experiments.

But a memory that had been buried for so long that even time had forgotten it.

She was young, her mind barely formed, let alone her body. She was sitting cross-legged on a cold, black floor, the air heavy with incense and blood magic. In front of her stood a tall, shrouded figure.

The Demon King.

She didn't remember most of what he said. Not the theories. Not the lectures. Not the punishments. But there was one sentence. One whisper in the dark that somehow stayed in her soul.

"…He had hair as red as human blood and eyes as green as the forbidden forest. His magic was like an ocean of kindness… and justice."

She remembered wondering back then: What kind of creature has magic like that?

She never got the answer.

Until now.

As the Rasengan got closer, firelight reflecting in her wide, trembling eyes—her lips parted in a strange, sad smile. "Ah… what a destiny," she murmured. "To think I'd be taken down by…"

And she didn't finish the thought.

Because the Rasengan hit.

There was no scream.

Only a blinding light.

And then, nothing.

Where she once stood, only dust danced in the wind, trailing through the last beams of sunlight.

Naruto stood silently for a moment, his staff lowering. His hair fluttered gently in the breeze, and his eyes were impossible to read.

He stared in the direction where she had vanished, his brow furrowed just a little.

"…What was she mumbling about?" he muttered, almost to himself.

Then he shook his head, let out a breath, and the swirling sea of magic around him disappeared. His powerful presence shrank back to normal.

No time for mysteries. He turned, his face calm once again.

"Denken…" he whispered. "Macht…"

And with that, Naruto disappeared into the forest mist, heading toward the distant sound of clashing magic—toward the battle that was still raging.

The golden streets of El Dorado shimmered with blood and dust.

Denken was slumped on the ground, barely conscious, his robes soaked in crimson. His cane had been snapped in half next to him, and his glasses were cracked, with one lens completely gone. In front of him, Macht stood perfectly clean and calm, the edge of his black coat stained faintly with ash and blood. He tilted his head, his eyes showing no concern at all.

"Lord Denken," Macht said with the cold voice of someone giving a eulogy, "you tried very hard. But it is a simple reality… that humans, no matter how hard they try, cannot defeat a demon."

He raised a hand, dark magic crackling in his palm.

And in that instant—pop.

Denken vanished in a flicker of light, teleported away.

A few yards away, Naruto stood, his white and gold robes ruffling in the breeze. Denken's body was carefully supported by two glowing shadow clones. Naruto's staff glowed faintly in his left hand, its point digging into the golden pavement. The clones gently laid Denken down and began using healing magic to stabilize him.

"Naruto?" Denken murmured, coughing weakly. "…Didn't think you'd show up this quickly."

Naruto didn't respond. He was already walking forward, steady and calm, his green eyes locked on Macht.

Macht turned slightly, his face unreadable. "I see," he said. "So you killed Solitär."

Naruto said nothing. He just kept walking until he stood alone between Macht and the crumbling golden city.

Two more clones shimmered into existence and stood guard beside Denken.

Macht's gaze narrowed. "Do you wish to fight me, Naruto Uzumaki?"

Naruto stopped.

"You once said," he began, his voice quiet but clear, "that you were looking for coexistence. That you were different. That you wanted to understand humans."

"That is true," Macht answered without emotion. "However, this particular experiment… this city, this test… has failed. The fortified city of El Dorado did not give me the results I wanted. It is time for me to start again."

"You can't just walk away like this," Naruto said, his voice rising. "You need to undo everything. The people you turned into gold—bring them back. Fix what you've broken."

"I cannot," Macht replied, his tone unchanged. "The spell is permanent. Once a soul is turned into something else, it cannot return to a human body. I am not able to undo that."

Naruto's hands tightened on his staff. "So you're just going to leave it all behind? Move on to another city? Another group of people to test and throw away when it's convenient?"

"It is for the sake of finding the answer," Macht said. "I must continue my search. For true coexistence."

Naruto stepped forward, his jaw clenched. "Killing even one person for the sake of coexistence isn't coexistence! It's just murder in a prettier outfit!"

His voice rose, cutting through the air like a crack of thunder. "You say you want to understand humans—but you won't even listen to them. You say you want coexistence—but all you've done is dominate and manipulate. You call this a failure, but all I see is your refusal to admit you were wrong! That you went too far! That people aren't just numbers in your stupid experiment!"

His staff pulsed with blue and white light. "You don't get to call yourself peaceful just because you talk softly while you kill! You turned a city into gold and then say it's a failed experiment—but what about the lives you erased? What about the children? The families?"

Naruto's voice cracked with restrained emotion. "You want an answer? This is the answer! You don't learn about people by destroying them! You learn by living with them. Hurting with them. Growing with them!"

There was a long silence.

But Macht's expression didn't change. Not even a blink. He tilted his head again, like a child watching a bird die.

"…You are an obstacle in my path," Macht said calmly. "And obstacles must be removed. Naruto Uzumaki… and your master, Frieren."

Naruto's expression darkened, shadows falling across his face as the air around him began to ripple with untamed magic.

"Then I guess the experiment ends here."

And the golden city held its breath.

The air quivered with tension as Macht raised a hand, his fingers elegantly poised, black mana coiling around his palm like a serpent preparing to strike. The sun reflected off the golden city, casting surreal, warm hues over the battlefield, making the carnage glint with sick irony. It was a beautiful, terrible place for a final fight.

Naruto cracked his neck to one side, bouncing slightly on his heels. "Let's settle this before the hag wakes up and yells at me for burning down half the city."

Macht's eyes gleamed coldly. "Then perish, for your master's sake."

The ground shattered as Naruto launched forward.

BOOM.

He closed the distance in a blur, white robes trailing behind him like streaks of lightning. His staff spun through his fingers, clashing with Macht's mana-coated palm. Sparks flew, the impact sending golden dust rippling into the air like a disturbed pond.

Denken, barely sitting upright with a clone healing him, croaked out, "Don't let him touch you! That's how he transmutes—!"

It was too late.

Macht's fingers brushed the shoulder of one of Naruto's charging clones.

SHHHNKT.

The clone instantly turned to solid gold, still mid-punch, frozen in time and expression.

Then another.

And another.

Two more clones shattered into statues, immobilized the moment Macht's spell, Di Agözle, touched them.

Macht exhaled, brushing dust off his coat. "What foolishness is this? Charging in with fodder?"

But the third "clone" struck.

Macht blinked.

It wasn't a clone.

Naruto's real body, disguised among the clones, swung in from behind and caught Macht full on with a glowing Rasengan, slamming it into his ribs.

KRA-KOOM.

The blast flared like a newborn sun, tearing across the golden avenue and hurling Macht into the side of a transmuted tower. Stone cracked. Dust and light exploded outward. The sheer force was enough to level a small village.

But even before the dust cleared, Macht was standing. He was bruised, and his clothes were slightly torn, but otherwise, he was completely unharmed.

"You are fast," Macht said, stepping forward through the dust, his voice as calm as ever. "Faster than Solitär said, even."

Naruto sighed. "She would run her mouth. I told her I wasn't going all out."

He raised his staff again, sweat on his brow now. This fight was different. Solitär was pure chaos, wild and relentless. Macht, however, was cold precision. His technique might be simpler, but his mana pressure was immense, almost suffocating.

Still, Naruto wasn't backing down.

They clashed again.

Naruto summoned three more clones in the middle of their fight.

One clone flew into the sky, firing water bullets infused with freezing wind.

The second leapt low, spinning in tight circles with mana-packed momentum.

The third clone held back, charging a powerful spell behind a nearby building.

Naruto zigzagged between them all—a blur of white and gold against the golden city—his staff shimmering with every block, deflection, and counterattack. Rasengans spun to life in his palms. He hurled them, fired mana blasts, and parried with his staff like a seasoned warrior.

Macht wasn't quick, but his sheer power warped the space around him. He reached out, and entire buildings turned to gold just by being near him. He would simply brush a clone, and it would become a statue in the middle of a dash.

Naruto kept moving, sweat trailing down his temple, his breath getting heavier.

"Why!?" he shouted between strikes. "Why do you keep doing this?! You said you wanted to understand us! This—this isn't understanding! This is genocide in a lab coat!"

Macht caught Naruto's staff in mid-swing, his hand closing around the glowing wood.

They stared eye to eye, their faces just inches apart.

"It is a method," Macht replied flatly, his voice utterly devoid of emotion. "Pain. Fear. Observation. These are all data. I watch them struggle. I see what emerges in the face of despair. It is… elegant."

Naruto gritted his teeth and yanked the staff back with all his strength.

"That's not how it works! You don't get to study people like they're bugs and call it empathy! You're not understanding humans—you're breaking them!"

Macht's arm lifted again, and a wave of Di Agözle flared across the city block.

Naruto blurred sideways, dodging with an aerial spin, but a clone behind him turned to gold in midair and shattered into pieces when it hit the pavement.

Naruto landed, rolled, and slid to a stop. His chest was heaving now, not from being tired, but from pure frustration. He wasn't getting through to him.

This wasn't just a powerful opponent.

This was someone who couldn't be reasoned with.

Someone who had long since traded morality for a cold, brutal method.

Naruto's hands lit up with another Rasengan, but this one churned faster, more unstable. It was more powerful and more dangerous.

"You really think you're some noble seeker of truth?" he hissed. "You're just another coward trying to justify your cruelty."

He pointed his staff.

"This ends now."

And Macht narrowed his eyes.

"Agreed."

A storm of light and pressure rippled from the epicenter as Naruto and Macht collided once more. Their raw magical energy ground against each other like tectonic plates, shaking the very foundations of the golden city. Buildings warped. The sky screamed. Sparks of mana flared and burst like fireworks, painting the golden city in chaos.

At first glance, Macht was winning.

He moved like an unstoppable force, drenched in unrelenting magic. His strikes were slow but devastating. Each swing of his hand wasn't just an attack; it was transmutation. The ground beneath Naruto's feet turned to gold. Trees, statues, and even the very air around him shimmered as if it wanted to solidify.

And then—

He touched him.

A single hand grazed Naruto's arm as he spun away.

FLASH.

Just like that, Naruto Uzumaki turned into gold.

Frozen. Perfect. Still mid-pose, his staff raised like he'd been caught in amber. The golden statue glimmered under the afternoon sun, unmoving and absolute.

Silence gripped the broken city.

Denken gasped from where he lay propped against a wall, bloodied and weak.

"N-Naruto…?"

Macht let out a slow, cold breath. He straightened his coat, a faint sense of finality in his movements.

"It was inevitable," he said, his voice completely devoid of cruelty, yet colder than death. "He was powerful. But not invincible."

He turned his back to the statue, calm and methodical. "Now then, for the next phase of my experiment..."

CRACK.

A sharp, whip-like sound cut through the air.

Macht froze, his next words dying in his throat.

CRACK.

A tiny, hairline fracture snaked across the golden statue's chest. It spread like a spiderweb, growing longer and wider with each passing second. The statue's still form groaned, a low, metallic sound of immense pressure building from within.

CRRRRRRRRSH.

In a blinding explosion of raw mana, the golden statue of Naruto shattered outward. Shards of gold shot into the sky like celestial shrapnel, glinting in the dying sunlight. At the center of the crater, amid the sparkling remnants of transmutation magic, stood Naruto.

Unharmed.

Alive.

And glowing with power that seemed to warp the very air around him.

Macht blinked, the composure he had maintained for a thousand years finally cracking. "…How?"

Naruto stood still, the wind catching the hem of his white-and-gold robes. His jade green eyes were calm, but so cold they felt like ice.

"I've been analyzing the spell," he said, his voice flat.

Macht's eyes narrowed, a flicker of genuine shock crossing his face. "Impossible. Di Agözle has no counter. No weaknesses. No exit once it has begun. It's the perfect spell."

Naruto tilted his head, his expression not changing. His voice dropped low, icy, and sharp as a honed blade.

"Every spell has a weakness," he said. "And this time… I am the weakness."

He raised his staff slowly. It pulsed once, a quiet but powerful beat of mana.

Macht involuntarily took a step back, his foot scraping against the golden pavement.

"You're bluffing," the demon said, but his voice betrayed the first twitch of uncertainty. "You're trying to trick me into feeling fear. That won't work on me."

Naruto took a step forward.

The golden road under his foot cracked… and turned back into simple stone. The transmutation was reversing, undone simply by his presence.

He took another step.

Grass sprouted through the street, weeds pushing their way through the fissures. With each step he took, the gold melted away, the transmuted landscape dissolving like wax in a fire. Mud. Earth. Stone. The real city beneath revealed itself, as if it was waking from a cursed dream.

Macht stood completely still now, no longer so calm. His hands twitched.

Naruto's voice was still soft—but it hit Macht like a hammer blow.

"I don't need you alive anymore."

And as the wind picked up again, and the last fragments of golden dust scattered to the far reaches of the crumbling city, Macht—one of the most powerful demons of the era—felt something foreign crawl up his spine.

Dread.

The gold continued to peel off the streets like old paint, curling at the edges, flaking under the pressure of something far greater—Naruto's mana.

Each step the red-haired mage took returned the world around him to its original form. No spells. No grand gestures. Just broken cobblestone, cracked brick walls, and stubborn weeds fighting their way through the cracks. It was as if the city itself was choosing him over the demon.

Macht's eyes were wide now—not with rage or contempt, but something far more desperate.

Panic.

He threw his hand forward, casting spell after spell. Blades of gold. Needles of mana. A cyclone of sharpened light. Anything to slow the boy, anything to force him back. But the moment they neared Naruto, they melted into steam. As if reality itself refused to obey the demon anymore.

Naruto kept walking. His wild red hair caught the last light of the sun. His staff pulsed once, a silent, ominous beat.

Macht tried to speak, but the pressure hit him too hard. The so-called philosopher demon, who preached coexistence for centuries, the self-proclaimed answer-seeker—fled like a rat through the broken city streets.

Naruto watched him for a second.

Then he raised his staff.

"Zoltarak."

The mana blast was a blinding, impossibly fast comet. It shrieked through the air, lighting up the ruins in a dazzling flash of white and blue. It caught Macht in the side in the middle of his sprint and sent him crashing through a building—his body carving a glowing trail across the golden surface before vanishing in a cloud of rubble and smoke.

Naruto lowered his staff.

The square was silent again.

The last golden panel under his foot cracked, hissed… then crumbled back into dirt.

And for the first time in what felt like ages—he breathed.

Hard. Shaky. Deep.

He hadn't realized how much mana he'd used, or how much he'd been holding back, not physically, but emotionally.

There was no one left in the square now—just Denken, who was barely standing, and Naruto. And yet, in that silence, in that emptiness, Naruto felt something… unsettling. Not victory.

Something else.

He glanced down at his hand.

His fingers were trembling.

Not from exhaustion.

From something colder.

"…I never wanted to be feared like this," he said quietly, more to himself than anyone else. His voice echoed in the ruins. "I never wanted to be looked at… like that. Not even by a demon."

He remembered Solitär's face as she begged. Macht's as he ran. The expression they wore—like they'd looked into the eyes of death itself.

Predator.

He was supposed to be a hero. A beacon of hope. A force that stood between the innocent and the storm.

But standing here now, with the city warped around him, the very air humming with suppressed mana, even he wasn't sure what he was anymore.

Had this world changed him?

…No.

That wasn't it.

This world… had just opened his eyes. He wasn't seeing the world wrong before—he just wasn't seeing all of it. There was idealism… and then there was reality. And reality was stained, cracked, and too complicated for simple answers.

But he still believed.

Still wanted to try.

Still had hope.

He turned to the old man, who stood holding his staff like a lifeline. Denken's face was pale but alert. The fire hadn't left his eyes.

Naruto gave a small, tired smile.

"Old man," he said. "You should finish what you started."

Denken didn't hesitate. He clenched his staff, turned without a word, and bolted after Macht—his robes flaring behind him like the wings of a phoenix long past its prime but still burning bright.

Naruto stood alone in the square as the sun dipped lower.

Not a boy.

Not a monster.

Just a mage… finally seeing clearly.

Õ—T—Õ

Macht ran.

His once proud and elegant stride had crumbled into a frantic limp, a thin trail of blood following him with each step. The gleaming perfection of the golden streets had vanished—Naruto's will had undone the illusion. Now, as Macht stumbled across the uneven cobblestones, with grass brushing his ankles, the city had returned to what it once was.

And yet, it felt more foreign to him than ever before.

The people walked past him with dull, glazed eyes, still caught in the aftershock of the magic that had bound their minds for so long. They turned, looked at the demon's torn robes and bleeding arm, and offered hollow words.

"Ah, Macht-sama, you're injured."

"Do you need assistance?"

"Should we inform the healers?"

Macht ignored them. He had no strength left to pretend. No will to fake composure.

His magic flickered, wild and erratic, a sign of his shattered mind. He was a storm, but a storm with no direction.

Then—he stopped.

Standing at the end of the street was a man.

He was older, wiser, and calm, with kind, tired eyes that had seen too much.

Glück.

The man he once called master.

The man he had betrayed, abandoned, and outgrown in his arrogance.

"…Macht?" Glück asked gently, noticing the battered demon staggering toward him. "You look like a child who broke every rule and finally understood why they existed."

Macht's lips trembled. "…Master…"

And then—

"STOP."

The voice was hoarse, but thunderous.

From behind, Denken appeared, his robes drenched in red, staff in hand, his chest rising and falling with each ragged breath. But he was relentless, walking toward them with a look of pure resolve in his eyes.

Macht's panic returned like a surge of cold water.

He stumbled forward and yanked Glück toward him, his hand glowing with the last of his power. "Stay back—or I'll kill him," Macht threatened, the last fraying edge of his pride clinging to control.

Glück narrowed his eyes at the man beside him. "…Is that you, son?"

Denken paused in mid-step.

"…Yes," he replied quietly, his voice full of sorrow and anger. "Father-in-law."

Glück's gaze softened, even in the face of his own death. "Then… you've grown stronger than your teacher."

Macht's jaw clenched. Rage flared again, a final, desperate burst of defiance. If he couldn't be right—if he couldn't win—then he could at least drag them all down with him.

He raised his hand to strike Glück—

BOOM.

His hand exploded.

The force sent him spiraling backward, howling in agony, crashing into the stones.

From the far end of the street, where the sun now hung low and long shadows painted the scene in amber light—Frieren stood, her robes drifting in the breeze, staff glowing faintly.

"Looks like I made it in time," she said flatly, her expression unreadable, the words carrying the weight of a thousand-year grudge.

Macht cradled the bleeding stump that used to be his hand. His body trembled. He could feel his end coming, not as a glorious death in battle, but as a pitiful, shameful defeat.

"…Seems I have failed, Master," he muttered weakly, looking up at Glück. "I tried to understand human emotions. I really did…"

But Denken stepped forward, unflinching, his shadow falling over Macht.

"You didn't want understanding," he said coldly. "You wanted validation. You dressed your greed in philosophy, turning an entire city to gold because you coveted their peaceful lives. You envied humans who could live in harmony without magic or power. You were too lazy to find answers the hard way, so you took shortcuts. You gorged yourself on the lives of innocent people—that's gluttony. And when you ran from Naruto just now, what did you feel?"

Macht swallowed hard, the word catching in his throat.

"…Fear."

"Yes," Denken said, his voice rising, each word a hammer blow of truth. "Fear. Envy. Greed. Laziness. Gluttony. You felt them all. All the so-called sins you claim to be above."

He raised his staff, leveling it at the demon who had once taught him how to cast his very first spell.

"You've already experienced human emotions, Macht. You just never had the courage to admit it."

Macht's lips parted slightly, as if about to argue one last time. But no words came.

Only a trembling breath.

A moment of still silence, heavy with the weight of centuries of lies.

Then—

"…Goodbye, Master."

FWOOOOOM.

Light surged from Denken's staff, a clean, bright arc of pure mana. It struck Macht square in the chest.

There was no scream.

Only a flash.

Then silence.

Only the sound of the wind, carrying away the last remnants of a demon who sought to understand humans—but never truly wanted to become one.

Õ—T—Õ

Two days had passed since the dust settled over El Dorado.

The gold had been stripped from the streets, the people had returned to their normal selves, and the city had taken a deep breath—it was finally breathing again. Macht was gone, and so was his accomplice, Solitär. The twisted magic that once held the town hostage had been lifted. Naruto had walked through the city like a storm and left it standing like a miracle.

Now, at the city gates, Frieren, Fern, Stark, and Naruto stood ready to leave. Methode had stayed behind to help Denken, who was still too injured to walk far. She'd stay with him for a while, just until he was strong enough. The old man, battered and bloodied, had been celebrated like a hero. He was honored and welcomed. After so many years away, Denken had finally found his home again.

Glück, the old mayor and Macht's former master, stood waiting to bid them farewell. He looked tired, but there was something clearer in his eyes now. A heavy weight had been lifted from his soul.

"I still can't believe we survived that," he chuckled, offering a polite bow to Frieren.

Frieren nodded back with a rare, genuine smile. "Thank you for the grimoire. That copper-to-iron transmutation spell will come in handy for my collection."

"I'm just glad someone got something useful out of this disaster," Glück said. Then, his tone softened as he looked at Naruto. "Truly… thank you."

"Don't thank us," Stark muttered, crossing his arms. "Next time, maybe don't bargain with a demon."

Glück chuckled awkwardly, but he didn't argue. "I paid the price, and I'll admit my mistakes in front of everyone. I promise." He paused and turned to Naruto again, a look of genuine curiosity in his eyes. "But… that Di Agözle spell. How did you analyze it? You countered it so easily."

Naruto scratched his head, a hint of a goofy smile on his face. "Ah, well. I let myself get hit by it."

"Seriously?" Fern groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "That is so knuckleheaded."

Frieren smiled gently and reached out to ruffle Naruto's messy red hair. "Still. It was worth it."

Naruto looked ahead at the road, the goofy smile fading. His expression became serious and thoughtful. "They're in pain," he said quietly, his voice a little sad.

"Who?" Frieren asked, her playful demeanor gone in an instant.

"The demons," Naruto replied. "They just… don't know why they exist. So they follow their instincts. They hurt, they destroy, they lie. But that's not survival. That's desperation. Macht wanted to be different. He really believed in coexistence—but in a way that was completely twisted. He would've killed for eternity if he believed it would bring peace. That's why I had to stop him."

"You didn't stop him," Stark said, not accusingly, just curious. "You let Denken do it. But Solitär… you killed her yourself. Why?"

Naruto's shoulders slumped just slightly. "Because Solitär was hurting, and she didn't even realize it. She wanted to understand human emotions, but not to feel them—just to study them. She thought pain was a shortcut to empathy. She would've tortured and tormented people forever in her search for understanding. There was no end for her. So I… ended her suffering."

He looked down for a moment, then back toward the city, his eyes reflecting a profound sadness.

"Denken needed it. Killing Macht wasn't just vengeance for him—it was closure. It was his life's goal. He deserved to finish it."

Frieren turned her gaze to Naruto, her expression unreadable—but soft. There was pride in her eyes. Quiet, unspoken, but undeniably there.

Naruto noticed and immediately turned away with a grimace, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. "Don't get the wrong idea, hag. I'm not like you."

"Oh?" Frieren quirked a brow, a hint of mischief returning to her eyes.

"I'm not a racist," he said, the words coming out in a huff.

"I'm not a racist either," Frieren countered, folding her arms. "I just abhor demons."

Naruto chuckled bitterly, watching a butterfly drift through the air, a beautiful, innocent contrast to the conversation.

"I can't bring myself to hate them," he said. "All I feel is pity."

As the group walked the winding path away from El Dorado, the heavy mood had lightened. The weight of death and demons faded behind their footsteps, replaced with birdsong, easy banter, and the earthy scent of a freshly freed land.

Then Frieren suddenly stopped, turning slightly with that unnerving, emotionless stare that somehow managed to scream mischief.

"Though, I have to ask one thing."

Naruto blinked, squinting at her suspiciously. "Oh?"

Frieren tilted her head. "When did I ever hold your hand? Or date you, Naruto?"

Naruto froze like a glitching NPC. His soul visibly left his body for a good two seconds, and his jaw dropped. "…You heard that?!"

"Oh, she heard all of that," Stark said, walking past him as if this was just a normal Tuesday. "She was using some weird eavesdropping spell during your whole conversation with Solitär. Every dramatic line. Every confession. Even the part where you said she had soft hands—"

"I NEVER SAID THAT!" Naruto shouted, his face turning a brilliant shade of red.

Frieren smirked with the calm confidence of a thousand-year-old elf who had definitely seduced gods before. "I didn't know you were simping for me, Naruto. But I suppose it's only natural. My feminine charm once captivated even Himmel, after all. You are but a teenager."

Naruto looked like he was about to spontaneously combust. His face had gone redder than his hair, which was saying something.

Fern stepped between them, her arms crossed, radiating a quiet, possessive fury. "Mistress is mine, Mr. Naruto. Don't even think about taking her away."

"I wasn't thinking anything!" Naruto cried, flailing his arms like a panicked crab.

"Stop lying," Fern deadpanned, her expression unmoving.

Stark, ever the supportive bro, leaned on his spear and nodded gravely. "Yeah, we know you're into hags, man."

"No—! I—! You—! SHUT UP!" Naruto yell-stammered, tripping over his own rage and embarrassment.

Frieren was thriving. Her eyes sparkled with a playful smugness. "Well… You're not a bad option, I suppose," she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "But if you do want to win me over, you'll have to become a bit more… mature."

That was it. Naruto's composure finally shattered into a million tiny pieces. "I—YOU—THERE'S NOTHING TO WIN OVER! I WOULDN'T DATE YOU IF YOU WERE THE LAST ELF ON EARTH! YOU'RE JUST A—A—SAGGY HAG WITH ICE FOR BLOOD AND NO SENSE OF SHAME!"

"Ice for blood?" Frieren mused, her smile widening. "That's kind of poetic."

"STOP COMPLIMENTING MY INSULTS!" Naruto shrieked, his voice cracking.

As Naruto went into a full tsundere meltdown, Stark and Fern watched from the side, the air around them quieter, a little softer, as if a private moment had just bloomed in the chaos.

"…Here," Stark said suddenly, digging into his pocket and pulling out a small, beaded bracelet. He awkwardly shoved it into Fern's hand, looking away. "Bought this in the market back in El Dorado. Thought it'd look nice on you."

Fern blinked, stunned for a second, a small, genuine smile gracing her lips. Then she tucked it into her sleeve. "Thank you," she murmured.

Meanwhile, Naruto, still mid-rant, threw up his hands in dramatic frustration. "Look how smooth Stark is! Giving Fern a bracelet because he loves her! Did I ever give you anything, HAG?!"

Frieren blinked. "You gave me this ring," she said, holding up her hand, a small, intricate ring with two interlocking lotuses shimmering on her finger.

Naruto turned white. Then purple. Then a furious tomato red. "I—I—I JUST WANTED TO GET RID OF IT! I GAVE IT TO YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE BASICALLY A DUSTBIN FOR MAGICAL TRINKETS!"

"Oh?" Frieren raised a brow, a knowing glint in her eye. "No other intentions involved?"

"Y-yeah! None! Zero! Nada! Zilch! I have never had any feelings or thoughts or dreams about you ever! NOW LET'S MOVE!"

He stormed ahead like a pouting storm cloud, steam practically billowing from his ears.

Frieren stared after him for a moment… then smiled just a little, a gentle, fond expression that only lasted for a second. She walked after him, brushing her fingers over the twin lotus ring.

Behind them, Stark whispered to Fern, "Think we should tell her that ring's traditionally given to someone you want to marry?"

Fern smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Let's not make him suffer further," she said, though a tiny giggle escaped her lips.

And with that, the four of them continued their journey—bickering, laughing, and... healing.

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Author Note:

Thanks for all the postive words! Ask questions and drop your thoughts in the review section. Your words inspire me to write faster, larger, better and with more depth.

Till next time, then?