Volume 25

* JP
* EN

*"The three nations of Sindria, Reim and the Kou Empire now ponder the story of Alma Torran as told by Aladdin. The tragedy of that fallen world has lessons for all, but disagreements among these powerful countries could mean an apocalypse might happen all over again! Then, shocking news arrives from the east—a new power is rising in the Kou Empire!"* — Back cover blurb.
**Volume 25** of *Magi* was released on April 18th, 2015.

## Contents

### Chapters

Night 239: Expectations of the Three Countries

Night 240: Black Magi's Answer

Night 241: Different Decisions

Night 242: Hakuryuu's Determination

Night 243: The Djinn of Truth and Conviction

Night 244: The Black King Vessel

Night 245: The Power of the New Djinn

Night 246: The Admonition of Phenex

Night 247: The Decisive Battle at the Capital

Night 248: Judar's Trump Card

## Story

### The End of the Summit

Alibaba and Aladdin say that Kou, Reim and the Seven Seas Alliance should form a ceasefire treaty and unite just as they had in Magnostadt, since the hole left by Ill Ilah was still there. Aladdin warns that this means that Ill Ilah could descend immediately, not giving enough time to fight with Djinn Equips, killing the world just as had happened to Alma Torran.

Sinbad says the idea is good as Sindria has already stored a lot of strength to fight against Al-Thamen. However, he is not so sure about working with the Kou Empire, and he accuses Kou of being Al-Thamen itself. Everyone is afraid that Sinbad is turning this into a world against the Kou Empire situation.

Then Sinbad says that there is a way to avoid strife if Kouen cuts all his ties to Al-Thamen and drives them out of the country. He even promises that the Metal Vessel users of the Seven Seas Alliance can help. Kouen says that he doesn't like Sinbad, asking why he resorts to such twisted ways when he has so much power. Aladdin and Alibaba are sad as it seems like the others had not understood the point of Aladdin's story.

Koumei states that the Kou Empire is continuing Solomon's work by trying to unite the world under one. Kouen's household members say that Kou will fight with Reim and Sindria if they agree to become parts of Kou, which is impossible as Sindria's ideal is that every country is independent, supported by an alliance.

It looks like the situation is going to turn into a fight, but Alibaba runs into the middle of it, saying that in order to prevent the destruction of Balbadd, he would fight even against his own siblings. He asks if this is not what Kouen would do to protect his people as well. This dissolves the tension as Kouen slaps Alibaba in the back, telling him not to get so serious. He announces that he has lost his interest in Aladdin, and that they are returning to Kou. He says he won't share a destiny with Arba as he knows someone similar to her. A woman who had seemed normal before gaining control of Kou and building a sinister army of veiled magicians and the magi Judar.

This is when a large amount of black rukh and Judar appear. Judar tells Kouen not to group him with the Al-Thamen magicians. Everyone is surprised to see him as he descends from the sky. Alibaba thinks that there is a different aura around him, and Aladdin wonders how he got there without disturbing the rukh. Judar greets Aladdin, pointing out that he seems stronger. Aladdin says the same to him. Then, Judar greets Yunan, challenging him to a one on one battle. Yunan refuses.

Sinbad reaches out to Judar, telling him he can't just do as he wants, but Judar ignores him and walks past him. Judar tells everyone he had to show up because they started talking about a ceasefire agreement, something which is too boring to Judar. He says to Kouen that Kou's Empress Gyokuen is obviously Arba. Aladdin, Alibaba and Morgiana connect the dots, realizing Arba is Hakuryuu's mother. However, Judar tells them that she doesn't exist anymore.

Before Kouen can get an explanation from Judar, soldiers from Kou, Reim and Sindria hurry to the site of the summit. They go to report the news to their leaders: Hakuryuu has killed the Empress. Now Aladdin, Alibaba and Morgiana realize that Hakuryuu had killed his own mother just as he had promised earlier. This should not have been possible for Hakuryuu alone, and Kouen immediately suspects Judar. Judar admits his part in it, saying that Kouen's spell had been easy to defeat with Judar's new powers. Then, Judar unleashes a large amount of power and black rukh, opening the third eye on his forehead.

Judar rises above the summit and says there should not be a peaceful resoluton where everything is cleared by talking instead of a fight. Then, he shoots down black lightning. Titus protects everyone from the attacks, after which Judar leaves through a teleportation magic circle, saying that they will meet in Kou.

The group from Kou decide to leave to Balbadd immediately. Sinbad promises to cooperate with Kouen against Al-Thamen, and doesn't believe that Al-Thamen is truly gone even after Hakuryuu had killed its leader.

Alibaba announces that he will become Kouen's subordinate and cut his ties with Sindria, surprising many. Olba points out how Kouen is the leader of the people who occupied Balbadd and killed Alibaba's family. However, Alibaba says that even though he is annoyed, he is willing to do it in order to protect Balbadd from war. Sharrkan asks if Alibaba and the others will be able to kill Hakuryuu, as he is likely going to attack Balbadd. However, the three vow that they would not kill their friend. With this, they head towards Balbadd.

Aladdin and Titus have a talk on a ship before they go their separate ways. Titus says that Reim will not fight with the Kou Empire or the Seven Seas Alliance. Aladdin asks about Sphintus, and if Titus gets along with Muu now, to which Titus answers with a yes. Yunan confirms that the Fanalis are the same as the Red Lions from Alma Torran. The Fanalis Corps tell Muu not to worry, as they are his family.

Yunan says that he is always reincarnated in the Great Rift, and that he can travel to the other side. He still hasn't travelled very far there, because the continent on the other side is way bigger than the normal side of the Rift.

### Hakuryuu's rebellion

In Rakushou, Judar returns. He says he is exhausted after teleporting such a long distance, and Hakuryuu asks him if it was already too much for him to handle. Judar defends himself by saying that the distance his teleportation spell can cover is longer than anyone's and promises to improve in order to make Hakuryuu a king.

Later, Judar flies above Rakushou, listening to what the people are commenting about Hakuryuu's revolution. Kokuhyou Shuu and Seiryuu Ri tell Judar that he shouldn't leave Hakuryuu's side. Half of the soldiers ran away, but Hakuryuu is still certain of their victory as he has mind-enslaved Al-Thamen's magicians. Judar comments that no-one but he believes in Hakuryuu and follows him by his own free will.

Hakuryuu thinks of his past, how his father subjucated the east, and Hakuyuu and Hakuren helped him when Hakuryuu was still a baby. They wanted to end all wars and thought that Kou Empire's future was bright, but then Gyokuen brought Al-Thamen to Kou. Hakuyuu and Hakuren became suspicious quickly, but were eliminated just like their father. The throne was given to Hakutoku's brother Koutoku, as Hakuryuu was unconscious for two months and on the verge of life and death after the fire that killed the older princes. It was all orchestrated by Gyokuen, who little Hakuryuu vowed to kill.

Although Hakuryuu surrendered then, he spent his youth training. Hakuryuu wanted a Metal Vessel like his sister Hakuei but without Al-Thamen's help. Therefore, he had to find a magi other than Judar. This is why Hakuryuu pretended to be an obedient prince until Koutoku let him go study abroad. He met Sinbad, Aladdin, and Alibaba eventually. Hakuryuu thinks that he shouldn't have searched for someone to understand his circumstances, and that he will start a civil war if necessary. Gyokuen must die in order to save the country from Al-Thamen exploiting it.

In order to fulfill his objective, Hakuryuu accepts Judar's power. Hakuryuu declares that his will is to kill Gyokuen, Kouen, and take back the Kou Empire.

### Belial's dungeon

At Belial's dungeon, Judar tells Hakuryuu that while he doesn't know the details of the djinn, he can tell that this one is special. Hakuryuu asks why Judar is working with him, since he wasn't interested in Kouen or Koumei. Judar says it's because they are the same, but Hakuryuu thinks that he can't stand having anything similar with Judar. He plans to only use Judar's power to reach his objective. Then they step inside the dungeon.

Inside, Hakuryuu sees the Kou imperial palace in front of him, but Judar insists that they are next to a deserted mountain village. They understand that Belial is messing with their sense of sight. Then Judar disappears from Hakuryuu's sight, and he is met with an illusion of Hakuei. She apologizes for their previous meeting, and says that Hakuryuu should give up on his vengeance, as their brothers would've never wished for a civil war. Hakuryuu says that his feelings are the same as his brothers', but gets a wound for it. Belial reveals himself, saying that the illusion is actually a fragment of Hakuryuu's own mind, and lying about his beliefs causes him to get a physical wound for it.

Meanwhile, Judar is looking at a burning village with an illusion-Aladdin. Aladdin comments how unlucky Judar is because Al-Thamen kidnapped him as a baby. Therefore, it's not Judar's fault that he has done bad things. Judar says that he's still killed a lot of people. Aladdin assures him that people will understand that he was just a child, and that Judar should cut his ties with Al-Thamen and choose a king of his own will and create a kingdom, asking if this was Judar's wish. Judar denies it, but when he gets a wound as well, he admits it is true. He seems to be reaching for Aladdin's hand, but stabs him in the stomach instead.

Hakuryuu is now facing an illusion-Morgiana, who apologizes about what happened between them. She says that she wishes that they fought alongside each other once again as they have the same enemy in Al-Thamen. Belial's dungeon ascertains the king vessels by judging their lies. It seems like Hakuryuu is swaying to cooperate with Hakuei, Alibaba, and Kouen. Alibaba appears before him, reaching his hand out, and Hakuryuu almost takes it. Ultimately, however, he cannot.

Judar stabbed Aladdin and says that even if he might have wanted to be Aladdin's friend at some point, he cannot ignore the other thing inside of him. The voice that is inside of both Hakuryuu and Judar is shouting that it doesn't agree with Belial and the others.

No matter how the illusions of Morgiana and Hakuei try to beg Hakuryuu to join them, Hakuryuu cannot take their hands. Hakuryuu accuses Hakuei of not doing anything even though she noticed something was wrong. He is angry that their cousins simply became subordinates to Gyokuen to gain power, and that Hakuei now asks him to ally with them. Hakuei says it's because they must unite the world and in order to do that, Hakuryuu must give up on his violent anger.

Judar understands what would be the correct path for him as a magi, but there is something inside of him screaming that he can't forgive no matter how hard he has tried to calm himself. Judar cannot forgive Al-Thamen after what they did to his parents and after controlling his life, and he asks why it had to be him and not Aladdin, Yunan, or Scheherazade.

Hakuryuu is falling into a pit, thinking that everyone continues to betray him, and if this is his destiny. Then, Judar catches him by the hand, and Hakuryuu declares that even though he knows what is the right path, he can't live or move forward with the anger inside of him. Judar and Hakuryuu agree that if the world rejects them, they'll destroy it and build a new one. Hakuryuu has now fallen into depravity, and Hakuei keeps begging for him to come back to their side. Hakuryuu kills the illusions of Hakuei and Morgiana. He says that he won't stop at just the illusions, but will later kill the real Morgiana, who is nothing more than garbage just like Alibaba.

Belial appears in front of them, and declares that he won't give the metal vessel to Hakuryuu. The two don't care, however, and Judar forces Belial to submit to Hakuryuu. Judar's anger materialized in his staff and the opens his third eye, causing Belial to feel a sensation like Ill Ilah right before going into Hakuryuu's new metal vessel, his shoulder pad.

The dungeon starts to collapse, and Judar vows to make Hakuryuu into a king. Judar creates an exit for them, and the 68th Dungeon, Belial, was conquered.

### Preparing for the battle against Gyokuen

Judar and Hakuryuu arrive at the 9th supply base in Southern Tenzan. The soldiers at the base are surprised to see the prince and the priest.

Two days earlier Judar and Hakuryuu have just got out of the dungeon. Judar wants to go kill Gyokuen, but Hakuryuu says they can't yet. Getting rid of all of the Al-Thamen members will be hard, as they have spread around the world and can only be killed if you kill their real body. They also share rukh and report everything to Gyokuen. Judar thinks that they are watching the two of them right then, which is why Hakuryuu spots two Al-Thamen members and shoots a Zagan arrow to capture them. According to Hakuryuu, they have to practise their new skills before returning to Kou.

Back in the present, Hakuryuu announces that he will be taking the base and use it to attack the thieves who took the empire, Gyokuen and Kouen. The soldiers are loyal to Kouen and insist that he is not a usurper. They know of his past and goals, but Hakuryuu starts using Belial to brainwash everyone into believing him. Belial has the ability to show people things they can't see and make them hear voices they're not supposed to hear. Hakuryuu says that this ability suits them well.

Two days after their arrival Hakuryuu is brainwashing the last soldiers. He combines Zagan and Belial's powers by planting brainwashing plants into the soldiers' heads in order to control them. Judar comments that not even Sinbad or Kouen can combine two djinns, and that he has isolated the area with a barrier so no magic will leak out. This way the Al-Thamen puppets inside cannot communicated with others, Hakuryuu says that he has planned some other use for them.

Three days after that, Hakuryuu uses magoi manipulation on the Al-Thamen dolls. Two days after that, Hakuryuu orders Judar to learn long range Clairvoyance Magic. Three days after that, their time is up and the Kou army has come to check out what strange is going on in the 9th supply base.

Everything at the base seemed normal. They mention Kouen, which causes the soldiers at the base to attack the inspecting army. Hakuryuu has been showing them images of Gyokuen and Kouen slaughtering their families for six days with Belial, and stimulating their hatred and excitement with Zagan. However, Belial only works within 10 meter radius, so they have to gather the new soldiers to one place. After brainwashing them as well, Hakuryuu has 200 men. Then he lets the Al-Thamen magicians go and spread their rukh among other members.

Finally determined, Hakuryuu walks forward. In that moment, something happens in his head that causes huge pain and for him to collapse to his knees, holding his head. Kouen ordered his djinn Phenex to stop Hakuryuu if he planned to hurt Gyokuen, Kouen, Koumei, or Kouha. Furious Judar asks if they are supposed to live in a cage according to others' selfish needs. Phenex tries to get Hakuryuu to give up his wrath and put down his sword, and Hakuryuu looks like he is about to faint. Instead, he stabs himself in the leg, forces himself up regardless of the pain and declares that his wrath is the reason of his being, and that he won't be stopped. Judar realizes Hakuryuu can't fight in his current state and goes to Rakushou to make some preparations before their battle against Gyokuen.

Half a day later, Judar is teleporting Hakuryuu's soldiers and monsters to Rakushou. Hakuryuu asks him where he went without asking Hakuryuu first, but Judar tells him to trust him, as he did what Hakuryuu asked. Then Judar casts a long range Clairvoyance Magic spell, showing Gyokuen's true nature to their opponents from Hakuryuu's rukh's memories. Hakuryuu announces that he is there to kill Gyokuen and anyone who gets in his way, and declares himself the legitimate king of the Kou Empire.

### The Battle of Rakushou

Battle in Rakushou begins, and Rakushou soldiers quickly notice how strong Hakuryuu's are. Although Hakuryuu is in pain, he and Judar make their way to the palace. The Generals Kokuhyou Shuu and Seiryuu Ri, who served Hakutoku in the past, step in their way, not letting them pass. They know about Gyokuen, but don't want the country Hakutoku built to be split in two. Judar and Hakuryuu continue advancing past them anyways.

The two arrive at the palace in front of Gyokuen, and Hakuryuu announces that he is going to kill her. She only smiles, surrounded by Al-Thamen magicians. Gyokuen congratulates Hakuryuu for making it so far, but intends to kill the two immediately. Judar turns the Al-Thamen magicians against Gyokuen instead, as they are now all under Hakuryuu's control. From the dust clouds, Gyokuen rises and uses Borg Al-Samm to destroy all of the Al-Thamen puppets around. Judar tries to hit Gyokuen with Thunder Magic, but she sends the attack back at him. Hakuryuu blocks it with Zagan and tries to use his extreme magic, but Phenex's spell won't let him. Judar in turn tries to reinforce Hakuryuu's metal vessel with his Life Magic, but Gyokuen takes the black rukh from him and hits them with a devastating attack, Medoun Al-Samm. They are both thrown back.

Judar thinks that Gyokuen is really strong. Hakuryuu's djinn equip is disappearing because of Phenex's curse, and Gyokuen took Judar's black rukh, so Judar understands that he cannot win a magic duel against her. Gyokuen baits them by reminding how she raised them with "so much love", making both angry. They stand back up, determined, because they cannot move on if they don't kill her. Judar tells Hakuryuu that he'll be on his own now, as Judar is going to use a move that will shut down his powers as well. Then he casts an Isolation Barrier, making all magic in the area disappear. Hakuryuu punches the now magic-less Gyokuen to the ground, gets on top of her and continues punching. Phenex's curse has no effect inside the barrier, but Hakuryuu cannot move his left arm. He thinks he doesn't need it for killing Gyokuen with his sword, but then notices that his sword is gone.

Gyokuen rose up and is holding Hakuryuu's sword, and tells Judar to give Hakuryuu another one, challenging him to a sword fight. She proclaims that the strongest sword wielder in the previous world was her, and attacks Hakuryuu viciously. The one armed Hakuryuu is no match for Gyokuen's fierce attacks, and gets quickly thrown down to the ground, Gyokuen now on top of him. Hakuryuu vows to kill her, but she silences him by kissing him. She says that she's happy that Hakuryuu hates him so much, but Hakuryuu is furious. Gyokuen is about to kill him, but something pushes her away from Hakuryuu. The two generals, Kokuhyou Shuu and Seiryuu Ri, have arrived to help Hakuryuu, calling him the future emperor.