"Well, we made it." Y/n is seen getting dragged by Mereoleona's fire paw. Y/n didn't know the name of this spell, but of it was up to him, he would keep it as fire paw.

Mereoleona noticed Y/n's tired physique. She looked at the mountain before crossing her arms, "we'll head in the Hot Spring while we're here."

Y/n shook his head, "I'm fine..."

Mereoleona scoffed, "we both can tell, your mana is about to run out."

Y/n tried to escape the fire paw, "I said I'm fine!"

"It wasn't a request." Mereoleona firmly stated before the paw dropped him, "I assume that you can walk at least?"

Y/n used his knee to get up, brushing off whatever rubble got on him with his hand, "yeah, yeah, I can walk. But we still need to find that Kirito guy. Any ideas?"

Mereoleona looked at the Ultime-Volcano Mountain Trail. Y/n sighed, "would I need mana skin? I think I'd be fine."

"Less talking. More-"

"Walking? Screw that!" Y/n put his hands out to generate steam, before using it to surf upwards, "take that, Sisoleona~!"

Mereoleona gained a tick mark on her head before smiling, "I told you I'd beat the shit out of you, didn't I?"

Mereoleona took at high speeds up the mountain. Y/n looked back, "oh boi-!"

Y/n surfed past the boiling magma, surging and rising from the volcano. He eventually saw a huge magma creature. "Rhinoceros Crimen!!"

Y/n surrounds himself in steam that's shaped like a rhino and charges forward. It headed straight through the creature, destroying it with ease before the rhino disappeared and kept heading for the top. Mereoleona zoomed past him with a cocky smirk, Y/n gritted his teeth. "Hey!"

"Slow Rhino~!" Mereoleona laughed before taking off with speed. Y/n smirked before he closed his eyes.

"I wanted to save this for later but...! * Mana Method Vapor Transferre!" Y/n suddenly disappeared into a puff of steam. Mereoleona is seen rushing to the tip when some of the magma boiled to the point where it let off steam. Y/n suddenly appeared at the steam source and smirks, "hey, there, beautiful. Lovely day, ain't it?"

"How did you-?" before Mereoleona could question it,  Y/n suddenly teleported to another steam source. Y/n made it to the top of the mountain.

"I don't think I cheated? Did I?" Y/n looked at the edge of the volcano.

"How interesting? You have steam magic..." a deep voice suddenly rang behind him, as a hand reached for the back of Y/n's neck. "Spatial Magic: Absolute Absorption."

Y/n quickly ducked and wrapped his fist in steam before going to hit the man behind him, but the man opened a portal in front of him, as Y/n hit himself, sending himself back. The man clapped, "wow. And you don't need Mana Skin to stay up here either? You're so interesting!"

Y/n wiped his cheek before looking at the man, "guessing you're Kirito."

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!" Kirito blinked and there was a bunch of spear pillars coming at him, waving his hand quickly, Kirito opened a bunch of portals which sent the pillars at Y/n again. Y/n stepped on one to dash closer before grabbing one and using Vapor Ferrum to send the attack bat at Kirio with more power and speed. Of course, Kirito dodged it.

"Furtivis Vapor!" Y/n created a thick layer of steam on the volcano, which Mereoleona saw from afar.

"Y/n?" Mereoleona kicked it into high gear before a portal opened and sucked her through before closing.

Meanwhile, Y/n launched a blast of steam from his mouth at Kirito, which burned part of his hand before the hand shifted and went back to normal. Y/n noticed him holding something before the man sent out a crescent slash at Y/n, which he avoided and raised his hand. The steam around them started to shift and turn into deadly weapons which all launched at Kirito, who absorbed them into the portal again. Y/n stopped attacking, folding his arms, "there's no point in attacking him while holding back. But I may be able to beat him mentally.."

"I bet your wondering why you can't keep up?" Kirito asked with a smile, Y/n didn't answer.

"Well, some of that magic is clearly not yours. You had to heal your hand with body magic, right?" Y/n called him out.

"Ding ding! You're really a wise one, aren't you old soul? Spatial Magic: Absolute Absorption." Kirito smiled, holding his hands out. "Those people, my 'loyal followers' had their magic drained, every last drop, and in the end, they fell to the floor, dead. I guess that's what happens when plans fall through."

"..." Y/n was silent.

"What's wrong? I thought you'd be impressed? Those pitiful fools did all the work, only for me to become superior." Kirito says, holding his face with a crazed smile, "I was the bottom of the food chain, and with my grimoire, that all changed. And I know of you, Y/n. A member of the pathetic Black Bulls. Underling of that loser Yami. And now you're tied down by leadership...Maybe after I'm done with you, I'll kill the Bull-"

"I see." Y/n glared at the man, strongly aggravated, "you didn't work for that power."

"Eh?" Kirito wondered where the man's deep voice came from.

Y/n had steam coming off of each step, each one melting the ground. "You didn't earn your power, you just stole the fruits of labor from someone else."

Y/n's face started to get covered with steam, his eyes started to swirl with rage, "All that progress and you just ripped it away from them." Y/n's lifted his face and shouted after taking a deep breath, "YOUR VERY BEING IS A DISGRACE!"

The shout let out a mass of boiling steam which was sent straight to the man, and this was real due to Y/n's Mana method attack. Kirito quickly blocked and put layers on his vision and made a barrier, but the steam immediately destroyed the spatial barrier, breaking space and moving through all of that with ease, the burns started to plant within the man, "AAAAAAAAHHH-!!!!"

"Let me tell you something about Steam Magic, it weakens other magic. When the magic collides with others, it dampens its true capabilities to a certain degree the longer we fight. I weaken Mereoleona's intense power but she keeps rising in power everytime we fight. Last time Cap and I fought, I reduced him to his knees. Yami's a tough bastard, as tough as me. And someone like me, could fry you from the inside in a second. Don't underestimate my captain." Y/n clenched his fist as he walked through the hot steam with ease. "You target my family, and I promise you won't be alive to regret it."

Kirito lifted his head, but his clothes were burned into his body. Y/n picked up the man from the hair, "ugh-aaaaah!!  Aaahhh!"

"What a waste." Y/n kicked the man in the face. The kick allows the steam to travel inside the air, "Mana Method Vapor Transferre."

Y/n was taken into the sky with the man before he boosted into the ground with Kirito with the steam, causing more pain as well. Several bones in the body cracked. "Mana Method Fumus Draco,"

While still holding Kirito to the ground, Y/n launched the powerful attack that creates a huge current of steam in the shape of a dragon, which send Kirito further into the volcano. The volcano started to become active again and spewing magma and lava everywhere. Kirito popped a portal below behind himself to save him from entry into the magma, only to appear behind Y/n. Only for Y/n do dash behind him in mid air and slam him to the ground. Kirito attempts use spatial magic to open portals all around Y/n but Y/n had a dangerous look on his face. "A move I picked up when I went to Yami's country..."

Kirito leaped away in a portal to appear in his own little pocked reality. It was a replica of a normal kingdom, at least 377,975 square kilometers in total size if not more. A further inspection would show that it was the Spade Kingdom he had copied. Had fake people and everything. Y/n appeared in the fake sky and put his hands out, "Mana Zone Method Vapor Cylone Mortis"

Y/n created a huge steam cyclone turned on its side, which ripped through large clouds of mana Kirito used for defense, Spatial Magic, and even space and dimensions themselves. The attack was devastatingly powerful, as real superheated steam is invisible to the human eye, but can leave dangerous burns like ripping off skin or boiling them alive. Imagine that times 100, because the steam ripped apart the entire fake Kingdom in a matter of seconds, burning and destroying everything in sight. The fake humans, like the real ones, were dead in an instant as they were boiled, burned, charred, crushed, and more due to the steam. Y/n's attack was way bigger and deadlier than the real life RDS-220 Hydrogen Bomb, though it still acted like a nuke in a way. Kirito quickly teleported to the sky but his left hand had extreme burns and was obsidian black. "GAAAAAH!!!"

He left through the portal to make it back to real life before the steam could get to him. Y/n ripped apart the spatial dimension with his hands, freeing himself. The two found Mereoleona looking at him, "Y/n! That the guy?"

"AAAAUGH! PLEASE! IT HURTS!!"Kirito backed up, crawling back in pain. Meanwhile Y/n kept his menacing look and steam started to rise again. Kirito tried to crawl to Mereoleona, "PLEASE! PLEASE! SAVE ME!!"

"You'll be dead as soon as I snap my fingers." Y/n threatened with a serious tone, an unfamiliar feeling for Mereoleona. She turned her head to look at Y/n, her face was one of confusion. Why such an attack for such a simple guy?

The man smiled, nervously, prepping a rock attack. "Y-Your threats don't scare me! You won't actually do it!"

Y/n's face shifted more into annoyance and seriousness. While Y/n shifted his fingers, he started to let out steam from his mouth when he talked. "Keep your naive nature to the bitter end. I'll slaughter you like you did to those people."

"..." Mereoleona looked at Y/n, having faith in him. But she was starting to waver that faith, as she has never seen Y/n this serious. "Y/n."

"10 seconds." Y/n stated as the man started to shake.

"Y/n!" Mereoleona finally saw the swirls of steam flowing with emotions in his eyes, crashing into each other and rising higher. Evaporating into his seriousness.

"5 seconds." Y/n spoke as the man shouted and rushed forward.

Mereoleona dashed forward, but Y/n was faster. Y/n snapped his fingers and the steam around them went into a pillar. The pillar seemingly went into the man's face and he fell down on the ground, "GAH-!!"

"All that time he was talking, he was setting up the steam around the area in order to use the attack! He was bluffing until the ten second countdown." Mereoleona figured it out, Y/n approached the man and lost his anger.

"Serves you right. This world isn't just about you." Y/n flicked the man's nose as it's revealed that the pillar melted his hair. Y/n kicked the man in the face, knocking him out. He then looked at Mereoleona. "Hehe, sorry for the..."

Y/n fell down to the ground, drained. Mereoleona rushed and caught him, "hey! Wait!"

Mereoleona looked through his body, "shit, his mana levels were already low. Now it's even lower!"

"Heheh, Mery, have I ever told you...you have very pretty eyes." Y/n coughed out.

"You can tell me that later!" Mereoleona picked him up bridal style and rushed away.
———-
A younger Y/n is seen exploring and holding his hands out, "my new magic attack!"

The wolfs looked confused at him, but he showed a picture, "Steam Gates Of Hell!"

"Ugh...what?" Y/n is seen floating in the hot springs. He sits on the bottom of the water and looks at his body, "Um, why am I only wearing a towel? Though, it'd be weird to wear clothes in here..."

Y/n looked around the area, it was like a cavern in here. Y/n thrusted his hands forward, gripping it, "it seems like my Mana is back. Though, where's Kirito? I remember beating him mentally, but... did the authorities take him away. And where's Mery?"

A door suddenly opened as Y/n immediately hid behind the large rock. Mereoleona looked around the area, eyeing the rock with a glance. "Mereoleona?! Why is she in the men's!"

"But like I was saying, aren't the Black Bulls amazing?" another woman entered the springs.

Y/n grew in disbelief, "DID SHE THROW ME IN THE WRONG ONE!?"

"Their Captain is something." Mereoleona really wasn't interested in the discussion as the two started to rest into the springs. Mery sighed with joy, "that's the stuff..."

"Everyone thinks they're a mess, but I beg to differ!"

"You have anything else to talk about?" Mereoleona bluntly asked.

"Well, what about that guy you came in here with?" the woman asked and Mereoleona paused. "There was steam throughout the volcano, some even started to boil. I was scared that all the vibrations at the top were gonna destroy the area. That was him, right?"

"It sounds like it. I got pulled to the town we recently came from, so I had to rush back." Mereoleona took a sip of her wine. "But he is a steam user."

"I've never heard of a steam user! Wow, he was pretty handsome, wasn't he? I bet hanging out with someone like that must be a dream." the woman sighed with jealousy. "What's he like?"

Y/n raised an eyebrow, did Mereoleona even see Y/n like that? I guess the thought of something more between them never really crossed his mind. "He is handsome, but there's many more things with him."

Mereoleona sipped the rest of her drink, "you'll like that he's dependable, in the time we've been together, he's always has had my back. He's strong enough to stand on his own, but also will put up with your antics. He's very kind and understanding. But he can also be reckless and unpredictable."

"Wow, you two must be close~!" the woman nudged Mereoleona before she got up. "Well, I'll give up on that one. Oh, by the way, the authorizes came by and took that man away. And those other two heroes mysteriously disappeared, so they left."

Mereoleona chuckled, "I see... thanks..."

Once the woman left, Mereoleona's eyes glanced at the rock, "you can come out now, Y/n. Unless you wanna stay there forever."

Y/n froze before sighing and slowly approaching Mereoleona, but not looking at her. "I'm sorry, I heard everything."

"I wasn't really hiding it from you. You back to normal yet?" Mereoleona simply asked as Y/n turned around to face her in the hot springs.

"Yeah. I feel my Mana's back to 100%." Y/n realized what he did and looked at Mereoleona's naked body. He felt a rise in his body and quickly stood up with shock, "AGH! SORRYY!!"

Mereoleona looked at him before she smirked, "you're packing a nice one. Never seen anything that impressive."

Y/n raised an eyebrow before looking down at his morning sun. He blushes before immediately sinking back in the water and grabbing his towel. "Thank you..."

"Hey..." Mereoleona said with...calmness? "I thought you were gonna kill that guy."

Y/n leaned against the edge of the hot springs, "I wanted to, but my mom would've killed me if I did it just because I lost my temper."

"She seems like an interesting person." Mereoleona stated as the camera pulls out to show Y/n's mother working in her shop still.

"Yeah...she really is." Y/n's voice is heard before his mother sighed.

She head into the back of the shop and saw a picture of her and a woman. She held up the picture before putting it back down, "miss you, Richita..."