May 14th, 2011 
AstroNerdBoy 魔法先生 ネギま！Volume 35 Chapter 324 (manga)
Mahou Sensei Negima! Manga Chapter 324
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
Yue awakens, thanks to having cast a delayed spell within herself just in case he was knocked out and paralyzed by the battle with the faux Fate. She casts a revival spell on Makie, who is groggy, as Yue retrieves Kaede’s cloak. They hear the sounds of battle in the distance and Yue is able to determine that one of the combatants is Negi though she doesn’t know how she knows this. The move down the corridor and find the unconscious Asakura.
Yue begins casting the revival spell on Asakura when Makie notes that not only is Yue a great mage, but she’s also in love with Negi. This causes Yue to bite her tongue and after healing it, she tries to protest Makie’s statement but Makie isn’t buying it. Makie says Yue’s feelings are obvious and that even if Yue lost some of her memories, she never lost her feelings. Makie expresses her admiration of Yue and then tells Yue that she too likes Negi and even confessed. Makie recounts all of the girls in the class whom she believes is in love with Negi which surprises Yue. Makie calls them for what they are — rivals.
The now awakened Asakura is amused that Yue and Makie can speak of their love lives when things are like they are. As the trio race forward, Asakura says that Yue should confess and thinks of how much Negi has matured since they’ve arrived on the Magic World. Elsewhere, Kaede finds the unconscious Kotaro and can see the distant battle where Negi is fighting. She’s amazed that Negi can hold his own against Fate as Yue, Makie, and Asakura arrive. The foursome moves toward the battle area as Kaede’s amazement with Negi’s skills grows since Negi is winning.
At that battle, Negi has fate on the run but Negi catches him anyway, punching Fate so hard that Fate is not only sent flying into a boulder, but now also has a hole in his gut. Fate considers how that things haven’t changed from 20 years ago or even 10 years ago. However, he figures the next exchange of blows will end this. He asks Negi about Negi’s alternate plan for the Magic World. Negi remarks that he thought Fate didn’t want to hear that. Fate considers this and agrees, retracting the request.
At Mahora, Eva demands some answers but Headmaster Konoemon is not sure she should be given them. Al says it should be OK since Eva is no longer the “Devil of Darkness” that she had been and has calmed down considerably, something he credits Negi and company as being responsible for. Al talks about Eva’s past and her conversion from a normal girl into a vampire, a story that even the headmaster was unaware of. Al asks if Eva knew the person who did this to her? Eva replies that she didn’t know the identity but simply assumed it was a mage gone insane for immortality. Since she killed him 600 years ago, she doesn’t think it matters. Al states that this is not the case and that this person not only lives but is sealed under the World Tree. This person is none other than the Mage of the Beginning — the Lifemaker.
Thoughts/Review:
YES! Some additional hints at Eva’s backstory is exactly what I wanted and hopefully we’ll get more information. When Eva told Setsuna and Asuna her story, I’d hoped that there would be more to it. While I didn’t expect the Lifemaker to be the one to turn Eva into a vampire, I have to admit that I like it. I’m thinking that when we learn of the Lifemaker’s motives, I’ll like it more. Granted, there are other issues to work out such as why Eva thought she’d slain the one who’d turned her since Ala Rubra couldn’t kill the Lifemaker 20-years ago and only barely sealed him under the World Tree 10-years ago. With this revelation, now Eva has a reason to be involved in the fight which is the main reason I liked her being attached to the Lifemaker.
Yue continues to be awesome in her anticipating that she would be knocked out and so prepared a delayed counter-spell for it. While Negi has pure power on his side, Yue has pure intellect with some magic to back it up. She makes a great traditional mage and in Ala Alba’s battle ranks, she not only provides information but likely will make for a good support mage during combat.
I did enjoy her and Makie’s conversation about love and Negi. Akamatsu-sensei acknowledges the inappropriateness of the conversation through Asakura, but at the same time, this allowed him to get back into the story with a bit of a lighter touch to prevent things from being so dark all the time.
With Makie, Kaede, Yue, and Asakura now approaching where Nodoka and Natsumi are, I can’t help but wonder if they will turn the tide to allow Asuna to be freed. After all, Yue has her artifact and could come up with a solution. We’ll see.
Well, I’m looking forward to the new chapter. I’m looking out for chapter 325 spoilers but we’ll see if they show up. ^_^;
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Really interesting that Al says they sealed away Beginning Mage “at the sacrifice of a hero 10 years ago”, (with a picture of Nagi)
Also, he says the Mage might not be “Immortal”, but “Indestructible”, which is he could be killed by Eva and still stick around, [gotta check the wording in that caption]
Final thing: why cant the Fates physically harm the girls? Their erasure powers don’t work on humans but they can still use magic and punches right? Or do they just choose not to..
Awesome chapter, plot is definitely what we need after a month long break
Thanks for the review.
Hm same haircut, same element, mutual past.
I wonder if the first two Averruncus are Primium et Secundum respectively and not Tertium activated three time.
And I want to know if J Rakan was aware of the link between Eva and the lifemaker when he taught Negi Magia Erebia
Hmm.
Where did you read this chapter?
Can’t find it anywhere.
Al x Eva ftw
Al’s teasing always makes me chuckle
Really interesting that Al says they sealed away Beginning Mage “at the sacrifice of a hero 10 years ago”, (with a picture of Nagi)
I was thinking of Nagi’s master, who’d also been apparently sacrificed 20-years earlier. There are some who speculate that Al was the sacrifice since he’s been basically trapped at Mahora for the last 10-years.
Final thing: why cant the Fates physically harm the girls? Their erasure powers don’t work on humans but they can still use magic and punches right? Or do they just choose not to..
They’ve been ordered not to do so and I guess you could say they’ve chosen to obey that order. Why someone should care so much about the humans to make such an order, I couldn’t say.
I wonder if the first two Averruncus are Primium et Secundum respectively and not Tertium activated three time.
I think this is probably true though Fate appears to have their memories (which isn’t hard to believe since he’s an artificial construct).
And I want to know if J Rakan was aware of the link between Eva and the lifemaker when he taught Negi Magia Erebia
That’s an interesting thought. Eva didn’t even know so one would think Rakan wouldn’t know either.
However, what I want to know more than this is why Eva was allowed to hang out with Ala Rubra at all. Obviously, Nagi grew tired of it and sent her packing to Mahora but that’s the story I’m REALLY wanting to hear.
Where did you read this chapter?
I just read CanonRap’s translation.
1. not immortal but indestructible…
2. nagi is still alive but in a place that can not be reach…
3. lifemaker … eva … dark magic … absorb … and so on
theory: when he was defeated, the lifemaker went inside nagi and growing greater control of nagi’s self… the reason why nagi must go just after he save negi is because what he have inside…
question remain: where’s mom? and where to put zazie in all of this?
That explains a thing or two…
Back when Nagi confined Eva, iirc he mentioned that the Academy needed a “guard” (without explaining why). Then down in the roots you’ve got the dragon and Al. Al is soft of stuck there due to his apparent inability to due much without magic around, but there doesn’t appear to be any reason why he couldn’t have just left for the Magic World (where there’s plenty of magical energy). And Al’s hardly the kind of guy who needs a dragon protecting him – ergo the dragon was there for something else.
So the idea of sticking the Mage underneath Mahora probably existed even back when Nagi cursed Eva (though it’s possible that the intent was to free her once Al and the dragon were in place – unfortunately, Nagi disappeared first…).
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They’ve been ordered not to do so and I guess you could say they’ve chosen to obey that order. Why someone should care so much about the humans to make such an order, I couldn’t say.
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It fits with CE’s stated goals. The stated goals of CE are to “save” everyone – ergo the organization wants to keep the body count as low as possible. The comment is made that keeping everyone alive took more effort than killing them out of hand, but it doesn’t look like the extra effort slowed them down appreciably. So why not?
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With Makie, Kaede, Yue, and Asakura now approaching where Nodoka and Natsumi are, I can’t help but wonder if they will turn the tide to allow Asuna to be freed. After all, Yue has her artifact and could come up with a solution. We’ll see.
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I don’t know that it’s so much “turning the tide” as just plain figuring out how to get Asuna out. The dryad has a nasty artifact, but she didn’t seem to be able to do much more than slow everyone down with it. I think the members present would be able to overcome her in a fight – though not without some resistance. The problem at this point appears to be the tree root globe that she created – and I don’t think defeating her is going to bring that down. Yue might be able to come up with a trick to open the globe, but the bigger problem is Fate’s mention of some great immediate calamity if Asuna weren’t on the altar.
FFX spoiler ahead.
Not completely sure why, but I’m quite reminded of FFX: You’re on a quest to help Yuuna defeat the monster Sin, which has reappeared and started rampaging despite being defeated ten years ago. As the game progresses, you find out that it keeps reappearing every ten years, but for those ten years people have the Calm. Later, you find out the nasty little secret that in order to defeat Sin, Yuuna will have to sacrifice herself. Even later, you find out the nastiest secret – not only will Yuuna have to sacrifice herself, the guardian she’s closest to will have to become the next Sin. And this cycle has been repeating for a thousand years.
I know it’s really unlikely that Akamatsu-sensei would copy the concept directly, but we know he is a Final Fantasy fan. And we know that as one of the last bosses is defeated (I don’t remember clearly which), he wishes on Nagi his thousand years of despair, knowing that nothing can be changed.
@arimareiji: yup… we have the same basic idea..
although lately i wonder whether the lifemaker is inside negi’s mom and nagi went there too to fight it off (so it wouldn’t gain a full control of her) or the other way around.
…wel it’s just a theory anyway..
theory: when he was defeated, the lifemaker went inside nagi and growing greater control of nagi’s self… the reason why nagi must go just after he save negi is because what he have inside…
question remain: where’s mom? and where to put zazie in all of this?
There are a lot of questions.
Back when Nagi confined Eva, iirc he mentioned that the Academy needed a “guard” (without explaining why).
That was in volume 3, right? I’ll have to look whenever I get back home but if it was from volume 3, the Twins might have cleared things up.
That said, Eva did appear to be forced to investigate intrusions from the Magic World. When Chamo arrived, Eva immediately sensed it and against her will had to go investigate it.
OK, I have to ponder this a moment.
Eva was evil and did things that forced Nagi to curse her and bind her to Mahora while the school’s barrier stripped her of most of her powers. The idea was to tame her somewhat and try to get her to repent at which point Nagi would lift the curse. As part of the curse, Eva was apparently forced to check out any incursions from the Magic World and possibly any magical beings passing through the school’s barrier. Since she was mostly powerless (save for her impressive martial arts skills, potion skills, magical artifacts, some partial Doll Master powers, and whatever additional abilities she gained during the full moon), I figure she would investigate and then report what she’d learned to the headmaster. The two seemed to have some sort of relationship since she’d go talk with him whenever he requested it and they were playing Go when her services were needed in Kyoto.
Al was also mostly powerless. I see Al as being the hero sacrificed to keep the MotB sealed. Since he was weakened except during times of the World Tree powering up, I figure the wyvern was used to protect Al against normal intrusions like Negi’s first trip down. Should the seal on the Lifemaker be broken, Al would be set free (my theory) to have someone onsite to immediately deal with that situation. I don’t see the wyvern being something that would be any kind of real threat against the Lifemaker. The wyvern would keep a weakened Eva out though, should she have learned that Al was under Library Island.
…the bigger problem is Fate’s mention of some great immediate calamity if Asuna weren’t on the altar.
I can see this being the event that leads to Chao’s trip to the past.
And we know that as one of the last bosses is defeated (I don’t remember clearly which), he wishes on Nagi his thousand years of despair, knowing that nothing can be changed.
I think I remember what you are talking about but I’d need to go back an reread the chapter in question.
I got curious myself, and dug it up… 2600, not 1000.
http://www.mangafox.com/manga/mahou_sensei_negima/v29/c267/8.html
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