UQ Holder (Negima 2) Finale Discussion

All in all, I liked the series, it had its ups and downs but just expanding the end of Negima was worth the read.

I may have to re-read the last 15 or so chapters of UQH though (43 year time skip), because I just skimmed most of it due to the convuluted plot and heavy expositions.

I hate Ba'al the most, he felt like a shoe-horned side mini-boss with a lot of undeserved screen time. It felt like Ken Akamatsu added him in so that the finale would be Eva/Ialda(mage of the beginning) vs Touta and Negi.

Ialda was already a great villain, he was built up for so long that another villain felt insignificant compared to Ialda.

I do agree that Negi + Touta vs Eva/Ialda was epic, but maybe Ken Akamatsu have done it differently.

Can someone else tell me why I'm wrong about Ba'al?

Also, thoughts on UQ Holder as a whole, and its ending?

I also believe that it wouldn't be as fun if you haven't read Negima beforehand, thoughts?