Black Clover: The Honored One

by ItsADiplodocus69

Summary:

In a world where magic is everything, A magicless boy is abandoned in front of a church in a small town in the forsaken realm of the Clover Kingdom. He grows up dreaming of becoming the Wizard King, changing the unequal class system in the Clover Kingdom, and protecting his loved ones.
But what is his connection to the Gojo Clan? Why has he always been more perceptive than other kids? Why does he have the ability to put up an invisible barrier between himself and the people around him? Embark on this journey with the magicless prodigy known as Asta and his path to becoming the Wizard King.

Chapter 1

Run. That was all that was going through Licita’s head; no amount of injury could perturb her mind. She had to survive, for her son’s sake— the last of the Gojo clan. She looked at him, ethereal blue eyes staring at her in confusion. He couldn’t possibly have comprehended the responsibility he had on his tiny shoulders, but he will, for he is the son of the Gojo clan, humanity’s last line of defense in their war with the devils.

 

 He will grow up to be humanity’s ultimate champion, Licita thought, not only had he inherited the spectral six-eyes only found in the Gojo clan, he had most likely inherited the ultimate Cursed Technique, the most powerful one there is— The Limitless.

 

Licita sped up, tears welling in her eyes, she couldn’t remove the traumatizing events she experienced from her head. It had all happened so fast, one second they were all having a beautiful family dinner, then a great explosion. Fire and blood, that was all she saw; it only took seconds for her family to realize what was happening and intercept the intruders.

 

She tried to help, but was stopped by her husband.

 

“My love, go get Asta and run away, run as far away as you can!” he shouted, waking her up from her daze.

 

“B…B…But my love, what about you?” she whispered.

 

“Don’t worry about me, Licita, I can hold my own, I must protect our clan,” he stated smugly.

 

“No, I won’t leave you behind!” she replied nervously.

 

He grabbed her shoulders with his firm hands, his blues locking with her greens.

 

“Licita, my love, you and Asta have to get to safety, if all goes to shit today he will be the future of our clan…and humanity’s ultiamte champion,” he explained passionately.

 

“But my love, I can’t leave you behind, what will happen to you?” she asked

 

“My love, you are 100 years too early to be worried about me. These Spade soldiers stand no chance against me. I will certainly win and follow you two,” he replied complacently.

 

Licita hugged her husband closely. They shared a passionate kiss before running out of the dining hall to find her baby. She took one last look at her husband, who was engaging two Spade kingdom soldiers that had entered through the massive hole in the wall, caused by the initial explosion. The soldiers were relatively strong, aided by their strong Fire and Earth-based attacks, their grimoires hovering near them, but they were nowhere close to her husband’s level of strength. All he had to do was coat his fists in cursed energy and knock them out with a few punches.

 

Licita smiled as she exited the hall, quickly rushing down the spacious hallways of the Gojo manor, each wall filled with the rich history of the clan. As she approached Asta’s nursery, she heard crying, screaming, and laughing.

 

Licita burst through the door to see a gruesome scene. Two of the babysitters were lying in a pool of their own blood, one with a massive gash across her chest, and the other with a half-severed neck. The other babysitter was shielding Asta’s crib with her body, blood dripping from several gashes all over her body.

 

“L-Leave t-this boy a-alone!” she commanded weakly. 

 

“You ain’t from the Gojo clan, I told you and the other two girls that you may leave in peace, but you decided to sacrifice yourself for him. It was your choice, and for that your life shall be forfeit!” shouted the Spade Kingdom soldier, with a slight psychopathic tone in his voice.

 

“I h-have no problem s-sacrificing my life for master Asta’s,” she replied with strong conviction.

 

The Spade Kingdom soldier activated two sickle-like objects on his forearms and went after the babysitter. Within seconds, Licita was in front of him, had coated her arms with the massive amount of cursed energy she had, and punched him in the face, knocking out all his teeth and sending him flying through the wall behind him.

 

She walked up to the babysitter, who had fallen to the floor.

 

“Don’t die, Pami, stay with me!” exclaimed Licita. Pami held onto Licita’s forearm with all the strength she had left.

 

“P-P-Please…s-save m-master Asta,” she whispered in her last breaths.

 

Licita looked away in shame. If she had been here sooner, she would’ve been able to save them. She closed Pami’s eyes and stood, walking to Asta’s Crib. Her beautiful baby boy had finally stopped crying, his ethereal blue eyes staring at her as they brightened. He started giggling, his white hair almost shining in the scarcely lit room.

 

She picked him up in her arms and started bobbing him. She almost forgot what was happening outside when a second explosion went off. Her daze was broken, and she instantly went to work. First, she placed Asta back down in his crib, then she got to filling up a bag with food, water, and diapers. She wore the bag on her back, put Asta in a sling, and swiftly left the nursery.

 

Licita went to her husband’s study, where she found various scrolls briefly outlining different aspects of the Gojo clan family heritage. Then, quickly left the  

 

Licita ran towards the secret exit, which only members of the Gojo family knew of. She looked through the small window near the exit and saw something that would haunt her forever. Corpses of members of the Gojo clan littered the manor courtyard; her uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandparents, all had perished. The bloodbath was too much to handle.

 

“Look, brother, look at his pathetic state!” laughed a mage with an eyepatch over her right eye.

 

“Indeed, he looks rather pathetic. Look how the mighty Gojo clan has fallen,” replied the brother with a cross-shaped tattoo over his left eye.

 

“W-Why did you do this?” exclaimed a weak voice, a man’s voice, one Licita knew to be her husband. He was on his knees, in the middle of a sea of Spade kingdom men.

 

“Well, you are humanity’s last line of defense and all. We couldn’t proceed with our plans with your clan being alive,” replied the oldest of the three.

 

“What plans?” her husband exclaimed.

 

“Normally, I wouldn’t tell you, but seeing that you are gravely injured and about to die, I will entertain your question,” replied the oldest of the three with a smug grin on his face.

 

“We will open up the door between this world and the other, fulfill our full potential, and release the king devils. The king above all,” explained the girl with a psychotic grin on her face.

 

“Oh, Vanica, I wanted to be the one to explain!” objected the oldest.

 

“Haha, you snooze you lose, Dante!” Venica replied, sticking out her tongue.

 

“You guys are still children,” stated the other brother.

 

“You are one to talk, Zenon!” shouted Vanica comically.

 

“Ha Ha Ha, I can’t believe I was defeated by these absolute bafoons,” stated Licita’s husband with a weak smile.

 

“Oh, trust me, if it wasn’t all of us fighting you together, along with our goons, you would’ve definitely defeated us,” stated Dante.

 

“Your cursed speech and endless cursed energy were certainly powerful. Stand proud, you are strong,” said Zenon cooly.

 

“But alas, you have lost, with your death, the Gojo clan is extinct, and our plans will have no obstacles,” laughed Vanica. 

 

“Farewell, Megumi Gojo!” yelled Dante.

 

Megumi looked through the window Licita was staring out of. He gave her one last loving smile before being crushed by overwhelming gravity. Licita held her hands in front of her mouth to stop herself from crying out. Memories of her beloved husband flowed through her head; she loved him so much, and now he was gone. Licita was close to giving into despair, but then she remembered, “Licita, my love, you and Asta have to get to safety, if all goes to shit today he will be the future of our clan…and humanity’s ultiamte champion.” Megumi’s last words to her.

 

Licita strengthened her resolve, wiped the tears from her eyes, and went down the tunnel with her baby son.

 

“Is everyone dead?” exclaimed Dante.

 

One of the Spade kingdom soldiers rushed over to Dante.

 

“My lord Dante, we are unable to find the young brat and his mother, they must’ve escaped!” he reported.

 

Dante screamed in anger, his mana overwhelming the soldiers in his vicinity.

 

“Split out into groups of 100, and go find them, I want them DEAD!!” ordered Dante.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Licita shook her head, wiping her tears. She couldn’t think about that right now; she had to get her son to safety.

 

Suddenly, she got impaled by 3 metal arrows. She looked where they came from and saw Spade Kingdom soldiers emerging from the bushes.

 

“There she is, the Gojo bitch and her brat, lets go get them!” ordered one of the soldiers.

 

Licita focused her cursed energy and accelerated away. She knocked over some trees to act as obstacles for her pursuers.

 

On the horizon, Licita spots an enormous three-eyed skull and a small town. I must have finally reached the Clover Kingdom, she thought. It was early in the morning when she entered the town, no one had left their houses yet. She spotted a humble-looking church on top of a hill near the town. 

 

As she approached the church, she dreaded what she had to do, but knew it was necessary. She looked at the now sleeping Asta, tears welled up in her eyes, it tore her heart to leave him, to not see his smile or hear his laughs again.

 

“I love you, Asta…P-P-Please live,” whispered Licita through tears.

 

She kissed his tiny forehead gently, placing him down in front of the church. Licita ran and didn’t look back, for if she looked back, she would never be able to leave him behind. She ran towards the giant skull.

 

“Its the Gojo bitch, don’t let her get away this time!” shouted a Spade soldier.

 

Licita ran deeper and deeper into the forest, when she remembered, she had the gojo scrolls in the bag she was carrying. Licita cursed herself, if only she had left the bag with her Asta, he would need it to learn about his powers. 

 

“No use for regret now,” said Licita as she ran towards an enormous boulder.

 

“If there is a god above, please, let Asta find this when he needs it the most,” Licita prayed. She lifted the rock, dug a small hole under it, and placed the bag there.

 

Licita continued running, Spade kingdom soldiers on her tail. She spotted three Spade kingdom soldiers in the distance, cornering an injured individual on the cliff. Before they could react, Licita used her rapidly dwindling strength to knock them off the cliff.

“Hello there, you saved my life, thank you!” exclaimed the heavily injured man.

 

“No worries, my name is Licita, what is yours?” she asked.

 

“Ralph, the name is Ralph,” he answered.

 

“There she is, we got her cornered!”

 

Suddenly, the Spade Kingdom soldiers came out of the forest, all looking ready to spill blood.  

 

“Spade kingdom soldiers, why are they following you?” asked Ralph.

 

“They are trying to capture me, but I won’t allow them to,” answered Licita in a tired voice.

 

“Ya, me too. Unfortunately, it looks like that is impossible.”

 

“It doesn’t matter, I bet my life on a new era,” answered Licita, a grin on her face.

 

“I guess I did too,” said Ralph smugly.

 

“GET THEM!!!”

 

Licita conjured up the last bit of her cursed energy and punched the floor. Ralph used a strong wind spell. The combined power of their attack caused the cliff to break off, dropping Licita, Ralph, and most of the Spade Kingdom soldiers down into the shadows. As she fell, Licita reflected on her life, her happy childhood, her sad teens, when she met and fell in love with Megumi, and when they had Asta. Asta, her precious baby boy.

 

“I love you, Asta,” she said, “Megumi, I am coming.”

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

"And then the world was covered in deep, deep darkness. Just when the demon tried to destroy the world, a very brave mage appeared. The brave mage fought the demon to bring the dawn back to the world. And finally, he defeated the demon. The mage's light shone ever so brightly upon the whole world. The long, long night had come to an end. This was the dawn of our world," narrated Sister Lily, "And so, the mage was dubbed the Wizard King and became a legend, and they all lived happily ever after."

 

“The Wizard King…” mumbled Asta.

 

Asta observed the beauty of the Clover Kingdom from atop a hill near Hage village. Sister Lily had taken all the children from the orphanage on a picnic, right after rejecting his marriage proposal for the millionth time. Sister Lily had told them the tale of the first Wizard King, and Asta was mesmerized.

 

“Hey Sister, the Wizard King still exists, right?” asked Asta, deep in thought.

 

“Yes, Asta,” replied Sister Lily with a loving smile on her face, “The title of Wizard King”  has been passed down through many generations. All along, they've been protecting us with their magic. It's because of the Wizard King that the Clover Kingdom is so peaceful.”

 

“That’s awesome, Sister. Is the Wizard King really that important?” boomed Asta as he jumped up, excitement taking over.

 

“Hehehe, he is the most important after the king,” laughed Sister Lily.

 

Asta sat back down. Becoming the Wizard King didn’t sound too bad. Asta had always been an outcast among the kids from the village; firstly, he had always been ridiculed for his intensely blue eyes. The words “freak” and “mutant” had always been associated with him. At first, he hated his blue eyes, but he grew to love them over time, especially when Sister Lily called them “ethereal.”

 

Secondly, Asta had always been shamed for not having any magic, which prompted other kids to make fun of him; he had always replied that his powers were latent. He was sad that his powers had not emerged, unlike his brother Yuno, but he would never let that get to him; he was never going to give up.

 

Finally, Asta had always freaked out the kids with his “heightened” senses. His perception of things has always been miles ahead of everyone around him; he could comprehend situations far faster than any adult in the village. In some situations, he could process situations so fast that it seemed to slow down time.

 

Becoming Wizard King would make him more than just a social outcast; it would make him a hero of the Clover Kingdom, a hero capable of protecting his family and future friends. It would allow him to put a smile on the faces of those he loved most, and not be considered a failure.

 

“Okay, I've made up my mind!” boomed Asta, making Sister Lily and other kids jump.

 

“About what, Asta?”

 

“I'm... gonna be the Wizard King!” declared Asta with a grand, jolly smile on his face.

 

“What brought this on?” asked Sister Lily.

 

“Well, he defeated the demon, right? That means he's super strong! And that's so cool! I wanna be cool, too!” replied Asta. “And...If I become important...If I become the Wizard King, I'll be able to make everyone even happier, right?”

 

“You'll be able to wear nice clothes and eat all the good food you want!” said Sister Lily.

 

“I'm gonna make this crappy little church huge and amazing!” Asta declared while hugging Sister Lily. “I'll get you whatever you want, too, Sister!”

 

“I'll look forward to it.”

 

“Right, Yuno?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“The Wizard King...I'm gonna be the Wizard King!” shouted Asta.

 

“If I can’t train my magic, I’ll start training my body,” Asta thought, “And so it begins,” 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   

December

 

“Hi there. I was wondering if one of you would run an errand for me,” asked Father Orsi as he got off his broom.

 

“Me, Me, Me!” shouted Asta, jumping up and down.

 

“I’ll do it,” answered Yuno meekly.

 

“Yuno, will you please deliver this letter to the mayor for me?” asked Father Orsi. “I have to ask him to spare us some food to make it through the winter. As it stands now, we just don't have enough tatoes.”

 

“Sure, Father Orsi, don’t worry,” replied Yuno, taking the letter from Father Orsi.

 

“Thank you, Yuno, the little pride of Hage Village.”

“Yuno, I'll go!”

 

“No. Father asked me to go. I-I'll go.”

 

“Will you be okay by yourself?”

 

“I'll be fine. I'm heading out!”

 

“Good Luck, Yuno.”

Later

Yuno's taking an awfully long time, Asta thought. He had been gone for more than four hours now, and that really worried Asta.

 

“Sister, Yuno has been gone for so long, I am starting to get worried,” whined Asta.

 

“It's okay, Asta, he is probably on the way back as we speak.”

 

“Whatever,”

 

Suddenly, Asta felt a chilling feeling all over his body. He didn’t know why, but he knew that Yuno was in trouble, great trouble.

 

“Sister, I am heading out to get Yuno; he is in trouble,” yelled Asta as he rushed through the door.

 

“ASTA WAIT,” screamed Sister Lily.

 

Whether it was his heightened senses kicking in, gut instinct, or the weird and unfamiliar feeling welling up in his core that allowed him to know of Yuno’s perilous situation, he didn’t care; he had to get there and fast.

 

As he sprinted in the snow, the weird feeling in his core started spreading throughout Asta’s body, from the tips of his toes to the top of his head, he felt raw power coursing through him. He looked down and saw a faint bluish glow radiating from his feet. Suddenly, he felt himself run faster and faster, reaching speeds that no normal human would run.

 

“What is happening to me?” he screamed, “No matter, all that matters now is Yuno.”

 

As he approached the empty streets of the town, he heard a faint grunt and a cry of pain, causing him to increase his speed even more. The immense speed caused the snow behind him to blow like a storm.

 

The sound of crying was getting louder and louder the closer he got, until he saw it. The drunk man had not only stolen Yuno’s precious pendant but had also pulled out his grimoire to hurt him.

 

“YUNO!” yelled Asta as he charged at the drunk man.

 

“Who the hell are you, brat?” asked the drunk man, now looking at Asta.

 

“That’s Yuno’s, GIVE IT BACK!” he shouted.

 

Asta ran at the man, charging his fist for a punch. Suddenly, he felt this new weird power travel from everywhere in his body toward his fist. It felt like a warm soothing temperature engulfing him, travelling up and down his body, the same faint bluish glow that was radiating from his feet when he ran had enveloped his fist, tripling in brightness.

 

As Asta approached the man, he jumped up in the air. Whether it was because of his weird newfound power or because of the rigorous physical training he undertook, he jumped so high he could see eye to eye with the man. Asta’s punch connected with the drunkard’s nose, launching him far away.

 

Yuno looked at Asta with awe. He knew Asta had trained tirelessly, but that punch was unprecedented for kids their age with magic, let alone without any magic whatsoever. Yuno ran over to Asta and hugged him

 

“That was amazing Asta, how did you do that?” asked Yuno.

 

“I don’t know, I feel a weird power in my body, could it be my magic?” replied Asta in a puzzled tone, staring at his fist in awe.

 

“I don’t think so, I didn’t sense any mana from you, but still that was absolutely amazing, well done, Asta!” exclaimed Yuno in awe, hugging Asta again.

 

“I guess so,” replied Asta, hugging Yuno back, “I am so happy I got here in time, I don’t know what would’ve happened if I didn’t.”

Suddenly, a metal column flew towards them at incredible speeds.

 

“YUNO LOOK OUT!” 

 

Asta was barely able to push Yuno aside before the metal column connected with his abdomen, sending him flying through the wall behind them.

 

“ASTA!”

 

“Damn you brat, you broke my nose,” boomed the drunk man. “Now, little boy, give me that precious pendant of yours, or your that little brat of a friend you got there will not live to see tomorrow,” 

 

“Here, take it…just please don’t hurt Asta,” cried Yuno.

 

“NO.”

 

Yuno and the drunk man both looked at the cavity in the wall. From the rubble, emerged a bloody-looking Asta.

 

“That pendant is precious to Yuno, you will not take it, I DO NOT ALLOW IT!” shouted Asta.

 

“Fine then, brat, you asked for it,” yelled the drunk man, charging at Asta with two columns of metal rushing towards Asta.

 

“ASTA, DODGE!” yelled Yuno.

 

Asta’s mind went blank, and he saw flashes of memories that didn't belong to him. He saw flashes of what seemed to be a fight between a white haired mage who shared his eyes, and a scary-looking monster with two faces and four arms. “Lapse Blue!” “Cleave!” “Reversal Red!” “Dismantle!” “Hollow Purple!” he heard. Words that meant nothing to him, but felt extremely nostalgic all the same.

 

His mind flashed to another memory, two men, one seemed older, and the other around fifteen.

 

“The Limitless is a technique inherited in our family; its mastery is essential for every generation it is in,” said the older-looking man.

 

“Yes, father!”

 

“I will only teach you simple aspects, as you are just starting. First, there is the innate defensive technique called infinity, which poses as the ultimate defense against almost all attacks, creating an invisible barrier between you and enemy attacks , ” explained the father. “Second, Lapse Blue, the ability to pull, you will learn to utilise this ability for both offensive and defensive maneuvers. You need to channel your cursed energy and focus it with intent and purpose, use the cursed energy to create a singularity that pulls.”

 

“Yes, father!”

 

Asta’s mind flashed to another memory, a woman running through the woods, evil-looking men chasing her. 

 

His mind flashed again, this time of the same woman, looking very injured and carrying a baby in her arms in front of a very familiar-looking church.

 

“I love you, Asta…P-P-Please live,” she said.

 

Asta’s finally started to clear. he saw snow falling, Yuno crying out to him, and two metal columns rapidly approaching him.

 

“ASTA, PLEASE DODGE!” yelled Yuno through tears.

 

Before Asta could move the columns where on him, he braced for impact, but the impact never came. Asta slowly opened his eyes to see the metal columns frozen in front of him, not moving an inch. The smug grin rapidly fell off the drunk man’s face and was replaced with fear.

 

“What is happening to me?” Asta whispered.

 

But then he remembered, “I will only teach you simple aspects, as you are just starting. First, there is the innate defensive technique called infinity, which poses as the ultimate defense against almost all attacks, creating an invisible barrier between you and enemy attacks.”

 

Could it be? Were these ambiguous memories real?

 

Asta looked at the metal columns, expecting them to have moved closer, but he was shocked to see that they hadn’t budged at all. Asta’s shocked face quickly morphed into an excited grin.

 

“If this worked, then what about the other thing?” said Asta.

 

Asta focused on the warm energy throughout his body, feeling its current like behaviour. He focused his intent on pulling the drunkard towards him, but nothing happened 

 

“You need to channel your cursed energy and focus it with intent and purpose, use the cursed energy to create a singularity that pulls.”

 

He focused the energy in his body with all his might, until it happened. A small sphere protruded out of his open palms, as blue as the ocean, and as small as a potato.

 

The drunkard suddenly started to feel a pull towards the boy; it started off as a simple tug of the shirt, but rapidly escalated into a vortex-like pull that couldn’t be countered.

 

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME, BRAT!” he yelled.

 

“Don’t ever think of messing with me or Yuno again, you bastard!” yelled Asta, a smug grin visible on his face in the night. “And by the way, the name is Asta, make sure you remember it… I will become the Wizard King after all.”

 

The drunk man was approaching Asta as fast as the wind.

 

“Goodbye, you bastard, LAPSE BLUE!”

 

Asta’s cursed energy-charged fist connected with the drunk man’s abdomen, making him spit out blood as he flew at inhumane speeds, crashing into a far-away building, knocking him unconscious.  

 

Asta’s legs gave out from exhaustion, but before falling, Yuno had held him up.

 

“Asta, you are AWESOME, how did you do that?” asked an excited Yuno.

 

“Honestly, I don’t understand it myself, but it feels like a new power,” explained Asta in a tired tone.

 

“You are so awesome, Asta, and strong too…If only I weren’t such a weakling, maybe I could’ve helped you,” croaked Yuno through tears. “I thought I was going to lose you,”

 

“This is nothing, Yuno. I am glad I was able to arrive here in time,” replied Asta, taking Yuno in for a hug. “I'm gonna become the Wizard King...and protect you and everyone else. I'm gonna make everyone even happier! So we can have even nicer things! And then, I'm gonna prove to everyone…”

“Prove?”

 

“That even if you're poor... or an orphan...you can still become the Wizard King.”

 

“We can?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Can we really?”

 

“Anyone can... if they work hard enough!”

 

“Anyone?”

 

“Me, or even you, Yuno!” replied Asta, finally letting Yuno go.

 

Yuno’s admiration for Asta had been very grand already, being the stronger of the two, the protector, and an amazing brother. But it had grown tremendously that day; he wanted to be like him, but he couldn’t possibly dream of getting to the same level of strength and confidence Asta had. Can he?

 

“I'll... never cry again,” he declared, “maybe I... no..”.

 

“Yuno?” asked Asta with a puzzled look.

 

“I will...I'll become the Wizard King, too! I'll get stronger and protect you and everyone else! I'm gonna make everyone happier! So we can have nicer things!” he declared to the world.

 

Asta gave Yuno a warm smile.

 

“So you're gonna become the Wizard King, too?” he said

 

“That means...:”

 

“Yuno, you're…”

 

“Asta, you're…”

 

“...my rival!”

 

The two brothers sealed their promise with a fist bump.

 

Yuno vowed to become stronger and train his wind magic, join the magic knights, beat his rival, and become the Wizard King.

 

Asta vowed to learn the true nature of his new abilities, master “infinity,” and “Lapse Blue.” He vowed to uncover the truth behind the memories he saw, and learn the identity of the woman who left him infron the church that fateful day.

Notes:

And that is chapter 2 for y'all, I hope you like it. Please feel free to leave any suggestions you have for the story down below. Expect the 10 year time-skip for the next chapter. I appreciate any constructive criticism y'all leave down below. Till next time

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

“Here I come, Asta!” yelled Yuno, rushing towards Asta.

 

“Jeez, didn’t know I was so attractive, you don’t have to run so fast,” replied Asta, a smug grin imprinted on his face.

 

Asta and Yuno had regularly clashed over the last 10 years, their duels growing more and more intense over the years. Yuno– the genius he is, had grown more and more powerful throughout the years, becoming Hage village’s very own “prodigy.” His mastery over his wind magic had grown to unrivaled levels, making him a top-tier candidate to join the magic knights.

 

Asta, on the other hand, had not developed a single drop of magic. People around Hage village grew to like him for his uplifting spirit and cheerful nature; they loved his immense work ethic and physical training; however, they didn’t expect him to succeed in the magic knights' exams, let alone becoming the Wizard King.

 

What they didn’t know, however, was Asta’s secret hidden powers that were unheard of throughout the Clover Kingdom. Cursed Energy. Asta had achieved great mastery over his cursed energy in the 10 years he had it. He learned how his own cursed energy behaved and operated, using it to enhance his physical attributes to unnatural levels.

 

Asta’s control over the Limitless technique had also grown significantly. His “infinite” technique had grown to distinguish between things that could pose as a threat and those that are don’t. He had also mastered the usage of Lapse Blue, even integrating it into aspects like travelling.

 

However, the more his abilities grew, the more headaches he would get, and the more physically exhausted he would be. Consequently, he wouldn’t be able to use them for too long.

 

“Who said you were attractive? I know for a fact no girl is liking a shrimp like you,” exclaimed Yuno, a smile plastered on his face.

 

“A shrimp? You hurt me, Yuno,” replied Asta, in a shocked tone. “I guess I have to teach you a lesson!”

 

The two rivals ran towards each other, excitement oozing off them like sweat. Yuno jumped high in the air.

 

“Wind magic: nature's wrath!” yelled Yuno as he created a small tornado, launching trees and debris towards Asta. The debris was so grand, it blocked out the sun.

 

“Nice one there, Yuno…If I weren’t me, that spell of yours would have given me trouble,” stated Asta smugly, hands in pockets. “Unfortunately for you, I am me.”

 

Asta readied his stance, took in a deep breath, and focused his cursed energy. He felt it flowing through him, travelling from every part of his body to his arms.

 

“Lapse Blue: Maximum output!” he yelled.

 

A blue sphere the size of a horse appeared over Asta’s head, which he launched towards the debris. He guided it in an arc motion as it absorbed the debris at an incredible speed. Asta was manically laughing as his Lapse Blue grew larger and larger, engulfing more and more debris, causing the sun to reimmerge.

 

“That was a good distraction, Yuno…but did you really think I'd fall for that basic faint trick?” quipped Asta, as Yuno appeared behind him, charging up another attack.

 

Asta looked at Yuno, competitive smiles plastered on both their faces. In an instance, Asta had teleported behind Yuno. Yuno had no time to react before feeling a great gravitational force pulling him backwards, and he accelerated at frightening speeds towards Asta. Asta charged a punch filled with cursed energy, powerful enough to blow a hole through Yuno’s stomach.

 

Yuno looked at Asta in horror, scared that Asta had lost his mind. He braced himself for impact, but it never came. Yuno opened his eyes to see himself rapidly approaching a tree. Now that he thought about it, the gravitational force had disappeared, and so did Asta. Yuno quickly used his wind magic to soften the blow.

 

As he stopped, Yuno turned around to see Asta standing in front of him, hands in pockets, and a smug grin plastered on his face.

 

“What does that make it, 451 to 25?” teased Asta.

 

“Uh, I think so…you wait until I get my grimoire, I will surpass you and become the Wizard King,” stated Yuno nonchalantly.

 

“That's big talk, my rival, you sure you up to it?”

 

“You bet I am, once I get my grimoire, I will learn a way to bypass your infinity!”

“Sure, help yourself,” teased Asta. “However, I do have to give you props, you have grown very powerful, Yuno…your control is insane for someone who doesn’t have a grimoire.”

 

“Thanks Asta, you have also exponentially grown stronger, you magicless prodigy. You are indeed worthy enough to be called my rival,” said Yuno as he walked away.

 

“WHO ARE YOU TO SAY THAT YOU BASTARD?” shouted Asta comically.

 

“Hahaha, ever the energetic one, Asta. See you later at the grimoire selection ceremony,” remarked Yuno, waving his arm to Asta as he walked away.

 

“See ya there, you jerk!” yelled Asta.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later

Asta was walking towards the great grimoire tower, and all the descriptions he heard failed to capture its true grandeur. It was a great cylindrical tower that reached for the sky like a hand, made of majestic red bricks that reflected the sun. At the top of the tower, the red bricks curved outwards, creating a castle-like shape. 

 

The road leading to the tower was paved through the forest, luscious trees marking both sides of the road, roots reaching down and onto the pavement. The entrance of the tower was marked by two small twin towers that had blood red cones on top of them for decoration.

 

Although the outside of the tower was a great sight to behold, the inside was even more extraordinary. All over the tower, grimoires were lining the shelves for as far as the eye can see.

 

“Wow!” the people said.

 

“A-Are all of these grimoires? Which one is mine?” Asta said, marveling at the sight he saw. “Once I get my grimoire, I'm sure I'll be able to use magic, too.”

 

“Hmph. I guess today's the day I become a full-fledged mage,” said a noble in attendance.

 

“Hey, look over there. Pathetic, isn't it? They shouldn't have to give grimoires to dregs like that,” replied another noble, pointing at the peasants who had come to receive their grimoires.

 

“You said it. Don't tell me they're actually planning on taking the Magic Knights' entrance exams, too,” replied the first noble in disgust, “Only nobles born with immense magical power or ties to the royal family ever get in…besides, I heard that shrimp can't even use magic!”

 

“Wow... Then we need to take good care of him. He's like a national treasure, since he's probably the only one in this whole kingdom who can't use magic,” replied the second noble smugly, pointing at Asta, who was still admiring the grandness of the tower.

 

“Welcome, young men and women…You all begin a new journey today. I wish you all faith, hope, and love. I am the master of this grimoire tower,” narrated Drouot. “We've never had a Wizard King from this area, nor anyone who's actually achieved greatness in the Magic Knights. I sincerely hope that one of you will become the Wizard King someday.”

 

The entire room went as quiet as a mouse.

 

“No, really! Seriously! Ahem. Now it's time for the awarding... of the grimoires!” Drouot boomed, trying to move on from the embarrassing experience. 

 

Suddenly, hundreds of grimoires flew off various different shelves and went to their new owners, causing the quiet tower to explode in noise, noises of happiness and disappointment.

 

“This is my grimoire?”

 

“Check it out! Mine's bigger!”

 

“Mine's thicker, though.”

 

“All right! Now I can leave this town and go to the city.”

 

“I'm gonna take over the family business.”

 

“This is my grimoire?”

 

“Mine's like…”

 

“I'll... think about my future more once my grimoire has more pages filled in.”

 

“We'll be taking the Magic Knights' entrance exams in six months, we'll be sure to get in.”

 

“Good, good. I look forward to it.”

 

“Um...My grimoire's not coming,” said Asta with a comical voice.

 

“Er...Try again next year,” boomed Drouot.

 

“What?!” Asta replied

 

“What the heck?!”

 

“That's actually amazing!”

 

“That's way too funny!”

 

“Seriously?”

 

“I can't believe it.”

 

“If we competed to see who was most pathetic, we'd be no match for that guy.”

 

All around him, people made fun of Asta, making fun of him, jeering at him, and calling him absurd names. Old Asta would’ve let this get to him, and even possibly dishearten him; he would have been mad at the people for making fun of him, and probably caused an embarrassing scene. But he has grown, laughing it off.

 

“No grimoire, oh well,” he joked.

 

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind broke everyone out of their low mumbling, leaving the tower in complete silence. At the center of the tower, Yuno rose into the air, claiming his grimoire. The symbol on the grimoire triggered gasps and bewilderment throughout the hall 

 

“A four-leaf clover…”

 

“A four-leaf? You mean the legendary…”

 

“The one that the first Wizard King received?”

 

“The grimoire said to be filled with immense power and good luck?”

 

“Him? That peasant?”

 

“Wow!”

 

“I'm going to become the Wizard King,” Yuno declared, ignoring everyone in the hall and locking eyes with a smiling Asta.

 

“Awesome!”

 

“He's the shining star of Hage!”

 

“As expected from my rival,” shouted Asta, causing everyone in the hall to look back at him like he had sprouted another head.

 

“Did he just say 'rival'?”

 

“He didn't even get a grimoire. What is he thinking?”

 

“Not possible.”

 

“Asta, I will surpass you and become the Wiard King!” declared Yuno again, this time with a more willful tone.

 

“That's the spirit, Yuno…I am sorry I have to crush it though,” replied Asta smugly. “Because the one that is going to become Wizard King is me!”

 

“Are you mad?”

 

“What is this magicless shrimp saying?”

 

“He can’t be serious.”

 

“In your dreams, Asta!” shouted Yuno at Asta, who had walked towards the exit.

 

Asta waved his hand away before teleporting away.

 

“What the…”

 

“Where did he go?”

 

“I didn’t sense any mana.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Asta had teleported to the top of the monster’s skull to meditate.

 

“This proves my theory…me not getting a grimoire confirms that the cursed energy I use in my Limitless technique is not magic,” thought Asta. “But if it isn’t magic, then what is it?”

 

Asta had hypothesized that cursed energy and mana were two completely different things, but now that it was confirmed, he felt lost. 

 

“As I see it, the difference between mana and cursed energy is as follows: I am able to utilize my cursed energy to improve my physical abilities, like my speed, endurance, and strength, but normal mages are unable to do this with mana,” thought Asta.

 

“Part of the abilities the Limitless technique grants me is 'infinity. ' I use it as an ultimate shield that protects me from any harm that could befall me.” Asta said. “Another aspect of the Limitless technique is Lapse Blue. I have been able to use this ability in many creative scenarios.”

 

“There has to be more powers the Limitless technique can grant me. I just need to get another one of these stupid flashbacks. No matter how much I tried to delve deep into my brain, I could never trigger memories like that again,” he raged. “Why? Why can’t I see them? I need to know more. Why am I the only one that can use cursed energy? What is the family that the old man talked about? Who was that woman I saw? Is she my mother?”

 

Asta’s mind had become a mess, no matter how much he tried to deny it, not getting a grimoire or magic did annoy him. He knew he was different; he just wanted to know why, why him? Why was he the unique one? Asta’s thoughts were interrupted by a chilling feeling, his superior senses detecting a feeling he hadn’t felt in 10 years. Yuno was in trouble. Asta pounced up from his meditation position atop the demon skull and focused his senses. He scoured Hage village with his superior eyesight, and then he saw it. Yuno chained up, and a mage admiring his 4-leaf grimoire like a token. 

 

Asta focused his cursed energy and used Blue to teleport to the battlefield. In an instant, Asta was behind the chain mage. He channeled his cursed energy into his fist and punched the mage in the back, sending him flying to the wall.

 

“I don’t think it was your smartest choice to pick a fight with my rival, mage,” said Asta smugly, picking up Yuno’s grimoire. “This right here is Yuno’s grimoire; it wouldn’t be fun for my rival to lose his rare grimoire when our real rivalry just started.”

 

The mage slowly stood up, rage apparent in his eyes.

 

“Kid, I am going to make you regret ever laying your filthy peasant hands on Revchi of chain magic!”

 

“Ryki of the chain magic, can’t say I’ve ever heard such a name before,” teased Asta, causing Revchi’s rage to triple.

 

“It's Revchi, BRAT…now experience your doom!” yelled Revchi as he activated a spell in his grimoire.

 

Revchi sent 10 chains at Asta, each with a deadly sharp edge at the end. Revchi laughed when the chains hit Asta; however, his grin was quickly replaced with horror when he saw the chains hovering inches away from Ast, dead in their tracks. Asta slowly walked towards Revchi, the chains moving out of the way.

 

“You can’t seriously go around bragging about magic this shitty,” teased Asta.

 

“That was a fluke brat, don’t think you are safe…TAKE THESE,” shouted Revchi, sending 100 chains at Asta.

 

“Fine, I’ll entertain you,” stated Asta, channeling his cursed energy. “Lapse blue.”

 

A blue sphere the size of a wheelbarrow flew towards Revchi’s chains, sucking them all up like a vaccum, erasing their existence. Revchi stared at the blue sphere in horror.

 

“What the hell are you, brat…you didn’t use any mana, but you destroyed my strongest attack so effortlessly?” quivered Revchi, fear oozing off him like sweat.

 

“Oh, me, I am Asta, the one who will become the future Wizard King,” stated Asta, smugly smiling. “Now, go to sleep for me.”

 

Asta pulled Revchi towards him at crazy speeds, and then proceeded to give him a cursed energy-filled uppercut, shattering many teeth and sending him high up in the sky, knocking him out.

 

“How many times do I have to save you before you learn to fend for yourself, huh, Yuno?” teased Asta.

 

“Shut up, this is only the second time,” joked Yuno.

 

“I guess...you saved me again. I'll repay you for this someday,” stated Yuno. “Asta...Do you remember our promise?”

 

“You mean you remember it? I thought you were just making fun of me,” replied Asta

 

“I have no interest in being too friendly with my rival. But you're the one who gave me hope,” said Yuno passionately.

 

“Even if you're poor, an orphan…”

 

“or even us…”

 

“We can become greater than anyone else in this world. And to prove that…”

 

“To make Sister and everyone else happy…”

 

“Let's become stronger and see who can become the Wizard King!” they said together, reaffirming their childhood promise with the same fist bump.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

2 months later

2 months had passed since the grimoire selection ceremony, Asta and Yuno had spent them rigorously training and getting stronger. Yuno had unlocked many new spells in his grimoire and elevated his wind magic to an elite level. 

Asta, on the other hand, had predominantly worked on his physique, boosting his stamina and strength through a rigorous training regimen. Asta had taken the forest near the huge demon skull as his training ground, spending most his days stationed there.

 

“Asta, are you heading out for the day?” asked Sister Lily.

 

“Yes, I am Sister, need anything?” replied Asta.

 

“Here, take this with you, this should be enough to keep you nourished and quenched for the day…don’t be late for dinner, okay?” ordered Sister Lily.

 

“Aw, Sister, thank you so much…can you marry me?” begged Asta.

 

Instinctively, Sister Lily attacked Asta with a fist of water.

 

“Sorry, Asta,” apologized Sister Lily.

 

“Please do it again, Sister… anyway, I will gladly take these refreshments because I am going deeper into the forest than ever before,” stated Asta.

 

“Okay, make sure to be careful, Asta,” requested Sister Lily.

 

“Later, Sister,” said Asta before teleporting.

 

Asta walked through the forest. He kept his guard up; he had never been this far in after all. Searching for a perfect spot to practice, he had never really appreciated how beautiful the forest was, all the way out in the forsaken realm. The forest was very dense, hardly allowing any sunlight to shine through. The sounds of birds singing, wind brushing on leaves, the soothing sound of the water, and the rather flat plain; this was the perfect spot for training.

 

Asta sat atop a large boulder to start his meditation. Like always, Asta focused his senses and tried to reach out deep in his mind for any memories that could emerge to give him more information about his powers. Unfortunately, like always, he was disappointed that no memories had emerged.

 

“I guess I’ll have to start my physical training then,” thought Asta.

 

“I need to get much, much stronger. If I am able to increase my raw physical strength and then boost it with my cursed energy in battle, my punches will be significantly stronger and more devastating,” thought Asta as he went down into one-armed push-ups.

 

“1995…1996…1997…1998…1999…2000!” said Asta through Gritted teeth.

 

“Wow, that was something…now for combat,” sighed Asta.

 

Asta practiced pairing his teleportations with combat, appearing and disappearing at rapid intervals, which made him almost appear invisible. In the last 2 months, Asta had boosted his mastery of Lapse Blue, making it easier and faster to use in combat. He had also improved his ‘infinite’ stamina, managing to maintain it for 8 hours straight without tiring.

 

“Weave, Weave, Weave, I am behind you and POW,” yelled Asta as he executed a rapid teleportation and punch combo maneuver, absolutely destroying a tree.

 

“Now, for the strength of the punches…um…I guess trees don’t pose that much of a challenge…this should do,” said Asta, heading over to the massive boulder he had previously meditated on. “This rock was rather comfortable to meditate on, but oh well.”

 

Asta focused his breath, ran at the rock, swung back and punched the boulder. The boulder was sent flying through the air, shattering into hundreds of tiny pieces.

 

“Damn, I guess boulders are also no challenge, I guess I have to find something hard to punch…Uh, what is this?” said Asta as he looked at the place where the boulder was.

 

There, under where the boulder used to be, was a small hole. Asta walked up to the hole and looked down. He didn’t expect to find an old-looking bag buried under the boulder.

 

“What the hell is this?” he asked.

 

Asta dumped the contents of the bag on the floor. What he saw puzzled him. There was a bunch of baby clothes and diapers; there was a bunch of broken crackers and chocolates. Finally, there were 2 scrolls.

 

“Why would someone leave this here? They must’ve left it a long time ago.”

 

Asta picked up the scrolls and unrolled them.

 

“Cursed Techniques and Utilizations of Cursed Energy That Have Featured in the History of the Gojo Clan”    

 

“The Gojo clan?” Asta thought, for some reason, this name sounded really familiar.

Techniques:

 

Cursed Speech                Projection Sorcery                Blood manipulation

 

Star Rage                       Devil Manipulation                Boogie Woogie

 

Copy                             Straw Doll                             Ratio

 

Tool Manipulation         Rot                                       Black Bird Manipulation

Reverse Curse Technique: Reverse Curse Technique is a very powerful and rare ability that allows the conversion of cursed energy, which is inherently negative, into positive energy for healing purposes. Essentially, it involves multiplying negative energy by another source of negative energy to produce a positive, restorative effect. This positive energy can then be used to regenerate damaged tissue, heal injuries, and even regrow limbs. 

 

Reverse Cursed Technique is very challenging to achieve, only being mastered by a few powerful individuals in the Gojo Clan's history.

Asta read over the first scroll and was absolutely mind-blown. He wasn’t the only one who could use cursed energy, not only that, but there was also an array of different interesting and unique innate cursed techniques! And then there was Reverse Cursed Technique, if the scroll is to be believed, there was a way for him to utilize his cursed energy to heal wounds in battle and even regenerate limbs, that more than any healing mage can do in the Clover Kingdom!

 

Then there was the name drop, the Gojo Clan. Asta didn’t know why, but he felt a strong sense of familiarity when he heard that name. Could he potentially be linked to the Gojo Clan?

 

After processing what he read, Asta unrolled the second scroll.

 

“The Limitless Technique: A Guide”

 

The Limitless Technique is an innate cursed technique passed down in the Gojo family. It is known as the strongest out of any cursed technique there is.

 

“It says here that the Limitless technique is passed down in the Gojo Clan. This confirms my involvement with that clan,” Asta thought. “Could I have any living relatives?”

 

The Limitless Technique grants the user the ability to manipulate and distort space, effectively bringing the concept of "Infinity" into reality. Its abilities are as follows:

 

Abilities:

 

Neutral Limitless (Infinity): The core ability, creating a barrier of infinite space around the user that stops attacks. 

 

Blue (Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue): Amplifies the Limitless, creating a force of attraction. 

 

Red (Cursed Technique Reversal: Red): Reverses the effects of Blue, creating a force of repulsion. Requires twice the Cursed Energy to achieve successfully. 

 

Purple (Hollow Technique: Purple): A secret technique, a fusion of Red and Blue, creating an imaginary mass that erases anything in its path. This is the strongest and most devastating ability the Limitless Technique offers.

 

The Limitless technique is the most powerful out of all innate cursed techniques; however, only a user of the Six-Eyes can fulfill its full potential.

 

The Six-Eyes is an incredibly rare and innate technique in the Gojo Clan that grants the user unparalleled perception and control over cursed energy. It allows for the detailed visualization of cursed energy, including its flow and even the presence of it in objects lacking it. The Six Eyes also drastically enhances the user's ability to manipulate the Limitless cursed technique

 

The Six Eyes is intrinsically linked to the Limitless cursed technique, enabling the user to achieve a level of mastery and efficiency unattainable by others. While powerful, the Six Eyes can be taxing on the user, leading to fatigue and information overload. It is advisable to wear eye coverings in non-combat situations to conserve energy.

Asta was speechless. This is what he prayed for all those years, something, anything to guide him on the right path for his training. And now, he has a full breakdown of everything he ever needed.

 

“Reversal Red and Hollow Purple, these are the techniques that will take my power to the next level…The opposite of Lapse Blue, but twice the power huh, shouldn’t be too hard,” exclaimed Asta, awe in his voice. “And Hollow Purple, combining both Red and Blue to form the ultimate attack. I need to master red for this, but when I do, I will be unstoppable.”

 

“The Six-Eyes, is that what I have? Is that the reason I am able to perceive and manipulate cursed energy so deeply? Is that why I have severe headaches when I overtrain my cursed energy? Innate technique in the Gojo Clan, this confirms that I am part of them, doesn’t it?” pondered Asta.

 

“If there is a god up there…I thank you for sending these scrolls to me, for I will become stronger now, getting me closer to my goal…To become Wizard King!” yelled Asta, his motivation through the roof. “Now, back to training.”

Notes:

And there it is, chapter 3 completed. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, as always, please feel free to drop a comment down below for any suggestions yall have. Any constructive criticism is deeply appreciated. See you guys next time!

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

“Ready to go, Yuno?” asked Asta cheerfully.

 

“You bet, Asta,” replied Yuno.

 

4 months had passed since Asta found the Gojo scrolls in the forest. During this time, Asta and Yuno had become a lot stronger. Yuno, the genius that he is, was able to perfect his wind magic to levels that rival intermediate magic knights, unlocking various complex spells in his grimoire, gaining him even more love and support from the Hage village community.

 

Asta, on the other hand, spent the last 4 months improving upon all his strengths; he mastered the usage of Lapse Blue, allowing him to use it more frequently and with less strain. Furthermore,  he improved his stamina for the infinite technique, now being able to maintain it for 14 hours straight without fail. He also focused on his physical strengths, increasing his innate stamina and muscle strength.

 

However, contrary to what he initially believed, he had not been able to perform a single Reversal Red. No matter how much he tried, he just couldn’t get it right. This frustrated Asta deeply; however, he vowed never to give up. Asta had taken to wearing black— almost opaque— sunglasses to shield his Six-Eyes and conserve energy. What he found to be magnificent, though, was that he could see almost as clearly as he normally would without wearing them.

 

“Are you sure you wanna show yourself wearing these ridiculous clothes, Asta?” teased Yuno.

 

Asta wore extremely baggy white pants that cuffed around the ankles, thin martial arts slippers that were as black as charcoal. On his torso, Asta wore an extremely tight black t-shirt that could show the tiniest of details on his chiseled muscles. He wore a clear white haori to match his pants, fitted with a black scarf dangling off his back.

 

“What is wrong with my stylish fit…you jealous, Yuno?” replied Asta, smugly.

 

“Why would I be jealous of this goofy outfit…I just don’t want to be seen with you wearing this,” remarked Yuno nonchalantly.

 

“Why you,” said Asta, approaching Yuno.

 

“Boys, it's not time to fight, you guys are leaving, and who knows when we will see you next,” stated Father Orsi, tears welling up in his eyes. “We will all miss you a lot.”

 

“Thank you, Father Orsi,” replied Asta and Yuno in unison, stopping their argument.

 

“Take care of yourselves, Asta, Yuno,” said Sister Lily.

 

“I will, thank you, Sister,” replied Yuno nonchalantly.

 

“I will miss you a lot, Sister, please let me marr…,” begged Asta before he was silenced by a huge water fist.

 

“I am sorry, Asta, I didn’t mean to do that.”

 

“Please do it again!” yelled Asta, getting up. “Anyways, Nash, now that Yuno and I are heading out, you are the man of the house. I expect you to protect Father Orsi, Sister Lily, and others…Promise me.”

 

“Sure, I guess,” said Nash nonchalantly.

 

“That’s good enough for me,” stated Asta, walking away. “Now, take care of yourselves, everyone, we’ll be heading out…Goodbye!”

 

“BYE!” they all yelled in unison.

 

“Ready, Yuno?”

 

“You bet I am.”

 

“Let's go,” shouted Asta. “Okay, I will get us there in no time, I just need a place to see the capital from to teleport there.”

 

“I think we could teleport from the top of the skull,” stated Yuno.

 

“Okay, let's try it out.”

 

Asta reached his hand up, putting it on Yuno’s shoulder. Within an instance, they were both on top of the huge monster skull. Asta could see the giant mountain where the common and noble realms dwelt. 

 

“I see the capital Yuno, ready for departure?”

 

“Asta wait…look.”

 

Asta looked at Yuno and then saw what he was referring to. The first Wizard King’s statue.

 

“It’s the first Wizard King, Lumiere Silvamillion Clover,” said Asta, awe apparent in his voice.

 

“The one that defeated this demon and saved the world,” replied Yuno, equally in awe.

 

“The one we promised to surpass…to become the Wizard King.”

 

“Yes…Asta…I will beat you and become the Wizard King!”

 

“As expected from my rival,” teased Asta. “Are you ready for departure?”

 

“Yes, I am. Let’s go!” replied Yuno.

 

“Okay, let's go!”

 

Asta reached his hand up, putting it on Yuno’s shoulder. They traveled faster than light speed, and the entire journey ended in an instant. Asta and Yuno have arrived at the capital city’s main gate.

 

“Who goes there?” shouted the mage guarding the gate.

 

“Two aspiring mages here to attend the Magic Knights Exam,” joked Asta, causing Yuno to face palm.

 

“Where are you two from?” asked the guard.

 

“From Hage village, waaaaaay out in the boonies,” said Asta smugly.

 

“All the way out there? You guys stand no chance in the exams,” remarked the guard, racism apparent in his voice. “Open the gates.”

 

“Ya sure, whatever, heard it all before,” replied Asta, flicking his hand at the guard.

 

“Do you always have to be so loud and obnoxious?” whispered Yuno, as they entered the city, causing Asta to laugh.

 

Asta and Yuno froze in surprise. The capital was like nothing they ever imagined. Buildings extended deep into the city without an end in sight, and the streets were filled with people of different ages, classes, colours, and professions. Shops lined the streets, from restaurants to food 

 

markets. The capital city dwarfed Hage village like an elephant would dwarf an ant. Asta and Yuno walked through the streets, admiring the marvelous sight of the royal capital. On the horizon, the giant coliseum stood amongst the many buildings of the capital, which was where they would take their entrance exam. Finally, on top of the hill, the giant castle of the royal families stood high above all, with its multilayered, enormous, and impregnable walls. 

 

“That's where the Wizard King lives,” thought Asta and Yuno.

 

“Looks absolutely marvelous, I will live there someday,” stated Asta, smugly.

 

“In your dreams, I am the one who will live there someday,” replied Yuno nonchalantly.

 

“Line up everyone, get your Grimoires ready for inspection before going in,” yelled the person responsible for admitting test takers.

 

“Oh shoot,” said Asta. “I don’t have a grimoire.”

 

“Not my problem,” replied Yuno nonchalantly.

 

“Of course you’d say that…don’t worry, I’ll figure something out,” whispered Asta.

 

“Good luck.”

 

Asta thought of a solution; he knew he would never get his own grimoire, he didn’t need one, he just needed to fool the test administrators. Asta beamed up, an idea had materialized in his head, a genius idea. In an instant, Asta teleported in front of a bookstore. He walked in and inspected the books there, looking for a book that looked like a grimoire. After searching for some time, he found a thick, worn old book that resembled a grimoire the most. 

 

Asta picked it up and disappeared in an instant.

 

“I will make sure to pay them later,” he thought. “Now to make it almost indistinguishable.”

 

Asta walked around the block, searching for a bakery. Fortunately, he found a bakery close to the coliseum, not that distance mattered to him anyway. He teleported on top of the roof, walking over to the chimney.

 

“Now, if my idea works, the book should look so old, dirty, and worn out that it will be impossible for them to tell whether it is a grimoire or not,” Asta thought, placing the book over the chimney.

 

After leaving it there for a while, Asta picked the book back up and admired his work. The book was now so black, it was impossible to tell if it was a grimoire or not. Asta jumped off the roof and walked towards the long line up he found Yuno near the front of the line, so he decided to budge right behind him.

 

“Hey, you can’t budge in line like that!” said the examinee right behind Yuno.

 

“Shut up,” said Asta, glaring holes through him, which caused the examinee to quiet down

 

“Oh, you are back?” teased Yuno. “Got a new grimoire, I see.”

 

“What do you mean, Yuno? I have always had this grimoire!” exclaimed Asta through sweat.

 

“Sure,”

 

“Next!” yelled the inspector

 

“I'm Yuno from Hage Village.”

 

“Yuno from Hage...Could I see your grimoire?” said the inspector. “A f-four-leaf clover…”

 

“So that's who everyone's talking about,” people muttered.

 

“Hey, that grimoire...Is it really a four-leaf clover?! Wow...You're #164,” said the inspector in awe. “All right, next.”

 

“I'm Asta, also from Hage Village! Here's my grimoire!”

 

“This is pretty filthy. Is this really a grimoire?”

 

“Huh? Of course it is! Take a good look! See? See?”

 

“All right, all right...You're #165.”

 

As Asta walked in, he felt a huge sense of relief, a heavy weight he hadn’t felt before lifting off his chest. Once Asta entered the huge coliseum, he was surprised at the number of people who were taking the exam; it was more than everyone in Hage village! As he walked through the crowd, he saw Yuno standing there, arms by his sides like he didn’t care.

 

“So they let you in, huh?” teased Yuno.

 

“Of course they would, I have had this grimoire for 6 months after all,” Asta replied smugly.

 

Yuno gave Asta a faint smile before looking up at the sky. Asta looked up too, and saw hundreds of birds flying down towards them.

 

“What are these?” he asked.

 

“These are anti-birds; they are attracted to individuals with little magic,” replied Yuno, nonchalantly. “So I am expecting them to target and certain individual specifically.”

 

Suddenly, over 40 birds dived towards Asta.

 

“They can come to me all they like,” replied Asta smugly, activating his infinite. “I would just to see them try and touch me.”

 

Asta’s infinite shield protected him like a bubble; all the anti-birds approached him, but just couldn’t come close, stopping mid-air.

 

“Wow, look!”

 

“What is he doing? he isn’t even using his grimoire.”

 

“All the birds just stopped mid-air, that's so cool.”

 

“What is this guy wearing?”

 

“Seems, Yuno, even if I don’t have any magic, I can appear very cool,” Asta teased.

 

“Look, this guy doesn’t have a single anti-bird on him; he must have amazing mana.”

 

“Wait, is that the guy with…”

 

“So thats what the owner of the 4-leaf grimoire can do…Awesome.”

 

“I guess I don’t have to do anything either,” replied Yuno.

 

Asta smirked, telling Yuno that he would see him later, and that he was going to go talk with people who were kinder than him. Asta walked backwards, but bumped into a solid wall. However, when he looked back, he was shocked to see that the wall had been a giant scary scary-looking man instead, causing all the anti-birds to fly away.

 

“Huh, you are scary looking, guy…aren’t you too old to take the exam with us?” joked Asta, a smug smile plastered on his face.

 

“You wanna die, kid?” said the giant man.

 

As he said that, the man reached for Asta’s head, attempting to crush it. However, Asta’s infinity froze his hand mid-motion. The serious expression on the man’s face was replaced by a confused look, then a curious look.

 

“Who said you can touch me, sir?” replied Asta with a serious tone.

 

Suddenly, the man burst out in laughter, shocking Asta and those around them.

 

“Ah, there you are, Captain Yami. What are you even doing down here?” asked a brown haired mage.

 

“What does it look like I am doing? I am trying to wring this kid’s neck,” replied Yami nonchalantly.

 

“Please don’t, Captain. A Captain shouldn’t go around killing the examinees,” exclaimed the brown haired mage.

 

“Hey, isn’t that Finral Roulcase, the user of the rare spatial magic?”

 

“I have heard that he is really famous for spending time hitting on women.”

 

“And that one there, that is Gordon Agrippa, the expert on incantation magic! I heard that he's impossible to talk to... and also scary,” said an examinee as a pale-looking man with black lipstick and black circles around his eyes approached. 

 

“Why were you down here in the first place, Captain Yami?” asked Finral.

 

“I went to take a dump and got lost,” replied Yami nonchalantly, still trying to grab Asta’s head but failing.

 

“Squad Captain? You mean he's...The Lord of Destruction, Yami Sukehiro?!”

 

“Yami?! The Captain of the Black Bulls?”

 

“The Black Bulls...The cost they incur in damages exceeds the successes they're credited for, right?”

 

“Apparently, there isn't a single decent Magic Knight on that squad.”

 

“What is the deal with you, kid?” asked Yami in a surprisingly curious tone.

 

“Me? There's nothing wrong with me,” replied Asta, smirking.

 

Asta and Yami locked eyes, each analyzing the other. The tension between them was so dense it could be cut with a knife. Suddenly, a voice tore through the tension.

 

“Thank you all for waiting, Magic Knight examinees,” said a loud voice, silencing the coliseum.

 

7 people emerged from the upper balcony, each looking fierce in their own way.

 

“Oh crap, they started without us, Finral, Gordon, lets go,” said Yam, walking towards the balcony. “You interest me, kid, I’ll be seeing you around.”

 

“Sure,” Asta replied.

 

“Bah-ha! You okay?” asked a blond-haired mage.

 

“Yes,” Asta replied.

 

“Must've been rough, having Captain Yami of the Black Bulls in your face like that,”

 

“Nah, it was rather invigorating,” replied Asta.

 

“Oh, I'm Sekke. Sekke Bronzazza. Nice to meet you. Bah-ha!”

 

“I'm Asta! Nice to meet you!”

 

“Look up there, Asta, these 7 are magic knight squad captains,” explained Sekke. “That white-haired guy with a pigtail running down his face, he is Nozel Silva, a member of the royal Silva family and captain of the Silver Eagles.”

 

“Royals, huh?” thought Asta.

 

“That redhead, that's Captain Fuegoleon Vermillion, member of the royal Vermillion family, and squad captain leader of the Crimson Lion Kings. And that scary guy over there, that's Captain Jack the Ripper, Captain of the Green Praying Mantises!” explained Sekke.

 

“What's a praying mantis?” asked Asta.

 

“You know, a mantis. Like, the bug. Apparently, Captain Jack's severing magic can split the earth in two,” exclaimed Sekke.

 

“Whoa, that's awesome,” marvelled Asta.

 

“But I don't want to be a mantis. Bugs are super lame,” said Sekke, disgust apparent in his voice. “That hottie over there is Captain Charlotte Roselei, Captain of the Blue Rose Knights, the all-woman squad.”

 

“All-woman squad?” wondered Asta.

 

“That fat man is Captain of the Purple Orcas Gueldre Poizot, user of magic that can turn him invisible!” explained Sekke.

 

“Invisible? That's so cool,” exclaimed Asta with stars in his eyes.

 

“That's the Captain of the Coral Peacocks, Dorothy Unsworth,” said Sekke.

 

“Is she walking in her sleep?!”

 

“Apparently, all she does is sleep.”

 

“Then how'd she become a captain?”

 

“She probably has an amazing power you'd never expect her to possess,” explained Sekke. “The Captain of the Aqua Deer, Rill Boismortier.”

 

“Isn't he pretty young?” Asta asked.

 

“Captain Rill is nineteen, I heard.”

 

“Only nineteen?! He's only four years older than me? The path to becoming the Wizard King

might be shorter than I thought!” exclaimed Asta

 

“Bah-ha! Wizard King, eh? That's a pretty big dream,” Sekke commented. “But for the next Wizard King...They say he's the most promising candidate. The Captain of the most powerful

Magic Knights Squad, the Golden Dawn, William Vangeance.”

 

Asta looked at the final squad captain, who wore a fancy mask and an expensive-looking coat, marked with the insignia of the Golden Dawn. Asta could feel the aura radiating off him. That’s what the biggest contender for wizard king looked like?

 

“I will be the one conducting the exam today,” exclaimed William Vangeance, Asta recognizing his voice as the same one from earlier. “Tree Magic: Descend!”

 

Suddenly, dark clouds gathered in the sky. Asta expected it to start raining, but was shocked to see an enormous tree trunk descending. Hundreds of tiny branches extended towards them, forming into broomsticks.

 

“We will now begin the Magic Knights Entrance Exam. We will now have you all take several tests. The nine of us will evaluate your performance, and then we will select the candidates that we would like to add to our squads. If chosen, you will join that squad. If you're chosen by more than one squad, you may choose the squad you would like to join. On the other hand, those who

are not chosen by any captain are not qualified to join the Magic Knights,” announced Captain William.

 

“For the first exam, we will have you get on those brooms and fly. Mages who can control their magical powers should be able to do this instinctively. It is the most basic way for mages to travel. If you cannot fly on a broom, you shouldn't even be here,” he explained.

 

All the examinees picked up their brooms and started the exam. While some examinees struggled to lift off the ground, others had a much easier time. All of them, however, were dwarfed by Yuno, who was able to stand upon his broom and fly high in the air.

 

“This kid is really good,” stated Captain William.

 

“That’s the owner of the 4-leaf grimoire for you,” replied Feugeleon.

 

“I see you, Yuno…trying to flex in front of the captains,” yelled Asta, a smug smirk plastered on his face. “Trust that I won't wall behind!”

 

Asta channeled the cursed energy into his feet and kicked off with such force that it shattered the ground beneath him. Asta’s mighty leap took him much higher than Yuno, before increasing the range of his infinite covered, allowing him to fly in the air. Asta looked down, seeing the shocked expressions on contestants and captains alike, his haori fluttering in the wind, he felt amazing.

 

“What the?” exclaimed Gueldre Poizot, shock apparent on his face.

 

“This kid is crazy,” yelled Jack the Ripper.

 

“He isn’t even using mana!” observed Feugeleon.

 

“Awesome!” remarked Rill

 

“I was right, this kid is special,” thought Yami.

 

“Impressive,” commented William.

 

“See, Yuno, you aren’t the only one who can flex in front of the squad captains!” teased Asta.

 

“I am not done yet!” replied Yuno, accelerating upwards towards Asta.

 

“Did I hurt your feelings? You didn’t have to turn this into a game of tag!” exclaimed Asta, flying even higher in the air.

 

“They turned it into a game,” remarked Charlotte, shock on her face.

 

“Just who are these two?” thought Nozel.

 

“Wow, Yuno, you really have grown stronger, you were never able to go this fast before!” yelled Asta through the rushing winds.

 

“Just like you got stronger, I got stronger too!” Yuno replied smugly.

 

“As expected of my rival!” said Asta. “Now let's see if you can catch me.”

 

Asta stopped going up, he looked down and saw the rapidly approaching Yuno. The coliseum had become as small as an ant from this high up. Asta dropped into a nose dive, using his cursed energy to accelerate even more. The squad captain could not take their eyes off Asta and Yuno, they looked like 2 comets rushing through the sky.

 

Asta was rapidly approaching the ground—to avoid a destructive collision, he manipulated his cursed energy and slowed down to a halt inches from the ground. Similarly, Yuno used his astute manipulation of wind magic to bring himself into a half right next to Asta.

 

“I guess I win then?” teased Asta. “I am really surprised my glasses didn’t fall out in that free dive.”

 

Yuno rolled his eyes and got off his broom, walking away.

 

“They are amazing!” said a female examinee.

 

“They are levels ahead of everyone…but how? I could’ve sworn that shrimp had no mana.”

 

“As expected of a mage chosen by the 4-leaf grimoire.”

 

“Uhm…the next test is the magic ability exam,” announced Captain William, silencing the murmuring crowd. “Used your long-ranged attacks, and attack the walls.”

 

The examinees lined up in front of their respective walls and started the exam. Many examinees effortlessly broke through their walls, while others were not able to break them outright. Yuno broke through his wall with ease, using a powerful spell to launch a tremendous attack that shattered the wall into hundreds of tiny pieces.

 

“This kid is a prodigy,” though Captain William.

 

“His mana control and spell manipulation are unmatched,” said Captain Feugeleon.

 

“He is very strong, but I am more interested in the other brat!” exclaimed Yami.

 

Asta was stretching his hands behind his back and bending down to stretch his legs simultaneously.

 

“This is too easy,” Asta thought.

 

He stood up straight and went through a series of hand movements.

 

“Lapse Blue!” he yelled.

 

A blue sphere the size of a horse appeared above his head, sucking all the rubble and debris from hte broken walls into oblivion. Asta aimed it at his wall and then shot. Lapse blue travelled at incredible speeds, the captains’ eyes almost couldn’t follow it. Asta’s Lapse Blue had grown in strength so much, 3 walls were sucked into it, erasing their existence. The captains were all stunned; they had never seen power like this ever before.

 

“Oops, might have overdone it,” Asta thought.

 

“What the hell was that?” Nozel yelled.

 

“He didn’t even use mana, let alone his grimoire!” exclaimed Fuegeleon.

 

“This kid is nuts!” laughed Jack.

 

“He destroyed three walls so effortlessly!” yelled Gueldre Poizot.

 

“What type of magic could this be?” thought Charlotte.

 

“AWESOME!!!” shouted Rill.

 

“I KNEW THIS KID WAS SOMETHING!” yelled Yami, not able to hold in his excitement.

 

“He hasn’t used mana a single time since coming here,” though Willaim.

 

Asta looked around him. Every examinee had stopped what they were doing and looked at him in shock, and in an instant, muttering broke out.

 

“WOW…did you see that?!”

 

“That was absolutely amazing!”

 

“But how…I don’t understand, how could a magicless shrimp like him execute such a devastating attack?”

 

“Uhm…UHM…we will move on to the 3rd test, the Magic ability control test,” announced Captain William, trying to break the loud muttering.

 

Papers were dropped into the coliseum.

 

“Examinees, you must demonstrate your ability to control your magic and manipulate these papers in the air.

 

The examinees went right to it, some were able to control their magic effortlessly, and some struggled greatly. Yuno used his wind magic to control his paper with ease. Asta on the other hand, used a much weaker version of his Lapse Blue to control a field of attraction that wouldn’t suck his paper into oblivion.

 

“We will now move on to the 4th test, the Creation Magic Exam!” exclaimed Captain William. “You will need to create something with your magic.”

 

Similar to every last test, the examinee’s performances varied, some excelling and some failing. Yuno used his wind magic to create a mighty transport eagle, big enough to carry a dozen people.

 

“Awesome.”

 

“Just how strong do you have to be for the 4-leaf grimoire to pick you?”

 

Asta, on the other hand, created a Lapse Blue, much larger than any he has created before, but with little to no gravitational pulling force.

 

“Awesome!”

 

“I still don’t understand how he does that!”

 

“Not a peasant like him!”

 

“We will now move on to the 5th test, the Developmental Magic Exam,” announced Captain William. “You will each be given a seed, nurture it using your magic.”

 

Asta held the seed in his hand. He focused his cursed energy, pouring it into the seed. However, surprisingly, the seed rotted and shrivelled up.

 

“What the hell?” he thought. 

 

Why had it died and shrivelled up when he poured his cursed energy into it.

 

“We will now move on to the final test of the Magic Knights Exams. You shall engage in combat,” announced Captain William. “You will pair off and fight with your partner; you may use your grimoires to attack. Picking the right opponent will be key…fighting is our duty, show us your true abilities! As soon as one of you yields or becomes unable to fight, the exam will be over. There will be mages who can use healing magic on standby. So fight to your heart's content!”

 

The examinees mingled, searching for others to spar with. Asta approached many different opponents, each refusing to fight him.

 

“Bah-ha! Fight me, Asta,” exclaimed Sekke cockily.

 

“You sure Sekke?”

 

“But of course! Bah-ha!”

 

“First combatants, come forward,” announced Captain William.

 

“I wonder how this kid fights,” thought Yami.

 

“Let's both give it our all and fight fair, so we can achieve our goals!” said Asta, extending his arm for a handshake.

 

“You don't have to try so hard anymore, you filthy little rat that wandered into the wrong place. I am 100 percent certain that the power show you were doing earlier was a fluke. Thank you for making me look even better so far,” Sekke said venomously. “I'll get into the Magic Knights and do my best for the both of us, and have a great time. Got it, you miserable peasant? Hurry back to your village in the boonies and continue enjoying your crappy little life. Bah-ha!”

 

“What has Sekke gotten himself into?”

 

“Why would he go for the strongest one here?” 

 

“Begin!” ordered Captain William.

 

“Bronze Creation Magic: Sekke Magnum Cannonball! How do you like my magic? It's bronzified and protects me as it shoots out magical bullets. It's offense and defense all in one! It'll block all of your lame attacks, which will show off my defensive powers, and then I'll finish you off once you've worn yourself out,” announced Sekke cockily. “There's no need to hold back.

Come at me! Bah-ha! Make sure you struggle as much as you can to make things exciting!”

 

Asta burst into violent laughter, shocking everyone in the coliseum.

 

“Hahahaha…Y-you d-didn’t r-really t-think this pathetic excuse for could challenge me, did you? Hahahaha,” laughed Asta, stunning the squad captains.

 

“What is this kid going on about?” asked Nozel.

 

“He is surely very cocky,” commented Fuegeleon.

 

“I will make you pay for underestimating Sekke Magnum Cannonball…you will lose at my hands!” yelled Sekke in anger.

 

Sekke shot out tens of Copper balls towards Asta at high speeds, expecting them to smash through Asta. He smiled. What he didn’t expect, however, was that his balls would freeze mid-air in front of a nonchalant Asta.

 

The magic squad captains were in awe.

 

“That’s the move he used on me earlier!” yelled Yami, causing the heads of the other captains to turn towards him.

 

“Move, he used against you?” asked Feugeleon.

 

“What do you mean, Yami?” asked William.

 

“I went to crush the kid’s head for bumping into me, but when I tried to grab him, I couldn’t touch him…my hand froze inches from his head, unable to move,” explained Yami, a smirk plastered on his face. “This kid is something else.”

 

“Nah, I’d win,” replied Asta, smirking.

 

In an instant, Asta teleported in front of Sekke’s Magnum Cannonball.

 

“LAPSE BLUE!”

 

A boulder-sized blue sphere shot towards Sekke’s Magnum Cannonball, easily sucking it into oblivion, Sekke started flying towards it too, screaming in fear. Asta teleported between Sekke and the Lapse Blue, snapping his fingers and causing it to disappear. He caught a terrified Sekke by the collar, dangling up in the air.

 

“Now what was it you said earlier?” asked Asta comically.

 

“I…I…I…I a-a-am s-s-sorry!!” quivered Sekke.

 

“I am sorry, buddy, I don’t think that's going to be enough,” remarked Asta.

 

“P-P-Please, I-I-I’ll d-d-do a-a-anyhting!”

 

“Anything?” asked Asta, causing Sekke to comically nod. “I have one request for you…go to sleep.”

 

Asta threw Sekke in the air, teleported above him, and charged a punch full of cursed energy, enough to knock out but not kill, and swung. Asta’s punch connected with Sekke’s face, knocking a few teeth out and launching him towards the ground. The impact shattered the ground under him. 

 

Asta slowly descended, standing above Sekke.

 

“I'm not joining the Magic Knights so I can have a good time and avoid working hard. I'm here to work my butt off and become the Wizard King!” Asta declared to the world.

 

Asta walked away from the unconscious Sekke, back into the ground.

 

“That wasn’t even a fight; that was pure humiliation.”

 

“He didn’t even seem to try hard.”

 

“He went so easy on him, his glasses are still on.”

 

“What kind of magic was that? It was amazing.”

 

“How…why…why a peasant like him?”

 

“He just…he just said he wants to become the Wizard King.”

 

And so people started fighting pair by pair, various battles of different power levels and magnitudes, some were interesting, others were not, until the final two had to fight.

 

“‘Yuno,’ wasn't it? You seem to be having a hard time finding an opponent. Why don't you pair up with me?”

 

“Isn't that...Salim? From the famous Hapshass family?”

 

“You may have been chosen by the four-leaf, but you are no noble. I'll show you just how far below us nobles you are, both in status and power. Oh, and of course, in wealth, too.” bragged Salim cockily.

 

Yuno just continued to look at him nonchalantly.

 

“Sure. I’ll fight you” replied Yuno.

 

Yuno and Salim walked to the center of the coliseum, squaring up for the fight.

 

“Begin!” announced William.

 

“You should know that it's an honor just to be able to fight the great Salim de Hapshass. You can tell the tale for the rest of your life when you go back to your village,” bragged Salim. “I'll at least treat you to a noble's ultimate attack: The Holy Lightning Rising Salim. I'll even pay for your trip back home!”

 

“Wind Magic: Towering Tornado,” said Yuno nonchalantly.

 

Yuno’s spell effortlessly overpowered Salim’s, destroying it and knocking him out.

 

“Salim, a noble, was defeated in an instant!”

 

“Y-You can't be serious!”

 

“That was awesome!”

 

“This concludes the exam,” announced William. “Now...Candidates whose numbers are called, please step forward. The squad captains will raise their hands if they would like you to join their squads. The candidates will decide if they would like to accept or decline, and if they are chosen by more than one captain, they may choose which squad they'd like to join. But if no one raises their hands, that candidate will not join the Magic Knights. And you will leave immediately. Candidate #1, step forward.”

 

“Y-Yes, sir!”

 

“Number 32, no offers.”

 

“Number 40, no offers.”

 

“Number 45, no offers.”

 

“Number 67, no offers.”

 

“Wow, someone finally raised their hand.”

 

“Awesome!”

 

“Number 71, the Purple Orcas.”

 

“Number 78.”

 

“I shall welcome him to the Crimson Lion Kings,” said Feugeleon.

 

“Number 99, the Coral Peacocks.”

 

“Number 116, no offers.”

 

“Number 141…No offers.”

 

“Next, #164.”

 

“Yes, sir,” replied Yuno.

 

“All who wish to offer, please raise your hand.”

 

Outstanding performances in the Magic Knights Exams often yielded 2 or maybe three captains to raise their hands; however, the case was different for Yuno.

 

“What?”

 

“Seriously?”

 

“All of the captains...raised their hands?!”

 

“I-I thought that only royalty and nobles could join the Golden Dawn.”

 

“Even the Silver Eagles? Seriously? But he's a kid from the boonies!”

 

“All of them! That's amazing!”

 

“N-Nothing less from my rival!” exclaimed Asta, turning heads towards him.

 

“Did he just call him his rival?”

 

“These guys are so strong!”

 

“I'll take the best path to becoming the Wizard King,” Yuno thought.

 

“Please allow me to join the Golden Dawn,” requested Yuno, causing Captain William to smile and nod in agreement.

 

“Next, #165.”

 

“All who wish to offer, please raise your hand.”

 

And just like Yuno, all the magic knight captains raised their hands for Asta to join them.

 

“Hum, who should I pick?” Asta thought. 

 

Asta looked around, seeing Yuno heading towards the exit.

 

“Yuno!” shouted Asta, causing Yuno to look back at him nonchalantly.

 

“You chose the best squad… the squad that will give you the highest chance of becoming the Wizard King,” Asta exclaimed, walking towards Yuno, causing Yuno to smile. “It wouldn’t be fun if I joined the same squad as you, and it would be too easy if I joined a strong squad; therefore, I choose to join the…Black Bulls!”

 

“The Black Bulls?”

 

“Is he stupid?”

 

“Why would he join the worst squad?”

 

“Captain Yami, allow me to join your squad!” yelled Asta.

 

“Hahahaha…I like you, kid. To be honest, if you hadn’t joined my squad, I would’ve killed you,” Yami laughed.

 

“It is my pleasure to join your squad, Captain!” yelled Asta, teleporting onto the balcony right in front of Yami, causing gasps all around. “Thank you for allowing me to join your squad!”

 

Asta extended his hand to Yami. Yami extended his hand for a handshake, but was surprised that he actually was able to touch Asta, unlike before. Asta stood up and looked over at Yuno, who was leaving.

 

“Yuno, I will beat you and become the Wizard King,” shouted Asta in joy.

 

“In your dreams, my rival!” replied Yuno equally joyous.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Later

“Let's go, Finral!” shouted Yami.

 

“Right-o,” replied Finral cheerfully.

 

“What took you so long, kid?” asked Yami.

 

“Had to take a shit thats why I was lat…” Asta replied.

 

“Who asked you to talk about your shits, kid…be late again and I’ll kill you!” said Yami nonchalantly.

 

“Scary,” thought Asta.

 

“Er, sorry to bug you, Captain Yami, but it's a bit hard to keep a gate this size open, so could you just go through quickly?” asked Finral through gritted teeth.

 

“Who do you think you're ordering around? Tough it out, and surpass your limits,” replied Yami. “Let's go, kid!”

 

Asta, Yami, Gordon, and Finral went through the Spatial magic portal Finral opened up. As Asta walked through the portal, he saw a huge, grotesque-looking building with many huge and uneven stone cubes. The building had a large number of windows, and on the top was the flag of the Black Bulls, proudly fluttering in the wind.

 

“This is the Black Bulls' base?” Asta thought

 

“Well? Pretty magnificent, isn't it…Welcome to the Black Bulls, kid,” said Yami.

 

The 4 mages walked towards the front door of the base, but, to Asta’s surprise, it exploded in their face. No debris hit Asta, but he was on high alert, thinking someone was attacking the base. However, as the smoke settled, Asta was able to see the source of the damage: 2 mages, one a delinquent with a mohawk, and the other blond with a crazy look on his face.

 

“I'm not done yet!” laughed the blonde mage.

 

“Now I'm pissed! You'd better be prepared!” yelled the Mohawk mage

 

“I'm not... but let's do this!”

 

“Die!”

 

“Whee!”

 

The Mohawk mage swung a baseball bat made out of fire, launching a fire baseball at the blonde mage, who zipped around, wearing boots made out of lightning.

 

“What's all the ruckus? Ugh, I drank way too much. My head hurts,” a drunk woman wearing barely any clothes exclaimed.

 

“You're as adorable as an angel again today, my little sister Marie,” said a brown haired mage with a nosebleed, staring at a picture of a little girl.

 

Keep it down, you morons!

 

“That pudding you were saving sure was delicious,” teased the blonde mage.

 

“That's going to be your last supper!” yelled the delinquent mohawk mage.

 

“Would you guys shut up? You're not helping my headache!” yelled the drunk witch.

 

“Shut up, you booze-swilling hussy!” shouted the delinquent mohawk mage.

 

“What'd you call me?! You virgin delinquent!” replied the drunk witch.

 

“Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Who're you calling a virgin delinquent?!”

 

“I told you guys to shut up! In the name of my angelic sister, Marie, I will kill you all!” screamed the mage with a nosebleed.

 

“All of you...Stop breaking everything!” shouted Yami suddenly, destroying the wall behind him.

 

“Yet he just destroyed the wall!” Asta thought.

 

All the members of the black bulls looked at Yami and rushed over to him, showering him with different questions and all sorts of praise.

 

“I see, I see. So you guys love me that much, eh?” Yami teased. “But you need to shut up.”

 

All the Black Bulls sat down in front of Yami like a group of small children being scolded by their parents.

 

“I brought a new member to the squad, kid. Introduce yourself,” ordered Yami.

 

Asta finally stepped forward, ready to introduce himself when…

 

“This little shrimp is our other new member.”

 

“Other?” Asta thought.

 

“What is your name, shrimp?” asked the delinquent Mohawk mage.

 

“I'm Asta from Hage Village! It's nice to meet all of you!” exclaimed Asta.

 

“Hage? Seriously? Talk about out in the sticks. Hey, introduce him to the other members.”

 

“Oh, right. Well, you've already met him, but...This is Gordon Agrippa,” introduced Finral, Gordon, whispered something, but Asta didn’t bother to hear it. “He's pretty gloomy, and you never know what he's thinking, but he's a good guy.”

 

“And over here is Vanessa Enoteca. She'll get in your face when she's drunk, but she's a good person,” continued Finral.

 

“I won't get in anyone's face. Hage... Isn't that a small village out in the boonies?” said Vanessa, approaching Asta.

 

“Yes!”

 

“Huh...To come from out in the boonies and join the Magic Knights...You must've worked really hard, little boy. How about I reward you with a special treat?” said Vanessa with a seductive tone.

 

“I wish I could accept that! But I already have a goddess named Sister Lily in my heart!” shouted Asta through his deep blush.

 

“Let's continue with the introductions. This is Luck Voltia. He loves to fight and is obsessed with battle, but he's a good guy,” continued Finral

 

“Nice to meet ya! Do you like to fight?” Luck shouted, jumping in Asta’s face like an excited child.

 

“S-Sure…” replied Asta skeptically.

 

“I love to fight! Wanna fight? Wanna fight?”

 

“Maybe later, Luck.”

 

“Hey. Look. This is my little sister Marie. She's an angel. Listen well. If you lay a finger on Marie, I'll kill you,” said the mage with a nosebleed.

 

“What?!” screamed Asta.

 

“This is Gauche Adlai. He's a bit too obsessed with his little sister, but he's a good guy,” explained Finral.

 

“This is Charmy Pappitson. She eats way too much, but she's a good person,” continued Finral.

 

“Nice to meet you!” said Charmy joyfully.

 

“This is Grey. I don't really get him, but he's a good guy,” explained Finral. “And then we have Magna Swing. He's a delinquent, but he's a good guy.”

 

“What is up with your weird clothes and these glasses? You trying to copy me or what?” yelled Magna.

 

“ I'm Finral Roulacase. I'm super popular. And last but not least, the captain of the Black Bulls, Yami Sukehiro!” said Finral.

 

“Thank you for having me,” said Asta nonchalantly.

 

“There are other members, but they're either on some mission, taking a break, or slacking off. Try to get along with them all,” said Yami. “Anyway, put him to work, but don't kill him.”

 

“Huh?!”

 

“Did you hear that? Mister Yami said to put you to work. I'll gladly put you to work. A weak-looking shrimp like you from a village like Hage out in the boonies...I barely sense any mana from you. And you're a new member of the Black Bulls? I don't know what a hick like you with no magical powers did to get on Mister Yami's good side, but...You want one of these Black Bulls robes?” exploded Magna.

 

“Sure, that would be ideal,” replied Asta nonchalantly.

 

“Oh, yeah? You want it, huh? In that case...you're going to have to convince me, Mister Yami's #1 man and a real man's man, Magna Swing! Time for your initiation into the Black Bulls,” announced Magna passionately. 

 

The Black Bulls all walked outside for Asta’s initiation trials.

 

“Let's start this thing! First, show me just how much guts and stamina you have! Five thousand sit-ups! Five thousand push-ups!” ordered Magna.

 

“Only that much, oh well,” joked Asta, effortlessly finishing all the physical exercises.

 

“I guess you have some guts,” said Magna, shocked.

 

“Did I convince you? Can I have my robe now?” asked Asta nonchalantly.

 

“Not yet! You're a hick from the boonies! It's not gonna be that easy! You have to survive my ultimate attack! A trial by fire!” shouted Magna.

 

“Sure, come at me,” said Asta nonchalantly.

 

“Here I go, Flame Magic: Exploding Fireball!” screamed Magna, launching a large fireball towards Asta.

 

“This all you got?” asked Asta smugly. 

 

Asta slowly walked towards the fireball, hands in pockets. Asta’s haori rustled in the wind, his glasses reflecting the brightness of the fireball.

 

“You better dodge, Rasta!” laughed Magna.

 

“Don’t need to,” said Asta, not breaking his stance.

 

The fireball rapidly approached Asta, and the other Black Bulls cried out to him, urging him to dodge. The fireball collided with Asta, causing all the Black Bulls to scream out his name.

 

“I guess he wasn’t fit to join the Black Bulls after all!” yelled Magna.

 

“Magna, you virgin delinquent, why would you hurt the kid like this?” asked Vanessa angrily.

 

“Relax y’all, it’s not that deep,” said Asta, causing all the Black Bulls to look at him in awe. “A feeble attack like that would never hurt me.” 

 

Asta flared his cursed energy, expanding his infinite. The fireball that was frozen in the air launched towards Magna at an incredible speed, exploding in his face.

 

“I might have overdone it,” thought Asta.

 

“You little bastard, I was able to nullify it in time, so I'm fine, but I was almost offed by my own magic. You little bastard! You're not half bad!” yelled Magna excitedly.

 

“Sorry, I made fun of you for being a backwoods hick with little magical power. I'm actually from out in the country myself. I'm from Rayaka Village, just above Hage,’ said Magna proudly.

 

“Whoa, seriously? Rayaka Village is way out in the sticks!” exclaimed Asta.

 

“Like you can talk!”

 

“Actually, it's not that I have little magical power. I don't have any at all,” said Asta thoughtfully, catching the attention of the Black Bulls and especially Yami.

 

“Huh?”

 

“You don't have any magical power?”

 

“And yet you were able to hit my attack back at me?”

 

‘Y-Yeah...I mean, it's not mana, but something similar, I ll explain it to you guys in due time,” explained Asta

 

“That's even more awesome! So that means you're a real man,” yelled Magna. “You're interesting! Not only were you able to block my magic, you actually sent it right back at me!”

 

“Ya, it’s complicated like I said,” said Asta bashfully.

 

“I think he has deserved this, don’t you think, Magna?” said Vanessa proudly.

 

“Yes, he most certainly has.”

 

Vanessa flicked her hands and created the Black Bulls insignia on Asta’s black scarf, confirming his presence in the squad.

 

“Welcome to the Black Bulls, Asta!” said the Black Bulls in unison.

 

From the balcony of the Black Bulls' base, a certain girl belonging to a royal family had viewed the entire ordeal. She had silver hair and purple eyes. 

 

“So he’s the other new member. What an insect,” she said, flipping one of her pigtails in disapproval.

Notes:

And here we go, chapter 4. This chapter was extremely fun to write. I hope y'all enjoyed it, as always, thanks for your support. I appreciate any constructive feedback y'all provide. Till next time!

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

“Let’s go, Rasta, I’ll give you a tour of the base!” shouted Magna excitedly.

 

“It's Asta, not Rasta…Sure…” said Asta skeptically.

 

“Let’s go, Rasta!” 

 

Magna sprinted towards the now-patched doors of the Black Bulls’ base, calling Asta to follow him excitedly. Asta laughed internally. He would fit right in with the Black Bulls, their high energy and quirky personalities offering a familial warmth similar to the church back in Hage village. 

 

Asta entered the base, feeling an instant connection to the place. It was a place he would grow to love and call home. He admired the spacious living room, where all the Black Bulls congregated and did their things, feeling a weird sense of calm he hadn’t felt anywhere else but his home back in Hage village.

 

“Here we go, Rasta, this is the dining hall…the place we all eat Charmy’s delicious food!” announced Magna, running to the end of the grand hall.

 

Asta observed the hall. He doubted that there would be a room bigger than the living room, but he was mistaken. The ceiling was almost twice as high, decorated with beautiful wooden arcs that lined either side. There were five huge, multi-layered chandeliers along the length of the ceiling, each with a similar yet unique design. Along the length of the hall was a great long table lined with numerous, beautifully carved oak chairs. On the side, there was a great oak door, twice as big as the main entrance.

 

“Wow…This is the biggest room I have seen in my life…it’s absolutely ginormous!” exclaimed Asta, with stars in his eyes.

 

“That’s not the best of it, Rasta! Follow me!”

 

Magna led Asta through the great oak door, revealing an even more magnificent room.

 

“Jeez, is there a room in this building that is not an absolute work of art?” asked Asta.

 

The kitchen was as grand as the living room; it had ebony black shelves that had a glaring glint to them, lining the walls. Kitchen utensils lined the shelves, providing easy access for those who needed them. There were multiple refrigerators, each full to the brim with rich cooking ingredients.

 

“Why is the kitchen so…enormous?” asked Asta in awe.

 

“Because here in the Black Bulls, we have a bunch of heavy eaters…a kitchen smaller than this wouldn’t suffice.

 

“Really? Who?”

 

“Well, the biggest glutton in the Black Bulls has got to Charmy… she eats so much that most of us believe she has a spatial magic portal for a stomach,” explained Magna.

 

“Awesome!”

 

“Anyways, let's go Rasta!”

 

 Asta and Magna exited the dining hall, entering a large corridor made of moss-soaked bricks, until they reached a fork.

 

“Now Rasta, whatever you do…NEVER, and I mean never, go down that hallway!” ordered Magna.

 

“Why?”

 

“That, my friend, is the corridor that leads to the ladies’ bathroom. It is laced with deadly traps to prevent perverts from peeping,” explained Magna.

 

“Got it, no peeping.”

 

Asta and Magna took a right at the fork, leaving the trap-filled corridor behind them. They entered the male bathroom, and it was marvelous. The room was a little smaller than the living room, and along the walls was a ‘U’ shaped jacuzzi.

 

“Wow, Magna, this place looks sick!” exclaimed Asta.

  

“I know, right, it’s everything a man could ask for!”

 

Asta sat in the warm jacuzzi, letting the water soak into his skin, untangling all the muscle knots he had accumulated in the Magic Knights Exam.

“This is amazing,” he thought.

 

Suddenly, the water started to gradually heat up, turning the cozy warm water scalding. Asta jumped out, searching for a cause. He didn’t have to search long, however, seeing Magna burst into a fit of uncontrolled laughter.

   

“Are you trying to boil me alive, Magna?” exclaimed Asta comically.

 

“What's wrong, Rasta, can’t take the heat?”

 

“Of course I can!”

 

Asta jumped back into the jacuzzi, determined to beat Magna in a battle of heat resistance. Asta and Magna lasted a while, both equally as stubborn, determined to win. Asta was starting to feel his defeat fastly approaching, the heat becoming too unbearable. Naturally, a fire mage would have greater heat resistance, so Asta decided to cheat a little. He activated an extremely thin infinity shield around himself, seeming almost nonexistent to the naked eye. Asta’s acting skills really helped him to fool Magna, and ultimately winning the contest.

 

“I have to say, normal people would not stand a chance against a fire mage when it comes to a heat resistance contest…but you Rasta…you are no normal human!” complained Magna, as they walked out of the bathroom.

 

“I’ve heard that once or twice,” answered Asta smugly.

 

“Anyways…Rasta, this is your room,” said Magna as they approached a small room.

 

“Thank you, Magna,” replied Asta.

 

“As a rookie, you are expected to do all the chores early in the morning…that includes dusting and scrubbing the halls, doing the squad’s laundry, and feeding Captain Yami’s pets,” explained Magna proudly.

 

“Pets?”

 

“They are in the basement, you’ll know 'em when you see 'em,” replied Magna. “Anyways, see you tomorrow, Rasta!”

 

“Bye!”

 

Asta opened the door to his room and looked inside. The room was tiny and packed, cobwebs infesting the walls; dust was covering every inch in the room. Although the room was in a miserable state, Asta was overcome with happiness; he had never had a room all to his own.

 

“My own room,” Asta remarked happily. “I never would have imagined having a room to myself.”

 

Asta’s fatigue from the long day hit him like a horse; he had not realized how tired he was until it was time to relax. Asta slumped face-first on the floor with a thud, unable to move a muscle from fatigue.

 

“I…need…to sleep…now,” he muttered under his breath.

 

Asta focused all his remaining strength, generating a tiny Lapse Blue to suck up all the dust and cobwebs from the room, he was only able to maintain it for twenty seconds, but that was enough to leave him a near spotless room to sleep in. Asta used the bedframe for support to stand up, he changed his clothes, before falling into a deep, dreamless slumber.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Asta woke up to the sound of birds singing, opening his eyes to the gentle morning rays sneaking through the window. He sat up, groggy from the deep sleep.

 

“Uh… where are my glasses?” he mumbled.

 

Asta spotted his glasses on the floor; they had fallen off when he fell due to exhaustion the night before. Asta bent over the side of the bed to pick them up. He got out of bed, donned his iconic outfit, and exited the room. Asta wanted to go to the washroom to refresh, but got lost on the way.

 

“I swear the layout is different from what it was yesterday,” he whined.

 

After eventually finding the washroom and washing up, it was time for him to do the daily chores that Magna told him about. Asta walked the halls of the base, activating a small Lapse Blue similar to the one he used to clean his room the previous night. The Lapse Blue was conjured so skillfully, it only sucked in things that Asta wanted, like dust and debris.

 

Asta entered the library and was absolutely blown away. He had never seen this many books in one place before. The library had an endless number of shelves, each filled to the brim with books. At the center, there was a large sitting area, with seating and a huge ebony black carpet covering the entire space. Sofas, chairs, and tables of all sizes littered the library, creating a perfect environment for a reader to be emersed.

 

“Wow! This is the biggest library I’ve ever seen…not that I’ve seen a library before,” exclaimed Asta, in awe at the grandiose sight he was seeing.

 

Asta’s Lapse Blue sucked in all the dust and cobwebs from around the library, leaving the books spotless and perfectly in place. Asta left the library, teleporting outside. The scenery outside the base was gorgeous, the trees were ruffling in the light breeze, and the birds were singing like a choir. Wow, he thought, the beautiful scenery reminded him of Hage, triggering a bittersweet nostalgic feeling.

 

Asta took out all the laundry, creating a small hill of dirty clothes. Asta washed the clothes carefully, cleaning out any debris or stains that were there. Although Asta would normally feel too good for such duties, he was happy to help his squad out. Asta fought through nosebleeds when he had to clean Vanessa’s very revealing clothes, eventually finishing them and winning the battle.

 

Next was feeding Captain Yami’s ‘pets’; he made his way to the basement, getting lost several times. Eventually, he made it there, Asta had heard that Captain Yami had a few loose screws in his head, and now he knew why. 3 large monstrous creatures, each towering over Asta like giraffes, were trapped in a metal cage, drool dripping on the floor. 

 

Asta activated his infinity and approached the cage with three large pieces of meat.

 

“Here you go, boys…enjoy this nutrient-rich meal!” said Asta, extending his hands.

 

Suddenly, the wolf-looking monster bit down on Asta, trying to eat him; fortunately, Asta’s infinity stopped the wolf’s jaw in its tracks.

 

“I see you completed your morning chores, Asta…you just became even more of a man in my eyes!” yelled a familiar voice.

 

“It’s good to see you too, Magna…Yes, I finished all the chores,” replied Asta happily.

 

“That’s my junior, come now…I can’t wait for you to tell me all about your super strong and super mysterious powers!” declared Magna, hooking his arm around Asta’s neck.

 

“Oh really? You really want me to tell you about my powers?” teased Asta as they walked out of the basement.

 

“Yes! I can’t wait!” yelled Magna.

 

“I mean, a magician never reveals his secrets…why should I tell you anything at all?” teased Asta.

 

“Because it would be a total buzz kill and super unmanly if you didn’t…come on, TELL ME!” begged Magna. “How were you able to block and redirect my attack so effortlessly?” 

 

Asta broke into a fit of laughter, much to Magna’s annoyance. Asta and Magna were approaching the main entrance when Asta saw her. An angel incarnate, Asta thought; her gorgeous white hair, her ethereal purple eyes, and smooth, blemishless white skin. She wore a white and purple dress, crowned by a scarf donning the badge of the Black Bulls. Asta was broken out of his daze by Magna’s rowdy voice.

 

“So that’s where you were! Asta, this is your fellow rookie!” announced Magna.

 

“Hello, my name is Asta. I am your fellow new recruit. It is my pleasure to meet you. May I ask your name?” asked Asta nicely, extending his hand for a handshake.

 

The smile on Asta’s face dropped when she slapped his hand away.

 

“Don’t you dare address me so casually, you filthy little insect!” she exclaimed angrily. “I am Noelle of the royal house Silva, a peasant like you shouldn’t even walk on the same plain as me!”

 

“My apologies, your highness, I never meant to be rude…however, correct me if I am mistaken, but doesn’t the fact that we are both magic knights and both in first year bring us to around the same standing?” Asta asked smugly.

 

“Ya, you tell her, Asta!” 

 

“Are foolish peasants unable to understand this with words alone? I guess I'll have to show you the difference between our magical powers!” exclaimed Noelle angrily.

 

Noelle got into a fighting stance, her grimoire hovering next ot her. She launched a water ball at Asta. Asta didn’t budge, hands in pockets, and a bored expression on his face; he put up his infinite to block the incoming projectile. As the ball approached, it suddenly took a sharp turn, slamming into Magna instead. Asta noticed the brief, embarrassed look on Noelle’s face before turning back into an arrogant one.

 

“What was that for?” shouted Magna furiously, his mohawk too soaked to maintain its shape.

 

“It’s your fault for standing there! Who permitted you to stand there?” she asked arrogantly, looking away in disgust.

 

“Why you little…I am your senior, you know?!” yelled Magna. “I don't care if you're royalty or the Silver Eagles' captain's little sister!”

 

“You are droopy braid’s sister?” asked Asta comically.

 

“How dare you make fun of my older brother, Nozel, peasant!” exclaimed Noelle furiously as she readied her hands for another attack.

 

“Relax, Noelle…I am just kidding, you don’t need to act all hostile, we are on the same squad, you know,” teased Asta.

 

“Like I want to be part of this pathetic excuse for a squad anyway…This is the absolute worst Magic Knights Squad, and it's not where royalty like myself belongs!” she declared before throwing her scarf on the floor and storming to the forest.

 

“That little…” said Magna before Asta cut him off.

 

“I got it, Magna, don’t worry,” said Asta. “I think I know what is wrong with her.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nothing was working out for Noelle, and that made her furious. First, her older brother Nozel, leader of the Silver Eagles, put her in the worst squad out of the 9, and called her a waste of space. That hurt Noelle deeply, not only was Nozel her favourite sibling, but he was the one she looked up to the most, being called a waste of space, cut Noelle so deep she felt like crying every time she remembered it. Secondly, she had been humiliated by the two peasants: the Mohawk delinquent and the shrimp with the weird clothes and arrogant personality. She felt true humiliation when she missed her spell, to the point that her social mask may have slipped briefly, not that the peasants were smart enough to pick up on it.

 

Finally, the damn spells. Everytime she tried to hit the damn tree she would miss. Not being able to control her magic ate away at Noelle’s dignity like a termite with wood. 

 

“You are straining yourself too much,” said a familiar, arrogant voice.

 

Noelle looked around so fast she could’ve hurt her neck. There he was, white baggy pants and haori fluttering in the light breeze, black sunglasses and a smug smirk on his face.

 

“Although I don’t have magic, I definitely know my fair share of not being able to control my power,” he said, smiling.

 

There it was, her worst nightmare. Was it so obvious? Her body was already accustomed to the words that were said following the mention of her defect, horrid memories flooding into her head, clouding her vision. No. She didn’t want to hear it, not again. She was able to tolerate it from her family, but a peasant like him would be the nail in the coffin.

 

“No!” she shouted, tears falling down her face.

 

Suddenly, a huge, wild water sphere engulfed her, drowning her horrible memories. She couldn’t tolerate being mocked or laughed at any further. She wanted to disappear, to be erased from the face of the planet; it’s not like anyone would mourn her. Noelle lost her breath; she felt her end nearing. She didn’t want to die, but life was just so painful to keep going.

 

Noelle was ready to die when she felt a soft hand hold onto her back, carrying her like a bride. She opened her eyes to see the most ethereal and gorgeous sea blue eyes she had ever seen. His eyes were so deep, she could spend an eternity getting lost in them. Her eyes were wide open; never before had she seen such beauty. She felt herself leave the water and back into the light. 

 

As her eyes slowly readjusted to the light, she looked at his features again. he had a concerned look on his fine face, ethereal eyes searching her for a confirmation, a sign of assurance. He was like a prince in a children’s story; he had saved her when she needed him the most. As the fuzz around her brain settled, she recognized who he was. It was that peasant. No. Asta, that was his name.

 

“Are you okay, Noelle?” he asked, concern evident in his plea.

 

“Y-Yes,” she squeaked.

 

Noelle and Asta slowly descended to the ground, a bit far from the approaching Black Bulls. Noelle looked at Asta’s face, then quickly looked away. She had not forgotten what happened before her magic went wild; if he wasn’t going to ridicule her before, surely her little stunt would earn her a mouthful.

 

“Noelle, I have to tell you something,” said Asta.

 

Here it comes, Noelle thought.

 

“Your magic…Your magic IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!” exclaimed Asta excitedly.

 

Noelle was stunned, not only did he not ridicule her wild magic, HE COMPLIMENTED IT!

 

“How can you say that?” she asked, shocked by his compliment.

 

“What do you mean? That magic spell or whatever it was you just did was absolutely magnificent…it would’ve been perfect had you not put yourself in danger…But still, no one said that something has to be perfect for it to be magnificent!” explained Asta with stars in his eyes.

 

“But Why? It wasn’t good, I didn’t control my magic, it just went wild and out of control…putting everyone’s lives in danger,” she said shyly.

 

“So what if you can’t control your magic…I am sure you’ll learn. Besides, I would never judge my friends or bully them,” said Asta confidently, putting Noelle on the ground, making her blush madly at being handled like so. 

 

“Friends?” asked Noelle weakly. 

 

“If you’ll allow it, your highness,” joked Asta, causing Noelle to smile.

 

Noelle had never had a friend before; the concept felt…welcoming, to say the least. Noelle looked past Asta at the approaching Black Bulls.

 

“Really? You just couldn't control your magical powers?” asked Magna. “You should've told me earlier, you royal failure.”

 

“We're the Black Bulls. We're a whole group of failures! No one cares if you have a flaw or two, you idiot.”

 

“Anyway, thank goodness you're safe.”

 

“That was awesome, wanna fight?”

 

The Black Bulls’ words moved something in Noelle’s chest she hadn’t know existed, and damn did it feel soothing.

 

“Is this what having a loving family feels like?” she thought, fighting tears.

 

“If anything, the one thing I'm great at is controlling magical powers, so I'll help you out,” offered Vanessa. “I'll show you some womanly techniques, too.”

 

“Let's get stronger together, Noelle!” exclaimed Asta excitedly.

 

“Yes…Let’s,” she replied happily.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Asta proceeded to do his daily morning chores like before. He was joined by a much more friendly Noelle, who didn’t really do any work, just followed him around. 

 

“Noelle, can you please help out with the laundry?” Asta requested.

 

“Me, doing laundry? Hell no!” she said distantly, flicking her ponytail and looking away arrogantly.

 

“Why?” shouted Asta comically.

 

“Because I have never done laundry before…I am royalty,” she replied, still looking away.

 

Asta face-palmed. He had never seen a more lazy person before. After the laundry, Asta and Noelle walked to the basement.

 

“What is down here?” asked Noelle curiously.

 

“This way is the basement, where Captain Yami keeps his ‘pets’,” replied Asta.

 

“Pets? I never knew he had pets,” exclaimed Noelle.

 

“Well, they aren’t the sort you’d normally want to keep, but this is Captain Yami we are talking about.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You’ll see.”

 

Asta and Noelle descended the stairs and went down into the basement. Noelle let out a little scream when she saw Captain Yami’s beasts. For some reason, Asta found it cute.

 

“See, I told you,” remarked Asta, picking up the meat.

 

“Who would keep pets like this?” asked Noelle.

 

“Captain Yami, I guess.”

 

Asta approached the cage, holding the three large pieces of meat.

 

“What are you doing?” exclaimed Noelle loudly.

 

“I am going to feed them,” said Asta nonchalantly, still walking towards the cage.

 

“It’s too dangerous,” replied Noelle hesitantly.

 

“Are you worrying about my safety?” teased Asta, causing Noelle to blush. “Don’t worry, it’s a thousand years too early for savage beasts like these to pose any danger to me.”

 

Asta approached the cage, and like the day before, the wolf beast attempted to devour Asta, only for Asta’s infinity to stop him in his tracks.

 

“H-H-How did you do that?” exclaimed Noelle in awe. “I don’t sense any mana from you, so it couldn’t have been magic!”

 

“A magician never reveals his secrets, your highness,” replied Asta smugly.

 

“That’s not the answer I was looking for, Stupidest,” retorted Noelle, irritation in her voice.

 

“Stupidasta? You are giving me nicknames now?” teased Asta, causing Noelle to blush madly.

 

Just then, Captain Yami and Magna walked down the hall, wearing nothing but their loincloths. Asta covered Noelle’s face, but she pushed his hand away, not knowing what was coming their way.

 

“Who said you can touch me, Stupidast, I am royalty!” stated Noelle, before seeing Magna and Yami, causing her to freak out and hide behind Asta.

 

“Hey, kid, how you doin’?” asked Yami nonchalantly.

 

“Captain Yami, looking as lively as ever…I just finished my morning chores, sir!” exclaimed Asta.

 

“Well then, I've got good news for you, cause you and little Miss Royal over here are going on your first mission,” announced Yami.

 

“We are going on our first mission?” exclaimed Asta and Noelle in unison.

 

“You'll be hunting wild boars in Saussy Village!” announced Yami.

 

“What the hell is this lousy mission?!” shouted Asta.

 

“Who are you calling lousy, kid?” asked Yami. “Do the mission or die.”

 

“Magna, you will go with them,” ordered Yami nonchalantly.

 

“Yes, sir!” replied Magna.

 

Yami walked away. Asta let out a frustrated sigh. He wanted a mission that would make him stronger and force him to surpass his limits, but now he was stuck hunting pigs. Asta, Noelle, and Magna, after he wore new clothes, made it to the Black Bulls' living room, searching for Finral. They found him, about to leave through a spatial magic portal.

 

“Wait, Finral…can you please take us to Saussy village?” asked Asta.

 

“Saussy? I am afraid I cannot,” he replied.

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I can only use my portal to places I’ve been to or seen… unfortunately, I’ve never been to Saussy village,”

 

“Okay, thank you anyway, Finral,”

 

“Anytime, Asta,” replied Finral, going through the portal.

 

“How are we gonna get there?” asked Asta.

 

“Don’t worry, I've got the perfect solution!” exclaimed Magna, a smirk forming on his face. “Let's ride our brooms.”

 

“Nah,” replied Asta nonchalantly.

 

“I can’t control my magic,” said Noelle proudly.

 

“Why are you proud of that?” exclaimed Magna comically. “If that’s the case, then I guess I have to give you two a ride on my baby.”

 

“Your baby?” asked Asta and Noelle in unison.

 

“Her name’s…Crazy Cyclone!” declared Magna, taking out a broom with a bull skull on the front, shaped into a motorcycle and a flag of the blag bulls by the tail.

 

“Lame,” declared Noelle.

 

“What!” yelled Asta and Magna in unison.

 

“What?! Are you not able to comprehend her majestic form?” asked Magna.

 

“So lame!” she said again.

 

“It's fine, guys, you can fight on the way there…let’s just go,” sighed Asta.

 

“Fine, I'll let this one go for Asta, Miss Royal,” said Magna, squinting his eyes.

 

The three Black Bulls members rode Magna’s crazy cyclone and flew off into the air. Asta was behind Noelle, holding her by the waist.

 

“How do you like that? Crazy Cyclone can even handle three riders!” exclaimed Magna proudly.

 

“It’s still lame!” Noelle arrogantly stated.

 

“I think it is great, Magna… It’s almost as nice as flying without a broomstick,” commented Asta nonchalantly.

 

“What do you mean flying without a broomstick?” asked Noelle and Magna, looking back at Asta in shock.

 

“I mean, I can fly on my own without needing a broom, it's just that I feel lazy right now and choose not to,” Asta continued.

 

“What?!” exclaimed Magna and Noelle incredulously.

 

“Ya,” replied Asta humbly.

 

As they approached Saussy village, Magna started to retell his story to the people of the town, explaining how he used to be a menace, terrorizing the villagers with his stunts. He told them how he was put in place by old man Selhi, whom he bonded with over time, even taking him as a teacher.

 

“Hey, fly more steadily!” exclaimed Noelle.

 

“You try to drive three people on a broomstick, then complain, Miss Royal!” responded Magna angrily.

 

Suddenly, Magna ran into some air turbulence, causing Asta to hold onto Noelle tighter; his arms traveling north lightly.

 

“Oi, Stupidsta, what are you doing?” asked Noelle, heavily blushing.

 

“What am I doing?” asked Asta, cluelessly, before he noticed. “Oh… I-I am sorry, I didn’t mean to.” 

 

“Just be careful where you put your hands, I am royalty,” she replied, still very embarrassed from the situation.

 

“We’ve arrived, you two!” stated Magna as they descended towards a great grass field.

 

“I can deal with all the boars before you guys land,” commented Asta smugly.

 

“Hahaha, no way, that's impossible… We haven’t even landed,” laughed Magna.

 

“Wanna bet?” asked Asta smugly.

 

“Sure, if you can defeat all the boars before me and Miss Royal land, then I’ll give you the entirety of my next salary,” replied Magna smugly, not believing Asta able to complete such an impossible task.

 

“Fine,” said Asta smugly.

 

In an instant, Asta was gone. Noelle felt his arms disappear around her waist. She looked back and was shocked to find him gone.

 

“Magna, Stupidsta is gone!” she exclaimed loudly.

 

“What? Did he fall? How could he have left?” asked Magna incredulously.

 

Magna and Noelle landed in the great grass field, parking his Crazy Cyclone by a tree.

 

“Where could he have gone?” asked Noelle.

 

“Let’s search for him,” stated Magna.

 

Noelle and Magna walked towards the forest, searching for any sign of Asta. As they reached the clearing, they saw Asta sitting on a pile of wild boar bodies, eating an apple nonchalantly. Noelle and Magna were absolutely stunned.

 

“Looks like the Crazy Cyclone is not as good as you said, Magna…what took you guys so long?” Asta said smugly.

 

“H-H-HOW DID YOU DEFEAT THEM SO FAST?” yelled Noelle and Magna in unison.

 

“What do you mean? There weren’t even tough enough to be considered a threat,” stated Asta nonchalantly.

 

“I knew he was strong…but this…this is an entirely different level!” thought Magna, a sweat falling down his face.

 

“So do we have to carry them to the village or what?” asked Asta, finishing his apple and jumping off the pile of corpses.

 

“Y-Yes, we do,” answered Noelle, slightly shaken.

 

“Ight, then what are we waiting for?” stated Asta nonchalantly.

 

Asta picked up all the corpses with ease. They all walked towards Saussy village, sharing stories on the way—well, mainly Asta and Magna. As they approached Saussy village, Asta’s advanced perception detected an eerie feeling; he saw mist covering the whole town; there was an evil aura near the center. Asta stopped Noelle and Magna with his spare hand, dropping the wild boars.

 

“There is an eerie feeling radiating from that town…has it always been this foggy, Magna?” asked Asta seriously.

 

“N-No, you’re right, there is something wrong going on,” said Magna.

 

“Stay behind me, you two,” ordered Asta seriously. “Lapse Blue!”

 

Asta’s Lapse Blue shot out towards the mist, pulling it into oblivion. Noelle and Magna stayed behind Asta, creeping through the fog. As they approached the village square, Asta heard a child crying. As the thick mist dissipated, Asta saw the source.

 

The poor villagers of Saussy village were huddled up in the town square, fear oozing from them.

 

“This is your execution, peasants,” said a mage with white hair cooly.

 

Asta saw sharp icicles, rushing down towards the innocent villagers, their cries falling on deaf ears.

 

“Explosive Scattershot!” yelled Magna, sending a powerful spell towards the icicles, shattering them.

 

“The Magic Knights...They've come to save us,” yelled the villagers.

 

“Magna, it's you!” yelled a little boy, hugging Magna.

 

“Nick! What the heck's going on?” asked Magna, looking around. “Old Man! Hey! Wake up! Old Man…”

 

“The mayor...He tried to protect us,” said a woman.

 

“Grandpa, they came. The Magic Knights...Your prayers were answered,” cried Nick.

 

“Magna, Noelle,” said Asta coldly, causing them to look at him. “Protect everyone.”

 

“Roger!” said Noelle.

 

“I wanna fight too,” yelled Magna angrily.

 

“I thought you’d be short on magic after carrying us all this distance…or am I wrong, 

Magna,” replied Asta coldly.

 

“Well…yes,” surrendered Magna.

 

Asta slowly walked towards the mages responsible, his hands in his pockets and his face unreadable.

 

“I don't recall hearing anything about Magic Knights showing up. Could they be out on some unofficial mission?” noted the white haired mage who looked like the leader.

 

“And how did they get into the village through our mist barrier?” exclaimed one of his goons.

 

“The Black Bulls...Crude heretics that don't fit in with the rest of the Magic Knights,” mocked the leader. “ Dealing with them would be a waste of time. Five minutes...We'll get rid of the useless villagers who didn't know anything and seek what we came here for.”

 

“I take it you are the scum responsible for all the villagers suffering,” stated Asta coldly, walking towards the leader.

 

“Mist Magic: Whirlpool of Illusory Mist. You're a fool to think you could get near Lord Heath so easily!” yelled the mist mage.

 

Asta reached out behind him, where his Lapse blue was; he guided it effortlessly, extinguishing the mist, not taking his eyes off Heath. The mist mage was left speechless, Asta walking past him.

 

“How dare you do that, you brat!” he yelled.

 

Asta ducked under the mage’s attack, swiping his feet, dropping him to the floor. Asta looked and guided his Lapse Blue closer to the mage.

 

“W-W-What are you d-d-doing to me?!” he yelled, fear in his voice.

 

The mist mage was rapidly sucked into the Lapse Blue, accelerating at unnatural speeds. Asta weakened his Lapse Blue as soon as the mage was sucked in, causing a more agnoizing death. The mist mage’s screams of agony left the entire village in shock. Heath looked in fear; he had never seen a Magic Knight perform his duty so ruthlessly.

 

“W-W-What are you?” he squeeked.

 

“People like you are the absolute worst… needlessly cruel, hurting innocent lives like they don’t matter,” said Asta coldly. “If I weren’t forced to bring the rest of you people alive, you would’ve experienced a fate far worse than the other guy’s.”

 

“A-Attack the villagers, and let's get out of here!” commanded Heath.

 

An array of different spells flew towards the helpless villagers.

 

“Noelle!” shouted Asta.

 

“Yes!” responded Noelle. “I want to protect them…But how?” she thought.

 

Suddenly, a new spell appeared in Noelle’s grimoire.

 

“I'll protect them! I'm royalty, and a member of the Black Bulls!” declared Noella. “Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Lair!”

 

A huge cradle of water surrounded the villagers, protecting them. Mana was wildly oozing off the new spell, shocking Noelle deeply.

 

“Is this what I can do if I believe in myself?” she thought.

 

Heath cursed. He had hoped to use the opening to escape, but the brat had not budged a muscle; in fact, he had not broken eye contact with him this whole time.

 

“I see now that not only are you people evil bastards…but you fight without honor too…I guess I’ll have to show you what real power looks like!” declared Asta angrily, taking off his glasses.

 

“What are those eyes?!” yelled Heath, fear evident in his voice. “What the hell are you, brat?!”

 

“I am Asta, and I will be the one to bring you to justice!” responded Asta coldly. 

 

“Don’t take another step! Ice Magic: Endless Ice Cage!” yelled Heath desperately.

 

Ten sharp icicles launched towards Asta like bullets.

 

“Asta! Dodge!” yelled Noelle.

 

Heath smiled. The brat was strong, but everyone had a weakness; it seemed that his weakness was his arrogance. The smile was quickly replaced with a petrified look. His icicles had stopped inches from Asta, not moving at all.

 

“Wrong move, Heath,” said Asta.

 

Suddenly, Asta teleported in front of one of Heath’s minions, giving him a cursed energy imbued uppercut, launching him high in the air, knocking him out instantly. Heath didn’t have a chance to react before his other minion was knocked out with a mighty kick.

 

“You made a mistake coming here today, Heath,” said Asta coldly. “Now pay for your mistake.”

 

“YOU BRAT!!!”

 

Heath attempted to launch an offensive spell towards Asta, but was silenced with a right hook, knocking out all his teeth.

 

Noelle stared in horror, not only did Asta kill a person, but he took care of the other three so effortlessly. Just how strong was he?

 

Asta put his glasses back on, walking away from the battlefield.

 

“Flame Binding Magic: Flame Bondage Formation,” yelled Magna. “Way to go, Asta! I never expected you to be so strong!”

 

“I need some alone time, Magna,” declared Asta nonchalantly.

 

“Fine,” replied Magna.

 

Asta disappeared in an instant, leaving Noelle, Magna, and the villagers behind. Noelle could see the conflict in Asta’s eyes; she hadn’t expected him to act like that…but there had to be a reason; she needed to know.

 

“Magna, I will go after Asta!” said Noelle, leaving Magna behind.

 

“Sure, meet back here when you find him,” replied Magna, walking towards the old guy’s body.

 

 Noelle searched for Asta for hours, but there was no sign of him. She walked through the great grass plain and in the forest, but she just couldn’t find any hints of where he was. Noelle finally found Asta sitting on a log near the edge of a cliff, staring at the sunset.

 

“Hey, Noelle,” said Asta.

 

Noelle could detect a sad tone in his voice, for some reason that broke her heart. She sat down next to him, looking at the sunset.

 

“I never killed a guy before…I…I don’t know what happened…I just felt so…so angry…I couldn’t tolerate them hurting the innocent villagers, they were heinous people…still…he didn’t deserve to die,” said Asta, coming close to tears.

 

“You are not a bad person, Asta…you didn’t kill them out of malice or cruelty, they were horrible people that hurt innocents…We all make mistakes, you just have to learn from them…that’s how we grow,” explained Noelle, comforting Asta.

 

Noelle reached for Asta’s back, patting it to comfort him. They sat in silence for a while, just staring at the descending sun. Finally, Asta broke the silence.

 

“I guess you are right, Noelle…thank you for comforting me,” said Asta sincerely, smiling at her.

 

“No worries, that's what friends are for, right?” she said comfortingly.

 

“Now that that’s out of the way, I have a question for you. I won’t ask about your power, cause I know you won’t answer, but I do have a question…why are you always wearing glasses?” asked Noelle, trying to lighten up the mood.

 

“Hahaha, what? Do you like my eyes?” joked Asta, causing Noelle to blush. “It’s just that I was born with this…mutation, you can say, that gives me very powerful and perceptive eyes; however, it comes at a cost.”

 

“A cost?”

 

“Ya…If I constantly use my eyes, that puts a strain on my brain, so I wear my glasses to shield them,” explained Asta.

 

“But how can you see? These glasses are practically opaque,” she asked.

 

“I can see just fine with them on, don’t worry,” he replied, before silence fell between them.

 

The sun was almost down when an anti-bird carrying a red gem in its mouth approached Asta.

 

“Oh, not one of you again!” Asta whined, causing Noelle to giggle.

 

The bird tried to perch on his head but was unable to, stopping midflight. The bird flew in front of Asta’s face, glaring holes through its eyes. It dropped the gem it was holding in Asta’s hand.

 

“Oh, this gem looks nice. I guess not all anti-birds are blood sucking leechs!” he exclaimed comically. “As a reward for giving me this gem, I shall grant you the honor of sitting on my head.”

 

The bird sat on Asta’s head, then immediately started pecking him.

 

“You bastard!” exclaimed Asta, swatting the bird away.

 

Noelle giggled at the funny scene before looking back at the last glimpses of the sun. It had been a long and busy day; she had completed her first mission as a magic knight, and she had solidified new friendships. She was happy.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He had to warn master Licht. The plan master Licht— the god he is, was fabulous, from the attack on the capital city, to the reincarnation of their elven selves, it was a well-knit knit flawless plan. Until the brat showed up, that is. He had never thought a magic knight could be so strong, and even worse, so ruthless.

 

The water mage rushed through the eye of the midnight sun’s base, leaving all his worried comrades behind; he had to reach master Licht as soon as possible. The water mage arrived at the meeting hall.

 

“Master Licht and the four members of the third eye are convening inside; you shall wait until they are done!” declared Valtos.

 

“Please, master Valtos, I have to…HAVE TO, report to master Licht…NOW!” he yelled.

 

Valtos was shaken; something had definitely gone wrong.

 

“I’ll ask the master first, wait here,” he coldly said, before going in.

 

A few minutes later, Valtos came back out.

 

“Master Licht has given you authorization to enter,” he declared, opening the door.

 

The water mage ran inside, tripping on the carpet and falling.

 

“What is the deal, my child? It looks like you have seen a ghost. What happened with the other 2 mages and Heath?” asked Licht cooly.

 

“Master Licht, we were in Saussy village to get the stone, and then magic knights showed up…they died, I couldn’t do anything!” he babbled.

 

“Slow down, we can’t understand what you are saying…go back,” instructed Vetto the despair.

 

“We went to Saussy village like you instructed us, master Licht…we found the magic stone, but an old man tried to stop us from getting it,” he explained, gaiging their nods. “Master Heath took care of the old man swiftly, but the peasants of the town stopped us…so master Heath wanted to execute them.”

 

“So far, everything happened as planned, what went wrong?” asked Raia the disloyal.

 

“And then…Boom…a fire spell shattered master Heath’s ice…we looked at the direction of the shot, and there they were…3 magic knights, Black Bulls to be exact,” he explained. “One was from the royal house of Silva, judging by her looks…the other was a peasant delinquent, and then there was him…” he froze, the memories of the battle playing through his head like a horror movie.

 

“Who is he?” asked Fana the hateful.

 

“He…He…He is a monster. At first, we laughed at him because he didn’t have any mana… but then I asked myself, how had these 3 weak magic knights surpassed our mist shield?” he continued, sweat dripping down his face. “He wore very weird clothes I had never seen before, baggy pants, a coat, a scarf, and glasses. He walked towards us like a predator towards his prey. Our mist mage tried to attack him, but…”

 

“But what? Tell me, what happened to one of my children?” asked Licht, losing his composure.

 

“He…he…he dismantled him with ease, but then…he…he,” the water mage mumbled.

 

“Has the cat gotten your tongue? What happened?” exclaimed Vetto the despair, angrily.

 

“He summoned a large blue ball… it was like a vortex, it sucked in the mist, evaporating its mana…literally removing it from existence…amnd then he…he…he sucked in the mist mage in it, erasing him from existence too,” he explained.

 

“What did you say?! He summoned a blue vortex-like ball?” asked the 4th member of the third eye.

 

“Yes…and then he kept on walking towards us…master Heath ordered us to kill the villagers to distract him, but he didn’t budge, just called out to the royal girl who stopped our spells. Master Heath was scared shitless, he tried to attack him but when the attacks just stopped…the were never able to touch him, freezing midair,” he explained. Concern was evident on the faces of Licht and the 3 third eye members, a large obstacle appearing in the path of their ultimate plan.

 

However, the fourth member of the third eye—the strongest of them all, had a petrified look on his face.

 

“He said something smug, then teleported in front of me, punching me so hard it knocked me out…but his punch…felt…unnatural, it wasn’t mana, but it was something else…something stronger,” he finished.

 

“Did you manage to get his name by any chance, my brave child?” asked Licht.

 

“His name was…A-A-Asta…his name was Asta!”

 

“I thank you, my child, you have saved us a lot of trouble, you may leave now,” said Licht, causing the water mage to bow down and leave the room.

 

“What do you guys make of this?” asked Licht.

 

“He sounds powerful, I want to fight him and bring him into despair!” exclaimed Vetto.

 

“I haven’t seen him yet, and I already hate him,” commented Fana.

 

“I am sure we’ll find a way to beat him, master Licht,” said Raia smugly.

 

“What about you, Dergaz the unlucky? I have never seen you so scared before,” asked Licht sincerely.

 

“It’s nothing, master Licht… I was just a bit shook, that's all,” replied Dergaz the unlucky.

 

 “You should be the last person to be worried, my friend,” commented Raia smugly, “you were the strongest elf after our chief Licht, after all.”

 

“I guess you are right, Raia. I shouldn’t get scared for no reason,” replied Dergaz, still looking petrified, sweat dripping down.

 

“We will convene tomorrow, my friends, we will plan for this anomaly and act accordingly, you are dismissed,” ordered Licht.

 

Dergaz left the room and headed towards his chambers. No. No. It's not true! It can’t be. The master told him they were all dead; he affirmed it. This changes everything, the plan they had been working on for the last 500 years, the plan many had died for, was ruined. Or was it? There were two things Dergaz knew for certain: he needed to contact the master as soon as possible, and the Gojo boy had to die!

Notes:

And there you have it, folks, chapter 5 is here. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I appreciate all the nice comments y'all leave. till next time!

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

“Sounds like you guys had it pretty rough, eh,” glouted Yami cheerfully.

 

“It wasn’t too bad, made it more entertaining than hunting boars,” joked Asta.

 

“Don’t start getting smart with me, kid. You won’t surpass your limits without completing small, insignificant tasks like this one!” exclaimed Yami comically.

 

“You have a point, Captain Yami…You have a point,” replied Asta, doing his all not to laugh hysterically.

 

“Anyways, you idiots did well protecting the people of the village,” declared Yami, causing Asta to look down in shame.

 

“Not all of them,” he said grimly.

 

“Ya, good ol’ Mr. Selhi. He was one fine old man,” reflected Yami nonchalantly.

 

“I thought you’d be more affected, Captain Yami!” yelled Magna sadly.

 

“Being sad won’t change the matter that the old man is dead, or bring him back. I am sure if he were alive, he’d want us to live cheerfully!” declared Yami powerfully.

 

“I guess you are right, Captain,” replied Magna sadly. 

 

“That’s the spirit, I am sure you guys surpassed your limits against these bafoons,” congratulated Yami, looking over at Asta. “Especially you.”

 

“Huh…Oh, I guess so, Captain…I mean, they weren’t really that tough, so it wasn’t much of a challenge,” remarked Asta bashfully.

 

“Ya sure, whatever, kid,” replied Yami.

 

“We are back,” announced Vanessa and Finral, walking out of a spatial portal.

 

“We heard what happened in Saussy village,” said Vanessa, looking at Asta. “You guys did well, be proud.”

 

“We went to the Magic Investigation Department like you asked, sir!” announced Finral robotically.

 

“Jeez, why do you sound like that? You scare me,” said Yami comically. “Anyways, good job, what did they say?”

 

“Unfortunately, nothing helpful…they said they went there and found no clues behind the motivation of the attackers,” replied Finral, disappointment evident in his voice.

 

“They did say, however, that the attackers might have been a group of radical nobles…no commoner or peasant can casually afford a watch that luxurious,” explained Vanessa.

 

“Nobles, huh…those bastards!” Asta exclaimed. “When I become the Wizard King, I will destroy this discriminatory lifestyle we live in.”

 

“Noble goal, kid…you just gotta get through me, the other 8 magic squad captains, and Julius to achieve it,” teased Yami.

 

“Only? I thought it would’ve been more challenging,” stated Asta smugly.

 

“Why, you little brat!” said Yami irritably.

 

Yami attempted to crush Asta’s head, but was stopped by Asta’s infinity. Yami started raging comically while Asta just stood there smiling.

 

“I have to say,” whispered Magna in Noelle’s ear. “I don’t think there is a person in this kingdom who can ragebait Captain Yami as much as Asta.”

 

“Tell me about it…I am scared his arrogant behaviour will get him in trouble someday,” said Noelle in a worried tone.

 

“Oooh, Noelle, are you worried about Asta?” teased Vanessa, winking at Noelle.

 

“Oh…W-W-What? N-No…Why would I be worried about Stupidsta?” flushed Noelle, her face as red as tomatoes. “It’s not that I feel anything for him,” she thought.

 

“Sure thing,” teased Vanessa.

 

Yami was still trying to reach for Asta’s head, intensifying his efforts further. The Black Bulls attempt to break them apart.

 

“Captain Yami! I have a question!” yelled Vanessa, getting Yami’s attention.

 

“When was our payday again?” asked Vanessa innocently.

 

“Uh, what…payday…oh ya, I guess it was today, wasn’t it?” stated Yami, scratching his head. “Line up everyone.”

 

Members of the Black Bulls lined up for their monthly salary distribution, each with different plans to spend the money.

 

“I will spoil my angel sister Mary until the ends of the earth!”

 

“I will buy fun stuff so I can play with my best friend, Asta.”

 

“I will take a cute girl on a date!”

 

After Yami handed out the salaries, the other Black Bulls members got to their rival's spending plans. He called over Asta, Noelle, and Magna.

 

“One more thing, I’ve got good news…The Wizard King acknowledged your actions in Saussy village and decided to give you a star,” informed Yami nonchalantly.

 

“A star? Let’s go!” exclaimed Asta cheerfully. “What is a star again?”

 

“Don’t get excited when you don’t know what it is?” yelled Magna.

 

“Stars are given out by the Wizard King based on your performance on a mission,” explained Vanessa. “Clearly, your performance in Saussy village caught his attention and earned you a star. Congrats.”

 

“All magic squads compete to see who can get the most stars…currently the Golden Dawn is in first place with 70 stars,” explained Magna.

 

“The Golden Dawn?” Asta thought. “That’s the squad Yuno goes to! I can’t let him beat me!”

 

“And how many stars do we have?” exclaimed Asta passionately.

 

Yami chuckled, looking at Asta’s passionate demeanor.

 

“Thanks to you, kid, we now have -30 stars…good job!” explained Yami, holding back laughter.

 

“W-wha…NEGATIVE 30!” yelled Asta. “Are you meaning to tell me that we are 100 stars behind the Golden Dawn?!”

 

Yami, Vanessa, Magna, and Noelle looked at Asta, laughing at him. He was going on a silent rant on how he was not going to lose to Yuno, and that he was the one who would become the Wizard King. Yami got up, leaving the group to attend to a strong battle he had to fight against his mortal enemy. Asta’s struggles continued, aided by the anti-bird’s constant pecking.

 

“I am going to turn this stupid bird into fried chicken!” he yelled.

 

“I won't let you turn him into fried chicken!” exclaimed Noelle passionately.

 

“Say your prayers, you stupid bird!” Asta yelled, ignoring Noelle’s protests.

 

“Don't you dare!” she yelled, rushing towards Asta, trying to stop him.

 

“Calm down, you two…Asta, I am sure the bird won’t do it again…and Noelle, you can cut it out, I am sure Asta isn’t such a heartless monster,” preached Vanessa, trying to prevent a fight from happening.

 

Eventually, Asta calmed down and decided to forgive the bird one last time, just because Noelle continued to beg him. He didn’t really want to make her sad.

 

“Have you decided what you want to spend your salary on, Noelle?” asked Vanessa cheerfully, changing the subject.

 

“I haven’t really decided what to spend it on…I don’t have anything that I need to buy,” replied Noelle.

 

“How about you, Asta?” asked Vanessa.

 

“U-Uh me? I haven’t decided either,” he replied.

 

“I have an idea…how about I take you two shopping tomorrow? I am sure you’ll find something you want to buy,” asked Vanessa excitedly.

 

“Sure, I am down,” replied Asta nonchalantly.

 

“U-Uhm, I don’t know,” replied Noelle, a blush on her face. “Why am I thinking about him so much?” she thought, her brain going into overtime.

 

“Come on, Noelle, it will be fun, I am sure of it!” exclaimed Asta joyfully, grabbing Noelle’s shoulder.

 

“Who allowed you to touch me, Stupidsta? I am royalty!” she declared. “S-S-Sure, I’ll go shopping with you guys.”

 

“Perfect,” declared Vanessa. “We’ll leave tomorrow at noon!”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

The following noon, Asta, Noelle, and Vanessa headed out to the royal capital for a fun shopping trip. The grandeur of the royal capital never failed to immerse Asta in a world of great wonder. After living his entire life in the outskirts of the kingdom, where barely anyone lived, seeing the number of people in the capital, all in one place, never failed to amaze him. 

 

“What are you gazing at, Stupidsta?” asked Noelle.

 

“It’s just…having lived my entire life in Hage village, a village way out in the forsaken realm, where barely anyone lived…to see this many people all in one place…each with their own unique lives never fails to amaze me,” explained Asta calmly.

 

“I mean…Having lived in the capital city my entire life, it just seems like another day to me…But I understand where you are coming from,” replied Noelle.

 

“Oh, there you are, love birds, where have you wandered off to?” teased Vanessa.

 

Noelle looked back at Vanessa with a shocked expression, her face rapidly turning redder. Asta, on the other hand, was still too captivated by the capital city to comprehend Vanessa’s words.

 

“Anyways, follow me, I’ll take you to the best shopping place there is,” declared Vanessa proudly.

 

As the three magic knights walked the packed streets of the royal capital, people’s murmurs and whispers could be heard all around them.

 

“Hey, those robes, they are magic knights.”

 

“So cool!”

 

“But look, that insignia…they are Black Bulls!”

 

“Us being here is certainly causing a lot of commotion,” stated Noelle.

 

“Don’t worry about it, Noelle…Us being around also deters crime,” replied Vanessa smugly.

 

Vanessa led the two rookies down a spooky alleyway. The alleyway was snug and dank; you could almost taste the cool mossy air. Noelle hid behind Asta, unconsciously snuggling up to him. Vanessa saw the interaction and smiled. She recognized a girl in love when she saw one, even if said girl was unaware of her emotions. 

 

“Uhm…Vanessa, where are you taking us?” asked Noelle meekly.

 

“As I said, I am taking you two to the best place to shop in the capital…We are almost there,” declared Vanessa.

 

“Are you sure, Lady Vanessa? I mean, all I see up ahead is a dead end,” stated Asta.

 

“Just wait and see.”

 

Vanessa led them to the dead end at the end of the alleyway. Asta and Noelle looked around but saw no signs of any shops. Vanessa looked at the indifferent expression on Asta’s face and the scared one on Noelle’s. She smirked before walking through the camouflage door in the dead end. Noelle let out a little shocked cry, calling out for Vanessa. Asta, on the other hand, looked intrigued, walking forward towards the wall.

 

“Where are you going, Stupidsta?” quivered Noelle.

 

“It appears to be an invisible door leading somewhere, remarkable,” admired Asta. “I am going in.”

 

“No, you are not,” replied Noelle quickly. Asta, however, totally ignored her and walked through the invisible door, disappearing through it. “Where did you go, Stupidsta? Don’t leave me alone in this scary alleyway!”

 

Noelle was conflicted; she was scared of going through the unknown, but was even more terrified of staying alone in the dark alley, so she closed her eyes and ran through the door. When she opened her eyes, she saw a shocking sight. Shops of all kinds lined the mildly lit street, stalls selling suspicious-looking magical items, and gambling parlors.

 

“Noelle, come with!” exclaimed Vanessa, breaking Noelle out of her trance.

 

“What is this place, Lady Vanessa?” asked Asta curiously.

 

“This, my friends…is the royal capital’s own black market!” declared Vanessa proudly.

 

“The black market?” exclaimed Asta and Noelle in unison.

 

“It's a bit dangerous, but they have some very effective magical items,” said Vanessa, looking at Noelle. “Wait, Noelle… where did Asta go?”

 

“Uhm…what?” asked Noelle, confusion evident in her voice. “Oh my god…Stupidsta must have wandered off somewhere!”

 

“Well, let us go on our way then,” declared Vanessa. “Did you know they sell objects that help with magic control here, Noelle?”

 

“Really?!” exclaimed Noelle. “Do such objects actually exist?”

 

“Yes, they do, girl…let me take you there,” said Vanessa, holding Noelle’s hand and pulling her along.

 

“So…Noelle…what is the deal between you and Asta?” teased Vanessa.

 

“Uhm…W-W-What d-did you s-say?” Noelle stammered. “S-Stupidsta, why would anything be going on between us?”

 

“I never said anything about something going on between you two,” Vanessa teased.

 

Noelle’s brain nearly turned off from the heat, her face as red as a tomato. Vanessa laughed at Noelle’s embarrassed face.

 

“Listen, Noelle…take this as you like,” explained Vanessa genuinely. “ No matter what you do, always be honest with yourself…no matter the situation or the circumstance…always be honest with yourself.”

 

“W-What do you mean?” Noelle mumbled.

 

“I mean…if you have to lie to people in instances to solve problems, or get yourself out of big trouble, then by all means, do what you need,” Vanessa continued. “But never lie to yourself…the person that ultimately loses is always you…If you want to do, believe, or like something…or someone, then be truthful with yourself.”

 

“I-I understand, thank you for your advice, Vanessa,” Noelle thanked.

 

“Anytime, Noelle,” replied Vanessa cheerfully. “We are here.”

 

Vanessa and Noelle approached a small shop run by an old woman. 

 

“Hello, my lady…do you have anything that can help with magic control?” asked Vanessa.

 

“Hello, dear child…Yes, I do, I sell wands that help with focusing and controlling magic,” croaked the old lady. “I must say it does come at a rather hefty price.”

 

“That’s fine with me,” declared Noelle, strongly. “Name the price you want for the wand.”

 

“15,000 yuls would do.”

 

Noelle riffled through her bag, searching for the money sack. Noelle gave the old lady the money and got the wand. She looked at it, feeling a strange sensation coming out of the wand, like a mana conduit, directing her mana and shaping it into a focused shape.

 

“Noelle, Vanessa…LOOK WHAT I FOUND!” exclaimed Asta, running towards them with stars in his eyes.

 

“W-What is this Stupidsta? Why would you buy something as stupid as this?” asked Noelle incredulously while Vanessa laughed.

 

“What do you mean? This guy is sick!” Asta exclaimed, holding up a talking cactus toy that mimicked him. “Firstly, it’s the only thing I found interesting…and secondly, that’s the only thing I had enough money to buy!”

 

“No way you are telling me this stupid toy cost you your entire 20,000 yul salary!” exclaimed Noelle loudly, prompting Vanessa to laugh louder.

 

“No, it was only 2,000 yuls,” replied Asta.

 

“What happened to the other 18,000?” 

 

“Oh, the other 18,000…Well, I sent them to family back in Hage village, of course!”Asta replied happily.

 

Noelle looked at Asta in shock; she never knew Asta loved his family so much. This act of pure kindness and love made Noelle feel…more appreciative of Asta. She shook her head, getting any delusional ideas out of her head. Before she could reply, she was interrupted by an extremely arrogant voice.

 

“Bah-ha, what are you gorgeous ladies doing here at this fine hour?” asked an approaching Sekke. “Are you by any chance lost? I am an elite magic knight, so I can keep your pretty faces safe!”

 

“Who is this weirdo?” whispered Noelle.

 

“I haven’t gotten the slightest idea, Noelle,” replied Vanessa.

 

“Is that who I think it is?” beamed Asta smugly. “Sekke?!”

 

Sekke looked from Vanessa and Noelle to Asta, changing his cocky expression into a traumatized one.

 

“A-A-A-A-Asta?!” Sekke stammered, chills running up and down his spine. “W-W-What are you doing with these fine girls, bah-ha?”

 

“Oh, Noelle and Vanessa, they are in my Magic Squad, the Black Bulls,” explained Asta with exaggerated hand movements. “Oh, by the way…what magic squad did you end up getting into?”

 

“Asta, you know this creep?” asked Noelle.

 

“Oh, I do, Noelle…this guy here is my good ol’ pal Sekke, me and him go way back,” explained Asta. “Don’t we Sekke?”

 

“W-W-We indeed do, Asta,” Sekke stammered. “A-And to answer your question, I got into the great praying mantises, bah-ha.”

 

“Oh, isn’t that the squad with a lunatic squad captain?” asked Asta. “Jack the Ripper, was it?”

 

“Hey, don’t you dare make fun of Captain Jack, bah-ha…I will have you know that he is the best magic squad captain out of the 9, bah-ha!” Sekke defended, a vein popping in his forehead.

 

“How did you meet this guy, Asta?” Noelle asked incredulously.

 

“Oh, that is a very interesting story, care to tell them, Sekke?” teased Asta.

 

“O-O-Oh, bah-ha it was interesting indeed…S-So Asta and I m-met in the…” started Sekke.

 

“Thief! Thief! He stole my bag! Please stop him!” yelled the old lady.

 

Asta looked back, seeing the old lady on the ground and the thief accelerating away. Noelle and Vanessa looked shocked.

 

“Vanessa, isn’t that the old lady who sold me the wand?” asked Noelle.

 

“Yes, it is…we need to help her!” replied Vanessa angrily, running towards the old lady.

 

“Don’t worry, cuties, I will save this old bag’s stuff and impress you, bah-ha!” yelled an enthused Sekke.

 

Asta laughed, looking at Sekke’s feeble vehicle. It looked like an archaic design of a pool statue, balanced over a ridiculous-looking wheel. Asta walked towards Noelle and Vanessa, who were helping the old lady up, trying to comfort her.

 

“Haha, interesting…old lady, give me 10 seconds,” Asta said smugly.

 

“Please, help me, young man!” cried the old lady.

 

“Don’t worry, I gotchu.”

 

In an instant, Asta teleported in front of the fleeing thief. He pushed him off his floating cloud, holding him up by his collar. Sekke looked on in shock. It was the second time Asta had robbed him of fame. Asta teleported back to the old lady, dangling the thief over them.

 

“Now, will you apologize and give the old lady her bag back, or should I drop you from this height?” teased Asta.

 

“I-I-I-I am sorry, old lady…I am n-n-never doing this ever again!” stammered the thief, tears flowing down his cheeks.

 

Asta descended with the thief, handing over the bag. He knocked the thief out and dropped him on the floor, instructing Sekke to take him to the magic investigation department.

 

“Bah-ha, I guess I will do that, only for you two cuties,” winked Sekke.

 

“Get lost, insect,” Noelle exclaimed.

 

“Hell no,” replied Vanessa.

 

“Bah-ha?”

 

“Anyways, here are your winnings, old lady,” Asta said politely.

 

“Thank you so much, Mr. magic knight, I will never forget you,” the old lady said.

 

“No worries, this is our job,” said Vanessa, walking away with the other two. “Anyways, bye.”

 

“Uh…I can’t wait to get back to the base. I'm going to ask Miz Charmy to make me some tatoes!” declared Asta.

 

“Tatoes? What are those?” Noelle asked.

 

“Potatoes from Hage Village that taste bland and have a questionable texture,” explained Asta.

 

“That sounds awful.”

 

“They aren't! Sister Lily can make anything taste good!” protested Asta.

 

“And who's that?” Noelle asked nervously.

 

“The woman I'm going to marry someday!” Asta declared joyfully, stars in his eyes.

 

“What?!” shouted Noelle, sweat dripping down her face. “But aren't sisters women of the cloth? I don't think they can get married.”

 

“I-It'll work out somehow! I'll go beyond all limitations!” said Asta.

 

Vanessa laughed at Noelle’s observable mental breakdown, Asta oblivious to all of this. Far behind them was the same old lady looking at them with curiosity. Suddenly, the old lady started slowly morphing into a blonde mage with royal clothes, he had a blue tattoo on his forehead, and a smile on his face. The 28th Wizard King, Julius Novachorno.

 

“He teleported without having to use mana, eh?” wondered the Wizard King. “What an interesting young man!”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

  

The next day

 

“How about…Barmudi?” asked Asta.

 

“No no Asta, it had to be called the Bird of Hell, Lucicairo!” shouted Magna enthusiastically

 

“What? What are these stupid names…it has to be a royal name like…Silvantus Schnauzer,” declared Noelle proudly.

 

“Torito, it has to be called Torito!” exclaimed Luck madly.

 

The Black Bulls fought over different names for the anti-bird Asta had taken as a pet, different names shouted over each other, each more ridiculous than the others.

 

“How about we name it Nero?” suggested Vanessa calmly.

 

At that name, the bird saluted in approval.

 

“I guess Nero it is then,” declared Asta.

 

“Oi, kid, Lady Noe…I got a mission for you two,” said Yami nonchalantly, walking into the room.

 

“Really? Finally, I’ve been waiting for a new mission!” Asta cried.

 

“A new mission already?” Noelle complained.

 

“A new dungeon has appeared on the border of the Diamond Kingdom. You guys are going to go explore it,” instructed Yami.

 

“A dungeon?! Are you serious, Mister Yami?! What the heck is a dungeon?!” boomed Asta.

 

“Huh? Are you serious? You were surprised, and you didn't even know what it was?” Yami said irritably.

 

“I just went with the flow!” replied Asta smugly.

 

“Talk about predictable!” said Yami. “ Listen up. Dungeons are… Kind of like ancient tombs that contain relics made by the people from back then. Sometimes they have info about powerful ancient magic or super rare magical items. They're absolutely amazing! But you know… The people back then set insane magical traps in them so that they wouldn't get misused by anyone. They're super dangerous and really fun! The Magic Knights always investigate them since they're so dangerous, and to make sure none of the treasures get stolen.”

 

Yami paused, taking a deep inhale from his cigarette.

 

“Not to mention that the wizard king asked you guys to go by name,” said Yami nonchalantly.

 

“What?!” gasped the Black Bulls present.

 

“The wizard king asked for us by name?” exclaimed Asta and Noelle happily.

 

“Yes, he did,” said Yami, a small smirk on his face. “Now, listen up, rookies…Luck, you will go with them.”

 

“Yahoo!” exclaimed Luck.

 

“Since this dungeon is on the border with the Diamond Kingdom, you will have to go in, collect the treasure quickly, and leave before the Diamond Kingdom's Mages interfere,” instructed Yami. “Understood?”

 

“Yes!” shouted Asta, Luck, and Noelle.

 

“When do we have to go, Captain?” asked Asta.

 

“Now,” replied Yami nonchalantly.

 

“Really? Alright then…Finral, can you get us as close as possible?” Asta asked smugly.

 

“You know I am your senior, right?... fine,” Finral replied.

 

Finral opened up a Spatial magic portal for the trio to go through. Asta, Noelle, and Luck waved goodbye before going through the portal.

 

“Do you think they’ll be fine, Captain?” asked Vanessa, concernedly.

 

“Oh, I am sure they will be, missions are great ways for newbies to surpass their limits. Besides…they do have the kid after all,” replied Yami smugly, putting his entire faith in Asta and his comrades.

 

Asta, Noelle, and Luck walked out of the portal to a sublime view. A grand tree on the top of the hill, surrounded by a luxurious flower bed; it looked like the ideal place to take a girl on a date, Asta noted.

 

“I wonder how Finral found this beautiful location,” Asta joked.

 

“Must have been another one of his many dates,” quipped Luck.

 

“Quit messing around, you two, let’s get going!” ordered Noelle.

 

The three magic knights walked for a few minutes, enjoying the pristine scenery. Finally, they arrived at what seemed to be an entrance to an ancient castle. It had emerged from the bottom of the earth, cutting through rock and dirt, finding its way to the surface.

 

“I guess this is it!” exclaimed Luck excitedly. “I wonder if we’ll find any strong people in there… I can’t wait to fight them!”

 

“You know, when Captain Yami explained what a dungeon was, I had another image in mind…but this…this is marvelous,” admired Asta, walking towards the entrance. “Let's go in.”

 

The three magic knights walked into the endless pit of darkness, and it was so dark that they couldn’t see anything. But not Asta. Asta’s Six-Eyes enhanced his vision so much, he could barely tell the difference in lighting.

 

“What are you doing, Stupidsta? How can you still be wearing these stupid glasses when it’s this dark?” asked Noelle.

 

“Dark? What do you mean? I see perfectly fine,” said Asta smugly.

 

“You have to be kidding me, right?” asked Noelle incredulously.

 

“Remember what I told you about my eyes?”

 

“Oh…yes I do…I just didn’t think that would apply here, too,” replied Noelle shyly.

 

“What do you mean, Asta? What is wrong with your eyes?” asked Luck.

 

“Don’t worry about it, Luck…Don’t worry about it,” replied Asta quickly.

 

As the three magic knights made it through the ebony tunnel, Noelle clung onto Asta’s back instinctively. They eventually made it to the end of the tunnel, where a dead end awaited them. Luck quickly blew a hole through it, revealing a magical view. The walls were emitting an ambient blue colour, travelling on the floor and along the walls, each wall containing multiple different openings. It looked way too futuristic to be considered a relic from an ancient kingdom.

 

“This place looks amazing,” gasped Asta.

 

“The amount of mana radiating from this place is astounding,” Noelle marveled.

 

“I feel all the dangerous traps!” exclaimed Luck happily.

 

Just then, Luck bounced around, activating all sorts of traps in the area. Asta just walked through them nonchalantly, each trap freezing in his path. Once all the traps had been triggered, Asta looked at Luck.

 

“Are you satisfied yet, Luck?” Asta asked.

 

“Not yet, I can feel some strong mana radiating from that opening…later!” announced Luck, rushing in one of the many openings.

 

“No, Luck, come back!” called Noelle. “Dammit, we are supposed to stay a a team.”

 

“Don’t worry, Noelle…I’ll protect you,” joked Asta, making Noelle blush. 

 

“It’s not about that, Stupidsta,” muttered Noelle nervously. “Oh…w-wait…now that Luck is gone…m-m-me and A-Asta…are… ALONE!” she thought, nearly overheating.

 

“Sure, it isn’t,” Asta teased. Suddenly, Asta’s senses detected danger behind Noelle. “WAIT, NOELLE, DON’T STEP THERE!”

 

Noelle stepped on a magical tile, activating a trap. A giant devil’s snare appeared behind Noelle, instantly attacking her. Noelle’s life flashed in front of her as she saw the plant coming near her. I don’t have to reach, she thought. She closed her eyes and braced for impact, but the impact never came. Slowly, she dared to open her eyes, looking up in hesitation, and there he was. Asta was standing in front of her, the plant’s attack mere inches from his face.

 

“Even if you are a plant… I can’t forgive an attack aimed at my friends,” he said menacingly.

 

Suddenly, a very small gust of wind swept over them, making Noelle shield her eyes, and the plant got shredded into hundreds of tiny pieces. Asta smiled. He could sense who this was.

 

“Looks like I’ve repaid my debt, Asta,” yelled a very familiar voice.

 

“I don’t think so, Yuno…I was perfectly capable of protecting myself,” replied Asta smugly.

 

Asta looked up to see Yuno and two other members of the Golden Dawn emerging from one of the holes in the walls. Asta analyzed the other two; one was a girl with orange hair and green eyes, the other was a boy with grey hair and square glasses. Yuno and the other two descended from the hole and walked towards them.

 

“Long time no see, my rival,” beamed Asta.

 

“Indeed, Asta,” replied Yuno, going in for a hug.

 

Noelle was shocked to see Asta embrace the Golden Dawn member. She slowly panned over to the other two members, seeing a person she is much too familiar with.

 

“Hey Noelle, it's good to see you,” she beamed.

 

“It’s nice to see you, too, Mimosa. I don't think I've seen you since the royal banquet last year,” replied Noelle dryly.

 

“You know her, Noelle?” asked Asta, pulling back from the hug.

 

“Yes, she is my cousin, Mimosa Vermillion,” introduced Noelle.

 

“Hello, I am Noelle’s cousin,” explained Mimosa. “So, Noelle, do tell…how is everything going? I've heard the Black Bulls are a very barbaric squad. Have you been faring well?”

 

“I am doing well…And are you doing okay, Mimosa?” asked Noelle smugly.

 

“Huh?”

 

“I’m not sure someone as dense as you can make it in the Golden Dawn. Yes! Everyone is so kind. Because of that, I've been able to use my magic without hesitation,” explained Mimosa obliviously. “ If I remember correctly, you weren't able to control your magic at all. Have things improved since then?”

 

“She's as obliviously rude as ever. She still pisses me off,” Noelle thought. “ I-I've been working on it.”

 

“Hey Yuno, why did you save them?” asked the grey-haired mage. “Our job is to explore the dungeon and retrieve the treasure within, we shouldn’t be wasting out time with Black Bull scum!”

 

“Oi, Yuno…who is this goofy, grey-haired delinquent?” asked Asta smugly. “I swear he looks like he just bit into a lemon.”

 

“How dare you insult me, peasant! My name is Klaus Lunettes, and I am a noble, don’t insult me thinking we are equal!” shouted Klaus.

 

“Jeez, man…why so angry all of a sudden? Were you dropped as a child or something?” joked Asta.

 

“How dare you!” yelled Klaus, readying his grimoire.

 

“That’s enough, you two…we are here with the same goal, let’s work together,” intervened Mimosa.

 

“I mean, I am okay, just tell him that,” responded Asta smugly, further ragebaiting Klaus.

 

“Anyways, the three of us recently received a star from the Wizard King himself for another mission,” said Yuno, changing the subject.

 

“We just got a star, too!” boasted Asta. “The wizard king himself gave it to us.”

“You liars. Newbies from the Black Bulls wouldn't be awarded stars so easily,” exclaimed Klaus proudly.

 

“We did get one! We're at minus thirty now!” Asta said, annoyance rising in his tone.

 

“It's laughable that you've been charged with this mission, too,” Klaus instigated.

 

“The Wizard King appointed us to this mission himself!”

 

“Such a blatant lie.”

 

“I'm not lying!”

 

“Come to think of it, I heard there'd be three of you, too. Where's the other one?” Klaus said arrogantly, a smirk plastered on his face. “Don't tell me they left you two and ran. Or did they fall prey to one of the traps? It's clear your lot consists of filth that leaves new recruits behind. The Black Bulls... How unsightly. You're an embarrassment to the Magic Knights.” 

 

“Yuno, you better tell this guy to shut up or he is gonna get it!” yelled Asta.

 

“Get what, peasant?” replied Klaus.

 

“Come on, guys, let's all calm down…Hey, Asta, how about we play a game?” suggested Yuno, trying to de-escalate the situation.

 

“What game?” asked Asta.

 

“Whoever gets to the dungeon treasure room wins.”

 

“That sounds good, I am down…Black Bulls vs Golden Dawn.”

 

“Fine then, let the game begin!” announced Yuno, instantly rushing towards one of the holes in the walls.

 

“Noelle, we have to win this game no matter what…It is more important than the treasure room itself!” declared Asta, grabbing Noelle by the arm and running towards the same hole Luck disappeared in.

 

“No, it is not…W-W-What are you doing, Stupidsta?” blushed Noelle.

 

“We have to win this no matter what, so I will be teleporting around,” announced Asta. “But, I can’t leave you behind, so you’ll be teleporting with me!”

 

“W-What? How?” she asked, still blushing.

 

“Just hold my hand, and I’ll do the rest!” he said.

 

“W-W-What? I am royalty, don’t assume I give conse…” Noelle was cut off by the change of scenery; she had teleported with Asta.

 

She looked around, not being in the great room anymore, but rather in one of the holes in the wall.

 

“What happened? Where are we? I didn’t give consent to this, Stupidsta!” she exclaimed.

 

“I am sorry, Noelle, but I can’t let Yuno beat me,” explained Asta. “Can you please consent to this?”

 

Noelle looked down bashfully. She was scared of just teleporting around, but she appreciated Asta asking her…and she kind of wanted to keep holding on to him. No. These were her silly ideas taking over again.

 

“Sure…I-I give my consent…Let’s go beat the Golden Dawn,” she replied slowly.

 

“Whoa, thank you, Noelle, you are the best,” Asta exclaimed, causing Noelle to blush. “Now hold on to me!”

 

Noelle looked away, her face as red as tomatoes. She gathered up her courage and embraced Asta from behind. They slowly started levitating, prompting her to hold on tighter.

 

“Ready, Noelle?” asked Asta genuinely.

 

“Y-Yes, let’s go!” she replied firmly.

 

Asta accelerated inside the tunnel, flying at very high speeds, the wind rushing in Noelle’s hair, blowing it back. Asta and Noelle had flown through the tunnel for a while when suddenly, she felt it. A tremendous clash of mana, this could only be…

 

“Asta, up ahead, Luck is…” she said anxiously.

 

“Ya, I sense it too,” replied Asta seriously.

 

Asta accelerated faster, a small light in the distance slowly getting brighter. They entered a room to see a shocking sight. Luck, on his knees, with many mages knocked out on the floor, and above all, there was their leader. There was smoke everywhere. The smoke mage approached Luck with a grin, raising his arm to end Luck’s life.

 

“Asta!” cried Noelle.

 

“On it!” he replied, before teleporting.

 

They appeared in front of the smoke mage, his arrogant grin replaced with a shocked gasp. Asta swung, but the mage quickly evaded. Asta had never fought a truly challenging battle before; would today be his first?”

 

“Another one joins the fray,” said the mage arrogantly. “I must say I am impressed by your speed, young one. I am Lotus of the Abyss. What is your name?”

 

“The name is Asta, now listen up, buddy…I don’t know what your problem is…but your fight is with us now!” declared Asta.

 

“This guy…This guy is my prey,” whispered Luck, madness running in his eyes. “I’ll fight him…I’ll fight him by myself.”

 

Luck accelerated towards Lotus mage, a sadistic smile plastered on his face. Lotus easily blocked Luck and went in for a lethal counterattack. Asta quickly teleported between them, his infinity taking the lethal smoke-laced jab. Lotus’s smirk was replaced with a surprised look.

 

“My hand…it can’t go through!” he cried. “Looks like I can’t hold back!”

 

“Luck, I don’t know what you think of me…but you are my friend, and I would do anything to protect my friends,” explained Asta passionately, causing Luck’s manic look to be replaced with a shocked one.

 

“I forgot… I have friends I can count on,” Luck thought, joyfully smiling. “You are right, Asta! Fighting together sounds fun too!”

 

“That is the spirit, now let's beat this guy, Noelle, Luck!” declared Asta.

 

“That’s the spirit, boys, get fired up for this awesome battle!” announced Lotus madly. “Smoke Creation Magic: Prison of the Fallen King. Sorry, kids, you aren’t getting out of this one!”

 

“Damn, we need to defeat him quickly before his sleeping gas can affect us!” exclaimed Luck.

 

“Sleeping gas? That’s some pretty dirty work!” laughed Asta. “Noelle, cast the protective spell around you and Luck. Luck, shoot your electric bolts in the smoke like an arc, that should draw him out to my punch. Understood?”

 

“Yes!” yelled Noelle and Luck.

 

“Your robes…you guys must be Black Bulls…I have fought your Captain Yami Sukihiro before…And damn what a fight it was! Let’s see if you brats can entertain men half as much as him!” shouted Lotus, his voice coming from all around them.

 

“Unfortunately for you, old man…we aren’t here to entertain anyone…we are here to fulfill our mission and get out of here!” announced Asta smugly.

 

“You…You interest me, Asta. There is something about you…I don’t know why, but I feel compelled to fight you especially!” yelled Lotus.

 

“Then come at me, old man!” Asta yelled, taunting Lotus.

 

“I am far too experienced to fall to a simple taunt, brat!”

 

“Noelle, Luck, NOW!” 

 

“Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon Cradle!” shouted Noelle, a large water shield engulfing her and Luck.

 

“A shield…interesting strategy…It can be dealt with, though,” exclaimed Lotus. “Aren’t you a cocky one, kid…staying out of the shield you are some sort of invincible beast, your arrogance will be your undoing!”

 

“That’s it, old man…fall for the bait…give Luck the time to charge up his attack,” Asta thought smugly. “Maybe you are right…or maybe I am just that strong! Lapse Blue!”

 

Asta shot his Lapse blue into the smoke, sucking in all the smoke in the area. Asta guided it in an arc shape, following the trajectory they had planned on.

 

 “LUCK, NOW!”

 

“Lightning Creation Magic: Lightning Rapid-Fire Railgun!”

 

Luck’s rapid-fire attack shot out in the thinned smoke, following the trajectory they had planned. Asta focused his senses, utilising the power of his Six-Eyes to enhance his perception even further. Asta felt the shape of Lotus slowly start glowing for him. He smiled, shooting out a second Lapse blue at a much more powerful attractive force in front of Lotus, rapidly sucking all the smoke from the area, exposing Lotus.

 

Lotus was shocked. How had the brat nullified his attack so easily, without using mana at that? Just who was this kid? Lotus could not control his inertia as he flew into the exposed region of smoke.

 

“Gotch!” yelled Asta.

 

Asta charged up his right fist full of cursed energy, accelerating at unreal speeds towards the helpless Lotus. Lotus tried to shoot more smoke, but when he did, it got instantly sucked into the blue sphere, he braced for the strike. Asta smirked as he approached Lotus. Did he really think such a feeble defense could stop his attack? Asta delivered his mighty strike to Lotus’ abdomen, knocking him out instantly. Lotus flew off, denting the wall from the force of the impact.

 

“You…are…AWESOME, ASTA…Please fight me now!” declared Luck as he landed under Asta.

 

“I will consider sparing with you later, Luck,” said Asta.

 

“You did amazing, Asta…good job,” said Noelle bashfully.

 

“Thank you, Noelle. You guys really helped out,” thanked Asta. “Now, let’s go, something tells me this guy wasn’t the strongest one around.”

 

“Let’s go!” said Noelle and Luck.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 

“Looks like we found the treasure first, why did I even think the Black Bull scum would pose a challenge?” gloated Klaus.

 

“I would love to see Asta’s face when he sees that I won,” thought Yuno.

 

“Now the question is, how do we open this ancient door?” asked Mimosa.

 

“I don’t know, but it looks like it would need a very significant attack to open it up,” stated Klaus. “Yuno, get ready.”

 

Yuno was about to attack the door when he felt it. A fast and dangerous burst of mana, rapidly flying towards…Mimosa. No, he couldn’t allow that.

 

“MIMOSA, LOOK OUT!” shouted Yuno, running towards her. But it was too late, the attack had already hit Mimosa.

 

Yuno and Klaus rushed towards the injured Mimosa. Yuno didn’t know why, but he felt an insane amount of rage, rage he had never felt the likes of before. He looked back towards the attackers. Two mages walked towards them. One of them had white hair, pink eyes, and a silver gem embedded in his head. He had a black feathery cape draped over his shoulders and white skin, tight white clothes. The other mage had blonde hair, eerie black and yellow eyes, and a red gem embedded in his forehead. He wore a similar outfit to the other mage.

 

“Nice shot there, Mars…now these pricks can’t be healed…easy prey,” said the red-stoned mage, licking his lips. “These two fools stand no chance against the might of two shining generals!”

 

“Ever the arrogant one, Ladros,” said Mars nonchalantly.

 

“You fools will pay for hurting our friend!” shouted Yuno.

 

“Oh, looks like we’ve gotten ourselves a lively one, don’t we, Mars?” said Ladros smugly.

 

“It's okay, Yuno…I’ll be fine. Plant Recovery Magic: Dream-Healing Flower Cradle,” Mimosa said. “I am sorry…I am the healer, yet I am the first on down.”

 

“It’s okay, Mimosa…we will make them pay for doing this to you, let’s go, Yuno!” declared Klaus, walking towards Ladros.

 

“Metal Creation Magic: Blazing Spiral Lance!”

 

“Wind Creation Magic: Crescent Moon Sickle!”

 

“Reinforcement Magic: Iron Cradle!”

 

“Crystal Creation Magic: Nemean Armor!”

 

The spells collided with a great explosion of mana. Yuno’s Moon Sickles slashed through Mars’ crystal armor, even wounding him. However, Klaus’s mighty attack was only capable of pushing Ladros back, not even leaving a mark on his magic-enforced body.

 

“Oh damn, looks like we have to get serious with these brats, eh Mars?” yelled Ladros laughing. 

 

Ladros tugged at Klaus’s Lance, absorbing the mana inside it like nutrients. Klaus stood in shock; he had never seen someone brush off his attack so casually. Ladros threw the shrivelled-up piece of metal to the floor and started walking towards Klaus slowly. Meanwhile, Yuno was in the air, sending down spell upon spell, destroying Mars’ crystal clones.

 

Mars got annoyed; no one had been able to keep his attacks at bay for this long before, let alone injure him. Fortunately, his fire healing magic sealed his wounds effortlessly. Yuno was shocked; he had never seen someone possess two different attributes of magic before. How? How could he use two compeletly different magical attributes? His grimoire did look odd, but still.

 

“It’s pointless to continue fighting what is inevitable,” stated Mars calmly. “You cannot possibly defeat me.”

 

Yuno was getting tired. Even in his various spars with Asta, he never fought so hard. But then Yuno remembered her. Mimosa. He remembered her small, injured body on the floor, bleeding from her wound. Yuno’s vigor for battle was renewed with powerful fury.

 

“I won’t let you get away with what you’ve done,” yelled Yuno. “WIND CREATION MAGIC: CRESCENT MOON SICKLE!!”

 

Yuno’s largest moon sickle flew through the air at terrifying speeds, destroying all crystals in its way. Mars opened his eyes in shock, this attack would kill him if he didn’t defend him self.

 

“CRYSTAL CREATION MAGIC: LAEVATEINN!” shouted Mars as an enormous crystal sword appeared, blocking Yuno’s mighty moon sickle.

 

Yuno poured more mana into the attack, forcing the giant sword back. But it was no use, no matter how much power he put into his attack, Mars’s defence was stronger. Mars poured more mana into his spell, finally destroying the moon sickle. Yuno looked on in rage. If he had been stronger, he would have defeated his enemy; if he had been stronger, he would have gotten Mimosa’s revenge. He looked over at Klaus and was shocked to find him lying on his back beside Mimosa, blood dripping from his mouth, and Ladros menacingly walking towards him.

 

“KLAUS!” shouted Yuno.

 

“It is your end, clover scum!” yelled Mars, swinging his sword towards Yuno. 

 

It was the end, Yuno thought; he was going to die. He was going to leave Asta, sister Lily, and Father Orsi. Yuno’s life flashed in front of him, remembering his promise with Asta, training with Asta, life at the church, and his days in the Golden Dawn. Mars’s sword swung down.

 

“LAPSE BLUE!”

 

Suddenly, a familiar large blue sphere shot in front of him, and with such mighty gravitational force, he had to use all his might to get away. The Lapse Blue was so powerful, it deconstructed the crystal sword, engulfing it like a vortex. Mars looked shocked; he had never seen such a power before. How had this ball destroyed his massive sword?

 

“That person you are trying to kill is my rival. I would appreciate it if you left him alone,” said Asta cockily, walking towards between Yuno and Mars, hands in pockets.

 

“Looks like you have fresh blood there, Mars…it’s a shame I only have this feeble weakling!” declared Ladros, charging up a lethal finishing strike.

 

Suddenly, like a flash, Luck accelerated towards Ladros at lightning speeds, charging up a mighty kick. Luck kicked the bracing Ladros, and one mighty kick connected with Ladros’ crossed arms, pushing him back.

 

“You look strong, let’s fight to the death!” exclaimed Luck cheerfully.

 

“Where did you come from, brat?” replied Ladros irritably.

 

“You guys definitely seem stronger than the old man we fought earlier…this should be fun,” declared Asta. “Noelle, protect your cousin and the stuck-up noble.”

 

“On it!” she exclaimed, rushing over to the injured Mimosa and Klaus, putting the Sea Dragon Cradle around them.

 

“Yuno, go help Luck with his fight with the other guy…I got this one,” declared Asta, his tone slightly shifting.

 

“Okay, Asta,” replied Yuno, walking over beside Luck.

 

“Who the hell do you think you are, brat!” yelled Mars irritably.

 

“Jeez, don’t be so god damn loud,” mocked Asta. “You two are the challengers here…and I don’t think you guys stand a chance.”

 

“I will enjoy cutting you up, brat!” yelled Ladros with a psychotic tone.

 

“You are welcome to do so if you can,” quipped Asta. “Bring it on.”

Notes:

And there you guys have it. next chapter will be big, next chapter will amazing, and next chapter there will be A LOT of aura farming and action. It is currently being written, so don't expect a very long wait. anyways, I always appreciate your support. Thank you again. Till next time!

Chapter 7: Chapter 7

The mages explode towards each other with raging determination, each one of them with a goal in mind. Yuno levitates in the air, charging hailing crescent moons like deadly rain droplets. Luck, on the other hand, had coated his arms and legs with gauntlets and greaves made from pure raging lightning. Ladros was sweating; he had not been prepared to fight a shorthanded battle. Luck wildly swung at Ladros, a manic grin forming on his face. He had not fought such a powerful opponent in years. Yuno focused his mana, letting it flow through him like a current, accelerating with each passing second. His moon crescents started accelerating, traveling towards Ladros with unmatched speeds and a renewed purpose.

 

“You brats are really putting up a fight!” yelled Ladros in excitement.

 

“Shut up and fight!” responded Luck with a manic grin.

 

Luck focused his mana, letting it extend past him into his phantom limbs. His punches and kicks accelerated, each blow becoming harder and harder to dodge. Finally, Luck was able to land a liver shot, launching Ladros a few meters back.

 

“You have gone and done it, brats!” he yelled with anger.

 

Meanwhile, the battle between Asta and Mars was going much more favorably for one of them than the other.

 

“I thought you’d be stronger based on the way you looked…I have to say I am pretty disappointed!” Asta teased, sitting on Mars’s leviathan sword.

 

“Stop messing with me! I am Mars of the Shining Diamond generals! I will not be mocked by some brat!” yelled Mary furiously.

 

“What are these? Are they you’re equivalent of magic squad captains?” mocked Asta, backflipping off the sword.

 

“Crystal Creation Magic: Heavy Armored Titan!” yelled Mars, a giant mech-like suit encasing Mars. “And! Crystal Creation Magic: Talos Puppets!”

 

Tens of human-sized Mars clones were summoned, running towards Asta.

 

“That’s what I am talking about!” Asta taunted, sprinting towards the clones.

 

Asta mowed down the clones like grass, striking each one with a destructive barrage of cursed energy. Asta looked at the irritated Mars, his confident look long gone, replaced with an irritated one. Mars summoned the giant leviathan sword, wielding it like a proper knight. He charged at Asta with speeds an armor like his armor should not be able to achieve. Asta smiled, sprinting towards Mars with equal vigor.

 

Mars swung his sword down with unmatched strength and precision. Asta dodged, smiling wildly at the thrill of battle. He continued his swift dash, dodging each of Mars’s accelerating slashes, dancing around him like water, analyzing his armor for weak spots.

 

Meanwhile, the battle between Yuno, Luck, and Ladros was reaching its climax. Although Luck and Yuno where able to land countless lethal hits on Ladros, his reinforcement magic was just too strong to penetrate. Luck was currently boxing with Ladros, weaving and landing hits at lightning speeds.

 

“Enough with this nonsense, kid!” Ladros yelled, punching Luck back.

 

Luck landed next to an exhausted Yuno, the two battles having taken a great physical toll on him.

 

“We need to hit him with one powerful combined attack that will finish him off for good,” Yuno suggested, offering Luck a hand up.

 

“I agree, I don’t think we’ll be able to break through his defenses if we keep up with this strategy,” replied Luck, out of breath.

 

“Wind and Lightning Combined Magic: Aeolus’ Lightning Fury!” shouted Yuno and Luck in unison.

 

A roaring spiral of tempest winds and crackling thunder erupted from their fused mana, forming a colossal storm lance that tore through the air like a god’s spear.

 

“Shit! I won’t be able to block this… In that case, I must…” Ladros thought, cut off by the mighty spell striking him head-on, knocking him out.

 

Ladros fell to the floor, unable to handle the might of the combined spell.

 

“Wow, we were actually able to do it!” exclaimed Luck cheerfully.

 

“Way to go, you two, that was an amazing spell!” said Noelle, still inside the protective barrier.

 

“It all boils down to him now,” said Yuno, looking at the other fight.

 

Asta was living the time of his life; he had not been this enthused by a fight before. As he danced around Mars’s titan, he noticed his movements slowing down from fatigue. This is the moment to strike, thought Asta. Asta stopped running, charging his fist full of cursed energy. 

 

Mars looked at him panting; the brat had successfully depleted his stamina. Asta launched towards Mars, leaving a large crater behind him. As he flew through the air, he weaved Mars’s desperate slashes effortlessly, threading them like a needle. Asta’s mighty punch connected with the core of the titan, shattering it on impact. The intense shockwave knocked Mars out, sending him flying through the dungeon treasure door like a beat-up ragdoll. 

 

Asta put his hands in his pockets, slowly levitating towards his friends. 

 

“Amazing job, Asta!” yelled Luck cheerfully.

 

“As expected from my rival,” Yuno said, a small smile appearing on his face.

 

“Well done defeating the evil guy, Stupidsta,” Noelle thanked, finally dropping the protective barrier.

 

“You guys did amazing too…Yuno, Luck, I felt that mighty spell of yours, and I can’t even feel mana!” exclaimed Asta excitedly. “Now, what shall we do with these two fools? We can’t leave them like this and go in…they’ll definitely wake up for more.”

 

“I-I-I got this, my metal sealing magic is strong and sturdy…it should hold them in,” Klaus said, walking over to them with Mimosa’s help.

 

“You sure it’ll hold?” asked Noelle genuinely.

 

“My magic is not so weak that it won’t hold…they won’t be able to escape!” Klaus affirmed. “And Asta…I am sorry for what I said earlier…for all of it…you are indeed very strong.”

 

“It’s okay, it was just weird that you were so blatantly rude for no apparent reason,” stated Asta nonchalantly.

 

“I do apologize…we nobles are brought up on the idea of superiority over peasants… I apologize to you, Asta…and you, Yuno, for not accepting you into the Golden Dawn sooner.” Klaus apologized sincerely. 

 

“It’s okay, Klaus,” replied Yuno.

 

“Let’s go in, I can’t wait to see all the treasure!” exclaimed Luck excitedly.

 

“Asta, throw me the body of that Mars guy,” Klaus said, walking towards the unconscious Ladros.

 

“Sure!” replied Asta excitedly, teleporting in front of the unconscious Mars. “There you go!”

 

“Thanks, Asta,” exclaimed Klaus, sealing both Mars and Ladros in a sturdy iron coffin.

 

The clover mages walked into the treasure room to a sight that would blow away the richest nobles of the realm. Mountains upon mountains of golden artifacts, extending as far as the eye can see. There were chests full of precious gems, swords made of solid gold, and ruby-encrusted tiaras only fit for royalty. Pearls of all shapes and sizes littered every corner in the room, reflecting the golden shine of wealth like a mirror. This would make the Clover kingdom richer than ever.

 

Asta was speechless, Yuno was mindblown, and Luck was bamboozled.  Even Noelle and Mimosa, the royals that they are, were absolutely amazed by the level of wealth all in one place. Was this more money than the royal families had?

 

“I-I have never seen this much money in one place,” Asta marvelled.

 

“This might be even more than the money that we royals have!” Noelle said in awe.

 

“I don’t think we’ll be able to carry all of this back with us,” Yuno stated.

 

“Most definitely…but we still need to carry a good portion of it…Do you know how much this will help our kingdom?” gasped Klaus.

 

“We need to determine what things are worth taking,” said Asta, walking away from the group. “We must spread out and search for them!”

 

The group spread out, scrounging the mountains of wealth for things worth taking. Luck walked with Mimosa walked with Yuno, Klaus with Luck, and Noelle with Asta.

 

“You really were impressive in the battle earlier, Asta,” Noelle complimented, smiling while walking next to Asta.

 

“Thank you, Noelle…I have to say, I don’t think I am able to break your sea dragon cradle, it's so strong!” Asta replied enthusiastically.

 

“Really? You think so?” Noelle asked hopefully.

 

“I know so…I would definitely need to surpass my limits to break it!” Asta jumped.

 

“T-Thank you, Asta,” whispered Noelle, blushing.

 

Just then, Nero flew in front of Asta, pointing him somewhere. Asta looked at Noelle, but she shrugged.

 

“Alright, I’ll follow you, lead the way.”

 

Nero guided the duo towards a tattered old wall, riddled with endless veins of green, slimy vines. Asta looked at Noelle in confusion, but she just shrugged. Nero instructed Asta to break the wall. Asta gave the wall a slight nudge, which caused the wall to fall over, revealing a secret hidden room. Asta and Noelle walked into the gloomy room, Noelle instinctively holding onto Asta’s arm. The room was very dark and empty, and the atmosphere felt more ancient than the rest of the treasure room. The room would appear empty to the naked eye, but not to Asta.

 

Asta’s Six-Eyes allowed him to scour the room for valuables. He found nothing but an ancient rusty sword embedded in the ground. Slowly, Asta walked over to the sword, pulling it out of the ground with ease. Asta felt a weird sensation radiating from the sword; it almost felt…nostalgic.

 

“Is this what you wanted me to get, Nero?” asked Asta curiously, prompting the bird to nod. “Interesting…I don’t know why I feel nostalgia radiating off the sword…almost like I have felt this before.”

 

“That is weird…I mean…you have never been here before, so I don’t know why you would feel that,” replied Noelle.

 

“I know…It’s just…I don’t know,” wondered Asta. “Let’s go meet up with the others.”

 

“Okay, let’s go,” replied Noelle, walking out.

 

Meanwhile, with Yuno and Mimosa. They had only found more and more precious wealth, almost overwhelming them.

 

“Your combined attack with Luck really was amazing, good job, Yuno,” Mimosa said cheerfully.

 

“Thank you, Mimosa…I am sorry I wasn’t there for you when you got hurt…I should have been faster!” said Yuno grimly.

 

“No, don’t say that, Yuno…you were amazing, and you did what you could to protect me…thank you,” Mimosa objected, holding Yuno’s clenched fist in her delicate hands. “I am happy you are here, Yuno.”

 

Yuno looked at the blushing Mimosa in shock. How could she be so nice and gentle with him when he was the reason she got hurt? Yuno looked into her eyes, prompting Mimosa to blush and look away. Yuno didn’t know why, but he felt a weird, semi-satisfying feeling in his stomach. Is this what having butterflies felt like? Their intimate moment was interrupted by Luck’s thunderous laughing and Klaus’s bellowing rage.

 

“You will not get away with this, you rascal!” yelled Klaus angrily. “How dare you set my cape on fire!”

 

“Catch me if you can, Four-Eyes!” laughed Luck.

 

“Uhm…t-these two seem to be having fun,” said Mimosa, changing the topic.

 

“Well, it seems like only one of them is,” Yuno joked, causing Mimosa to giggle.

 

As Yuno and Mimosa walked, they found an ancient-looking altar with a green scroll on it. The scroll was decorated with ancient letters and indecipherable pictures. Yuno picked it up, unrolling it to reveal strange letters. Suddenly, the letters started glowing, blinding Yuno and Mimosa. When the light vanished, so did the letters. Yuno was confused. What had just happened? 

 

“Oi, Yuno…found anything of value…other than all the gold, of course!” exclaimed and approaching Asta.

 

“Well, I found this scroll, it looked important and contained ancient letters…but when I opened it, they disappeared with a flash of light,” explained Yuno.

 

“Oh, that seems bizarre…Well, I found this ancient, rusted sword… I think it is an interesting find, don’t you think?” Asta said smugly.

 

“Stupidsta, it’s literally just a rusted sword…what importance could it have?” stated Noelle.

 

“I don’t know…but Nero thought it was important, so we’ll take it,” quipped Asta.

 

Suddenly, Asta felt a chill run down his body, he dropped the sword, and felt the incoming danger. It wasn’t coming for him.

 

“NOELLE, LOOK OUT!” yelled Asta, but it was too late.

 

A crystal dagger had slashed Noelle across the chest, sending her flying towards Mimosa. Asta started running towards her, but suddenly, Ladros appeared in front of him. Ladros punched Asta so hard, sending him flying across the room. Yuno, Luck, and Klaus looked on in shock; they had never seen Asta get hit before.

 

Yuno looked around him, but it was already too late. The three boy mages were already trapped in solid crystal, not giving them room to cast spells. Yuno looked at the source and was shocked. Mars, Lotus, and a retreating Ladros had entered the treasure room.

 

“H-How? I-I trapped them with my magic!” exclaimed Klaus.

 

“You did indeed, clover scum…but thanks to sir Lotus over here, we were able to escape,” Ladros said smugly.

 

“There you are, Black Bull runts…I will have my revenge for what you did to me!” exclaimed Lotus.

 

“H-How did they recover so quickly!” yelled Luck.

 

“It must be that Mars guy, he can use flame magic as well!” replied Yuno angrily.

 

“What?! He can use two magic attributes!” exclaimed Klaus.

 

Mimosa was healing the unconscious Noelle, her wounds slowly sealing.

 

“We will start with these two little cuties, then move on to you brats!” declared Ladros manically.

 

“Leave them alone!” yelled Yuno. “They didn’t do anything!”

 

“It’s like I give a crap…I will kill them purely for entertainment!” yelled Ladros.

 

“Over my dead body!” exclaimed a familiar voice.

 

The three shining generals looked over at the dissipating smoke. Asta slowly emerged, his hands in his pockets, glasses still intact, and a wide smile on his face. They didn’t know why, but the three shining generals felt fear for the first time. Asta’s psychotic look could break anyone’s stoic shield.

 

“I have not been struck like that since I was a child… 3v1? This is turning out to be one of the best days of my life!” yelled Asta manically.

 

“Is he high?” thought Lotus. “He seems more unhinged than he previously was.”

 

“Looks like I have to fight you pricks seriously, huh?” declared Asta smugly.

 

“Seriously? Are you meaning to say he wasn’t fighting seriously earlier?” Klaus and Luck asked, looking at Yuno in confusion.

 

Noelle slowly started to regain consciousness. She remembered Asta screaming out to her, then the pain. She looked around, seeing Mimosa tending to her wounds.

 

“Thank you, Mimosa,” she whispered weakly.

 

“You're welcome, Noelle…there is a problem though,” Mimosa said fearfully.

 

Noelle looked around, seeing the three boy mages trapped in solid crystal. She panned around further, looking at a site that shook her heart. Asta, squaring up to fight the three shining diamond generals all by himself. Noelle shook her head. She knew he was strong, but not this strong; she NEEDED to help him. She tried to get up, but Mimosa stopped her.

 

“Wait, Noelle, you are not fully recovered yet,” explained Mimosa.

 

“Let me go, Mimosa…I have to go help him!” she cried, tears falling down her face.

 

“You aren’t strong or fast enough to help him out against these monsters…he is our only hope now,” Mimosa said grimly.

 

“Asta…Please win,” whispered Noelle.

 

“What do you mean you weren’t fighting seriously? Are you messing with us?!” shouted Ladros angrily.

 

“Hey, kid… don’t hold back, otherwise you will be slaughtered! Hahaha!” laughed Lotus arrogantly.

 

“I guess I’ll have to indulge your petty requests!” declared Asta.

 

Asta shimmied out of his baggy haori, revealing his skin-tight, muscle-revealing black shirt. He then proceeded to remove his glasses, staring into the souls of his enemies. The shining generals were shocked; they had never seen such ethereal eyes before, and it almost seemed…unnatural.

 

“This will be my first time going all out!” laughed Asta. “You will pay for hurting Noelle.”

 

In an instant, Asta teleported in front of the shining generals, causing them each to get out of the way. Mars activated his titan form, this time engulfed with flame recovery magic.

 

“MAGIC BULLET!” yelled Ladros, sending a powerful burst of concentrated mana towards Asta. 

 

Asta put out his arm, blocking the mighty with his infinity; however, Asta felt weird. He had never been this low on cursed energy before; it must have been because of all the cursed energy he used up without having his Six-Eyes activated to recharge it. Ladros’ magic bullets went deeper into his infinity than previous attacks; he needed to be careful. 

 

Mars swung down with his mighty sword even faster than before. Asta dodged, but another attack quickly found him, this time coming from Lotus of the Abyss. Asta ducked under the mana-infused attack, but Ladros was right on him, attempting to strike with his reinforced body. Mars ran towards Asta while he was blocking the other two shining diamond generals.

 

“You guys are taking the term ‘jumping’ and opponent to an entirely different level!” laughed Asta.

 

Asta teleported on top of Mars’s titan, readying a cursed energy-filled punch to damage the armor. However, he was interrupted by Ladros suddenly appearing next to him, swinging a deadly punch towards his head. Asta knew he had to dodge; his cursed energy was running lower and lower, the recharging having not kicked in yet.

 

“Forced you to dodge there, eh?” mocked Ladros, jumping off the mech with Asta. 

 

Asta landed on the ground steadily, analyzing the situation. He needed to find a solution, and fast. 

 

“Shadow Creation Magic: Garden of Usurption!” yelled a sneaking Lotus, the attack landing head-on.

 

Asta’s head was spinning. This was the same attack that Luck warned them about before. Ladros used the advantage to run at Asta, landing a heavy punch in the gut, sending him flying to a nearby mountain of gold. 

 

“ASTA!” yelled the clover mages in unison.

 

“He won’t be able to hold out for much longer!” exclaimed Klaus.

 

“We need to get out of here and help him!” yelled Luck.

 

“Asta,” thought Yuno.

 

Asta slowly got up, the dizziness slowly wearing off. He was even more excited to fight now.

 

“Good job landing a hit on me,” he teased.

 

“I’ll wipe that smug grin off your face one way or another, brat!” laughed Ladros. “Take this attack full of your pathetic friends’ mana…MILLION LASER!”

 

Thousands of mana-embued light beams exploded towards Asta with insane speed. Asta flew through them, weaving and dodging, dancing around them like water. One of the light beams skimmed Asta’s face, leaving a large cut on his cheek. Asta was shocked. Did light affect his infinity differently?

 

Asta continued his masterful dodging, making his way towards the manic Ladros. He accelerated, approaching Ladros at undetectable speeds. Ladros’s smug smile was replaced with shock. He quickly activated his reinforcement magic and braced for impact, saving himself from a deadly strike. The strike did, however, launch him into the treasure room door. Asta didn’t have time to rest as he was quickly attacked by Lotus, infusing his fists with debilitating smoke. Asta’s infinite was at its limits. 

 

Asta sidestepped one of Lotus’s oversteps, using the opportunity to sweep under him and punch him into the ground, forming a crater and momentarily knocking him out. Suddenly, Asta felt a sharp pain in his side, a pain he had never experienced before. He looked down and saw a crystal dagger fully embedded in his waist. He looked over and saw Mars’s titan slowly approach him. How had he lost track of such a huge moving target? 

 

Slowly, Ladros and Lotus got back up, running up next to Mars. Asta fell to one knee. His infinite is fully disabled. 

 

“Not so mighty now, kid!” mocked Ladros.

 

“Crystal Creation Magic: Crystal Lance of Death!” yelled Mars.

 

Asta dodged out of the way, but was still worried; the trajectory of this attack was heading towards…Noelle.

 

“YUNO!” he yelled, putting his trust in his brother.

 

“ON IT!” Yuno replied.

 

Yuno focused harder, trying to escape with all his might, but he couldn’t. Yuno felt despair; he just wasn’t strong enough to save the ones he cared for. As the Lance was about to impale Noelle and Mimosa, time slowed down for Yuno. He looked around, seeing a small, yawning green fairy. The fiar let out a tremendous burst of mana, sending a mighty projectile of wind, shattering the lance into millions of tiny pieces. Time resumed for Yuno, searching for the fairy, but unable to find her.

 

Yuno rushed to the girls, checking up on them. Mimosa was nearly done a crying Noelle.

 

“Mimosa, are you okay?” asked Yuno, concernedly.   

 

“Yes, I am…but Noelle…” whispered Mimosa sadly.

 

Yuno looked at Noelle. She was crying so much, it left marks on her cheeks.

 

“A-A-Asta, No,” she cried.

 

“Don’t worry about Asta…I have known him since we were kids…An injury like that…w-wouldn’t kill him…I-I am sure of it,” Yuno comforted. “I’ll go free the others and then help him.”

 

Asta’s senses started regaining their sharpness, his agility returning better than before. Had his Six-Eyes not kicked in, and the cursed energy replenished, he would not have been able to dodge the deadly crystal lance.

 

“Looks like you have a renewed vigor for battle returned, brat!” yelled Lotus.

 

“Indeed, it has, old man.”

 

Asta punched Ladros away, teleporting 10 meters in front of Mars’s titan. He channeled the cursed energy in his legs. Crack. And he was off, leaving a large crater behind him. Just before the impact happened, Mars jumped out of his giant suit, saving himself from the destruction. Asta’s punch shattered the titan into hundreds of fragments.

 

Before Asta could land, Ladros and Lotus were on him with a double-up attack. Ladros’s punch was stopped by Asta’s infinite, while Lotus threw another garden of usurpation at him. Asta tried to dodge, but was stopped by Mars, causing the attack to land head-on again, disorienting his vision and cursed energy.

 

“Magic bullet!” yelled Ladros psychotically.

 

The magic bullet penetrated Asta’s shoulder, leaving an agonizing burning sensation in its stead. Asta, however, didn’t cry out in pain. He teleported in front of Ladros, landing a punch across his face and sending him flying.

 

“I understand it now,” thought Asta. “Ladros is their tank, aided by his reinforcement magic and magic absorption. Lotus is the one who is meant to stun me with his discombobulating spell, and Mars is their ace, excelling in different areas.”

 

Asta’s thoughts were interrupted by a large crystal lance flying past him. Mars rushed Asta in a brand new titan, this one more reinforced than the previous two.

 

“Seems like Mars figured out his weakness,” thought Asta.

 

Suddenly, Ladros appeared behind him.

 

“Million Laser!” he yelled.

 

Asta moved at speeds he hadn’t moved in before. Surpassing his physical limits. Dodging and weaving through the light beams effortlessly. However, Lotus’s attack broke his concentration, causing one of the light beams to pass through his leg, leaving a small bleeding hole. Asta cursed; he needed to take Lotus out first. He teleported in front of Lotus, readying a deadly strike when Mars stepped in the way, his new titan much more powerful than before.

 

“I need to get rid of Lotus first…but they are protecting him,” thought Asta. “I have to either overwhelm Mars with my speed or catch Lotus off guard.”

Ladros jumped towards Asta, shooting many magic bullets towards him. Asta teleported away, but Ladros was right on him, punching him. Asta was able to brace, but was sent into a mountain of gold.

 

“When you teleport around, for a split second, your defensive barrier is off,” bragged Ladros.

 

“And this guy, he's definitely stronger than the other two, my normal punches are not working against him…I need something stronger!” Asta thought.

 

Asta rushed towards Ladros, exchanging a rapid battle of martial skills. Their punches and dodges faster than ever. Suddenly, Mars attacked Asta from the right, Lotus on his back.

 

“And then Mars, their ultimate wild card…his crystal magic helps on both offense and defense…this is not good,” thought Asta, suddenly getting a plan to end the battle ultimately.

 

As Asta was about to perform his genius plan, he felt an extremely painful headache, and blood started gushing out of his mouth and nose. Had he overstrained his eyes? No matter, he could worry about that after the fight. Asta’s determination to defeat his enemies was so great, he entered a flow state.

 

Asta used an opening, Ladros left, punching him in the liver and then hurling him towards the approaching Mars. The impact threw Lotus off the titan, which was the opening Asta needed. He teleported above Lotus, accelerating towards him like a hammer. Asta’s cursed energy-infused fists smashed Lotus into the ground like a nail, with such might, it buried him up to his shoulders, knocking him out for good.

 

Mars and Ladros got up, seeing the consequence of their blunder, the fight was only going to get harder now. Ladros climbed onto Mars’s back as they ran towards Asta.

 

“Million Laser!”

 

“Crystal Creation Magic: Crystal Spinning Sickles!”

 

The combined attack caught Asta off guard, the overwhelming amount of projectiles forcing him to dodge faster than ever. Asta knew that he couldn’t dodge all the projectiles, so he elected to stop some of Mars’s attacks with his infinite. Ladros and Mars smiled. Asta had fallen for their trap; some of the many daggers Mars launched were imbued with Ladros’s million laser light beams, releasing them at a delayed time. 3 light beams skimmed Asta’s torso; had his perception not been so good, they would have pierced his internal organs.

 

Asta teleported away, but Ladros was right on him, punching him into the ground, creating a massive crater. Ladros went down for a double pound smash, but Asta had vanished; he had gotten the opening he needed. Asta teleported near Mars’s titan, smiling as he knew what was to come.

 

“Maximum output: LAPSE BLUE!” Asta shouted.

 

A ginormous Lapse Blue shot out towards Mars’s titan, engulfing gold, stone, and crystal alike, not leaving anything in its path. Mars was shocked; his ultimate titan was being destroyed like a toy. The titan rapidly broke off, piece by piece, accelerating towards the blue wormhole. Mars fell on the ground and instantly activated his Nemean armor, but it was too late.

 

“MARS!!” shouted Ladros.

 

Asta had appeared in front of Mars, eyes full of excitement and fury. 

 

“This is what you get for hurting Noelle, you bastard!” yelled Asta manically.

 

Asta’s mighty fist connected with Mars’s jaw, sending him flying across the room and embedding him in the wall, knocking him out for good. Asta looked at his final prey. The once arrogant and cocky Ladros was now cowiring in fear. Asta charged up his feet. Crack. He exploded towards him, leaving a massive crack in the floor under him. Asta had finally figured out how to defeat Ladros. He overflowed his fist with so much cursed energy in flashed black.

Ladros tried to block, but it was too late.

 

“BLACK FLASH!” Asta yelled, a bright black and red light emitting from his punch.

 

Asta’s uppercut instantly knocked out Ladros, sending him flying through the roof.

 

“I guess…I guess…I won,” Asta marvelled.

 

“He actually did it!” yelled an astonished Klaus.

 

“What mighty power…he was able to defeat three shining diamond generals at the same time!” commented Luck in awe.

 

“Asta…you have gotten a lot stronger,” thought Yuno in awe. “WELL DONE ASTA! BUT KNOW THIS I WILL STILL BECOME THE WIZARD KING!”

 

Asta didn’t respond; he just smiled and raised his arm in solidarity. Suddenly, Asta felt all his fatigue hit him like a mountain; he collapsed on his knees, falling into deep sleep.

 

“ASTA!!!” yelled the clover mages in unison.

 

Noelle ran towards Asta and started shaking him.

 

“Stupidsta! What are you doing? Wake up this instant…I-I-I demand it!” cried Noelle, tears of fear and sorrow falling down her face.

 

The other mages ran over to the two when the dungeon roof started collapsing. The impact of Ladros’s collision fracturing the eroded bonds in the rocks supporting the room.

 

“We need to get out of here before the room falls down on us!” shouted Yuno. “Luck get the sword Asta found and his clothes!”

 

“Okay!” responded Luck, carrying the heavy sword towards them. “I don’t know why, but my mana feels depleted!”

 

“There is no time for that, Yuno, let's get out of here!” shouted Mimosa.

 

“Okay!” responded Yuno, creating a large wind chariot carrying the group out of the collapsing room.

 

Once they reached the surface, Mimosa got to healing Asta’s severe wounds.

 

“I healed what I could…but we still need to take him to the capital if we want him to survive,” said a distressed Mimosa.

 

“Luck, contact Finral! Tell him of the situation and let him come here now!” ordered Noelle, still extremely worried.

 

“On it!” responded Luck, contacting Finral through the communication device.

 

“Hello, my juniors…done the mission already?” said Finral in a sing-song voice.

 

“Finral, what are you doing?” asked Luck, distressed.

 

“Taking Captain Yami somewhere, why?” replied Finral less cheerfully, catching the seriousness of the situation.

 

“Come quickly, we must take Asta to the capital for treatment…he suffered very dangerous injuries!” explained Luck.

 

“What!” yelled Finral and Yami.

 

“What happened?” asked Yami, worry evident in his voice for the first time.

 

“There were three shining diamond generals in the dungeon…he fought them all off on his own, but he suffered very dangerous injuries…PLEASE HURRY!” yelled Luck.

 

“Finral, go take them to the capital, I’ll meet you there!” ordered Yami.

 

“Yes, Captain!” replied Finral, instantly disappearing through a spatial magic portal.

 

“Captain, what happened?” asked the remaining Black Bulls.

 

“Asta is dangerously injured, Finral will rush him to the capital,” said Yami somberly.

 

“W-What?…What happened?” asked Vanessa in a worried tone.

 

“In the dungeon, there were 3 shining diamond generals, the kid fought all of them…but was heavily injured as a result,” replied Yami somberly.

 

“Oh dear god…” whispered Vanessa.

 

“What are shining diamond generals?” asked Magna.

 

“They are the equivalents of magic squad captains for the Diamond kingdom,” explained Yami.

 

“Asta was able to defeat 3 magic squad captain-level enemies? Just how strong is he?” thought Magna in awe.

 

“I hope he is well…I am going to the capital with you, Captain,” said Vanessa firmly.

 

“Us too!” shouted the Black Bulls in unison, except for Gauche, of course.

 

“Sure, you guys can come along,” said Yami, walking toward the door. “You better survive this, Kid!”

Notes:

And here is the great battle. This was a hard chapter to write, hope y'all enjoy this. As usual, please leave a comment if you like the chapter or if you have suggestions. till next time!

Chapter 8: Announcment

Hey Y'all. I hope you've all had a wonderful week.

I have been on a family trip with my folks for the last week or so; therefore, I haven't been able to write as much.

We will be back by tomorrow, so expect the chapter anytime between tomorrow and Friday.

After this coming chapter, I will be setting a uniform writing schedule for the chapters. More details will be provided in the chapter notes.

I appreciate everyone who reads, comments, engages, and gives kudos to this fanfiction. You guys are a great motivation for writing, so thank you all!

Anyways, till next time! 

Chapter 9: Big Announcement

Hello...

I hope you guys are doing amazing.

I know I know, I have been gone for a pretty long minute. In truth, I have been going through A LOT of life changes. Moving countries, living alone for the first time and its MANY inconveniences, A new University with new faces and a. new environment, and most importantly: the rigorous effort I have to put to get good grades in my new Medical school. So to say I have been occupied is a great understatement. I did also feel slightly burnt out before moving, you know, writing 30k+ words in the span of only a couple days and all, so that might have been part of the reason I went on this unfortunate Hiatus.

However, I have kept you guys waiting long enough, I think it is time I resumed this great story, in fact, the writing of chapter 8 is underway. However, with the new pressures and requirements of living alone and going to Medical school, the upload schedule will be a bit more realistic.

I am planning on releasing at least 1 long chapter per month, with the writing taking short breaks around exam times, you know to study.

I also have another announcement to make. I am also going to start a new fan fiction soon. The plans and brainstorming is currently underway. For you guys who love the rich and amazing world of A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones), rejoice.

The fan fiction will be similar to a few I have recently encountered while looking through AO3: Game of Thrones x Elden Ring. I played Elden Ring this summer, and I absolutely fell in love with it. From the gameplay to the plot to the world building, I have never played a more perfect game...and gruelling for that matter (I didn't have to die 310 times to Malenia, but oh well)....Anyways, since both the worlds of ASOIAF and Elden Ring are attributed to the genius GRRM, and both have a rich medieval setting with factions and magic, I thought it would be the perfect story to write.

The story will be about: What if Jon Snow found his way to the Lands Between? What if he undertook a very different path as many tarnished to becoming Elden Lord? Would any of the Demigods survive the war? What would happen if Westeros came into contact with the Lands Between only to find a Bastard from the North ruling them?

Now saying again, the story structure is NOT done yet, so any of your genius ideas, themes, or scenes, or any suggestion that comes to your minds, please leave them down below, no matter how many you have. (From characters, plot, themes, ideas, chapter length/how fast I write them, pairings, or even other story ideas (as long as they fall under this cross over))

And for those who love this great fanfic, the new one will not affect the schedule hopefully.

I have missed you guys dearly, can't wait to release the next chapters out!

See you soon,

ItsADiplodocus69