Night's Wrath (Black Clover x Male Reader)

46th Page: Our Path Forward

(Oh god, this chapter is even longer than the last...fair warning.)

Underwater Temple,
Within the Temple...

"Yo. Looks like I'm the last to the party." The Black Bulls' resident wildcard smirked, his weapons seeming to shine with an otherworldly glow, Kronos' Arc spinning beside him as he propped Phantasm on his shoulder.

"You're late~." Alice remarked, giggling a bit as the Black Bulls nodded, deadpanning at the (h/c) haired boy. He was, apart from the trapped Yami, quite literally the last one to join the battle.

"It took a while to find my way through the Temple. I was all the way at the top with Shimon." (Y/N) shrugged, his usual smirk still plastered on his face as Shimon jumped through the opening (Y/N) had made, using his magic to stop his fall with a wave of water, riding to wave and coming to a stop beside the group.

"This was your shortcut? You're insane, you know that?" Shimon deadpanned at (Y/N), who only laughed as Shimon shifted his eyes, first over to Vetto, seeing the beastly man standing there silently, though the predatory grin on his face said all he needed to know.

Turning his eyes once more, Shimon's eyes widened in shock and horror as he saw the beaten and battered forms of Gio, Magna, Luck, Orion, Kiato, Kahono and Akari.

"Akari! Kiato! Kahono! Old Man!" Shimon shouted in shock, instantly running up to his fallen comrades as (Y/N) glanced at them silently.

"Looks like I'm extremely late. He managed to beat Luck, Magna and Orion by himself...? And that's not even adding on the Temple Knights..." (Y/N)'s eyes suddenly turned serious, shifting his gaze to look at Vetto, who's magic flared around him silently. Awaiting...

At that moment, (Y/N)'s gaze hardened as he sensed Vetto's aura. It felt similar to that of his [Nightfall Magic]...

(Y/N)'s Grimoire silently hovered before him, switching rapidly through pages before it finally arrived at a certain page, a mask manifesting from the page and seemingly attaching itself to (Y/N)'s face, though he simply moved it to hang by the side of his head.

"You've finally arrived, boy." Vetto spoke up, drawing the Black Bulls' attention as he and (Y/N) stared off at each other.

"That's right...(Y/N) already fought with Vetto..." Noelle felt an oppressive tension form in the room, the Black Bulls watching on silently. Back in Nean, Vetto already had several wounds before she and the others had arrived there...

"What's up? You sound like you have a grudge." (Y/N) smirked at Vetto, his tone careless, yet his eyes examined his opponent, vigilant for any potential movement.

"A grudge? You aren't worthy of that, boy. But now, this hunt can finally come to an end! I've saved the greatest Despair just for you!" Vetto grinned savagely, and the otherworldly haze around his Grimoire seemed to intensify.

"I'm touched." (Y/N) responded back nonchalantly, though his eyes stayed vigilant. He wasn't taking any chances against someone as strong as Vetto.

Silence seemed to engulf the cavern as (Y/N) and Vetto continued to stare off, an oppressive tension in the air. How would these two continue the fight...?

Suddenly, (Y/N)'s lips curled into a ghost of a smile, before he took a step forward and brandished Phantasm, before promptly planting the blade in front of him, a friendly smile on his face.

"But first, I have some questions I want to ask you." (Y/N) spoke, completely shattering the tension in the air with his cheerful attitude, stunning both Vetto and the Black Bulls.

"EHHHHH?!" The Black Bulls let out a collective shout, stunned at his sudden change in mood. A second ago, he seemed more than prepared to fight, but now...he wanted to just talk?!

"If you've got something to ask, then speak it with your magic, human!" Vetto grinned savagely, his magic surging to his claws and feet, preparing to jump forward as (Y/N) held his hand loosely on Phantasm's hilt.

(Y/N) only stared at Vetto silently, before a small smirk formed on his face.

"When I fought Licht and Arran, your leader mentioned something about people loved by mana. A race with the power to rival gods." (Y/N)'s words seemed to resonate through the cavern, stopping Vetto in his tracks as he stared silently at the smirking (h/c) haired boy.

"He mentioned humans revered that power, that they wanted it for themselves. In the way he mentions it, I just have a single question to ask you." (Y/N) smirked mysteriously, though his thoughts swam all over the place. Yet, even still, from all he could recall from Licht's story...there was only one implication he couldn't deny.

"You...no, the Eye of the Midnight Sun...no, not the entire organization, just the top brass...You aren't human, are you?" (Y/N) smirked, his words ringing out like a shockwave as the various Black Bulls eyes widened, Vetto just staring at him with a wide grin on his face.

"Not human...? He uses magic from that world, so I had a feeling something was up. But...although, it would justify his insane strength...just his mana capacity far exceeds that of even Captain Yami." Ruby suddenly connected the dots, before her eyes shifted over to Vetto's third eye. The signs were all there before her...

"Even (Y/N) said the same thing...is he really not human? What are we fighting then...?" Alice recalled the Blaze King's words...just like he, even (Y/N) had realized that Vetto wasn't a human. But then, what was he...?

In the Monitor Room...

"Not human...?" In the Monitor Room, Yami couldn't help but narrow his eyes at the scene. Vetto's third eye, his unnatural magic, his immense mana...just what the hell were they really fighting here?

The Eye of the Midnight Sun...just what the hell was their real objective?

Within the Temple...

"It's just speculation on my part, but a race "loved by mana?" One that has the power to rival "Gods?" Aion said that the Infernal Witch was a remnant of the God Clan...is it really a coincidence?" (Y/N) stared at the three eyed Vetto with a smirk, his Grimoire floating silently before him, engulfed in a midnight blue haze.

Vetto didn't respond to (Y/N)'s question, only keeping up the same predatory grin on his face. His clawed Grimoire also seemed to hover silently beside him, Vetto's eyes fully focused on his ultimate prey.

"..." Vetto continued to stare silently, neither agreeing nor denying (Y/N)'s claim. Slowly, however, his lips curled into a sinister grin.

"Impressive. I'm impressed, human. But what will knowing that change? It will not change the outcome of this battle. Despair is all that awaits you!" Vetto's magic suddenly flared around him, his claws sharpening along with his talons. The markings on his face seemed to glow brighter, an eerie crimson red...

"Looks like I was right. But, well, you've got a point. My goal is still the same." (Y/N) lips curled up into a smile, before he promptly unearthed Phantasm, brandishing the blackish-red blade in his right hand.

"So let's stop playing around and finish what you started back in Nean!" (Y/N) smirked, and in a burst of Void Lightning, the boy appeared right before Vetto, his confident smirk still plastered on his face, Vetto holding his own sinister grin as his claws surged with [Demon Beast Magic].

"Come on!" Vetto swiped at (Y/N) with his claws, the (h/c) haired Nephilim's smirk widening as he met the attack head on with Phantasm, the reddish-black sword clashing with Vetto's claw as (Y/N) put his strength into the attack, cementing Vetto's feet slightly into the ground, which cracked around him due to the impact and vicious shockwave formed from the clash.

Continuing his attack, (Y/N) quickly spun Kronos' Arc in his left hand before he slashed it at Vetto, though like with Phantasm, Vetto's own second hand surged with [Demon Beast Magic], before he used his claw to intercept the white scythe, the impact kicking up a sharp stream of shockwaves, and unbeknownst to either (Y/N) or Vetto, a small, white crack formed on Kronos' Arc's blade, though it seemed to blend in with Kronos' Arc's color scheme.

Seeing both of his attacks blocked, (Y/N) tensed his arms, swiftly pushing off of Vetto, his Grimoire hovering after him, engulfed in its ever present midnight blue mist.

"[Void Flame/Lightning Magic: Scorching Blades, Tempest Squall!]" (Y/N) instantly double-casted, Kronos' Arc flaring with blackish-white flames, (Y/N) swiftly slashing the scythe around him as a dozen flaming scythes seemed to burn to life around his own, Phantasm following suit as blackish-red lightning engulfed its blade, before (Y/N), whilst falling, slashed the blades towards Vetto as dozens of lightning blades sparked towards the beastly man, before commanding his flaming scythes to attack, sending a hail of flames and lightning at Vetto.

Grinning savagely, Vetto's feet suddenly surged with mana as he rushed forward towards the oncoming attacks, using his claws to slash at the attacks and continuing forth, rushing straight for (Y/N).

Seeing his attack do almost nothing to Vetto, (Y/N) grinned as he landed on the floor, before swiftly leaping forward to meet his opponent in a clash once again. In a burst of speed from both sides, the two appeared before the other as Vetto's claws shone darkly, whilst (Y/N)'s weapons seeming to vibrate with a strange edge.

Slashing at Vetto with Phantasm, (Y/N) attempted to gain the first hit, only for Vetto to use his claw to intercept the blade, (Y/N) swiftly retreating a step before using his momentum and slashing Kronos' Arc at Vetto, who used both of his claws to counter the scythe, though his feet sunk into the ground from the force behind the attack.

"This scythe...apart from the Anti-Magic Swords...this, no, it's threat is even higher than the Anti-Magic Swords..." Vetto surmised, as with both impacts from the scythe, he'd been slightly pushed back. Just where had this brat found such a weapon?

"Phantasm isn't as good as Kronos' Arc here...this must be the difference between an Ancient Weapon and a Mythical Weapon, so then..." (Y/N), just like Vetto, realized that Kronos' Arc seemed to be especially effective against Vetto, gripping the scythe tightly with his left hand as he backed away from Vetto, the beastly man quickly leaping after (Y/N), not intending to let him gain any room.

"[Demon Beast Magic: ?????????????.]" Vetto chanted, a magic circle radiating horrific intent showing up by both of his claws, before Vetto suddenly punched forth with immense speed, sending dozens of fist-like attacks towards (Y/N).

"[Sword Aura Magic: Sword's Orbit!]" (Y/N), upon seeing the various swift attacks, casted his spell to counter Vetto's own, his eyes narrowing as his hands turned into a blur, swiftly attacking with both Phantasm and Kronos' Arc, a starry blue realm seeming to form around him as he swung his weapons, a blur of white and red engulfing him as he fought off the blackened-orange magic claws.

Rushing forth with a mighty leap, Vetto instantly appeared before the (h/c) haired boy, clashing with Phantasm as (Y/N) swiftly slashed at Vetto with Kronos' Arc, and despite his sharp instincts and inhuman speed, Vetto's eyes widened in shock as he felt several wounds form on his body, furthermore, smaller slashes also began to form on his toned body as (Y/N) recovered with Phantasm, quickly sending Vetto stumbling out of [Sword's Orbit]'s reach, (Y/N) cancelling the spell and rushing forward after Vetto to continue the fight.

"He's fighting him evenly...?" Noelle stared on in wonder, watching her boyfriend manage to seemingly match Vetto attack for attack. Alice had done the same, and that had already caused her immense shock. However, they now had two people capable of matching Vetto...

"Matching him...? No, they aren't evenly matched..." Alice narrowed her eyes, with the mana reinforcing her body, she could see that (Y/N) seemed to fall behind slightly, having to rely much more on Kronos' Arc, Alice's lips curling into a frown, her eyes focused on the match before her.

"That bastard was holding back against me...?" Shimon's eye twitched, following Vetto and (Y/N) with his eyes, now seeing (Y/N) wielding both a scythe and sword, rather than only Phantasm as he'd done against Shimon. He really held back against him...

"His magic can stand toe-to-toe with magic from that world? Just who are you, (Y/N)...?" Ruby eyes traced the battle between the two, seeing (Y/N)'s [Void Magic] was capable of holding its own against Vetto's [Demon Beast Magic]. No magic from this world could compare to that of the other world...so then, just what was [Void Magic]?

Vetto's claw surged with mana as he slashed at (Y/N), the (h/c) haired Nephilim twisting his body to the side before countering with Kronos' Arc and Phantasm, Vetto leaping back to dodge his attack as (Y/N) smirked.

"You want to retreat? [Phantasmal Bind, Kronos' Fury!]" (Y/N) invoked the abilities of his weapons, jet black chains erupting from beneath Vetto and ensnaring him in place as (Y/N) spun in place, before slashing Kronos' Arc in a crescent formation, sending a wave of [Time Magic] to assail Vetto.

Vetto, upon seeing the attack, attempted to reinforce his body to break out of the chains, only for his eyes to widen as he felt his connection to the mana around and within him shatter, yet still he couldn't break out of the chains with pure physical strength, [Kronos' Fury] smashing into him with full force, kicking up a veil of dust.

"A solid hit, but that won't be anywhere near enough to finish him off." (Y/N) recollected himself, brandishing both of his weapons just as the veil of dust was blown apart by a fierce windlash, Vetto coming out of the veil with a wide grin on his face. Though several scratches were present on his body, just like the slashes he'd landed earlier, they all healed up almost instantly...

"Not bad, kid. But still not anywhere near good enough! All your fancy tricks won't do anything to a beast like me!" Vetto grinned savagely, his three amber orbs focused on (Y/N) as his magic flared around him.

"My attacks aren't very effective since he keeps healing them instantly. In that case..." (Y/N) narrowed his eyes at Vetto, before suddenly rushing forward, though he threw Phantasm into the air, spinning Kronos' Arc in his hands before slashing at Vetto, who dodged to the side as (Y/N) quickly stepped back, dodging Vetto's [Demon Beast Magic] formed claw, before void ice engulfed Kronos' Arc.

[Timeless Strike!]

"[Void Ice Magic: Absolute Zero Strike!]" (Y/N) chanted as a numbing blackish-cyan ice engulfed Kronos' Arc alongside a wave of white magic, (Y/N) swiftly slashing at Vetto as the beastly man grinned wildly.

"[Demon Beast Magic: ??????????????.]" Vetto, upon seeing the oncoming attack, didn't panic as his Grimoire shone brightly with an otherworldly glow, a magic circle radiating with sinister intent materializing by him, before his claw fluxed with immense amounts of mana, sharpening to inhuman levels as he slashed at Kronos' Arc.

"Not good!" Alice muttered in alarm, sensing the mana behind Vetto's strike. Due to her awakening as the Blaze Queen, her sensitivity to mana had been improved qualitatively, as had her ability to control her own mana. Faintly, she could even manipulate the mana in a zone around her.

However, she had only achieved the first layer of the [Blaze Queen's Raiment], hence she couldn't bring out even a tenth of the Blaze King's true strength. However, even that was still enough to allow her to keep up with Vetto.

If (Y/N) met that attack head on, he wouldn't be able to-

"Eh?"

Alice couldn't help but let out a dumbfounded noise, as despite the mana Vetto had infused into his claw...Kronos' Arc had slashed directly through both his arm and his claw, the force behind the attack having sent Vetto flying as he crashed into a wall, kicking up yet another smokescreen.

As a weapon with authority over Time, Kronos' Arc stood in a league of its own. Even as a mere Mythical Weapon, it possessed the ability of [Timeless Strike], which provided the user with an [Absolute Strike], a means of attack which could not be blocked by any magical means.

In other words - an [Absolute Strike] would always strike true.

(Y/N) paused for a moment, staring in slight surprise at the scythe in his hands, before a smirk began to form on his face.

"Looks like I was right. Even that magic he uses that's similar to mine still doesn't measure up to Kronos' Arc. I guess that's to be expected from a weapon that literally attacks with time itself, though." (Y/N) smirked, brandishing the scythe before Void Lightning sparked around him as he jumped into the smokescreen after Vetto.

Using his momentum, (Y/N) slashed Kronos' Arc with all his might, kicking up a gale and dispersing the smokescreen, his eyes quickly scanning the area to find Vetto.

Vetto, recovering from the impact of Kronos' Arc and [Absolute Zero Strike], stared in shock at his missing arm, various cyan-black icicles piercing into his arm from the attack. Just what was that weapon to be able to overwhelm magic from that world?

Despite that, Vetto quickly focused his mana as his arm regenerated from having been severed, shattering the various icicles as a slight feeling of numbness seeped into Vetto's nerves, though he ignored it as he kicked off the ground and leapt at the airborne (Y/N).

Taking advantage of (Y/N)'s inability to block in the air, Vetto clawed out with his magic as (Y/N) spun in the air, an amused smirk on his face as he brandished Kronos' Arc, slashing Vetto's attack head on.

The two clashed in the air, sending a massive shockwave clashing through the room as the two repulsed off the other, landing and digging their feet into the ground. Recovering at the same time, the two shot towards each other once again, engaging in a myriad of clashes as they sent shockwaves clashing throughout the entire cavern, making stalagmites fall from the ceiling as (Y/N) clicked his tongue, before he suddenly smirked as he jumped back, extending his hand as his Grimoire shone brightly, a white blade materializing in his hand as he switched Heaven's Reach to its segmented state, before wrapping it around a falling stalagmite and rocketing it towards Vetto.

"Petty tricks!" Vetto scowled, using his [Demon Beast Magic] claw to pulverize the stalagmite, before doing the same with the others that (Y/N) sent his direction, though as he punched the last of the oncoming stalagmites, his eyes widened as he saw (Y/N) leaping towards him from behind the rubble of the stalagmite, Kronos' Arc brandished in his hands as he slashed at Vetto, and due to his sharp reaction speed, Vetto barely managed to evade a cleaving blow through his chest.

"Tch!" (Y/N) clicked his tongue, however, he didn't pause as he continued his attack, raising his hand as Phantasm, which he'd thrown into the air earlier, fell into his hand before he slashed down with the sword, and despite Vetto's attempt to block the attack, due to the force behind the attack and his broken posture, he was sent flying as various scratches formed on his body, though they healed shortly after due to his magic.

Redirecting his body in the air, Vetto used his momentum to crash into the ground, kicking up a smokescreen from the shattered rocks as (Y/N) prepared to jump into the fray once more, only for various boulders to be thrown in his direction as he narrowed his eyes, before using his scythe and sword to slash them down, only for Vetto to burst through the barrage as (Y/N) glared lightly at him.

"Oi! That's my trick, not yours!" (Y/N) complained, though he didn't retreat as he met Vetto's attack head on, only for his eyes to widen as Vetto dodged to the side at the last moment, before using his claw to boost himself towards (Y/N) once more, kicking at him as (Y/N) raised his arms up to block the kick, though he was sent sprawling back from the force behind the attack.

Following up his initial attack, Vetto grinned savagely as he rushed at (Y/N), who only smirked as he threw Phantasm in front of him, landing on the blades' hilt and maneuvering Kronos' Arc in his hands as he slashed at the oncoming Vetto before him, leaving behind was seemed like a white afterslash, Vetto grunting as he leapt off the ground, dodging the slash.

"[Void Lightning Magic: Whirlwind Flash Slashes, Tempest Squall!]" (Y/N) capitalized on Vetto's dodge, quickly flipping off of Phantasm as he grabbed its hilt before barraging Vetto with a mixture of [Void Lightning] blades and various ridiculously fast slashes.

"Excellent! It seems that you'll be able to entertain me, human!" Vetto grinned savagely, his eyes lighting up with sinister glee as he slashed at the various oncoming projectiles.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" (Y/N) smirked, crouching down slightly before chasing after Vetto with a leap, the two clashing all around the cavern, sending constant shockwaves thrashing throughout the battlefield.

"Unbelievable...he was holding back this much against me. I feel kinda insulted..." Shimon's eye twitched, watching the battle raging before him. Beside him, Alice giggled slightly, and even Noelle seemed to follow suit, giving a dry laugh. It was very much a (Y/N)-like thing to do.

"Nngh...Ugh, my head hurts..." A familiar voice spoke beside Shimon, his eyes turning to see a familiar figure as he grinned slightly. Took her long enough.

"You had enough beauty sleep yet?" Shimon teased, Akari taking a glance around before once more realizing just what had happened, her eyes widening as she went on the alert.

"Wait, where is that monster guy? Did someone manage to beat him?" Akari asked, only for her attention to be drawn instantly as a collision between (Y/N) and Vetto, the former smirking confidently as the latter held his own sinister grin, their Magic's surging from the formers' weapons and the latters' claws.

"More! Show me even more of your strength boy! Entertain me to the best of your power! The stronger you show yourself to be, the more despair created once I kill you!" Vetto held a sharp, sinister grin on his face as his eyes seemed to shadow over, (Y/N) smirking slightly as sweat fell from his face. Despite the battle, Vetto didn't seem to be breaking a sweat.

It didn't help that any time he slashed off any part of Vetto, he just merely regrew the severed part instantly, and even his wounds healed instantly! This was just unfair!

"You're being way too confident for someone who hasn't managed to land a single decisive attack!" (Y/N) smirked widely, brandishing Kronos' Arc as a starry blue realm surrounded him, his arms turning into a blur as he slashed down several fist-like projectiles from Vetto's [Demon Beast Magic].

Leaping back, Vetto smashed his fist into the ground and sent a shockwave towards (Y/N), the (h/c) haired Nephilim dodging to the side as the ground beneath him shattered, forcing (Y/N) into the air as Vetto grinned savagely.

"[Demon Beast Magic: ????????????.]" Vetto chanted as he rushed forward, a magic circle radiating with sinister intent appearing below him as he leapt forward, leaving a diabolical streak behind him as he instantly appeared below (Y/N) in a burst of speed, the Magic Knights' eyes widening as Vetto punched at him, barely managing to block the attack with Kronos' Arc, though once again, unknown to the two, a small white crack formed on the scythe.

"Woah!" As a result of the attack, (Y/N) shot up into the air as he attempted to redirect his body so he could jump off the cavernous ceiling, only for him to crash right through the stone, sending him flying into the higher floors as Vetto smirked sinisterly, [Demon Beast Magic] surging towards his feet as he leapt off the ground, creating a series of web-like cracks as he shot through the cavernous open ceiling after (Y/N).

"Well, shit." Shimon deadpanned, seeing the two disappear as the Black Bulls deadpanned.

"I knew the dumbass was strong, but this is more than I expected." Gauche reluctantly spoke out, not having expected (Y/N) to have become this strong in such a short time. He'd barely managed to keep up with Licht and Arran before, yet now, he easily held his ground against Vetto.

"Yep...he's extremely strong! That's why..." Asta couldn't help the wide grin on his face as he stood up, grunting as pain assailed his arms, though it did nothing to diminish the shine in his eyes nor the wide grin on his face.

"I need to push past my limits even more! Vanessa, Finral, please help me once more!" Asta requested, seemingly ignoring that his arms seemed charred beyond belief. His eyes held a determined glow as he grinned widely, and despite his crippled arms, Asta's figure only seemed to radiate with fighting intent.

(Y/N) would only continue to get stronger, and he was currently fighting an enemy on a whole different level...he couldn't afford to fall behind here!

"Asta..." Alice bit her lip lightly, before she shook her head as a smile formed on her face. That's right...this was just who he was. It was something the three siblings seemed to share.

For as long as she'd known them, (Y/N), Asta and Yuno, all three of them, always seemed to only get stronger as time passed. The first was a wildcard, his strength and abilities even astounded her since she first met him. The second was a boy without any magic, someone who should logically have only experienced failure in this world governed by magic, yet he rose beyond the challenges and continued to fight. The third was a boy with extreme amounts of talent and extreme fortune that seemed to be able to create miracles. They all possessed their own abilities, and they all continued to get stronger.

"...Right!" Seeing the determined look on Asta's face, both Vanessa and Finral nodded, gathering up their resolve once again as the group turned back towards the opening, sensing mana quickly approaching once more.

"Domehead, we're gonna need your magic again!" Gauche grunted as Charmy seemed to salute, drawing a curious look from Noelle as Charmy's Sheep Cooks began to...cook up a feast?

"La! Eat as much as you want!" Charmy gave a haughty laugh, her sheep cooks setting food in front of them as Noelle deadpanned at the group. Just...just what the hell were they doing?

"We're gonna need as much magic as we can get to beat that monster, so we're gonna first need to replenish our mana." Gauche bit into the treats before him, drawing a confused glance from the others.

"And eating will accomplish that how...?" Melody asked lowly, tilting her head to the side in confusion. How would eating replenish their lost mana...?

Ruby hummed lightly to herself as she stared at the food. Could it have some sort of hidden effect on Magic...? Shifting her eyes, Ruby looked at the distant Luck, Magna and Orion, of whom stood within their own cocoons of crimson flames, a few of their wounds having healed up.

"Try it for yourself." Gauche shrugged as he began to eat the treats before him, though an explosion suddenly grasped the groups attention.

"FUCK! SO MANY FLOORS!" A loud shout pierced through the smoke as (Y/N) seemed crouched down on the ground, breathing heavily as minor wounds and scratches showed on his face, his clothes slightly tattered from having been smashed through dozens of floors by Vetto.

"Woah!" (Y/N), sensing an oncoming attack, suddenly backflipped away from his position, Vetto crashing right into his former position and creating a crater with his claw as (Y/N) recovered his stance with Kronos' Arc, before he extended his hand beside him as his Grimoire shone brightly, Heaven's Reach once more appearing in his hand as he brandished the two white weapons.

"To manage to keep up for this long. You're truly impressive, boy. But you seem to be having trouble keeping up with me now. Where did all that previous confidence go?" Vetto grinned savagely as he stepped out of the crater he'd created, not a scratch on him as his magic-formed claws and talons seemed to fluctuate wildly, his mana constantly keeping up his spells.

"Don't know what you're talking about! I'm more than ready to go!" (Y/N) smirked challengingly, Vetto laughing darkly. It seemed like he had no intention of admitting his shortcomings at all.

"No matter how impressive your abilities may be, your limitation as a human will hold you back. I can continue fighting for much longer, but how long can you last, boy?" Vetto grinned savagely, taking a step towards (Y/N) as the (h/c) haired Nephilim's lips turned into a straight line, before suddenly, a wide smirk tore at his lips.

"I don't think you need to worry about that! I'll end this before it ever gets to that point!" (Y/N) challenged, Vetto grinning widely as he leapt at (Y/N), his claws surging with sinister magic.

However, just as (Y/N) prepared to jump back into the fray, he suddenly stopped as a spear of chaotic water suddenly launched past him, stopping Vetto in his tracks as he blocked the attack with his claws, forcing him to the ground.

"Tch. Aren't you both forgetting something?" Shimon asked, extending his hand as another [Spear of the Squall] manifested in his grasp, before he, wielding both of his spears, arrived beside (Y/N), who only stared at him in slight surprise. He could use two spears at once?

Suddenly, Vetto sharply slashed beside him as several azure blossoms fell down beside him, slashed to ribbons as Vetto stared at the newcomers unamused.

"The Underwater Temple is our home. We won't let you have your way in here." Akari glared at Vetto, her Grimoire shining brightly as an azure haze began to quickly spread through the broken caverns.

"[Blossom Creation Magic: Fields of Evora!]" The black haired Temple Knight chanted, her Grimoire lighting up with an azure haze as various vines formed from the shattered grounds, binding up Vetto's legs as the beastly man scowled.

"Didn't I tell you losers to get lost?!" Vetto scowled, stomping on the floor as various rocks burst into the air around him, the vines binding his feet snapping as Vetto's claws suddenly surged with [Demon Beast Magic], shooting off several fist-like projectiles towards the newcomers.

Suddenly, however, the temperature seemed to rise as Alice stepped into the fight once more, her armor and blade shining brightly as she danced through the fists, her blade swiftly slashing through Vetto's attacks as a stream of golden flames seemed to follow her blade.

"You didn't forget about me, did you~?" Alice asked, a sly smile on her face as she walked up beside (Y/N) and Shimon, the former staring at the two newcomers in silence, before a wide smirk formed on his face.

"You guys finally decided to step in. I was wondering if I was going to have to do this all on my own." (Y/N) laughed slightly, getting an eye roll from both Shimon and Alice.

"You pests! Just get lost already!" Vetto growled at the group, before suddenly he prepared to leap forward, only for a silvery spatial portal to appear beside him, and due to his sharp senses, Vetto instantly picked up on it as he twisted his body, using his claw to slash at the portal, though he only ended up slashing through a rock, making him stumble slightly.

Around him, four other spatial portals seemed to form as Vetto's gaze sharpened, keeping a lookout for Asta, who wielded the Anti-Magic Sword, one of his greatest threats among the Magic Knights present.

However, contrary to his belief, Asta did not emerge from any of the four portals, rather three flaming scythes emerged from the portals around him, the fourth releasing a beam of [Mirror Magic], which Vetto promptly slashed through with his claw as he maneuvered around the flaming scythes, before whipping his claw around as he slashed the scythes to embers.

"Not...yet!" However, that proved to be a mistake as, in his moment of action, a fifth portal manifested beside Vetto, Asta swiftly rocketing out of the portal and slashing at him with the Demon-Dweller Sword, which he'd reclaimed whilst Vetto and (Y/N) had fought.

"These pests...they're simply working off of the other. Again and again you continue to resist meaninglessly! Why won't you pests just despair already!" Vetto growled savagely, the Demon-Dweller Sword scraping him as fresh blood began to flow down his torso, though Vetto ignored the wound and slashed towards Asta, however, yet again those accursed threads seemed to pull him out of his range, courtesy of Vanessa.

"Despair? Who the hell has time to despair?" (Y/N) smirked as he walked forward, brandishing both Kronos' Arc and Heaven's Reach in his hands. His Grimoire floated before him, shining silently with a midnight blue haze, it's owners' eyes focused solely on his opponent across from him.

"If you guys wanna back out, now's your chance." (Y/N) smirked as he addressed the Knights beside him, though no one seemed to step back for even a moment.

"Dumbass. As if I'll let this stupid ape do whatever he wants in my home." Shimon scowled, twisting both of his spears in his hands as he walked up beside him.

"I'm already this far in, no use in falling back now~!" Alice gave a small smile as she walked up beside (Y/N) and Shimon, her vibrant peach-blue eyes glinting with confidence.

"I'm not going to give up yet!" Asta grinned, grasping the Demon-Dweller Sword tightly in his grasp, sweat falling down his face, and despite the exhaustion he felt, he just couldn't find it within him to back down.

"I'll support from behind. Make sure to stay on your toes against him." Akari seemingly ignored his warning, her Grimoire shining brightly as she prepared to cast her next spell. Though her physical capabilities were nothing like the four before her, she could still provide ample support from the back. Her eyes seem to began trailing a blue light as she began to use her Foresight, preparing for any potential attacks.

"Is there any use asking if anyone will retreat? We're already this far into the fight, aren't we?" Vanessa smiled slightly, her pink eyes twinkling confidently as a small smirk formed on her lips.

"Just don't do anything stupid, you guys!" Finral couldn't help the strained smile that formed on his face, various drops of sweat running down his face as he prepared to continue the fight once more.

"There's no point in falling back now. So let's just go at him with everything we have left!" Ruby smiled as she conjured up three more [Flare Scythe]'s around her, before commanding them to float around the group, preparing to engage once again.

"I'll try my best to support everyone..!" Melody spoke out, her Grimoire seeming to shine with life as she, like Akari, began to prepare her next spell for the battle.

"Don't do anything stupid...good luck..!" Noelle nodded at the group, who all defiantly stood against Vetto, the beastly man scowling as he saw this.

Monitor Room...

"That's right! Don't give up! Fight until the very end! With all of you there, he stands no chance!" Gifso pumped his arms up, his eyes shining with hope as he saw the Magic Knights, the newcomers, and two of his own Temple Knights, stand against the intruder.

With the strength of this entire group combined, there was no way that someone, even as strong as Vetto, could emerge victorious!

Yami couldn't help the smirk tearing at his lips as he saw his assortment of outcasts. They all fought to their best ability, and some even managed to shatter right through the boundary, getting even stronger yet again...

This Squad of Magic Knights...

"Hey, old man, let me say something to them really quick." Yami took the cigar in his mouth and wielded it between his fingers, a wide smirk on his face.

"Oh, sure..." The High Priest stepped aside, a white orb appearing before Yami as Gifso used his magic to transmit whatever he'd say...

Within the Temple...

"Is this thing on? Sounds like it." Suddenly, just as the group prepared to engage, Yami's voice resonated throughout the Temple.

"Yami...?" (Y/N) asked, surprised to hear the Captain of the Black Bulls. Actually, was he still stuck?

"Testing, testing, one two three. Screw it. I don't think I need to tell you kids what you're getting into, so I'll save you the dumb talk. What I'm about to say next applies to you two dumbasses who aren't in my Squad as well." Yami's voice resounded out as the Black Bulls focused their attention on Vetto once more, smirks forming on their faces.

"I have a feeling...I know exactly what he's going to say." (Y/N) couldn't help the smirk forming on his face, grasping both Kronos' Arc and Heaven's Reach tightly in his hands, tense and prepared to engage.

"Right here, and right now. Push past your limits." Yami's voice delivered, newfound confidence and excitement beginning to bloom within the Black Bulls' Magic Knights.

"Yes, sir!" The Black Bulls all shouted in unison, wide smiles on their faces as they prepared to fight once more. To break through their limits!

Shimon and Akari shared a glance, before both of them nodded as well, their eyes returning to Vetto as the two prepared to help with the attack.

"Even after all of the futile resistance you've all put up, you still can't see the difference between us? All of you together against me, and that makes you think you can win?" Vetto couldn't help but scowl at his opponents. Had they truly not yet noticed the futility of their actions? No matter how many of them banded together, the result would be the same!

"It makes me sick! [Demon Beast Magic:..." Vetto suddenly started, a magic circle radiating with horrific intent manifesting beside him as his magic suddenly flared, his claws sharpening beyond belief.

"He's coming!" Akari warned, her Foresight fully coming into play as the other Black Bulls and Shimon, upon her warning, immediately sprung into action.

"Let's go!" (Y/N), Alice, Shimon and Asta all shouted at the same time, rushing forth as the vanguard to meet Vetto in direct battle.

"Let's get started again!" Vanessa cried out as she manipulated her threads once more, this time with the intention of guiding all four on the vanguard, rather than just Asta as in previously.

"Isn't that a bit too many...- alright! Let's do it!" Finral shook his head, extending his arms out as he opened dozens of spatial rifts all around the broken cavern, prepared to aid any of the vanguard at any moment.

"Looks like I'm on pseudo-offense, then!" Ruby smiled, commanding her scythes as they rocketed towards Vetto and the four close range fighters of the group. With the added on close-range mages, she wouldn't need to focus on defending and could focus primarily on attacking.

"Let's do it again!" Melody exclaimed silently, before once more releasing several [Hollow Echo]'s towards the caverns once more, several hollow echoes of Melody forming in the cavernous landscape.

"-???????????!]" Vetto finished casting his spell, his claws surging with impossible amounts of mana as he leapt off the ground, creating a crater where he stood previously as he rushed to meet the vermin.

"Overhead!" Akari shouted, Vetto raising his claw over his head as he slashed down at the group, Alice and (Y/N) leaping to the sides as Asta jumped back, Shimon using both of his spears and taking the brunt of Vetto's attack, cementing his feet into the ground and making him wince, though he stood his ground.

His spears, when in contact with Vetto's sinister magic, fluctuated relentlessly, though they did not shatter as mana continuously reinforced the two [Spear of the Squall]'s, courtesy of Shimon. Try as he might, Vetto couldn't get past the trembling spears with his mana-infused claws, making slight surprise surface in his eyes. It seemed he truly did...

"That's some powerful magic you've got there, for a human." Vetto scoffed, before suddenly he craned his head to the side as he saw a blazing sword approach him.

"[Blaze Magic: Infernum Burst!]" Alice chanted as her royal white Grimoire shone like a miniature sun, the golden-white blade in her hands bursting into a stream of flames as she slashed at Vetto in a sudden burst of speed, the beastly man using both of his claws to defend himself as Alice's attack left flames lingering on his claws.

"[Water Magic: Ryūjin's Tempest, Double!]" Shimon instantly capitalized on Alice drawing Vetto's attention, twisting the two spears in his hands as they fluxed with insane amounts of mana, before he suddenly launched them both towards Vetto, who saw the spears coming as golden flames engulfed his claws.

"Meaningless tricks!" Vetto scoffed, and despite the flames burning upon his claws, he paid them no mind as he slashed at the spears with his claws, only for his eyes to widen as he slashed at the first spear, the attack sending him stumbling back two steps, before he put his guard up to block the second spear, though his feet were still cemented into the ground.

"Hey, hey, you didn't forget about me did you? [Void Flame/Frost Magic: Burning Abyss, Frost Rage!]" (Y/N)'s voice alerted Vetto, who swiftly jumped out of the way as dozens of pillars, conjured of flames, erupted from the ground as a giant stream of [Void Frost] tore through the area, (Y/N) slashing Heaven's Reach after Vetto as the beam of frost followed suit.

Raising his claw, which still burned with golden flames, Vetto quickly attempted to block the spell, though he then felt a searing sensation on his back, seeing a flaming scythe from the corner of his eyes.

"The scythes...I see, I was too focused on the ones before me." Vetto grunted as he dodged to the side of (Y/N)'s attack, the pillar of Frost seeming to barely miss the flaming scythe as Ruby controlled her scythes, using (Y/N) spell to approach unchallenged towards Vetto.

"(Y/N), to the right!" Akari warned, her Foresight kicking in as she sent a wave of azure magic towards the (h/c) haired boy.

Faced with an attack from the front, Vetto tensed his feet as he leapt forward, leaving behind a crater where he previously stood as he appeared before (Y/N) instantly.

Narrowing his eyes at Akari's warning, (Y/N) instantly cancelled [Frost Rage], brandishing Kronos' Arc in his hand as he slashed at Vetto towards the right, meeting his claw in a clash as the two cemented the other into the ground. Deciding to follow up the attack, (Y/N) quickly raised Heaven's Reach in its segmented form, whipping at Vetto with the shattered blade as the beastly man growled, dodging the blade and disengaging from (Y/N).

However, he suddenly turned instantly as he sensed another approach him from behind, a silvery portal appearing behind him as a person emerged from it, Vetto slashing at them.

"I'll take out the Anti-Magic brat right here, then I only need to focus on the other brat." Vetto planned in his head, however, his eyes widened in surprise as Shimon emerged from the portal, brandishing two new [Spear of the Squall]'s in his outstretched hands.

"Don't forget he's not your only opponent!" Shimon shouted as he stabbed his spear towards Vetto, though the beastly man merely raised his claw and met the attack head on, his magic flaring around him as he slashed at Shimon, instantly shaking the spear in his grasp, yet like before, he couldn't not destroy it. This, however, did not stop Shimon from being sent flying from the attack.

Suddenly, a silvery portal seemed to appear both above and below Vetto, the beastly man quickly reading the Ki of the newcomers as he shot back, a golden-white blade slashing at him from above as a white scythe slashed at him from below, courtesy of Alice and (Y/N).

"We're not done...yet!" Asta's voice suddenly alerted Vetto, who swiftly turned to face the Anti-Magic wielder as Asta charged through a silvery portal with immense momentum, shooting right past Vetto, though he managed to leave a small slash onto his torso.

"I won't let you get away!" Vetto growled as he stomped on the ground, rushing forward after Asta, though suddenly, three other silvery portals appeared before him.

"I don't think so! [Hellflame Magic: Scorching Fang!]" Ruby shouted as her scythes emerged from the portals, instantly disrupting Vetto as the beastly man clawed at the three scythes, however, due to no longer having to cover anyone else, Ruby maneuvered her scythes around his claws and slashed at Vetto, leaving seared wounds on his body as the scythes passed by, though they healed instantly due to Vetto's overwhelm magical abilities.

"[Sound Magic: Echoes Released!]" Melody casted her spell, extending her hands forward as two streams of soundwaves shot towards Vetto, the beastly man holding his ground and guarding the attack with his claws.

Suddenly, in that one moment of distraction, Vetto noticed as four spatial rifts manifested around him, each of the close-range Knights charging towards him from the portals.

"Vermin! Just despair already! [Demon Beast Magic:..." Vetto began to chant, his Grimoire seeming to shine with a primal intent as mana began to converge on Vetto, creating a single projectile from a magic circle that radiated horrific intent.

"It's a wide range attack! He's going to send an attack towards all of us!" Akari warned, instantly reinforcing her body with magic as she prepared to dodge, her teammates following her example as Finral, Vanessa, Ruby and Melody followed suit.

"-???????????!]" Vetto chanted his spell, instantly shattering the projectile he manifested as several spikes seemed to rocket towards every Magic/Temple Knight. True to Akari's warning, the attack rocketed towards everyone as the Temple Knights and Magic Knights jumped out of the way, dodging the attack as small craters formed where the attacks reached.

"[Void Flame/Earth Magic: Scorching Blades, Ruined Terra!]" (Y/N) capitalized on Vetto's slight opening after his attacks, instantly manifesting several black flame blades, before he thrust Heaven's Reach into a void rift, various other rifts appearing around Vetto as [Void Earth] spiked shot out from within, the beastly man punching at them as he clawed at the incoming blades. Seeing his attack fail, (Y/N)'s eyes narrowed before a smirk formed on his face. If Vetto could simply destroy his attacks, then there was only one thing left to do...

With that thought in mind, (Y/N) launched Heaven's Reach into the air as he prepared himself, though he didn't quite jump towards Vetto yet.

"Don't forget I'm still here~!" Alice spoke calmly as she, in a burst of flames, appeared before Vetto, her blade burning with golden flames as four other blades, made of the same golden flames, hovered around her.

"Although using my normal spells with [Blaze Magic] takes up more mana, I don't have the luxury of worrying about my mana right now!" Alice's eyes seemed to glaze over with an profound focus, having casted [Crimson Blades] with her newly found magic.

Controlling her blades, Alice instantly clashed with Vetto as flames sparked around the two, though neither seemed to gain any ground as Alice commanded her other blades to slash at Vetto from behind, though he merely ignored them as his aura suddenly seemed to flare with his magic, instantly disrupting the flame blades and sending them stumbling back.

"Hahhh!" Suddenly, a shout alerted Vetto as Asta arrived beside him, wielding the Demon-Dweller Sword in his grasp as Vetto turned towards him, only to stumble as a massive impact collided with him, making him take a few steps forward as Shimon formed another spear in his grasp.

"Shimon, dodge the blast!" Akari warned, her Foresight seeing Vetto's next attack as she warned her fellow Temple Knight.

"Pest! [Demon Beast Magic: ????????!]" Vetto casted his spell, a magic circle radiating with sinister intent forming beside him as a monstrous head suddenly manifested by Vetto, before, with a guttural roar, it blasted a beam of scorching violet flames towards Shimon, who swiftly dodged to the side due to Akari's warning, an explosion of flames kicking up as the flames crashed, and pierced through the cavern walls.

Turning back towards Alice and Asta, Vetto instantly read the two's Ki, Asta's eyes widening slightly as he realized their moves had been read from Vetto's slight change to his posture, of whom retreated back as the Demon-Dweller Sword and Alice's own blade slashed through where he stood previously.

Not intending to let the two retreat, Vetto instantly snapped towards them with his claws. However, he didn't find much success as Alice suddenly burst forth with explosive speed, slashing at his claws and deflecting them with insane precision, before she went for a slash from below, slashing with her sword as she stabbed it through the ground beneath, instantly melting the rocks as she sent a volley of molten rocks and flames towards Vetto.

Faced with the attack, Vetto instantly retreated backwards, though Asta, guided by Vanessa and Finral, instantly appeared from another spatial portal beside him as he slashed at him with the Demon-Dweller Sword, Vetto grunting as the jet black blade bit into his skin, instantly shattering his magic healing.

"Like that scythe, the Anti-Magic Sword poses the biggest threat..." Vetto narrowed his eyes, before suddenly an insane grin formed on his face. Though he'd been attacked, Asta was now also fully well within his range, and it'd take less than a second to finish him off!

"Pull him out of there!" Akari instructed Vanessa and Finral, who both nodded as they instantly set to retreating Asta from the field. Despite his superb physical abilities, he still wouldn't be able to match up to Vetto in a contest of physical strength due to Vetto's magical reinforcement, hence retreating was his only option.

Asta's eyes narrowed as Vetto suddenly burst towards him, his claws surging with magic as he slashed at Asta, who raised the Demon-Dweller Sword in return. However, Vetto halted his approach as a flash of white suddenly intercepted him, Vetto's eyes instantly turning serious as (Y/N) deflected his attacks.

Instantly taking advantage of his surprise attacked, (Y/N) pressed on his own attack as Alice quickly maneuvered around the two, joining the offensive with (Y/N) as the two used their weapons to push Vetto back.

Delivering an overhead slash, Vetto backstepped the attack as Alice swiftly used her superior speed to instantly arrive beside him, her blade slashing his torso as a clear line of flames scorched Vetto's skin, though it didn't affect his physical prowess. However, it did serve to make Vetto stumble, if for a mere moment.

Taking full advantage of the opening Alice created, (Y/N) shifted his scythe around in his hands as he casted [Kronos' Fury] once more towards Vetto, a wave of [Time Magic] instantly assailing the beastly man as (Y/N) rushed forward, using the moment that Vetto was forced to defend the attack to his advantage.

Growling, Vetto's magic suddenly surged around him as he clawed at (Y/N), though the (h/c) haired boy smirked at his moves.

Dodging the attack, (Y/N) instantly casted his next spell to counter.

"[Void Lightning Magic: Whirlwind Flash Slashes!]" (Y/N) chanted as his Grimoire shone brightly, slashing wildly with his scythe as it turned into a blur, twenty-four arcs of [Void Lightning] crashing into Vetto as the beastly man was sent flying backwards, though he quickly adjusted his body and crashed his feet upon the ground, stopping his unwanted momentum.

Suddenly, however, various portals emerged around Vetto, instantly unleashing various soundwaves around Vetto as the ground around him shattered, though he payed it no mind as he leapt to the side.

However, due to his shift in position, Vetto found himself in an encirclement between the vanguard of the Knights, encircled by (Y/N) from his left, Shimon from behind him, Asta from his right and Alice directly in front of him.

"Let's finish this, Vetto!" Alice shouted as her sword suddenly blazed to life with golden flames, Alice rushing forth as her steps seemed to char the ground beneath her, leaving flaming footsteps in her wake. However, just as she rushed forth, so did the other three close-range Knights as Vetto scowled at them.

"...What is he..?!" Akari couldn't help her shock, as her Foresight told her not of an attack, but rather...

"You pests...why don't you just Despair already? To think I'd be pushed this far by mere cubs..." Vetto scowled at the adversaries before him, his Grimoire ominously floating before him as its blackened-orange haze seemed to amplify.

"Is he...gathering more mana?!" Shimon, (Y/N) and Alice instantly noticed the change to Vetto, seeing several streams of mana begin to converge on Vetto.

"Go for an all out attack!" Ruby shouted, instantly manipulating her scythes to converge with the vanguard Knights, joining them on the offensive as mana continued to converge on Vetto.

"[Void Frost Magic: Absolute Zero Strike!]"

"[Blaze Magic: Solaris Flux!]"

"[Water Magic: Lost Vortex!]"

"[Hellflame Magic: Trinity Mirage!]"

"[Sound Magic: Chaotic Resonance!]"

"Haaaah!"

"No, don't-!" Akari attempted to warn her teammates, her eyes wide in shock. Vetto didn't cast an attack, but rather...

However, her warning fell on deaf ears as the Magic Knights and Temple Knight pressed in their attack, the mana gathering around Vetto as a whirlpool of chaotic water seemed to begin forming beneath him, Alice rushing forth with her blade clad in a powerful golden flame, (Y/N) shooting forward as a white aura along with blackish-cyan ice coated Kronos' Arc, an effect of his spell and [Timeless Strike.] Ruby's scythes seemed to have multiplied even further, now nine hazy scythes flaring with intense heat rushing towards Vetto. Soundwaves seemed to close in on Vetto as well, and Asta's jet black Demon-Dweller Sword also approached the blonde haired beast of a man swiftly.

However, in the next instant, they were all sent flying as the mana around Vetto suddenly seemed to burst in a radius around him, the fierce torrent of mana overwhelming all of their spells and sending them rocketing back from the sudden discharge. However, that didn't prove to be the end of it...

"[Demon Beast Magic: ???????????.]" Vetto growled out as his Grimoire shone eerily with an otherworldly glow, darkened mana beginning to converge and forming a blackened magic circle radiating with sinister intent, converging on his figure and forming what seemed to be a set of scaly beast-like armor, and worse yet, mana only seemed to continuously converge on his armor, with no signs of stopping at all...

"What...the heck was that?" (Y/N), after crashing into a wall, which had been nullified by the Ancient Gods Mask, asked as he left the crater upon the cavern wall, gripping Kronos' Arc in his hands.

Vetto hadn't attacked them at all, the Ancient Gods Mask only activated to shield him from the impact with the wall, hence...they were all blown away by the mere release of his magic...?!

"He didn't attack at all! He...it's a defensive spell...!" Akari cleared up as the other Vanguard's also recovered, though Shimon and Alice didn't quite have it as easy as (Y/N), both having taken the brunt of their own impacts, though they could still continue the fight.

"He...just from the release of his magic, he shattered every spell we threw at him...?" Alice asked, once more on high alert, glancing at Vetto and seeing the primal set of armor seemingly surrounding him. In addition to his natural protection from his overwhelming mana, he was even using a defensive spell...?

"His magic is on another level entirely..." Shimon grunted as he summoned forth two more of his spears, the previous two having been utterly shattered by the sudden discharge of Vetto's mana.

Apart from (Y/N), who wielded a Mythical Weapon, which now sported several more cracks, though unnoticed by him, and Alice, who commanded the strength of the Primordial Blaze, along with Asta's mysterious jet black sword, the rest had been utterly shattered.

Ruby's scythes has been completely destroyed from the release, and even Melody's magic had been utterly annihilated in the release. Furthermore, the spatial rifts in the area had been forcefully destroyed along with Vanessa's threads, which burned out of existence when exposed to Vetto's overwhelming magic.

"He's stupidly strong..." Asta couldn't help but Grimace as he stood, pain invading his systems as the threads Vanessa had been reinforcing him with had shattered from the sudden outburst of mana, though she quickly replaced her threads on him, allowing him to fight yet again.

"That's enough fooling around, you pests. It's time I end this once and for all. Come! Despair is all that awaits at the end of your path!" Vetto challenged, all three of his eyes now narrowed with unveiled rage and bottomless malice. It was time to squash these insects once and for all...

"Despair this, despair that, who the hell has time for your despair?!" (Y/N) narrowed his eyes at Vetto, before he gripped Kronos' Arc tightly in his grasp, shooting forth as the mana around him seemed to shift, mutating into something else...

"Wait, don't-!" Akari tried to warn him, which went noticed by Shimon, who grit his teeth as he instantly shot forth both of his spears with [Ryūjin's Tempest], the two spears twirling chaotically as they approached.

"We'll carve our own path forward! And there's no way in hell I'll let someone like you get in the way of that!" (Y/N) shouted as he rushed forward, though he seemed to disappear instantly, yet - no one reacted to his move.

Even the chaotic spears thrown by Shimon seemed to completely come to a halt, absolute silence dominating this motionless world...

[Time Liberation.]

(Y/N) instantly shot forward as he approached Vetto, taking roughly three of the five seconds of liberated time given by Kronos' Arc, raising his scythe as he arrived before Vetto, mana beginning to converge on the blade of the scythe.

Two seconds...

"[Timeless Strike!]" (Y/N) shouted as the whited world around him seemed to shatter, Vetto instantly noticing the newcomer before him, his scythe raised ominously. However...

"When did he get there...?! My Foresight couldn't even see him move...?!" Akari thought with shock. Just how fast had (Y/N) needed to move from his massive distance from Vetto, and he did all that in under a second...?!

"I've had enough of your tricks, boy!" Vetto scowled at (Y/N), his claw turning into a mere blur as he slapped at him, however, not one to be outdone, (Y/N) instantly reacted to the attack with his inhuman reaction speed, slashing at the claw. However, Vetto instantly fled his claw from the collision, wary of the scythe in his grasp. Suddenly, a vicious grin seemed to form on Vetto's face, before he suddenly slapped with his other claw towards the left, redirecting the two storming spears towards (Y/N), who's eyes widened as he defended himself with his scythe, though he was sent flying through the air from the impact, crashing into a far off cavern wall.

"He deflected my attack that easily?!" Shimon couldn't set aside his unease as he saw his attack be deflected effortlessly. Before, Vetto would at least have to regard his attacks, but now...?!

Just what was that armor?!

"He got even stronger?" Alice warily narrowed her peach-blue eyes at Vetto, clasping her hands around her blade once more as she suddenly rushed forward.

"Too slow!" Vetto growled as he clawed at Alice, who's eyes widened in surprise as she instantly maneuvered around his claw, only for his other claw to instantly intercept her, forcing Alice to block the attack as her heels dug slightly into the ground. However, she suddenly burst forward explosively as she slashed twice at Vetto, her eyes narrowing.

"Like I thought, he can't fully block my flames, but they're not as effective as they used to be..." Alice instantly shot back as Vetto slammed his fist down where she stood previously, forming a sizable crater on impact.

Landing on the ground, Alice raised her gaze towards Vetto once more, before grimacing slightly as she felt the numbness in her hands. His physical strength had also reached a whole new level...

However, she confirmed something in that one exchange.

Despite his sudden boost in strength - she could still keep up with his speed, and her attacks were still effective.

He could not block her Primordial Blaze.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch..." Suddenly, with the rumbling of various shattered rocks, (Y/N) rose from his crash against the wall, Kronos' Arc held tightly in his grasp. Despite blocking the attack, it did nothing to diminish the force that sent him flying back due to the suddenness of the attack.

"His speed got even higher, and his strength probably did as well...this just got a whole lot trickier..." (Y/N) frowned slightly, though he brandished Kronos' Arc. He was prepared to resume the fight, even if they weren't in an advantageous position like before.

"Guys! Are you okay?!" Asta asked, glaring at Vetto as he gripped his jet black blade tightly, though he was on full alert. Even if he couldn't sense the mana around Vetto, his Ki alone had suddenly gotten several times more complicated, and he found himself having difficulty in reading it.

"I'm fine!" Alice responded, wincing slightly as she grasped her blade once more. The numbness in her arms continued to persist...

"Ugh...never been better..." (Y/N) groaned as he shook his head, before focusing once more on the battle. He knew that now, more than ever, he couldn't afford to make a single mistake...

However, his eyes then narrowed. He only had one chance at this...

"Finral! Can you still keep up?" Vanessa asked, sweat pouring down her face as she created new threads around the battlefield, though she couldn't make all that many with her remaining mana.

"I won't last much longer, but I can keep up for now!" Finral grunted, just as much sweat pouring down his face as he manipulated the various spatial rifts around the cavern. Slowly, however, they were beginning to close as his mana dwindled...

"You guys are gonna have to start working together! Don't approach him by yourself!" Ruby shouted as she conjured up more scythes in her grasp, though she winced. She probably only had a few more scythes left with her current mana...

"If you get injured, please tell me instantly!" Melody spoke as she instantly casted [Soothing Melody] on the four vanguard Knights, who all nodded at her words.

"Shimon, in front of you!" Akari warned, having used her Foresight to her advantage. It seemed Vetto was done being on the defensive...

"Let's finish this hunt." Vetto growled, instantly shooting forward as he seemed to disappear, reappearing before Shimon in an instant. His burst of speed, accompanied by a fierce windlash, instantly allowed him to attack Shimon, who barely had time to block with his spears as he got sent stumbling back, though he was aided by Vanessa and Finral's coordination.

"[Void Frost Magic: Dragon's Frost Talon!]" (Y/N) instantly casted his spell, dense amounts of mana gathering on his scythe as he slashed the blade at Vetto, and despite the distance between the two, a massive claw of ice suddenly seemed to slash at Vetto, though he merely slapped aside the approaching spell.

"Not yet!" Asta suddenly shot out of a silvery portal beside Vetto, slashing at him with the Demon-Dweller Sword as Vetto managed to move past his blade, before clawing at Asta, only for Vanessa's threads to barely manage to pull him into another portal in time.

In a burst of golden flames, Alice instantly appeared beside the imposing Vetto, and with her presence, the ice formed from (Y/N)'s spell seemed to begin to melt instantly, said boy turning into a streak of lightning as he instantly appeared beside Alice.

Slashing at Vetto in an overhead arc, Alice instantly took his attention as he used his larger figure to claw at both her and her blade, however, (Y/N) instantly intercepted his attack with his own scythe, Alice redirecting her blade to attack the other claw heading towards (Y/N), Vetto instantly stomping at the ground and causing a small shockwave, stumbling the two Magic Knights for a second as he instantly slapped the two aside, though they were both pulled into separate silvery spatial rifts.

"Where are you looking?!" Shimon's voice suddenly resonated from above Vetto, his gaze instantly shifting towards the Temple Knight.

Brandishing both of his spears, Shimon instantly slashed at Vetto, who only stood still as he smirked at Shimon, his spears not managing to pierce through his armor.

"[Blossom Magic: Effervescent Bloom!]" Akari instantly chanted her spell, using the remains of her previous [Fields of Evora] to aid Shimon, Vanessa and Finral instantly pulling him out of there as Ruby's flaming scythes emerged from a separate group of portals, the blonde haired Black Bulls Sorceress instantly manipulating her scythes to attack Vetto in unison.

And like before - he stood still, yet her scythes could not pierce through his armor in the slightest.

"Is our disparity really that grand...? He can just stand still and take all of our attacks..." Ruby grimaced as she saw this. Previously, Vetto had at least gotten wounded from her [Flare Scythe]'s, but now - he simply ignored them. They couldn't do the slightest to that ominous beastly armor he wore...

Emerging from a spatial portal a small distance from Vetto, (Y/N) instantly shot forward, his thoughts racing in his head. The others were incapable of attacking Vetto, meaning that the entire offensive had dropped down to him, who could bypass the disparity of Magic with [Timeless Strike], Alice, who wielded the Primordial Blaze, and Asta, who wielded his own Anti-Magic.

However - if he could get close enough, he might be able to end this battle once and for all.

His limit, however, was only once a day, hence he'd only have one shot at this.

He'd need to hit Vetto with everything he'd had, however, that still wouldn't be enough.

He doubted that, without that strange transformation from Kikka, [Shadowblade Samsara] would be incapable of piercing through Vetto's armor if he only used his own magic.

However - he also had access to [Timeless Strike]. If he combined the two, he'd be able to pierce directly through Vetto's armor in one shot!

"Finral! Vanessa! Melody! Alice! Make an opening for me! I just need one second!" (Y/N) instantly placed his faith in his Squadmates.

Nodding, Alice instantly shot off towards Vetto in a flash of flames, appearing before him instantly and grasping his attention. Melody instantly cast [Traceless Steps] on Alice, allowing her to move even faster as she maneuvered around Vetto's attacks.

"Asta!" Vanessa shouted, the ashen blonde haired boy nodding as a spatial rift engulfed him, instantly teleporting him beside Vetto, who only glanced at him before instantly punching out towards him.

Instantly lurching to the side, Asta barely managed to dodge the fist as he slashed at Vetto in unison with Alice's own flaming blade, the two attacks forcing Vetto to step back and dodge.

However, that one instance was all (Y/N) needed.

In an instant, (Y/N) emerged from a spatial portal above Vetto, the scythe in his hands shining a bright white as its blade suddenly seemed to sharpen immensely. However, Vetto payed little mind to it as his senses instantly kicked into overdrive, and a feeling of wariness suddenly formed within him.

Something...something about that brat had changed...

Descending instantly on Vetto, (Y/N) raised his scythe as mana began to converge on him, an unusual midnight blue magic beginning to converge on the blade of Kronos' Arc, (Y/N) instantly stomping onto the floor and leaping at Vetto.

"Right now! It's all or nothing! I've got to hit him with everything I've got! [Nightfall Magic: Shadowblade..." (Y/N) instantly casted his spell, a massive burst of mana suddenly erupting from Kronos' Arc, forming a devilish-seeming scythe in his grasp, a blade radiating devilish nobility seeming to manifest above him as he raised his scythe.

"What?! This boy, how does he wield magic like my own?!" Vetto instantly sensed the change in (Y/N)'s Magic, and it's similarity to his own. But...but how?! He was a mere human!

However, despite his disbelief, Vetto did not miss the sense of danger that suddenly befell him. He knew this attack would pierce his armor, if landed. Instantly, his claw surged with magic as he prepared to intercept the boy.

"That's...? How does he...?" Ruby stared on, dumbfounded as she saw the spectacle before her. Humans were only ever capable of one sort of magic within themselves...so how was he capable of wielding two...?! More importantly, why did it seem to resonate like Vetto's own eerie magic...?!

"It's that spell again...!" Alice instantly recognized the magic. From her first time seeing it in Kikka, it had left a profound impression on her. Even with her newfound strength, that spell had still completely dwarfed her abilities. Perhaps, even Vetto wouldn't be able to block it!

Raising his scythe above his head as a devilish light suddenly seemed to engulf him, (Y/N) instantly held nothing back, using all of his strength as he casted his strongest spell. He poured every single bit of mana he could muster into Kronos' Arc...for this final attack!

Vetto's eyes widened in shock, the midnight blue magic seeming to cascade around (Y/N)'s back and head, giving the illusion of something much more sinister than a human...an illusion of shattered wings, and of devilish horns...of a demon...!

"This boy...he's...!" Vetto couldn't help but begin to feel dread pool within himself. This boy wasn't human...! He couldn't be human...!

...

...

Crack....

...

...

Shatter...!

Suddenly, the scythe in his hands seemed to shatter in a dazzling display of white light, erupting in an explosion of midnight blue magic. (Y/N) instantly felt his magic dissipate, the scythe in his hands shattering as Vetto grinned savagely, a massive contrast to (Y/N)'s own stunned appearance.

"Eh...?" (Y/N) couldn't help but let out a dumbfounded noise, his eyes widened in shock.

"Well, ain't that just too bad, brat!" Vetto instantly capitalized on the opening, using his claw and attacking (Y/N). Despite his shock, (Y/N) barely managed to bring the shattered Kronos' Arc before him, taking the brunt of the claw as he instantly flew back, once again crashing into, and through several walls.

"In the end, this is all you brats can amount to! No matter what tricks you employ, they will never work against me!" Vetto grinned savagely, though a silvery portal formed behind him, however, he'd long since seen it coming.

"Asta, look out!" Akari warned, the magic less Magic Knight emerging from the portal, his sword already swinging towards Vetto.

"A loser like you...is just too slow!" Vetto grinned savagely, and in a mere instant, he turned and met Asta head on, the sword slashing at him, though he ensured that the blade would not affect him the least - before punching at the ash-blonde haired boy, sending him flying through the spatial portal once more.

With his speed, he was of no threat to Vetto.

"(Y/N)! Asta!" Alice shouted in alarm, seeing both of them having been repelled.

(Y/N)'s scythe had shattered, and Asta didn't have the speed to content with Vetto's overwhelming physical prowess.

That meant...she was the only one who could still be any form of significant threat to Vetto...

Suddenly, however, from the rubble of where he was sent, (Y/N) kicked out of the rubble, a golden sphere seeming to surround him as it faded away, (Y/N) staring in shock at the broken weapon in his hands.

"It...broke? Kronos' Arc shattered...?" (Y/N) stared bitterly at the remains of the Mythical Weapon, and suddenly he wasn't so sure of what to feel. Since he'd found it at the Asuran Ruins, he'd obviously become much more powerful with its abilities. But, now...

"I never even noticed I relied on it this much..." (Y/N) couldn't help but laugh bitterly to himself, questions swimming through his head. But right now, it wasn't the time for answers. Vetto still stood.

"I need to reclaim Phantasm and Heaven's Reach..." (Y/N) reluctantly pushed aside his disappointment and confusion, instantly gazing through the battlefield and finding his signature blades stabbed around the room, where he'd left them.

Without a moment of hesitation, (Y/N) rushed forward in a burst of [Void Lightning], instantly attracting Vetto's attention, the beastly man stomping on the ground as he rocketed towards (Y/N).

"You can simply get lost, boy!" Vetto scowled at (Y/N), using both of his claws to slash at him. However, (Y/N) only narrowed his eyes at his move, before instantly forming a blade of void energy in his hands, sending it flying past Vetto and instantly warping to it, skidding to a stop beside Heaven's Reach as he instantly grasped the blade, turning to meet the following Vetto in a clash, though (Y/N) was still knocked back from the impact.

Using the force from Vetto's attack, (Y/N) instantly conjured another void blade in his hands as he aimed his blade, before instantly rocketing it towards Phantasm a small distance away, warping to it just as Vetto leapt into the air after him.

Using his directional force, (Y/N) instantly unearthed Phantasm from the floor and jumped back, regrouping with the others, his blades once more in his grasp.

"Anyone got a plan? I'm running a bit low of magic here." Ruby asked as Asta and Shimon both retreated back towards them under Finral and Vanessa's guidance, Alice leaping at Vetto as the beastly man crashed against a wall, though he instantly recovered and shot to meet her in the air.

"[Blaze Magic: Solaris Flux!]" Alice flashed past Vetto, leaving two golden arcs on his armor which burned brightly, yet still - under the suppression from Vetto's domineering magical prowess, they could not burn through his armor, merely singe it.

Instantly retreating back to the others, Alice arrived beside the other three close-range Knights as she brandished her blade towards the distant Vetto once more, though he didn't even look phased by their regrouping or her previous attack.

"A plan sounds really good to have right about now..." Alice smiled slightly, her armor glowing with its ever present constant peachish flicker.

"I got nothing. He's essentially ignoring my attacks at this point." Shimon deadpanned, though he still wielded both of his spears. Just how would they defeat this beast?

"I can still see his next moves, but that doesn't mean much with his speed, since he can easily execute them before I can tell you guys where to go." Akari narrowed her eyes in frustration. Even with Foresight, Vetto's speed didn't allow her to make the most use of it. Even if she could give her directions in time, would her teammates be capable of reacting within the same timeframe and properly counter Vetto?

"Um...I can link us all with my remaining magic, so that you can tell us his moves instantly..." Melody meekly added in, Akari suddenly turning and staring at her in surprise. If she could do that, then...

"Would that allow us to instantly communicate? If we can, then we might still have a shot at beating him." (Y/N) hummed slightly, he might just have one trick left up his sleeve.

"Do you have a plan?" Shimon asked, warily eyeing down the slowly approaching Vetto. A sinister smirk lay plastered upon his face, clearly confident in his own victory.

"Maybe. Melody, can you link us all up, including Noelle, Gauche, Charmy and Grey?" (Y/N) asked, grasping his swords tightly as Melody nodded meekly, the others sharing a look of concern. What would he be planning? Would it even work?

"[Sound Magic: Linked Aria!]" Melody chanted her spell, her Grimoire shining with a serene white glaze as a chain of soundwaves seemed to interlink all the members of the Black Bulls, including the ones who hadn't been on the frontlines.

"Alright, here's the plan..." (Y/N) held nothing back, telling the others of his final plan. It was an all or nothing attempt. By himself, he could not accomplish it against Vetto's overwhelming magic, when he himself had a little less than half of his own remaining.

"Eh? No! That's far too dangerous!" Alice instantly shot down his plan, though (Y/N) merely shrugged as he raised Heaven's Reach towards the approaching Vetto, who easily took his merry time approaching the group.

"She's right! What if one of us fails?!" Noelle cried out, pushing past her initial surprise of hearing (Y/N)'s voice seemingly transmitted into her head. She had thought she was going insane for a moment...

"Then the attacks collide, explode, and I'm permanently out of the fight. Simple as that." (Y/N) shrugged nonchalantly, still keeping his eyes trained upon Vetto's figure. He knew his plan would come with serious risks, but he trusted the people here enough.

"A plan like this...but are you really sure you can actually do that? You aren't just being hypothetical, are you?" Ruby asked, a nervous drop of sweat on her face. She couldn't deny that, if executed correctly, it could potentially work.

"Probably." (Y/N) shrugged, a helpless smile on his face. He didn't really know if it was possible, but it was the best plan he could come up with.

"You've got some serious balls, man..." Shimon couldn't help but praise, staring at (Y/N) as if he was insane. This plan...truly, only an insane person would come up with it...

"It's too risky!" Noelle instantly gave her thoughts on the plan. She would be an integral part in it, but she had only just attained the [Sea Dragon's Roar]... would she be able to control it as she wanted?

"It's the only plan I've got. He's already wary of Asta's swords, so he'll be on permanent alert. With how he is now, I doubt we'll get either of those swords near him without getting blown away. Alice alone can only fight on even ground with him for so long." (Y/N)'s words seemed to resonate with everyone, their eyes turning towards Alice, who only smiled awkwardly. Even if the [Blaze Queen's Raiment] allowed her to stand on even ground with Vetto, its mana consumption wasn't anything to scoff at, either...

"But..." Noelle protested weakly, though she ultimately sighed. She doubted she could persuade (Y/N) to try anything else, not that they had much leisure to try anything else, regardless.

"So, think you guys can do it? I'm ready to go whenever." (Y/N) couldn't help the smirk surfacing on his face. A single mistake would instantly put him out of the fight...

"...You're really something else." Vanessa laughed slightly, shaking her head in disbelief. She couldn't believe they were really about to do this...

"That's a crazy plan, but I can do it!" Asta grinned widely, brandishing the Demon-Dweller Sword in his hands. This plan was extremely risky, he couldn't afford to mess up even once!

"...Then we'll go with that plan. Don't die on us, alright?" Akari nodded her head resolutely, (Y/N) smirking slightly as he readjusted the sheathed Phantasm on his waist.

"Then, I'll be waiting. You'll know what the signal is when you see it, so let's stop playing around..." (Y/N)'s eyes suddenly turned serious, turning into a streak of lightning as he rushed towards Vetto in a burst of lightning.

"...and finish this up!" (Y/N) instantly pushed all of his senses to their limits, a realm of starry blue erupting around him as he executed [Sword's Orbit].

"Are you vermin finally done running? Come! I'll show you the path to despair!" Vetto couldn't help his sinister grin, his claws flaring with immense amounts of blackened-orange mana as he instantly responded to (Y/N)'s attack with his own, causing a clash between the two, though (Y/N) was sent flying back.

However, quickly manifesting a void blade, (Y/N) instantly warped towards Vetto once more, slashing at him from overhead as Vetto met his blade with his claw, before using his remaining claw to punch at the airborne (Y/N).

"(Y/N), from your left!" Akari's voice suddenly shouted in his head. Gritting his teeth, (Y/N) instantly pushed off of Heaven's Reach and twisted his body to the right, a flash of flames bursting beside him as Alice blocked the claw with her own royal white blade, though she winced slightly as the attack sunk her feet into the ground.

A silvery spatial rift then appeared beside Vetto, Asta instantly rocketing out of it as he slashed at the three-eyed man, though Vetto instantly dodged the attack, the Demon-Dweller Sword barely cascading past his immense-magical beast armor.

"Pull Asta out of there!" Akari instantly instructed, Vanessa nodding as she instantly tugged on her threads, pulling Asta into another spatial rift as Vetto's claw slashed his previous position, no longer suppressing (Y/N).

"Get lost, you pest!" Vetto scowled at Alice, instantly stomping on the floor beneath her and sending her stumbling, before he used his claw to slap her away, though she managed to shield the brunt of the attack with her sword, resulting in her only being sent flying.

"[Demon Beast Magic: ???????????!]" Vetto suddenly casted another spell, and once more a magic circle radiating horrific intent manifested before him, a monstrous head emerging and roaring at (Y/N) before him, unleashing a torrent of purple flames.

Gritting his teeth, (Y/N) landed on the ground as he grasped the sheathed Phantasm' hilt, his eyes annoyed as he saw the attack incoming. He had no room to dodge due to the distance, so the only method left was...

"Don't underestimate me!" (Y/N) instantly unsheathed Phantasm in a single, smooth motion as the blade unleashed a massive spike of [Void Magic], clashing against the oncoming beam of flames, instantly kicking up an explosion of dust, clouding (Y/N) from view.

However, before Vetto could follow up his attack, suddenly several spatial rifts opened around him, three flaming crimson scythes and two torrential spears of water bursting through as Vetto instantly clawed at the spells, kicking up yet another explosion of magic, this time kicking up a veil of steam as Vetto grunted in annoyance.

However, even with his sight blocked, he could sense movements with his natural instincts and sharp senses.

Two people suddenly burst into the veil of smoke, one shining bright golden and the other surrounded in dense amounts of magic. Behind them, a storm of blossoms suddenly followed.

"[Blaze Magic: Infernum Burst!]"

"[Water Magic: Torrential Typhoon!]"

"[Blossom Magic: Effervescent Bloom!]"

The three mages launched their attacks, Alice's blade coated in a fierce golden flame as she executed a sweeping slash upwards towards Vetto, the two [Spear of the Squall]'s in Shimon's hands suddenly overloading with mana as he slashed them in unison towards Vetto, and a storm of sharp blossoms assailing Vetto.

"These tricks will get you nowhere, rats!" Vetto growled, his claws suddenly surging with immense mana as he slashed before him, meeting the three spells with his own claw, a shockwave of magic instantly dispersing the clouds of steam and dust.

Recovering instantly, Vetto slashed at the two close-range mages with his claws, intent on finishing them then and there. However, just as he approached the two, a starry blue realm suddenly manifested around them, and Vetto instantly found his claws clashing with a blackish-red blade and a bright white blade.

"I told you...not to underestimate me!" (Y/N), despite the various new wounds on his body, scowled as Phantasm and Heaven's Reach turned into mere blurs in his arms, engaging in dozens of clashes with Vetto.

"Why won't you just despair, boy?!" Vetto couldn't understand the human before him. Without his scythe, he posed no threat to Vetto. If he was able to defeat both Arran and Licht, then surely he wasn't an idiot. He should know of the divide between their strengths.

"None of you pests are strong enough to contend with me! Every single clash with me, you lose more of your options! Only despair waits at the end of this battle!" Vetto growled out in annoyance, though (Y/N) only smirked as Alice and Shimon both flanked around his spell, instantly casting their own beside Vetto.

"[Shadowflame Magic: Crimson Blades!]"

"[Water Magic: Ryūjin's Tempest!]"

Alice instantly summoned four crimson blades around her, all soaring with roaring flames as she manipulated them to attack Vetto, who was still caught in his clash with (Y/N)'s [Sword's Orbit]. Shimon similarly followed suit, both of his spears vibrating with immense mana as he launched them towards Vetto, the beastly man grunting as the blades and spears instantly exploded into him, sending him stumbling back as the attacks shattered the ground he stood upon.

"Only despair awaits at the end of our path? Who the hell are you to decide that?!" (Y/N) instantly stepped forward upon Vetto's slight retreat, slashing at him with both of his blades as the others watched on with bated breaths.

This would be the moment...

"Shut it, you annoying pest!" Vetto growled as he clawed at (Y/N), his attention fully focused on the boy before him, unaware of the mana seeming to gather around the rest of his adversaries.

Clawing at him, Vetto attempted to slash at (Y/N), who only continued his approach in response, parrying Vetto's claw with Phantasm, though the immense force behind the attack instantly sent his hand rocketing behind him, hanging behind his head with Phantasm in his grasp. The blade seemed to shine with a strange edge, glinting softly in the light...

...!

"Damnit...Don't die, you idiot! [Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Roar!]"

"Hmph. Don't mess this up! [Water Magic: Ryūjin's Tempest!]"

"I'm giving everything I've got! [Blaze Magic: Imperial Bladestorm!]"

"Go for it! [Hellflame Magic: Scorching Fang!]"

"G-Good luck...! [Sound Magic: Chaotic Resonance!]"

"Tch. Don't make Marie sad, you dumbass! [Mirror Magic: Reflect Refrain!]"

"You can do this, la! [Cotton Magic: Strike of the Sleeping Sheep!]"

Instantly, a barrage of attacks shot off towards Vetto and (Y/N), making the former's eyes widen in shock as the latter smirked slightly, despite his wounds as he grasped Phantasm tightly.

"A single rush of attacks?! No, wait, the boy is here as well...what are they up to? Wait..." Vetto suddenly smirked sinisterly, his claws flashing forward as his own Grimoire glowed brightly with immense amounts of eerie mana, his claws suddenly sharpening immensely, a magic circle radiating horrific intent forming beside him, clawing out at (Y/N) before him.

Across the room, Akari couldn't help but gasp in shock...he had really...

(Y/N) instantly grit his teeth as he raised Heaven's Reach to intercept Vetto's attack, though due to his use of only one blade to defend himself, (Y/N) was instantly sent flying back into the barrage of spells, which all seemed to converge on his location.

Turning around with narrowed eyes, (Y/N) instantly felt himself get overtaken by the barrage of attacks, a bright light engulfing him as a massive explosion resounded through the room, the various spells colliding and kicking up a veil of dust, (Y/N)'s body sent flying out of the epicenter of the explosion, blood flowing from his head and splashed onto his clothing from the immense impact.

Yet, a strange silverish-red glow now seemed to supercharge Phantasm within his grasp...

"...This changes nothing! Let's go!" Akari grit her teeth, the others giving (Y/N) a side glance before instantly shooting forward and back into the battle.

"That boy is down, now it's only a matter of time until these fools run out of magic...entertain me, rats!" Vetto grinned maniacally, a sense of glee within his eyes as he saw (Y/N)'s battered, beaten form. With one nuisance out of the picture, the rest would begin to stumble and fall.

"Not yet!" Asta instantly rocketed out of a spatial rift beside Vetto, catching his attention immediately as Vetto jumped back, dodging the slash from the Demon-Dweller Blade, before he stomped on the ground, kicking up several rocks as Vetto used his claw to launch them all towards Asta, the ash-blonde haired boy gritting his teeth as Vanessa instantly pulled him into another rift.

Alice flashed next to Vetto in that very moment, her blade shining brightly as she slashed out at him, Shimon appearing beside her a moment later out of a spatial rift, Asta falling from above Vetto as three more flaming crimson scythes approached from above as well. Below him, the ground seemed to bloom to life as an azure haze spread swiftly, before vines began to bind Vetto's feet. Around the ground, several dozen mirrors positioned themselves as a beam of magic reflected off them all.

"This is the last of my magic! I can't make any more scythes, I barely have enough left to control them!" Ruby couldn't help the nervous smile on her face, sweat pouring down her face as her ruby colored eyes stared in both expectation and nervousness at the current fight.

"Come on...we just need to stall him for a little longer..!" Noelle couldn't help the worry grasping at her heart, though she only bit her lip as she stared at the distant, unconscious and bloody (Y/N). She had faith...

"He'd really...seen how this would go..." Akari couldn't help her surprise as she recalled the "plan" (Y/N) had come up with...

Flashback

"Alright, here's the plan...I will fight Vetto first, I will draw his attention to me while Alice comes in next, and she will block Vetto's attack that he'd surely perform on me." (Y/N) explained, getting a slight nod from the group. But, where was he exactly going with this plan?

"Afterwards, Vanessa and Finral will direct Asta to take Vetto's attention off of us for just a moment, though Asta will also have to get out of there fast." (Y/N) continued, the group glancing at the three mages...er, two mages and one magicless boy.

"After Asta is pulled out of there, he'll turn his attention back to Alice and I, and most likely, he'll attack Alice primarily, seeing as I no longer hold my scythe, hence he most likely doesn't think I'm a threat any longer. Alice, you'll need to block his attack, though he will most likely find a way to break your defense, so be prepared for the worst." (Y/N) nodded at Alice, who only nodded back resolutely. With the [Blaze Queen's Raiment], she was sure Vetto would be unable to pierce through the Primordial Blaze.

"And? What then?" Akari asked, not seeing how this would be any different than the fight they'd been putting up until then.

"After he gets rid of Alice, he'll turn his attention back to me, most likely. To get rid of me, since he seems to have some sort of grudge, he'll probably cast one of those insane spells point blank to try and eliminate me." (Y/N) hummed, his eyes warily shifting between his teammates and the ever-so-slowly approaching Vetto.

"And we are to pull you out of there?" Vanessa asked curiously, though (Y/N) only chuckled.

"Nope. I can handle his spell all on my own." (Y/N) smirked slightly, his grip on Phantasm's sheathe tightening a bit.

"What?! That's crazy! You've seen how powerful those spells are!" Finral couldn't help but exclaim, flabbergasted at (Y/N)'s bravery or stupidity. At this point, he couldn't tell.

"Don't underestimate me. I can handle one of his spells by myself, but that's about the limit. Trust me." (Y/N) smiled slightly, his teammates glancing at each other in a worried manner. Would he really be able to handle a spell of that magnitude point blank?

"After that, I'll probably be in danger of a follow up attack from him, so Ruby and Shimon will both use their attacks together to create a smokescreen of steam. After they do that, Alice and Shimon can both rush in with their own attacks, and Akari, you'll also have to attack there. With your abilities, I'm sure you'd be able to follow along just fine." (Y/N) continued his plan, the three four mages in question nodding along. They could indeed follow his plan so far...

"Knowing Vetto, he'll probably try and attack you two after he deals with your attacks, but I'll take care of that by then. With that in mind, both of you will attack again as I deal with his attention from the front. Both of you will prioritize making him move back, even if ever so slightly. As long as he stumbles for even one second, we have a chance." (Y/N) continued, the others nodding along.

"But, how will that defeat him?" Noelle asked cautiously, slight suspicion in her eyes as she stared at (Y/N). What kind of crazy scheme would he come up with this time...

"That won't. After he stumbles back for even a second, knowing him it won't take long to recover, and he'll probably do it instantly, in which case I will once again take his attention. Alice and Shimon, by this point, will start retreating back towards you as I draw Vetto's attention. After I draw his attention, he will most likely attack me, and I will block it, in which case I will give the signal." (Y/N) smiled mysteriously, his eyes seeming to glaze over with a strange fighting instinct.

"Signal? What signal? Signal for what?" Shimon asked, staring expectantly at the (h/c) haired boy before him.

"The signal for an all out attack. Hold nothing back. At this point of the plan, everyone who can use offensive spells will attack Vetto and me without holding anything back." (Y/N) shrugged, a calm look on his face as the others stared at him, stupefied. Did he plan to sacrifice himself for a single all out attack?!

"I refu-"

"Hold up, I'm not done. After that, Vetto will likely take notice of the attacks and use the chance to attack me, since I'll be facing back towards the attacks, and try to use the attacks to his own advantage. In which case..." (Y/N) suddenly smirked, grasping Phantasm's hilt as an amused glint shone within his electrifying (e/c) colored orbs.

"In which case what?" Ruby asked, not seeing as to how (Y/N) could possibly turn the situation at that point in their favor.

"I'll deal with the rest. At that point, all you guys have got to do is distract Vetto for about a minute. In that minute, I will end the battle." (Y/N) smirked confidently, his (e/c) colored eyes eyes blazing with ardent resolve.

Flashback End...

"All we need to do is distract him for a minute..." Akari shook her head, instantly getting her mind back into the battle. She couldn't help but remark, however, that (Y/N)'s plan seemed to have played out perfectly. Now, all that they needed to do was uphold their final part...

"Let's go! Don't hold anything back! [Blossom Magic: First Petal ~ Rapture!]" Akari casted her spell, the azure fields beneath seeming to instantly manifest a giant red petal, which instantly zoomed towards the scaly-armored Vetto.

"Meaningless tricks!" Vetto reached out with his claw, meeting the attack head on as he grasped the petal, and despite her attempts, Akari couldn't manage to pierce through Vetto's claw, the petal in his claws dissipating as he crushed it.

??????????

(Y/N) awoke within a strange world, finding himself laying on the ground as he stared up at the endless blue skies above. From time to time, he'd even catch sight of clouds merely shifting about their ways.

Shifting slightly, (Y/N) instantly took notice of the lack of his blades, and of his surroundings. He lay in a myriad of flowers, yet, within this seemingly serene field, dozens upon dozens, hundreds of blades lay planted upon the fields.

Blades of all forms, of all sizes, of all kinds of Magic's...merely still within this strange world.

Within the Temple...

"Don't forget about me! [Shadowflame Magic: Phoenix Lotus!]" Alice followed up Akari's attack, arriving beside Vetto as various blackish-lilac petals began to swirl around him, though Vetto merely grinned savagely as he clawed all around him, releasing two separate waves of his magic, slashing through the petals as Alice grit her teeth.

"I don't have enough magic left for a single [Blaze Magic] spell..." Alice glanced at her armor, before shifting her gaze back towards Vetto. How much longer would she last...?

"[Water Magic: Leviathan's Grip!]" Shimon casted his own spell as he dashed past Alice, a giant claw made of water grasping at Vetto, though he merely used his own claw to slash right through the spell, dissipating it.

"We're not done yet!" Asta suddenly barreled out of a spatial portal beside Vetto, the beastly man scowling as he leapt back, dodging the attack. The only real threat to him that remained was the Anti-Magic Swords...that girl had barely any mana remaining, she couldn't even cast her strongest spells anymore.

??????????

"Are you wondering where you are?" A serene voice broke through the calm world, and (Y/N) shifted his gaze to a particular blade a small distance away from him. It was a shattered black blade. It seemed....familiar?

"Sort of. I've learned to just roll with things like this happening, by this point." (Y/N) shrugged nonchalantly, shifting his gaze from the blade and into the person standing ontop of it.

A single girl, with celestial black hair and equally bewitching crimson eyes. Her face told of only absolute beauty, and her figure matched her perfectly. She was a voluptuous beauty, her curves perfectly complimented by the attire she wore, which seemed reminiscent of Alice's current gear, yet blackened, as if...fallen.

Yet, enchanting.

And yet, the thing that most drew (Y/N)'s attention was not her beauty, but rather, her familiarity and mystery.

Within the Temple...

Leaping forward, Vetto instantly clawed at Asta as Vanessa and Finral, having been warned by Akari, pulled him out of the way before Shimon and Alice both sprinted towards Vetto, the former slashing towards him as the latter launched his spears towards him, both vibrating with immense mana.

Raising his claw, Vetto growled as he slashed through the spells before he used his remaining claw to block Alice's blade, however, three silvery portals once more appeared around Vetto, three crimson scythes bursting forward as Ruby attacked him, though Vetto merely used his claw and grasped onto Alice's blade, getting a light yelp from her as Vetto tossed her and her blade aside, before instantly turning to slash down the three scythes in a single motion.

"That's the last of my magic...!" Ruby exclaimed nervously, no longer able to summon any more [Flare Scythe]'s. She had truly reached her limit now.

"[Sound Magic: Auric Wingbeat!]" Melody casted her own spell, sending forth a shockwave of sounds as Vetto held his ground, the attack crashing into his scaly armor before dissipating, having no impact at all on Vetto.

"That's enough squirming from you, rats! [Demon Beast Magic: ??????????!]" Vetto cast his next spell, a magic circle radiating with horrific intent manifesting before him as a spike formed before him. In an instant, it shattered into smaller spikes, before the spikes instantly shot towards the Magic Knights and Temple Knights.

"[Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Lair!]" Noelle, in an attempt to block Vetto's spell, casted her own as a shield of torrential waters rose around the Knights, though the shield instantly shattered upon contact with his magic. However, it had served to slow the projectiles down long enough for the others to dodge.

??????????

Despite this girl - this celestial beauty standing elegantly upon the hilt of the shattered blade, he couldn't help but notice.

Despite her being in his sight, he could not sense her at all. His magic detection completely bypassed her, and if he didn't have his sight on her - he was sure he'd never even notice her presence.

"I see." The girl's lips twinged slightly into a smile, almost as if amused by his reluctant acceptance of his circumstances.

"..." (Y/N) stared at the celestial beauty for several more seconds, unsure of what to say. She felt familiar, yet he could never recall meeting the strange girl.

Within the Temple...

"[Water Magic: Ryūjin's Tempest!]" Shimon casted his spell, gritting his teeth as his two spears suddenly fluctuated with immense magic, before he threw them both towards Vetto, who only growled lowly.

These tricks were getting old!

"We're not...finished yet!" A silvery portal appeared beside Vetto as he had raised his claws to block the incoming spell, Asta instantly shooting out of it as he slashed at Vetto with the Demon-Dweller Sword, resulting in Vetto having to retreat back from the blade.

??????????

"Are you interested in who I am?" The celestial girl asked, and (Y/N) had to admit, he believed for a moment she could read his mind. Regardless, he had a small hunch he knew who she was.

"Not really. I've just got a goal to complete, that's all." (Y/N) nonchalantly shrugged as he stood up, before he approached the girl, still standing as elegant as ever upon the shattered blade, before he arrived below her.

And without a second thought, he placed his hand upon the very same hilt the celestial girl stood upon.

Within the Temple...

"Why? Why won't these pests give up?! Why don't they despair?!" Vetto couldn't help but remark to himself, sweat beginning to drip down his face as those brats continued to fight.

No matter how many times he knocked them down, they'd always get back up!

Why!

Why couldn't they see that they could never win? Why were they fighting so desperately for a battle that would never end in their win?!

"Haah!" Alice instantly appeared beside Vetto in a burst of golden flames, her sword encroached by ferocious golden flames as she slashed at Vetto, managing to leave small singes in his armor, yet still unable to pierce through without her spells.

Moving to smack away the relentless pest, Vetto raised his claw, only for two spears of water to instantly make contact with his claw, pushing his hand back as Shimon grit his teeth, his aqua colored hair riddled with sweat.

Growling, Vetto instantly stomped on the azure vines' on the ground, various rocks flying into the air around him as he prepared to punch them towards him, only for Alice's bright golden blade to instantly melt them all with a single burst of her flames.

"[Blossom Magic: Third Petal ~ Finality!]" Akari casted her spell, sweat falling down her face as she casted her spell, the azure fields of the ground below manifesting a small black petal, which under Akari's command, instantly attacked Vetto, though he merely held his claw out, grasping the petal, though it managed to push him back ever so slightly, shattering the floor beneath him.

"We...aren't done...yet!" Asta burst through another silvery portal, the Demon-Dweller Sword in his hands as he slashed at Vetto, the beastly man jumping back to avoid the slash. In a single twist, Asta suddenly spun before he shot the Demon-Dweller Sword at Vetto, catching the beastly man by surprise as the jet black sword passed by him, barely able to maneuver himself out of its path, though Asta had already instantly reclaimed it though yet another portal.

??????????

"I see." The strange female seemed to smile slightly, her lips curling into a ghost of a smile as her mesmerizing crimson eyes, with seemingly infinite fondness and amusement, stared into his own.

"..." (Y/N) stared at the celestial beauty for a few more seconds before he gazed down at the blade she stood upon, before he suddenly smiled slightly.

"My power is all yours, Master~." (Y/N), despite the girl standing ontop of the sword, pulled the sword out of its planted position upon the field of flowery blades, the girl giggling slightly as she faded in a burst of black blossoms, falling down around (Y/N) as he raised the shattered black blade, which instantly changed to show a blade he was extremely familiar with.

To show that of a Phantasm.

And with that, the world around him suddenly seemed to fade as he felt everything go black once more, only hearing a final set of words, his eyes widening ever so slightly, before he released a small chuckle as everything went black, and he no longer felt anything.

Within the Temple...

"You damn pests! Just despair already! Nothing awaits at the end of your path except despair!" Vetto burst forward in a twist of speed, instantly appearing before Alice as he clawed down at her, the peachish-blue haired girl wincing as she blocked the attack with her sword, though it forced her feet into the ground yet again.

Shifting her blade and breaking free from Vetto's attack, Alice instantly thrusted her blade at him several dozen times, a golden flame burning along her blade as she left several dozen more singes upon Vetto's scaly armor, with a part even seeming to crack slightly.

Ignoring her attack, Vetto instantly used his claw to slap Alice away, though she managed to block with her sword, however, the pure force behind his attack sent her flying back.

Vetto then burst forth, arriving before Shimon as the blue haired boy grimaced, before instantly twirling both of his spears before him as Vetto clawed at him, meeting the two spears in a clash as Shimon instantly blasted away, his spears shattered from the attack.

Suddenly, a barrage of mirrors suddenly seemed to form around Vetto, who only growled as he shot several fist-like projectiles towards the mirrors, shattering them instantly.

Following, a sound wave suddenly seemed to boom towards him, Vetto standing his ground as the earth around him seemed to shatter, though Vetto himself remained utterly unharmed.

A storm of blossoms followed after the sound wave, instantly wrapping up Vetto in a whirlwind of blossoms. Growling in annoyance, Vetto's claw surged with magic as he slashed around him, instantly shredding through the blossoms.

Shifting his eyes as Asta emerged from a silvery portal beside him, Vetto instantly clawed at him. However, Asta, who had been told of the attack by Akari, instantly dodged it with Vanessa's aid as he slashed at Vetto, the beastly man scowling as he jumped back.

No matter how weak it's wielder may be, the Demon-Slayer and Demon-Dweller Swords would always be a threat to any mage...

Deciding to press on, Asta rushed forward with the Demon-Dweller Sword, and out of the corner of his eyes, Vetto saw a flash of golden flames and a burst of dense water. Turning his attention to the oncoming threats, Vetto instantly slapped aside the dense ball of [Water Magic], courtesy of Noelle, before turning back towards Asta, dodging to the side as he then clawed towards both the oncoming Alice and Asta, instantly halting any attempt they might've had at approaching as he slapped the two away.

"Enough! Just despair already, you annoying humans! This is not a battle you can ever win!" Vetto couldn't help but growl in frustration, gritting his teeth. Just how long would these humans put up this ceaseless, yet meaningless resistance?!

"Just accept your fate and be squashed! I've already beaten you down time and time again, why will you not understand you simply cannot win?! Nothing awaits at the end of your path except despair! I've already beaten down your close-combat mages, you stand no hope of defeating me!" Vetto growled in annoyance as Asta slowly recovered with the help of Vanessa's threads, breathing heavily as blood flowed freely down his body, yet still he found the will within himself to stand again. Alice similarly rose from her own crash, her hair in disarray as the phoenix pin seemed close to falling off, but she still stood as she gripped her blade tightly, ignoring the exhaustion beginning to grip at her as she brandished her blade once more.

Suddenly, however, before anyone else could take any form of action, a massive mana signature seemed to erupt throughout the cavern, smaller rocks beginning to shake before eventually bursting into dust.

"Are you sure...you beat all of us down...?" Alice couldn't help but smirk slightly, ignoring the wounds on her body as hope began to surface in her eyes, seeing a familiar figure begin to rise in the distance.

"Didn't I tell you...we weren't giving...up yet...much less him...!" Asta grinned widely, Vetto scowling at the two as he shifted his gaze towards a small distance away, before his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Hah....hah....hah...that took longer than I expected, but it seems like I made it just in time...!" Vetto's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the rising figure of the wolf-masked boy a short distance away, Shimon also slowly beginning to rise, sweat dripping down his face as he held his arm with a wince.

"Impossible...how...how could you, a mere human, still stand after all this?!" Vetto asked in shock, taking an involuntary step back as (Y/N), despite the blood trailing down his lips, managed to form his signature smirk, his face littered with wounds, yet his eyes shining with resolve and confidence.

"Fuck you, that's how." (Y/N) couldn't help but wince as he felt the pain assail his body, yet still he forced himself to stand.

"You say that...nothing but despair awaits us at the end of our paths..." (Y/N) began to speak as he stepped forth, grasping the blackish-red blade in his hands tightly.

"...He did it...!" Akari couldn't help but exclaim in shock. His plan...had actually been successful. However, she couldn't help but recall his words.

"I'll handle the rest."

What exactly WOULD he do?

"Hey...do you know what they call us...?" (Y/N) questioned, his hair hanging over his eyes as he slowly took a step towards Vetto, immense amounts of mana beginning to gather near his blade.

More and more mana seemed to converge near his blade, Vetto taking yet another involuntary step back. This human...no...this devil, something had changed...!

"Go! Finish it!" Ruby yelled, her eyes lit with hope as she saw (Y/N) stand up. Perhaps...perhaps, finally, this battle could end!

"For us to protect everything that we hold close to us..." (Y/N) continued on as he stepped forth yet again, Vetto taking another involuntary step back.

"Go...you dumbass...!" Shimon yelled out as he held his arm in pain, though even his eyes began to shine with newfound hope. Perhaps this reckless plan...may have worked...!

As for Vetto...his senses...every single one of his senses told him to run...before him was no human...

"For us to survive, and to fight against those who want to destroy what we hold..." (Y/N) took another step forward, the force behind his steps instantly shattering the ground beneath him, the mana converging on his blade suddenly surging.

"Shut it...SHUT UP! YOU PESKY HUMAN, JUST DIE ALREADY!" Vetto howled out in rage, and instantly, several dozen magic circles radiating with horrific intent manifested above him, all of them surging with mana.

(Y/N)'s eyes suddenly seemed to glint as he slashed Phantasm forth towards Vetto, a near-invisible silver slash seeming to follow as the magic circles were slashed in half, (Y/N) instantly lowering the blade once more, his grip tightening on its hilt.

That's right...he had the strength now...!

"We band together to protect everything we hold...to protect everything we survey over! We are...Magic Knights!" (Y/N) suddenly scowled as he stepped forth once more, his eyes glaring into Vetto's own as the beastly man stepped back twice, his eyes wide open in...fear?!

In fear of this...of this...of this devil?!

"SHUT UP! JUST DESPAIR ALREADY! PERISH! VANISH! JUST DIE ALREADY, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Vetto held nothing back, his claw surging with magic, suddenly enlarging over five times its size as he slashed down at (Y/N), who only smirked slightly as the claw descended upon him, crashing against him and kicking up a veil of dust.

"(Y/N)!" Noelle shouted in horror, Alice watching with narrowed eyes. This power...just where had (Y/N) obtained this strength from...?

The others stared on in shock, as if trying to gaze into the results of the veil of dust.

Suddenly, a single black void blade pierced through the veil of smoke, instantly arriving at Vetto as the blade stabbed into his armor, yet it did nothing, merely clashing against it before dissipating.

"Are you done with your attack?"

A calm voice asked as the smoke dissipated, showing (Y/N), the Ancient Gods Mask on his face seemingly roaring as a golden shield engulfed him, instantly blocking Vetto's attack effortlessly.

"Then it's my turn. In this next attack...I'll show you. I'll carve my own path to follow. I'll sever both you and your despair...!" (Y/N) took another step forth, his eyes shining with resolve as he raised his blade above his head, Vetto taking several involuntary steps back.

The mana above (Y/N) seemed to mutate, instantly bathing the caverns in a midnight blue light as a devilish edge seemed to extend from (Y/N)'s blade, the mana emitting from him instantly turning the rocks near to him to dust, shattering them instantly as the blade seemed to suddenly surge, growing immensely as mana seemed to pour endlessly into his attack, the blade above him suddenly growing over ten times his size...

"Go! Magic Knight, finish this!"

"You've got this, Magic Knight!"

"Come on! Finish him, Magic Knight!"

The people outside cheered, their eyes ablaze with hope as (Y/N) held the massive blade above himself, his electrifying (e/c) colored eyes seeming to shine with immense concentration.

"You...you damn human...! As if anything you can muster will ever be enough to defeat me...! Your fancy tricks won't get you anywhere!" Vetto exclaimed, though his eyes shook as sweat begin to drip down his face, watching with unease as the blade in (Y/N)'s hands, made purely of that sinister, yet noble mana continued to condense, growing ever stronger...

"This boy...I had thought that he was just like me, that he was a beast...but he..." Vetto couldn't help but think as sweat dripped down his face in terror, the blade in (Y/N)'s hands suddenly growing even taller, the pure mana radiating off him crushing the very ground around him, instantly forming dozens upon dozens of web-like cracks upon the earth.

"He's no beast...this boy is...a Devil...!" Vetto instantly surged with all of his magic, his armor seeming to howl with his magic as Vetto sweat profusely in the face of the devilish edge before him...

"I'll carve the path...that we will follow...I will be the one to carve our path forward! Vetto! This battle ends here!" (Y/N) shouted as he suddenly shifted his hold upon Phantasm, taking a step forward as the blade suddenly blazed to life with even more mana, instantly shattering the ground around him completely as the Temple itself began to shake, stalagmites beginning to fall from their long-held locations and crashing into the ground.

"You...you damn devil! Bring it! I'll crush whatever you throw! I'll bring you to your knees...!" Vetto spoke as his claw suddenly enlarged, bursting forth as (Y/N) stared at him for a moment, before he raised Phantasm in his hands, with its almighty mana blade following after.

"You can try. [Nightfall Magic:...-" (Y/N) chanted as he took a step forth, the shattered ground around him seeming to levitate as his blade began it's descent.

"-Shadowblade-" (Y/N) spoke as he slashed down harshly with his blade, the phantom midnight blue blade following suit as even more mana seemed to converge upon its edge, until finally, it was all released.

"-Samsara!]" (Y/N) casted his spell, slashing down his blade as a beam of pure and utter destruction followed, a single glint of midnight blue being the only warning. Vetto raised his claws to defend himself, only for his eyes to widen as the blade instantly arrived before him, swallowing him up in its display as the beam continued.

The sword beam instantly melted any ground it passed by, leaving nothing but molten rock as it rushed by, unchallenged. Everything in its path met nothing but destruction, the sword beam instantly tearing through the Temple walls as it melted those around its primary point of attack. It continued on even further, stretching into the far reaches of the Underwater Temple as it instantly pierced through the entire Temple, and any buildings that were unfortunately enough to be caught in its way were instantly destroyed.

Everything in its path disintegrated, the sword beam collided with the barrier around the Underwater Temple, and instantly, the entire Temple began to shake as a massive explosion suddenly took place. Near the walls of the barrier, the midnight blue sword beam suddenly imploded into a massive explosion, instantly shattering any and all buildings unfortunate enough to be within its range. Suddenly, a massive midnight blue tornado raged as the barrier of the Underwater Temple shook, various cracks beginning to appear upon the barrier, spreading through the entire barrier as even the seas began to tremble, the tornado instantly annihilating anything caught in its grasp...

Instantly, however, the entire tornado seemed to freeze as the cracks upon the barrier of the Underwater Temple followed suit. In fact...everything seemed to freeze as suddenly, a ginormous creature, its size unfathomable, coiled around the Underwater Temple, its luminescent dark blue scales seeming to shine with immense amounts of mana. If anyone were to witness this, they'd be left utterly stunned. A single scale contained several times that of the spell (Y/N) just used....

Suddenly, the barrier of the Underwater Temple began to repair itself, the midnight blue tornado instantly beginning to vanish as the Leviathan stared towards the central Temple, its gaze unrestrained, as if the walls in its way were not there in the first place.

"The Successor..." The Leviathan's eyes narrowed slightly.

In a flash, it suddenly disappeared as time seemed to resume, the midnight blue tornado instantly beginning to die down after some minor sparks of continuous damage to its surroundings, instantly turning the entire previous section of the Underwater Temple into a molten crater, leaving nothing in its wake.

"..." Silence permeated throughout the entire Underwater Temple as the shaking in the Temple finally ceased, the mana within the Temple beginning to settle down as the magic began to dissipate, (Y/N) holding Phantasm, his eyes hazy with shock.

"H...holy shit..." (Y/N) muttered, voicing out the thoughts of everyone who watched. Even though he had expected the spell to be powerful...this went beyond all his expectations.

Suddenly, a crash seemed to resound through the area as the dust cleared, Vetto falling to the ground with all three of his eyes whited out, (Y/N) instantly grimacing upon seeing his figure. Burns that even the best healing mages would find impossible to heal, his skin charred beyond repair and more slashes upon his skin than physically possible...

"...Honesty, I'm kind of surprised he didn't just disintegrate in general. But..." (Y/N) couldn't help but stare in awe at the results of his spell. Although it was still not yet as strong as the one he casted in Kikka...its strength was astounding, nonetheless.

He hadn't defeated Vetto.

He had utterly annihilated him.

Alice's stared on in a daze as she saw the various molten ground, her eyes widened in shock and mouth slight ajar. She couldn't even find it within herself to make any sort of coherent sound.

She couldn't deny that she...kind of felt bad for Vetto...

"W-what kind of overpowered spell is that...?" Noelle couldn't stop herself from asking, her voice soft as she surveyed every single effect of the spell, the scene replaying in her mind over and over.

Although she knew (Y/N) was strong, this spell simply...it was beyond any she'd ever witnessed.

"Although I was far from it in Kikka, I thought I'd gotten a pretty good grasp on the strength of this spell. But, now that I witness it firsthand..." Noelle thought, her eyes hazy as she traced over the pure destruction [Shadowblade Samsara] had caused.

"...My entire previous measuring seems like a bad joke." Noelle couldn't help but feel slight pity for Vetto, who received the attack head on as she winced, glancing over his defeated- no, his annihilated figure.

"This is the same guy...I was fighting earlier...?" Shimon stared on, dumbfounded as he traced the destruction caused with his eyes. If he weren't personally there to see it, he'd never have believed a spell this powerful could ever exist...

"The strongest of the Underwater Temple...? What a joke..." Shimon grimaced, realizing the true meaning of strength. He'd believed that the Old Man, the strongest of the Underwater Temple, was already extremely strong. However, this spell had shattered that illusion completely.

If there was anyone worthy of being labeled "strong"...it was the caster of this spell.

However, none of them had been as affected as Asta, who stared on in utter disbelief.

This spell...that beam of absolute destruction...was casted by his rival and brother?

"How the hell..." Asta couldn't help but grit his teeth, and for the second time in his life, he was utterly unsure of himself.

"Just how the hell am I supposed to match up to a spell like that?!" Asta asked himself, gritting his teeth harshly as helplessness began to settle in. Would his Anti-Magic even be able to negate a spell of that magnitude?

Would he be just like Vetto, instantly swallowed by the attack and utterly annihilated?

Yet, no answers came to him as Asta stared on in silent shock, the spell replaying over and over in his mind.

He had to admit...he had a long way to go before catching up to (Y/N)...

"We...actually won..." Akari muttered softly, staring at Vetto's annihilated figure with eyes displaying slight pity.

"I knew the kid was strong, but this..." Gauche commented, staring at (Y/N) in surprise, the (h/c) haired boy still left awestruck as he stared at the results of [Shadowblade Samsara.]

(Y/N) stared at Vetto's fallen form for a moment before his gaze shifted to Phantasm in his hands, the blade losing its silvery-red glow as (Y/N) gave a small smile, before he sheathed the blade upon his waist, picking up Heaven's Reach with his other hand.

Turning towards the faces of his expectant teammates, (Y/N) momentarily wondered what to say.

"...So, that just happened." (Y/N) deadpanned, and instantly their faces fell, expectations completely gone as they all crashed into the ground. After casting a spell that powerful, he only has that to say?

Alice couldn't help but let out a small giggle as she slowly recovered, and suddenly, the blazing armor she donned seemed to dull, before beginning to fade away entirely as her peach-blue hair returned to its original pink, her eyes following suit. She returned to her usual clothing as well, though it did seem a tad tattered.

"Looks like this time...we won, for real." Noelle remarked dryly, a bitter smile on her face. She had "taken down" Vetto herself at first, and from then the battle only seemed to escalate. Yet, at crucial points - someone always managed to step forward and continue the fight.

"Honestly, your four are insane for having the courage to face that monster head on..." Ruby couldn't help but remark as she gave a small smile, staring at the four vanguard Knights in amusement.

"Well, he couldn't really pierce through my armor, so I was safe regardless~." Alice gave a ghost of a smile, her Grimoire blazing before her. Yet, it did not return to its standard look, rather remaining with its new white-gold colors.

"Oh, yeah! That armor of yours was awesome! You got so strong!" Asta's eyes went starry, seemingly forgetting his previous doubts as he marveled at Alice's most recent spell.

"No kidding. You fought that guy on practically even ground the entire time..." (Y/N) remarked, before he turned to Asta.

"And honestly, Asta, you kept up the fight longer than anyone else. How can you even still stand?" (Y/N) questioned, staring in disbelief at his adopted brother. Truthfully, Asta had already received the most wounds out of any of them, and yet, despite being the only one without magic - he still stood.

"Huh? It hurts all over, but I'm not giving up! And besides, I can't let you or Yuno get ahead of me! Even if you have some sweet new crazy spell, I'll catch up in no time!" Asta shouted loudly, making some of the Black Bulls wince and cover their ears as (Y/N) only laughed.

"Hah. I'll be waiting then. Try not to lag too far behind, who knows, Yuno and I might just leave you behind." (Y/N) teased, Asta's face flushing red in anger as a tick mark formed on his face.

"Then I'll just work twice as hard and leave you both in the dust!" Asta yelled back, (Y/N) laughing.

"Then I'll work four times as hard!"

"Then I'll work twice as hard as twice as hard as you work!"

"Let's keep it simple, please."

"I'll catch up in no time!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Pff..." Noelle couldn't help but laugh slightly, seeing two bickering siblings. Or rather, the two rivals. Really, it was just (Y/N) being smug and Asta getting heated, as per usual.

"Looking at them, you'd never be able to guess we'd just been in a fight for our lives." Melody sighed lightly, a small smile forming on her face afterwards. It already seemed like a fleeting memory...

"Yeah. They're amazing, that's for sure." Ruby added in, the others nodding. Turning her gaze to the nearby Temple Knights, who merely watched on silently, Ruby pondered for a moment before deciding to speak.

"And you two, thanks for the help. Your ability to tell us where he'd attack and who he'd attack saved us time and time again." Ruby smiled at Akari, who only nodded back after a moment, a helpless smile forming on her face.

"Yep. And Shimon, your magic and skills were extremely useful in this fight! Not to mention your magic is extremely powerful!" (Y/N) remarked as Shimon stared around at the Black Bulls, who all suddenly seemed to focus their attention on the two Temple Knights.

"Oh, um...yeah, right. Compared to yours though, it doesn't seem like much." Shimon couldn't help but reply bitterly, a sour look on his face as (Y/N) only laughed, before he punched the blue haired boy on his chest.

"Get yourself together, where's that arrogance you had before. Besides, you can get stronger as well, can't you? If I'm stronger now, then you'll just need to catch up." (Y/N) smirked, Shimon staring at him for a second before releasing a dry laugh.

"Right. What the hell was I thinking. Alright! From today on, we'll be rivals, then! And you, magicless boy, will also be my rival! And you too, armor girl!" Shimon declared, puffing his chest out in pride as the others stared on.

"Bring it on!" - (Y/N)

"Alright! I'll just have to surpass you as well!" - Asta

"Ok." - Alice deadpanned.

"Looks like Orion and Luck have more competition." Ruby remarked as she watched the banter between the four, well, primarily the first three as Alice just watched on with a pokerface.

"Speaking of, how are they? They had some pretty nasty wounds when we got here." Vanessa asked curiously, turning to look at the resident battle freaks of the Black Bulls, who had all faced Vetto before them.

"Their wounds are better now, nothing life-threatening." Melody responded as she gazed at her fallen friends leaning against the wall. Her magic combined with Ruby's had essentially placed all the injured into stable, yet unconscious states.

"That's good. Man, that guy was scary...and to think that these guys fought him by themselves..." Finral gave a nervous laugh. It was true. Magna and Luck had used a [Unison Spell] against Vetto, and that had barely phased him. Afterwards, Orion continued the fight by himself, standing on relatively even grounds with Vetto whilst also having to protect the former two.

"Well done, you four! We're so proud of you!" Finral then suddenly seemed to break into a stream of tears, the four vanguards stopping their banter and staring at him.

"...Is he always like this?" Shimon asked, turning to his new rivals.

"...Unfortunately."

"WHAT?!" Finral shouted in rage, his tears suddenly gone.

"I have seniority over you all, by the way!" Finral fumed slightly, Vanessa and the others laughing at his reaction.

Within the Monitor Room...

"They actually defeated that monster! They did it!" Gifso felt joy completely cloud his mind. The Underwater Temple was safe...!

Although, he couldn't help but remark that Yami had a lot of his own little monsters in his Squad, making the Black Bulls' Squad Captain hum slightly.

However...

"What was that magic that kid attacked him with?" Yami narrowed his eyes slightly, seeing the group seem to laugh at something, though he hadn't heard.

Although others might not have seen it, he had seen it perfectly.

That magic...had completely overwhelmed Vetto at first impact.

But it wasn't (Y/N)'s own.

Something else was mixed in there.

Yami has long since known that (Y/N) held three different sources of Ki, but this last one...it was not any he'd seen on the boy previously. Someone...something else had aided that attack.

Within the Temple...

"Those kids are amazing!"

"Yeah, and that pink haired girl is so cute! Not to mention extremely powerful!"

"You make it sound like there's only one! They're all extremely strong, and that silver haired girl is also extremely beautiful!"

"Oh please, that tall pink haired lady is easily the best looking out of them!"

"Clearly Akari is still the best among them!"

"Nah! Shimon totally killed it out there, he fought that monster head on!"

"And that girl with the scythes, her magic control is just unreal!"

"Don't forget about the girl with [Sound Magic], her magic is so precise!"

"And the Spatial mage! His senses are so sharp to control that many portals at once!"

"And that Mirrors guy is so strong, even if he is a little weird..."

"There's also that little girl and the one with the unique [Transformation Magic]."

"And those kids that fought that monster before, they're all amazing!"

The people of the Underwater Temple constantly cheered, staring through the translucent screen at the Magic Knights and Temple Knights...at the heroes of today.

"Finral, do you think you can begin to transport the injured out of here?" Vanessa asked, turning to the brunette beside her.

"I'm completely exhausted. It'll take a little longer for my magic to recover." Finral shrugged helplessly. Controlling as many rifts as he did today had already completely shattered his limits...

"Annnnnnnd he's back to being useless." (Y/N) deadpanned, a tick mark forming on Finral's face as he heard the remark, gritting his teeth as a forced smile formed on his face.

"Useless." Shimon and Gauche repeated, two more tick marks appearing on Finral's face. One like equals one less Finral booli.

"I HAVE SENIORITY OVER ALL THREE OF YOU, DAMN IT!" Finral yelled in outrage, pointing accusingly at the three in question.

Asta couldn't help but glance at the fallen forms of his friends and the other Temple Knights, a slightly solemn look appearing in his eyes.

"I hope that Kiato and Kahono will be able to dance and sing again..." Asta remarked, the mood within the cavern instantly seeming to drop again.

"Jeez. Are you really in a position to be worrying about other people?" Finral sighed as he scratched his head, Asta turning towards him, confusion clear on his face. Why wouldn't he be?

"Look at how beat up you are. You're probably the most insane among us. You actually trusted dysfunctional people like us with your life. You actually believed in us, that alone says there's something wrong with you." Finral scratched his cheek, giving a small laugh. Asta had placed his entire faith in their abilities, despite being the first time he'd ever really fought with them.

"Yep. You never know when that coward Finral will run away. Not to mention, my threads had been destroyed by your sword and I failed to save you. That was extremely dangerous." Vanessa remarked, a sad smile on her face as Asta stared at the two, before shrugging slightly.

"Yup..." Everyone else agreed with her words. Asta had, undoubtedly, placed himself in one of the most dangerous positions in the entire team, despite having no magic whatsoever.

"Wow, that's just rude...well, it's true that I was going to just run away, though. But when I saw all of you fighting with everything you had, my body just kinda moved on it's own." Finral gave a weak smile, the others staring at him. This would be a beautiful scene, if a certainly devil hadn't taken it upon himself to booli Finral even more.

"Wow, look at you! They grow up so fast! Finral's growing up!" (Y/N) shed a fake tear, Finral instantly developing dozens of tick marks on his head.

"I'M TRYING TO BE GENUINE HERE!"

"Oh~, my bad. I was just moved to tears seeing how much you've grown. Now you're only half useless." (Y/N) shed another fake tear, Finral instantly beginning to chase after him as (Y/N) ran away, tears of laughter beginning to fall down his face as he dodged the angered spatial mage.

The others laughed as they saw the scene, making (Y/N) smile slightly as Finral chased after him. Seeing everyone now, you would never think they'd just been through a serious battle with their lives on the line...

"Still, I have to admit that was pretty impressive. You're a lot stronger than I have you credit for, Finral. That goes for everyone here, actually." (Y/N), after eventually making Finral give up on chasing him, stopped beside the group as he spoke up, getting a smile from the others.

"Yep. You guys are the Seniors that Captain Yami himself accepted into the Black Bulls, and you Temple Knights are extremely strong! Of course we'd have to believe in you all." Asta added in, (Y/N) and Alice nodding in agreement. Their strength was undeniable.

"That sure makes a girl smile." Vanessa gave a small smile in return.

"Now you're making your seniors cry." Finral's lips curved upwards slightly, forming a small smile.

"You're a pretty good people-person, aren't you?" Ruby asked, an amused smile in her face as she stared at Asta.

"You've got some great seniors, la." Charmy boasted childishly, getting a small laugh from the group.

"Without everyone giving all they had, it would've been a little hard to find the courage to keep going..." Melody smiled slightly, the others nodding. The only reason they could fight ceaselessly was because those around them refused to give up as well.

"I'd expect nothing less from the juniors that Captain Yami accepted..." Grey spoke shyly, her face hidden behind her hands.

"Well, I'm pretty sure he's the only one who would ever accept a magicless boy and people this reckless." Gauche grunted slightly, though his tone seemed acceptant of their efforts, making the others smile.

"Hey, I'm also one of the juniors, too, you know." Noelle jerked her head to the side, a small pout of her lips.

"Noelle, you did great as well! Your new spell is crazy strong!" Vanessa praised, a small blush rising to Noelle's face at the compliment.

"Yep. That's Noelle, alright. Just as awesome as I'd knew you'd be." (Y/N) praised, Noelle's blush seeming to intensify as (Y/N) laughed slightly.

"T-That's right! Keep the compliments coming!" Noelle closed her eyes, a small smile on her lips.

"And she's cute to boot!"

"Not to mention an extremely loyal friend!"

"This Royal is basically a celebrity!"

"Y-yeah! That has nothing to do with the battle, but keep the compliments coming." Noelle spoke shyly, the blush on her face only seeming to heat up even more.

"And one more..."

"Eh?" Suddenly, Noelle opened her eyes in surprise as she felt someone's hand on her head, (Y/N) before her, a warm smile on his face as he affectionally patted her head.

"You did amazing, Noelle." (Y/N) gave a close eyes smile, instantly making Noelle's face blush bright red, to the point where even the color would find it hard to replicate.

Speechless, Noelle turned her head to the side as (Y/N) stared at her for a moment, before a teasing glint appeared in his eyes as he leaned forward, instantly kissing her exposed cheek as Noelle instantly crashed.

Yes. Noelle.exe has stopped working.

Would you like to reboot the program?

> ~ Yes ~ ~ No ~

"Wow~." Ruby couldn't help but remark, a teasing smile on her face as Noelle seemed to shake in place, though her blush seemed to not be going away anytime soon.

"Get a room, lovebirds." Shimon gagged slightly, the others laughing as (Y/N) stepped away from Noelle, leaving her in her own...er, reboot? Idk.

"All right! Let's have a drink to celebrate our victory!" Vanessa instantly perked up, holding a bottle of booze in her hands. Where did she get it? No one knows. And no one will ask.

"And puke rainbows? Yeah, as...tempting...as that sounds, I'll pass." (Y/N) instantly gagged. He'd never forget the rainbow puke. NEVER. FORGET.

"I second that."

"I third that."

"I fourth that."

"You guys are no fun~!" Vanessa pouted, opening her bottle of booze and drinking by herself.

"Now's not the time to drink! We need to figure out a way to tie him up and haul him outta here! He had an eyeball in his forehead and said something about my sword, not to mention he's a high ranking member of the Eye of the Midnight Sun!" Asta reprimanded helplessly as everyone turned to look at him.

"Woah...where's Asta and what did you do with him?" (Y/N) asked suspiciously. Asta was never this...smart...or practical...or really...yeah this just wasn't Asta...

However, (Y/N) couldn't help but feel as if something was amiss, turning to look at the distant Vetto, or rather, what remained of him...

Unknown to the group, a voice seemed to reach out to the "fallen" member of the Eye of the Midnight Sun.

"Vetto...Vetto..." His voice reached out, though only the Eye of the Midnight Sun member seemed to have heard it.

That's right...he'd seen this before...

Flashback...

"Stop crying, Vetto." His voice, like a soothing prayer to his kin, instantly seemed to bring peace to a younger Vetto.

"Those damn humans...hurting this tiny little bird...I can't forgive them..." The younger Vetto cried out, holding a white-feathered bird in his grasp, it's wings and feathers ruffled and tattered by those foolish humans.

"It's alright. We've already chased them away, Vetto." Another voice, a girls voice this time, spoke as Vetto raised his gaze from the bird, seeing two people standing across from him.

The first was a young boy, with long ears and illustrious white hair tied into a single long braid. His eyes, amber in color, only seemed to hold infinite compassion and kindness.

Beside him, a girl with illustrious pink hair smiled warmly, her own eyes colored a dark pink. Like the boy, she shared his trait of long ears.

"I'm sorry you two always have to save me, Licht, Alcie..." The younger Vetto cried out, his sobs slowly starting to recede as the other two shared a glance.

"It's alright. We're friends, aren't we, Vetto?" Alcie smiled warmly, Licht extending his and towards his kneeling kin.

"Yeah. We're friends. I'll always come to save you." Licht smiled warmly at Vetto, raising him to his feet as he suddenly turned to look above, towards the sky that seemed stuck in an endless twilight.

"We're just like this bird. Because it can fly, much like how we can use special magic, they envy and want to hurt us." Licht spoke up as Vetto and Alcie watched, the latter glancing slightly at the bird in Vetto's outstretched hands.

These humans...

"But...I believe that one day, we and the humans will be able to understand each other." Licht smiled brightly, his two other friends watching on.

"A day where we can understand each other...that sounds wonderful." Alcie smiled, faith shining in her eyes. If it was Licht that said it, then surely...

"Right. Licht...if you say so, then I'm sure it'll come true!" The younger Vetto smiled, wiping the tears from his eyes as Licht himself reciprocated the smile.

Hope, huh?

It's a very sweet notion.

To me, Licht was...

Licht smiled brightly as he turned around, beginning to trek back to the others as Alcie followed behind, Vetto smiling before beginning to walk after the two.

Yes. He was hope personified.

But the ones who stole that hope away from me...

The scene suddenly changed into a hellscape, no longer the peaceful forest of twilight. Now, it was a hellscape with raging flames, the scene of a wedding. Of the act that brought hope to all of his kin.

Of the birth of his endless despair.

WERE YOU HUMANS!

Flashback End...

Suddenly, a horrific, dark pressure seemed to manifest once more, instantly drawing the attention of every single Magic Knight and Temple Knight within, their eyes shifting over to Vetto's body.

"This magic...!" Vanessa gasped out, dread beginning to pool within her once more.

"You're kidding, right?!" Finral asked, nervous sweat beginning to fall down his face as terror began to manifest within him.

"Again...?! He just refused to stay down...!" Noelle grit her teeth, seeing the vile magic begin to expand, engulfing Vetto's shattered body and his Grimoire, both rising into the air.

"I'll take you all down with me...no...I'll blow this entire temple to smithereens!" Vetto exclaimed, the mana around him seemingly turning even darker, mutating into something else...

(Y/N) stared on in silent shock, before his Grimoire flashed in front of him as he summoned both of his blades and the Ancient Gods' Mask once again.

In the Monitor Room...

"Th-that's..." Gifso couldn't find any coherent words to speak, his face filled with dread as he saw that beast...that monster rise again. Would he just never stay down?!

Was the Underwater Temple just fated to perish today?

"That bastard...! Even they won't be able to stop that!" Yami grit his teeth in rage, punching at the stone table before him as it shattered. The poor table...it was so innocent!

"Let me the hell out of here!" Yami shouted in outrage, his Grimoire and aura both fully released as the Temple within the [Different Dimension Sphere] began to shake chaotically.

His Grimoire seemed coated in an immense aura, as if bursting with newfound power...

Outside, the Spatial mage stationated there couldn't help but laugh.

"It's not use!" He laughed wildly. Even for a Magic Knight Captain, they'd be nothing but a sitting duck within his spell.

Within the Temple...

Vetto's sinister mana continued to rage, instantly tearing to shreds any rocks of any size that lingered around him, isolating himself within a sphere of magical power in the air.

The air around his mana seemed to spark with unchained rage, with endless despair...

Grey yelped as she jumped at Charmy, hiding behind her in fear as Charmy shook slightly.

Ruby and Melody both watched on with disbelief, unbelieving that Vetto stood once again. They'd been exhausted just taking him down once...!

"It's the same as last time! Even the Captains could barely stop it!" Finral gasped in horror, (Y/N) glancing at him.

"Last time?" (Y/N) questioned, seeing Finral's horrified face.

"Back in Nean, their leader, Licht, did the same thing, only...his wasn't this strong!" Finral yelled in fear, the Magic Knights and Temple Knights staring in varying reactions at the sphere of pure mana before them.

"Don't tell me he's...stop! Don't do it!" Alice shouted at Vetto, though he merely ignored her. Why..?! WHY WOULD HE WASTE HIS LIFE LIKE THIS?!

"My threads are being instantly burnt by his mana...his power is growing even bigger!" Vanessa remarked, slightly panicking as her threads, all of her threads around Vetto burned out of existence under his mana.

"Tch...I can't get any closer like this...!" Gauche's grunted in annoyance. Vetto's overwhelming mana alone prevented him from summoning any mirrors.

"What a monster..." Shimon grimaced slightly, Akari beside him nodding. This...thing, it was far beyond anything they'd ever seen before. His strength was unreal. And now this?!

"No rest for the wicked, eh? Alright! We're not going to be doing anything differently! We beat him down here, and that's that!" (Y/N) shouted as he brandished his blades. Beside him, the others followed in his footsteps, or at least, those who could.

(Y/N)'s blades surged with [Void Magic], though not much as he had less than ten percent of his mana remaining. Shimon stepped forth as he summoned his spears once more, though clearly not as powerful as they were before. Akari herself summoned some blossoms around her, standing defiantly as Noelle and Alice both summoned their own Magic's, though very small amounts due to their low manas. Alice couldn't even summon forth a single flame from the Primordial Blaze.

"Right! We'll just kick his ass again!" Asta grinned slightly, grasping the Demon-Dweller Sword once more in his grasp, though this time he also held the Demon-Slayer Sword.

"No, no, no, that's not even possible- what the heck am I saying? I almost gave up again! We've come this far, I'm not giving up until the very end!" Finral shouted, and despite the fear clear within his eyes, he stood defiant besides the others.

"THEY GROW UP SO FAST!"

"SHUT IT!"

"There must be something we can still do!" Noelle shouted with resolve, her eyes shining with conviction. She...no, all of them, they wouldn't die here!

"I'm not going to let him just throw away his life like that!" Alice grit her teeth, staring fiercely at Vetto within the sphere of magic. She wouldn't let it end this way!

"I won't forgive anyone who gets in the way of me seeing Marie!" Gauche's shouted defiantly, making the others sweatdrop. Of course that was his reason...

"I'm going to defeat him and eat seafood I haven't even discovered yet!" Charmy shouted with spirit.

"Truly. You are the bane of all ecosystems." (Y/N) deadpanned at Charmy, before turning his gaze back towards Vetto.

"I still have a ton of stuff I need to research, so there's no way in hell I'm letting myself die here!" Ruby stepped forth, managing to summon one [Flare Scythe] with her remaining magic, although she wouldn't be able to control it for very long.

"...We won't let ourselves die here!" Melody spoke with resolve, soundwaves beginning to resonate around her as she joined up besides the others.

"I'm scared, but I'll do my best...!" Grey exclaimed in fear, though she still stood beside the rest.

Every single Magic Knight and Temple Knight stood defiantly before the sphere of immense magic, a flame burning in their eyes. They wouldn't die here!

"All right! Bring it!" (Y/N) brandished both of his blades, everyone tensing as they prepared to battle once more. For the final battle...!

Crash!

"Right. Consider it brought." A familiar rough voice instantly attracted their attention to a nearby crash, an extremely buff man wearing a familiar robe standing there.

"Hey, you dumbasses. You good?" Yami asked nonchalantly, his usual cigar in his mouth as he stood imposingly, his katana grasped tightly in his grasp.

"Yami/Captain Yami?!" The Black Bulls shouted in surprise and relief, seeing the Captain of the Black Bulls standing before them.

"Yami! You finally came!" Finral shouted ecstatically with comical tears dripping down his face.

"B-But I thought you were trapped?!" Noelle asked in surprise, (Y/N) chuckling beside her.

"I don't think a trap exists that can hold him of all people." (Y/N) deadpanned at Yami, who only smirked smugly at his proclamation.

"As you can see, I broke through the [Spatial Magic] and got out." Yami started...

"Wait for it..." (Y/N) started...

The scene then changed to show the Temple that served as the Monitor Room, and showing a particular slash perfectly down the middle of the temple, severed space...

Even the caster of [Different Dimension Sphere] had his face beaten black and blue, laying paralyzed in a daze upon the temple floors.

"Quite forcefully, might I add." Yami finished.

"There it is..." (Y/N) finished.

"F-forcefully...?" Noelle asked with a sweatdrop. What did the Captain mean by..."forcefully"...she pitied the enemy mage.

"Couldn't you have done that a bit sooner?" Asta questioned helplessly.

"Seriously." The other Black Bulls added in.

"Shut it! I have my reasons! If I'm not wanted here, I can just go home, you know." Yami turned his face to the side, a pout on his face.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" (Y/N) swore he was looking at someone else. Yami? Pouting? Those two words should never be in the same sentence.

Suddenly, another presence came into the room as the High Priest, upon one of his many monstrous fish-like creations, rode into the room, before immediately dismounting and heading towards Kiato and Kahono.

"Kiato! Kahono! All because I wanted to play this stupid game..." The High Priest wept, gathering his two grandchildren within his arms.

"Gio...I'm sorry for dragging you into this old fool's mess, too." The High Priest apologized lowly, looking at his passed out son a few meters away.

"Akari...Shimon...you have both made me so proud...! I'm so sorry for dragging you both into this game...!" The High Priest wept as the two Temple Knights smiled awkwardly.

"It's fine, older-old man..."

"It's okay, High Priest."

The two responded back awkwardly.

"B-but...to think this man could use magic like that...I'd thought that he'd only had monsters in his Squad, but he was the biggest monster of them all...I was right not to let him participate in the game..." The High Priest couldn't help but glance at Yami in shock. That magic...was simply out of this world. An ability like that was, short and simply - overpowered.

"Eh...looks like we don't have much time left, so let's get this over with." Yami spoke nonchalantly as he saw the mana gathering around Vetto continue to converge.

"Now that I think about it, it'll be the first time I ever watch Captain Yami in a fight..." (Y/N) thought to himself, watching on with interest.

"Alright! Now that Captain Yami's here, we've basically got a whole cavalry...no, a whole army! Let's beat the snot out of that guy!" Asta shouted excitedly, his eyes starry as he stared at his Captain.

"...I honestly kinda feel bad for Vetto. Again." (Y/N) laughed dryly as he brandished his swords once more.

"Eh? Who the heck do you two think you're talking to? Don't let it get to your heads because you thought you took him down." Yami glared at the two, grabbing their heads before setting them down.

"The hell?! Oi!"

"Captain, that hurts! Ow! Ow! Ow!"

The two complained, only for Yami to set them down.

"I'm saying I can take him on my own." Yami set his two Squad members down, patting their heads before retreating his hands, getting a surprised look from the two. Yami...could take Vetto on alone?

"Sure enough, Magic Knight Captains are still on a whole different league..." (Y/N) smiled bitterly. Just when he thought he'd begun to cross the divide between him and a Captain...

"You guys risked your lives fighting him. I'm the Captain, so I've gotta go all out." Yami stepped forward and towards the group.

"Finral." Yami patted his head, Finral staring in in surprise.

"Vanessa." Yami patted her head, Vanessa now staring on in surprise.

"Noelle." Yami patted her head, Noelle staring on in embarrassment.

"Alice." Yami patted her head, Alice staring on in a mix of surprise and embarrassment.

"Ruby." Yami patted her head, Ruby staring on in surprise.

"Gauche." Yami patted his head, Gauche staring on in surprise.

"Melody." Yami patted her head, though it seemed for a second longer as Melody smiled brightly.

"Charmy." Yami patted her head, although he found some difficult with her...height.

"Who are you again?"

"I'm Grey!"

"Grey." Yami patted her head, before moving on towards the others.

"Who are you?"

"Shimon."

"Shimon." Yami patted his head, confusing the blue haired boy.

"Who are you?"

"Akari."

"Akari." Yami patted her head, now confusing the black haired girl.

"And Magna, Luck and Orion..." Yami remarked as he passed by the three unconscious mages against the wall.

"You guys did good." Yami praised, taking all of the Black Bulls by surprise, the Temple Knights standing there awkwardly.

"...The fuck was with the roll call?" (Y/N) asked, surprise coloring his face as Yami praised them. It wasn't every day someone got praised by Yami of all people.

"I'll be nice and take care of the cleanup." Yami spoke nonchalantly as he extended his katana by his side, his Grimoire shining brightly before him.

"Or rather, I'm taking all the glory." Yami gloated, making a tick mark appear on (Y/N)'s face. Of fucking course...

"Seriously...you guys did extremely well. The reason I was able to surpass my limits..." Yami stopped before Vetto's sphere of ridiculous mana, his katana extended at his sides as the Black Bulls and Temple Knights watched on curiously.

"...is because of all of you, you dumbasses!" Yami thought to himself as he smirked, his katana suddenly roaring to life with [Dark Magic], the blade contrasting against Vetto's own magic seemingly flawlessly.

The Black Bulls' eyes widened as they saw this. Just how strong was Yami, really?

"Getting trapped and pushed against a wall was worth it. This spell reminds me a bit of a certain stretched-out weirdo, and that bothers me, but still..." Yami thought as his katana oozed constant [Dark Magic], and despite the overbearing magic sphere before him - his didn't seem to lose out in the least.

(Y/N) winced a bit as he felt that same urge to devour that magic from within that he'd felt back in the Entrance Exams, but he merely grit his teeth and pushed the feeling aside.

"It's no use...you humans shall taste despair, endless despair...Despair!" Vetto, despite his body which seemed destroyed beyond life, roared out in rage as his mana seemed to surge, though Yami remained unaffected.

"Shut up with the despair this, despair that already, you three-eyed goon. It doesn't matter how strong your magic is!" Yami retorted in annoyance, having heard the word "Despair" one too many times today. This guy, much like that [Shadow Magic] user and "man", really seemed to like the word.

"This spell cuts through dimensions!" Yami revealed as he raised his blade, the [Dark Magic] seeming to follow as (Y/N)'s eyes widened in shock.

"Cut...through dimensions? And I thought I had overpowered spells..." (Y/N) smiled bitterly at the words of his Captain. Even the strongest spell in the world would find no success if it were attacked from a completely different dimension entirely...

Yami raised his blade, his muscles tensing as he slashed at Vetto vertically, his gaze focused.

"[Dark Magic: Dark Cloaked Dimension Slash!]" Yami slashed down at Vetto, a single flash of black seeming to speed through both him and his overbearing magic.

In an instant, as if displaced, the world seemed to turn gray as the blackish-slash immediately slashed through both Vetto and his magic, severing both the Eye of the Midnight Sun member and his self-destruct spell.

"W-wha..." (Y/N) couldn't find any words to say, watching as the magic around Vetto was flawlessly slashed apart by a single spell.

"Consider that my thanks for looking after my Squad." Yami spoke towards Vetto, who himself had been slashed perfectly in half down the middle.

"What...kind of overpowered bullshit is that?!" (Y/N) could do nothing to stop the nervous grin that formed on his face. This strength...

He wasn't even sure if the Ancient Gods Mask could block a slash from multiple dimensions...

The Captain of the Black Bulls...

Yami...

Was just too strong!

"See ya, Mister Despair."
———————————————————————
With all their powers combined, the battle against Despair finally comes to a close as Despair quietly sinks into the dark...the veil of Despair has been severed, and the path forward has been revealed!

Next chapter, we finish up the Underwater Temple Arc and begin to head into the Kiten-mini arc!

I HAVE DONE IT! IT IS FINISHED! YES! FINALLY! Holy fucking shit this took AGES to write. Remember. I wrote this all in the span of 3 days. This entire fucking chapter in 3 days. THIS CHAPTER IS FUCKING HUGE! SERIOUSLY!

Anyway, yeah. This just happened. The battle with Vetto finally comes to an end. Holy shit. This fight has been going on for like 7 chapters. That's not okay. Luckily, this is essentially the longest fight in the entire anime, imo.

Anyway, next chapter we end off the Underwater Temple Arc and begin to transfer into the next!

If y'all are a bit disappointed with how this ended with not that much focus on (Y/N), but rather on the entire team - then that's for a good reason.

Arc 4 - The Underwater Temple is my favorite arc primarily because it focuses on the entire Black Bulls Squad...er, except Gordon, that we know of. It's a team match against an enemy that's much stronger than anyone in the Black Bulls, it pushes everyone to their limits.

Funnily enough, Gauche, Charmy and Grey in the manga, show up AFTER Yami's defeated Vetto. It was an anime original thing to add them to the fight, and I didn't know that until I checked the manga, so I thought it was pretty cool. Thinking back...that does explain why every scene they were in was extremely...WONKY, to say the least.

But, yeah. I wanted to make a battle that focused on teamwork rather than individual work. And this ones scale is huge. Like holy shit. I'm actually glad it's over. That fight took ages...

Anyways, I'm off to write the first chapter of Project: Astray.

Anywho, till next time!
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Harem: (Feelings towards (Y/N))
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Alice (Loves)
Noelle (Loves)
Mimosa (Crush)
Alisia (??????)
Rebecca (Crush)
Amelia (??????)
Sol (??????)
Rin  (??????)
Fana <<Elf>> (??????)
Mereoleona (??????)
Vanessa (??????)
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~ Chaoz has logged out. ~