Border Town, Kiten
"Seriously? Anyone? Why the hell is there a tree here?! This wasn't here before. Neither were these meteors falling!" (Y/N) deadpanned, jabbing his fingers at the sight before him.
"If I had to guess, it'd be the work of that masked jerk and the firecracker. Seems like they got serious." Yami breathed out a puff of smoke, taking in the scene before him. William and Rin had truly held nothing back...
But even then, he had to admit.
Their strength in the battlefield was immense. If he had to classify the two Captains, they'd be anti-army. The Diamond Kingdom really ran out of luck this time...
"Well, I'm gonna go and check up with those idiots. You four help the townspeople below, and try not to die. Even if most of them were taken down, a Warlord might still be lurking. Don't let your guards down." Yami, after issuing his warning, left the group as he began to ascend up the Great Mistelteinn Tree, the stars falling around him seemingly moving out of his way...
"And there he goes..." Finral cried comically, seeing Yami disappear into the leaves above. If a Warlord was truly lurking, staying with Yami or any of the other Captains would be the safest choice...
"Alright. First, I'm going to get myself a piece of that fruit!" Charmy drooled as she stared at the Mistelteinn Tree. Surely it contained yummy treats!
"Damn...are there even any enemies left to fight?" (Y/N) remarked helplessly, seeing the spells around him. Who could possibly remain after such a barrage?
Asta stared silently forward, carefully gazing over the town, his arms still bound by wraps.
"Charmy's drooling...(Y/N) wants to pick a fight...and Asta's wounded...it's official. I'm nervous." Finral smiled emptily, droplets of sweat rolling down his face nonstop. If a Warlord popped up, he was dead. Certainly dead.
"Well, whatever. No use in standing around here. C'mon, let's go see if there's still people who need help around town." (Y/N) shrugged nonchalantly, before taking a step forward and falling down the wall, the others on his trail with Charmy's floating cloud.
Yet, up above, on one of the highest branches of the Mistelteinn Tree, a certain man stood silently.
"Good grief. Apparently, there was an incredible amount of magic on the battlefield. It's almost overkill that Rin casted her own spell." William muttered absentmindedly, staring at the seemingly infinite meteorites. They looked more like fallen stars than anything else...
"Hey~hey~." A melodic voice spoke, William turning his head to the side to find a familiar figure, draped in her own white cloak, riding in on a silvery star.
"Rin." William smiled slightly, giving a nod to his fellow Captain.
"Think that took care of them?" Rin asked curiously, an innocent shine in her aquamarine eyes as an alluring smile formed on her face.
"Certainly. Any who remain will be wiped out in time. Victory for the Clover Kingdom is all but assured." William smirked, Rin smiling as she hopped off the star beneath her and onto a branch a small distance from William, their cloaks waving in the wind...
Victory was all but assured.
"We've suffered a huge loss! Our army has been basically wiped out!"
"Our army...has basically been wiped out?" Brocks repeated upon hearing the news, his eyes wide in shock. How had they instantly defeated hundreds of mages...?!
"Grr...curse you...!" Brocks grit his teeth, growling as he used his magic to begin rising towards the top of the Mistelteinn Tree, intent on meeting the causes of his army's defeat. He wouldn't let them get away with this...!
"Oi...your battles with me!" Ryan quickly chased after the Shining General, Yuno deadpanning as the two left, though Lagus remained, his gaze focused on Yuno.
"Looks like it's just you and me now, boy. How unsightly." Lagus scowled at Yuno, who only stared back stoically. It seemed his opponent was set before him...
"Superhero landing- OH FUCK, MY KNEES!" (Y/N) yelled bloody murder, crashing into the floor and creating a (Y/N)-sized hole, instantly burying himself into the streets of Kiten from the fall.
"Now that was just stupid." Finral deadpanned at the (h/c) haired boy. Did he really not expect that after freefalling from the walls of Kiten?
"Hup! Alright! My arms might be useless, but I've still got my legs!" Asta jumped off Charmy's cloud of fluff, landing on top of a Diamond mage, sending him stumbling to the ground, unconscious.
"Everyone! Please come this way to escape!" Asta shouted, using his legs to point towards Charmy and Finral, who were using the latters' magic to transport the civilians out of Kiten.
"Please get on this, la."
"Thank you..."
"Are you hurt? Please come this way. It's our duty as Magic Knights to save the citizens of the Kingdom. If you're not busy later, why don't we get some..."
...Well, they were mostly helping.
"...*cri*." Finral cried comically, tears streaming down his face as the lady he'd been talking to previous ignored him and left through the portal.
"Fuck...fuck...fuck...it hurts. My knees. I'm never doing that again..." (Y/N) groaned in pain, clawing his way out of the (Y/N)-shaped hole his crash had made.
Shaking his head, (Y/N) jumped out of his little hole and rejoined Asta and the others, looking around. Various civilians still remained, but almost no conscious enemy mages. Most of the enemy mages in sight had been annihilated by the falling meteorites...
Suddenly, loud clashes erupted from the skies above, drawing the groups' attention.
"Someone's fighting?" (Y/N) asked curiously, looking up into the skies. Faintly, he discerned two different figures battling in the skies, almost dancing around the falling meteorites.
"Someone's going head-to-head with one of the Diamond guys?" Finral muttered in surprise, the group staring up into the skies.
A stream of azure lightning seemed to clash constantly with a stream of winds, the two ramming into each other various times, before approaching from new angles.
"Hold on, isn't that..." (Y/N) felt a small smirk start to form on his face, using his hand to block out the distant sun as he focused on the two figures above. Sure enough, on a closer look, the figures were Lagus, the Shining General, and Yuno, his brother and rival.
"Yuno!" Asta spoke, surprise lacing his voice as he stared into the skies above in wonder. Yuno was fighting up there?
"My meal-saving prince! Go! Go! My lovely prince!" Charmy cheered on, (Y/N) sweatdropping. Since when was she a fan of Yuno? Damn, did that mean Yuno had more fans than him?!
Up above, the battle continued to rage as the two, riding upon their own mounts, both shaped like eagles, clashed time and time again, before disengaging and flying around the other.
Yuno waved his hand forward, various spikes of wind rocketing after Lagus' figure, the Shining General weaving through the air to avoid the spikes, yet they continued to pursue him.
Gritting his teeth, Lagus instantly pulled up with his mount, dodging a falling meteorites and flying higher into the skies as a lance of lightning formed in his grasp, before swiftly turning in the air and slashing down the pesky wind spikes.
However, Yuno seemed to have expected that, an orb of concentrated winds within his hands as he shot it towards Lagus, and due to his previous attack, the Shining General was caught off guard as the orb slammed into him, sending him rocketing backwards and spinning on his lightning-eagle.
"Tch...!" Lagus grunted as he recovered himself in the air, his eagle bursting forward in a burst of lightning as he slashed at Yuno, who evaded to the side on his own wind-eagle, before waving his hand after the recoiling Shining General, dozens of spikes created of spiraling winds rushing after him.
Continuing forward, Lagus used his recoil to his advantage as he spun in the air swiftly, using the force to slash through the dozens of spikes with his lance.
However, despite his efforts, Lagus looked around yet found no sign of Yuno, making him grit his teeth as his gaze wandered around warily. Just where would he pop up from?
Hearing a faint shifting of winds behind him, Lagus turned on his heel as a torrent of winds slammed into him, sending him rocketing towards the ground as Yuno followed closely after, having no plans to let him recover.
"Damn it...! This young man is so strong! This is inconceivable! I'm one of the Eight Shining Generals! I will not be mocked by those damn Warlords...!" Lagus grit his teeth, a surge of his magic stabilizing the eagle he mounted upon, his lance shining brightly as lightning crackled around him. He wouldn't let those damn Warlords look down upon him...!
"You will fall before my beautiful magic!" Lagus shouted, his tone angered as his lance sparked with currents of lightning.
"Beautiful...?" Yuno repeated, his hair cowling over his eyes.
Waving his hands forward, the wind around the two seemed to turn chaotic, various lashes of wind attacking at Lagus, Yuno gazing at him with contempt.
"Beauty doesn't matter in a battle." Yuno extended his hand behind him, powerful winds fluxing at his command and forming a spear of wind, before Yuno shot his hand forward, the wind-spear launching towards Lagus. Gritting his teeth, Lagus slashed towards the incoming attack with his lance, only for his eyes to widen as the spear of wind shattered his lance, stabbing directly into him.
"Whoever's strongest wins. That's all there is to it." Yuno remarked coldly, seeing Lagus begin to fall from his attack, unable to continue the battle in the skies.
"So...beautiful..." Lagus praised, his eyes turning white as he fell to the ground, crashing through the roof of a house, kicking up a small explosion of dust.
"Well, would you look at that." (Y/N) smirked, one hand on his hip as he witnessed Yuno easily defeat the Shining General. It seemed they'd all gotten stronger.
"He beat him in just a single blow!" Asta remarked in surprise, having witnessed the Shining General be defeated flawlessly.
Sudden, the winds seemed to flux towards the two, a familiar boy landing before them, donned in golden-blue robes.
"I thought I saw some familiar specks. What are you two doing here, (Y/N), Asta?" Yuno asked coolly, his gaze focused on the two across from him.
"Oh, you know. Enjoying the sights, out for a stroll." (Y/N) shrugged nonchalantly, a relaxed smile on his face as Yuno's lips seemed to curve upwards for a moment.
"Sights? Here?" Yuno repeated, amused as he motioned towards the chaos caused by the two Captains' spells.
"That guy joined the Magic Knights at the same time (Y/N), Asta and Alice did..." Finral recalled, watching the interaction between the two in interest. How would he...
"You've barely got half your magic, and Asta's practically a mummy. All torn up and scrambling around. Talk about ugly." Yuno remarked, striding closer to the two, Sylph by his side.
"He worked his way up into the Golden Dawn's elite...of course he'd make fun of the Black Bulls. Even without all that, he's even handsome to boot...he's probably super popular." Finral sighed, turning his head to the side. Was this Golden Dawn elite going to make fun of them?
"The fact that you're both this beat up means you both got stronger again, didn't you?" Yuno's words stunned Finral, who turned his gaze towards the Golden Dawn mage in shock and surprise.
"I'm not losing to either of you, (Y/N), Asta." Yuno, in a strange gesture to his usual persona, smiled warmly at his brothers and rivals.
"Yuno's...smiling?" Bell, the Wind Spirit, remarked in surprise, seeing the unusual warm smile plastered upon the raven haired boys' lips. To her, who had mostly gotten cold responses, it came as a huge shock. Similarly, Charmy fell back in shock and delight, murmuring something about eating...
"Look who's talking! You got crazy strong too, you jerk!" Asta grinned slightly, Yuno shrugging his shoulders as his smile remained.
"Tell me about it. You beat a Shining General as if it were nothing. You got much stronger from the last time we saw you." (Y/N) smiled loosely, crossing his arms behind his head as he praised Yuno.
"Yep! But I won't lose to you, Yuno!" Asta claimed, a challenging smirk on his face and determination shining in his eyes.
"I also won't lose to you, (Y/N)! I'll surpass you both in no time!" Asta challenged, making the other two boys glance at each other, Yuno giving an icy smile whilst (Y/N) smirked confidently.
"Bring it." The two spoke in unison, the three brothers sharing a laugh as the others watched on in surprise.
"Seriously? He's an elite in the Golden Dawn, has super powerful magic abilities and is handsome...Yet, he's competing with Asta and (Y/N), both members of the Black Bulls...not to mention one has no magic! These three..." Finral's mouth remained ajar for a moment, surprise flashing through his eyes as he saw the boys laugh together.
"They must be great rivals..." Finral smiled sadly. If only his relationship with his younger brother were like that...
"Are you alright, Yuno?!" Suddenly, a familiar worried voice asked, two other familiar members of the Golden Dawn walking towards the trio below.
"Hmm? Klaus! Mimosa! Been a while!" (Y/N) shifted his hands, waving at the two as they approached. The last time he'd seen them was during the attack on Kikka.
"(Y/N)! Asta!" Klaus yelped in surprise, instantly running up before the two mages.
"Oh...(Y-Y/N)..." Mimosa's cheeks flared with a rosy haze, a warm feeling rising within her chest.
"Why do you only have half of your mana?! Are you wounded?! What happened to your arms?!" Klaus asked the two question after question, getting a chuckle from the (h/c) haired boy.
"Not that I'm worried or anything. I just want to affirm you're both in fighting condition." Klaus coughed into his fist awkwardly, readjusting his lunettes as he stood straight before the two.
"Either way, you must both have let your guards down! Pay more attention next time." Klaus chided, and from Yuno and Mimosa's views it seemed more like he was a caretaker of the two.
"...R-right..."
"Whatever you say, buddy."
The two spoke slowly, Asta grinning awkwardly as (Y/N) deadpanned at the tsundere mage. He reminded him of Noelle, at least a bit.
"I'll heal you both immediately with my recovery magic!" Mimosa spoke soothingly, her Grimoire shining before her as she prepared to cast her spell on the two.
"Don't worry about it. Focus on the civilians, we'll be fine." (Y/N) waved her off nonchalantly, Asta nodding in agreement. The civilians required priority as Magic Knights.
"O-oh! Right! I shouldn't have been so forward! I'm sorry!" Mimosa bowed slightly, her face red with embarrassment as (Y/N) laughed slightly.
"It's fine. Besides, you're cute when you're all worried~." (Y/N) smiled, teasing the Vermillion Royal. In return, she only blushed harder, if that were possible, and even steam seemed to rise from her ears.
"Ehem...that's right. We don't have time to deal with you! Let's go, Mimosa!" Klaus coughed awkwardly into his fist, before using his magic to summon forth his chariot of steel.
"R-Right!" Mimosa squeaked out, still embarrassed as she jumped into the chariot, hiding her face within her cloak, a hazy smile plastered on her lips.
H-He called her c-c-cute...
"Yuno! You stay near (Y/N) and Asta. I'm sure they can't fight at their best as they are now. Don't think I'm trying to spoil you guys or anything!" Klaus affirmed and ordered once again, though concern clearly shone in his eyes.
"I'll have you know-"
"You can go now." Yuno deadpanned, interrupting the (h/c) haired boy, who had an annoyed expression on his face.
"Please take care, (Y/N), Asta!" Mimosa's voice spoke from under her cloak, waving at the two though she continued to hide her face, still dyed a rosy haze.
"Later." (Y/N) waved coolly, Klaus manipulating his magic as the two took off towards the skies, heading towards the next group of civilians in need of aid. This is a battlefield, after all.
"...So, you guys think there are still any more people to fight?" (Y/N) asked curiously, an innocent look on his face as Yuno and Asta both deadpanned at him. He really wanted to pick a fight...
"By the way, does anyone else hear that scream?" (Y/N) asked, confusing the two.
"Scream? What scream?" Yuno asked curiously, not hearing anything of the sort.
"I don't hear anything..." Asta responded, looking around in surprise. What scream?
However, a figure then crashed before the group, his white hair messy as his eyes turned into spirals.
"Hey, Ryan, nice of you to drop by." (Y/N) smirked, getting a groan from the white haired boy, before he painfully gave a thumbs up.
"Did you lose him?" Yuno deadpanned, recalling that Ryan took after the other Shining General.
"Beats me. The guy just took off for the top of the tree. Eventually, I ran out of branches to jump on. It's not like I can magically fly, like you." Ryan groaned, forcing himself out of the hole as he rubbed his head in pain.
"Captain Yami also went up there..." Asta trailed off, the group gazing up towards the Mistelteinn Tree.
"...I kinda feel bad for the guy, and I don't even know him." (Y/N) spoke slowly, getting nods from the group. They felt a bit bad for Brocks, he was practically walking into his demise...
With the Shining General, he continued to scale up the tree upon his magic, arriving at a certain pair of branches, two pairs of eyes turning to meet him.
"Hah...hah...I finally found you. You two must be the Captains...I'd completely underestimated you. Who would've thought you'd both have such powerful magic?" Brocks growled slightly, glaring daggers at the two Captains. Only minor wounds were present on his face, most of his body engulfed in [Red Clay Magic].
"...I'm actually impressed you made it all the way up here." Rin blinked slightly, surprised that her meteorites hadn't managed to completely fell the man before her. It was already impressive he'd made it this far, only taking minor wounds from her attacks.
"You've got quite the impressive magic yourself. But there is no reason for you to perish here. Take your comrades and leave this place." William reasoned calmly, staring at the Shining General passively.
"If you didn't bring along a Warlord, the chances of your invasion succeeding beyond this moment have already disappeared. You should take his offer." Rin smiled, forming a peace sign with her fingers. If a Warlord wasn't present, there was no way the Diamond Kingdom could turn this situation around.
"What? Don't you know that Diamond soldiers never retreat! So what if we didn't bring a Warlord?! We can handle this just fine ourselves!" Brocks glared harshly at the two, making both of their eyes widen slightly, unknown to Brocks.
"They truly launched this offensive without a Warlord?" William thought to himself in surprise, his eyes widened ever so slightly beneath his mask.
"They didn't bring a Warlord? Could this be a diversion? But where else would they plan to attack? Kiten is as valuable a city as it gets for them to invade...was this a rogue assault?" Rin's eyes narrowed suspiciously. What game was the Diamond Kingdom playing at with this assault?
"[Red Clay Magic: Brilliant Armor Heavy Artillery!]" Brocks' spell instantly snapped the two of their thoughts, his fists rocketing towards them.
"Well...can't say we didn't give you a chance." Rin sighed, waving her hand forward as Brocks' fists, enraptured in [Red Clay Magic], assailed the two Captains.
However, two meteorites suddenly descended from above, crashing through his fists as William casually flicked his wrist forward, sending forth a seed into Brocks' Red Clay augmented body.
"It doesn't matter how many times you break my body! I'll simply reform it!" Brocks laughed boisterously, his arms surging with Red Clay once more, though neither of the Captains seemed particularly alarmed nor surprised.
"This is the end, Captains of Clover-"
However, in a sudden move, roots and vines burst forth from Brocks' Red Clay body, engulfing him in a tree of magic as William watched on silently, Rin lowering her guard as she watched the Shining General be defeated.
"[World Tree Magic: Mistelteinn Seed.]" William remarked calmly, Brocks' eyes whitening as he passed out in the grasp of his spell, his previously giant body now a prisoner to William's magic. And like that, the Shining Generals were defeated.
"You should feel honored. Your magic will nourish the Clover Kingdom." William smiled, delivering his parting words and getting a small laugh from Rin, lowering his guard around his fellow Captain.
Waving his hand, the [Mistelteinn Seed] began to descend, carrying along Brocks' in its grasp.
"You could've just let me-"
However, both Captains' eyes widened in surprise as a figure, cloaked in smoke, jumped out at William, his hand drawn back as smoke gathered near his hand.
"A Diamond ambush? He must've been hiding with his magic concealed." William swiftly realized his position, though due to his proximity to the attacker he couldn't retreat.
Rin simply raised her hand upwards, dozens of meteorites suddenly changing directions. Like raging falling stars, they rocketed towards the invader under Rin's control.
Lotus slashed his hand forward, only for his eyes to widen, jumping back on a cloud of smoke as a slash of darkened magic tore through his previous position, Lotus grimacing as blood began to flow from his shoulder, having failed to fully dodge the attack as dozens of meteorites tore through his previous position as well, forcing Lotus to retreat further into a distant branch.
""Scuse me...Shiny Oddball Masked Dude, Stargazer Lady." Yami casually jumped up onto a branch beside the two, glancing at the two Captains, three pairs of cloaks billowing in the winds.
"Ouch...I thought that if I'd manage to bag one of the Captains I could turn things around, but..." Lotus winced, feeling the blood flowing down his shoulder continue to flow. How ironic he'd meet those two again...
In his mind, a younger Yami and a younger Rin both faced off against him, the former slashing at him with a sword shadowed in [Dark Magic] and the latter attacking with dozens of projectiles of [Astral Magic].
"To think those guys I fought back then would show up. They're even stronger than ever, to boot..." Lotus smiled helplessly, before going on to complain once more about how the younger generation simply grew too fast.
"Looks like you owe me one, Vangeance." Yami spoke calmly, his cigarette in his mouth as he faced the Golden Dawn's Captain.
"You make it sound like I also didn't help." Rin childishly pouted, getting an eye roll from Yami.
"I clearly got the first hit." Yami responded back just as childishly, getting a pout from the Captain of the Midnight Jaguars.
"You both saved me, Yami, Rin." Unlike his fellow Captains, William smiled gracefully under his mask, a soothing aura around him. It was almost as if he wasn't fazed by their childish bickering.
"Ki, was it? How astounding." William smiled genuinely, a warm expression on his face as Rin and Yami both glared childishly at each other, before turning towards the distant Diamond General.
"Hey, old Diamond dude that we don't know. You gonna surrender?" Yami asked nonchalantly, seeming Lotus crouched down on a branch, holding his shoulder.
"Wait, really? You don't remember me?" Lotus asked, surprised.
"...Have we ever met this guy before?" Rin tilted her head to the side, a strange smile on her face.
"Look, right here. And over here." Lotus pointed out, showing his chest and various scars which had been caused by the two.
"I'm not interested in looking at your chest. Don't make me cut you down." Yami clicked his tongue, before leaping to the branch behind Lotus, Rin waving her hand as several starry projectiles formed around her.
"D'oh..."
"So, what'll it be?" Yami brandished his blade towards Lotus, who looked at him, then back at Rin.
"Well, this looks bad...but now's the time to show you guys what a true Diamond mage looks like, and..." Lotus leapt back into a cloud of blackened smoke, before it shifted right before their eyes, turning into a wagon.
"Retreat!" Lotus decisively left the battlefield, his creation rushing far off into the distance as the Captains stared on in surprise.
"...He sure retreats fast." Rin blinked twice, unsure of what exactly had just happened.
"He didn't hesitate one bit. I like that." Yami praised, before turning to his fellow Captains, particularly the golden-masked Captain.
"Well then, now that it's just us in a spot with such a great view, why don't you have a little chat with us, Vangeance?" Yami sheathed his katana, staring in an impassive manner towards the Captain of the Golden Dawn.
Similarly, Rin's magic fizzled around her, before she turned expectantly towards the Captain. She had a feeling she knew what Yami was going to bring up. It had been bothering her for quite a while, after all...
"..." Silence continued to reign over the three Captains, William smiling silently as the Captains of the Midnight Jaguars and Black Bulls stared at him.
"Your [World Tree Magic] is as impressive as ever." Yami praised, looking around at the gigantic tree that sprouted throughout Kiten.
"Please. It's only possible due to the enemies' abundant magic. If anything, Rin's [Astral Magic] is much more impressive. She cast this spell without any foreign aid." William chuckled slightly, Rin's lips curling into a cute smile, before she shook her head, focusing once more.
"Right, it's as impressive as ever. But...your magic is [World Tree Magic], right?" Yami redirected the focus back onto William, his gaze unnaturally serious, and even a bit cold.
"That's correct." William nodded, affirming his claim.
"That's nice~ that's nice~." Rin hummed slightly, leaning against the Mistelteinn Tree as she closed her eyes, Yami giving her a side glance before gazing at William again.
"...Exactly what are you two trying to say?" William questioned directly, an ominous wind passing through the branches they stood upon, ruffling the leaves of the Mistelteinn Tree and making their distinct cloaks weave in the winds.
"I don't know about the firecracker, but I'm a guy who believes in his gut instinct. Vangeance..." Yami reached his hand up, taking his cigarette out of his mouth and blowing out a puff of smoke, getting a small cringe from Rin.
"Could you take off that mask?" Yami asked coolly, yet another breeze passing through the group, Yami's face stoic, Rin crossing her arms behind her back, staring at the branch of the Mistelteinn Tree below her silently, and William smiling warmly.
Back below the Mistelteinn Tree, Yuno turned towards his brothers, asking the question that had been on his mind for a while.
"By the way, Asta...your arms, are they alright?" Yuno asked stoically, though a hint of concern was present in his voice. He was still his family after all.
"Yeah, I'm fine!" Asta replied, waving his wrapped arms up and down in an attempt to prove his point.
"Long story short, we fought a guy who surpassed anyone any of us had ever fought before. Pushed us all to the limit and more, so here we are now." (Y/N) gave a small, but empty smile as he recalled Vetto and the struggle of a fight they'd put up against him.
It had taken the entire Black Bulls Squad to defeat Vetto alone...
"I see. You two are reckless as ever." Yuno gave a small sigh, his lips curling into a smile after.
"What kind of monster can push you guys to the limits? Jeez..." Ryan grimaced, imagining a monster straight out of hell. That sounded like the only thing capable of pushing these guys beyond the limit...
"By the way, did you get taller, Yuno? I feel like you got taller since we last met." Asta questioned, feeling strangely short. Well, he always felt short, but he felt extra short today. Ugh, not being able to use his arms was messing with his head!
"What? The hell?! Seriously?! Slow down!" (Y/N) childishly complained at Yuno, walking up beside him, and indeed, Yuno was taller than (Y/N), though just a bit.
"What the heck?! He always acts so apathetic when he's with me!" Bell, the Wind Spirit, poured as she saw the smile on Yuno's face, the group sharing a laugh over Asta's declaration to become even taller than both (Y/N) and Yuno by the next day.
"What are you doing, Yuno?! Who the heck are these two twerps?!" Bell complained, pulling on Yuno's cheek as he deadpanned, the others turning their attention to the Sylph curiously.
"Ugh, you're acting all apathetic again!" Bell poured with a huff, only getting a side glance from Yuno, before he began ignoring her. Again.
"...What the heck IS that thing, by the way?" (Y/N) asked, curiously glancing at Bell.
"Is that the Sylph I've been hearing rumors about?" Asta asked curiously.
"I think...? She's really obsessed with Yuno, for some reason." Ryan added in, the group watching as Yuno continued to ignore Bell's whines and attempts to gain his attention.
"Argh! Yuno! Who is this mummified shrimp and laidback weirdo!" Bell asked- more like demanded, Yuno deadpanning before sighing.
"YOU'RE A SHRIMP, TOO!"
"WAIT! SHIT! HAS THE WEIRDNESS THING SPREAD TO ME TOO?! I'M NOT EVEN A CAPTAIN YET!"
"These are the guys I used to live with." Yuno answered, instantly halting Bell in her tracks.
"Y-Y-Y-You...Y-You lived with them?" Bell asked, suddenly tears rolling down her eyes as she slowly but surely began her descent to the ground, seemingly shocked and/or having her head in the gutter. And/or, people.
"We would eat together, study together-"
"-sleep in the same bed together, bathe together,-"
"-play together, train together, even fight together."
The three siblings explained, not an ounce of shame on their faces as Ryan looked on in surprise. Who knew these three were that close? Was that what a sibling bond was?
At the new information, Bell seemed to burst out with blood, instantly dropping to the floor in shock, muttering something about the three.
"U-Um...It's been a while!" Charmy suddenly walked up to the group, a bashful look on her face as she walked in front of Yuno.
"Um, thank you so much for saving my meal last time. Are you all better now?" Charmy asked bashfully, holding a cupcake in her hands as she presented it to Yuno, who stared at her for a moment. This girl was...oh, right. That girl who's treats he'd saved back against that old hag in Kikka.
"Oh, you're the girl from back then...from the Black Bulls." Yuno spoke up in recognition, seeing Charmy suddenly perk up, almost as if glad he remembered her.
"Right! Please enjoy this after-battle snack! I'll even throw in some extra dragees!" Charmy then seemed to add more treats to the cupcake, getting a small thanks from Yuno.
"...Hey, Asta." (Y/N) began.
"Yeah?" Asta responded.
"...Why does Yuno have more fans than either of us?" (Y/N) continued.
"...I don't know." Asta replied.
"...We're falling behind." (Y/N) added.
"...Right." Asta agreed.
Ryan simply stared at the siblings in silent amusement.
"Now who's this insolent child? She's clearly head over heels for Yuno." Bell, having recovered from her shock, stared warily at Charmy. (A NEW CHALLENGER APPROACHES!)
"I'm Charmy! May I call you 'Yuno?'" Charmy asked, getting a nod from Yuno, who bit into the treat he was given, making a small heart fly out from Charmy.
"WHAT THE HECK?!" (Y/N), Asta and Ryan thought in unison, staring wide eyed at Charmy and her...magical hearts-thingies?
"But...fufufu, my Sylph senses are telling me that she won't be a threat! I'll always be Yuno's number one fan!" Bell smiled smugly, staring at Charmy with contempt.
"I'm sorry for pushing you down back then."
"!" Shock passed through Bell, a small scream resonating from her as she heard Yuno's words.
"...Is she gonna be okay?" (Y/N) pointed at Sylph, who at this point looked about ready to murder a person, her face dyed dark red as steam rose from her ears.
Asta and Ryan only shrugged in response.
"Oh, don't worry about that! It's just something that did indeed happen!" Charmy only added more fuel to Bell's growing irritation.
"P-Push...P-Pushed down?!" Bell screamed, before going over and pulling on Charmy's hair with her small arms.
"La!"
"Why, you...! You must've used some sneaky spell to seduce Yuno! You snot-nosed little brat!"
"La? What's this creature? Are you yummy?"
"...That's the Wind Spirit. Don't eat her. You already proved yourself to be the bane of all ecosystems back in the Underwater Temple, don't go eating elemental spirits now..." (Y/N) deadpanned at Charmy, getting several nods from Asta and Ryan.
"What's with you people?! Yuno belongs to me, dang it!"
"Snot-nosed little brat? I can let that slide! I'm nineteen! I'm older than Yuno and rather sophisticated, too! My sexiness doesn't need any magical enhancement!"
"Sexy?! You're built like a grade-schooler, besides your giant forehead!"
"...What the hell are we watching right now?" (Y/N), Asta, Ryan, Yuno and even Nero, who had followed them from the base, deadpanned at the scene playing out before them.
"La! You did not just go there! Besides, you're also built like a grade-schooler and have a giant forehead!"
"What did you say?! I'll show you what happens when you cross a Sylph!"
"You insolent little brat!"
"...She said she's nineteen right? Hey, have any of us actually realized she's older than us?" (Y/N) looked off to the side, a dead look on his face. This vertically challenged little girl was supposedly older than him...
"Now that you mention it, what is age..." Ryan deadpanned, a similarly dead look in his eyes.
"She's older than me but even smaller than me...! Haha! I have height advantage over someone older than me!" Asta laughed loudly, Yuno merely biting into his cupcake as he watched the other three with amusement.
"That's really not a good thing, Asta..." (Y/N) trailed off, his dead expression still on his face.
"I'll fry you up and eat you!" Charmy exclaimed, rushing after the Wind Spirit with a random knife and fork she pulled out of god knows where.
"...I feel like I'm getting dumber every second more that I watch this." (Y/N) rubbed his head in annoyance, sighing heavily as Charmy chased around the miniature Spirit with intent to eat her.
"Calm down, Miz Charmy!" Asta yelled, trying to calm down the situation.
"Bell, that's enough." Yuno spoke softly, trying to dissuade Bell from further escalating the mess before them.
"Hey, looks like you guys are having fun." Finral's voice suddenly spoke from beside (Y/N), the group, except the two who were currently playing Cat-and-Mouse, except deadlier, turned towards him.
"Who's this?" Yuno asked, staring at Finral.
"This is our senior from the Black Bulls, Finral." Asta introduced, getting a small smile and wave from Finral. At least someone acknowledged his seniority-
"He's pretty much useless, though. He has like, one use. But, I guarantee you'll find no one better in that field! But that's about it." (Y/N) smirked cockily, Finral staring at him with a dead expression.
"T-Thanks...?" Finral spoke, confused as to whether he complimented or insulted by the (h/c) haired boys' words.
"That's a bit harsh. But, you guys haven't met before?" Asta asked Yuno, getting a nod from the Golden Dawn elite.
"You have [Spatial Magic] like the Captain?" Ryan asked curiously, Finral instantly shaking his head. No way in hell could he be compared to someone like Captain Rin!
"Nonono! Her magic is definitely better! And it's fine, it's not like I'd catch the eye of a Golden Dawn elite-"
"What's this~?" A curious, calm voice interrupted Finral, instantly making the brown haired boy tense up, which (Y/N) noted.
"Well, well. If it isn't my big brother. It's been so long! I'd never dreamed of running into you here." The group's attention shifted towards a nearby roof, an unfamiliar mage donned in a Golden Dawn cloak stepping forward. A small distance from him, Arthur also walked towards the group, the two having travelled around the town from the previous battle. Or rather, Arthur trying to ensure Langris kept his destruction down to a minimum.
"You know, I really should've followed Alyssa instead...nah. She'd probably find some way to lose me in seconds." Arthur shrugged slightly to himself, realizing that the silver haired girl would've found a way to get his attention off her almost instantly. It wasn't like he could stop her, either.
At least Langris would begrudgingly keep his destruction to a minimum.
"Langris..." Finral muttered, (Y/N) catching the name as he stared at the newcomers.
"Oh! Hey, Arthur, nice to see ya again!" (Y/N) waved, drawing Arthur's attention as he looked at the (h/c) haired boy.
"Hey! It's been a while!" Arthur waved back passively, nodding in acknowledgement as Langris glanced back at him, before clicking his tongue in slight annoyance.
"Who are they?" Asta asked curiously, seeing the two Vice Captains roaming around. Of course, he hadn't met either yet, so he didn't know them.
"That's Arthur Hyedon, the Vice Captain of the Midnight Jaguars." Ryan remarked, nodding at his Squad's Vice Captain, getting an awkward smile in return.
"Though, Captain Rin always seems to mention how great he is. Er, she always talks in a past tense when it comes to him, though..." Ryan narrowed his eyes quizzically, but didn't add on his comments. (...)
"Really?! Then, who's the other guy-"
"What's the black sheep of our family, who can barely even fight, even doing on the battlefield?" Langris's eyes stared fixed, with a cold gaze directly into Finral's own. He didn't seem to care that he interrupted Asta.
"Who's this asshat?" (Y/N) asked coldly.
"Please don't call him that. He's my little brother." Finral smiled helplessly, getting a surprised look from (Y/N) and Asta, both instantly turning their gazes to the Golden Dawn mage.
"That's the Vice Captain of the Golden Dawn, Langris Vaude." Yuno introduced, a slightly haughty look forming on Langris' face, staring down at the mages beneath.
"Seriously? Damn..." (Y/N)'s eyes seemed to widen in surprise, Asta similarly mimicking his reaction as the two stared at Langris in surprise. Finral's younger brother was the Vice Captain of the Golden Dawn, the strongest Magic Knight's Squad?!
"Are you still acting as the pack-mule to the Black Bulls, Finral? It looks like I'll have to be the next head of the Vaude family, since you're such a loser." Langris spoke, his words laced with contempt as Finral grit his teeth, but only looked down in response. He was r-
"Get over yourself! At the Underwater Temple, the only reason we were able to win was because we had Finral's help to defeat the enemy!"
"Hey! Finral may only have one use, but he's damn good at it! Don't you dare look down on a member of the Black Bulls! Especially your older brother!"
Asta and (Y/N) both shouted, surprising Finral and Langris, though (Y/N)'s initial words made most people there sweatdrop. Who's side was he on...?
"Wow~! You mean he was actually useful for once in his life?" Langris asked bluntly, tilting his head slightly to the side in amusement.
"Trust me, I was just as surprised! Also! Stop talking with such a condescending tone, that's not the way a brother should ever talk to his own family, asshat!" (Y/N)'s words again made most people sweatdrop, Finral unsure whether he wanted to cry from being touched or cry from indignation.
"Heh~? You've got guts to address the Captain of the Golden Dawn like that." Langris glared at (Y/N), who only met his glare with his own.
Faintly, Arthur slightly laughed, turning away from the two and coughing into his fist to recollect himself, ignoring Langris' annoyed glare.
"Who cares if you're the Vice Captain of the Golden Dawn! The only person allowed to freely make fun of Finral is me!" (Y/N)'s words instantly made most people there facedrop in shock. Whether at his words or stupidity, I'll leave for you to decide.
"T-Thanks? But, it's fine, (Y/N). He's only telling the truth, after all." Finral tried to reason, (Y/N) glancing back at him.
"I've still got a whole dictionaries' worth of words to call him-"
"It's fine." Finral spoke again, this time making (Y/N) stare at him for a moment, before reluctantly sighing, grumbling to himself some very colorful words.
"Well, whatever. We've already cleaned up most of the enemies. Or rather, our Captain did.-"
"-Captain Rin helped too, just putting it out there-"
"You Bulls aren't needed here anymore. And anyway..." Langris continued, ignoring Arthur's comment about Rin.
"When did the Black Bulls become a daycare center? Looking after three children must be tough. Aren't you embarrassed at having to babysit those three rugrats?" Langris mocked, Finral balling his fists slightly, his hair cowling his eyes.
"Who're you calling a rugrat?!" Asta shouted at Langris, annoyance clear in his eyes.
"I'll show you the charms of a mature woman!" Charmy shouted back, drawing a confused look from Arthur. Mature woman? She looked like a child...
"Ohoh...now you've done it." (Y/N)'s eye twitched, a tick mark on his face as he glared at Langris. If a single look could kill, Langris would be six feet under already.
However, before he could do anything, Finral stretches his arm out in front of him, stopping him. The three simply sent questioning looks at Finral, who's eyes were shadowed by his hair.
"Langris, you can insult me to your heart's content." Finral spoke slowly, an underlying anger veiled beneath his voice.
"Hmph." Langris smirked cockily, staring down at the "wastes" below him.
"But...don't you dare insult the members of the Black Bulls!" Finral shouted, raising his voice and drawing surprised looks from his Squadmates. That was the first time they'd heard Finral sound truly angry...
"Wow~. Who knew you could look so scary?" Langris sneered, staring down at his older brother in amusement. It seemed he was capable of more than simply being a pack mule. Of course, even if he had bark, he had no bite.
However, a blotch of strange slime then rocketed towards Langris, who casually slashed his hand to the side, a flux of [Spatial Magic] tearing apart the space beside him, deflecting the slime and immaterializing any that crossed its path.
"The fuck?" (Y/N) asked, confused at the sudden interruption as a gargantuan slime creation, looking similar to that of a snail, loomed closer to the group, various citizens caught within and a single, black robed Diamond mage.
"You little brat...on the honor of the Eight Shining Generals, I'm taking your head back home with me!" Yagos, the final Shining General, growled maniacally, his eyes wide in rage as he seethed at Langris. To be bested by a mere brat...he'd be a laughingstock amongst the other Generals!
"Oh, wow~. You're still alive? Not only that, but it seems you've even got civilians to use as cover against my [Spatial Magic]." Langris remarked, amusement shining in his eyes as Yagos began to cackle.
"You can't lay a finger on me, Magic Knights!" Yagos howled with laughter, the citizens caught in his magic now a shield from the Magic Knights.
"Save us!"
"Please, I don't want to die!"
"Help us, Magic Knights!"
The people within yelled, the abomination of slime rearing around the corner, allowing (Y/N) and the others to fully see all the people trapped within, and Yagos himself.
"At this rate, who knows how big he'll be able to make that. I don't have time to hesitate here. Oh, well. They'll simply have to be noble sacrifices for the sake of our country." Langris remarked, raising his hand as his Grimoire shone brightly, prepared to cast a spell. And undoubtedly, it would also devour the citizens within.
"Hey, Langris, that's not a funny joke." Arthur's cold voice reprimanded, his gaze dark as he glared at Langris, who only rolled his eyes at his words. Would the current him do any better, then?
"HOLD IT!" Two voices interrupted the two, drawing their attentions towards (Y/N) and Asta.
"How can you even think of abandoning our citizens?! We're Magic Knights!" Asta shouted in shock and horror, glaring at Langris with hatred.
"And? If this goes on, we'll just end up with even more victims." Langris coldly replied, his gaze serious as he glared back frostily at the two mages beneath.
"I don't know what kind of Magic Knight you're aiming to be, but there's no way in hell I'm letting anyone die on my watch!" (Y/N) glared back just as frostily, before shifting his electric (e/c) orbs towards Yagos, an unusual anger in his gaze.
"Y'know...I really hate fuckers like you who need to use hostages. Asta! Finral! Charmy! Let's show them how the Black Bulls do things! Yuno, Ryan, you guys just watch!" (Y/N) growled out as his Grimoire flashed before him, a certain black blade erupting from its page.
"Right!" Asta shouted back, standing beside (Y/N) as his own Grimoire hovered before him.
"...Let's see what you've got." Yuno nodded in agreement, stepping back a bit as Bell playfully stuck her tongue out at the group.
"Go for it." Ryan shrugged, sheathing his sword as he watched on beside Yuno.
"What can you possibly do in the condition you're in?" Langris scoffed, staring down at the group, unamused.
"I wouldn't doubt him if I were you. I wouldn't doubt any of them." Arthur felt a small, reminiscent smile form on his face. Langris only grunted in annoyance, though he begrudgingly watched.
"Asta!" (Y/N) shouted, his eyes narrowed at Yagos as Asta nodded, running back as the three mages prepared to face Yagos.
"Retreating from the start?" Langris scoffed coldly, seeing Asta begin to run back away from Yagos.
"[Cotton Creation Magic: Fluffy Sheep Cushion!]" Charmy casted her spell, a sheep materializing by Asta as he leapt onto it, using it's elasticity to jump back at Yagos, now faster than before.
"[Void Frost Magic: Frost Realm.]" (Y/N) jumped into the skies, brandishing Phantasm as the blackish-red blade became engulfed in blackish-cyan ice, a slight mist trailing from the sword.
"Who the hell are you?! Stay out of this, you brats!" Yagos howled, two streams of slime bursting towards the oncoming attackers, though Finral only raised his hand, spatial rifts deflecting the attack from both Black Bulls' mages.
Descending past Finral's spatial rift, (Y/N) jumped onto the slimy-snail, planting Phantasm within it, Yagos' eyes widening as ice quickly began to spread around the (h/c) haired boy, instantly turning his slime into a sculpture of spiked blackish-cyan ice.
"He froze my slime?! Impossible!" Yagos' eyes widened in shock, fright clear in his eyes as he stared at (Y/N), unbelieving that his magic had been so easily neutralized.
"No one special, really..." (Y/N) growled in response, his electric (e/c) eyes shining with anger as he glared at Yagos from within the icy-snail.
"Just someone that's aiming to become the Wizard King." (Y/N) then unearthed Phantasm from the frozen ground, leaping back and away from the icy-snail, another portal appearing above it.
In a single moment, Asta descended from the portal, the Demon-Dweller Sword clasped between his teeth as he slashed at the icy creation, slashing it in half and exposing Yagos.
"Wh-What?! Not only did he freeze my magic, but this one destroyed it completely?!" Yagos shouted in shock, anger forming in the depths of his eyes.
"Just what did you do, you damn brats?!" Yagos howled, clawing forward with a slime-wrapped arm, forming a vicious claw of slime to attack the group.
"Like I said before, nothing special, really." (Y/N) landed before the group, brandishing Phantasm against the oncoming claw, blackish-white flames sparking to life around his blade.
"[Void Flame Magic: Burning Abyss, Scorching Blades.]" (Y/N) chanted, Finral retreating Asta with a spatial rift as pillars of blackish-white flames rose from the ground, instantly scorching Yagos' spell as a pillar of Void Flames rose beneath him, sending him flying to the skies with dozens of burn wounds on his skin and charred clothes.
"Double casting?!" Both Langris' and Arthur's eyes widened slightly, not having expected the boy to pull off such a feat.
Not done, (Y/N) waved his blade before him, dozens of flaming mirage blades manifesting before him. And then, under his command, they rocketed towards the airborne Yagos, a myriad of flaming slashes wounding him in an instant, blood vomiting from his mouth as (Y/N) watched on, coldly.
"You...damn brats! I'll make you pay for this!" Yagos howled, blood and spit flying from his mouth as madness seemed to overtake his face, a barrage of slime rushing down towards the group, though neither Charmy nor Finral seemed worried as (Y/N) stared down the oncoming attack, Finral opening another spatial rift above Yagos, a familiar ashen-blonde haired boy emerging from within.
"You won't...be doing anything!" Asta growled through his sword, slashing down at Yagos with the Demon-Dweller Sword, utilizing his attention being on the others. Due to his lack of awareness, the strike hit true as Yagos vomited another jet of blood, the impossibly heavy blade slamming into him and sending him rocketing down before, to where he had just attacked.
"[Void Frost Magic: Absolute Zero Strike.]" (Y/N) chanted as Void Ice formed around Phantasm, and in a single motion, he slashed through the wave of slime that rocketed towards the group. However, it proved to do nothing as the slime continued on.
"Heh, was that all?" Langris smirked cockily, seeing the attacked continue as (Y/N) merely continued to stare on, shards of frost beginning to grow on the slime.
In an instant, the falling slime froze into a blanket of ice, and due to the location and previous attack, Yagos crashed through the blanket of ice, forming a small crater in the ground from the force behind his fall, his momentum making him rise back towards the air.
Shifting his foot forward, (Y/N) disappeared in a burst of speed as he flashed in front of Yagos, slashing swiftly at Yagos with the blunt side of Phantasm, making the Shining General vomit even more blood as he was sent flying into a wall. (Phantasm is a one-sided sword, folks. Remember that, because I sure as hell didn't.)
"He's fast!" Arthur noted in surprise, seeing (Y/N) instantly close the distance from Yagos in a single moment. He didn't even use a spell, either...!
Furthermore, (Y/N) seemed to instantly appear before the Shining General, Phantasm glinting menacingly as he thrusted the blade forward, stabbing the blade through Yagos' shoulder, eliciting a scream from the Shining General, before he instantly passed out, unconscious from his wounds.
"I'm not letting anyone die on my watch." (Y/N) growled, stretched Phantasm to the side as he spun the blade, Yagos' blood flying off of the blackish-red blade, before he sheathed it once more.
"AHHHH!" Asta's shouting voice distracted the group from the (h/c) haired boy, the injured magicless-Knight falling to the floor.
Yuno, waving his hand forward, commanded a gale of winds to gather beneath Asta, slowing his descent and allowing him to land on his feet, the Demon-Dweller Sword crashing roughly into the ground, creating a small crater.
"How fucking heavy are those swords?! How did Asta hold that thing in his mouth?!" (Y/N) sweatdropped, looking on incredulously at the silent Demon-Dweller Sword. However, he then shook his head, he had more important things to worry about.
"Looks like I owe you one, Yuno." Asta grinned, panting slightly and ignoring his aching teeth. The Demon-Dweller Sword was still heavy as all hell...man! It really sucked to not be able to use his arms!
"You two are as reckless as ever." Yuno smiled slightly, amusement clear in his voice as he stared at his two brothers and rivals, ignoring Sylph's jealous gaze towards his brothers.
"That guy stood no chance, jeez..." Ryan gave a small laugh, seeing Yagos unconscious against the wall (Y/N) had put him in.
"Just who do you think he was up against?" (Y/N) smirked cockily, Phantasm disappearing back into his Grimoire.
"Langris..." Finral's voice drew the groups' attention, turning towards the "failed" Spatial Mage.
"You're right that I can't beat you. But...The Black Bulls will beat the Golden Dawn!" Finral exclaimed, resolve shining in his eyes as (Y/N) stared at him in surprise and slight awe. Was this really the useless Finral he knew?
"Yeah!" Asta shouted in encouragement, rising back to his feet.
"Damn straight!" (Y/N) smirked confidently, walking up beside Finral and glancing at Langris, his gaze now calm and confident.
Langris merely held his silence as he stared at the defiant Black Bulls, curiosity shining within his eyes. He had to admit, their strength was the real deal.
But...did they think that alone would let them surpass the Golden Dawn?
If so, they had another thing coming.
Elsewhere, a couple rooftops away, a girl sat silently, a white robe mantled upon her shoulders as she hummed, kicking her feet over the roof as she watched the Black Bulls' display with interest.
"Well...that was somewhat entertaining." The girl let loose a yawn, before she hopped off the building silently, her world seeming to contrast for a moment, the entire world around her turning black with white outlines before returning to normal as she stepped on the floor.
"I suppose I should start heading back. Well, it wasn't a complete waste coming here." The girl moaned as she stretched her arms, a blade sheathed on her hip as the screen rose above her, showing dozens upon dozens of Diamond Mages unconscious behind her. With various slash wounds, both material and immaterial, blood strewn about the streets, the Diamond Kingdom's mages had been flawlessly defeated.
"It seems like the Clover Kingdom is going to get more interesting~, that's awesome~! After all..." The girl turned to look behind her, a smirk forming on her face as she saw the dozens of defeated enemies left in her wake.
"A life without anything interesting in it isn't worth shit." The silver haired girl continued forward, a gale shifting her white robe-like mantle, revealing a certain white cloak beneath. On it was a familiar roaring jaguar head. The cloak of the Midnight Jaguars...!
Elsewhere, above the Mistelteinn Tree, the howling wind and rustling leaves seemed to be the only sound capable of being heard. A tension hung in the air, both the Captains of the Black Bulls and Midnight Jaguars staring at the Golden Dawn Captain expectantly.
"...This isn't a face that most people would want to see." William spoke, though he didn't exactly attempt to dissuade the two.
"What? Are you, like, super ugly under there or something? Don't worry, we won't laugh." Yami snorted, laughing slightly at William's words. Even Rin seemed to laugh slightly, both seeming to simply enjoy the moment.
"I know what this is, Yami, Rin." William's serious tone instantly made the two go serious once again, turning towards the Captain.
"You have suspicions that I may be the leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun, don't you?" William questioned curiously, getting silent stares from the two.
"Frankly, yeah." Yami agreed without hesitation, taking a puff from his cigarette.
"Please, prove us wrong, William..." Rin bit her lip, turning her gaze astray from her fellow Captain. He was right on the mark.
Yami glanced at Rin for a moment, before sighing as he stared back at William. He couldn't deny that he, too, wanted to be proven wrong in this instance.
William used [World Tree Magic].
Licht used [Light Magic].
Yet, there was something that really irked Yami and Rin.
Their builds, their voices, and above all else - their Ki felt almost the same.
Still...
"It's been about ten years since we first met you." Yami remarked, the howling wind seeming to pick up the tension in the air.
"Indeed." William nodded, recalling the moment the three, now Captains, had first met. It had been a long journey from then, but they all made it to this point...
"Yami and I both awakened at the same time in a strange land, but eventually our paths stumbled into you. We met on the battlefield, and after that first time, we ended up fighting side by side on more battlefields." Rin remarked dryly, an almost broken look on her face as she stared down at the branch below her, getting a faint nod from both her companions.
"We even became Captains at the same time. Nozel's braid shook like crazy when that happened." Yami recalled, the group sharing a laugh at the memory. Nozel's expression that day had been priceless.
"Well, it's not like we're best buds or anything, but we go back pretty far, don't you think?" Yami finished, breathing out a puff of smoke as Rin deadpanned at him, though she only shook her head with a groan. She would never understand his fascination with those accursed things.
"I feel something familiar in you, and I can tell the firecracker does, too." Yami thought, his gaze focused on William, who only smiled mysteriously beneath his mask.
"So, it wouldn't be too much to ask you to show us your face, right?" Yami requested, a tense silence overtaking the group. What would his response be? Were their suspicions correct? Was this "friend" a "foe?"
A tense silence hung in the howling wind, seeming deafening to the group. However, in the next moment, William let loose a small smile, before his lips moved to speak.
"Very well." William reaches up for his mask. The mask that he'd worn almost daily since becoming a Magic Knight, and the sign of his loyalty to his savior. And then, in a show of trust, he unmasked himself.
"What is...that...?" Rin couldn't help but gasp, surprise coloring her face as she layed eyes upon William's face. His real face, not the one hidden by the mask.
Even Yami's face seemed to light up in surprise, staring at William's sharp features and warm purple eyes. Yet, his face seemed plagued by something...a spell? A disease? A curse? A scar?
"That's one hell of a scar. Did that happen on the battlefield?" Yami questioned, confusion and curiosity mixing within his stoic gaze.
"Does it...hurt? Was it done by a spell?" Rin asked, concern lacing her voice as she looked on with worry, William merely shaking his head.
"No, I was born with it. They had called me a cursed child." William revealed, surprising the two.
"Cursed child?" Yami repeated, surprised. Who could think of this guy as a cursed child? Actually, he wasn't a stranger to discrimination either. This Kingdom...was certainly far from perfect.
"Right. Even Magic cannot fix this scar. It always creeped out those around me, and they all came to fear me because of it." William affirmed, a strangely reminiscent glint in his eyes.
"I was the illegitimate child of a certain noble. I lived my life within the Forsaken Realm until I was eight. But, my life took a turn when, following the loss of that certain noble's heir, I was taken in as an aristocrat." William began, surprise forming in Rin's eyes at his story. He was just like her...
"Fortunately, I had great magical power, and my [World Tree Magic] was gazed upon with awe. But even there, they loathed my face. In addition, my foster mother brutally abused me. It was a hellish childhood." William continued, Rin covering her mouth with her hands in shock. Even Yami frowned at his words. Who would've thought that this guy of all people had such a harsh childhood... (When you think to how kind William actually is, just...damn. He went through all that as a child and still turned out to be a damn good person. That takes serious character to pull off...)
"You sure had it rough, didn't you..." Yami sympathized, though William remained unperturbed at his words.
"But in the midsts of that, I got the chance to meet Master Julius. He didn't care about my appearance. All he saw was my power and my worth." William closed his eyes, fondly remembering that day. It was the first time someone had seen him without the clouding judgement from his scar.
Flashback
A younger William raised his hands in a field of greenery before a massive estate, concentrating as mana swelled around him. The sky seemed to twinkle with life, birds and the like flying around freely, unchained.
Before him, a tree slowly sprouted from the ground. It grew, and grew, and grew, until it stood even larger than William himself.
Slowly, several chirps descended, landing on the tree as William stared silently at the new arrivals, several birds landing on its branches. And then, he smiled warmly.
However, he then dropped his arms, a satisfied smile on his face as he panted slightly, though he had succeeded. He had given them a new shelter.
However, clapping then interrupted his thoughts, turning to meet the gaze of a younger Julius, who's eyes seemed starry as he glanced at the tree he'd erected with his magic.
"Little boy, what kind of Magic is that?" The younger version of Julius asked, curiosity and awe lacing his voice.
"Um, it's [World Tree Magic], sir..." William stuttered, though Julius' eyes seemed to light up with awe.
"[World Tree Magic]?! How sublime and majestic! That's terrific!" Julius praises, his eyes starry as he shifted his gaze from Julius to his creation and back.
William was taken aback by his display, unsure of what to say. No one had ever talked to him this casually before...
"Most of all...it feels as if your kind magic is trying to protect everything. What wonderful magic!" Julius praised, William's eyes lighting up in surprise as the two stared at the birds that had come to make the tree he'd grown
their new home. He'd given them...a home.
"You should definitely join the Magic Knights!" Julius encouraged, William's eyes seeming to shine for a moment. He...could he really...
And then, his gaze went downcast.
Of course he couldn't...
"Hmm? Would you not like to?" Julius asked curiously, seeing his downcast gaze.
"N-No! I'd love to...but, I never even thought of joining the Magic Knights. Because of my face, I..." William trailed off, his gaze looking to the side in sadness. No one would accept him-
"It's nothing to worry about."
"Huh?" William shifted his gaze to meet Julius' own, being greeted by a warm smile. No prejudice, no disgust, no repulsing...only just...kindness and acceptance.
"It really isn't anything to worry about, but if you are so worried about it, then..."
The scene then changed, now showing the younger versions of both Julius and William within a building, the former giving a mask to the latter. That familiar mask...his sign of loyalty.
"I'll give you this mask!" Julius extended his hand, a mask in his grasp. It was an elaborate, wide mask, mainly colored gold with a section of blue to the left eye. It also held outlines, a red outline in the right eye and a white in the left. To the sides, there were several patches of fur, whilst the top had several feathers hanging up.
"Master Julius, this is so...tacky..." William sweatdropped slightly, grasping the mask in his hands as Julius stood upright once more.
"What?! But it's my best work!"
I was happy.
A smile formed on the younger William's face, his eyes fondly tracing over the mask in his hands. This...would be the way forward.
Flashback End
"At that moment, I wanted to pledge my Grimoire to Master Julius' service." William recalled fondly, his eyes closed as he remembered that scene.
That...he felt true happiness that day.
He met the man who showed him the way to continue forward.
"This story sounds pretty familiar...the lines on his face even look like Licht's. Even still, I can't sense the slightest trace of magic from that scar." Yami breathed out another puff of smoke, the wind taking it away as the two Captains stared at William.
"He's not lying to us. I can tell he's not lying to us. His devotion is real...he isn't tricking us. There's no illusion at play, nor is he using any magic items." Rin's lips slowly curved upwards, beginning to reveal a faint smile.
"I guess this is just some odd coincidence..." Yami narrowed his eyes slightly, but then shrugged. He couldn't deny that he was a bit...relieved, that his suspicions were unfounded.
"Ah~ I'm so glad." Rin sighed, a pleasant smile rising to her lips as she stared at William in a friendly manner, her eyes shining with trust. He wasn't a "foe." He was a friend.
"Right...sorry about that whole thing." Yami awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, staring off to the side and ignoring Rin's annoyingly bright smile.
"No...I'm glad I was able to tell you both and show you how things really are. Thank you, Yami, Rin." William smiled sincerely, getting a smile in return from Rin and a grunt from Yami.
This time, a calm, yet peaceful silence seemed to descend upon the group. However, this time...there was no tension. This time for sure, they were all allies. There were no suspicions.
However, a voice then snapped them out of their thoughts.
"Captain Vangeance! Captain Vangeance! The Diamond soldiers that remain have begun to retreat!"
"Understood. There's no need to pursue those who've fled. Focus all our efforts on aiding the injured." William commanded, speaking through his communication magic device.
"Understood, sir."
"Shall we go, too? There are plenty of captives to transport. It'll be a pain to move them all."
"Huh? Oh, sure. If we're transporting captives, I've brought some useful guys for that."
"I'll help~!"
"Thank you, Rin. With your magic, it should be significantly easier."
"No problem at all~!"
"Sheesh, you're extra chipper today..."
"You're just extra grumpy. Well, that's you everyday, but hey, what can you do~."
"HUH? WHAT WAS THAT?"
"Nothing~ nothing~."
William merely laughed at the interaction between the two, the trio beginning to descend down the Mistelteinn Tree. That's right...
There were no more doubts.
No more suspicions.
They were all...
Allies.
"ACHU! Ugh...I just had a chill run down my spine." Finral shivered, a strangely horrified look on his face. Just where had that chill come from?
"You have a spine?" (Y/N) asked curiously, getting a tick mark to form on Finral's head.
"I'M YOUR SENIOR!"
"Tell it to someone who cares. Anyway, looks like all the fightings over." (Y/N) relaxed his stance, placing his arms behind his head once again.
"We should meet up with Captain Yami." Asta proposed, getting a collective nod from the group.
"I'd say let's find him by where the screams are the loudest, but there's no fighting going on." (Y/N) shrugged casually, a relaxed smile on his face as he glanced at the others.
"I can just find him by his Ki." Asta explained, getting a hum from (Y/N). What the heck was ki, by the way?
"Aight, well, we're gonna bounce. Later, Yuno, Ryan." (Y/N) smirked at the two, saying his farewells.
"See ya, Yuno, Ryan!" Asta waved- er...tried to? He really needed to get his arms fixed...
"Yeah. See you, (Y/N), Asta. And don't go eating stuff you find on the ground, Asta." Yuno remarked, getting a tick mark to form on Asta's head.
"Righty then." Ryan waved, and after some more banter between Charmy and Bell, they hopped through a spatial rift and disappeared.
Elsewhere, the group appeared at the top of Kiten's wall, walking out of the spatial rift.
"AHHHH! I KNOW IT'S TOO LATE TO TAKE IT BACK, BUT THE WORST SQUAD JUST PICKED A FIGHT WITH THE BEST SQUAD!" Finral panicked, his face distressed as he realized the weight of his words. It had been in the heat of the moment, but he'd openly declared the Black Bulls would surpass the Golden Dawn...!
"Don't sweat the small details, we'll get there...
eventually...probably..." (Y/N) shrugged, mustering out, his mouth full with treats as he bit into yet another one of Charmy's delights.
"Does your stomach hurt, Finral?" Asta asked curiously, also eating dozens of treats with the other two, making Finral deadpan at the three.
"AHH! I wanna hurry up and practice some more with my sword! If I wanna keep up with Yuno, I've got to train even harder! Man, having magic must be so nice..." Asta had comical tears running down his face, swinging his arms around in his wraps.
"I wanted to talk with Yuno more!" Charmy wept, eating snack after snack like the endless black hole that her stomach was. Seriously, is there no end to it?
"I mean, I got to fight another Shining General. I'm pretty happy with how things turned out. Not to mention I got to show off in front of that asshat." (Y/N) chuckled darkly, his gaze shadowed as he laughed creepily. He'd surely shown Langris how it was done!
"You guys are way too laidback...I mean, I guess I'm the one who picked the fight, but..." Finral depressingly spoke out, before remembering something, a teasing look forming on his face.
"By the way, (Y/N), what was that you said about me back there?" Finral teased, his nose turned up as (Y/N) turned to him, tilting his head to the side innocently.
"I said something about you? Oh, right! How you were useless! Yeah! Good times." (Y/N) munched happily on his treat, his eyes starry.
"Nono, not that. After that." Finral's brow twitched in annoyance, getting a curious look from (Y/N).
"I said you had one use? Yeah, I mean it's all you can do, so. Yeah." (Y/N) nodded in a sagely manner, a tick mark forming on Finral's face.
"NOT THAT! You said only you could make fun of me!" Finral sighed heavily, getting a head tilt from (Y/N).
"Nah-ah. Wasn't me. You might be hearing things, Finral. Might need to get your ears checked out." (Y/N) denied flatly, his eyes unamused as he stared at the "delusional" Spatial Mage.
"I DO NOT! YOU TOTALLY SAID THAT!"
"Nope. Not me. You've got the wrong guy."
"URGH! YOU'RE AN ASS!"
"Takes one to know one."
"I HAVE SENIORITY, YOU KNOW!"
"How many times am I gonna have to teach you this lesson, old man?"
"ARGH! Fine, you win..."
"Don't I always?"
Finral wanted to push (Y/N) off Kiten's walls.
Can you blame him?
...
Elsewhere, with Yuno and Langris.
"Honestly, what a vulgar bunch. You should be more careful about who you associate with, Yuno." Langris remarked after the Wind Spirit Host, getting Yuno to stop and his tracks.
"Aren't you embarrassed to be seen with them?" Langris questioned, genuinely curious. Did an Elite of the Golden Dawn truly find himself among those of the likes of the Black Bulls?
"Why? I've never thought of that, not even once. I'm proud of (Y/N) and Asta, and they're my rivals." Yuno explained stoically, getting a laugh from Langris.
"Rivals? Rivals in what? Are you guys competing for something?" Langris, after calming down from his laughter, asked the Golden Dawn's newest mage.
"Yeah..." Yuno revealed, turning to face his Vice Captain.
Elsewhere, with the Black Bulls...
"By the way, was it really alright to just leave like that? That handsome guy is your old friend, isn't he?" Finral asked, munching on some of Charmy's treats. Asta was currently working out with his broken hands, whilst (Y/N) simply hoisted himself up with one hand, doing his own training.
"It's fine. Yuno's tough enough to survive on his own." (Y/N) grunted, raising himself with his hand and lowering himself, before repeating the action.
"Yep! We'll meet on some other battlefield, anyway." Asta explained, trying to get a feel for his broken arms.
"Because..." All three boys then spoke at once.
"We're all working to become the Wizard King!" The three spoke in unison, a smirk on (Y/N)'s face, a grin on Asta's, and a stoic smile in Yuno's.
"Pft...The Wizard King?" Langris couldn't help but crack up, hearing the funny 'joke' from the mage before him.
"Hahaha! You really aren't embarrassed at all to say that, are you? Maybe you peasants just don't feel embarrassment. But I'd expect no less from the great peasant who was chosen by the Four-Leaf Grimoire." Langris chuckled, his eyes closed as he laughed.
"Hey! What's your problem?! I won't allow you to make fun of Yuno-"
Yuno swiftly silenced Bell, his own gaze focused on his Vice Captain.
"There's no rule saying that commoners can't become the Wizard King.-"
"Huh?"
"-So first, I'll become the Captain of the Golden Dawn." Yuno revealed, a shocking conviction within his eyes as Langris' gaze grew dark. This peasant didn't even put him in his eyes...!
"I see. You don't even acknowledge my existence as Vice Captain, then." Langris glared at Yuno, the raven haired boy meeting his eyes with his own frosty glare.
"Yuno! Things are taken care of over here. All the wounded have been taken care of, too-"
Before he could finish, both Yuno and Langris walked away, leaving Klaus standing there, surprised.
Had something happened between the two?
Castle Town, Kikka
"The Diamond forces have been successfully repelled and they've retreated. We've also captured a large number of their mages." Marx reported, standing in Julius' office as the sun shone a golden tint into the office.
"Excellent work. Please see to the repair of the damaged buildings and set up shelters for the affected immediately." Julius gave Marx a smile, relaxing at the sound of the news. It seemed they had gotten the job done at Kiten, and without many casualties to boot. Tons of wounded, but rarely any casualties this time.
"Yes, sir." Marx saluted, before turning on his heel and walking out of the office.
"Now, then...I don't believe that was a serious assault by the Diamond Kingdom. They didn't even send a Warlord to lead their forces...just what were they after?" Julius muttered to himself, gazing out of the glass window and towards the fading sun in the distance.
The Diamond Kingdom...
Just what was their goal?
Diamond Kingdom,
???????????
Within the dark confines of the Diamond Kingdom's Headquarters of Military Affairs, a certain man entered, a group of silhouettes hidden by the sun's shadows.
"Here to report..." Lotus announced, drawing a few curious gazes, though most turned away after an instance or two.
And so Lotus reported everything that happened on the scouting of the Clover Kingdom. He accurately reported every single detail to do with the assault on Kiten, including their defeat. However, none of the silhouette's seemed particularly surprised at the news.
"I see...Sylph, the Wind Spirit, eh? Offensive [Spatial Magic]...oh, and even [Astral Magic] that controls the skies, and [World Tree Magic] that uses the mana of others?" One of the silhouette's, the one that Lotus reported to, summarized mysteriously, a hint of amusement laced in his tone.
"Well, I suppose the Generals of the old era had their uses, after all. But, from here on out we're moving beyond the old era..." The silhouette spoke, walking towards the sun's shadow and the other silhouettes.
"This era belongs to us Mage Warriors, the new Generals, and the Warlords above." The silhouette revealed, the camera zooming out to show a total of eight silhouettes, a few features of each barely visible under the solar haze.
However, in the wide spacious room, three people sat upon separate Pillars, one looking off to the side, one looking at the other in amusement, and the third looking directly at the camera menacingly.
"Prosperity for the Diamond Kingdom is all but assured." The same silhouette spoke, the sun's light flooding into the room, revealing all the faces within.
High above at the left-most pillar, Kite looked off to the side silently, Zephyr, brimming with powers incomparable to it's previous form, shone from his hip. At the right-most Pillar, an alluring woman sat, her head hoisted onto her palm as she stared at Kite in amusement, a pair of bladed handheld fans at the sides of her waist, shining with power. And in the middle, a cloaked figure sat, a pair of daggers, brimming with impossible power sat, their red eyes menacing beneath their cloak.
Beneath the left-most pillar, a blond man with a cocky smirk on his face and several gems embedded into his body. Beside him, a silver haired boy with similarly embedded gems, a familiar face...Mars. Beside Mars, in the center, was a figure cloaked by the sun, whilst beside him stood a large man, gems embedded into his body and his face shadowed by the sun, whilst at the right-most side, stood a single dark-skinned man, with gems embedded onto his body like the others, his gaze stoic.
The Warlords...
The Shining Generals...
The Diamond Kingdom's forces...
"Prosperity to the Diamond Kingdom!" The silhouetted speaker smiled wryly, the camera showing all eight figures, before two small slashes seemed to cut up the screen, everything turning to black...
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The battle of Kiten is over! A decisive victory for the Kingdom of Clover! Tensions begin to rise between the Golden Dawn and Black Bulls! Suspicions begin to stray apart the Magic Knights, but are they unfounded?!What will become of it?!
Yo~. How've ya been- okay I'll stop lmfao. No, I don't have an excuse for the late update. But in my defense, not even an excuse, I literally cannot be trusted with an upload schedule. Who would've known uploading for 4 different stories bi-daily would turn out to be so boring. Huh.
Anyway, that's this chapter~! Next chapter is gonna prove to be quite, uh...well, I think I'll let you guys see it for yourself. It's going to be interesting, you can bet that!
After the next chapter, we'll see a bit more character development between our MC and the former MC, Chadasta~. The bond between brothers must be nice...I don't have any myself, so I can't say xD. I've only got sisters. Anyway, after that, we begin the Timeless Manor Arc~.
Let me put this out there, which I'll do again later, but for now just answer. Don't ask questions. If you know, you know.
Team Squirtle.
Team Bulbasaur.
Team Charmander.
Team Pikachu.
Choose~ let's decipher the men/ladies of culture among ya'll~!
Also, does anyone else find Nacht really likeable? Like, idk, but I really like Nacht for some reason. I get the feeling the things he likes and doesn't are going to become a running gag in the series lol. I highly approve of our mysterious Vice Captain~!
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. ~