"Ah! I can breathe underwater!"
Just as Adam was about to transform into a fish, he realized that the seawater entering his mouth didn't choke him at all — instead, it felt strangely refreshing.
"Cool!"
Even the crushing water pressure at the ocean's depths no longer bothered him. He felt like he had become one with the sea itself.
A cry of pure joy escaped his lips as his body shimmered with an ethereal glow — as if he had entered paradise itself.
A brilliant blue light burst from Adam's body. The glowing blue pages floated toward his grimoire and automatically bound themselves inside.
"Other people's spellbooks have blank pages to add new spells, but mine actually adds entire pages!"
Adam flipped his grimoire open to the newly added 13th page, where he saw intricate illustrations of eight ancient demons — the most malevolent beings to have ever existed.
The blue glow gathered around the symbol in the lower right — a demon with a dragon's face and serpent's body — the Water Demon, legendary ruler of Atlantis and master of the ocean!
"Hehehe... hahahaha... I don't understand anything anymore!"
Adam's laughter turned manic. His grin stretched unnaturally wide, eyes gleaming with madness.
But then he froze.
"No! The time's not right yet!"
Though his mana had surged tremendously, and he now possessed the Water Demon's blessing, he hadn't yet fully absorbed her strength. For now, he would still have to rely on the Twelve Zodiac Talismans.
"It's time to head back!"
With excitement burning in his eyes, Adam shot upward through the water — eager to return.
"Idiots, listen up! There's an intruder in the temple — a high-ranking member of the Eye of the Midnight Sun! I can't join the fight for... certain reasons, so it's up to you now!"
Captain Yami's voice echoed through the Underwater Temple. What started as a playful "game" had now become a deadly war.
"Everyone! Push your limits right here!"
Upon hearing Yami's order, the Black Bulls scattered across the temple immediately kicked into action.
Of the four cultists Vetto had brought with him, one maintained the spatial barrier around the temple, while the other three roamed inside — hunting for targets.
The war had begun!
"It's not over yet!"
Bruised and bloodied, Luck and Magna forced themselves back to their feet.
"Thunder God's Armor!"
"Super Fireball!"
The two attacked in perfect sync. They'd quarreled endlessly since joining the Black Bulls, but in battle, their bond was undeniable — true comrades who trusted each other with their lives.
But to Vetto, their attacks were nothing more than tickles. No matter how hard they struck, the beast batted them aside like flies.
"The strong prey on the weak — and all that's left for you is despair!"
Vetto smirked, clearly growing bored. He raised his arm, ready to crush their spirits completely.
"Now!"
"This is all of our mana — Fusion Magic: Fire and Thunder Cannon!"
Their combined blast tore through the air... only to be effortlessly blocked by Vetto, the so-called darling of magic itself.
Boom!
Luck and Magna crashed to the ground, coughing blood.
"Pathetic insects! Even if I give you a chance, it's useless! Die!"
"Beast Magic: Bear Paw!"
The massive paw of raw mana descended — but before it could land, Asta appeared, blocking it with his demon slayer sword.
"How dare you show your face here, you bastard who hurt Licht!"
Asta swung his Anti-Magic Sword, slashing Vetto across the chest. The beast's blood splattered into the water.
"I'll defeat you!" Asta roared, his eyes blazing with resolve.
The battle between Asta and Vetto — round two — had begun.
Meanwhile, Gauche ran into one of Vetto's subordinates, a man wielding Sickle Magic.
Gauche's Mirror Magic was at a disadvantage, and the battle was at a standstill — until Grey appeared silently behind the enemy, using Transformation Magic to disrupt his spells, allowing Gauche to land the finishing blow.
But before they could catch their breath, another white-robed mage ambushed them — his vines binding both Gauche and Grey, draining their mana rapidly.
By sheer luck, Charmy stumbled onto the scene. Half-asleep and starving, she asked Grey to conjure a giant drumstick to wake her up.
The smell alone roused her completely.
"How dare you interrupt my meal!"
Charmy's eyes glowed as she summoned her enormous sheep spirit, Wooly, who immediately flattened the enemy with a single punch.
"Let's eat first!" she said, her stomach growling.
The three sat down to eat, regaining their strength and mana.
As they rested, Grey's transformation faded — revealing a timid blue-haired girl instead of the chubby man the others had known.
Elsewhere, Finral continued hiding, teleporting from place to place. Even when he reached the area where Asta and Vetto were fighting, he stayed hidden. His Spatial Magic wasn't meant for direct combat, after all.
Vanessa had already dealt with her opponent and was sprinting toward the main battlefield.
Noelle and Kahono had also arrived — just in time to see Asta and Kiato (Kahono's brother) knocked to the ground. Against someone like Vetto, close-combat mages were at a severe disadvantage.
Unless, of course, you were a bald man in a yellow suit who could defeat anyone with one punch.
"Brother! Wake up! We still have to sing and dance together!"
Kahono's voice jolted Kiato awake. The two unleashed Fusion Magic, combining music and swordsmanship to confront Vetto once more.
Watching from the control room, Yami slammed his fist against the wall.
"Adam, where the hell are you?! When I get out of here, I'm kicking your ass first!"
"Achoo! Someone's talking about me..."
Adam sneezed, still deep beneath the sea. Thanks to the Water Demon's power, he could now travel freely through the currents — but a glimmer caught his eye.
A transparent fish glowing with golden light darted past him.
As the blue page had merged with his grimoire, the surrounding waters grew dim again, making the golden fish stand out even more.
Adam and the fish locked eyes — and, of course, Adam lost control first.
"This has to be the treasure guarding the page... and I'm not leaving empty-handed!"
"Give it to me!"
Adam transformed into pure water, instantly appearing in front of the fish — but when he tried to grab it, his hand passed straight through.
"What the—?!"
The fish slipped away in a flash, swimming faster than he expected.
"Stupid fish! Why don't you just surrender already?!"
So began a chaotic chase between man and fish deep beneath the sea — while the battle above raged on.
"Water Magic: Sea Dragon's Roar!"
Noelle unleashed a massive dragon-shaped torrent, obliterating half of Vetto's body. She had finally learned to control her mana — but still hesitated to unleash her full power for fear of harming her allies.
Kahono's song stirred her heart, awakening her will completely. The shy princess of the sea had found her courage.
"Kill you!"
Vetto's rage boiled over. Remembering the elves' destruction, he opened the third eye on his forehead. His mana exploded, his severed flesh regenerating instantly.
Even villains have "bonds" — but in his case, they were bonds of hatred.
Noelle's mana was nearly spent, but Kahono used her last reserves of song magic to heal Asta.
"It's not over yet! What's one extra eye supposed to mean?!" Asta roared defiantly.
"No, Asta... we can't win like this," Finral muttered, trembling behind a rock.
"Little rats! No matter how many of you there are, it won't matter! I'll crush you all — one by one!"
Vetto's body flared with red mana as he lunged.
"Beast Magic: Rhino Charge!"
But before his punch could land, silk threads pulled Asta and the others aside, narrowly avoiding disaster.
"Vanessa!" Asta shouted.
Vanessa appeared at the battlefield, her crimson threads swirling.
Charmy and the others soon joined in.
"Beast Magic: Breath of Despair!"
Vetto unleashed a massive beam of mana. But Finral quickly opened a portal, warping the attack away.
Vanessa smirked. "Didn't expect you to show up, you coward."
Finral sighed dramatically but kept his composure. "As a senior, how could I let my juniors fight alone?"
"Haha! It doesn't matter how many bugs show up — you'll all die the same!"
The Black Bulls vs. Vetto — the decisive battle was about to begin!
Meanwhile, deep below, Adam finally trapped the glowing fish within a page of his grimoire.
"Where do you think you're going?"
A triumphant smile spread across his face. The fish's glow merged with his book, and the Sheep Talisman emblem on the eighth page shimmered — evolving to its third stage: Perfect Sheep Power.
A power that seemed useless most of the time… but at the brink of death, it allowed his soul to separate from his body — a perfect counterattack skill.
"It's time to go back. Everyone's already winning this boring game anyway."