Everyone present had gone through the events at the Underwater Temple together, and as a result, they had completely accepted Asta.
After all, if it hadn't been for him, they would have long since died at Vetto's hands.
"We finally found ourselves a reliable partner…"
Finral said, his face filled with worry and sadness.
"Where's Asta?"
Yami swept his gaze across the room, noticing Asta was nowhere to be seen.
"He's still training outside," Magna replied, clenching his fists as flames flickered around him.
"Still fired up as ever, that idiot…"
Yami let out a sigh, waved his hand dismissively, and stood up, heading upstairs.
After their captain left, the Black Bulls remained seated in silence. Yet behind their quiet expressions, their eyes flickered faintly—each of them deep in thought.
Vanessa sat on the sofa, unusually free of alcohol's scent. She ran a hand through her pink hair, a determined glint flashing in her eyes.
Before long, everyone dispersed with heavy thoughts on their minds. Noelle, also unusually subdued, returned to her room.
She was thinking about ways to heal Asta's arms.
As a royal, her family possessed many top-tier magical tools with healing properties. However, even the Wizard King's personal chief recovery mage had declared Asta's condition beyond treatment.
That meant her family's tools likely wouldn't help either.
Frustration welled up in Noelle's chest, and unconsciously, her thoughts drifted to Yuuki—who always seemed calm and unhurried, no matter the situation.
"What am I thinking… Yuuki wouldn't have a solution either."
She shook her head and entered her room—
Only to freeze.
On the table beside her bed sat a sealed envelope.
Confused, Noelle picked it up and opened it.
Inside was a single sentence.
And the moment she read it—
Her pupils shrank violently.
Under the Cover of Night
Vanessa had changed back into her witch attire. She glanced once more at the Black Bulls' base before mounting her flying broom.
Just then—
Noelle rushed out, stopping in front of her, her voice tinged with excitement.
"Vanessa! You're heading back to the Witch's Forest, aren't you?!"
The Next Morning
Asta came downstairs, his arms wrapped in bandages, yawning loudly.
Seeing the empty first floor, he froze in surprise.
"Huh? There are usually tons of people around… why's no one here today?"
Puzzled, Asta walked over to the window—
And spotted Noelle, Finral, and Vanessa standing outside.
Noelle let out a breath of relief.
"That should be everyone."
"Honestly… everyone's going out of their way, even though they're all trying to find a way to heal Asta's arms."
"Magna and Luck went to the Forsaken Realm's dungeon to search for clues. Gauche and Gordon are researching curses at the Grand Library. Charmy and Grey are looking for rare ingredients that might lift curses."
"Though, I guess it makes sense. If we didn't sneak off like this, Captain Yami would definitely get angry."
Finral shrugged helplessly.
"All right," Vanessa said, stretching lazily. Her shapely figure made Finral's face instantly flush.
"It's time for us to head out too."
Bang!
Asta burst outside, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Everyone—!"
Before he could finish—
Vanessa's threads shot out, wrapping around him and yanking him over.
"I thought you'd sleep longer," she laughed.
"But since you're awake, you're coming with us."
"WAAAH—!!!"
The next instant, the three of them soared into the sky on a flying broom, Asta's screams echoing through the air as he was dragged along.
Leon Town — The Tavern
Since the tavern wasn't open during the day, it was quiet.
Yuuki, Neige, and Rebecca sat together, enjoying breakfast.
"It's really good,"
Neige said happily, not bothering to hide his praise.
"Thank you,"
Rebecca replied with a smile, placing a plate of sliced meat in front of Yuuki.
Yuuki accepted it without ceremony and began eating, his eyes thoughtful as he chewed.
By now… Asta and the others should have set off.
"Yuuki, what are you thinking about?"
Rebecca asked instinctively, having noticed his distant look.
Yuuki snapped back to himself and smiled lightly.
"I was just thinking… Asta has finally found companions he can truly rely on."
It was a shame, though.
The paths he, Asta, and Yuno walked were destined to diverge.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, mana surged. A spatial gate opened inside the tavern, and Mariella stepped out.
"Lord Yuuki, I've safely delivered Rebecca's younger siblings to Dominante. Their safety shouldn't be a concern anymore."
She spoke respectfully, then nodded reassuringly at Rebecca.
Only then did the lingering worry on Rebecca's face finally fade.
"Thank you, Mariella," Yuuki said.
"Sit. Let's eat."
He gestured for her to join them.
The Witch's Forest was nothing like the Underwater Temple.
The situation there was far more complex. This time, Yuuki wouldn't be able to simply defeat an enemy and be done with it.
The Eye of the Midnight Sun, the Diamond Kingdom, the Witch Queen, and the Black Bulls—
Four factions intertwined in utter chaos.
The Witch Queen herself was the greatest variable. Fate Magic was involved, and even Yuuki couldn't be completely certain his identity would remain hidden.
That was why he had prepared in advance.
If his identity were exposed, he needed safeguards in place.
Over this period, Yuuki had been secretly feeding information to the Black Bulls—not just to lower his own visibility, but also as an insurance policy for when things inevitably went awry.
In the end, the only person in the Clover Kingdom he truly feared was the Wizard King, Julius.
Once Fate Magic came into play, Yuuki wouldn't need to fear Julius openly anymore.
After all, Yuuki didn't believe Julius would expose himself early just for his sake. To Julius, anyone who didn't involve devil power or Anti-Magic was little more than a minor character.
Even Yuno—who had a chance of defeating Julius in some futures Julius himself observed—barely warranted concern.
Perhaps that confidence was exactly why Julius dared to scheme against the underworld—and even the Devil King itself.
A short while later, breakfast was finished.
Mariella, Neige, and Rebecca set down their utensils, quietly looking at Yuuki.
"It's time for us to move," Yuuki said.
"The results of our recent training… it's time to put them to the test."
He raised his hand.
Massive spatial mana engulfed everyone present—
And they vanished from the tavern.
The Witch's Forest
The Witch's Forest belonged to no nation, located at the border between the Clover Kingdom and the Diamond Kingdom.
Lush vegetation blanketed the land, which consisted mainly of rolling hills. Its inhabitants were all women, masters of curses and special magic—and above all, ruled by the terrifying Witch Queen.
As a result, both neighboring kingdoms had designated the Witch's Forest as forbidden territory.
Yet now—
BOOM! BOOM!
The sky was engulfed in flames, explosions echoing without end.
With simultaneous invasions by the Eye of the Midnight Sun and the Diamond Kingdom, the Witch's Forest was instantly plunged into war.
Inside an ancient palace corridor—
The Witch Queen stood silently.
She wore a pale teal gown adorned with black peacock-feather patterns, a wide-brimmed hat inlaid with diamonds and black feathers crowning her head.
Her gaze followed Asta and the others as they departed.
"A fate… yet to be decided…"
She murmured softly and raised a slender hand.
Two circular crimson projections appeared in midair, displaying the invading forces of the Eye of the Midnight Sun and the Diamond Kingdom.
Even as the forest was destroyed and witches were steadily pushed back, the Witch Queen's expression never changed.
Then—
The black tear-like markings beneath her eyes subtly contracted.
A third crimson projection appeared.
Within it stood four masked figures.
"Those who do not exist within divination…"
"Deviation in fate breeds further deviation… and yet…"
For the first time, a trace of contemplation appeared in the Witch Queen's eyes.
Minor deviations in fate were normal.
But something entirely absent from fate itself—
That was unprecedented.
The Eye of the Midnight Sun's Front
"AAAAAH!"
Asta roared, swinging the Demon-Slayer Sword as he swiftly cut down several members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
Finral and Vanessa took advantage of the opening to defeat more enemies.
"There are way too many of them!"
Finral groaned.
"And on top of that, the Diamond Kingdom is attacking too!"
"No matter what, we stop one side first!"
Vanessa shouted as she attacked with her Thread Magic.
"Not good!"
Finral's expression changed abruptly.
At that very moment—
Scorching heat descended from above.
A massive crimson fireball plummeted downward, vaporizing the surrounding moisture instantly.
Finral hurriedly activated Spatial Magic—
But the spatial gate was burned away by the overwhelming heat before it could even form.
Vanessa's face paled. Her threads were incinerated before they could even reach the flames.
"Finral! Vanessa!"
Asta shouted desperately from afar.
But he was still surrounded and couldn't break through in time.
In that instant—
Despair surfaced on both Finral's and Vanessa's faces.
Whoosh!
A figure appeared before them out of nowhere.
"That temperature really is terrifying… so this is Spirit Magic?"
A calm voice sounded.
The descending fireball was split cleanly in two by a blade of magic.
BOOM!
The divided fireballs exploded, flames roaring skyward like a sea of fire.
"He blocked it…?"
Finral said shakily.
Vanessa stared at the figure standing before them.
A black cloak concealed most of his body, and a familiar mask covered his face.
"…You?"
Yuuki didn't answer.
His gaze was fixed on the sky—on Fana, seated atop a blazing fire dragon.
One of the Four Great Spirits—
The Fire Spirit, Salamander.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three more figures appeared beside Yuuki—Mariella, Neige, and Rebecca.
At the same time, Asta finally broke free of the encirclement and rushed over, standing beside Finral and Vanessa, staring warily at Yuuki.
"You're that guy!"
Asta said.
"The one from the Underwater Temple! Why are you here?!"
Following Captain Yami's warning, Asta still couldn't tell whether this masked man was friend or foe.
"Good to see you again,"
Yuuki said, turning slightly toward Asta. A smile curved beneath the mask.
"We'll handle the Eye of the Midnight Sun. You go deal with the Diamond Kingdom."
With that, he turned away.
"You three—take care of the Eye of the Midnight Sun."
"Yes."
"Yes."
"Yes."
Rebecca, Neige, and Mariella answered in unison before dashing off.
Yuuki lightly stepped off the ground, shooting into the sky toward Fana.
"Get lost,"
Fana said coldly from atop Salamander.
In her eyes, only the Black Bulls mattered.
Vetto had fallen to them.
They all deserved to die.
"ROAR!"
Salamander let out a thunderous roar, its flaming claws swinging down toward Yuuki.
Salamander's Talons!
BOOM!
Yuuki raised the Demon-Dweller Sword, slashing upward.
The collision rang out like thunder.
Salamander's charge was forcibly halted, releasing a furious roar.
Below—
Asta, Finral, and Vanessa stared at each other, completely stunned.
"…What is going on?"
Finral muttered in disbelief.
(End of Chapter)
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