Chapter 16: Our Justice

Day soon broke across the Clover Kingdom. The morning light shone down on the face of Ruby Rose, who yawned adorably before rising up from the bed that had been kindly loaned to her by Finral. Blushing and ignoring the many, many posters of cute girls that Ruby honestly thought would have qualified as idols and pop stars in her world, she quickly made her way to the Black Bulls' bathhouse, which had been pointed to her by an inebriated Vanessa before bed.

It had been so long since she had time to simply relax, Ruby had honestly forgotten. Beacon had communal showers and even a sauna when they were unable to use the dorm room showers for whatever reason, but there was nothing relaxing about that, especially when you had people like Yang, who just loved to flaunt their good looks. Ruby hated the letter 'E' to this day thanks to Yang…

Ruby yawned again as she sank into the warm, cleansing waters of the bath. "Ah, man," she said blissfully, closing her eyes, "it really has been too long since I've gotten a chance to relax like this. Baths in the inns just don't compare to a soothing bathhouse like this."

"Glad you like it, kiddo." Ruby's eyes widened at the voice behind her.

Ruby looked over her shoulder and turned bright red in embarrassment as Vanessa Enoteca made her way to the bath. The embarrassment came from Vanessa's sheer lack of modesty. She had forgone a towel entirely. "M-M-M-M-Ms. Vanessa!" Ruby stuttered in embarrassment. "What are you doing?!"

Vanessa laughed, her nudity proudly on full display to Ruby. "What are you so embarrassed about sweetie? We're all women here, aren't we?" She saw nothing wrong with this situation.

All? Ruby looked past Vanessa and saw that girl that always seemed to be staring at Asta. Her name was...Noelle, was it not?

Noelle Silva face-palmed at Vanessa's behavior. She was a bit more modest, clad in a towel. "Vanessa," she groaned, "please don't tease the poor thing like that. The last thing you want is for her to run out of the bath in embarrassment. Then she'll just give those perverts an eyeful."

Ruby turned even redder. "Hold on, the men here aren't like that, are they?" She frantically asked.

"Well, Finral and Magna are, but we've got deathtraps spread all over the hallway to the bathhouse." Vanessa admitted with a laugh as she stepped into the bath. "They only activate if someone of the...rougher sex tries to make their way over here."

"Although," Vanessa grinned perversely at the thought, "if Captain Yami showed up, I might let him in."

"Vanessa!" Noelle shrieked, horrified at the thought.

"That's so indecent!" Ruby added, also horrified. "Captain Yami is...way older than Noelle and me!"

"Oh, don't worry, you two, if the captain did actually come here to claim me, I would have the decency to send you both away before we got naughty." Vanessa said with a wink. "I have manners, you know."

Noelle rolled her eyes at this as she removed her towel before sinking into the water. "Vanessa, the more you say things like that, the more I can't help but doubt that." She admitted. "Please don't tell me you're already drinking again this early in the morning? You should be horribly hungover from last night's party."

"Aww, Noelle, you should know by now that I only get hangovers when everyone else is acting ridiculous." Vanessa smiled. "But, here, relaxing with girls like you two, why would I be getting any headaches? This gives us the chance for some womanly talk, after all."

"Oh, yeah, womanly talk like your desire for the captain to claim you like some wild animal." Noelle rolled her eyes. "Yes, that's very proper and womanly, Vanessa."

"Oh?" Vanessa smiled knowingly. "Perhaps we should instead talk about your desire to be claimed by a certain boy with no magic?"

Noelle turned bright red and sputtered at this. Ruby's face grew curious upon hearing this. "You know," Vanessa continued, "if by some miracle he managed to make it here, I'd have no problem ushering Ruby away so that you two can have some alone time of your own!"

"I think I like you better when you're too drunk to say things like that!" Noelle screamed. "And like hell I'd want to do lewd things with that idiot peasant!"

Vanessa just laughed, knowing that was a hundred percent untrue. She then turned her attention to Ruby. "What about you, sweetie?" She asked. "You're what? Sixteen, seventeen now? You've gotta be pining for a boy now, right?"

"Umm...not any particular boys yet." Ruby shook her head. "Though...Izuku did actually grab my breasts when we first met."

"Eh?!" Noelle was stunned at this.

"Scandalous!" Vanessa looked so happy.

"Er...but it was an accident!" Ruby quickly added. "He didn't do it on purpose!"

"...Did you ask him if he enjoyed the feel?" Vanessa teased.

Ruby was now a sputtering mess while Noelle glared at Vanessa. Vanessa saw Noelle's look of disapproval and heaved a sigh. She knew what that look meant. She had only just met Ruby and she was already treating her like she had known her for years.

"Sorry, Rubes," Vanessa said genuinely, "I probably shouldn't talk to you like that when I barely know you, huh? I guess, when you consider that you've been named an honorary member of the Black Bulls, I just thought that gave me free reign to talk to you like I do with Noelle and Charmy."

"Oh, no, it's fine." Ruby smiled. "I mean, I guess if you had been talking to me two years ago, back when I started Beacon, I definitely would've had a problem with it. I was...pretty socially awkward. Still am, just a bit."

"But, honestly, it actually feels nice, getting to talk with friends about casual things...things that normal people should be talking about." Ruby sighed. "My life's been nothing but normal since I realized how much danger my world actually was in. And that was before these...cultists decided to make things worse."

Ruby then gasped as Vanessa embraced her into her chest. Noelle was red again at Vanessa's affection directed towards the new girl. "You're such a strong girl, if you've been through so much that you haven't even had a chance to engage in normal girl-talk." Vanessa smiled. "Well, that changes from here on out. For starters, why don't you think of me as your big sis?"

"But I've already got a big sis." Came Ruby's muffled reply.

"Then I clearly need to have a talk with your sister about neglecting you as a little sister." Vanessa noted. "I don't care how messed up the world is, there should always be time to relax and enjoy the company of the people you love. Those kinds of times...are exactly why we have people who love us, in my opinion."

Ruby managed to free herself from Vanessa's chest. "You really think so?"

"Sweetie, I know so." Vanessa smiled. "I know I may seem like an irresponsible alcoholic..."

"Which you are." Noelle sighed.

"But, part of the reason why I'm able to enjoy the bottle so much, is because I can. And I only can do it because I'm in the company of the members of this squad. My family." Vanessa sighed. "I didn't have that for the longest time. Having it now though, is a blessing I wouldn't trade for anything."

"Ms. Vanessa…" Ruby muttered, surprised at the alcoholic witch's sage statement.

"Oh, enough with that 'Ms. Vanessa' nonsense." Vanessa laughed. "I told you, think of me as your big sis. So just call me 'Vanessa.' Or 'Big Sis Vanessa,' if you'd prefer it."

"Er...let's maybe keep it Vanessa for now." Ruby muttered. "I can't help but wonder if Yang would get jealous if she found out I was trying to replace her…"

Back in the Void, inside of the Travelers' headquarters, a certain blonde brawler sneezed. "The hell?" Yang Xiao Long muttered before remembering a certain trope from her favorite comics. "Is someone talking about me?"

Back at the Black Bulls' headquarters, Izuku Midoriya was going through some morning stretches, trying to get in a little extra training on his own to start the day. He was quickly distracted by the sound of someone counting. His curiosity got the better of him and he walked over to the source. He gasped when he saw that Asta was pushing himself up and down with two fingers. It was a mixture of a handstand and a pushup.

"298, 299…" Asta continued to move through his workouts with the greatest of ease.

"Asta?" Izuku was surprised.

Asta looked at Izuku and gasped. "Oh, hey, morning Izuku." He said. "What's up?"

"Umm...not much," Izuku replied almost automatically, "are you...training?"

"Yeah, I always try to get some morning workouts in before my day starts." Asta grinned.

Izuku gazed at Asta's muscles and nodded in understanding. "Well, as someone who had to go through some pretty crazy training before I could inherit my Quirk, I can respect that." He acknowledged.

"Oh yeah?" Asta grinned. "How's your biceps, we should totally arm wrestle some time."

"Eh? You mean you didn't get enough of a taste of my strength when we were sparring last night?" Izuku was surprised.

Asta chuckled. "Yeah, I guess there is some truth to that." He admitted. "You were amazing, dude. If I had a second 'rival' position, I'd totally hand it to you. Sadly, my rival will always be Yuno, it can't be you."

"Asta, there's no limit to how many rivals you can have." Izuku sweatdropped before smiling. "But...thanks, I honestly don't receive compliments like that very often. When you're trying to succeed the greatest hero, you've got a lot to prove."

Asta grinned and threw his arm around Izuku's shoulder. Izuku flinched slightly. Asta was already drenched in sweat. "Not like I just say that to anyone you know." Asta told him. "You don't have any magic like me, but you still kicked some serious ass. I was honestly starting to worry I'd have to bust out my 'Black Asta' form at the rate things were going. Too bad we never got to see how that would turn out, since the old man stopped us."

Izuku chuckled. "Well, to be blunt, you would've won at that point. 20% of One For All is all I can handle without hurting myself. And that was all I could do just to hang with you."

Asta gave Izuku a bug-eyed gaze. "Dude, seriously?" He exclaimed in shock. "You're only able to use 20% of your full power and you still held your own?"

"Umm...yeah."

"That's awesome!" Asta said earnestly. "Do you even realize how freaking strong you're going to be when you get to a hundred percent? Man, you're just like Noelle! I've gotta triple my training before you pull away from me, dude!"

Izuku gaped at how earnest and sincere Asta was. All that should have sounded like empty praise, but he was just so sincere…

Izuku could not help but smile. Asta's energy was going to take a lot of getting used to. But to have a friend like this guy...it would be worth it, no doubt.

"Hey, mind if I train with you then?" Izuku requested. "I've never actually had the chance to train alongside someone before. I've had to keep my power a secret because of its status, so it would be nice to train with a friend for a change."

"Yeah, you can totally train with me!" Asta grinned. "Maybe after we get done with my usual morning routine, we can spar like we did last night? Who knows, you might get to see my 'Black Asta' form after all."

Izuku laughed sheepishly. "Maybe hold back just a little." He suggested. "It's important to train at the same level of strength so that neither side gets left in the dust so easily."

"Yeah, but eventually you've gotta keep up with me at my best." Asta pointed out.

"We'll take it slow than." Izuku promised. "I do eventually want to see you at your best after all. Fighting strong opponents is the only way I can grow as a hero."

Asta nodded. "That's the spirit." He said. "Now come on, I was just about to do a hundred sprints around the base. You're just in time!"

"A hundred sprints?" Izuku was surprised at the level of intensity of Asta's workouts. He then grinned. "You're on! Want to make it into a race?"

"Totally!" Asta grinned right back.

"You don't mind if I use my Quirk, right? This'll be a good chance to strengthen my connection with One For All! I'd hate to get an unfair advantage, since you don't have any magic."

"Ha!" Asta laughed. "Don't think just because you've got a cool power means you've got an advantage over me. I've trained to compensate for not having any magic you know."

The two were cut from their competitive banter by the sound of laughter. They turned to see Sojiro walking towards them, flanked by Shogo, Noriko, Vanessa, Noelle, Secre and Ruby. "Nice to see you two are so energetic in the morning."

"Oh, hey!" Asta eagerly waved at the others. "Nice to see you, Gramps. And good morning, Vanessa, Noelle, and you other people."

"...Now that you mention it, we never did properly introduce ourselves to Asta." Noriko sweat-dropped.

"I've been relegated to 'other person'?" Shogo wept comically, making Noriko gaze at Shogo like he was an idiot. And to be fair, he was.

"What's on the agenda today, Grandmaster?" Izuku asked curiously.

"We go to Julius," Sojiro responded, "and we ask him if there have been any updates on activities from the Cult of the End. From there, we investigate their presence, and if we cannot find any trace of their activities, then we have to move on to the next world."

"How many worlds will we be visiting, Grandmaster?" Ruby asked curiously.

"After this world, there is one more within the immediate vicinity." Sojiro responded. "I doubt they would travel as far as the immediate area without fully expunging all life from the four worlds here."

"Nice to know that these guys are thorough at least." Vanessa frowned.

"The only upsides of knowing they won't leave until you're all dead is that we know where they are, and we can focus on fighting them rather than chasing them." Sojiro responded.

"There is some truth to that, we can't hope to achieve victory if all we do is follow them." Izuku pointed out. "The only way to win in a war is to fight after all. It's the same with hero work. The only way for heroes to prevail is to stop the villains."

Sojiro nodded, impressed with Izuku's logic. "That's right," he said, "but let's not think too far ahead and focus on what's in front of us. Let's get to Julius, and-"

Sojiro was suddenly cut from his thoughts as several presences suddenly neared them. "Everyone, on guard!" He yelled.

Immediately, all nine individuals were put on guard. "Those cultists you warned us about?" Secre wondered out loud.

"No, I don't sense any Reiki." Noriko responded. "What I sense is...magic? What the hell? Grandmaster, why are we being attacked by people who use magic?"

"I think we're about to get the answer." Sojiro frowned.

At that moment, security mages under the command of Damnatio Kira arrived, surrounding the group in a circle. Damnatio Kira appeared behind the circle with a smug smile on his face. "This guy again?!" Asta exclaimed in surprise.

Damnatio then pointed at everyone except for Noelle and Vanessa, one by one. "The seven of you are all under arrest, by order of His Majesty, Augustus Kira Clover XIII." He announced, much to the shock of the surrounded group.

"The hell we are!" Noriko yelled. "This is double jeopardy!"

"Double jeopardy? I don't know what you're talking about." Damnatio denied.

You've gotta be kidding me! Noriko was furious. Double jeopardy isn't a thing with these people? That means they can just try someone as many times as they want until they're found guilty. That's wrong!

"What is the meaning of this?' Sojiro remained surprisingly calm. "I was under the impression that this matter was settled. Asta and Secre are now under my care, as per the orders of the Wizard King himself."

"Yes, well, His Majesty has decided to overrule those orders." Damnatio responded simply. "It doesn't matter who the Wizard King is, the real king's orders are absolute. And no matter what the law says, the word of the king supersedes everything else, especially a glorified general who is really only good for his power and commanding an army. But generals are a dime a dozen. In a kingdom such as ours, there will always be someone among the nobles with enough power to hold that title. But kings are different. Kings are one of a kind. If we suddenly stopped ignoring the will of the king, this kingdom would descend into anarchy. And no justice can be found in that."

"Bastard," Asta growled, "don't you dare look down on the title of Wizard King!"

"Calm yourself, Asta," Sojiro calmly said to the young man before glaring at Damnatio, "So if I'm to understand, you are ignoring established law because your king didn't get the outcome he wanted? Is that what I'm hearing?"

"You clearly don't pay attention, old man, I already told you, the word of the king is law, and it certainly is more important than what's written on a piece of paper."

"Now look who's advocating for anarchy." Sojiro chuckled. "If the law is changed on the whims of others instead of following an established process...well, that should be obvious."

"Enough!" Damnatio said sharply. "You seven will come with us back to the courthouse, where you will be judged and then executed."

"Oh, no trial this time?" Noriko frowned.

"There is no justice if there's no trial!" Shogo added.

"Just as I said to Captain Fuegoleon and Captain Nozel, we would've reached a guilty verdict had those damnable Black Bulls not interfered with our hallowed process."

"Hallowed my ass!" Vanessa yelled. "All you bastards are running is a crooked process, ran by a bunch of crooked jackasses!"

Sojiro raised his hand to silence Vanessa. "It appears I underestimated a few things about you lot." He noted. "I suppose I should've made my case to your king when I had the chance. Well, now or never I suppose"

"Hold on, Grandmaster, you can't possibly be agreeing to this!" Vanessa exclaimed.

"It's going to be alright, Vanessa." Sojiro told her with a smile. "Just go wake up the Black Bulls, tell them what happened. Do the same with Julius as well, if you don't mind. And please, make sure the rest of the Black Bulls don't interfere. We're going to do this the right way, this time."

"We're really going to court, Grandmaster?" Ruby asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, Ruby, I'll get us out of this." Sojiro promised. "I apologize to all of you, it seems this has proven to be more difficult than I had originally expected. And for a vastly different reason as well."

"Grandmaster," Noelle suddenly spoke up, "at least allow me to accompany you!"

"Noelle, I can't ask you to involve yourself." Sojiro gently told her.

"Sir, as a member of the royal Silva household, I can act as a character witness for all of you." Noelle promised before glaring at Damnatio. "That should mean something for those fools."

"You can try, Lady Noelle, but I'm afraid that even you have no hope of impeding justice this time." Damnatio promised.

"Now, all of you come with me, it is time for judgement." Damnatio ordered.

"Vanessa, remember what I told you." Sojiro said to the woman. "Just do your part and we'll do ours. Everything's going to be okay, I promise."

And with that, everyone except for Vanessa was led away. Vanessa remembered her orders and turned back to the Black Bulls' headquarters. "Damn it, of all times for everyone else to be passed out drunk from last night!" She noted in frustration as she ran back into the base, desperately trying to find everyone to wake them up.

Meanwhile, Julius Novachrono let out a yawn as he stared down at the Time Seal and its contents. He was still wearing his clothes from yesterday and his hair was a disheveled mess. He had stayed up all night studying this fascinating piece of technology. "Oh my," he said feeling the rays of day shine on him, "was I really up all night? I must've lost track of time after Marx left."

"Well, not that I can help it!" Julius said with stars in his eyes. "This seal is so fascinating!"

"You haven't changed a bit." Julius' eyes widened at the sound of that voice. It was one he had not heard in years.

Behind Julius, stood a woman clad in a beautiful blue gown. Her dark pink hair fell behind her to the middle of her back. Her green eyes shimmered as she gazed at Julius. "Long time no see, old friend." She said. "I see that the rumors were true after all."

Julius looked over his shoulder at the woman in disbelief. "Is that you, Titania?" He asked.

The woman known as Titania chuckled. "That look on your face is adorable thanks to that childlike appearance of yours, Julius." She teased. "It makes me want to spoil you."

Julius was on guard, even though there was not much he could do against this woman as he was now. "What do you want, Titania?" He demanded.

Titania pouted. "Is that any way to greet me after all this time? What, can't a girl say hi to her old friend?"

"She can, but last time I checked, our friendship ended years ago." Julius reminded her. "It ended the day you were exiled from the Heart Kingdom."

Titania sighed, leaning against a wall. "I see," she said, "so our paths have sadly diverged forever, just as you claimed ten years ago. A pity, I still think we would've been an unstoppable duo had we pooled our thirsts for knowledge together, you know."

"Duos are only unstoppable when they walk the same path." Julius responded to Titania. "And just as you said, our paths have long diverged. I wanted to research how magic could connect people, bring them together. And you…"

"...Wanted to push past the limits of magic, yes I remember, I was there." Titania huffed. "Honestly, you sound just like those stuffed shirts from the Heart Kingdom. Are you really telling me that you still side with them over me?"

"Even if we were friends, Titania, I can't side with someone who advocates for something I disagree with personally. In fact, I distinctly remember pleading with you to stop your research. I pointed out the dangers and consequences of pursuing such research constantly." Julius gave Titania a sympathetic gaze. "But never doubt that it pained me to testify against you at your tribunal."

"So you claim, old friend." Titania sighed.

"Because it's true," Julius insisted, "do you honestly believe I felt nothing when I had to call my own friend a danger to her homeland? Do you really think that little of me, Titania?"

This made Titania fall silent. Julius sighed. "Titania," he said, "why are you here? Why are you really here?"

Titania did not respond. "Are you here to kill me, Titania? Is that it? Has your grudge against me for my testimony festered to that point?"

Titania chuckled. "Julius, I'm not here to kill you." She promised. "I probably did back then, and up until I heard the news about what happened to you, I still did."

"And that has changed?"

"Yes," Titania nodded, "I wanted to kill you when I could continue my research in pushing the limits of my magic. As I'm sure you can attest to, magic evolves when dueling with an equally powerful magic. Imagine just how far I could've pushed my magic had we fought at each other's best."

"But that's never going to happen now." Titania sadly noted. "I'm well aware of the consequences of what you had done. It doesn't take a genius to find out...and I am a genius, so this was simple. You've lost much of your power by taking this form. Fighting you. Killing you. It'd be so meaningless now. When you lost your amazingly powerful magic, I lost my grudge."

"Then why are you here?" Julius asked, still on guard.

Titania gave Julius a sad smile. "I came here to take one last look at Clover Kingdom's proud capital. And I came to say goodbye, old friend."

As Titania and Julius had their reunion, the seven arrested individuals and their best defense, led by Damnatio Kira, arrived at the courthouse. "Now then, let's get this over with." Damnatio said calmly as the doors opened.

"'Let's get this over with,' always a great thing to say when you're running a trial." Noriko rolled her eyes, disgusted with this travesty.

"I told you all, this is no trial." Damnatio looked over his shoulder. "This is judgement. You have all been pronounced guilty."

"Well, as personal friends of the Wizard King, I do believe we at least have the right to know what we are guilty of." Sojiro pointed out.

Damnatio ignored Sojiro and led everyone inside of the courtrooms. Immediately, they were treated to the sight of the entire Magic Parliament glaring down at them with King Augustus looking down at them with disgust. "Definitely feel like I'm surrounded by a jury of my peers." Noriko rolled her eyes at the sight.

"That's enough out of you, woman." Damnatio said. "Or perhaps you would like me to add contempt of court to your charges?"

Noriko fell silent after receiving a look from Sojiro. The old man cleared his throat. "If I could just be allowed to speak in defense of myself and my associates."

"There will be none of that," Damnatio shook his head, "I told you, this is no trial, this is judgement."

"Then at least tell us what we are being judged for." Sojiro insisted.

"Treason in the case of Asta and Secre of the Black Bulls. Conspiracy in the case of you foreigners." Damnatio replied.

"WHAT?!" Even Ruby sounded outraged at this.

"Hold on, where's your evidence?" Izuku demanded.

"Evidence? The only 'evidence' that is needed is my word!" Augustus yelled. "I'm the king, damn it! That means, everything I say and do is correct! That means if I say your actions yesterday reek of conspiracy against our kingdom, against me, then so it shall be!"

"If I may just be allowed to speak." Sojiro repeated.

"There will be none of that, for I have already spoken." Augustus responded, scoffing at the idea of allowing such a thing.

"Then allow me to speak, as a noble and member of the Silva family!" Noelle yelled, shocking Augustus.

"You would defend them?" Augustus inquired in surprise. "You, a member of royalty?"

"Yes, I am royalty!" Noelle nodded. "So allow my word to act as testimony on behalf of these people!"

"Asta and Secre, for starters, are not guilty of treason at all!" Noelle declared. "They are the heroes of this kingdom."

"The fact that you are trying to make them scapegoats out of some sort of personal bias is disgusting, and a mockery of justice!" Noelle declared. "You all bring shame to nobles who strive to better our kingdom!"

"As for Grandmaster Sojiro and his associates, allow me to also testify that they are not guilty of conspiracy, and have actually come to this kingdom to both warn and aid us of the real threat that lurks in the shadows."

"Noelle," Sojiro said to her, "tread carefully, these people won't…"

"Even if they don't believe us, they need to hear that you are trying to help us, not harm us!" Noelle insisted. "And you people have the nerve to push some false accusation like conspiracy? And for what? Because you don't like them either? Because they got in the way of your sham of a trial yesterday? And now you're even trying to go behind the Wizard King's back regarding one of his own Magic Knights and his personal friends?"

The Magic Parliament gazed at Noelle in disbelief. Everyone had been stunned into silence. "You are right, I am royalty!" Noelle nodded. "And it's because I'm royalty that I cannot stand in silence in the face of injustice such as this. I stand here before you today to say that everything you say is utterly false, and that these people are not guilty!"

"Noelle…" Asta smiled at his good friend's defense of him and everyone else.

Damnatio then let out a chuckle, breaking the silence. "So, we're supposed to take the word of the 'royal failure?'"

"Excuse me?' Noelle was shocked.

"Might I remind you all," Damnatio said to the Magic Parliament with a cruel smirk on his face, "that this is Noelle Silva, the Silva family's sad failure who could not control her own magic. And suddenly, she grows to arguably a Captain-class Magic Knight. I say that is suspicious."

This made the parliament murmur. The bastard is leading everyone. He's turning them all against Noelle now. Sojiro realized.

"You say that these charges are false, Lady Noelle. I say that you have been influenced."

"Influenced?" Noelle was shocked at this.

"I say you entered into a pact with the devil for power." Damnatio pointed at Asta, much to her shock. "How else could the royal failure have achieved this much power, hmm?"

"That's a lie!" Noelle yelled. "I gained control of my magic with hard work!"

"No amount of hard work could've changed you." Damnatio insisted. "Now tell me, how did you enter your pact? How did you convince him to grant you power? Perhaps you offered yourself to him as a lover?"

Noelle turned red at the thought. "Now that is simply shameful." Damnatio continued. "To think, one of our own-someone of royal blood-would actually whore herself out to a devil. How utterly disgraceful."

"How dare you!" Shogo yelled. "You cannot just speak such slander about a maiden you bastard!"

"Don't talk like you know Noelle at all!" Asta yelled furiously, inches away from summoning his grimoire and slicing this bastard in half. "I watched her struggled to control her power! She did it all on her own, not because of me! Don't you dare brush off all her effort, and don't you dare say that she had to do something like that for power! I won't stand for anyone saying that kind of crap about my friends!"

Noelle could not help but blush at Asta valiantly defending her honor like that. "And why should we believe you?" Damnatio inquired.

"In fact, why should we believe any of you?" Damnatio continued. "Two devils? Conspiratoring foreigners who claim that the mighty Clover Kingdom faces a threat that brings destruction? And why should we believe a weak girl who's existence brings shame to royalty?"

"Lady Noelle, no, Noelle, you have lost the right to any sort of title." Damnatio shook your head. "I'm shocked that you honestly thought your testimony as a character witness would've held any weight here. It's insulting for you to even think we'd listen to the likes of you."

"Your Majesty, what should we do with Noelle?" Damnatio inquired. "It's clear she's in leagues with these enemies of ours."

"Execute her too." Augustus nodded. "No one would miss her. Nozel brushed her off as a failure, after all."

"You can't be serious!" Noriko exclaimed in disbelief.

"How many times must I say this, we are not at a trial, this is a judgement." Damnatio sighed. "And all of you have been judged guilty."

"This is a farce!" Shogo exclaimed.

"Call it what you will, the parliament and the king have made their decision." Damnatio reminded them. "Your word means nothing compared to the word of nobles, men and women of quality."

That made Sojiro finally break. The old man let out a hearty laugh upon hearing this. "And what is this?" Damnatio inquired. "Has despair and old age finally made you go mad, old man?"

"How dare you laugh in these hallowed halls!" Augustus exclaimed.

"Forgive me, it's just when I see such lunacy, I can't help but laugh." Sojiro admitted.

"Men and women of quality?" Sojiro chuckled. "Now that's a good joke. Truly a good joke. With how things have been, I needed a little bit of levity."

"Don't mock us." Damnatio growled.

"You've done that to yourselves, I'm afraid." Sojiro responded. "Men and women of quality. Let me explain something to you, and I'll try to say it as plainly as I can so that you can understand."

"I know what men and women of quality look like. I've fought with and trained them for generations. And you are not that." Sojiro said bluntly. "To be frank, you would've not lasted a minute with the men and women of quality that I've fought and bled with over the years. You are nothing more than big fish in a very small pond. You're not even big fish. You're little fish who seem convinced they are big."

"But those who put their lives on the line for everyone, even people like you. The soldiers and warriors who fight for the sake of others. Those are the men and women of quality, not you."

"What nonsense!" Augustus yelled. "Do you mean to tell me that the Magic Knights are of higher quality than me? The king? They're just cannon fodder! You have no sense of hierarchy, old man!"

"Higher quality than you? Without a doubt." Sojiro nodded. "Of course, the soldiers I've known have come from all walks of life. Rich and poor, noble and common, throughout history it mattered little who it was. They all joined our army for the same reasons: love for the people, and pride in the nation we built together."

"Why, even the kings of my nation fight alongside the people. Men and women of quality? You? Don't look down on true quality people!" Sojiro declared.

Augustus turned as red as a tomato from Sojiro's words. "This is a mockery of justice." Sojiro continued. "You can claim to be on the side of justice all you want, but I'm afraid simply claiming it does not make it so. Being just puts you on the side of justice."

"...I wish I had a microphone to give the grandmaster so that he could drop it." Ruby admitted.

"Are you finished?" Damnatio inquired, clearly not moved at all by Sojiro's statement. "Because I believe we have an execution to move onto."

"You fools," Sojiro sighed, "if you do somehow manage to kill us, you not only doom yourselves, but a lot of other people."

"Don't try to frighten us with such nonsense." Damnatio responded.

"I would not dare try to do such things if I didn't speak the truth." Sojiro shook his head. "You have no idea how much danger your kingdom, nay, your entire world is in. We came here because we wanted to help. We still wanted to help, in spite of your best efforts to make us despise you."

"And to be honest, I want to help, in spite of everything." Sojiro admitted. "Because I really cannot stand the idea of damning this entire world because of you lot."

"But I tell you this right now, you succeed in killing us...I'm afraid you will only bring about your end. I make this plea to you all, right now. Do not let your shortsightedness damn us all. Please, work with me and my allies so that we may save your kingdom and the world."

Damnatio rolled his eyes. "Again, why should we believe anything you say?"

"Are you calling the grandmaster a liar?" Shogo demanded.

"We're the only ones being honest here!" Noriko added.

"So you claim, but the courts decide what is true and what is false. And this court, as a court filled with those who have been elevated to their authority, could never have less authority than the likes of you." Damnatio insisted. "This is justice. We are justice."

"What a load of crap! You don't give a damn about justice at all!" Noriko yelled. "All you care about is maintaining your power base. It's just like Vanessa said. All this is, is a crooked process run by crooked people!"

Damnatio responded by raising a hand into the air. Immediately, a small army of security mages surrounded the group on trial. "Did they use magic to appear here?" Noelle wondered.

"Your Majesty, give the order and the firing squad will put an end to this farce." Damnatio requested, getting his own grimoire ready in case these criminals decided to resist.

"Kill them already, I've wasted enough time." Augustus rolled his eyes. "I'd ask that they suffer, but I don't want to risk them living long enough to fight back."

"As you command," Damnatio nodded, "let the execution begin-"

The doors suddenly swung open, making everyone freeze in place. "And just who in the world is interrupting this time?" Augustus demanded. "Damnatio, execute them as well for interrupting us!"

Damnatio nodded and turned his attention to the new arrival, only for his eyes to widen in shock. A man dressed in pure white robes with shoulder length dark hair, a longsword strapped to his hip, and gleaming red eyes walked inside of the courtroom.

"My, my," he said, "it has been so long since I've been in this courthouse."

"Caligula?" Damnatio could not believe what he was seeing.

"I can't believe my eyes." Augustus muttered in disbelief. "Caligula? You've returned to the kingdom?"

The man known as Caligula gazed up at Augustus and bowed to him. "I have indeed returned home, Your Majesty...my cousin."

This is bad. Sojiro was immediately on guard. That level of mana is…

I don't believe what I'm seeing...what I'm sensing. Noelle gaped in shock and horror. This level of magic power is as great as the Eye of the Midnight Sun's leader! Elves were supposed to have superior levels of magic! How could one human have the strength to match one of the strongest?

"A momentous day! Caligula Kira, our judge has returned to us!" A member of the magic parliament giddily exclaimed.

"We've waited for this day with bated breath, Caligula! We were always on your side! We always believed that Julius had been unfair to you!" Another added.

"But now that you have returned, know that the crimes he charged you and your subordinates with have all been pardoned! You can now act as the new leader of a reformed Clover Kingdom military! With our Wizard King conspiring with foreigners and devils, it's clear that there needs to be a change!"

"Oh my?" Caligula Kira was surprised. "It seems quite a bit has changed since the Magic Judges were exiled."

Damnatio, however, was on guard. Why did he have to return? Just what is he here for? He wondered before putting away his grimoire. Public opinion is on his side though, so I cannot make a move against him. If the nobles desire he and the Magic Judges be granted a full pardon and control, then so be it. This may be necessary for the kingdom to return to a more just path…

"As to your offers though," Caligula heaved a sigh, "I'm afraid I'll have to decline."

"Do not be so modest, Caligula." Augustus smiled. "You were always as strong as a Magic Knight Captain! And I'm sure your time away has made you as strong as Julius! You would do well as the leader of our reformed military!"

"No, no, I must insist I decline, Your Majesty." Caligula said to them.

"But Caligula, if this is about Julius, I promise we'll deal with him." A member of parliament spoke up.

"Yes, we'll do all we can to make things up to you for the injustice you and your men had to suffer." Another assured him.

Caligula chuckled. "You wish to do all you can to make up for it, you say?" He inquired.

Suddenly, Caligula's three-leaf grimoire appeared in front of him. "Very well!" He said with a deranged smile on his face. "Consider this your atonement!"

Speedily, Caligula drew his longsword. "Mana Zone: Blade of Divine Retribution: Hurricane!" He yelled, before slashing the area around him.

"Get down!" Sojiro forced Ruby and Izuku to the floor. Shogo did the same for Noriko and Secre, while Asta grabbed Noelle and pushed her down.

At that moment, blood began spurting from everyone in the courtroom. Screams filled the halls as members of the Magic Parliament and Damnatio's security mages fell one by one. Damnatio, who had been shockingly spared from this attack, stared at Caligula in disbelief. "What...what is the meaning of this Caligula?" The chairman looked around at the carnage around him. In the span of fifteen seconds, Caligula had murdered the entire Magic Parliament, except for the king, who was frightfully cowering behind his seat.

"Are you not listening, Cousin?" Caligula chuckled cruelly. "This is their atonement. This is for...oh, forget it, I'm dropping that facade. I killed them because I wanted to, it's that simple. You have no idea how annoying it was to be praised for bringing 'justice' to people that the Magic Parliament wanted to see disappear, when I didn't give a damn about any of that crap."

"You should know this about me, Damnatio, since we're family." Caligula continued. "But I never gave a damn about justice or righteousness. The only reason I took the job as the leader of the Magic Judges, the personal assassins of the Magic Parliament, was simply so that I would be allowed to kill people legally. That's it."

"The Magic Judges?" Secre was in utter shock at the carnage around her. "Who in the world are people like that."

"That attack," Asta muttered, "he used Mana Zone, like Sisleona does."

"Get off me, Asta!" Asta was suddenly pushed off a red-faced Noelle.

One by one, the defendants rose to their feet, gazing at Caligula warily. "Ah, so we have some survivors I didn't mean to leave out of my divine retribution."

"And who in the world are you?" Sojiro demanded.

"I am Caligula Kira, leader of the Magic Judges." Caligula politely introduced himself. "And you must be those 'otherworlders' that Cardinal Yakuma had informed me about."

"Cardinal…" Sojiro narrowed his eyes. "So, you joined the Cult of the End."

Caligula nodded. "Originally, I had tried to kill the Cardinal when we met his men on a whim." He explained. "I lost...badly. But the Cardinal loved my 'attitude', as he put it, so much that he recruited the Magic Judges to his cause. I was intrigued, so I agreed to it."

"Caligula!" Caligula's attention was turned to the angry Damnatio, who had brought out his grimoire in offense. "How dare you murder the Magic Parliament! Do you not realize what you have done to this kingdom?"

"What I've done to this kingdom? It really seems more like what I've done to you, Cousin." Caligula pointed out. "You always loved condemning others. Just like I love breaking things apart. That's just who we are. But along the way, you realized you could use that love to advance yourself up the ladder."

"In the end, we're the same, Damnatio." Caligula pointed out. "Two men with twisted loves that hid behind 'justice.' The only difference is, I acknowledge it."

"Now, Mana Zone: Blade of Divine Retribution: Hornet's Sting!" Caligula stabbed forward.

In normal cases, Damnatio's Scale Magic would have allowed him to shrink Caligula's magic to something harmless. However, his magic was simply too slow, compared to Caligula's near instantaneous attacks.

In an instant, a hole appeared in Damnatio's body. The chairman of the Magic Parliament vomited blood as he fell backwards.

"The speed of those attacks is insane. I couldn't follow them at all!" Shogo exclaimed.

It's not that Shogo couldn't follow it...it's more like...the attack appeared in a near instant. There's at least a second long delay while Caligula is attacking, I can tell that much, but other than that...it's like the force of the attack simply appeared at its target. Sojiro noted.

"Damnatio!" Augustus yelled in fright.

"And that leaves you, Your Majesty." Caligula smiled at Augustus.

"C-Caligula, please, what can I do to avoid this at least?" Augustus pleaded pathetically. "Okay, yeah, you killed the Magic Parliament. I can definitely let that go. After all, with them gone, the king has absolute power! And with that absolute power, I can grant you anything you wish!"

"Your Majesty?" A weakened Damnatio could not believe what he was hearing.

"Gods, can he be more pathetic?" Noriko wondered.

"Anything?' Caligula inquired.

"Yes, anything!" Augustus nodded frantically. "Money, women, status, anything! I can even declare a proclamation that you are allowed to kill anyone you wish when the mood strikes you! I'm the king, I can do whatever I want after all! And I can do anything for you to placate you, Caligula! Just please, don't kill me!"

"Then tell me, Cousin, what can you offer that I cannot obtain on my own on the path I am currently walking?"

"Eh?" Augustus paled. "I'm...not sure I understand the question. Come now, Caligula, you should know that the king is capable of granting and taking anything, right?"

"You can grant me money? If I so wished it, I could take wealth from anyone I killed and they wouldn't be able to stop me." Caligula pointed out. "You can grant me women? Well, I'm afraid I'm not particularly interested in that sort of thing, but if I was, I don't need the likes of you to help me claim a woman or two. You can grant me status? You clearly haven't been listening. I don't give a damn about status."

"You can declare I'm legally allowed to kill anyone when the mood strikes me." Caligula laughed. "Now that is just funny that you think I need something like that, because I do that now. I don't need a proclamation to change that."

"For me to be interested in your offer means you need to have something to offer. Something that I cannot obtain on my own. You do not have that, Cousin. Your offer is utterly useless to me." Caligula pointed out.

Augustus sputtered at this. "Then die!" He shrieked with idiotic bravado, brandishing his grimoire. "Die for opposing a king you ungrateful brat!"

"Light Magic: Absolute Monarch of Divine Brilliance!" Augustus yelled as a giant construct of himself made of light appeared before Caligula.

"...He can't be serious." Noriko muttered.

"I see you still have no interest in actually learning to use your magic the way it is intended to." Caligula chuckled. "Compared to my Spatial Magic, this is nothing."

"Fool! My magic is absolute! It is divine! It is brilliant! Cower before it!" Augustus clearly forgot the last time he had tried this.

"Mana Zone," Caligula held his blade horizontally, "Blade of Divine Retribution: Ruined Sky!"

Caligula swung his blade. A moment later, the Absolute Monarch of Divine Brilliance was beheaded, much to the horror of Augustus. In fact, the entire building was beheaded from the force of Caligula's attack, much to the shock of everyone who was still present and alive.

"EH?!" Ruby and Izuku gaped in fear and disbelief.

Meanwhile, Julius Novachrono's attention was drawn to the loud crash in the distance. He rushed to his window and gasped, seeing the roof of the Magic Parliament building suddenly collapse. "What in the world is happening?" He wondered.

"Oh dear, it appears Caligula has already started. Indeed, this is goodbye, Julius." Titania lamented, going to the window with him.

"Caligula?" Julius' eyes widened in fear. "Titania, no! What have you done?! Why in the world would you ally with him of all people?"

"It's not just him, Julius." Titania admitted. "I've joined with...a very large undertaking."

Julius gasped, remembering Sojiro's warnings. "You didn't…"

"I did. It seems you know everything." Titania noted. "Farewell, Julius."

With that, Titania leapt from the balcony of Julius' room and floated away from him. "God no," Julius moaned in horror, "what have I done?"

"Lord Julius!" Julius spun around to see Yami Sukehiro appear from a portal, flanked by Vanessa Enoteca and Finral Roulacesse.

"Yami, what's wrong?" Julius frantically asked.

"It's the old man, Asta and the others!" Yami said. "That damn chairman took them back to the courthouse for another trial."

Julius' eyes widened. "Yami," he said, "someone just destroyed the courthouse."

Yami looked past Julius and saw the ruined courthouse. "What the hell?" He demanded. "Who the hell did that?"

"Caligula Kira," Julius grimly replied, "the Magic Judges seem to have returned for revenge."

"Caligula Kira?" Finral was surprised to hear the name. "As in, a member of the Kira family? He did that?"

"Not just any member of the Kira family, a particularly dangerous member. One I exiled from the kingdom years ago." Julius revealed. "It appears he never got over it."

"With all due respect, Wizard King, why would he attack the courthouse instead of you if that's really the case?" Vanessa asked curiously.

"Because he seems to be supported by someone with worse intentions than just revenge on me." Julius admitted. "I think he's working with those cultists that Sojiro warned us about."

That was all Yami needed to hear. "Finral, Vanessa, let's get moving!" He ordered. "Asta and the others need our help! Finral, can you transport us there?"

"I mean, I've been there, so yeah." Finral nodded. "But captain, you're going to drop us right in the middle of whatever the hell is going on there?"

"That's exactly how I want it." Yami responded. "Let's go!"

Finral quickly created a portal. The trio of Black Bulls quickly ran into it. Julius sank into his desk chair. "Damn it all," he muttered, "I owe Sojiro an apology after this."

Suddenly, more explosions rocked Julius' office. "More attacks? We're being invaded!" Julius was shocked.

"Damn, I thought we had more time!"

Indeed, the Cult had launched their attacks on Clover Kingdom. Within the span of a single night, they had moved from the Diamond Kingdom all the way to the Clover Kingdom's capital. And now, they were launching their ruthless attack to decapitate the kingdom in one blow.

Giant boulders, for starters, fell on entire buildings, and on occasion, unlucky civilians caught in the attack.

Just outside the city, Yakuma, the Cardinal of Destruction, flexed his arm as he reached for another boulder in the large pile that had been gathered for his use. He gripped it easily in spite of its massive size before tossing it at the city.

One of Yakuma's Bishops stood next to him. He was a youthful man with a shockingly effeminate hair color: cherry blossom pink that matched his pink eyes. Two swords were strapped to his hips. "You appear to be throwing haphazardly today, Cardinal." He noted.

"When the only goal is to destroy, there is no need to overthink things like targets, Musashi." Yakuma corrected. "Now tell me, what is the word from Enshiro and Mirai?"

"I have received word they have both begun their attacks on opposite sides of the capital." The young man named Musashi responded. "I can only imagine that we will soon be hearing joyous declarations of success."

"Very good," Yakuma nodded, "now then, let us see what fate has in store today. Will life be snuffed out and destroyed? Or has the inevitable end only been delayed for now?"

Meanwhile, another Bishop of Yakuma's, a young man with ash-grey hair and horrifying burn marks over his right eye and hands, let out a mad cackle as he incinerated an entire block of houses with one blast of molten hot lava. "Burn it all!" He yelled. "Everything burns in the name of our god!"

At his feet were incinerated and melted Magic Knights who had bravely tried to mount a counterattack against him, only to meet a grizzly end. Sekke Bronzazza found himself cowering behind some charred rubble, gazing at the man in shock. "What the hell? Where did he come from?" He wondered. "He just...showed up out of nowhere and started blasting everything with lava. Where the hell is his grimoire? He's...he's a monster!"

"And why in the world are you cowering, huh?" Sekke yelped before looking over his shoulder to see his captain, Jack the Ripper, glaring down at him.

"C-Captain," Sekke whimpered, "I wasn't cowering, this was...reconnaissance!"

"Considering you look ready to piss yourself, I'd say that's cowering, Magic Knight." The bishop pointed out, now having noticed Sekke and Jack's presence.

"I couldn't agree more, if we survive this, Sekke, you're on cleaning duty for a year." Jack stepped in front of Sekke, brandishing two blades that grew from his arms.

"Oh?" Jack's power caught the bishop's attention. "That's an interesting looking power you've got there, friend."

"It's my magic, what you've never seen magic before?" Jack demanded.

"Not until recently, no." The bishop admitted. "I am Enshiro, Bishop of Destruction. And judging by your level of power, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you are one of those Magic Knight Captains I've heard so much about."

"And what if I am?" Jack demanded.

"Well, I just think you should know that I'm already kinda disappointed." Enshiro admitted. "I was under the impression that captains were a bigger threat than you."

Jack was taken aback by Enshiro's insane levels of confidence before smirking. "Keke," he chuckled. "I'm going to enjoy slicing you to pieces, whoever the hell you are."

"Not if I burn you to a crisp first, Captain." Enshiro grinned at the man before him. "Those silly little blades of your mean nothing before my molten hot Art, Volcano!"

"Bring it on!" Jack yelled.

On the other side of the city, a single woman with puffy white hair like sheep's wool and light blue eyes sat on the edge of a building as clouds danced around in front of her.

Some clouds fired off bolts of lightning that destroyed buildings or fried unlucky people caught beneath them. Some blasted powerful snowstorms that buried entire blocks. Some blasted drizzles of rain with enough force that actually turned buildings into swiss cheese. Some transformed into small tornados that tore across the areas

"Today's forecast calls for lightning, snow, rain and tornadoes with a hundred percent chance of death and destruction." The girl said with a serene giggle, betrayed by her definite malice directed towards the area around her. "Oh my, I kill myself with my jokes."

"If only," the woman let out a small gasp at that voice.

She then vanished as a large volley of briars stabbed towards her, destroying the roof she was on. She reappeared, standing on top of a cloud. "Oho?" She said. "It appears I've attracted the attention of a particularly strong one. I guess things have now gotten complicated."

Charlotte Roselei glared at the woman, standing atop a giant earth golem. "I don't know who you think you are, attacking our kingdom," she said, "but you will be treated as an enemy, regardless of any reasons you may have."

"You're supposed to be better than this!" Sol Marron, Charlotte's number one fangirl and subordinate spoke up. "Destroying things all haphazardly like this is something only men do!"

The woman hummed thoughtfully at Sol's words before pointing her open palm at Charlotte and Sol. "Thundercloud." She commanded.

A shadow appeared above Charlotte and Sol. It was pitch black. "Sol!" Charlotte yelled as lightning struck down atop the golem.

The woman chuckled as she gazed at Charlotte and Sol with a serene expression on her face. The two had gotten away just in time thanks to Charlotte, but Sol's golem had been vaporized in an instant. "It seems strange that the Magic Knights would allow someone like you to be a member if that's all you seem to be focused on." She mused. "It seems unprofessional."

"Honestly, why would anyone waste their time with those kinds of thoughts. All they seem to do is jumble your mind up all violently, like a storm." The woman smiled in that same serene manner as before. "I'd much rather just go along with things, like I'm floating on a fluffy white cloud."

"What in the world is that power of hers?" Charlotte wondered. "There's no grimoire…"

Charlotte's eyes widened. "Don't tell me, you're part of the group the grandmaster warned us about!"

"Oh my, so we've already got a reputation?" The woman gasped as she clapped her hands to her face. "Oh dear, that's terrible! How are things supposed to go easily and smoothly when people are already being warned about us?"

The woman let out a small whine. "I guess it really doesn't matter. According to Cardinal Yakuma, things will end the same regardless. Still, I wish things could've been a bit simpler."

Several clouds appeared behind the woman. "I am Mirai, Bishop of Destruction." Mirai introduced herself. "I am the one who brings about a speedy end with calamities brought forth by my Art, Cloud."

"Sol," Charlotte spoke up in a firm tone, "get back."

"Now then," back at the courthouse, Caligula trained his sword on Augustus, "let us end you now, Your Majesty."

"First thing's first, Mana Zone: Angel Wings." Caligula vanished and then reappeared right in front of Augustus.

"How did he do that so quickly?" Ruby wondered.

"It's Spatial Magic!" Secre exclaimed. "And he's using Mana Zone to amplify its power!"

Caligula aimed his sword at Augustus' throat. "Please, Caligula, you wouldn't kill your own cousin, would you?" Augustus asked him.

"You seem to forget I put a hole in Damnatio. Or perhaps you're hoping I play favorites?" Caligula said darkly. "Sorry, but I don't play favorites. I treat all my victims equally."

Augustus wailed in fear. "Please, Caligula, I'll do anything! Just don't kill me!"

Caligula sighed. "I know you'll do anything, Cousin." He said. "Because that's just the kind of man you are. Ever since you knew you would be the next king of Clover, you were like this, always prioritizing your life, health and safety above all others. Do you remember when I was a toddler? We both were sick. But because of how young and weak my body was, I was in far more danger."

"But you insisted you be treated by the family doctor first because you were to be king." Caligula reminded him. "Even though with every moment I grew sicker, I was in greater danger of dying."

"Is that what this is all about, Caligula? I'm sorry about that!" Augustus did not mean that apology at all. He just did not want to die.

"You're really not listening." Caligula rolled his eyes. "As much as I despise you all, what I'm doing is not because of any grudges or anything like that. I discarded such petty things years ago so that I could focus on what I really wanted out of my life."

"I wanted to kill things, and I still do. I wanted to take things apart and leave them as such." Caligula cruelly revealed. "You prioritize your life above all else, I don't even give a damn about life at all. But there is one thing we both have in common, Cousin. It's that we both love holding power over other people's lives. Damnatio's the same way. Maybe it's a familial trait. But between the three of us, I'm the only one who's willing to admit to it."

"And so, King Augustus, I hereby judge you guilty of living. Your sentence? Execution. Why? Because I said so."

Augustus wailed in fear once more. "That's enough!" A voice yelled out.

Caligula rolled his eyes and spun around, dispassionately blocking a stab from Asta and his Demon-Slayer Sword. "Ah, the no-magic Magic Knight I've heard so much about." Caligula noted. "I'm surprised you're protecting him. Didn't he order your execution?"

"Just because he's a pathetic bastard, doesn't mean I have to be a petty one!" Asta yelled. "I've seen enough death today, whoever you are!"

"Asta!" Izuku and Ruby yelled in worry.

Caligula sighed and exerted some effort, pushing Asta away from him and back to his group. "Sorry, Gramps, should I not have jumped in like that?" Asta asked.

"It would've been a bit reckless." Sojiro acknowledged. "We still don't know the full extent of his power...other than the fact he surpasses us all in raw strength alone."

"I must admit, when Cardinal Yakuma told me that he and his associates were from another world and that I should expect to face other foes from other worlds, I almost didn't believe him." Caligula admitted. "However, when you get beat up by a nearly seven-foot tall, musclebound, axe-wielding behemoth who doesn't even use a grimoire, you're forced to reexamine your worldview."

"Now then, let's see how you stack up."

Before Caligula could initiate the fight, a portal appeared above him. He quickly looked over his shoulder to see a man fall towards him, katana raised in the air. "Angel Wings!" Caligula teleported himself to safety.

Yami Sukehiro unknowingly landed on top of the king, who let out a yelp of pain before falling unconscious. "Ah damn it, did I seriously miss?"

"Actually, it's more like he was a bit too fast for you, Captain." Finral pointed out as he and Vanessa landed behind Yami.

"Shut up or die, Finral." Yami told him, making Finral yelp in fear.

"Captain Yami?" Asta exclaimed in shock.

"Finral? Vanessa?" Noelle added, equally surprised.

"Oh, thank goodness, we weren't too late." Vanessa noted with relief.

"Umm...wish I could say the same about everyone else." Finral looked around, turning green at the sight of all the carnage.

Yami sighed, taking a long drag of his cigarette. Caligula chuckled as he stood on a railing on the other side of the building. "I see that the makeup of the Magic Knights has changed, I don't recognize that insignia." He noted.

"The name's Yami Sukehiro, Captain of the Black Bulls." Yami introduced himself.

"Yami Sukehiro? Ah, I remember that name." Caligula smirked. "You're one of Julius' lapdogs, right? Same with that Vangeance? So, did Julius send you to face me on his behalf."

"Wrong! You and this damn parliament interrupted me while I was in the middle of a crappy hangover and a really difficult dump I was taking." He continued, pointing his katana at Caligula. "Since I can't tell off these idiots, I'm going to have to take everything out on you. Hope you're prepared to die."

Finral sweat-dropped. "Really, Sir?"

"Hey, Captain, what about your subordinates he attacked?!" Asta demanded.

Caligula chuckled. "Oh, I like you." He admitted. "I like you a lot."

Meanwhile, back with Yakuma and Musashi, the Cardinal continued tossing boulders at the city before him. "Say the word and I will bring you more boulders, Cardinal." Musashi said obediently.

"Don't think so far ahead, Musashi, enjoy the moment." Yakuma told him. "In fact, why don't you go into the city and undertake your own duty?"

Musashi shook his head. "Sir, I should stay by your side in case an enemy discovers our location." He responded.

"Are you telling me that I cannot protect myself, Musashi?" Yakuma demanded.

"Of course not, you are the mightiest Cardinal!" Musashi claimed. "You do not need protection from a lowly bishop such as myself. I simply wish to stay by your side for my own peace of mind!"

Yakuma gazed at Musashi before shrugging. "Do as you please, boy." He said. "It's your life, so control it and do with it as you wish."

"As you command, Cardinal-" Musashi began before being cut off by a particularly powerful mana signature.

"Wind Magic: Towering Tornado." Musashi and Yakuma were both suddenly enveloped by a mighty tornado.

Yakuma and Musashi quickly leapt out of the cyclone. Musashi looked back and watched as the boulders were flung away from the city by the tornado. "Such powerful winds," Musashi acknowledged, "who in the world attacked us?"

"Look up, Musashi." Yakuma folded his arms, gazing up at a particular spot.

Musashi did as asked and gasped, seeing their assailant. It was a tall, young man with dark hair and an impassive gaze, standing atop a solid, miniature cyclone. He brandished a four-leaf grimoire at the two cultists.

"It seems we've been found by a Magic Knight." Yakuma acknowledged. "Identify yourself, boy!"

"Yuno, of the Roars of the Golden Dawn!" Yuno responded. "You two interrupted my training...and attacked the kingdom."

"I hope you're prepared to face the consequences."

"Face the consequences?" Musashi frowned. "How unbelievably arrogant of him to declare such a thing to you, Cardinal."

"Such words can only be proclaimed by someone who has the strength and confidence to take control of his own life and destiny." Yakuma claimed before addressing Yuno. "Yuno, was it? You say we're to face the consequences of our actions? Tell me, boy, do you have the strength to back up such a bold claim?"

"I wouldn't have confronted if you if I did not believe I did." Yuno responded.

This made Yakuma laugh. "Oh, I see?" He was genuinely amused by Yuno's response. "You've got guts."

Yakuma's face then contorted into a malicious grin as his entire body was enveloped in Reiki. "I like that!" He declared.

A.N: Real talk for a sec. Any time you meet a guy who has the same name as arguably the most brutal, monstrous Roman Emperor in history...RUN! Run like hell, and pray to God he doesn't catch you. But yeah, Caligula Kira, ladies and gentlemen. I think I've mentioned this before, but because the Rogues Galleries of these series are much smaller than the FWW ones, you can expect to see a lot of OC Antagonists, like Caligula, Titania and Andros.

Hope everyone enjoyed the double release. I'll see you all soon! Happy 2020!