A.N: I had mentioned this on my latest Wild Hunt post, but I am already loving this posting method, compared to my monthly one. I'm still writing things at my own pace, don't get me wrong. I'm just not sitting on things when they're finished. So, everyone enjoy this little surprise from yours truly. Well, actually I guess it's not really a surprise, considering I literally stated my intention on this a couple days ago. But, you get the idea.
Chapter 19: Out of Time
Battles everywhere seemed to screech to a halt as Julius Novachrono's restored Mana flared across Clover Kingdom. Rill Boismortier, who was single handedly pushing back several Acolytes with his Picto Magic, could only gape. "Lord Julius...that definitely isn't the Mana of a kid." He noted, briefly turning into Captain Obvious.
Elsewhere, Dorothy Unsworth was fully awake and in shock at this sudden turn of events while Acolytes desperately tried to survive the power of her Dream Magic. "What in the world just happened to Lord Julius?"
Charlotte Roselei desperately tried to dress Sol Marron's wounds with regular first aid while trying to find someone who knew healing magic. "Something has happened," she realized, "I'll have to worry about Gueldre and Revchi running off later…"
Kaiser Granvorka stroked his mustache thoughtfully. "It appears our Wizard King had one last trick up his sleeve." He mused as Sekke and Xerx helped up Jack the Ripper.
At the very center of it all, Julius Novachrono, now restored to normal, stared impassively at the bound cultists who had been the biggest threats to his kingdom's safety. Yami Sukehiro finally got over his shock and spoke up. "Lord Julius!" He exclaimed. "That really is you, right? This ain't no goofy-ass illusion? Because that would be a jerk move!"
Julius smiled. "It is, Yami." He assured the man. "It's no illusion."
Yami then turned to Sojiro, who was just as shocked. "Hey, Old Man!" He yelled. "I thought you said that Time Seal couldn't help Lord Julius!"
"I did, and it shouldn't have." Sojiro responded before addressing Julius. "Julius, how in the world did you manage this? It should've been impossible."
"Long story, tell you all about it later." Julius promised before turning his attention back to Yakuma and his Bishops. "Now, what should I do with these four?"
"Julius, can you use your Time Magic to age them rapidly?" Sojiro inquired.
"Indeed, my magic is designed to steal the time of others, after all." Julius explained.
"Good, I need you to do that." Sojiro nodded. "Do it until they die."
"Wait, you're just going to kill them?" Ruby Rose was surprised to hear this.
"This is for the best, Ruby." Sojiro promised. "Even if we spared them, we wouldn't get anything through interrogation, they would end their own lives before they gave up anything about their organization's secrets."
Izuku Midoriya shuddered at this, remembering the fate of the Acolyte he had fought back in his world. "Ruby, he's right." He said softly. "I don't want to admit it, but he's right."
"Kill them, huh?" Julius frowned slightly. "Well, I would've preferred learning more about them, their evil plans and their interesting powers...but if interrogating them is a useless gesture, then I'll just age them into nothingness."
"They are currently bound in Chronostasis." Julius noted. "But I'll switch my spell to Girasmos, and that will age them until they are dust."
Hopefully this won't take too long. Julius added inwardly. Time is no friend of mine here.
"Okay then, Mana Zone-" Julius began.
A black portal suddenly opened up, much to everyone else's surprise. Sojiro and Shogo both gasped, sensing a very dangerous amount of Reiki. "Stay behind us!" Sojiro and Shogo shouted to Ruby and Izuku.
Suddenly, a woman in a pitch black dress with hair just as dark and crimson red eyes stepped out of the portal. Julius was immediately put on guard too, knowing that this woman was undoubtedly dangerous. The woman then took one look at the bound Cardinal and Bishops and held her hand out.
"Dispel," she said simply.
There was a brief flash of silver light, and then in an instant, Julius' magic vanished around the four high-ranking cultists. All four fell to their knees as their bodies and minds readjusted to being able to experience time normally. Yakuma was the first to come around, noticing the woman's presence. He gasped.
"Matriarch?" He was surprised to see her here.
"You all must survive." The Matriarch told them. "You still have roles to play. There is still much for you to accomplish in the name of our god."
The Matriarch then gestured for the four to follow her into the portal. Julius immediately trained his magic on her. "Time Magic!" He yelled as a light blue orb appeared in his hand. "Chrono Thanatou!"
The orb fired from Julius's hand towards the Matriarch. I'll accelerate the attack's flow of time with Mana Zone, Julius added, that attack is the very destruction of one's time. Once it strikes her, no matter what her power is, she will be killed, erased from existence.
Indeed, Julius' Chrono Thanatou seemed to increase in speed as it neared the Matriarch. Then, without even looking, the Matriarch spoke. "Dispel." She said.
And at that moment, the Chrono Thanatou attack vanished from existence, much to the shock of Julius. "It doesn't matter how dangerous your Time Magic actually is, Wizard King." The Matriarch explained. "All power is erased by my Art. The ultimate anti-power ability."
The Matriarch then entered the portal. Yakuma gave them all a grin, even though he was retreating. "We'll settle this another time." He promised, entering with his Bishops, who all simply glared at them before leaving.
And with that, the dark portal closed. The battle was now over. Julius heaved a sigh of relief before laughing in embarrassment. "Oh dear," he said, "guess I'm already a little rusty. Or maybe I'm just not used to fighting like this yet."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean you crazy bastard?" Yami demanded. "You were fighting like you were never even out of action!"
Julius ignored Yami and teleported to all the injured. Noelle Silva's new healing spell had taken care of their immediate injuries, but they were still badly hurt from their fights with Yakuma. Julius gave Noelle an encouraging smile. "That was a new spell, wasn't it?" He said to the shocked girl. "You're amazing, Noelle. Acier would be proud of how you've grown."
Noelle forgot her exhaustion and wept at the mention of her deceased mother, whom she never met. To know she would be proud of her was simply overwhelming for her. "Thank you, Wizard King." She muttered.
Julius chuckled. "Now then, I think I'll take it from here." He said, holding out his coverless grimoire, now filled with hundreds of pages. "Time Healing Magic: Antistrofi!"
And with that, time seemed to reverse for all the injured. Their wounds seemed to close up, as though they had never been there in the first place. "Hmm, actually, I think I will go ahead and extend this magic to the kingdom in its entirety." Julius decided, realizing that would be a better use of the time he had.
"Mana Zone: Antistrofi: Elysium!"
And with that, time seemed to reverse all over the kingdom as the injured found their wounds vanish. Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief as tears fell from her eyes, seeing that Sol was going to be just fine. "Oh thank goodness." She muttered.
Sojiro watched in shock as Julius single handedly saved countless people from death. He smiled slightly. "I see," he muttered, "so this is the true power of the Wizard King."
"A true hero is what he is." Shogo said admiringly while Izuku and Ruby nodded in agreement, left in awe of Julius' power.
Sojiro's face then fell. "It makes me worry a lot more about the strength of that Matriarch woman, since she was able to erase his Time Magic so easily." He admitted.
"Maybe so, Grandmaster," Sojiro turned to Ruby, who was smiling reassuringly at him, "but the important thing is that we're all alive. Maybe the bad guys got away today, but we're alive and that's what matters most."
Sojiro smiled back and patted Ruby on the head. "You're right, little one." He said softly.
Izuku and Ruby then heard the sound of someone groaning. They turned to see that Asta was starting to come around. "Asta!" They yelled in unison, running towards him.
Asta groaned as his eyes opened. "What the…" He muttered before being tackled in an embrace from Izuku and Ruby.
"Oh thank goodness, we were so worried!" Ruby exclaimed.
"Seriously, man, don't scare us like that!" Izuku added.
"Don't scare you...what are you guys…" Asta trailed off as the memories came back. He immediately became frantic at one particular memory. "Yuno! Where's Yuno?!"
"He's fine, Asta." Asta turned to see Mimosa Vermillion smiling with relief as Yuno slowly came to as well.
Asta's eyes became misty. "Thank God," he whispered softly, "I'm so glad...he's okay…"
Sojiro and Shogo both smiled with relief, they then turned to Kinpatsu, who was surveying the lack of wounds on his chest. "Sir Kinpatsu," Sojiro spoke up, "I want to thank you for coming to our aid. Had you not been here, we would have not had the time we needed for Julius to show up when he did. We're all alive thanks to your sudden interference."
Kinpatsu nodded. "Think nothing of it." He replied.
Kinpatsu then rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Although...you probably have a ton of questions for me, seeing as though I'm from Rakuen." He noted.
"I have no intention of judging you if that's what you're getting at." Sojiro promised. "You helped us and saved a lot of good people. As far as I'm concerned, that makes you our ally. We would love to have someone of your caliber on our side."
Kinpatsu sighed. "Well, these bastards went and disturbed my retirement, and I certainly can't ignore it when a bunch of genocidal maniacs are running around." He acknowledged. "Let me get my affairs in order back at my cottage and I'll return to you with my answer."
"Done," Sojiro nodded.
With that, Kinpatsu vanished from their sight. "What a mysterious man." Shogo folded his arms, frowning slightly.
"He's mysterious, but he's helpful." Sojiro defended.
"I'm surprised Lord Julius' healing didn't restore his arm though." Shogo noted.
"He probably lost it a couple centuries ago." Sojiro noted. "If I had to guess, Julius's Time Magic is not limitless. He probably lost it too far back for him to actually restore it."
"Grandmaster, Shogo!" Sojiro and Shogo both smiled with relief, turning to see Noriko and Secre running towards them, flanked by a very silent and solemn looking Damnatio Kira.
"Ah, Noriko, Secre, thank the gods you're both safe." Sojiro then gasped, noticing Damnatio's presence. "Ah, and hello to you as well, Damnatio."
Damnatio simply hummed in acknowledgement. Noriko chuckled, surprisingly chipper in the presence of a man she honestly hated. "Oh, don't mind him, he's just a little grumpy that I healed his injuries."
"DAMNATIO!" The group turned to see Augustus Kira Clover stumbling towards them with a look of fright on his face.
"Whoa, did he seriously follow us?" Noriko was shocked. "He has so little presence I didn't even notice the guy."
"Damnatio!" Augustus furiously yelled. "How could you abandon your king like that?"
Damnatio remained silent. "Abandoned?" Noriko frowned, folding her arms now. "Wasn't he the one hiding and bargaining with that Caligula guy?"
Augustus then noticed all of the people he did not personally like converged into one area. He narrowed his eyes. "Damnatio, execute all these traitors right now!" He demanded. "Asta, Noelle and Secre of the Black Bulls, Yuno of the Roars of the Golden Dawn, these blasted foreigners. Execute them now!"
Damnatio sighed and spoke up. "For what crimes Your Majesty?" He asked curiously.
"I'm the king, I don't need a reason!" Augustus reminded him. "Hell, for all we know, their presence brought the enemy to our kingdom! They could even be colluding with the enemy! And of course they are, because I say they are!"
Damnatio looked at Augustus, then at Sojiro's group. He heaved one more sigh and responded. "I'm sorry Your Majesty, but I no longer hold the power to condemn."
Augustus' mouth dropped open in shock. "No longer have...you are Damnatio Kira, Chairman of the Magic Parliament!" Augustus reminded him. "And you are of the Kira Family, my noble family! Of course you hold the power! It is within your right for it is within your blood!"
"The Magic Parliament is gone, Your Majesty." Damnatio solemnly reminded his king. "You witnessed it yourself. The only people with power left in this kingdom are the Magic Knights...and Lord Julius."
Augustus stammered at this, turning to see Julius calmly approaching them. "No way! I won't allow it!" He screamed. "I'm the king, damn it! If I'm not, then who is?"
"Your Majesty, I have always passed judgement in a manner that I believe benefits our kingdom as a whole." Damnatio claimed. "And I have always believed that the welfare and strength of our ruling class has always been what benefits this kingdom. So, my judgement has often been in their favor."
"That's what it means to be noble." Augustus reminded Damnatio.
Damnatio sighed. "Even if that is true...even if I still believe that, I'm afraid the scales can no longer tip in your favor, Your Majesty."
"What do you mean?"
"You were willing to sell out our entire kingdom to a dangerous assassin if it meant saving your own life." Damnatio reminded Augustus. "You were willing to give him anything if it meant your survival. No matter how hard I try, I cannot tip the scales in your favor. Because at this point...I now see that what benefits you, does not benefit the kingdom as a whole."
"I am the kingdom!" Augustus claimed.
Damnatio shook his head. "Not anymore, the Parliament is gone, you don't have the magic to challenge Lord Julius, and now even I have abandoned you, because I now see that condemning you benefits the kingdom more than condemning this lot. To think the day would come, when the scales would tip against the king of this nation...what a tragedy."
Augustus stammered in disbelief. "Oh, don't worry Your Majesty." Julius said chipperly, standing right behind Augustus and making the man jump in fear. "We won't put you in jail. If anything, consider yourself under house arrest. A figurehead from now on."
"Wh-what?" Augustus could not believe what he was hearing. House arrest? A figurehead? In his own country?
"Hey now, it's not really much of a change." Julius noted. "After all, you never did too much governing anyway. Things won't change much with you out of the picture now."
Augustus collapsed to his knees in disbelief as Julius walked past him, feeling his entire world collapse. "Thank you for seeing reason, Damnatio." Julius told the man.
"Do not thank me, the only reason I did that was because the scales did not tip in the king's favor." Damnatio claimed. "Make no mistake, Lord Julius, one of these days, I have every intention of condemning all of them to make sure they do not become threats to the kingdom."
"Then I guess I'll just have to make sure you never have the power to do that again."
Damnatio scoffed. "I'll step aside for now, since they are aiding us. However, don't think you can run this country on your own. When you fail, I'll be right here to take power back and to tip the scales of justice back where they should be."
Julius chuckled. "I'll take what I can get." He shrugged. "But it's just as you said, Damnatio. The Magic Parliament is dead. Neither you nor Augustus have any more power to back up your titles."
Damnatio fell silent as Julius walked over to Sojiro and his group. "Julius...we owe you our lives too." Sojiro noted. "I don't know how you pulled it off, but…"
"The thanks lies solely with you, Sojiro." Julius told him. "If you hadn't brought that seal to me, I wouldn't have been able to figure out how I can return to my previous self. I wouldn't have been able to fight for this country once more as its Wizard King."
Julius then laughed sheepishly. "And honestly, in the grand scheme of things, it's nothing to be impressed by. You'll see why in...now."
At that moment, Julius was enveloped in a cloud of smoke, making everyone who was looking at Julius gasp. Then, the smoke cleared, and Julius was still standing there. However, he was thirteen again.
"Yeah…" Julius rubbed the back of his head. "...I didn't really have time to perfect the whole thing."
"EH?!" Everyone face-faulted at what they had all witnessed.
After everyone calmed down from the surprise, the Magic Knight Captains, along with the Otherworlders and Asta were all meeting in the Wizard King's office. "So yeah," Julius said, "the truth is, while I was able to reverse engineer the seal, I was unable to make it permanent."
"It's just like Sojiro said, these seals were designed to rewind people through time, not move them forward due to the latter being more dangerous than the former." Julius explained. "And no matter what I did, I could not find a permanent fix. Every solution I found only put my body and my life at risk. So, I had to engineer the seal to mitigate that danger by putting a time limit on how long I can stay in my previous state, forward in time."
Everyone looked like their brains hurt from this. "In other words," Julius continued, "I can transform to my adult self once a day for fifteen minutes. This is what I look like for the rest of the time. But, thankfully, it seems fifteen minutes is all I need."
"I still have no idea what all this means." Asta admitted.
Izuku was already muttering to himself about the possibilities of Julius's new state. Ruby just stared at both of her friends. One was in deep thought, the other was not thinking at all. She sweat-dropped, realizing she had befriended two total weirdos.
"Well, even though the time limit sucks, I guess it's a relief that you can at least fight with us again, Lord Julius." Yami noted.
"Indeed, fifteen minutes or not, your presence is a boon to our forces." Fuegoleon Vermillion added.
"And thanks to you, we were able to save so many lives." Charlotte noted.
"That was actually a brand new spell I created." Julius admitted. "To be honest, even after I managed to reverse engineer the seal, I was still so desperate to help in any way I can. And innovation can come from desperation. So, my grimoire created a brand new spell that combines the power of my Chrono Anastasis and Antistrofi. I just wish the spell was good enough to give time back to those who had lost it all."
Julius then looked at Fuegoleon. "And it's a shame my healing spells still aren't enough to restore your arm, Fuegoleon."
Fuegoleon shook his head. "Think nothing of it, Wizard King, I can still fight."
"If I may," Sojiro spoke up, "what happens now?"
Julius smiled. "Well, my order from back then still stands. Asta and Secre are in your custody now."
"And the Black Bulls are coming too." Yami grinned. "We made you a promise, and we intend to keep it."
"Yami," Nozel Silva frowned, "you shouldn't take your entire squad with you like that. It's extremely reckless."
"Reckless, but perhaps necessary." Julius spoke up. "Our friends here need all the help they can get. Meanwhile, we need to work to better ourselves, because it's clear these cultists and their allies present a clear and present danger to our kingdom...no, the entire world's welfare."
Sojiro folded his arms. "When you speak of their allies, you are referring to that Caligula, yes?"
"Who was that guy, exactly?" Izuku asked. "He was incredibly powerful."
Julius's face fell. "I suppose you all have the right to know. Of course I won't just be discussing Caligula and his forces. But also, other organizations whom I believe may have allied with the Cult of the End."
"First, the one you've all met, Caligula Kira." Julius reminded them. "He is the exiled leader of the Nine Magic Judges...the dirty little secret of the Magic Parliament. Nine extremely powerful mages who are true prodigies in killing."
"Killing?!" Izuku and Ruby let out eeps at that.
"Once upon a time, they were personal assassins for the Magic Parliament." Julius sighed. "Anyone who ran afoul of a member of parliament...was killed. On paper, they were an extra police force, but in reality they were just damn criminals."
"When I became Wizard King, the first thing I wanted to do was have them removed from power. I refused to allow the corrupt to have power over life and death like that." Julius explained. "Unfortunately, doing so caused a tremendous scandal that almost got me removed from my position."
"Thankfully, the Judges were their own worst enemies." Julius revealed. "My investigation discovered they had even killed people without orders from the parliament. At that point, even Damnatio was forced to side with me. And so, I was able to exile the Magic Judges."
"Needless to say, I don't think they ever got over it."
"Yeah, no duh." Jack folded his arms.
"Caligula, in particular, is extremely dangerous." Julius revealed. "He was named the Captain of the Magic Judges at a young age. His Spatial Magic is still one of the most dangerous things I've ever seen in my life, especially when combined with that sword of his. He can basically slash and then teleport the slash itself with Mana Zone."
"So that's how he did it!" Asta gasped. "Whoa, that is insane!"
Julius sighed. "A shame, if Caligula wasn't so mentally imbalanced, he'd have been an incredible asset to the kingdom. He's a ruthlessly competent leader and mage, but a monstrous sociopath with no regard for anyone else's life."
Julius then changed the subject. "Then there is another group of rogue mages that I fear may have allied with the cult. The Heartbreakers."
"Heartbreakers?" Mereoleona Vermillion frowned. "The hell kind of name is that?"
"It's a reference to the fact that the leader is an exiled mage from the Heart Kingdom. Her name is Titania Willard. Perhaps you've all heard of her?"
William Vangeance's eyes widened. "Her? Wasn't she a Spirit Guardian once?"
"She was," Julius nodded sadly, "she was also an old friend of mine. We used to study magic together, we always called it a way to bridge the gap between our two kingdoms. However, I wanted to learn about magic to better understand people. Titania wanted to push magic to its utmost limit and beyond."
"Unfortunately, her obsession led to the Heart Kingdom cancelling her research due to safety concerns. And when Titania protested and tried to revive her research in secret...she was exiled. And much like Caligula and the Judges, I don't think she ever got over it."
"Is she really that strong though, being a Spirit Guardian?" Rill inquired.
"I've fought against a Spirit Guardian, and frankly, it's a good thing the Heart Kingdom is not our enemy." Julius smiled. "Titania is no exception. Her magic is unique...but it's unbelievably powerful. To be honest, as you all are right now...not a single one of you could fight her and live."
"Is her magic really that strong? What kind of magic is it?" Asta asked.
Julius sighed. "One you should be familiar with by now. She exclusively uses Spirit Magic."
"Spirit Magic?" Asta was shocked by this. "Wait, like Yuno and Captain Fuegoleon?"
Julius nodded. "Spirit Magic is actually a regular type of magic on its own, but it's very rare because of how odd it is. In order to add pages to your Grimoire, you need to travel the world, making contracts with Spirits."
"Let me guess, she did exactly that?" Mereoleona deadpanned.
Julius nodded. "It was part of her research. Titania was often granted leave from the Heart Kingdom to travel around and add to her grimoire, making contract after contract with various spirits. She has so many different kinds of magic now from her contracts, she earned the nickname: Spirit Queen."
Julius sighed. "And if I had to guess, I'd say she's only been making more contracts since her exile from the Heart Kingdom. Damn, I shouldn't have allowed sentimentality to get in the way at her tribunal. I should've advocated for her imprisonment. I knew she would never give up on her research...and I just let her roam free all these years."
"Don't talk like that Wizard King," Asta told him, "she was your friend, right? You shouldn't feel bad for getting sentimental over one of your friends."
Julius smiled sadly before moving onto the next one. "The next thing we have to deal with is the reemergence of the Grand Magic Zone known as Heaven."
"Heaven?" Noriko frowned. "Like the afterlife?"
Julius shook his head. "Grand Magic Zones are places with immensely dense and powerful Mana, to a very dangerous level. And Heaven was the most dangerous of them all. It was named such by its arrogant populace from their god complex."
"This was the same year I brought both Yami and William into Grey Deer." Julius revealed. "This was the incident that had me originally considered as the successor to the previous Wizard King."
"Heaven's forces, considering themselves an independent nation worthy of ruling the entire world, launched an attack on the 'earth' as they put it." Julius smiled. "Little did they know, I was already trying to make my way onto their little fortress to train in the Grand Magic Zone that was Heaven. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon an invasion that was trying to get off the ground."
"Only you, Lord Julius." Yami face-palmed.
"I would've contacted the rest of my squad, or even the entire Clover Kingdom for help, but I knew that if this became a full-scale war, any survivors would hate the victor and one day seek revenge. If that were to be the case, I knew I had to take on all that hate myself."
Julius sighed. "So, I launched a one-man war on the entire fortress. Within days, I killed every mage allied with Heaven."
"Or at least, I thought I did. Heaven was spotted flying in the sky to the north." Julius revealed. "And it only flies while being powered by someone's Mana. Someone has brought that fortress back. I don't know who's running the show now, but it can't be good."
"So we've got vengeful assassins, a vengeful mad scientist, and vengeful religious zealots, all of whom are probably super pissed at you." Yami bluntly noted.
"Yeah, I'm not much of a Wizard King, huh?" Julius said bitterly. "But, to be fair, the last enemy we might be facing is not my fault."
"And who's this last enemy?" Sojiro asked.
Julius glanced at Asta for a brief moment. Time to admit to the truth. He sadly noted to himself.
"The last enemy...comes from the Diamond Kingdom." Julius revealed.
Asta's eyes widened at this. "No way!" He immediately denied. "That's impossible! Mars wouldn't...there's no way the Diamond Kingdom would be our enemies!"'
Julius's face fell for a moment before regaining his composure. "Steady yourself for what I am about to tell you, Asta." Julius ordered in a firm tone of voice.
Asta's eyes widened. He had never heard the Wizard King speak to him in such a tone. Julius sighed. "Just recently, there was a coup within the Diamond Kingdom. General Mars and the people who supported him tried to fight against it, but as far as we know, they were all defeated. Their fates are currently unknown."
Asta could not believe what he was hearing. "Mars tried to fight against the coup? But that doesn't make any sense! He wanted to take over the Diamond Kingdom himself!"
Julius shook his head. "Circumstances changed, Asta. It would seem that General Mars had no intention of letting the people who perpetrated this coup take over either. Unfortunately, he failed."
Immediately, Asta turned around and made for the exit. "Where are you going?" Julius demanded calmly.
"To save Mars, of course!" Asta yelled. "We promised each other we would always come to other's aid! I'm not breaking that promise!"
"Asta, you do that and you'll be taking on an entire kingdom and most likely the cult as well. You do that, and you will only get yourself killed." Julius reminded him.
Asta stopped at this. Julius sighed. "I'm sorry for not telling you this, I know that General Mars is your friend. But this reaction of yours is exactly why I couldn't tell you. Because I knew you'd try to leave. Asta, you need to stay calm so that we can come up with a proper plan of attack. Even you can't fight an entire kingdom's army alone."
Asta growled in frustration at this. "Somewhere in the Diamond Kingdom, Mars is hurt and captive...wondering if anyone's going to come and help him!" He pointed out, now sounding heartbroken. "He's my friend!"
"I know he is, and if he is alive you will have the chance to save him." Julius promised. "General Mars is a powerful asset for the Diamond Kingdom. I don't think they would just kill him. They will probably try to break him, and remold him into a loyal soldier."
"And I'm supposed to just sit back and let that happen?" Asta demanded.
"You're supposed to keep getting stronger and have faith that your dear friend won't break against all that torture." Julius responded.
Julius heaved a sigh. "We're getting off topic though. Nothing has been confirmed yet. We don't even know for certain if the Diamond Kingdom really has allied with the cultists. I can't condone a course of action that will lead us to war with two different armies. One is bad enough."
Sojiro folded his arms. "You said this was recent. As in the day we met?"
Julius sighed. "Yes, I apologize for hiding this information. Like I said, we were unable to confirm if the rebels had colluded with the cult. And with Asta in your care, revealing this information to you meant revealing it to him. And you can see now why I was hesitant about that."
Sojiro sighed. "Julius, alliances are built on trust." He reminded him.
"And I truly am sorry for breaking that trust. I weighed the pros and the cons, and I decided that this was the best decision. I swear to you though, I had only thought of what I felt was our best interests at the time."
Ruby looked at Julius, seeing Ozpin in the man for a brief moment. I see, so this is what it's really like to be in charge of so many people's lives...to have so much responsibility heaped onto your shoulders. I think...I'm now beginning to truly understand Professor Ozpin's reasoning more...even if I still don't fully agree with it.
Sojiro looked at Julius and nodded in understanding. "I suppose you are right about one thing. If you were unable to confirm the cult's involvement, then that is no reason to fight two different wars, especially as your country is now." He acknowledged. "I just wish we could've all been better prepared. It's so easy to say that knowledge could've left us better prepared in hindsight. But in reality, we still would've been impeded and distracted by Damnatio's actions, and then caught off guard by Caligula."
"Julius, I forgive you for this, because I understand you meant well." Sojiro promised. "But please, remember that you can tell me anything in the future. I'm trying to think of what's best for your kingdom as well, after all. But not just your kingdom, but your entire world's wellbeing."
Julius nodded in understanding. "We're still seriously off track though." Yami pointed out. "Who are these goons that took over the Diamond Kingdom."
"Ah, that's right, you and William were not here for that meeting." Julius noted. "Well-and I'm still trying to comprehend this myself-the perpetrator was apparently Crown Prince Andros Painite. Now Andros Painite Diamond V."
"That's impossible!" Vangeance immediately denied. "Prince Andros died of illness!"
Julius chuckled humorlessly. "Yes, we know, that was pointed out during the last meeting."
Julius sighed. "But according to our reports, it was Andros's name that the crowds cheered." He noted.
"I don't get it." Asta spoke up, having finally calmed down about Mars. "What's so special about this Prince Andros guy?"
Julius nodded. "Well, as I've said, he was the crown prince. That meant he was first in line to inherit the throne."
"From birth, Prince Andros was a prodigy, a true genius who was able to excel in everything, so the stories go. He filled the palace halls with beautiful music. His academic studies were top notch. His Mana was high, even by a royal's standards, and his skill with magic was just as fantastic. I was always sad I never got a chance to see it."
"In other words, he was perfection, in every sense of the word." Julius revealed. "He was the boy who was supposed to lead the Diamond Kingdom out of its woeful times and into an era of prosperity and sanity."
"And as always, something went wrong, right?" Mereoleona spoke up, folding her arms. "Something always does go wrong in these stories."
Julius nodded. "Andros Painite supposedly died seven years ago. Tragically, it was on his eighteenth birthday. The day everything was supposed to come together for him. The day he'd be a man. The day he could make a claim to the throne if he wished. Instead, he died of illness."
"And this is where the story gets suspicious." Julius revealed. "Andros Painite was the perfect picture of health. For him to take ill and die so suddenly. It always was suspicious to me. I was never able to investigate the matter properly because it was well out of my jurisdiction and snooping about that deeply would only worsen relations between the two kingdoms."
"That definitely doesn't make any sense." Ruby spoke up. "How does a guy who's supposed to be that healthy and strong just get sick and die without warning?"'
Julius nodded in agreement. "And now, this supposed dead man is back and has now taken his place on the throne."
"And I will say that things only get disturbing from here. Things have been pretty secretive inside the palace for the most part. But outside...it's not good." Julius admitted. "I had our spies keep investigating to gather more information. There have been mass-executions outside the palace."
"Seriously?" Izuku was stunned to hear this.
"Many of the reports say they are former members of the court. And not just members of the court, but their families as well." Julius sighed. "It's a full, thorough purge of the previous regime."
"That's awful!" Ruby exclaimed.
Julius nodded. "Andros Painite...was supposedly kind and thoughtful back in the day. I still don't know what's going on over there, but if that really is him sitting on the throne now...then something happened to change him. Something turned him into a ruthless king."
"But we still don't know if he's allied with the cult, right?" Charlotte spoke up.
"That's right," Julius nodded, "I'm having my spies keep their eyes peeled for people dressed in the same attire as the cultists we met today, but I've gotten nothing so far."
"Allied with the cult or not...I can't help but wonder what made him change like that." Izuku spoke up. "What turns a paragon into...well, a devil."
"Anything could have happened." Julius responded. "But, until we know if he has actually allied with the cult, I cannot take any action against the Diamond Kingdom."
Asta's fists clenched at this. Fuegoleon spoke up. "I know this isn't what you want to hear, Asta, but Lord Julius is right." He told the young Magic Knight. "Asta, we barely survived the cult's attack alone, and that was a small fighting force. And they've allied with people like the Magic Judges, Heaven, The Heartbreakers, and seem to have taken Patolli under their control. We simply do not have the manpower to fight the Diamond Kingdom as well."
"But make no mistake, Asta." Fuegoleon continued. "If they have allied with the cult, we will take the fight to them one day. You will save General Mars then."
"I know...it's just so damn frustrating." Asta complained.
"Asta, if they can take Patolli under their control, then that means they could very well try the same on Mars." Julius pointed out. "I know that's not exactly ideal either, but at least that means they won't just kill him. Like Fuegoleon said, you will get your chance to save Mars. You just need to be calm and patient and focus on the bigger picture."
Asta took a deep breath. "You're right," he finally conceded, "I don't like it, but you're right."
"Is that it then, Julius? Those four organizations we need to be prepared for?" Sojiro asked.
Julius nodded. "All four are dangerous on their own, and allied with those cultists, after the day we've had, I'm not confident in our chances of survival."
"Way to rally the troops." Yami muttered sarcastically.
"Thankfully," Julius smiled, "I have a contingency to buy us the time we need to train and get strong enough to do it."
"Eh? What kind of contingency?" Charlotte asked.
"Well, considering when I sent Marx on this little errand, we should be seeing it right...now."
Julius led everyone to the nearest window. When they all gazed outside, they gasped when they saw the sky turn purple. No, it was not that the sky turned purple. A transparent, purple veil was surrounding them. Little did they know, this veil was covering Clover Kingdom in its entirety, like a dome.
"Lord Julius, what is the meaning of this?" Fuegoleon demanded.
"My contingency plan, Fuegoleon." Julius smiled. "You see, after the 1st Wizard King's sacrifice, the 2nd Wizard King was a rather paranoid individual. He feared another disaster like the one in the 1st's legend."
"So, he had his best mages construct a magic device that could create a barrier that could protect the entire kingdom." Julius revealed. "Anyone who harbors hostile intent towards this kingdom will lose their will to fight upon entry. And any magic attacks from the outside will not breach it."
"Why the hell didn't you bust this out when we were dealing with the Eye of the Midnight Sun you idiot!" Yami yelled indignantly.
Julius sighed. "Well for starters, the barrier can only be used once. A flaw in the design that the 2nd Wizard King could not solve, no matter how hard he tried. And to be honest, I was always concerned there'd be a greater enemy than the Eye of the Midnight Sun. Truth be told, I had thought we'd have to use it if the Spade Kingdom suddenly became more aggressive."
"What, you thought they'd try something?" Charlotte was surprised to hear this.
Julius nodded. "Like I said, it could only be used once. Sure, if we only had a couple skirmishes here and there, it'd be fine. However, we're not even ready for a full-scale war with the Spade Kingdom."
Julius then heaved a sigh. "My only regret is that Marx couldn't get to its location before the attack. I honestly thought we would have more time. The 2nd Wizard King had to place it in one of the Grand Magic Zones for it to work properly."
"The important thing is that the barrier is up now." Sojiro noted. "This way, you all can prepare for war safely."
"Indeed," Julius nodded. "And I'd like to reiterate once more: this barrier can only be used once. So I want all of you to put yourselves through the training of your lives. We need to make this count. Our very survival is at stake here. And not just our survival, the entire world's survival. In fact, the survival of all worlds seems to be at stake."
"Asta," Julius smiled at the young Magic Knight, "I expect you to give your best as well, since you're training with a Grandmaster. You still want to be the Wizard King, right?"
Asta nodded. "What I told you back then hasn't changed. Being the Wizard King means getting the most results." Julius reminded him. "This is crunch time, Asta. This is where getting results matter the most. Because now, it's either get results or die."
"So tell me, Asta," Julius walked right up to the boy and looked him in the eye, "do you think you can handle stakes like these?"
Asta, forgetting all his stress over the current events, grinned at Julius. "I've been living with adversity all my life, Wizard King." He reminded Julius. "And I will never give up on my dream."
"So I say bring it on. I'll make sure to get the best results single handedly if I have to." Asta declared. "And the best result is...we all come back alive!"
Julius smiled slightly. I do pray that there is enough of a kingdom left over for you to lead as its Wizard King, Asta. He noted. Because I truly do believe that the country you'll create, is the country that the Clover Kingdom must become.
"Sojiro," Julius addressed the old man, "look after him, alright?"
Sojiro smiled and nodded. "Of course."
Later that day, Sojiro and his group, along with the entire Black Bulls squad, found themselves standing outside the outskirts of the capital. "So, why are we all just standing here again?" Magna Swing asked curiously.
"We're just waiting on one final ally." Sojiro replied. "Our gathered energies should be enough of a beacon for him to know that we're here, waiting for him."
"So all this time, another Watcher was in our world?" Finral Roulacese was still trying to comprehend that fact. "Man, I guess you really just never know, huh?"
"As long as no one has any decent sensory abilities, we can actually blend in with the populace quite easily." Sojiro admitted. "If anything, I can imagine that Sir Kinpatsu lived a hermit's life because he quickly caught on that people could sense that his energy is vastly different from theirs."
"Right, that Reiki you guys keep mentioning." Vanessa Enoteca noted.
"Is he strong? I wanna fight him if he is!" Luck Voltia declared.
"Maybe after we get to know the guy first, Luck." Finral tried to calm the battle freak.
Sojiro let out a small gasp, sensing Kinpatsu's Reiki. "Ah, it seems our new friend has arrived." He noted as Kinpatsu suddenly appeared in front of the group. He had Taiyomaru strapped to his back and holding a medium-sized bag with his one remaining hand. It must have been all his essentials.
"Good to see you again, Sir Kinpatsu." Shogo waved his hand happily.
"It's...only been a few hours." Kinpatsu noted, looking around. "Nice to see you're all up and about, in spite of how brutal that fight was. That Wizard King's magic really is something."
"Well, it wasn't just us." Vanessa responded. "Charmy and Noelle's magic evolved as well, and they really pulled through for everyone as well."
Kinpatsu raised an eyebrow at the massive group. "So this is the whole group? I'm surprised you're bringing this many people."
"Well, the Black Bulls seem convinced they owe us a favor." Sojiro smiled. "And who am I to refuse?"
Kinpatsu shrugged. "I mean, you can, this ain't exactly a field trip you know." The former Rakuen soldier sighed. "But, hey, you're the boss of this group, and all things considered, I haven't been around your group long enough to try and make the rules myself."
"Hey, Mister!" Luck spoke up. "You're strong, right? Let's fight!"
"Luck, what did I just say?" Finral face-palmed.
Kinpatsu shrugged. "I mean, yeah, I am pretty strong. Nowhere near what I used to be. Losing an arm and the use of one of my eyes will do that to ya."
"So, anyway," Kinpatsu addressed Sojiro once more, "we're heading to your guys' base, right?"
"Yes, that is correct." Sojiro nodded. "Thankfully, it should mold itself to accommodate the...influx of residents we're about to have."
"Wait!" The group turned to see that Yuno was calling out to them, running towards them. He was flanked by Nozel Silva, of all people.
"Yuno!" Asta called out, waving and happy to see his rival up and about after such brutal injuries.
"Brother?" Noelle was surprised to see her aloof, older brother coming as well.
Yuno stopped in front of Asta. "How are you feeling, man?" Asta asked.
"Better," Yuno heaved a sigh, "though I think I'm going to feel that guy's punches for a month."
"Asta," Yuno got to the reason why he was here, "you're really leaving with these people?"
"Yeah, Grandmaster's got custody of me now thanks to the Wizard King." Asta responded with a smile. "Why don't you come with us? You can get stronger under the Grandmaster's teaching, I'm sure of it."
"We do have room for one more, young man." Sojiro offered with a smile.
Yuno shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, but no. I only came to say goodbye to Asta. I'll be taking a leave of absence from the Roars of the Golden Dawn for a while. I'll be training in Hage Village."
"You're going back home?" Asta was surprised.
"I know this barrier is up...but I'm still worried for Sister Lily and the others." Yuno admitted. "I'd like to look after them."
"Asta, while our goals are the same, we have our own paths to walk. You were fated to meet these people and train with them. That's all there is to it." Yuno then gave his foster brother a small smile. "Besides, training that close to my rival would just give him ideas on how to beat me, I can't have that."
Asta chuckled. "Yeah, you're right." He acknowledged. "I don't know what I was thinking."
Yuno smirked and then turned to Sojiro. "You're the Grandmaster, yes?"
"That is correct, young man." Sojiro nodded.
Yuno then bowed deeply to Sojiro, surprising everyone. "Please...look after Asta. He's loud, annoying and obnoxious...but he's my friend all the same."
"Of course…" Sojiro trailed off when he noticed that Yuno was already running away before Asta could start getting sappy as well. The old man chuckled at the sight. "Seems like I'm fated to run into the odd ones."
"Brother…" Noelle then took this moment to address her older brother.
Nozel shook his head. "No, I won't try to stop you or anything like that. You are a member of the Black Bulls, so this makes sense." He then blushed slightly, looking away. "Just...please be careful. And use this opportunity to grow into twice the mage our mother was."
Noelle smiled. She was finally starting to have a normal family. "Of course." She promised.
Nozel then addressed Asta. "And Asta?" He said to the magic-less Magic Knight.
"Eh? You've got something you want to say to me as well, Captain Silva?" Asta was surprised at this. Usually, Nozel had nothing but disdain for people like him.
"I still think you're foolish to claim that you are going to become the Wizard King." Nozel bluntly claimed. "You and that Yuno. I will be Wizard King."
"However," Nozel sighed, "I...cannot deny that you managed to do something I never could have. It's thanks to you that Noelle is strong enough to defend herself...and I don't have to worry about losing her like we lost our mother."
"Commoner you may be...your presence has meant a lot to Noelle." Nozel admitted. "And for that, I thank you."
"No problem," Asta grinned, "Noelle is my friend after all."
"All of you," Nozel was now addressing the entire group, "please, look after my little sister. See to it that she surpasses Mother."
"Of course, Nozel, you have our word." Sojiro responded.
"Alright," Sojiro then decided it was time to leave, "if everyone's ready, I'm going to open the portal to the Void. The rules are quite simple. Stay on the path and don't fall off, or you won't come back from the Void. We won't be able to save you."
"Something that scary exists between our worlds?!" Grey shrieked at this.
"Too late to go back now." Zora Ideale pointed out, having made a full recovery from his injuries at Musashi's hands.
Sojiro quickly spoke the chant to open the portal to the Void. The golden path laid itself out before them. "Now then," Sojiro said to the group, "let us go."
Meanwhile, in a darker corner of the Void, Cardinal Yakuma groaned in relief as he sank into a bathtub filled with medicinal waters. "Damn," he muttered, "I took more of a beating than I thought. Guess even my adrenaline wears off eventually."
Yakuma chuckled. "Quite a strong bunch of fighters that Grimoire World had there." He complimented. "At least it won't be a boring conquest."
Yakuma's chuckle then turned into a full belly laugh. "I can't wait to go back!" He declared. "I really want to fight them all again. Destruction is only meaningful when they can actually resist your efforts."
Outside the washroom, Musashi silently stood guard so that no one disturbed his master and father figure. His hands were both firmly resting on the hilts of his twin katanas. He was ready to cut down anyone who intended to disturb Yakuma.
"Heya, Musashi." Even fellow Cardinals.
Musashi gripped the hilts instinctively but closed his eyes as well, taking deep breaths to keep himself from cutting down the man currently approaching him.
"Cardinal Shido." Musashi said in an even tone of voice.
Shido, the Cardinal of Death, laughed at Musashi's tone. "Lemme guess, now's not a good time to chat with Yakuma?" he teased.
Musashi raised an eyebrow. Was this really Shido? He was not normally the type to emote. Rather, he was cold, focused and often seemed bored in his duties. Did something happen in the Quirk World he had been assigned to?
Tabling those thoughts for another time, Musashi responded. "I'm afraid so, Cardinal Shido." He nodded. "Cardinal Yakuma is enjoying a good soak to recover from his many battles today."
Shido nodded. "Alright, I suppose it can wait." He said. "I just wanted to compare notes on our mission results, that's all."
Musashi grumbled at this, still rather miffed they had to retreat from the Grimoire World. "There's no reason for you to be frustrated." Shido sagely pointed out. "In the end, things didn't work out for you this time. Just be glad the higher-ups still see value in you all."
"Mmm," Musashi hummed at this, "The Matriarch said as much when she saved us from the Wizard King's attack."
"And she's right, you four are very powerful." Shido reminded him.
"Death comes for everyone eventually. So there's no need to rush things." Shido's face contorted into a twisted grin for a moment before it switched back to normal. "Anyway, since Yakuma's busy, how about I ask you instead."
"Ask me what, Sir?" Musashi inquired.
"What did you make of those otherworlders?" Shido inquired. "And while we're on the subject, what do you make of the Travelers that seem to like getting in our way?"
Musashi fell silent. He knew he could not simply dismiss either group. Cardinal Yakuma would not approve of him doing so. He did think they had no chance of beating them though.
"Personally, Cardinal Shido, I believe they have no chance of defeating us." Musashi admitted. "That being said, we would be foolish to brush them all off. The fact they managed to survive proves that they should be taken seriously."
Shido grinned. "Quite the head on your shoulders." He complimented. "You're right. Honestly, I can't really say for certain whether they have a chance or not. I stomped the guy who was supposed to be the current number one hero. But, then the Symbol of Peace showed up and actually fought me to a standstill."
Musashi looked at Shido in surprise. Well, he should not actually be surprised. After Yakuma had been stopped in his tracks by Julius, he should not so readily believe that the Cardinals are invincible. But, he idolized Yakuma, so he could not believe they could be beaten either. For Musashi, it was quite the conundrum.
"I think for the most part, these worlds are pretty weak. Strong compared to the ones we've purged before, sure, but still rather weak. Especially compared to those four worlds that the Archbishop has outright told us we are not to go near." Shido explained.
"However, there are some people who've managed to set themselves apart from everyone else." Shido added. "Like All Might."
"All Might?"
"The Symbol of Peace I mentioned." Shido explained. "I suppose you'll learn about him if you're ever assigned to that world. And, considering what happened to you four, it seems that Wizard King is something special as well."
Musashi grumbled once more at this. "And then there are those Travelers." Shido frowned. "I can't really say for certain what my opinion of them is. I haven't met any in person. But, even though he has weakened considerably, the Grandmaster of Menou being among them is troubling."
Shido sighed. "That's about as much as I can determine. Every time I reach out to Higeki to try and compare notes, I bring up the Travelers and their immediate allies and he gets angry and cuts the connection. Whatever happened between them pissed him off a ton."
Shido then folded his arms. "Well, regardless, if they plan to keep getting in our way...that means they're heading to that world next." Shido could not help but chuckle. "If their luck doesn't hold up and they run into him, the rest of us won't have to lift a finger."
"The 4 Cardinals of D are equal in strength." Musashi pointed out.
"Raw strength, yes," Shido acknowledged, "but when it comes to how we handle things...personalities tend to become a factor in determining how a battle goes."
"Higeki, for example, is no-nonsense. That's great in crushing the weak in an instant, but I've always been of the opinion that you can't play your best cards too quickly. And as for Yakuma…"
Shido trailed off when he noticed Musashi glaring at him. "Oh calm down, Yakuma can take my opinions on him, so you can as well." Shido rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Yakuma can take a hit...a lot of hits, in fact. But, and he even recognizes this, doing that too much bites you in the ass."
"And what about you, Cardinal Shido? Don't tell me you're going to say that you're perfect." Musashi frowned.
"Oh no," Shido shook his head, "I'm well aware that my...boredom with my duties tends to make me a bit careless. Unfortunately, that was unavoidable. When you're the 'invincible executioner' and everything comes easy, you're eventually going to start coasting and then make a few mistakes. Makes me glad I ran into All Might. He lit a huge fire in me."
"And that brings me to our mutual friend, the Cardinal of Denial." Shido grinned. "Do you know what sets him apart from all of us, Musashi?"
Musashi shook his head. "Sheer determination." Shido revealed. "That man will not stop until he has completed his mission, no matter what it may be. Frankly, I don't even want him as an enemy."
"Combine that with the fact that the guy's got a few screws loose, and he's more than capable of ending things on his own." Shido revealed.
Musashi fell silent at this, contemplating Shido's surprisingly perceptive take on himself and the other Cardinals. Shido then gazed at the door leading to the washroom Yakuma was in. "Sheesh, that meathead still isn't done?" He frowned before sighing. "Bah, I'll just talk to him later."
Shido started walking away. "Is that really all you have to say to me, Cardinal?" Musashi asked.
Shido nodded. "I've got a chapter to read." He replied. "Although, if Yakuma's going to be this busy recovering from his wounds, I suppose that means the Archbishop will want me to test the strength of our new friend."
"New friend?" Musashi raised a confused eyebrow at Shido's words.
"Oho, you haven't heard?" Shido chuckled. "The Patriarch's newest project was a success. We've got a devil on our side now."
"And get this," Shido continued, "apparently, he's the psycho that turned the elves and the humans in that Grimoire World of yours against each other."
Shido laughed. "Oh man, we really do attract quite the characters, don't we."
Musashi frowned, still a bit put off by Shido emoting so much. "Yes," he said in agreement," yes we do."
Still...a devil? This is quite the development…
Back with Sojiro's group, the ever-bothered and neurotic Shuya found himself groaning at how crowded things were getting now. "Grandmaster," he said, "I know we're trying to gather allies...but why do you have to bring so many back with you at once."
Noriko sweat-dropped at Shuya's behavior. "Our headquarters change to accommodate the size of our party. Why does it matter to you?"
"I...don't like crowds." Shuya muttered in embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Yang Xiao Long embraced both Ruby and Izuku with a look of relief on her face. "Glad you're back, Rubes." She said to her little sister. She then addressed Izuku. "Same to you, Green. We were all worrying about ya both."
Izuku, due to the height difference between him and Yang, had gotten a face-full of cleavage from the embrace. And now, he was sputtering incoherently, much to Ruby and Yang's confusion. "He...wasn't like that before." Ruby simply noted.
Yang then noticed Asta's presence. "And you are?"
"Oh, he's Asta, and he wants to be the Wizard King." Ruby said with a smile, like that was a completely normal thing to say to someone from her world.
"...Okay." Yang said simply, having grown to accept the weirdness of this situation.
"And you must be Ruby's big sister." Vanessa smirked, stepping up to Yang.
"And...you are?" Yang raised an eyebrow at Vanessa and her witch-like attire.
"I'm Vanessa Enoteca," Vanessa said before issuing her challenge, "and starting today, I'm replacing you as Ruby's big sister."
"Excuse me?" Yang's eyes flashed red at this.
"WHOA! WHOA!" Ruby immediately set to playing peacekeeper. "Where's the rule that says I can't have more than one big sister? HEY! Don't fight over me, you two!"
Vanessa and Yang ignored each other and continued to stare each other down. Weiss Schnee, meanwhile, studied the Black Bulls and frowned. "They look like a bunch of delinquents." She said bluntly to Blake Belladonna.
"Weiss, we don't even know them." Blake chided. "I mean come on, I thought you had learned from dealing with me. You shouldn't just judge people so readily and-"
"Hiya, I'm Luck Voltia!" Luck leapt in front of Weiss and Blake. "Will either of you ladies fight me to the death? I love that kinda stuff more than anything! It's my favorite!"
"Nice place!" Magna Swing looked around, grinning at the wide open spaces. "But, hopefully there's a place I can safely put my magazines."
Gauche Adlai got in Blake and Weiss' face as well, showing a picture of Marie. "This is my little sister, Marie." Gauche said to them. "Isn't she an angel?"
"Wanna be friends?" Gordon Agrippa whispered to them quietly and creepily.
Blake sweat-dropped at the quirks of the Black Bulls. Weiss gave Blake her best 'seriously' look. Blake sighed. "Well...we shouldn't think less of them." She conceded.
"Will you idiots shut up already!" Yami Sukehiro yelled at them all.
The Black Bulls all let out frightened eeps at Yami's lack of an indoor voice...even Zora, who frankly did not want to be cut open again so soon. Shuya then noticed Kinpatsu's presence for the first time. He gasped, sensing Reiki from the man. "You're...a Watcher, like us!" He realized. "But wait...I don't recognize you from anywhere."
Kinpatsu nodded. "That's because you wouldn't, kid. I'm an ex-soldier of Rakuen."
Shuya sputtered at this. "Rakuen?!" He exclaimed before looking at Sojiro. "Grandmaster, please forgive me for being blunt but are you out of your mind? Why is he here if he's a soldier of Rakuen?"
"Peace, Shuya," Sojiro raised his hand in the air, silencing the younger man before he could freak out too much, "Kinpatsu means us no harm. He helped us back in the previous world."
"And didn't you hear the part where I said 'ex-soldier' kid?" Kinpatsu asked.
"...Oh, right." Shuya muttered.
"Umm, maybe I might be a little out of the loop here...oh wait, I totally am out of the loop." Yang spoke up. "What exactly is the big deal with this Rakuen place?"
"I'm...actually rather curious about that as well." Oscar Pine admitted, looking at everyone else. "I think I speak for everyone when I say we'd like to hear about this."
Sojiro looked at Kinpatsu. The one-armed man chuckled at being put on the spot. "Well, I did promise to share my story." He said. "It's a long one, but I'll try to keep it simple."
"But to start, it's just as I told the Grandmaster back then." Kinpatsu continued. "My former homeland does not forgive treason and desertion. That is one of their highest tenets."
A.N: A lot to unpack here. Augustus is now a figurehead (thank God), Damnatio has stepped down peacefully, a MacGuffin is protecting the Clover Kingdom now (and I'm being honest and calling it what it is, a MacGuffin), and Sojiro's group continues to grow in size. Next time, Kinpatsu reveals his past and we begin the Hunter x Hunter portion of this prologue. Hope everyone enjoyed this!
