"Over halfway through the first round now," Noelle breathed a sigh of relief before glancing aimlessly behind herself with a slight glimpse of anxiety, "but that also means that his match is getting closer… You better get back to me soon, Stupidsta..."
"Are you ok, Noelle?" Mimosa softly spoke as she wandered over once more, "you look unsettled..."
Briskly flicking her head back to her cousin, she immediately waved away all worries with a weary smile, "Oh! No, no...I'm ok, just a little tired. There's no need to worry about me, I'll be up and running soon! I'm...I'm sure someone else may be needing your help, so don't waste your concerns with me..."
Mimosa, of course, saw straight through her, not masking her frowning expression as she sadly turned her back on her, "If...you think so… Just don't lose yourself, I'm sure Asta wouldn't want to be worrying about you when he comes back."
A brief silence between the two transpired as nothing seemed to be able to break it. At least, that was until a swift wind blistered past them, as well as the essence of some magic as all eyes were suddenly captivated towards the source.
Only briefly was the outline of some bird visible before being engulfed in a cloud of blue smoke. From there, that outline quickly morphed as, before long, Nero suddenly appeared on her hands and knees, seeming widely off of her balance and irregularly panting. Her eyes were wide open, telling an infinite number of expressions at once whilst she stared up towards the Captains, all of which were keenly glaring down at her.
Without even need an instigating word, Nero's words fumbled out in a desperate hurry, as if they wanted to tear themselves out of her throat, "I-i-i-it's...it's Asta! He's...he's…!"
Yami's eyes immediately rolled as he seemed to be already bracing himself to charge his way in whatever direction was necessary to find his little liability. He didn't even need to speak a word for his intentions to be read.
However, he wasn't the only one taking a brisk response. Off in her corner, mana began to swell around Noelle as she grit her teeth, the words fully integrating themselves into her as a ring of water swirled around her feet. In the blink of an eye, she blasted away, transforming swiftly into her Valkyrie dress as she rapidly began to slither through the masses of trees.
"You blithering idiot!" Noelle cursed, "this is what happens when you do stuff without me!"
"Noelle!" Mimosa called, seeing the vision of her cousin quickly fade away as her voice came far from reaching her target.
"Let's not waste time," Fuegoleon set things straight instantly in his commanding tone, "I'll accompany you, Yami, and Mimosa and Nero should tag along too. Keep things controlled here until we return, Mereoleona, William, I refuse to take any chances here."
While everyone collectively pulled together their plan, Noelle still soared ahead, focused so individually as her speed constantly furthered, and furthered, "Damn you. If you won't make it to me, I'll have to make it to you!"
"Huh…?" Asta mumbled in the lightest of tones as his eyes crept partly open, but lacked the strength to open completely. His vision was unfocused, so all he was gifted to see was a slight shade of blue that shone brighter and brighter by each second as light forced a way through.
"This feeling...this atmosphere..." Asta's voice croaked, "where am I? I'm not awake it feels, it's as if I'm in a dreamy state. Yeah, that's exactly what it feels like, but it's not so clear yet… My vision's still dazed, and I feel an immense pressure around my neck. It feels so real even if it isn't, I suppose it might be a slight state of consciousness after all, unless my mind is just tricking me."
Slowly, his vision began to clear though, and that feeling of pressure was fully realised. As he aimlessly stared upwards, he saw Noelle atop of him as he was left immobile on the floor, her hands trying to squeeze the life out of him as her eyes were left obscured. Even in the situation though, Asta's slowed mind didn't panic as he simply tried to raise a hand, but it wouldn't respond.
"Noelle? Why…?" Asta tried to question, but his mind hadn't caught up to speed yet. A bullet could have shot straight past him and he'd have reacted with little animation at this point. Despite his slowness though, he knew things were distorted, this wasn't the image of his ally he was used to, "Stop playing tricks on me, dammit, stupid brain! This isn't Noelle, I know this isn't Noelle. She isn't that sort of person to me! This just isn't real at all! This is wrong!"
"Asta...die..." The fake spat down at him as she exerted more pressure. Still, it wasn't enough to put him off, despite his minimal levels of defiance. Air was still circulating through him, at least enough was to keep him conscious as he tried to gain any sort of real movement back.
"This isn't real," Asta drooled through his gritted teeth as he desperately tried to raise himself as air was becoming more and more scarce, "just like when Mimosa was in her shoes, this isn't the real version at all! I know better than most, so for my mind to trick me in such a way...it's nothing but nonsense! I won't submit to this! Devil, is this your doing again? Is this you pulling the strings!? Cut it out already, don't think you can make me despair in such a way!"
"Is that so?"An ominous voice passed directly through his mind as his resistance briefly ended. During that period, the pressure against him increased multiple times over as his vision immediately became blurred.
Asta finally began to gain some motion as he managed to rattle his head side-to-side, but it of course didn't make things any clearer as he could hardly resist at this point, "So it is the devil! That sinister tone, of course it is! But to have this suffocating feeling, I hate it! I need to escape this state, escape this feeling!"
"I told you, I've seen through you! There's no way..." Asta finally gained motion to his arms as he made one gigantic effort to release himself, however, that release came far too soon than he had anticipated.
Suddenly, things changed in a mere motion, as if the world had been reset into a new scenario.
The pressure Asta exerted, which was once used against Noelle, now fuelled the swift swing of his blade to the new entity ahead of him. His brain simply couldn't understand what had happened, failing to adapt to this sudden new environment which had morphed before him. The pressure against his weapon was immense, as it swiftly slammed against the body in front of him, screening a flash of blood along his blade's edge and into the air as the body blast back a few meters, landing unresponsive a mere few meters away.
"Huh?" Asta could only breathe as his eyes were wide open in shock, failing to comprehend what had happened as he pulled himself up, admiring the spread of blood, "things...changed… What did I…?"
As he stared ahead, his unfinished question was answered. Looking down now, he was standing in a sea of blood as the sky had darkened, beginning to ooze with a jet black colour. Before he had truly absorbed the whole atmosphere though, tears already began to drop, observing the sight just ahead of himself, blade still in hand.
"No...elle?" Asta slowly fumbled as he stared at the sight below. That sight was one which shot horror straight into his heart, no matter how much of an illusion this all was. On the floor laid Noelle's body, in an extreme, bloody state. Cuts and bruises were marked everywhere, with blood practically etching from every square centimetre of skin. What was most prominent though, was the deep slash from Asta's blade, a waterfall of blood exiting from the open wound.
All life had been exiled from her body. Her eyes were empty; her skin pale; her breathing stopped...all there was before him, was a corpse, a corpse of a dear friend, and it sparked the deepest sorrow that Asta so rarely let show.
"I'm sick of this...I don't accept this..." He silently mumbled as he couldn't tear his vision away, "YOU HEAR ME, DEVIL!?"
There was a long silence.
"I MADE UP MY MIND NOW! I KNOW WHAT THIS POWER IS FOR, AND I'LL MAKE IT FOLLOW MY DESIRES, NOT THIS BLOOD-SOAKED DESIRE OF YOURS! I'LL MAKE THIS MY OWN!" Asta raged as the tears relentlessly fell as he fell to his knees, "my...own..."
He once again was left there a brief moment, wallowing in his sorrows as he refrained as much as he could from looking onwards, "I know now...how evil this power may be...how it can harm my allies...how it can end lives… I won't let this power be that though...I'll use it to make a bright future, one where my friends can live and thrive..."
A final tear meandered and leapt from his chin, "I refuse to let any ally die."
As his tear mixed with the pool of blood, his vision was suddenly caught again, sensing yet another change in the setting. When he looked up, his tears finally ended. There was no corpse in sight, but what there was were two strange figures standing apart, one far more bloodied and beaten than the other.
"That woman..." Asta's jaw was left wide open in awe as his eyes locked onto the far bloodier figure, "her ki is so...familiar, and nostalgic. It feels...so much like Noelle, but not at the same time..."
As the features of the characters in front of him became ever so clearer, he confirmed that distinction for himself. Between the streaks of blood running down her face, he could see her glistening purple eyes, and her blood-stained, once silver hair. That was all he needed to make his mind up, but his attention was then drawn to the opposing figure.
"There's no doubt...this feeling is too similar to be a simple coincidence. But then...who is that other figure? Is she the one who caused those wounds? What's her affiliation? More than all though...why am I seeing this?" Asta contemplated as he tried to begin forth, however, his body refused, "what I do know is, is that she's no good. This feeling she evokes, this pressure she exerts...there's no mistaking that fact. Maybe...she might be..."
Just as his deductions were placing together, everything fell apart for him. Like a smack over the back of his head, Asta felt a thumping pain, falling to his knees as he gripped onto his head in agony. That's when he began to notice the movement of one of the figures, the less familiar of the two.
"I'm feeling too many things...I can't understand myself, it feels like I can collapse at any second! And something's moving in front of me! This'll be my best chance to try and understand her!"
"Oh deary me, what's this pitiful sight before me?" Asta heard. Though he could comprehend what was being said, he could hardly distinguish anything from her voice, it was practically a single dead tone. He had managed to flick his head up slightly through all his pains, catching a good look at the despicable face looking down on him, most notably though, the eyepatch attached to them.
He had managed too, to glance beyond the figure ahead of him though, noticing how the other figure remained unmoved, "Was she really still before? Is my mind just tricking me again?" Before his thoughts collected again though, he felt a sharp impact against his chin as he was knocked to his back, hearing the steps of the approached figure around him as it filled his ears.
"Oh look at you, so confused and unknowing, it's a little bit cute," The figure said as they closed the gap between them, "but that lack of understanding makes you so irresistible to toy with."
"My mind's made up," Asta thought as he had a clearer view than ever at this figure now, "this girl...she's definitely..." her crimson eyes stared directly into his soul, "Vanica."
It was a puzzle for Asta to try and comprehend what was going on behind the surface level of this girl. She was extremely bright and bubbly seemingly, but could flick into a terrifying, threatening tone in a mere word. She completely juxtaposed herself with every other moment, it was impossible to gain a clear read on her.
"But more importantly, why is she in my conscience? I heard about her a lot from the basic information gained from the Heart Kingdom, but I'd never seen her with my two eyes anyway, and the same goes for that woman with the ki of Noelle. I don't know these people, so why are they here!?" Asta found himself questioning relentlessly. The more he thought though, the more questions that were left to ask.
"Oh? Is there something more important going on in that little mind of yours that I don't deserve your full attention?" Vanica queried.
Asta tried to lift himself, "I know this is in my head. You aren't real at all, just get out my head."
"I'll certainly make it feel real!" Vanica thundered in response as her foot stomped against Asta's neck, pinning him straight back to the floor, "you seem to have a lack of understanding as to who I really am. Don't worry though, because you'll understand all but soon enough!"
"What do you-?" Asta began to question as those words caught his attention, but he was far too down the line to claw out answers
"Nah! You should have played nice in the beginning!" Vanica cheerily smiled as the pressure against Asta's neck increased. Suddenly, her face turned though to express the most sinister of gazes, "Now, you can discover your hell alone."
Unable to squeeze a single word out, Asta had virtually conceded already, but he was dragged out of this state forcibly as Vanica's foot released, pulled back, and struck the boy out cold.
"Good night, little one. Hopefully, you survive long enough for us to have some real fun!"
Like a bullet, Asta's body shot straight up, embracing the freedom of his senses only briefly before his movement already shot equally as fast to a halt. He was so out of sync that he hadn't even realised where exactly he was, the only real sound ringing through his mind being his vigorous panting.
"War...mth" Asta slowly processed as a warming feeling passed through his body and allowed his tensions to loosen. It was here at last that his senses truly kicked in, feeling his head leant up against something with his arms instinctively wrapped around it as if they were clinging for dear life. He didn't need to look though, the feeling alone was enough to coordinate what was happening to his brain now that it had caught up to speed.
"Asta..." Noelle sighed as the wave of shock within her had too simmered, "he's never been like this to me...one second passed out, the next trying to squeeze the life out of me. Nero wasn't wrong, and at the least, nobody else got to him before me."
Unsheathing her lips now too, Noelle's instincts took over as she stretched her arms forth, gently wrapping them around Asta, one supporting his head, the other his back, "It's ok...I'm here now..."
Feeling his smouldering breaths against her chest slowly die down, she bowed her head and only held him tighter as a shade of red finally emerged in her cheeks, but not even her most internal of instincts could force her to raise a hand against the boy, only the opposite.
A long silence reigned as the embrace did too, however, Asta finally felt his movements return as he slowly raised his head, but still didn't look his comforter in the eyes, "Noelle… You..."
"No, I did nothing..." Noelle admit as a shade of disappointment rushed through her expression if only for a moment, "I...couldn't. But you...you clearly did something. You saw something again, right? Well, this is what happens when you stray too far from me."
With those words, he only squeezed tighter as he looked more downwards once more, the memories of his dream weaving through his thoughts, "You're...the real Noelle...right…?"
"Huh?" She exhaled in slight confusion to his question, as she looked down at the ocean of hair that shielded a real glimpse of his face, "o-of course...it's me. Why...do you ask?"
Once again, Asta gripped tighter and burrowed his face against her once more, not a single mumble to be heard.
Slowly, Noelle stroked his hair as her more anxious expressions surfaced while he cut contact, "He saw something strange, that's for sure. That feeling I had before...that feeling of resonation...was it with him? Did he suffer the same feeling as I did once again?" She continued to comfort him a while longer as she shook her head faintly, "There's no point asking much at the minute, not while he's like this. I'll have to leave some questions until later."
However, that didn't put off questioning for her altogether as she tried to encourage him to look up towards her through adjusting her grip on him, "Are you hurt anywhere? Do you remember what happened to you at all? Or before you passed out?"
"No..." he mumbled, "I was just walking with Nero...then a sharp pain hit me before I lost thought altogether." His brain suddenly turned on a bit more as he immediately tried jolting upwards, only to be contained still by the Silva as she kept to him like a weight, "Nero! Where's Nero!?"
"She's ok! I promise she's ok! She came to us to tell about you...then I rushed ahead, they shouldn't be massively behind, I'm sure of that," Noelle grit through her teeth as she used all her strength to keep him down. Even in his state, keeping him contained was like controlling the spread of a wildfire.
Slowly, his efforts waned as he rested further into Noelle, his eyes rolling as the tightness of his grasp began to weaken too. He said nought though as his eyes closed and he refused movement to internally reflect, "What happened to me truly then? Why did this happen? Most importantly, why did I see that girl that looks like Noelle? They have a ridiculously similar feeling about them...both their words just dig to my core directly..."
Glancing up to her blank gaze, he let out another huff, "I guess now wouldn't be the time to bring up such random stuff. We'd be better off discussing them later. I...just need to get back on track so that I can win, and stop these senseless disruptions.
"This is how I like things...how I want things," she subconsciously blushed, "as long as I can keep him at arm's length, I can protect him. Like this, I will protect him."
As her mind went adrift though, she subconsciously began to loosen her grip upon him. Feeling this, Asta followed suit as he leant back slightly. Not a word was shared between them, at least not before a sudden intrusion.
"Asta!" Nero screamed as she flung low into him, transforming last second back into her human state as she ploughed along with him through the ground, "you're awake!"
"Whoa!" Asta wailed as he felt all her weight crushing upon his chest. It gave him the further kick back into reality he needed as things began to flow normally again. He glanced down and saw Nero tightly wrapped around him, a cheek pushed against his chest but with her eyes still staring into his. "S-sorry I worried you like that. I...don't know what overcame me."
"That...doesn't matter… What does is that you're ok now," Nero sighed as she disconnected vision of him, staring away instead as her ears perked to following sounds.
Only feeling like seconds after Nero's arrival, the mob of allies suddenly intruded, gathering around as all stared down at Asta who was still coiled by Nero.
"Look who we found again," Yami shook his head as he reloaded his round of cigarettes, "even when accompanied, this shit is still happening? What's it gonna take to tame you?"
"Thank goodness!" Mimosa exclaimed as she added on top of Nero's tight grasp, wrapping her arms around his neck as she breathing a long sigh of relief, "I never imagined this happening… I'm so sorry I let this happen to you...I shouldn't have sent you on such a stupid errand in the first place. This is...my fault."
Realising where he rested now, Asta gloomily stared forth as wrapped one arm around both of those who connected to him, "I really made them worry huh? It's not as if I have a control over it, do I? It's just happening to me at any time of any day… I need to find out more of what's happening to myself...I need to...face my demon..."
"No," Asta corrected Mimosa with delay as the events caught up with him, "it's out of your hands, it's nothing for you to down yourself for..."
Concerned, Mimosa glanced down slightly to Asta's dreary expression as she could offer no more fulfilling words, instead doing all she could in comforting him by holding herself closer yet gently still as she could only truly murmur, "Ok...just...put yourself first for now."
"But...Yuno..." Asta began as he grew slightly restless.
"We'll look for him. You know him best, you know he'll be fine. Just focus elsewhere for now," Mimosa immediately soothed.
Staring too at Asta, Yami turned and blew away another puff of his cigarette before fiercely stomping forth, promptly causing Mimosa to react as she shifted around but remained attached like the stationary Nero.
However, before his mouth opened, Yami reflected himself as he observed the boundless support at his feet, "I was feelin' confident now for the kid. Whenever he seems to take a step forwards though, he seems to get pegged back another two. It seems like something's constantly trying to put his scales off-balance."
"You always have been a problem child, eh? It seems like you've already come to terms with yourself about what to do though. I'd stop quivering there like a baby then and get back on track again, if you sit on yer ass too much, you might just end up lapsing your thoughts next battle and lose," Yami harshly said as he turned away towards Noelle, "oi, you aren't exempt from a talk too. From here on, I don't want you more than a meter from his side. He's in your intensive care for now, at least until this whole battling is done."
Glaring off to the boy in question, Noelle slowly nodded her head, "O...ok." "Keep him close..." She sighed to herself, "I don't need telling that twice..."
"Flame-arm, I'll take these mischiefs back to the group. Would you mind scouting out for that idiot wind guy?" Yami requested as he already turned away as if he already knew his response.
"There's no need for that," A voice intruded once more as a strong gust of wind passed through, masking the thud of the landing of the boy, "I'm right here."
"Yuno!" Mimosa smiled as she turned her head slightly, still refusing to cease her grasp, unlike Nero who had finally retracted herself and sat directly alongside him, "thank goodness! Where have you been for so long? We were worried..."
Glaring past her charismatic smile, Yuno his rival rest against her as he felt himself twitch slightly, "Asta's down? Was he affected by something? Was it...the same thing as me? He wouldn't be down without reason, and nobody seems exactly to be in a panic...I mustn't let this get to my head, I'll deduce him eventually." He strolled past the bundle of knights without much more thought though as he gave a glance to his rival passing by at best, "I think you should be more worried about him for now. I can explain another time."
Spitting out his cigarette, Yami promptly began away, "Well that nicely ties a knot in things. Let's head back quickly then. I doubt flame-brains held up the fights for us anyway."
Fuegoleon followed suit, hardly muttering a word as he paced alongside the Bulls' captain, "things fell fortunately for us, we should ensure they don't fall out of place again."
"Ye got that right. I just wanna wrap things up quick already. That kid can't stay out of bother for a few minutes," Yami groaned, glancing back at the still stationary kid.
"H-hey, Asta… We should get moving!" Mimosa encouraged as she shifted around him once more and pulled him up by wrapping one of his arms around her, "we shouldn't fall behind again..."
Before they could take a step though, Noelle stopped them in their tracks, "Mimosa, could you go on ahead with Nero? I...just need a chat with him, I promise I'll keep him in one piece."
Begrudgingly, she let go, pulling Asta's arm back over as they nodded at one another. Surprisingly, Nero went too with no disruption, only judgementally glancing back at the pair before continuing forth to her next destination.
Before anything was said though, Noelle waited until all footsteps had faded, constantly glancing back until no being was left in sight. "Are you ok? What...happened to you?" She began to question, briefly reflecting on her own troubles upon her pause, "did you get a vision or something again?"
"Sort...of..." Asta slowly answered as he seemed to be piecing the matter together still, "I...saw some strange people. They were strong as hell, facing off against one another it seemed. Even in such a dream-like state, their power was so immense..."
"He didn't see something like me...he didn't see anything from back then..." Noelle immediately realised as his words from before came back to her, "he questioned before if it was the real me too. What did he see to ask that? Did...something happen to me in his mind?" For the first time for a short while, Noelle was the one who shuddered as she immediately bit her lip, "No...it's just a vision. I shouldn't let it make me quiver too. I'll stay his rock for now...I'll support him until he can stand alone again..."
"One of them though...their presence felt familiar..." Asta continued as Noelle's attention was immediately caught again, their vision directly connected, "she...reminded me of you..."
Noelle's heart immediately sunk as her pupils shrunk in shock, "H-huh? Wh-what do you mean?" Her previous words were already abandoned as hazy thoughts in her mind as the incoming knowledge overruled all, "d-did you see what they looked like? H-hear who they are?!"
He was stunned slightly by her sudden nature as he backed away slightly in nervousness of her growing desperate tone, "I-I don't know who they were! They...they..."
"They…!?" Noelle edged forth more subconsciously as she laid hands on her ally, pushing him against the nearest tree as she gripped him tighter and tighter.
"Noelle...what's up with you…?" Asta spat out with a slight tremor in his voice. He could see the effects of his worrisome words straight-up though, seeing a guilty look overcome Noelle instantly as her source of shock changed from Asta's words to her own actions. Promptly though, she eased her grip on him and turned slightly aside.
"S-...sorry..." Noelle mumbled at the deepest of tones before immediately trying to put it behind, "but...please tell me, who did you see? What did they look like? Who were they with?"
Partially convinced, Asta bowed his head in thought, easily caving into Noelle's expression, "From what I remember, she was similar to you. She had the same hair but different eye colour. Even so, I could just feel it, the same drive and charisma, the same determination and fury… It just felt so similar. I couldn't see much of who she was against though...but I have a feeling I should and do already know deep down..."
It all took long to process for Noelle as she stood there, gritting her teeth, "I knew it...he saw mother...it has to be her. But why is she in his vision? I know I already suspected the people of Hage might know about her, but there's no way in hell that he has something that tied her to his mind. Maybe the Devil is manipulating again, maybe somehow it took a representation of her of some sorts… Why did he see her!?"
"Ok..." She slowly breathed as she tried to release her tensions, staring him fiercely in the eyes once more as she withheld one final reflection, "I've never truly seen my mother in such a light. I've only ever had a painting to visualise her and yet...Asta saw her in a more humane form. Even if for a moment, even if it was just a glimpse, he's seen what I have not… I can't let that envious feeling drive me, I need to get on with things."
"His mind must still be hazy, I won't be able to get the fullest picture yet, so we should put this on hold," Noelle debated to herself before preparing to move. "Alright, we should leave things here for now until our situation's more suitable. We've still got a while to go, so let's get a move on," She hastily rushed out her mouth as she grasped Asta's wrist, but only to feel resistance as she found no forwards progression, "huh?"
"What about you?" Asta coldly questioned as a stern gaze stared forth, instantly biting back some control of the situation, "has anything happened to you? This isn't about me alone."
Stunned for a moment, Noelle simply stared back dumbfounded before she mustered any sort of response, "Wh-what? N-nothing of course..."
Instantly though, Asta shot back an even more ice-cold response, "Then what's with that blood on your cloak?"
There was a pause as Noelle stared forth with her jaw lodged open, unable for the moment to fully exert a word which Asta used to spill out a few more himself as his wrist remained grasped, "I know you didn't pick it up in your fight, you finished him at range and never got close enough. When we parted, that mark wasn't there, so what happened between then and now?"
"I thought I got it all..." Noelle felt her heart beat faster as she glanced down to her right, spotting the smallest patch of red blended into her robe as her movements stiffened, "I didn't want him to know, I didn't want to make him worry, but that's all gone out the window now! What should I say!?"
Asta's eyes rolled further as he stepped closer, reading her like a book, "Don't lie about it. I want to know what's been up. You can trust me, it's just us two here, right?" "I won't get my way if I try being nice about this, Noelle's stubborn most of the time, so I'll have to make her tell me," He contemplated as he glanced towards the patch of blood himself.
"It doesn't matter," Noelle could only bite as a response as she suddenly regained motion, turning swiftly away, "what does is you. A little bit of blood should mean nothing. You're the only worry, the one under the microscope...so you're the one we need to keep in check." "Was he being this attentive all along? Or just more than most?" She questioned to herself as she shut in her thoughts, "nobody else brought it up. Did they notice and not make the connections that Asta did? I suppose it would make sense given he knows more about this ailing side of myself."
"It's the inverse," Asta commended as he stunned her once again for a moment, "you're the ones that have to be in check. Don't think I care so little that I don't pick up these things about you...these subtle differences. Something happened to you, and I want to know as I told you what happened to me."
"And where do you get off being out of check?" Noelle thundered in an effort to diverge the topic from her incident.
Narrowing his eyes further, he gave a direct response, "My life isn't one I'm worried about at the moment. My fate is direct and known, so all my efforts are into writing yours to be a good one," he gave a long sigh as Noelle silenced, clenching her fists tighter than she ever had done before, "what happens to me is out of control at the minute, it's not a priority. I'd much rather look towards writing the unknown before trying to defy the stars."
As sharply as his sentence ended though, he received an even sharper slap across the cheek, creating a slightly awkward silence as he slowly turned his head towards Noelle, her eyes brimming with tears, "You...idiot… How's that fair? How's any of this fair!? Why should you be the one left off the hook?! I'm sorry, ok? I'm sorry for being so tight-lipped, but this isn't how it should work at all! Why should you be the one in the mud? Why should you be the one left behind to wither while you still try to make us bloom? THAT'S NOT FAIR!"
Asta's lips remained unmoved.
"It's not! It's not! It's not! IT'S NOT!" Noelle screamed as her screws had come completely loose. She solemnly stared to the ground though for a moment more as her tears dripped faster than a leaking tap, "this isn't the first time you've thought this way. This isn't the first time this anger has stirred within me. This isn't the first time we've gone through this cycle. I know all that… But...we...love you. Everyone in the Black Bulls does, as well as oceans of people across the squads. We all wish the same joy for one another, and that's ok. But, the most selfish wish of all, is a wish imagined without ourselves at all."
Without much a word though, Asta simply began away, brushing past Noelle who was left there, shocked as her tears began to slow.
Her words seemed as effective as yelling at a wall as the silent nuisance continued away, but only for a brief moment before he suddenly stopped in his tracks, a dense burst of wind threatening to blast him over as a long wet lance stretched in front of his neck. He glanced slightly off to his left, seeing Noelle's fierce, yet sorrowful face, or at least what wasn't shadowed by her hanging fringe.
"Please..." She began to plea as her teary streams furthered, and her expression surrendered into one of sorrow, "please...just listen to me..." "I can already tell his devil is intertwined with this," She began to contemplate as she slowly lowered her lance, "he never used to have such feelings as this...he never used to have these easy swings in mood and attitude. How dare that darn devil turn him into this..."
As Noelle's frustrations had boiled over though, Asta gained some focus once more as he stared intensely at her lance as it was lowered and faded away, "Traces of black? Were my eyes mistaking me, or was there something in her water?" He drew the connotations of meaning himself he finally met eye-contact with Noelle, exchanging a more deathly gaze compared to her innocent one.
Before he was able to mention his finding though, Noelle cut him short, stepping in front of him and staring down with her teary eyes as her water slowly faded, "I don't care about the difference in our power. If you won't listen to me, I'll have to make you."
"Fine," Asta released in a long huff, "but, I want to hear from you first. Why do you have blood on your cloak?"
"I...had an attack of some sort..." Noelle begrudgingly admit as she tightly folded her arms, "I randomly collapsed and ended up in a bloody mess. I managed to get up though and clean myself off, but clearly not enough..."
"That checks out," Asta reflected as he stared intently, "I can tell she isn't lying, she's always in two different forms of body language usually depending on if she's lying or not. I don't see any signal or reason for her to lie."
Slowly turning away though, she shuffled to the side a bit and sat down on a small hill, leaning her head low into her legs which she wrapped her arms around, "I didn't want to tell you...at least yet. I was thinking it was connected to you and so I was worried something happened to you, but I had the feeling I should reserve this all until after, so that you can enjoy this fighting. When something did happen to you though...I couldn't resist the temptation to know, though, on reflection, I guess it was selfish of me to only want things my way. I'll admit I shouldn't be shying this information away from you, but I'm just worried about you. You've...changed."
"That so?" Asta sighed as he moved himself, sitting alongside Noelle as some regression began to set in himself, "I...guess I've been losing track of myself recently. Things just used to be so much simpler, but this is the hand we've been dealt. My mind isn't changed, I'll always have myself at last in the order of things to protect, but that doesn't mean I'll just throw my life away I suppose. After all, I've still got to become Wizard King!"
"I think I prefer that answer," Noelle slowly began to smile more, "and I suppose if you're of such a low priority to yourself, I'll just have to make you the top of my own."
The two grinned at one another, both looking rather relieved that their tensions had died as Asta stood again, "Well, you were definitely right before though, I'm killing to see some more fights, so we should get a move on! And one more thing Noelle," he began as she glared up to him in wonder, a light blush emerging on her cheeks, "I never really thought about it much, but I think you'll make a great Captain one day! We can fight alongside each other forever!"
The weight of his words took a moment to set in as she couldn't resist a gleaming smile overcoming her, "I think I'd like that." She finally stood too and became the one looking down once more as the red in her cheeks intensified, "And I've...got a piece to say too..."
"Oh yeah?" Asta egged on as his movements forth hesitated, his ears perking to listen to her.
"I...think it's about time we stop hiding so much from one another..." She begrudgingly began, "I want us to be more open and honest one another now, so that none of this friction of secrets can come between us again. I know it's selfish...but that's what I'd like...I want to be your closest ally… And for that, I want you by my side...not just to monitor you as I am now, but so that we can be closer..."
Asta spotted the unnaturally flaming colours in her cheeks as she twisted and turned in trying to say that all to him. He could only grin as he stepped closer, suddenly latching onto her once more with a gentle embrace, not one of fear and panic such as before, but of genuine, kind, compassion, "Of course!"
"E-eh? Eh!?" Noelle couldn't string anything more than strange noises together in confusion as her skin boiled as if it was the surface of the sun, "A-Asta!?"
"Huh? What's up?" Asta questioned in genuine confusion as he refused to let go, seeing her frozen nature now.
"N-nothing!" Noelle stuttered with a constantly wavering smile as she hesitantly raised her right arm vertically and planted her hand on top of his head as she drew him inwards as a smile slowly began to rise, "it's...nothing at all..."
After ruffling his hair a second or two, she slowly released him and looked down upon him with a gentle smile before strolling away, "You're becoming quite clingy, you know...but I suppose I am royal, what else would I expect?" "You're also quite comfy..." She mumbled with a gentle blush as she held her hand over her heart while she faced away.
"Well I suppose it's a good time to head back before everyone else gets worried again," Asta huffed as he suddenly overtook her with a brisk walk, startling her slightly as his demonic form took shape on him and turned back with his devilish smile, "how about we race there?"
After a brief moment of thought, she flicked her hair aside in her usual arrogant form as she glared slightly towards him, "Hmph! How dare you challenge a royal such as I in such a manner!" Suddenly though, her form quickly changed, as her aquatic armour layered swiftly over her, "Do you truly wish to feel such a stinging pain of defeat?"
"Oh come on, you know how tough I am," He winked as he began a light jog that quickly began increasing, "so, if you're so confident you can make me feel so much pain...why don't you prove it!"
"Tch! You never change… I suppose there's no other choice!" Noelle cheered as she quickly began off too. Within a flash, they were already far out of sight.
"Come on! Show me more!" Luck psychotically laughed as he smashed through Hamon's thick pane of glass which had been raised in defence.
"What an irksome opponent for me to have!" Hamon panted in exhaustion as he spotted his right hand jitter, "I've had to guard so much already that my body's growing weary without a chance to go on the offensive. On the other hand, he..." he glanced towards his lively opponent who was jumping around relentlessly, "...he is only just warming up!"
Blasting through defences once more, a physical attack of Luck's finally connected, slamming his foot straight into Hamon as he was ploughed immediately through the floor, "I can tell that you're at your limit, so you may as well give up so I can fight someone stronger!" "Magna already made it through with ease," Luck huffed as he overlooked his struggling opponent, "I don't want to dwindle in this match too long when he's just ahead of me now."
Mereoleona watched on from above, hardly seeming concerned with the match at all as she was more so eyeing the nearby tree lines, "Asta has been getting into a fair bit of trouble, hm? I already knew he was troubled to begin with, but it appears there's something much more out for him. Perhaps a keen eye isn't enough to ensure his safety," she grit her teeth as her eyes began to drift back onto what should have been her initial focus, observing how Luck was handling the situation with ease, "even with such strong comrades by his side, I suppose it's hard to keep an eye on him all the time. Whatever is affecting him, it really is optimal at picking annoying times."
"You're concerned about Asta, are you not?" William questioned as he noted her lack of input throughout the course of the ongoing battle. Even he found his mind rather adrift as he aimlessly watched on as Hamon got back up in an effort to continue on fighting, "I understand your worry, even for someone not of your squad. We've gotten to see the fruits of his efforts many a time."
"Concerned, but no more than that. He's a capable boy, I know he'll be fine no matter how many of these events happen. I don't plague myself with any more anxieties than that, hardly a soul more is worthy of weighting my heart," Mereoleona turned her head away to hide the drowsy look in her eyes.
William only smiled as she turned away as he reflected to himself, "I suppose even the densest of hearts can be penetrated. That speaks more to how heavy Asta's weighs himself. Yami most certainly knew well what he took in that long, long year and more ago."
"Yo, idiots, we're back," Yami groaned as he and Fuegoleon appeared, breaching through the lining of trees, "that kid will be the death of me with the amount of trouble he gets into."
"And where is said troublemaker?" Mereoleona sharply said as she had swiftly glanced around, but didn't catch sight of him for a single moment.
"Right..." Yami outstretched his hand to a random point in the field of trees as a sudden disturbance began to grow, "...there."
Suddenly, both Asta and Noelle emerged from the fog of trees at a rapid speed. Realising their destination, they quickly halted themselves, causing them to collide like particles as they shot down to the floor on impact. Asta landed face-first, with Noelle clashing on top of him, but even so, they burst out in laughter in unisons as they glanced a cheery smile at one another.
"Well then, who won there?" Noelle heartily laughed as she leant over Asta to peer more at his face with a grin, "I'd happily favour myself!"
"Hm, I'm not so sure about that," Asta sighed as he flipped to his back as Noelle withdrew slightly, "how about we compromise and call it a draw?"
"Of course you'd wish to compromise! I know you'd never want to concede defeat to me! Very well then, I'll be nice this once and take you up on that offer," Noelle huffed as she fully pulled herself off of him and tugged his right arm to help encourage him back up. Without realising it, she hadn't broken her smile once yet. The sheer joy and bliss she was experiencing was enough to overwhelm the shackles of her denying nature.
Pulling back his arm, at last, Yami shrugged with a wide grin, "Any more questions?"
Flicking away once again, Mereoleona released the only slight glimpse of a grin she would ever so rarely show outside of anything purely combat related, "The problem's here. Now then, I think it's about time to observe the final group for this first round."
As her sentence concluded, so did the battle so far below them. With one last effort, Luck easily meandered through the ground and landed a strong hit on Hamon for the umpteenth time, "Yo Asta, Noelle! Finally back? It's a shame you missed my fight, but I'll make sure to show you personally, okay?"
"Of course! Bring it on Luck! Assuming you make it that far," Asta grinned as he glanced off towards Noelle, not muttering a single word.
"Let's be swift with this now, we haven't got all the time in the world," Mereoleona pointed out as the battlefield was promptly swept clean, ready for the next match.
Fuegoleon approached the cliff edge alongside his sister, seeming just as eager to get events underway, "Now for the next group of round one! Firstly, we have Yuno vs Klaus!"
"YUNO!?" Klaus' jaw dropped, "do I even stand a rat's chance?" Taking a moment before moving, he corrected his mentality, "Who am I kidding, if I don't believe, of course I don't!"
Within mere moments, Yuno had already entered the battlefield, but his eyes were hardly on his opponent anyway. His gaze was firmly fixated on Asta, who was shifting across the area with Noelle before finally resting at the base of a tree, "I can't deduce what's been going on yet. It's clear something major has been going on with him, and perhaps Noelle too, but it'd be rash of me to pressure all that information out of him at a more delicate time such as now. We're supposed to be battling here."
"Alright, you stay put here with me!" Noelle commanded as she leant on the tree, glaring menacingly down at Asta, "You're not leaving my sight for a second now, just as Yami wishes, understand?"
"Yeah, yeah," Asta puffed as he leant deeply into the tree, "just don't treat me like a prisoner."
"You're a prisoner for the time being anyway, so get used to it."
After closing his eyes for a second, waiting for the next match to begin, Asta suddenly felt a slight weight on his shoulder, prompting him to reopen his eyes as he glanced off to where he felt the pressure.
He was greeted with the pleasant sight of Nero sitting alongside him, her head leant on him softly with her arm loosely grasping his, "No more getting hurt. It's bad for my poor heart to worry about you so much, understand?"
Withdrawing one final exalt, Asta nodded his head as he relaxed back, admiring the battlefield with the little line of sight he had, "I know. I won't be leaving now. After these set of fights, I'll be up and fighting again though. Looking at the potential match-ups though...I don't think that'll be long at all."
Nero rolled her eyes as she glanced up at him, "What makes you so confident about that?"
"Because I know Yuno and how greatly he's grown," Asta began as he fiercely glared at his brother, "and I know he isn't someone who likes to waste time where he doesn't need to."
"I really couldn't have drawn a much more difficult opponent, could I?" Klaus sweat nervously as he had already begun to steady himself for the battle in the coming seconds, "Mimosa got drawn a difficult hand too, but managed to withstand a long while, so I'll aim no differently. But to think though...I'm faced with our vice-captain, who used to be someone I viewed so many steps beneath me… He really has grown a ridiculous amount."
Yuno rolled his eyes as his grimoire flung open ahead of him, his fingers constantly itching to act and cast a spell. His focus was dedicated to the battle.
"His whole aim right now is to reach a battle with Asta and to surpass him. He's always kept his rivalry at his heart with him, and he's desperate to fight now more than ever considering the last time they had the chance, the circumstances were not in favour to undergo the match. He already believes Asta will be at the final, that's the belief he has, so he'll aim to blitz through me. I can't let that happen."
"Klaus..." Mimosa anxiously watched on, "he's really against the wall with a match like this. And with the way Yuno fights..." She drifted her vision towards Asta, "Not many people other than he, I could see matching his intensity. They already have their destinations set on one another."
Abruptly, things were suddenly set in motion as Mereoleona suddenly announced, "Yuno vs Klaus, commence!"
Yuno was well ahead of all as he suddenly broke ahead towards his opponent in a mere instant. Instinctively, Klaus raised his guard, erecting a steel wall just in front of himself to block any instantaneous attacks. However, he only prolonged the danger by sheer moments as Yuno suddenly appeared behind, a presence which was immediately detected.
Immediately, Klaus flicked his right hand backwards, again erecting a wave of sharp objects in the vicinity to try and penetrate any possible nearby threats, but there was no interaction on display.
"His mana is all over the place! I can't read him at all!" Klaus was already in disbelief as he had lost track of his opponent within a single second of the bout. That second was enough to turn everything on its head though. As he turned his head straight again, he was greeted with an unpleasant slight, seeing Yuno in pole position to end things as they were just beginning.
"Sorry, Klaus, but I have no time to waste," Yuno coldly said as he stared town fiercely, he was suddenly transformed into his Spirit Dive form with his blade immediately by his neck. Still though, he refused to carry through with the attack, bowing his head, "I've got a rival to catch up to."
"Swift," Noelle awed, "he ended the fight in no more than a second or two. He used his transformation, but he used it for such a brief moment that it had no strain on him in the slightest. That was no different from a practice drill to him. I suppose he's my endgame, along with Asta."
Asta grit his teeth, "He's gotten faster. Way, way faster. He's always been an efficient fighter, but he's aiming to maximise that.
Klaus could only stare in awe at the blade by his side as he bowed his head, "I suppose I have no choice then. I surrender."
Rolling her eyes, Mereoleona raised her arm, seeming eager to get the next matches moving, "Klaus concedes defeat, Yuno wins! Next, Randall vs Ruben! Step up promptly!"
"What a dead-beat guy," Yami huffed, watching Yuno stroll off the field without a single care alongside Klaus, "but certainly menacing. God knows how much power he was holding back, even with that rapid win."
"He's considered one of the best for a reason, even among such upper ranks," Fuegoleon added, "I'd expect very little procrastination for someone with such high aspirations. For such a youthful member too, he certainly is reliable for your trust, William."
"I never put my faith in him without reason," The captain replied, "with such a strong rival for him to compete with, it's only helped explode his growth further."
Yami glanced off to the side, eyeing Asta who was still nestled alongside Nero, only now had he sunk in his position even further, leaning his head now instead on Nero's shoulder, the inverse of before, "You got one tough-ass rival huh? I already knew so much, but he's gotten so much stronger now than before. With growth like that, no wonder he's always so keen to head back into battle. It looks like even a day of slack would leave him far in the dust." Glancing more so to the companion alongside him now, Yami grinned, "Good thing you got some good allies to keep you in check though."
Nero glanced down at Asta as she felt his weight on her shoulder, "He looks tired, he probably has little interest in the next matches, which is severely unlike him." After staring into him a few seconds longer, she corrected herself, "No, it's not that he doesn't care, he just can't afford to care for the moment. A lot is going on in that tiny head of his."
"Nero," Asta suddenly caught her attention through his voice rather than his pure presence as he felt her gaze upon him, "do you think we'll be able to win in this war?"
"Well, we can't win if we don't believe-"
"Not like that," Asta interrupted, "being realistic; stripping the situation of all context of us individually, do you think anybody would stand a chance at these odds?"
Nero thought briefly, leaving Asta in a void of silence as he stared aimlessly on at the next battle, which had already commenced without him initially realising, "No." That was the only word that exited her mouth initially. After a brief moment of silence, Asta turned his head towards her, still not releasing it from her shoulder, and she momentarily continued, "Not without us, at least. This arcane power of ours...it's what can enable us to win this battle. So any normal people perhaps wouldn't."
Asta thought carefully a moment, but still retorted, "You say that as if we aren't normal people."
"Because we aren't. This power of ours isn't normal, nor have out lives been lived 'normally' to now anyway," Nero firmly said
Glumly, Asta looked slightly downwards, "I...suppose you're right. It's...just the hand we've been dealt." Slightly dejected, he prepared to lift his head at last. Before that came to be though, he suddenly felt Nero's hand push it back down though.
"Being different isn't a negative though. We all live different lives; are all raised in different ways; all think differently, because of that, we're unique. This power of ours, though it's important for reasons beyond our original understanding, it's a difference in us no more significant than the other differentiations in our lives," Nero rambled on as she felt his head fully rest again, letting a gentle smile show to herself.
"I suppose living for oh so many years increased your wisdom," Asta sighed.
Nero strengthened her grip on him and softly looked down on him once more as she nodded and mumbled, "Yeah."
Noelle throughout had looked down upon the two every now and then, but had said little as she aimlessly watched the next ongoing battle in-between all instances. Though internally she was brimming with jealousy, she easily managed to let those emotions subside, "In fairness, I didn't expect Asta to stay by so obediently to me...it's quite cute I suppose." Letting her cheeks blush up for a moment, she shook the words clear from her mind, "N-not like that means anything though! This is for his own good, it's simply caution!"
As silence began to consume the area, Asta let himself wallow in thought again as he dialled back his memory, "Vanica..." he thought as he felt a chill creep up his spine, "she had an aura about her like no other...she was definitely the right person. Still though, I don't understand why she was in my mind. Have I met her before somehow? Did the devil maybe materialise her in my mind out of what I know? Nothing's clear."
Subtly, Asta glanced up towards Noelle, "That other figure has some relation to Noelle. I trust my instincts. There must have been a direct conflict between her and Vanica that I can't figure out yet, but I guess it would be a bit reckless of me to get in the Silva's business. All it does is fuel me more to help take Vanica down. Even if she doesn't think of it, she has me in her corner."
"Something wrong?" Noelle queried as she looked down on him not a second later than he, their vision connecting, "are you worried about me or something? You needn't be, you're the one who's so prone to issues."
"It's nothing," Asta sighed as he turned away, feeling Nero squeeze him tighter as she lost his attention.
"Answer not accepted," Noelle tugged his ear as Nero only weighted him down more, stretching him greatly as he could only wince in his discomfort, "I've had the chance to get better at reading you daily. Don't think you can hide anything so easily from me."
"It's nothing! I was just...thinking back to before," Asta explained as vaguely as he could as he tried to ply her fingers apart from him, "it's nothing to trouble about!"
Narrowing her eyes, Noelle leaned in towards her companion as she stared straight into him for a few long seconds, "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely," Asta huffed.
"Fine," Noelle judgementally gazed, "just no...funny business. My eyes are on you."
Feeling her pressure release off of him, Asta leant his head back into Nero to stop her fidgeting, "She's really concerned for me. I can't fault her for being picky and overly-cautious...at this rate, with everything that's been happening, we can never be too wary. As much as she's picking me apart though, I can see straight through her. She's hiding something more from me."
Just as his senses were lowering their guard though, Asta suddenly became fully alert as he felt a sudden incoming attack, however, it wasn't directed towards him. His eyes shot open in an instant as he acted well before he truly thought.
In a swift motion, Asta stretched his left hand out towards his grimoire as it flung from its casing. Instantly, the pages flickered in front of him as the Demon Dweller leapt into his palm, the momentum of its release helping to propel him towards the target.
The blade slashed in front of Noelle, shaking her to her core as she watched it slice through two scraps of rock which suddenly had been flying towards her face. Before her very eyes, she watched the pieces slowly disintegrate as her heart rate steadily recovered from its giant spike. Still though, the slight blast of wind from the sheer clashing of attacks blew her hair back like a gentle breeze.
"Huh?" Noelle could only murmur as she glanced down along Asta's arm length, seeing his stern gaze forth towards the battlefield, "I let my guard down, and I didn't sense the attack coming… Asta stayed alert and intercepted the excess from their attacks… But still, that attack was moving at a crazy speed..."
"Noelle, stay alert," Asta sternly said as he shot a threatening gaze towards the two figures on the battlefield. It was enough to intimidate any opponent without even the need for a word.
"Don't get too heated," Nero soothed as she gently held Asta's hand, "a good knight can think on a level head, right?" That said, she too still gave a glare towards the battlefield, but maintained her anger to herself.
Ruben, noticing his flailed attack immediately refrained from launching another spell, immediately bowing as Randall looked on in disdain, "I-I apologise! I should have-!"
"Control your magic," Yami thundered. Oddly, despite his incredible pressure, it was the coolest response that could be imagined out of him, "or you'll end up decapitated well before any Spade bastard has the chance to."
"A clear lack of focus," Mereoleona sighed, "ALL THIS TRAINING AND THAT'S ALL YOU GOT!? SHOW THE REAL PROGRESS OF THE LAST MONTHS!"
"I suppose I should be concentrating more on these matches for now," Asta glumly said as he relaxed slightly to relieve the tension of the passing moments, "this does make me think though, every single person I see here will be fighting with me in this war. They're people who'll be fighting for their lives too. I have to help them be as prepared as I, so that we can all make it through alive. Sloppy moves like that won't help them live."
He was suddenly torn from thought though as he felt a sudden tug at his cheek as he winced in his exaggerated agony. It shattered any illusion of his serious tone as he felt Nero grasp him tighter still, "Don't overthink things, dummy. You've got too much on your plate as is, don't complicate things for yourself any more."
"Ow, ow! Alright, I guess you have a point there," Asta grimaced. His dreary expression though was soon forced into a gentle smile, "Good thing I have you around to help me keep moving the right direction I suppose!"
All Asta pushed out of Nero was a slight blush as she turned her head away, not losing any hold on him, "Of course. You'd be dead without me, you dummy."
"A lack of focus is it?" Randall queried, "if my attacks aren't dangerous enough to maintain your attention, then I'll do my job as Vice-Captain and set things straight!"
"Oh? I think we're in for an interesting display," Fuegoleon analysed as his memories cast far back, "Randall was one of many knights who were overcome by the elf possession. That means he has some of the latent power stored up. Then again, I believe Ruben may have that same latent power, so it's a matter of who has refined it the most over this training period."
"So we got an ex-elf match-up, eh? That reminds me, didn't most of your squad get elf-ified? They must have got a handsome enhancement in power," Yami directed towards William as his eyes rolled, "very few of mine conceded to that power."
"Your nut-cases are strong enough as it. I don't think that elven power put you behind too much, if at all," Mereoleona said with grit as she shot a fierce glare to the heretic knight before shifting her gaze to the devil boy posted at the tree, "especially some unnatural ones..."
Yami chuckled lightly to himself as he caught the lioness' wandering gaze, "So that's why she's so eager to finish this round. Guess I can't blame her, I'm eager too to see kid back out battling again."
Randall had fully braced himself now to give his all as he saw Ruben shifting in nervousness in his spot, "Prepare yourself. I'll show you the power of a Vice-Captain!"
"The Vice-Captain is strong," Ruben sweat, "he was enough alone to take out the entire squad before being stopped by the Captain before from what I heard. Even if that was the elf power's influence, it's immense strength to measure up to."
"Let's see how strong you've grown in this time," Randall grinned as he clenched his right fist to his chest, "don't expect any holding back."
"Well I'll be the one taking the first move," Ruben lapsed in his mind as he launched his dominant hand forth. A swirling sand sphere suddenly unravelled as a twister of sand unleashed towards the unflinching opponent.
Randall quickly followed, releasing his fist as he pointed it forth. An intense blast of air followed, clashing with the twister and completely dispelling it as the sand particles faded in the atmosphere, "Yes, your attacks have certainly strengthened, however, they still pale in the face of superior magic."
Quickly following, Randall flew forth, both of his fingers itching to attack as magic built up within his palms, "It's better if I end this quickly. Looking at my next opponent, I surely have no magic to waste. This easiest way to at least subdue my opponent is to disorientate them. With some precise attacks, I can end this in a mere moment, just like the last match."
"It's hard to counter him..." Ruben sweat, "his magic is sheerly overwhelming, it can penetrate and nullify mine with ease. No matter what, my magic is always broken apart. I need to try and spread my surface area of attacks and make his less effective."
In defence for the next move, Ruben prematurely raised his guard, surrounding himself in a dense layer of sand which lapsed over itself multiple time, hardening into an extremely fortified sphere of sandstone around him. It constantly swelled larger, strengthening layer by layer as he completely braced himself for impact.
Nothing could have braced himself for the force that came against him though. Before his very eyes, he saw the cracks appearing in his defence as it quickly crumbled away. In a mere second, everything shattered around him as Randall became clear, the magic in his left hand eased as he ploughed his right hand directly into the stomach of Ruben, releasing all the magic clasped within his palm.
"He charged up immense magic in both hands?!" Ruben panicked as the wind was wiped out of him. He found himself unable to move as he lost track of his senses, becoming no better than a rag-doll.
"Air compression," Randall murmured as he made one last push into Ruben, crushing him completely as an aura of mana surrounded him. From every direction, Ruben was being crushed, a constant pressure attacking him from all angles as he found himself immobile against the mana.
"He got in close so he could use a binding attack," Yuno rolled his eyes, "he's efficient too. I suppose I'll have to try and be more cautious than normal, he certainly has many tricks up his sleeve. Of course, not enough to stop me."
Mereoleona immediately snapped as Ruben's compressed body hit the ground, "Ruben has been made immobile! Randall wins! Next, Langris vs Gauche! Step up!"
Mimosa watched on anxiously as she began to wander from her post towards Asta, her vines still beginning to reach towards Ruben slowly, "Randall is quite strong, I suppose he isn't the Vice-Captain for nothing, but even so, he let Ruben's attacks past him which nearly got Noelle hurt, was it just a lapse in thinking? I should just make sure it's all ok…"
"Oh, yo, Mimosa!" Asta beckoned as he spotted her from far out. For the first time in forever it felt, he stood up, much to the disapproval of Nero who could only roll her eyes as she stayed down, planted.
"I-is everything alright?" She hesitantly asked, "I saw the attacks flying by, I was hoping you were unharmed."
"Don't worry, he's not as dumb as he looks, he stopped it before it was an issue," Noelle crossed her arms as she spoke rather arrogantly, "th-though I had it completely covered anyway!"
Taking a deep breath, Mimosa's smile gleamed further, "Thank goodness, I was concerned something may have happened given our luck at the minute." Upon the end of her words, her eyes suddenly widened further as the sparkle in them immediately died, "This immense pressure…!"
Given this sudden development, Mimosa instinctively grasped Asta and held him tightly to her. In the next seconds, a sudden great gust of wind pushed through, nearly knocking over Noelle who had stabilised herself against the tree. The wind was only a by-product though of the massive excess of mana exerted by a foe on the battlefield. Of course, to Asta, he only sensed this massive increase through ki.
"That level of power..." Asta felt himself tremble ever so slightly for the first time in a while, "that jerk got a lot stronger, huh?"
"He's...incredibly strong," Mimosa shook, "after Yuno became Vice-Captain, he left for a long while, but he returned recently so renewed. I suppose he's what you'll have to be wary of..." Simply the idea of a conflict between Langris and Asta again sent shivers down her spine, recalling their desperate battle in which he put it all on the line. The only difference this time would be that she wouldn't be on the battlefield the heal him as he went.
"Nah, I won't," Asta grinned as he began to toughen through the intense winds, "because I know I won't get the chance to cut him down myself with that Yuno jerk around. Even so, if he somehow found his way around Yuno, there's no way I'd fall to the likes of him."
Feeling renewed with some confidence, Asta's contagious smile got to Mimosa as she reflected one back, "I suppose so. You've done it before, there's no reason to believe you couldn't beat him once more!"
Just as attentive to this immense power though, Yami keenly watched on, "I know all the problems that nuisance caused last time around, he better not get up to any funny business this time. I faced him myself anyway, but this time his mind is whole. I wonder how that-"
As his thoughts were trailing off, Yami's senses quickly peaked, feeling a sudden sense of ki as his head flicked off to the seas of wood behind. Waiting for a second, he bowed his head and exalted a long breath as he began away, "Make sure all stays intact. I've got a little business to quickly deal with..."
"Don't take long, you buffoon. Otherwise, you'll miss the real fun," Mereoleona smirked.
During Yami's exit though, the Captains weren't the only one who had noted his leave. From below, Asta had settled with Mimosa with his eyes fixated on the leaving figure as Mimosa had noticed his diverted attention while still making an effort to shield him, "I felt something off… It was like a sudden spike in ki. It doesn't seem like anybody noticed it through mana sensing though...so that must mean Yami-"
As he was drifting off in thought, a chilling feeling sent reality seething back through his veins. While huddled to him, her face couldn't truly be seen, but the vibrations of Mimosa's suddenly trembling body could be felt. Like a motor, her body constantly moved, but with the intensity of an earthquake. It was a feeling impossible to ignore as Asta discerned.
"This feeling..." Mimosa began to pant as she relayed her thoughts to herself, her body was becoming a waterfall as sweat constantly dripped down every square centimetre of her skin, "it feels...just like in my fight with Asta… Why...am I aching in this way…?"
Glancing up towards the captains, Mimosa keenly observed the missing figure as she crafted an excuse in her mind, slowly breathing out as she tried to contain her issues, "I don't want to let Asta worry… I know he's there for when I need, but this is something I can contain myself. I don't need to plague him with my issues… It worked out before, it will again."
Begrudgingly, she released from Asta as the intense winds soothed. The intense atmosphere had toyed with the weather a brief while, forcing any and all droplets of rain to fling about more wildly and unpredictably. Still though, the effects lingered a brief while as Mimosa was bullied by the changing climate, but it wasn't enough to keep her in place.
"Mimosa? What are you doing?" Asta questioned as she had begun away, "is something wrong?"
"N-no," Mimosa smiled rather forcefully as she kept her right arm locked around her stomach to ease any growing pain, "I know you also noticed Yami vanishing, so I'm just going to check all is well! I could read your concern but you need to stay put so I'll head off!"
"You don't-"
"It's fine," Mimosa interrupted as she quickly turned away so she could release her more pained expression, "just leave things to me… I don't want any more troubles becoming of you."
Watching her leave though, Noelle's eyes were fixated to her cousin as she briskly strolled away, "Something must be up...but...it would be rude of me to stalk information out of her..."
Furthermore, Nero's eyes had been fixated on the interaction in its entirety, watching the Vermillion take her leave too as she tugged on Asta, huddling closer to him slightly to shield from the torrential rain, "Asta..."
"Yeah, I know," The respondent huffed before she even got to finish her phrase, knowing well in advance the words which would have next exited her mouth, "I got the gist of what's going on."
"Yo," Yami yawned as he strolled into a random opening of trees. He'd strolled quite far out from the area with little hesitation, seeming quite comfortable in his current conditions, "who would have thought Mr Creepy would make a return so soon."
"Believe me, I didn't plan on it to begin with," A figure stated as they emerged from the shadows, completely engulfed in a cloak to hide all features, "it's good to see how advanced your ki detection still is too, no amount of mana-sensing can detect me, but I suppose I'm not quite there yet to shroud myself from even you."
Flicking his sparks to be swept by the winds, the Captain turned to the source of the voice to speak more directly, "Nah, even you know by now that there's more than I to be wary of. I guarantee I'm not the only one to have picked up on you."
Silencing a moment, the figure bowed its head, "Asta...the other devil user of the Bulls, am I right?"
"You don't need me to confirm that."
"I know, it's just fun to egg you on."
"Anyway," Yami corrected the course of the conversation, "you're finally back from your errands, are you? It's been quite a while."
"My work was quite strenuous, however, it's not quite over yet; I just came to observe for the time being. In the current situation, it was pointless to try and press even more information, so I'm withdrawing at the minute. With some free time, I just couldn't help but have a sneak-peak at the progression of your special dwarf of a knight."
Analysing the figure briefly, Yami bowed his head, "He's all your eyes are ever on I'd guess, the devil's power consumes your thoughts that much, huh? Don't go losing yourself, creepo."
Rolling their eyes judgementally, they hissed, "I don't need your concern. I don't want your concern. I'd be warier of yourself for the time being, who knows what the Spade scum are up to. For all we know, a marking could well be on any one of our heads."
"I guess you really do hate conversation, I just couldn't help myself from indulging in some talk with you," Yami sighed as he flicked his cigarette away to be slept up by the winds, "I think it's about time you surpass your own limits and free yourself from the shadows, sooner rather than later..."
With those final words, the hulk of a man strolled away as the figure twitched slightly with a clenched fist. Swiftly putting it behind him in a moment, the figure began away, raising their voice one last time, "Keep cautious, Yami, there's an odd feeling I'm getting about this place."
"Why...am I feeling this pain again…? What even is this pain!?" Mimosa panted as she leant with her back against a gargantuan tree, her eyes barely hanging open as her arms were wrapped around her stomach, "it happened before too when Asta's sword made contact with me, but I don't understand why… What provoked it this time? Was it just-"
Before her thoughts finished, she coughed once more, a splatter of blood leaping to the floor as some drooled over her lips. Instantly, panic coursed through Mimosa, unable to understand what was becoming of her as she released and looked down upon the palms of her hands, watching her tears drip down.
"Stop...this..." Mimosa coughed as her hands began to glow a brighter shade of green and she re-applied them to her stomach, "please...stop this pain! I don't want to worry Asta, I don't want to make anybody worry! So just-!"
Everything within the next moments happened so quickly that Mimosa couldn't mentally process things in time. All she could sense was a sudden spike in mana, but even so, it was such a staccato spike that she couldn't comprehend the sheer immensity of it.
THUMP!
That harsh sound filled Mimosa's ears as confusion filled her thoughts. She felt her head slam against the tree behind her, dazing her and aiding to blur her vision as she felt a hand tightly clamp around her neck. With the feeling, she instantly responded, trying to pull the pressure away with her own hands.
"Who is this!? What's happening!?" Mimosa panicked as she felt herself unable to move, feeling an overwhelmingly ominous presence among her as she restlessly shook about. In her dazed state though, the difficulty of things was only amplified as she was unable to make out the figure in front of her. "What I can tell though...is that they definitely want me dead!" She deduced as she felt the oppressor's fingers piercing into her throat, forcing blood to trickle down and blend with the tears streaming down her face.
"I can't think! I can't breathe!" Mimosa began to grow weaker as she tried kicking free, but her legs could do nothing but helplessly flail, "I...won't let...myself die! All I need is...a signal! A...signal!" Her fingers were lured towards her grimoire as she grit her teeth and tried tensing up more to resist the pressure. By the second, her resistance grew as blood rolled down her lips.
Just as her finger brushed her grimoire though, the pressure upon her multiplied; she was immediately pressed back with the overwhelming pressure. At last though her vision began to clear, and she finally understood fully the presence among her as a bright, red, radiant eye stared into her soul. She winced constantly in agony as she felt immense irritation in her open wounds.
"This figure," Mimosa awed as her resistance began to die, "it strikes fear straight into my soul. I feel so powerless against this, my life is all it's after! For the first time...I understand the weight of my life...the weight of what's on the line… Is this...how Asta feels...whenever he pushes himself to the brink...? This chill creeping up my spine...it's telling me to give in...to die..."
At long last the figure in front of her open its mouth, it's crimson eyes piercing into her soul, "DIE!"
"But...I won't accept that!" Mimosa suddenly began to surge with fury and determination as she clamped down on her teeth tighter than she ever had done before. Her brow furrowed and blood streamed out her mouth as she gripped as tightly as she could against the oppressor's arm, "Sorry, but I have no plan to stop living yet!"
The grimoire encased to Mimosa's side suddenly flung from its casing as vines began to sprout from her fingers, wrapping tightly around the enemies arm. Along with that, Mimosa's radiant yellow eyes began to sparkle with a golden tint as her determined gaze grew more eager with time. Her mind briefly cast aback to a vision of Asta, "I've...still got...unfinished business!"
The attacker's eyes gradually began to light up in shock as they felt their pressure being resisted, seeing the crazed look in Mimosa's eyes as at last, she could speak a coherent word to him. The vines stemming from her fingers had served well to try and restrain his arm, at least giving enough room to allow oxygen back into Mimosa's system.
"GO PERISH YOURSELF, MONSTER!" Mimosa screamed back at last as she suddenly shined with a beautiful, sparkling aura. Following that, the attacker was suddenly blasted away by a giant burst of power, being torn away from her by a combination of the chaotic winds and the crying vines which had only begun to strengthen.
"What is this nonsense?" The stranger grumbled as they landed on all-fours, a short distance away from its prey, "such unusual mana."
"I'm running off of adrenaline at this moment," Mimosa panted as she felt the oceans of blood flooding from her neck, "but...what is this strange power?" She observed her hand, and most of herself at that as vines stretched across her open wounds to heal and cover them. It was only now that she appreciated her extended, majestic grandeur as she felt her immense aura.
From her perspective, Mimosa couldn't appreciate her dazzling beauty. All around her were little sparks of light, flying around her like gleeful fairies, they all enhanced her overall glow, and the new golden tint in her eyes as they sparkled. This power to her was unknown, but what she did know, was that it felt powerful. The mana consuming her felt nothing but freeing.
Finally, with her wounds recovering, Mimosa took a valiant step forward, staring with a determined gaze at her opposition, her golden eyes meeting his blooded crimson, "With this power, I'll defeat you!"
New year...not much of a difference!
Last year was certainly hectic, and this one hasn't started much better, but there's plenty of time left for it improve! Over here we've entered yet another lock-down period, and exams are pretty much jeopardised now, so it put me in a rough state for a while, but we move! Home-schooling has been quite consuming, so trying to pump out a chapter was quite rough to do, put I enjoy it, so it's not a chore more than it is just time-consuming.
I hope to release many more chapters this year, though once again, lengths will vary as time runs short, and I want to keep conveying this story! The main bulk will begin in due time, just as it now has done in the manga, so I hope you stick along for the ride!
I hope this year brings much more fortune to you all than the last, and I hope you keep reading!
NEXT CHAPTER: A New Thread of Power