Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump.
Saga 6: Hell's Bells (Pt. 1)
Gravitos Rock Belt Outskirts (Night)
Astaroth couldn't believe what he was seeing.
There was a gigantic fortress of stone floating in the air, surrounded by smaller rocks floating above an entirely stone earth.
The moonlight was obscured by the clouds above, creating the perfect darkness that the Fallen Angels were perfectly blended into.
No one could see them with this level of blackness, however, Astaroth had no problem seeing in the dark, nor the others.
"So milord, here we are." Claudius whispers. "Our debut."
Astaroth looks toward the fortress in front of him, his heart beating faster and faster in anticipation, and the grip on Ravager becoming more and more firm.
They have prepared. They have waited. And now, they're about to feed.
A Few Hours Back...
"Bows and arrows!?"
"Check!"
"Anti-Magic tags!?"
"Check!"
"Tinder!?"
"Check!"
"Weapons!?"
"Check!"
The Fallen Angels were in a fever pitch, packing every piece of equipment that they've prepared for the past countless years, all for their exploration back into the outside world since the last millennium had passed.
"Hey, what's that?" Astaroth points toward a gigantic wooden vat filled to the brim with a translucent liquid of a yellowish hue, carried by a pair of Fallen Angels.
"That milord, is boiled animal fat and fish grease." Claudius stated. "They're going to play an essential part of our plan."
"Okay, but how did you get them in the first place?" Astaroth asked. "Aside from the fact that you guys might've hunted for food. What I'm saying is that the people outside should've seen the smoke, right?"
"True, so that's why we brewed it over there." He then points towards a cave entrance.
The exact same entrance that led toward the exact same cave that he was training in for the past six months.
"In all fairness, we've moved the brewery out a week prior of your revival."
"Hmm, thought I smelled something meaty while I was in there." Astaroth reminiscences.
Back to Current Time...
"All right, everyone." Claudius whispers to the others. "Here's how the plan goes."
The Demons gather around the tactician.
"First, the advance team will compose of ten people and they'll weed out anyone patroling in the surrounding area. Our initial advantage is that they can't sense us due to our lack of mana, but some of them were smart enough to bring lamps. The ones without lamps are the first priority, after that, the ones with the lights will go next, and whatever you do, take their lamps and do not drop them, we'll need them as insurance."
A few Demons nod.
"After the advance team secures the surrounding area, the next step is to administer these tags around the fortress's exterior." Claudius then presents the blood-inked paper tags to the others. "Once we have them covering the exterior, they'll be activated by my command, turning the whole fortress into a gigantic anti-magic zone for about an hour. However, should even one be put out of its initial position, the effect will weaken, so take caution when putting these around the fortress."
All the other Demons nod in response.
"After that's finished, then comes the breach, the real meat of the plan." Claudius grinned evilly. "The tinder and oil that I had you bring along, that'll be our key factor in the ensuing attack." His face goes back to the previously serious expression. "Once we enter the enemy base, take out many people as you can without causing alarm. Should you trigger an alarm however, continue to kill many as you see, but now take into consideration that a few of them might make a run for it. Should any of them make it out unscathed, we'll lose the element of surprise, and if that happens, then the operation as a whole will be deemed as a failure."
Everyone listening was now more focused then before.
"Simply put, here are your objectives; kill everyone in the surrounding area without raising alarm, cage everyone else in their own fortress with the tags, and then upon entry, kill everyone in the fortress and let none get away. Understood?"
The Demons grunt in unison.
"We have until daylight. Commence the operation."
Ten demons transform into their bird-forms and fly off into the darkness ahead.
Upon spotting the patrol flying in their brooms, the birds swoop in silently from behind, transform into their Fallen Angel form, gags their respective patrol's mouth, and slits their throats open with their stone knives. The Demons then snatch the brooms out of their dead victims, and proceeds toward the patrols with lamps.
And just like the first time, the victims have their necks sliced open, also with their brooms and lamps now in the Fallen Angels's possessions.
Claudius then sees the lamps bundling up together, with the light in the distance flickering on and off in a particular pattern.
"Area... clear... of... intruders..." Claudius then turns to the demons behind him. "We're in the clear. Proceed to phase two of the plan."
The rest of the demons fly towards the gigantic flying rock towards the center each with a bundle of Anti-magic tags in their hands. Astaroth and Claudius follow suit.
All the Demons with the tags start sticking them onto the stone exterior. Meanwhile, Astaroth then begins to ask some questions to Claudius.
"Hey Claudius."
"What is it, milord?" He sticks a tag onto the wall.
"Just who are these Eye of the Midnight Sun guys?"
Claudius pats down another tag onto the wall. "Ah, well allow me to explain." He then pats down another tag onto another spot. "The Eye of the Midnight Sun are an insurrectionist group who plans to destroy the Clover Kingdom and establish their own nation upon its ashes."
"Then why are we targeting these guys? Can they be our allies towards our cause?" Astaroth asked.
"No, and for several reasons." Claudius sternly replied. "Reason one: a vast majority of them joined this group for their own means, with a greater majority of them being too unstable for their own good. Like for example, they have a necromancer in their ranks who uses [Soul Corpse Magic], and he's prone to lashing out towards literally everyone around him should he given the chance to do so." He sighed. "Honestly, it's a fucking miracle that he managed to stick around with all of limbs attached to his body for this long."
He then tags another spot. "Reason two: their agenda will collide with our own should we leave them be. Remember, it's you that has to bring the era of magic, not letting these infidels prolonging this vicious cycle any further." He then tags another spot.
"Reason three: their leader." Claudius's tone drops to hostile levels of low. "I have not yet confirmed his appearance, but apparently, not only he's a [Light Magic] user, but he's also a four-leaf."
Astaroth freezes upon hearing this oddly familiar information.
"Does that sound familiar to you, milord?" Claudius then stamps a bundle of Anti-Magic tags onto the wall behind him.
"The first Wizard King..." Astaroth recalled to the story he'd been read about as his time as Asta. "You're telling me that the leader has the exact same magic as the one who slain King Apocrypha!?"
"That's why we have to take him out tonight." Claudius confirmed. "If we don't, we'll have to face an uphill battle later down the line. Better to deal with him now then face him later."
Astaroth's grip on Ravager tightens even firmer. "If that's what it takes... then I'll cut him down myself."
"That I believe you will, milord." Claudius then looks towards his left and sees the lamp from the distance flickering in a pattern again.
"Milord, the tags have been placed. Now we can breach the enemy base." Claudius speaks to Astaroth. "We await your order."
Astaroth takes a breath with his grip on his broadsword becoming tighter.
"COMMENCE THE BREACH!"
The Fallen Angels then fly into the various openings of the flying fortress.
15 Miles From the Clover Capital (Night)
Around the campfire, Yuno and June were on their backs, trying to catch some sleep for tomorrow's trek.
Yuno tries to close his eyes, but for some reasons, he just can't seem to.
Was it because of him thinking of back at the orphanage? Was it the heavy burdens that was placed upon him by the whole Hage village, including himself?
He then looks at the black sash with a red cross wrapped around his right wrist, only to find himself unable to stop trembling.
"Asta..." Doubts then begin to flood his mind. Guilt starts to drown his very soul.
"NO!"
Yuno snaps himself out of his grief and pain.
"IF ASTA WERE TO SEE THIS, HE WOULDN'T LET US LIVE IT DOWN FOR YEARS TO COME!" His thoughts screamed.
"SO QUIT YOUR BITCHING AND GO THE FUCK TO SLEEP!"
Yuno passes out at the same time as the embers from the fire died out.
Gravitos Rock Belt Outskirts, Eye of the Midnight Sun's Base Interiors (Night)
"On your right." Claudius whispers telepathically.
Astaroth grabs the guard in a sleeper hold, snapping his neck at the sound of a *pop*.
He then proceeds to drag the body towards a nearby ledge and tosses the corpse over it.
"Splendid work, milord." Claudius then offhandedly throws a knife directly into another guard's neck.
"So, how much longer?" Astaroth asked. "Also, how am I communicating with you without talking?"
"Our brains are linked together in thought, milord." Claudius communicated telepathically. "I apologize for not informing you of this function earlier, for I was too focused on your training to do so."
"Teach me how that works after all this is over." Astaroth chops another guard's neck in two from behind with his bare open hand.
"Milord, a few of out own has found the room where the majority of the members are gathered for some meeting." Claudius informs Astaroth.
"And what about the guards?" He questioned.
"We have a few of our own armed with bows and arrows to take care of any stragglers. But just to be sure, I have five of our own to comb the rest of the area for any patrols." Claudius orders. "Everyone else, head towards where the members are gathered."
Astaroth then heads toward where the light was coming from, and peeks over the ledge to see various members cloaked in white, with the leader at the center being surrounded by three cloaked figures with more ornate-looking white robes.
"Whenever you're ready, milord."
"Do it."
Claudius bites his right thumb, causing blood to spill out of the puncture and onto a black stone.
Upon the blood hitting the stone, the tags begin to glow in a reddish-black hue.
"Milord, I just realized how this place is floating."
"And what exactly is it?" Astaroth asked.
"It's magic."
Both of the Fallen Angels just realized that they just accidentally shot themselves in the foot.
Then everyone assembled in the main hall was blown off their feet.
The whole area was shaking as if a child was swinging it around like a rag doll.
Right before the shaking stop with an resounding *THUMP*.
"TO HELL WITH IT!" Claudius yelled at the top of his lungs. "COMMENCE TO THE CONTINGENCY PLAN!" He then jumps into the center where the members gathered were struggling to get up from their feet. Then the rest of the Fallen Angels from the surrounding sides jumps down toward the central area.
And all of them had their weapons drawn and their jet-black wings spread out.
"KILL THEM ALL! LEAVE NONE OF THEM ALIVE!"
Astaroth then jumps in with the rest of his army, with Ravager in hand, and revealing his black armor for all to see and fear.
The Demons then let their manic battle cry in Daemontounge, but this time, Astaroth knew what they were saying perfectly.
"(TO HELL AND BACK! WE WILL DROWN THE WORLD IN RED!)"
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes: Well here we are, the beginning of our first large-scale battle arc.
So while our Astaroth/Asta is about to turn the Eye of the Midnight Sun's home base into a demented slaughterhouse, Yuno and Juniper/June are currently walking towards the Capital for their exams.
By the next sunrise, the two's destinies will forever be changed beyond recognition...
And our Fallen Angel tactician just realized that magic was the thing that was making the fortress float in the first place.
Whoops.
...
So what do you think about my idea of sending the main antagonist faction of the canon story into the blender first?
Leave a review for this fic and spread the word about this fic! I'd love to get more readers and know what you're all thinking.