Author's Note: Change Pauline's magic from Cubical to cube for simplification's sake. Kind of like how originally Toby's magic was going to be Predator Plant, not predapalant.
Also, thanks for pointing out the grammar errors in recent chapters. I've been using the free version of Grammarly and sometimes it causes more mistakes than it fixes them. So if you see anymore, please point them out for me until I can either find another solution or just upgrade.
Chapter 18
Second Chances
"What kind of magic is that?" Abel marveled at the near countless cubes surrounding his foe.
"Don't worry, this isn't meant for you. I have other things planned for liars like you." Pauline pointed at him."Show me the truth behind fear."
"Everyone! Get back!" Abel shouted behind him, only to see no one."Huh? Where did they go?"
"Now. Cubic Magic: Command of the Crimson King!"
Out of nowhere, the ground beneath Abel broke into pieces, followed by everything around him and leaving him floating in a purple void."What the hell is going on?!"
"You're in my world now." Pauline was no longer just one person. There were about ten of her floating around Abel, all speaking simultaneously. Above them was a cube, shining bright and serving as the light source of this dimension.
"This can't be real." Abel muttered to himself."This has to be some kind of illusion magic...I must have fallen for it but when? Also, why isn't anyone else here?!"
"Scared, aren't we?" Pauline giggled in delight."What happened? I thought you said you were a hero. Surely a hero could come out of this situation."
"Right...I can't give up. This is an illusion. Nothing in here is real! Yin Magic: Divine Rain of Black Blades!"
A total of seven blades appeared floating above Abel, shooting in various directions and piercing through multiple clones of Pauline. Upon contact, the clones vanished into smoke, creating a large cloud of smoke that began turning red. Abel noticed that the woman was not among the clones, and frantically looked for her.
"Got you." Pauline grabbed the back of his head, causing him to yelp before turning around and backhanding her, only to realize no one was there.
"What?" Abel took a step back, fear evident in his face.
"So much...potential...You remind me of someone...wanting to be a hero. But you lack determination. You lack drive. You're just following whatever the environment tells you to do." Multiple knives manifested themselves around Abel."Can you dodge all of these?"
"This is just an illusion..." Abel repeated in his head, covering his head."One of them is real but the others have to fake."
"You still think this is a mere illusion. But one's illusion might be someone else's reality." Pauline clapped her hands, sending the knives towards Abel. To his shock, all of them stabbed him in various parts of his body, generating real and agonizing pain."That's why fear exists. Fear is the tool that bypasses all lies. The thing that leads to the absolute truth. And you, my friend, are a liar. You're not a hero and you certainly don't like Mariella. Love is subjective and can change at any moment."
"This can't be..." Abel's stammered, feeling the knives disappear from his body and leaving fresh wounds.
"The human brain is an odd thing. When it believes something to be true, it becomes true." Pauline said, sighing."You see, in a distant country, there was a certain experiment carried out on one of their prisoners. The prisoner was blindfolded, strapped to a bed, and had small wounds applied to his toes to drain his blood. That prisoner was left alone in the experiment room, as the sound of dripping blood echoed throughout the room. But in fact, his blood was not being drained. He was just forced to listen to the sound of dripping water, but he believed he was bleeding to death. However, despite that, the prisoner still died."
Abel grimaced, using his blade to help himself stand.
"Do you know why that is? It's because human psychics can be altered. It's rather interesting. Just...relax and enjoy the ride...tell me, what do you see?"
"What do I see...?" Abel blinked slowly, finding himself tied up to a table. Something else was wrong. He was a lot shorter than he remembered."What's this? Where am I?"
A set of heavy footsteps caused him to jerk his head to the side, noticing a man wearing a lab coat and a gas mask approaching him with a syringe containing a green liquid.
"What is this? Why...?"
"While I can't see what you're seeing, these are your memories." A voice in his head said soothingly."This is no mere illusion. This is what you saw."
"But I don't remember any of this! This isn't real!" Abel tried thrashing to no avail, his bindings proving too much."Stop it...this isn't real...this isn't anything related to me!" Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a familiar face, standing behind a younger Sister Rika, holding a stuffed bonny."Cain?"
The younger Cain squirmed behind the nun, avoiding his brother's gaze."Cain..."
His thoughts were interrupted once the scientist was right beside him, grabbing his thin arm and nearing the needle closer to his skin, looking for a vein."Stop it...this isn't real...this is an illusion..."
"Someone's illusion...might be someone else's reality or in this case...their truth. After fear...comes the truth. SHOW ME YOUR DELICIOUS FEAR!"
"STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!" Abel screamed, shaking his head violently once he felt the needle enter his skin."STOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTO-GRAAAAAH!"
Unfathomable pain was the only thing in his mind. He felt as if his body was melting from the inside and there was nothing he could do about it. His vision blackened and he could no longer hear his screams. All he could see was a silhouette, staring back at him with its piercing red eyes.
"Don't keep me waiting..." He heard the almost demonic voice whisper to him before it started approaching him, taking more of a humanoid form."You and I have a destiny together."
"Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Lair!" Noelle shouted, casting her spell and protecting herself, Domina, and Finral from the cubes swarming around them."Oh, no! Abel! Finral, we have to get him! Can you make a portal?!"
"We have to protect Miss Domina! We promised Fanzell!" Finral said, grimacing."If I open a portal now, those cubes will come right in and get all of us! And it's not like we can open a portal back to the base. We don't know if it's safe."
"Look!" Domina pointed at Abel, who hadn't moved from his spot."What is he doing?"
"I thought he was going to attack her, what is he doing just standing there?!" Noelle cried out."Abel! What are you doing?! Move!"
Abel remained motionless, his head up and his gaze lost in space. Pauline hadn't moved either, but her eyes darted over to Noelle, giving her a malicious glare.
"He can't hear you now." She said, her finger to her lips."He's under my illusion. Right now, his body is here but his mind...is somewhere else entirely."
"An illusion spell? But when did she..." Finral gaped, baffled at the situation."But why didn't it affect us? Could she have specifically targeted Abel?"
"It could be." Noelle gritted her teeth."Out of the three of us, Abel stands more of a chance in a fight. But...how did she possibly come to that conclusion? She didn't even see us fight or anything."
"Maybe it was an educated guess?" Domina offered, though not sure."But then...if she's a Shining General, she would know better than to make that kind of risk."
"Whatever it is, we have to save Abel, quick!" Noelle stated, watching out for her friend in concern. Without warning, Abel dropped to his knees, hissing in pain."What happened?! Abel!"
Abel just screamed, shaking his head wildly without control.
"I've had enough!" Noelle declared, taking out her wand."I don't care if I can't control my magic properly. I have to save him!"
"I agree. We'll just have to be quick about it." Finral nodded solemnly."I'll open up a portal so you can strike her from behind. Miss Domina, please forgive us for putting you in danger like this."
"Wait a minute..." Dominante muttered to herself in thought."Do you guys see that cube?"
"Which one? There's like a hundred."
"The one high up in the air!" She pointed at the biggest cube above Pauline and Abel. It was significantly bigger than the others and it was pulsing."That has to be what's controlling the illusion!"
"It must have a range." Finral concluded."That's why it didn't affect all of us. We were a bit farther than Abel, after all."
"Which also explains why she is keeping these cubes surrounding us. She's attempting to keep us from finding out her secret." Noelle surmised, frowning."Now that we know, we know what we have to do."
A high-pitched scream from Abel stopped them from moving as he dropped to his knees, clutching his head. He didn't move a muscle or show signs of life as he stared at the floor.
Pauline grinned from ear to ear, satisfied with her work."Whoopsie daisy. I think I might have broken him. Hold on...what's that?" She squinted her eyes, noticing something hanging from Abel's left side of his face. He rose his head, his bangs obscuring his right dark eye. However, there was a strange mask covering the area of his left eye, making his sclera black and his eyes red. He moved his limbs slowly as if he was trying to check something first.
"It can't be," Pauline whispered in fascination at what she was seeing.
"It can't be!" Pauline gasped, watching her surroundings in her illusion break apart, revealing more and more of the real world."He got snapped back to reality? But how? No one attacked the cube and even then they shouldn't be able to easily destroy it." She shifted her gaze to her main cube, realizing that it hadn't been tampered with."Then...how is he breaking out of the illusion?"
"I told you..." Abel opened his Grimoire."I'm not...falling for your tricks...Yin Magic: Hellbreaker!" Using Asta's maneuver from earlier against his spar with him, Abel threw his sword at the cube, successfully breaking it into pieces and undoing what was left of the illusion.
Pauline fell on one knee, sweating and panting."It's been a while since I've used that spell...and without backup, I'm more open to outside interference. But...seems like you're just acting tough. I don't know how you broke out of my Command of the Crimson King, but one thing is clear. You'll be perfect to break...just seeing those faces you were making when remembering your darkest fears...I can't wait to see more."
"You're wrong...those were not my memories..." Abel was breathing hard, his hands shaking."I don't know what your deal is...but if you want people to be more honest with you, this isn't the way. Having a talk with them always works. It's better than...what you tried to do with me."
"Talking with them?" She let out a giggle, which then evolved into a hysterical laugh. Abel furrowed his brow, feeling genuine anger deep inside his core. Pauline wiped her tears away, her lips curving into a smile."You are a riot. I can just tell you have no idea about the world, do you? How naive. How very very naive. Yeah...you're one worth breaking. I was hoping I could do it but...I'm out of time it seems."
A red portal opened up with Asta and the others coming out with Galleo tied up and unconscious."Guys! Are you okay?!"
"Asta!" Noelle sighed in relief before blushing."I-I mean! Took you long enough!"
Pauline recalled her cubes back to her, jumping on top of them and taking off in the air."I can't fight these many people. Picking them off one by one is more interesting." Her body began dematerializing along with the cubes, waving."See ya."
"How the-What was that?!" Asta cried out in awe."She just vanished!"
"I've never met her before. She became a Shining General after I left." Fanzell rushed over to Domina."Are you okay? Did anything happen while we were gone?"
"Not to us." Domina shook her head, glancing at Abel, worried."But that boy..."
"Abel?" Mariella slowly approached him."Are you alright? Did she use any of her illusion spells on you?"
"I...Are you alright? You guys had us...wo...rried..." The thing covering Abel's eye broke into pieces, falling on his knees as he began to hyperventilate. The purpled-eyed girl rushed to his side, checking him over.
"Abel!" Asta and the other Black Bulls ran to their teammate's side.
"Pauline is a dangerous opponent. Her magic allows her to create cubes of any size and manipulate them at will. But she also has the terrifying ability to create illusions with her cubes via vibrations. It sends mana to the user's body and that's how it affects them. Though there seems to be a limit to how many people can be under an illusion and how severe it can be."
"I'm fine..." Abel croaked, taking a deep breath."I know...it wasn't real. I'm...okay...I'm fine...More importantly, are you guys...okay?"
"The one who you should worry about is you." Mariella grabbed him by the shoulders, examining his eyes."He looks okay. But if he was under her illusion, most of the damage he must have taken is in his mind."
"Oh! Maybe I can help!" Asta pulled out his Demon Slayer sword, crouching down to Abel's level."I'm going to try something I did with the kids back at Nean. It worked then, so maybe it'll work now."
"Sure..." Abel breathed, giving him a tired smile. Asta poked him in the head with his sword. They waited for a few seconds that seemed to be minutes, waiting for something to happen.
"Well?" Noelle squatted in front of him."Do you feel any better?"
"Uh...not really?" Abel clutched his head, wincing in pain."I just have this really bad headache. I'm fine, really. It was all just an illusion. Fake. Though I feel still feel all the stabs over my body."
"Stabs?!" Finral frantically yelled, checking Abel's body from head to toe."Wait, you don't have any wounds. So why do you feel as if you got stabbed?"
"She said...that if the brain believes something is true, it will become true." Abel frowned, remembering the horrible memory of being in Pauline's illusion."That someone's reality might be another's illusion. If I didn't somehow break out of the illusion, I would have been toast..."
"Wait, you broke out?" Mariella gasped, amazed at the information."Miss Domina, did you perhaps...?"
"No, but we figured out it." Domina replied."We were about to attack the core but he snapped out of it on his own."
"I don't know what happened." Abel confessed as Asta helped him up and wrapped his arm around his shoulders."I just heard a voice speaking to me. That's what was keeping me conscious. It felt so real...But like I said, I'm fine." He tried to wave off the attention off him."So...I take it everything went with you guys?"
"Yeah, we took him down by working together." Asta flexed his arms, giving him a toothy grin."Old man Zell is strong as ever and Mariella is awesome. We had no trouble at all."
"Huh...I see." Abel's lips curved to form a smile."So we took down the head and scared off the uninvited guest. Guess we're done here."
"No, not quite."
Everyone tensed up, turning to the source of the voice. There, Raiden stood, a blank expression on his face and his broom on his hand."Yo."
"Raiden?" Asta tilted his head, puzzled."What are you doing here?"
"Did you take down all the assassins?" Mariella inquired, her cold eyes staring into Raiden's own."Your squad does work fast."
"Yeah. But seems like we're missing one." Raiden said, grabbing the tilts of his blades and unsheathing them in a smooth motion."Galleo talked before he came over here. Seems like you're an assassin. Someone who kills for their own pleasure and their benefit. Taking a life just for money. You're the last one standing. The Captain didn't let me kill the others but...there is no one here to stop me."
"Raiden, stop." Asta stood in front of the group, arms spread."She's not a bad person. You don't have to hurt her."
"And here we go again with this shit!" Raiden stomped on the ground, leaving a small crater."You're always like this, Asta! Always thinking you can just turn people around and make their crimes disappear. One day, that's not going to work. And then what? Evil has to be purged from this world. The world is shit because evil is tainting it. People like here are everywhere. Families have been torn apart because of people like her."
"And you think killing people based on their actions is any better?" Asta snapped back."Then should we go around killing people because they did a mistake?! Taking justice into our own hands is wrong and you know it!"
"For the sake of a world where evil doesn't exist, this is necessary." Raiden said with conviction."This is what I believe in."
"Raiden, like you, I was raised in a religious environment." Asta lowered his tone."I know that one must always strive to be a good person. I know what's right or wrong. Sister Lilie taught me that. But she also taught me how important life is. And we can't just take that away from someone, no matter what. God wouldn't want us going around killing other people because they did something bad! They have a right to atone for what they did. They can't right their wrongs if they're dead."
"Yeah? You think so?" Raiden's lowered his gaze, making his gaze more threatening."Don't give me that shit. You don't know shit about God. You think the world gives a fuck about giving second chances? Let me tell you something. The shit that I've seen...the horrible...horrible monsters that I..." Raiden tightened the grip on his blades."You have no idea how things are. No. You've lived your whole life in comfort. You know no struggle. You're a damn hypocrite spouting nothing but saccharine bullshit and baseless ideas."
"What?" Asta was taken back by his statement.
"You've lived your life without burdens. Without any turmoils. That's why you're so damn naive. That's why you think everything is all sunshine and rainbows! Look around you. Would you be willing to give the Eye of the Midnight Sun a second chance? Knowing what they did to the Capital? To Captain Fuegoleon? What if...the Magic Knights did one fatal mistake one day? One miscalculation? And it costs more lives? Would you be willing to give those criminals a second chance?"
"That-"
"What if..." Raiden began pacing around, twirling his blades."What if they attacked your family? The people at your orphanage. Because they know who you are. What if they hurt them just to hurt you? Would you be willing to give them a second chance?"
Asta was left speechless, his determined expression no longer visible and instead, was an expression of uncertainty."I..."
"You have no answer. See? Of course it all changes when the people you love and hold dear get involved. I've been through that. That's why I wouldn't hesitate to end the life...of someone evil. To make this world a better place. They have no redeemable qualities. Neither does that girl. If you let her go unpunished..."
"You're wrong." Asta found himself speaking up, meeting gaze with Raiden."If we can help them change then we have to take that chance. She indeed did some bad things before but...she can also do good things. And if you kill her now? She won't ever get to do that. She won't be able to help people who need help and make up for what she did. As for what you said earlier...I will fight. I will fight and protect my friends and my family. I'll get stronger and stronger so I won't lose anyone!"
"Tch!" Raiden spat on the floor."So that's your answer? Wishful thinking. If you are going to get in my way then...be ready. Because I'll move you."
"If you think I'm going down like before, you're wrong. I'm stronger."
"Yeah...I've been hearing that a lot lately," Raiden smirked, beckoning Asta to come at him.
'He won't use Inferno Magic in close quarters combat, since he knows I'll just cancel it.' Asta took a fighting stance.'If that's the case, then I'll have to rely on Ki and use it to outperform him.'
"Guys, this is crazy!" Noelle cried out in disbelief."You seriously can't be doing this right now!"
Abel observed the pair with a sorrowful look. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head, deciding he had no time to just sit around."Finral. Open a portal. We have to get Mariella out of here."
"R-right." Finral nodded, preparing to active his spell.
"Wait, please." Mariella interrupted him."I want to stay."
"What, why?" Finral rose a brow in confusion.
"Exactly, why?" Domina grabbed her by the shoulders."Mariella, the Diamond Kingdom assassins were going to kidnap me but you saved me. I'm completely against you staying here and endangering yourself."
"But his words have meaning behind them." Mariella said, causing the older woman to gasp."I can't be running away from something like this and leave the burden onto other people. I should be the one facing him, not Asta. And if I die fighting him...then so be it."
"That's so easy, isn't it." Noelle had a scowl on her face as she approached Mariella."Do you think you can carry that burden alone and not think about anyone else? Well, you're wrong. Because people here are willing to fight for you and protect you. Your problems are not your own anymore. So you don't get to just go off and die. If you want to suffer, fine. Go ahead. But at least think about them before you do anything stupid."
"You... don't know your way with words, do you?" Mariella bluntly stated, a small smile on her face."What a terrible personality. But I guess I'm not one to talk."
"I don't want people to think I have a good personality anyway." Noelle huffed."Regardless, this is our responsibility to handle. Raiden is our squadmate. Let us handle him."
"Asta does have wonderful friends, doesn't he?" Fanzell couldn't help but smile, wrapping an arm around Domina."Except for one, I guess..."
Meanwhile, the fight between Asta and Raiden had started. The swordsman without magic ran up to Raiden, swinging his sword horizontally. As he had expected, Raiden jumped in the air over him.'Now's my chance to sense his attack!'
Asta closed his eyes, using the experienced he had earned back in Nean with Ki. But something was off. He could feel Raiden but his presence was heavier than anything he felt. It was everywhere and had no pattern. He couldn't feel any indication of him throwing an attack or anything that would give him any valuable information while his back was turned. No. All he felt and saw was static. This distracted him long enough to receive a kick to the back of the head that sent him skidding on the ground, crashing against a wall.
"How?" Abel, who had tried to use ki but not on the same level as Asta, was flabbergasted."I couldn't even see that coming with Ki."
Asta groaned in pain, rubbing his head as he got up again."What was that? I can't use ki to anticipate his moves. Even if I can't use it as the Captain or Asta, I should at least somewhat follow it."
"If you think knowing Ki will help you in besting me, you're sorely mistaken." Raiden said with confidence."The difference between us...is just too great."
"Oh, yeah?! Come at me then!" Asta pulled his Demon-Dweller, rushing once more towards Raiden.
"Inferno Magic: Blazing Cuts!" Raiden unleashed a barrage of inferno slashes, which were intercepted by Asta's second sword in hopes of none of them stands being damaged by their fight. Once he had stored enough of Raiden's magic into his blade, it began to shine in a dark color."
"Just like that time..." Noelle observed, fascinated by seeing the event happen again.
"What is that?" Raiden jumped back, landing on a stand."He didn't neutralize my magic...he absorbed it?!" Raiden sent two more slashes of inferno at Asta.
"Here comes right back at you! Anti Inferno Magic: Jet Black Slash!" Asta his sword, sending an even bigger attack at Raiden, cutting through his inferno and aiming straight for him.
"No way!" Raiden gasped, quickly jumping out of the way and avoiding the attack that reached up to the ceiling, cutting cleanly through it and allowing some sunlight inside.
"How was that?!" Asta roared, raising his swords in triumph."Pretty cool, right?!"
"That was insane!" Finral yelled, amazed at Asta's performance.
"He's come a long way since the first time I met him," Fanzelle admitted a sense of pride welling up inside him.
Raiden landed back on the ground, speechless."He didn't use that when I first fought him. When did he...then again, I haven't exactly seen what he's capable of. To think he was hiding something like this."
"And I'm not done yet." Asta declared, taking a stance once more."I'm ready for anything you can throw at me!"
"I'll admit, you have some tricks up your sleeve. You're fighting smart, unlike the first time we crossed swords where you were swinging your sword like a mindless monkey." Raiden smirked at him."But that won't be enough to beat me. You can even use my magic against me, it won't be enough. It takes more than a few skills to be a warrior."
"I know. How about you come and show me more?" Asta gave him a cocky grin.
Raiden gave him a grin of his own before lunging at him at great speeds. Asta blinked, his instincts immediately snapping him out of his trance. Without thinking, Asta used his Demon Slayer to block, successfully blocking a kick that Raiden threw at him.
The raven0-haired teen winced in pain, feeling the blunt edge of the sword connect with his shin. Stumbling backward, he kicked an empty can on the floor and hit Asta in the forehead, causing him to fall on the floor in surprise. Raiden quickly recovered, sending a slash of inferno at Asta.
"You're not getting me with that!" Asta jumped back on his feet, using the Demon Slayer to deflect the attack with its flat. This time, Raiden managed to cut his attack, forging forward. Once they were mere inches from each other, they clashed with their blades, trying to push each other off. It was clear that Raiden had the advantage, managing to slowly push Asta further and further.
Asta grinded his teeth, veins popping out from his forehead as he hissed in an attempt to push Raiden back to no avail."Having trouble?"
"Like hell!" Asta winded his head back before slamming it against Raiden's. The taller boy recoiled in pain, his forehead. Asta took advantage of this and smashed him in the torso with his swords, sending him crashing to a nearby stand and breaking it in the process.
"He's beating him..." Finral said, shocked at how the battle was progressing."He might actually win."
"Have they fought before?" Domina asked, her eyes unable to leave the fight.
"Yeah, and it was one-sided." Noelle explained."But Asta isn't one to just give up."
'Asta...' Abel slowly smiled.
Raiden wiped the blood from the fresh wound on his forehead, groaning.'He got my pretty good with that, I'll admit.'
"Ouch!" Asta dropped his swords, clutching the bump in his forehead."That hurt! Raiden, why do you have such a hard head!"
"You're telling me, you asshole?!" Raiden pointed at his bleeding forehead."You nearly split my fucking skull open! Your head isn't hollow. It's filled with cement or something! Why did you even headbutt me anyway? That's just playing dirty."
"You left me no choice." Asta grabbed his headband, removing it slightly."Look at the bump you gave me!"
"You fucking cut my forehead!"
The swordsmen panted, glaring at each other, readying their weapons. Slowly but surely, a small formed on their lips, which then became laughter. The spectators could only watch, incredulous looks on their faces.
"What's going on...?" Finral sweatdropped.
"They're laughing..." Mariella pointed out with the same look on her face."Just like that?"
"Those idiots." Noelle rubbed her temples.
The fighters seized their laugh, giving each other a smirk of their own."Yeah, you're not half bad. It surprises, really. You're not as weak as you were before."
"You're still as tough as ever." Asta rubbed his nose."But hey, are you still holding back on me?"
"I am. But what makes you say that?"
"I was expecting to get beaten, honestly. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'd figured you would want to test the results of your training against me like I am doing to you."
"I haven't trained that much." Raiden confessed."Just did the few missions I was given. I've had a lot on my mind."
"Man, so even if you haven't trained seriously, you're still incredibly strong." Asta said in admiration."But I'm not done yet. I'll keep on training and training until I beat you."
"You do that." Raiden waved him off, focusing his magic on his blades and infusing them with inferno."Let's end this."
"As long as you plan on harming Mariela, I won't give up. Want to know why?" Breaking into a sprint, Asta prepared his Demon Dweller to launch an attack."Because my magic is never giving up!"
Raiden felt his blood pumping, his heart racing, and his instincts going crazy."It's been a while...but it's been a while since I've felt this excited about a one on one fight. Yeah...ever since that day. But unlike then, there's nothing at stake." Raiden began easily dodging Asta's attacks, his body in the fight but his mind pondering in his thoughts.'Right. Just us...squadmates, clashing beliefs, and swords. Worse than can happen is us not talking for a while.'
"Got you!" Asta used what was left of Raiden's magic in his sword, sending an inferno slash. The boy ducked, appearing before Asta while his guard was down after his attack. Before he could react, he kneed him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He kicked his feet, sweeping him off them and making him fall to the ground. Raiden rose his foot above Asta's head.
"Take a nap. This'll all be over when you wake up." Without remorse, Raiden brought his foot down, but something stopped him before he could knock him unconscious. Asta's hands caught his boot, trembling in place as he struggled to hold it in place."What?"
"I'm...not...done yet...!"
"Still want to resist?" Raiden exerted more force, his foot just mere inches away from Asta's head."Just give it up. Why continue to fight me when you know you can't beat me?"
"Because...if I give up on this...I will never be the Wizard King!" Asta proclaimed, surprising everyone watching."No matter if the odds are against me...I will never give up! You out of all people should know that by now!"
Raiden's gaze hardened, remembering how Asta was like back at Nean. No matter how cornered they were, he would not stand down and panic."You're right. You're one stubborn bastard, I'll give you that. And you have guts. Guess that's one of your good qualities. But...sometimes a stubborn bastard chews more than he can swallow."
Asta had n time to reply once Raiden's boot came crashing on his face, creating a small crater beneath him. His limbs went limp, finally releasing the boot and falling on the floor.
"Asta!" Noelle quickly ran to him, kneeling by his side and placing his head on her lap.
"He's just unconscious. Should wake up later." Raiden said, not easing her worries in the slightest. Instead, he received a death stare from the youngest Silva."Don't give me that look. He asked for it. I didn't want to get in any confrontation with him."
"Yeah, right." Noelle muttered with disdain."You have something against Asta. We all know this."
"I only have something against his damn naive personality. So carefree. It's so damn annoying." Raiden ruffled his hair, holding his two blades with one hand momentarily.
"Are you sure you're not just jealous?" Noelle shot back, causing him to stop moving."Because Asta has hopes and aspirations and you don't? Or perhaps is it that he has a goal set in mind and motivations while you're stuck, self-loathing? Asta is a far better person than you'll ever hope to be."
Raiden slowly turned his head, his eyes cold and distant, causing Noelle to wince slightly but she stood her ground. He shook his head, deciding to focus on the task at hand, and began his march to where Mariella was."Time to finish the job. Finral, you might as well open a portal and get those two out of here."
"Raiden...I can't let you do that." Finral got in front of Mariella and the others."If you get any closer...I'll teleport you back to the base. You don't have to do this."
"Finral. Are you going to get in the way too?" He drawled, sighing."Well, if you're fast enough to get me in a portal, I might be in trouble. But are you sure you think your reaction speed is enough to get me?"
"I guess we'll have to find out." Finral gave him a nervous smile, his Grimoire in front of him. Raiden resumed his march, his body tensed and ready to go full speed if need be. The Spatial Mage swallowed the lump in his throat. He knew full well that he wouldn't be able to catch Raiden off guard. But his last resort was to open a portal behind Mariella and hope for the best.
Raiden hummed, feeling a hand on his chest that stopped him from going forward. Abel had closed in on him, his head hanging and looking at the ground, gritting his teeth."I'm surprised. I thought you were out of commission."
"Abel..." Mariella whispered his name, astonished by the lengths they were all going for her."Just stop. Let him do whatever he wants. I deserve it."
"That's crazy talk." Abel's voice was raspy."You deserve better, Mariella. You said your personality is bad, right? Well, I think that's just what you think...if I'm being frank...I'd like to see who you really are on the inside. And that won't happen if you get locked away or get killed. I will fight...because that's what a hero would do. Give others a chance."
Mariella was left speechless, her eyes widening in shock upon hearing his words. She was ready to be put away for her crimes but not this. She wasn't ready for people she barely knew to fight for her life and freedom. And she wasn't expecting Abel, who had fallen victim to Pauline's magic, to get back on his feet for her.
"Abel. I am grateful you recruited me into the squad." Raiden spoke after hearing their conversation."Your ability to show kindness is probably your biggest virtue. You made me feel welcomed. But you're just like Asta. You don't know what you're doing. You're doing things based on emotion. Defending an assassin and..." He leaned closer to his ear."Falling in love with her? Seriously? An assassin? You have weird standards, you know that?"
"Guess love works in mysterious ways," Abel whispered back, chuckling.
"Who knew you'd pull something like this. You are a little devil, did you know that? Well then...Shall we start?"
"I thought you'd never ask." Abel went for a spiral kick, which Raiden easily stopped with his forearm."Yin Magic: Hell Breaker!"
"Inferno Magic: Dark Hollow!"
Both Black Bulls clashed blades, creating dark sparks of energy that created a shockwave strong enough to nearly knock the others off their feet. Abel surprised Raiden by taking a step back, causing the boy to stumble forward and nearly fall. He took advantage of this and swung his big sword, prompting Raiden to raise his and block with them.
"Inferno Magic: Scorching Impaler!"
Abel grimaced, feeling the hot and sharp spikes of flames gracing his body. Raiden controlled them well enough to avoid piercing through his body and injuring him, which made him sigh in relief. This, however, was short-lived, because he proceeded to kneel his senior in the gut, causing him to cough up spit.
'What unbelievable strength! I'm no match for him!' Abel thought to himself, trying to catch his breath.'But I can't give up...I can't let him kill Mariella!'
Abel mustered all his strength in his arms, slamming his sword onto the ground."Yin Magic: Explosive Dance!'
An explosion of black energy launched Raiden across the area uncontrollably. He touched the ground with his hand to gain control of his momentum before proceeding to backflip and jumped on top of a stand.'Time to end this.'
Raiden seemingly vanished in an instant, causing everyone to panic in reaction. Abel remained motionless, closing his eyes and concentrating.
'Is he trying to use that Ki thing that Yami taught him and Asta?' Finral pondered.'But it didn't work for Asta, right? What is Abel trying to do then?'
Raiden appeared behind Abel, charging him a kick and aimed it at his head."It's over." Without waking for a chance to Abel to react, Raiden threw his kick, however, Abel immediately rose his sword, using the flat to block the kick. Unfortunately, he still received the full blow of the kick, sending him crashing against the wall and nearly knocking him out.
"What was that just now?" Raiden narrowed his eyes."He reacted to my attack...but how did he know where it would come from? Did he use ki? But Abel isn't that good at using Ki compared to Asta..."
"That's because...I wasn't trying to feel your ki...but your mana." Abel fell on his knees, one eye closed from the pain."I tried applying the same concept of Ki with this...thanks to that, I was able to feel your mana as if it were actual ki, and knew where you would strike. But as you can see...I wasn't strong enough to stop the attack..."
"I see. Makes sense. Asta can't feel mana since he doesn't have magic so no wonder he couldn't make it work." Raiden surmised, walking over to Abel."Not bad. If you had been doing that since the beginning of the fight you could have put me in a bad situation."
"Aw, shut up. I'm nowhere near your level. I didn't know you were this strong. But at least I have something to aim for now...if I want to be equal to my brother, I have to surpass you first."
"Tch. Get in line." Raiden stopped a few inches from Abel."I'm going to knock you out now. I don't want you to see what's about to happen."
Abel closed his eyes, fresh tears threatening to fall down his cheeks. He felt powerless to stop this situation. He wanted to give Mariella a second chance so badly but he wasn't able to stop Raiden. He felt ashamed and mostly...he felt regretful for not being strong enough.
"What are you doing?"
Abel opened his eyes, realizing the kick never came down on him. He slowly rose his head, his eyes shooting wide open upon realizing Mariella was standing in front of him."Mariella?"
"That's enough." Mariella said, hands on her sides in a protecting manner."I won't let you hurt him anymore."
Fanzelle scowled, ready to jump into action if need be. Domina grasped his arm, concerned not only for him but also for Mariella.
"Why? You don't know him. And besides, why are you even still here? You could have used this chance to run away and hide."
"It wouldn't have been right. If I ran and left them here...knowing they were fighting for my sake. I just couldn't do it. I'm not like that."
"No, maybe not. But you are still a mercenary." Raiden shot back."Someone who takes lives for money. You are near the pinnacle of evil. And now you want to what about what's right or wrong. Don't make me laugh."
"I know the things I did...can never be taken back. I had no choice at the time when I started doing this but I know that doesn't make it excusable."
Raiden lowered his weapons ever so slightly."You had no choice?"
"Right. I didn't have anyone besides Instructor Fanzell. He taught me all I needed to survive. Anything to go by. I never found anything worth living for, I guess. Just for my own sake. I didn't care what happened in the end so I became an assassin for the King and took on hits. It never gave me joy to take a life. It never gave me anything other than this pain in my chest. Knowing that I was destroying not only the lives of the people I killed but also the ones around them. But Asta and Abel...despite knowing that, they still want to give me a second chance. Instructor Fanzell and Miss Domina still want me around them despite me trying to kill them."
She rose her head, locking her purple orbs with Raiden's amber ones."I made many wrong decisions and did so many bad things. But I want to at least make up for what I did by helping those who can't help themselves. But if killing me would make your crusade of destroying evil better then...go ahead and do it. But...I won't let you hurt him anymore. You'll have to go through me first."
A flash of memory went through Raiden's mind. He recalled being beaten down in the rain in an alley, a group of thugs around his age surrounding him. In front of him was a girl with cascading white hair."I won't let you hurt him anymore. You'll have to go through me first!"
Shaking his head, Raiden returned to reality, a cold sweat dripping down his forehead. Wordlessly, he sheathed his blades back, turning around and walking past Finral and the others.
"W-where are you going?" Mariella asked him, confused at this sudden behavior.
"Forgot I had something to do. You guys didn't see me here." Raiden waved his goodbyes, kicking his room and jumping on top of it.
"You're crazy if you think I won't tell this to the Captain!" Noelle barked at him, fuming."What you did is completely irresponsible! You could have seriously hurt Abel and Asta!"
"Look, if you let me go, I promise I will not tell anyone you have Asta's head on your lap." Raiden spared a glance over his shoulder, a smirk on his face. Noelle shrieked in realization, dropping Asta's head on the ground, earning a pained moan from him.
Taking this opportunity to leave without another word, Raiden took off through the hole they had made in the ceiling.'I guess you were right, after all, Gauche...'
-Flashback-
"Man, you know a lot of people, don't you, Captain?" Raiden sat on the grass next to Grey in her giant form."Still, is it okay to leave these guys to the magic knights? I mean, they're the enemy, right? Wouldn't it be just as efficient for us to just...off them?"
Gauche tilted his head while Yami sighed."Kid, is killing all the solutions to your problems? Seriously, what did they teach you in your village? But no, no need for us to dirty our hands and kill unnecessarily. But I didn't have to tell you that. You didn't kill any of those you fought."
"I guess..." Raiden trailed off, embarrassed that his captain had caught him."I had a feeling you wouldn't have wanted that, so I held back considerably."
"Mmm. Sounds about right. Anyway, I'll go sit down for a bit. And remember, don't tell anyone about what happened here. We helped a major enemy's escape, after all. Not only is that going to piss off the Diamond Kingdom, but also the other Captains. Got it?"
"Yes, sir!" Raiden and Gauche saluted, watching the burly man take his leave."Say, Raiden. I never really asked you, but I want to know something."
"Vanessa goit me talking about some shit, so sure. Go ahead and shoot." Raiden sat back down on the ground, laying his head on Grey's belly.
"You said you killed someone before. And you're not proud of it." Gauche glanced at the sky."Why did you do it? Was it to protect that special person you hold dear?"
Raiden took a few seconds to respond, thinking of how to phrase his answer."Yeah. I had no choice like I said. At the time, I was under a lot of pressure. And...my friend's life was in danger. If I hadn't done it...I would have died instead and left her alone. She's the one I told you about. She's the girl I consider a sister's real sister. It's a...complicated condition. The money I earn as a magic knight goes to her and my grandmother so they can live comfortable lives with the best treatment that money can buy. But the condition is not so simple as to be cured with magic. But anyway, I guess that's why I sometimes go to the extreme and just want to finish up trouble before it escalates. It's just how life has been to me."
"I see." Gauche hummed to himself, his mind deep in thought."You know, I don't judge you for that. Honestly, I would probably do the same for Marie. No, no doubt I would. I would do anything for her happiness. But I suppose love works that way. You'd do anything for the person you love the most and those dear to you. Even if it's stupid. You'd go to hell and back for them. I can understand that. Once you set your sights to protect them, there's no going back."
"Yeah? Well, I hope you never have to experience something like that." Raiden cracked his neck, stretching his limbs as he got back on his feet."I'll go see what's going on at the Black Market. Don't trust Asta, Finral, Abel, and Noelle to handle an operation like the one they're doing."
"Sure. I'll see you around." Gauche gave him a nod, going back to the base.
Raiden glanced at Grey, whose expression was as unreadable as always."Don't worry, I haven't told anyone as I promised. I'm sure Gauche doesn't care enough to do it anyway. But...one day...maybe I'll tell you guys everything. Maybe."
"So, this is goodbye for now, huh?" Asta, who had regained consciousness, shook hands with Fanzell. The sun was setting, making the sky have an orange color."Sorry about Raiden. He's a little...troubled, I guess. We'll talk to him."
"It's fine. I get where he's coming from. If anyone can talk some sense into him, it's probably you. I'm sure we'll meet each other again." Fanzell's face formed a small."One way or another. Besides, we won't be living too far from here. You can come to visit whenever."
"Wait, really?!" Abel gasped before coughing in his hand, flustered."I-I mean, yeah, that would be nice. We like to hang out with friends."
"You're so corny." Mariella started, causing him to yelp."But I guess...that's just what makes you you, right? A hero."
Abel's eyes sparkled in excitement, a goofy smile appearing on his face. The silver-haired young woman of their squad grabbed him by the cheek, causing him to cry in pain."Try to go easy on him, yes?" Noelle folded her arms, eyeing Mariella suspiciously."He can be a bit naive like Raiden said, as much as I hate to agree with that guy, but he's nice enough. Don't taint him."
"I know." Mariella agreed, much to Noelle's surprise. She walked up to Abel, him the boy panic slightly."Thank you. For what you did."
"It was nothing." Abel rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly."I'd love to hang out with you if you're okay with that. Show you a bit around the kingdom and whatnot. We have a lot of lovely places to visit."
Domina grabbed Mariella's shoulders, wigging her eyebrows."That's a good offer, Mariella. We don't know our way around here so he could really help you guide us."
"I suppose that would be fine." Mariella accepted, stretching her hand out."I'll take you up on that offer."
"Wait, I just remembered something very important!" Fanzell exclaimed, grabbing his head."Asta, remember how I told you how those bandits took all my belongings?"
"Yes?" Asta rose a brow, narrowing his eyes skeptically.
"Could I borrow some money?"
"I never should have saved you. You're so shameless!"
Abel and the others shared a laugh at the scene before them. They watched as Fanzell and his group disappeared in the distance, leaving the Black Bulls by themselves. On cue, Abel's body finally gave in and darkness overtook him, his body falling on the grass.
Somewhere in the Forsaken Realm, Apollyon sat on a tree branch, his halo and wings shining in the darkness as he stared idly at the moon.
"What a sad knight...this is...A full moon always indicates...nothing but sorrow."
"How melancholic of you."
The angel merely looked above him, watching another angel fly down to his branch. Just like Apollyon, her body was entirely white along with her armor. She had no mouth, only a nose and two sets of azure-colored eyes with a hexagram carved in them, just like the rest of her kin. Her attire consisted of a white dress with blue and gold pieces, with large white shoulder pauldrons and gloves, with a blue midriff. She wore a large grey hat with a single leaf attached, as well as a yellow cape.
"Gomory." Apollyon acknowledged the female angel beside him.
"What? No "I missed you?" or anything like that? It's been a while since we've seen each other." Gomory teased, nearly poking his cheek."You wound me."
"I knew you'd come eventually. You're not the type that likes to be away from everyone else." Apollyon explained, not bothering to look at her.
"Aw, yeah right. You're not the Scout Angel for nothing. You've been keeping tabs on me, haven't you?" Gomory giggled, sighing after not getting a reaction from him."Never one to give me what I want, are you? So, is anything interesting going on here? I've been so bored over there. I thought that being in the military would be like ours, but they are lacking in power severely. Unlike us, they can't win a single fight it seems."
"Tell me that first. I have quite a bit to tell you, so I'd like to get over whatever you have to say. Judging from your tone...you haven't found a devil host yet, have you...?"
"No, I haven't. At this point, I doubt I ever will. The Diamond Kingdom has been taking several losses lately to the Clover Kingdom. If they had a devil with them, either I'd known or they would have used it already. Which is how I managed to sneak in. Some assassins were sent out here to kill a former general or whatever. I offered the king to let me go with them for a higher succession rate. But some people showed up and well, suffice to say, they got away and captured all of the assassins."
"So much for a higher success rate." Apollyon rolled his eyes."I'd wager the king won't be happy about that."
"He won't but this works out for me. Since all of my teammates are captured, I can come up with the perfect excuse. Also, it's how I came here in the first place."
"Finding an excuse? For someone who hates lies, you sure like to tell them."
"To fool your enemy, you must first fool your ally." She simply said, and Apollyon could hear the smile forming on her face."We came to accept that we have to do the things we don't want to do to change this world and get what we want, right? This is just a small price. Enough about me. Tell me what you have found so far."
Apollyon proceeded to relay the information he had gathered about the Magic Knights, the Eye of the Midnight Sun, and their ally, the Order of the First."I see. Sounds like things are starting to get fun over here. Lucky you guys, you get to experience this daily."
"It's a pain." Apollyon groaned, disinterested about the whole thing."There's only one thing keeping me sane and that's my mission. This kingdom is filled with nothing but filth. Every single one of them."
The woman chuckled at his comment before changing the subject."So the big boss decided to leave these people be. It sounds like something he'd do. He's such a wonderful and smart man, isn't he? Let both sides fight each other while we hunt down our targets. So, what's the plan? What are we going to do with this kingdom afterward? Or if we don't get our target here?"
"First, if the devil host isn't here, that would be a problem. Because we'd be forced to go to another kingdom. The only other kingdom we can go to is the Heart Kingdom. But they are tricky people, from what I've heard. We can't rule the possibility of a Magic Knight squad having a devil with them. Or perhaps one of the terrorists. It's too soon to tell. As for your other question, we proceed as we would in war. We'll give the kingdom an offer. And if they refuse, we'll take it by force and annex it with ours."
"At the end of the day, we might have to fight a whole kingdom ourselves, huh? Interesting. I would love to see the fear in their faces when they see their lives disappearing before their eyes."
"Naturally, we can't just invade this kingdom and take over it like we own the damn place. The Captains are strong, plus we have the Wizard King to worry about as well." Apollyon's words caused her shoulders to slump."We've got Belial working on a project to debilitate the kingdom slowly but surely. We'll weaken it and render it to its weakest state before we conquer it. Even if we can't take a devil host, we'll gain a kingdom as our ally. Then we move on to the Heart Kingdom. Until we reach the end."
"A sound plan. One that can only work with the element of surprise that we have." Gomory nodded in satisfaction."I can't wait to see what Belial is cooking up. He's so sneaky and crafty. But I guess we first have to wait what comes between this fight going on with the Clover Kingdom and their enemies."
"Right. For now, we wait in silence and gather as much information as we can to use for our advantage. Which is why you'll have to wait until I contact you. We don't want to raise unnecessary suspicion, after all."
"Fair enough. I guess I'll be taking my leave now." Gomory flapped her wings, ready to take off."By the way, why so lonely here? Are you still thinking about her?"
Apollyon said nothing, but this didn't surprise the female angel in the slightest."It's okay. I think about my husband all the time. And my child. Every single day. I think about what a life without lies and dishonesty would be like. It breaks my heart that my first and only love and connection was built on a lie. But hey, I suppose that makes us more alike. We're not that different, you and I. We do not regret what we did because we know that once our mission is accomplished, we can take it all back."
"Are you done?" Apollyon asked, boredom evident in his voice."We're nothing alike. Never get that mixed up ever again. Besides, it doesn't matter. What matters is our mission. Once that's done, then we'll get what we want."
"Okay, okay. You are never honest, not even with yourself." Gomory apologetically rose her hands."Oh, by the way. I have something to tell you. Something I discovered during my short visit to this kingdom. You might find this interesting."
Apollyon, ever so slightly, moved his head to the side, listening. Gomory cackled, a cube made of red energy forming in her hand."You will definitely like this. I assure you."
