Page 4:The Magic Knights Entrance Exam:
Inside the coliseum, the arena was packed with examinees
"I'm starting to get nervous now.." One examinee said
"Hey what's with all these crazy birds?" Another examinee said as a few strangely dark-colored birds were pecking at him
"Anti-Birds. A norm principle of the exam they always show up when they sense low magic power. The lower your magic the more birds you attract" A third examinee explained
"Yeah whatever," The second examinee said and turned and noticed something intriguing. "Hey, do you see those two?"
He was looking at Yuno and Arran but unlike the other examinees the two of them didn't have any magic birds near them
"Those two don't have any magic birds near them," The second examinee said to which a fourth examinee saw them "Yeah I remember those two from before. They're both from the same village: Hage"
"Yeah the red boy's Grimoire is all burnt up but his magic power is insane. As for the black-haired boy he was chosen by a four-leaf clover Grimoire" A sixth examinee said
"What?!"
"A Four-leaf? How'd he get one?"
"That red boy must be at least nobility if he has so much magic power"
"Ha ha ha!" Asta's voice rang out as he stepped towards Yuno and Arran. "Yuno. Arran. One of us is going to be the Wizard King. This is where our legend begins" Asta declared however he got different reactions than he probably wanted
"No way.."
"He must be joking"
This is because unlike other examinees who had like 1-3 anti-birds flying around them Asta practically had a whole flock surrounding him. "I've been training nonstop for the last six months. Wait till you see what I can do-AGGH!" Asta yelled as the anit-birds started to chase them. "Why are they trying to kill me?!"
Some of the examinees just laughed at Asta's unfortunate welcoming party as he was forced to run away from the merciless birds. That is until he ran right into a "Wall"
Seeing what this "Wall" actually was the anti-birds flew away in fear. "Phew, I guess they finally had enough," Asta said as he watched them fly away before he turned around. "Hey there sorry about that"
"You got a death wish boy?" A rough tired voice called out as the speaker turned towards Asta. He was a tall man with a very muscular build. He has grey eyes and black hair of medium length that is messily combed backward, making it stick outwards. Additionally, he sports a stubble mustache and a beard. His attire is very simple and consists of only a white T-shirt and black trousers. The trousers have an extra layer of tan leather that covers his outer thighs and down to his knees. He wears another pair of belts, one of which he uses to carry his Grimoire. Lastly, he wears black high boots that cover most of his calves. In addition to this, he wears a black banner with a bull with gold lines around it. He wears it over his right shoulder and it is attached by two strings to his left shoulder. The banner also has some tattered edges, seeming to have been ripped off from a bigger banner. And in his mouth was a cigarette, which emitted smoke, indicating that it had been lit for a while
Just looking at this guy brought up one question in Asta's mind
'WHO IS THIS GUY?!' Asta thought with a panicked expression. "HE'S GOT THE EYES OF A KILLER! Hang on. I shouldn't judge a book by its cover. just be nice and friendly' Asta thought as he briefly panicked for a bit. Regaining his composure he put a hand on the man's shoulder and said "Wow you look really old for your age. Must've had a rough life huh?" He said with a laugh
If he was expecting the man to smile and laugh with him then what he did was the complete opposite. Instead, he grabbed Asta by the head and said "Looks like I was right about that death wish"
'THIS BOOK HAS THE RIGHT COVER!' Asta internally screamed as the man started to crush his head
"There you are, Captain. What are you doing?" A newcomer said with their companion as they approached the scary man. The speaker was a slender young man with average height and a slender build. He has droopy pink eyes and his dirty blond hair is somewhat unruly. He wore a white undershirt over a light green, loose-fitting tunic with long sleeves and long tails at the back. He also wears dark trousers and a pair of green, wide, knee-high boots that lace up the front. He wore a mantle that was the same as the older man's and his Grimoire holder is on his left hip. He also wears a pair of green earrings
The person accompanying him was a slender, young male with pale skin and short black hair that is slicked back. His face is long with a large nose and lacks eyebrows. He wears black eyeshadow in large circles around his red eyes and also wears black lipstick and nail polish. His attire consists of a dark grey jacket with red trimming and cuffs. His pants are a matching grey and are tucked into knee-high black boots. He wears a black belt over his jacket and a black pouch for his Grimoire hangs on his left hip. Over this, he wears the same robe as the other two. His dark grey peaked cap has a black band and bill
"Right now, getting ready to wring this kid's neck," The man said like it was no big deal while Asta started panicking even more at that
"Hey is that who I think it is?" One examinee said before another confirmed it for them but she had a dreamy look on her face
"Yeah, it's him! It's Finral Roulacase, wielder of the rare Spatial magic!"
"And who is this lovely lady?~" Finral flirted as he approached the former and smiled
Most of the examinees sweatdropped at this. "Yup the womanizer who spends most of his time flirting instead of doing his job" One of them spoke up
"And that's Gordon Agrippa!" Another examinee said. "He's a Hex magic-user. Though quite creepy and hard to talk with" He said before letting out a yelp once Gordon turned towards him
The sound of Asta's skull cracking was starting to become louder, something Finral took notice of. "Hey now stop that won't do at all. You know Squad Captains aren't supposed to kill examinees" He said trying to tone the situation down. "Why are you even down here in the first place?"
"Went to take a dump and got lost" Yami replied bluntly
"Wait did he say Squad captain?"
"Then that must mean..."
"Yeah without a doubt. That's Yami Sukehiro, The God of Destruction!"
"The leader of the Black Bulls?"
"The same ones. The Magic Knight squad that does more harm than good"
Most of the examinees started gossiping about Yami once they figured out who he was. As for Asta...
"Ten. Nine. Eight." Yami started counting. "What're you counting for?" Asta couldn't help but ask which simply led to Yami saying "The end of your little life" which made Asta even more terrified
Asta was feeling the pain as he grabbed Yami's arm with both hands to try and pry Yami's hand off of his head. Stomping his feet on the ground. since Yami had lifted him up before, to brace himself, with his muscles bulging again, he mustered all of his strength to force Yami to let him go.
Yami was slightly surprised at this but he didn't stop. "Three. Two. One." He quickly counted but before he got to 0 fireworks began to explode in the air
"Well, would you look at that? The exam is about to begin" Finral said looking up at the fireworks
"Tch" Yami then finally released Asta from his death grip letting the boy hold his head in the pain. "That was a close one boy," He said as he walked away. "You got a second chance at life. better do something with it or I'll come back and kill ya" He finished as Finral and Gordon followed him out of the arena
Once they were completely gone Arran speed-walked over to Asta. "You ok Asta?"
"Well, my head hurts like hell. I'll be fine though" Asta said though contrary to the belief he has still terrified by the fact that he had almost died
"Haha, you've got some confidence. Taking on a magic knight like that" The two of them heard someone say as they turned to see it was the yellow-greenish-haired boy from before. "I'm Sekke by the way. Sekke Bronzazza. It's nice to meet you two Haha"
"Yeah same to you. I'm Asta" Asta said matching Sekke's polite energy
Arran however just remained indifferent as he looked towards Sekke. "Arran"
Suddenly one Anti-Bird chirped and all of them began to fly away as several multi-colored people were in the stands now
"Fancy colors. Who are they though?" Arran said
"Well you see Arran you're looking at the Magic Knight Squad Captains," Sekke said. Before turning towards the first one who sat down
He was a slender male with fair skin, narrow purple eyes, and small eyebrows. he has pale, silver-white hair worn in a very distinctive style that is occasionally remarked upon by other characters, though part of his hair is tied into a unique braid that hangs in front of his nose. His attire consists of a loose-fitting white shirt with a high collar that is kept closed at the top by a gold band but is left open below to expose his collarbone, white loose pants, tight bands just below the knee, and flimsy sandals. He completes his attire with a short, white fur mantle with longer frilled blue and white panels that hang down the elbow and a silver eagle insignia on it, and a blue robe
"That's Nozel Silva, captain of the Silver Eagles" Sekke informed Asta and Arran
"One of them," Yuno said as he walked up to them.
"A real Magic Knight Captain," Asta said in awe
"How can he see with that braid in his face?" Arran couldn't help but question though he was in awe as well
The second captain to sit down is a tall man with purple eyes, purple earrings, and long, straight vermillion hair, that is combed nicely. His most notable features are red markings around his eyes and a red diamond-shaped mark on his forehead. His attire consisted of a white tunic which is covered by a dark blue shirt with long sleeves, gold linings, and a high collar. He wore a purple sash around his waist, white trousers, and black high boots with a similar design as his shirt. He completes his attire with a long red cape and a matching mantle with a pair of gold-colored ropes protruding from between the scarf and the robe at the front. Purple stones decorate each end and a lion insignia is shown on the back of his robe
"Fuegoleon Vermillion: Captain of the Crimson Lion Kings" Sekke informed. "As you can tell by his name he's an expert in flame magic"
Arran consciously looked at his arms and then up at Fuegoleon. 'Maybe if I join his squad he'll help me control my magic" He thought
The third to sit down is a tall, lean man with gold eyes and loose, medium-length black hair. His most prominent feature is a thin, red scar/birthmark running down from his forehead down to his chin, passing over his left eye and ending at the left side of his mouth. His attire consists of a short light green shirt that shows his abs, form-fitting black pants with green portions, matching shoes, two small wristbands on each wrist, and two straps on his waist that cross together to form an x at his front. He completes his attire with a green robe with a mantis insignia and four leather straps attached to it
"Jack the Ripper: Captain of the Green Praying Mantises" Sekke said
"What's a mantis?" Asta asked
"A small green bug with sharp long arms" Arran informed him before looking back up at Jack. "What kind of magic does he have?"
"Severing Magic. Jack can be quite bloodthirsty with it" Sekke said before he chuckled. "But seriously a Praying Mantis? Who would want to be branded as a bug?"
The fourth to sit down is a beautiful woman with blue eyes and long blonde hair that is braided and tied up in a bun. Her attire consists of a silver helmet with gold fancy decorations, a black one-piece undershirt that extends out to her hands and acts as sleeveless gloves, a decorated armored breastplate, an armored collar plate, as well as gauntlets are on her arms, a short blue skirt underneath a longer leather-like skirt that is open at the front, white trousers that are tucked into her thigh-high black socks, which have leather cuffs at the ends. She wears shin armor as well as armored boots. Her Grimoire is stored inside a brown leather pouch that is attached to a strap on her waist on her right side. She finishes off her look with a long, flowing blue cape that reaches down to her ankles, along with a blue robe, secured at the center of her chest with a buckle that shows a rose insignia
"That beautiful mistress right there is Charlotte Roselei: Captain of the Blue Rose Knights" Sekke said with a dreamy sigh
"Ehh, she's got nothing on Sister Lily," Asta said bluntly
"Typical Asta" Yuno and Arran both sighed as the former shook his head and the latter sweatdropped
The fifth to sit down is a tall and obese man with short blonde hair ad black eyes underneath a small purple-like metal mask. His outfit consists of fancy clothes and armor. He completes his outfit with a purple robe and cape with an orca insignia
"Gueldere Poizot: Captain of the Purple Orcas" Sekke informed with a bored tone
"No fancy description for him?" Arran asked
Sekke shook his head. "Not much to say other than the fact that he's the most disliked out of all the Magic Knight Captains"
The sixth to sit down is a young-looking lilac-haired fair-skinned woman with fluffy lavender hair. Her attire consists of a pointed hat with a wide brim and a garland of natural flowers wrapped around the cone's base, a matching cloak is clasped by a flower-shaped brooch and a peacock insignia
"Dorothy Unsworth: Captain of the Coral Peacocks" Sekke explained as Asta and Arran noticed that Dorothy is currently sleeping
"Is she asleep?" Arran pointed at her
"That's all she does" Sekke answered
"How'd she become a squad captain then?" Asta said with disbelief in his voice
"She must have some incredible power that's invisible to the eye" Sekke theorized as the seventh captain sat down
He was a young man with spiky, aqua-colored hair in a messy mound atop his head. His attire consists of a light-colored shirt under a dark blue vest that is held closed by a bronze-colored belt. His dark blue pants end halfway down his shins, and his shoes are bronze-colored slippers. Over this, he wears a long, white open coat with two pairs of large, turquoise diamonds on the front and the sleeves. His squad robe has a dark blue tassel of diamonds hanging from the front clasp
"Rill Boismortier: Captain of the Aqua Deer" Sekke explained
"Wow he looks young for a captain," Asta said in confusion
"That's because he's nineteen years old," Sekke said
"Wow he's only four years older than us," Arran said in slight surprise
"Yeah I'll be the Wizard King before I know it," Asta said though Arran quickly replied with "No I'm going to become the Wizard King"
"Haha, you two dream big! While we're on the topic of Wizard Kings there is one Magic Knight Captain that is most definitely a candidate for the title" Sekke said as the participants started to cheer for the eight Magic Knight captain's arrival
"Leader of the Golden Dawn: William Vangeance" Sekke informed. "The Golden dawn is the mightiest squad in the entire kingdom and William has his squad's complete trust
Asta, Yuno, and Arran looked up at William Vangeance with eyes full of determination
It was at that moment that Yami, Finral, and Gordon also arrived. Taking a seat, Yami let out a huge yawn in boredom. "Let's get this over with. The sooner we start this, the sooner we can all go home"
"This exam is going to decide the future of these youths" William explained. "You shouldn't take it lightly Yami"
"You take this seriously enough for all of us," Yami said back as William looked down at the crowd
"Attention examinees!" William calls out catching everyone's attention. "Thank you for waiting. I will be administering this year's entrance exam" he said as he took out his Grimoire. "Magic Tree's Descent"
William's Grimoire glowed lime green with magical power as clouds began to cover the arena. Then as a huge gust of wind overcame the crowd a gigantic burst of trees started growing from the clouds and descended from above causing some participants to slightly panic.
"Surprise surprise amazing as usual" Finral commented
Each branch of the magical tree reached out to the examinees and then those same branches' tips formed brooms
Even after they were given their brooms Asta, Yuno, and Arran had one collective thought lingering in their minds
'Right now. This man is the one closest to becoming the Wizard King'
"I believe you've been waiting long enough," William said as he closed his Grimoire. "In just a few moments we will begin the first in a few tests. When the exam is complete we will choose who we want on our squad. If chosen then you are in. If more than one squad chooses you then you get to decide which one you want to join. However if not chosen at all then you must wait a whole year to try again"
'That won't happen. I will be chosen' Asta thought determinedly
"Now for your first test. You must use the brooms you've been given to fly"
Uncertain filled chatter was already starting to spread and the first test hadn't even begun
"A mage who is in control of his or her magic can do it on instinct. It's like basic nature for them" William said as his squadmate Shiren demonstrated for the crowd. "If you can't fly on a broom then you are not worth our time"
"Enough talk. Now begin!" William announced as the first test was finally underway. Some of the examinees had a few wobbles and struggles as they floated on their brooms but some had started to get the hang of it
'Oh, your kidding. Of course, the first test relies on magic control...calm down Arran...you trained for six months...you can do this' He thought to himself
'Seems we have a lot of promising candidates this year' Charlotte thought as she looked up at the examinees you quickly mastered floating on a broom. One of them happens to include Yuno
Arran slowly poured his magic into the broom as it started floating. 'Yeah! I'm doing it!" He internally cheered in victory as his broom got higher and higher until Arran slipped upon his magic input and fell off his broom landing back down on the ground. "God damnit! What happened?!" Arran yelled in defeat as his broom fell right on top of him. 'I spent so much time training to control my magic...what went wrong?' he thought to himself
"What happened indeed? He seemed so in control of his magic at the beginning and then he ends up falling" Fuegoleon said
"Probably lost control of his magic or he put in a little too much," Charlotte said until they all heard straining coming from the only other examinee who hadn't made any progress: Asta.
"COME ON!" Asta strained as he attempted to make his broom fly though it was pointless seeing as he has no magic
"What's going on there? Even if he doesn't have any significant talent he should at least be able to float" Fuegoleon noted with a hand underneath his chin. Looking back and forth to Arran's constant attempts to get a few feet in the air and Asta's attempt to get up in the air at all as he tried to figure out why they were failing so much
Nozel was about to comment but then he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. "If you'll excuse me for a moment I need to attend to something," He said before he stood up and left
"Can you believe those two?"
"What kinda failures do you have to be if you can't even fly on a broom?"
"Why did they even bother to come" Some examinees started to mock Asta and Arran for their constant failures
"What are you two doing? This is supposed to be the easy part" Asta and Arran stopped what they were doing and looked towards Sekke who floated towards them. "Try to relax your muscles a bit. Don't tense up and let it come naturally"
Asta tried but he ended up getting nothing out of it. "It's not working"
'Ok just like Sekke said...relax' He thought as he slowly added the magic power into the broom as he rose higher but then his control faltered and he fell on his head...failure number I lost count who was even counting anyways-
Meanwhile behind a pillar on the other side of the stadium was a teenage girl with a slender build, pink eyes, cross-shaped earrings, and long silver hair that is tied up in pigtails. Her attire consists of a sleeveless, backless, short purple dress covered by a silver-colored blazer, a brown leather belt that supports her pouch, which has a similar color and gold ornaments at its corners, a pair of silver-colored leg warmers with gold cuffs at both ends, and a pair of sandals.
"Right..."She says to herself while holding a broom as she was about to step out into the arena
"What are you doing?"
That voice causes her to stop in her tracks as Nozel is right behind her
"I just...I need-"
"Don't play dumb with me" Nozel cut her off coldly. "You should know that royalty need not undergo the same tests as common folk"
"I know..."The girl agreed with a frown. "But I-"
"That's enough" Nozel interrupted again. "We've already decided where you'll go so I suggest you stop this pointless nonsense"
The girl looked like she wanted to say something else but reluctantly, she agreed. "I understand, Nozel"
"Although if we're being honest..." Nozel started before he walked away. "Your very existence is pointless"
Once Nozel was gone the girl scowled in frustration and gripped her broom tighter"
Test 2: Magic Power
Sekke simply fired a blast of magic energy at a wall, creating a crater in it while Asta struggled to create magic
'Focus your magic into a point...' Arran thought as he cupped his hand causing fire magic to swirl up in it. 'And release!' He threw the magic right at the wall but he accidentally put too much into it as the force was enough to knock him back and destroy not only his walls but the walls adjacent to it.
All of the examinees looked at him in shock while he just rubbed the back of his head while all flustered. "Uhhhh...oops?"
Test 3: Magic Control
Sekke effortlessly managed to hit the targets floating above him with his magic. "Shake it off and keep going"
Arran's magic was going all over the place the moment he let it out so he stopped after a few seconds. "That didn't work-"
Asta yelled loudly as he waved his arms around in a fruitless attempt to conjure magic
Test 4: Magic Creation
With his magic, Sekke created a human model while Arran just made a tiny flame with a smile since that was all he could conjure without exploding
"Aaaaaah! I'm not done yet!" Asta yelled after another failed attempt to conjure magic resulting in another failed test
Test 5: Magic Evolution
"Haha!" Sekke laughed in success as he managed to make a seed grow with his magic
"Nope! Still not done yet!" Asta said after another failed test
Arran just looked at his now burnt seed due to too much of a magic input. Like Asta he wasn't giving up he but can't help but feel frustrated that's he failing like this after 6 WHOLE MONTHS of training
But with those tests out of the way it was time for the final test...
"On to the next test. The final and most important one. A little test of strength" William announced as Fuegoleon then stood up
"Prepare to duel!" He declared
Almost all of the examinees were shocked by his declaration but he kept going
"You will break up into pairs and fight each other! Use your Grimoires to attack and defend! As Magic Knights battle is our business! We want to see everything you're capable of!" Fuegoleon declared
"The battle will end when your opponent has either forfeited or is unable to continue" William added. "We recovery mages on stand by for serious injuries"
"So don't hold anything back!" Fuegoleon finished
Asta was looking around frantically for a battle partner while thinking 'Oh man the last test. I've done nothing but scream this whole time! The best way to show off is to pair up with someone strong. There's gotta be someone who would agree to fight me"
Sekke then placed his hand on Asta's shoulder. "Haha! What do you say we partner up Asta?"
Asta's eyes then lit up with stars. "Really? Thank you Sekke!"
"Ready for the first bout," A magic knight staff member said as he stood in the middle of the arena. "Let's go"
"We're coming!" Asta said as he ran towards the middle with Sekke following him
"We're both aiming for the same goal so let's make this a fair fight ok Sekke? No holding back!" Asta said but then oddly enough Sekke put his hand on Asta's shoulder again, chuckled darkly, and said:
"Stop trying so hard your embarrassing yourself". He then got in Asta's face. "you're nothing more than grubby gutter trash who's way out of his league. But I must thank you and that Arran kid for sticking by me and making me look good. Once I'm chosen by one of the best squad captains, I'll be able to kick up my heels and enjoy the ride. Now then let's get this over with" Sekke said as he turned around and walked towards his starting point. "That way you can hurry on back to the pitiful excuse of a life you came from"
Asta didn't respond as he was silent and shocked. Probably processing the fact that Sekke used him. But he ended up walking to his starting point anyway
"Ready? Begin!" The Magic staff member declared
"No holding back right Asta?" Sekke flipped through some pages of his Grimoire before he was surrounded by a cyan ball of magic. "Bronze Creation Magic: Sekke Magnum Cannonball!" Sekke then proudly looked up at the Captains. 'What do you think of this spell captains? The Bronze magic I used is dual purpose giving me a shield while also providing me with magic bullets. So when he's done wasting his pathetic attacks on my unbreakable defense I'll go on the offensive and shoot!'
"That is some fairly high-level magic for an examinee," Finral said, placing a hand underneath his chin.
"He looks like an insect though," Yami said with an unamused tone
"Come on don't get shy on me now Haha!" Sekke taunted since Asta has yet to have made a move
"Okay, here we go" Asta whispered as he summoned his Grimoire. The book opens and glows red before summoning his greatsword.
With a great burst of speed and power, Asta dashed towards Sekke grabbing his greatsword as the poor man didn't even see Asta move until
"HAH!" With a mighty scream Asta brought his greatsword down on Sekke slicing right through his bronze cannonball and crushing him into the ground
Up until then everyone, even the captains, were shocked at how Asta defeated Sekke so quickly and easily
"Unlike you Sekke, I'm not joining the Magic Knights so I can slack off while having fun," Asta said as he rested his greatsword on his shoulders. "I've got a much bigger goal. I'm going to be the Wizard King!"
'That Grimoire...' William trailed off as he noticed the 5 leaf clover on Asta's Grimoire
"Looks like things just got a little more interesting," Yami said as he actually look impressed
'He's not the one who will defeat you, Asta...'
'That will be me/That'll be me' Yuno and Arran thought collectively with their smiles
But the examinees did not share the same sentiment as they and the other captains were left dumbfounded by Asta's goal of becoming the Wizard King. The stadium was in a heavy silence until the examinees broke it with boisterous laughter
"He's officially nuts!"
"Him, the Wizard King?"
"Talk about delusions of grandeur"
"YEAH, I SAID I WAS GONNA BE THE WIZARD KING!. JUST YOU WATCH!" Asta yelled as he stomped out of the arena
"Creation magic I wager.." Finral said
"Impressive moves" Gordon muttered very quietly
"Based on the other tests, I would've never expected him to have that much magic power," Final told Yami
"Yeah well, he didn't use any magic power. In fact, he doesn't have any" Yami pointed out as he remember when he was strongly grabbing Asta's head earlier. 'I didn't pick up any mana from that kid when I was killing him. Despite that, he said that he's going to be the Wizard King? We got ourselves a real odd duck here'
Arran high-fived Asta once the boy came back to where they were standing. "Nice job out there Asta" Arran smiled
"Thanks. Hey, whos-"
"Will the next two fighters please come up?" The Magic Staff member interrupted Asta
Then a hand clasped over Arran's shoulder and pushed him along. "What the-"
"Right here sir," A boy with blue hair and a blue robe said as he kept pushing Arran
Once the two of them were in the middle murmurs began to arise from who the blue boy was
"That's Ivan Chrishat"
"No way from the Chrishat family"
"That nobody is doomed"
Arran was listening to the murmurs, since they weren't murmurs at all, and got the gist of the situation. 'So I'm basically up against a noble. Great' He thought sarcastically before he looked down at his arms. 'With all the training I did I unfortunately couldn't get rid of the burning problem my dragon claws cause. So I need to end this quickly' He thought
"Ready? Begin!" The magic staff member said as Ivan then took out his Grimoire. "Ice Creation Magic: Frozen Fort" At Ivan's command a protective ring of ice surrounds Ivan while the back grows larger and more outward to grow "cannons".
"Interesting technique" Finral noted
"Not really the noble is just piggybacking off of that Sekke boy's tactic," Yami said unamused. He then looked down at Arran who had his Grimoire out but was still staring at Ivan. 'What'll you do kid?'
"Look and I thought that shorty was bad. This guy's Grimoire looks even worse!"
"Are they just getting Grimoires out of the trash nowadays?"
"Another nobody from nowhere's Ville" Most of the examinees began to voice their displeasure towards Arran to which he ignored
"Alright.." Arran finally talk, albeit muttered, as his Grimoire opened up flipping through a few pages before glowing bright red. Then on his arms flaming dragon claws began to form as he got in a low running stance
Most of the Captains were intrigued by his magic, especially Fuegoleon. However, William was focusing on something else. 'That boy has the same clover as the magicless boy?' He thought in shock. Never would he have thought of the existence of 2 5 leaf clovers
"Enough talk. Time to send the trash back to its miserable village. Ice Magic: Frozen Artillery!" Ivan called out before the cannons launched several icicles at Arran
Arran ran straight towards them much to everyone's surprise. For a few seconds, Arran increased the magic output on his arms causing them to heat up a lot a melt the icicles allowing him to parry them away easily. His arms burned even more because of this but he didn't care right now as he kept running. However, this was something that didn't go unnoticed by Nozel
Ivan panicked in fear, that what happened to Sekke will happen to him as well, so he raised the ice wall of his barrier. Before he could fire his cannons though his wall was cleaved apart and the next thing he knew he was face first in the dirt, completely unconscious, his fortress melting from the heat Arran was giving off
"Strange...I didn't think nobles were that weak" He said calmly as he returned his claws and grabbed his Grimoire and walked off
"I can't believe that he did that!"
"He beats a noble so quickly and then disrespects him? Who does he think he is?"
"I honestly I kinda agree with him there. Ivan was weaker than I thought"
"Interesting Flame magic," Fuegoleon said with a hand underneath his chin
"Considering adding him to your squad Fuegoleon?" William asked with a tone of amusement
"Well if you are then you should know something first," Nozel said catching the other Captain's attention
"I'm not sure if you all noticed, but the entire time he used those claws his arms were burning" Nozel explained
"It's most possibly due to the lack of control over his magic" Charlotte said
Yami just stared at the boy with a bit of intrigue as he walked back to Asta and Yuno
"Wow, Arran that was awesome! You totally wiped the floor with that guy!" Asta said as Yuno nodded in agreement
"Are your arms ok though?" Yuno asked
"Yeah I'll be fine don't worry" Arran waved it off
Then another noble approached the group of 3 and said "Yuno was it?"
Yuno said nothing as he turned towards him
"It seems like you don't have a sparring partner. Perhaps you would like to take me on?" The noble suggested
Again Yuno said nothing but he did stop leaning against the wall and walked out towards the stadium with the noble following him
"Hey isn't that?"
"Yeah without a doubt that's Salim Hapshass"
"From THE Hapshass family?"
Most of the examinees broke into murmurs again once Salim revealed himself to the crowd by challenging Yuno
"You may have been chosen by the four-leaf Grimoire but your still a mere commoner" Salim said with a sly chuckle. "I'll show you just how we nobles outclass yo, peasants in rank and power. Oh and don't forget wealth too"
Yuno continued to remain quiet as they each stood on opposite sides of the arena.
"Now begin!" The Magic staff member declared
"Having the opportunity to battle THE Salim de Hapshass. That alone is an honor. It'll give you something to talk about when you return to that pitiful village" Salim said before he opened his Grimoire. "But you won't go empty-handed! Take this as a souvenir! A special move I like to call Holy Lightning Rising Salim!"
A large ball then appeared over Salim's head. It floated in front of him before enlarging in mass and magic power causing the whole stadium to light up
"Yuno..." Asta said in worry while Arran stayed quiet though his face showed worry as well
"I've arranged for your transportation home," Salim said with a devious smile before he sent the giant orb of lightning right at Yuno
"Wind Magic: Towering Tornado!" Yuno then created a tornado in front of him that blocked the ball of lightning. Both spells continued to clash at each other until Salim couldn't handle it anymore and was carried away by the wind. The lightning ball then dissipated and Salim landed on the ground with a hard thump
"I can't believe it! First the redhead and now this guy too?"
"Two nobles have been defeated..."
"I know he has the four-leaf clover but this is crazy!"
"Woah..." Asta uttered in shock at Yuno's magic power. Arran wasn't any better as he too was shocked
"Wow good showing," Finral said in awe as Gordon muttered something very quietly
"Yeah" Yami agreed as even he was kinda impressed
Battle after battle went on as all the examinees were giving it they're all after those amazing showings and before they new it...the tests were over
"That concludes the exams. When your number is called please come forward to receive your results
"If a captain wants you on his or her squad they will raise a hand. That means you're in" Charlotte announced as she stood up. "If you do not wish to join a squad you may of course decline. If multiple hands are raised then it is up to you to decide which squad you'll enroll with"
"However if none of us raise our hands for you you will not be a Magic Knight" Fuegoleon added
"In which case you will leave at once" Nozel finished
"Examinee #1 step forward..." A magic staff member spoke up as the first examinee stepped forward. Unfortunately for him, no Squad Captains raised their hands. "No hands"
"Aww, man." The first examinee sulked and walked away in shame
"#40, no hands"
"#45, no hands"
"#67, no hands"
"#71" Everyone started murmuring and talking up when Gueldere raised his hand. "The Purple Orcas"
"#78"
"We'll take this one" Fuegoleon raised his hand
"The Crimson Lion Kings. #99"
While still asleep Dorothy then raised her hand
"The Coral Peacocks. #116...no hands"
"#141, no hands"
As more and more examinees were shot down Asta was only getting more nervous. 'Man this is intense...' He thought
"#164"
"I'm right here" Yuno held his necklace as he stepped forward
The results were to be expected but that doesn't mean they were any less shocking. Not one, not two, but ALL of the captains raised their hand for Yuno
"No way?!"
"All of them?"
"Has this ever happened before?"
"Even the Silver Eagles and the Golden Dawn want this kid!"
'They really all picked him...I guess that's to be expected. Nice job Yuno' Arran thought in surprise
'Woah! They all want him? Way to show em Yuno!' Asta thought in shock and awe
'I have to choose the squad that offers me the best path to becoming the Wizard King' Yuno thought before saying "It would be an honor to join the Golden Dawn"
The chattering only grew and grew at that especially since a COMMONER of all people is joining the Golden Dawn
"They nabbed the cream of the crop" Finral relented with a small smile
"I was hoping for him to be my friend" Gordon whispered in disappointment
"Well, what can you do?" Yami said
"#165" Asta then walked forward
"The dark horse is up" Finral said with an interested tone
'I've come this far. I can't let Yuno pull ahead now" Asta thought as he looked at the captains, only for them to raise no hands up. The results left him completely speechless
"#165, no hands"
"It...it can't be" Asta muttered
"Come on out of the way!"
"Hurry up!" The examinees started to yell
"#166"
Arran then walked towards Asta as he placed a hand towards Asta giving him an apologetic nod before he turned towards the captains
'Things just got a lot more intense now that Asta's out' Arran thought as he held his pendent. 'Come on one of you please just raise a hand'
But even after his incredible showing against the noble, it seems the captains have made up their minds. There were no hands raised
"W-wha..." Arran said in shock as Asta and even Yuno shared this sentiment
"#166, no hands"
"Will you two move out of the way so someone can get their turn!"
"I knew they were losers from the start"
"Bunch of freaks"
The examinees began badmouthing and insulting Asta and Arran as the former gritted his teeth and the latter clenched his fists in slow anger
"Not yet...I'm not done..." Asta said
"I don't get it..." Arran spoke up causing Asta to turn towards him. "All the hard work we've done to make it this far and it still wasn't enough. One of us still needs to become the Wizard King so why weren't we chosen?!"
"You know it's not a real surprise kids" Yami suddenly spoke up causing Asta and Arran to turn towards him
"Yami?' Finral questioned
Yami first looked towards Arran. "Don't think we didn't notice what was happening to your arms during your fight with that Ivan kid" He explained causing Arran to flinch. "Your own magic was incinerating your arms". Yami then turned towards Asta. "The fact of the matter is while your skills in battle might be great nobody wants to touch powers that mysterious. People aren't fond of the unknown. The Captains are looking for one thing: magic power"
Suddenly, with a big boom, Yami begins to radiate dark energy all around his body surrounding him in waves. The entire arena was actually shaking from the sheer magnitude of Yami's magic power, startling examinees as they all sweat in fear, including Yuno
Yami then suddenly jumps off the balcony and lands in the arena
"Hey what are you doing?" Finral called out
Yami then glared directly at Asta and Arran
'It's like magic is coming off of him in waves...' Arran thought as he looked towards Asta as they were in the same petrified state. But they did think the same thing:
'So this is a Magic Knight Captain...'. Yami then began to walk towards the two of them.
"What would anyone want with you two? A kid with zero magic and kid with so much magic but next to no control over it. And combining what you two said before your both aiming to become the Wizard King? That means you have to prove that you're better than all nine Magic Knight captains. And now here you both are standing here helpless and pathetic. Can you two still say that you have what it takes?" Yami questioned his magic still shaking the arena around them
Arran and Asta were both speechless at Yami's words. Clenching their fists Arran was the first one to speak up
"Maybe your right...I can't control my magic and that weakness will probably get me killed someday. But if you think that's gonna stop me then your dead wrong!"
"He's right. Maybe we won't end up joining any Magic Knight squads today" Asta admitted. "But no matter what anyone says, no matter how many times I stumble I will never give up!"
"Because I will become the Wizard King!" Asta and Arran both declared as they stood their ground against Yami. For what seemed like the longest time Yami continued to stare at them after their declaration even as his magic finally settled down. Though what broke the silence was something unexpected: Yami started laughing loudly
"Uhhhh..." Arran was so confused at this
"Did we...say something wrong?" Asta asked just as confused as Arran when he turned towards him.
"Your guess is as good as mine" Arran shrugged
"You know what? I like you kids!" Yami said with a smile before he pointed at them. "Come join our crew"
Arran and Asta both had exact same response to that: "What?"
"Quit gaping like fishes. I said I'll let you both into the Black Bulls. But don't think It'll be a panic. I'm gonna put you two through the ringer till you don't recognize yourselves" Yami said before he branded a terrifying glare. "By the way you don't get to say no got it"
"Yes Sir," They both said albeit loudly but one thing's for certain. They were still so confused as to what was happening
"Then once we're done. One of you becomes the Wizard King"
Asta and Arran were shocked. All this time they've been branded as freaks, failures for their magical disabilities. Many people doubted their dream to become the Wizard King and yet here Yami was actually believing in them.
"Right!" They both smiled holding back tears
After that whole ordeal the selections continued until
"#512, no hands. Thank you this concludes the Magic Knights Entrance Exam"
"Asta, Arran" Yuno walked up to them
"Your Golden Dawn and we're Black Bulls. You know what this means?"
"You bet. The real battle starts now" Arran nodded
"Yeah. We'll see who-" Yuno was interrupted by the sound of Asta's stomach grumbling
"Oh, man..." Asta said holding his stomach before he ran off screaming "I NEED TO POOOOOP!"
"Gotta go gotta go gotta go!" Asta groaned as he ran into the bathroom
Arran just watched him leave and sighed. "Alright, I'm gonna go meet up with Captain Yami. Makes sure Asta makes it out of there alright so Yami doesn't kill us both" Arran said to which Yuno nodded and they both went their separate ways.
'Still can't believe I got accepted into a Magic Knight's squad. It almost feels like a dream...' He thought before seeing Yami and walked over to them
"Hey, kid. Where's the loudmouth?" Yami said
"He had to poop" Arran simply said as they ended up waiting about 5 minutes before Asta came running towards them
"You got a lotta nerve newbie. Just how long was this dump of yours" Yami said annoyed with the boy's late arrival
"Oh you wouldn't believe it, captain. It was huge-!"
"Not what he meant" Arran quickly said just narrowly saving Asta from another death grip
"Well, whatever you two. It's time to go. Finral" Yami turned towards the Spatial mage
"Ok" Finral opened his Grimoire and formed a portal
"Wow so cool!" Asta smiled in awe
"Spatial Magic huh?" Arran said with a smile
"Yup my Fallen Angel Gate" Finral smiled proudly albeit strained
"Since you two can't fly on brooms We're gonna have to teach a transformation spell. Oh, wait! You guys don't have any magical talent!" Yami laughed at his own joke
'You don't have to rub it in our faces' Arran thought with a comical disappointed look
"Excuse me, Captain Yami? This is a pretty big portal to hold up for so long so could you please go through it already?" Finral strained but Yami met that question with a glare
"It almost sounded like you were telling me what to do. Suck it up. Dig deep and push your limits" Yami said to Finral who only agreed but was still scared
"Alright in you go," Yami said before he threw Asta the latter screaming in terror as he flew into the portal
Arran quickly walked through the portal as well to avoid getting thrown as he watched Asta land face first in the dirt. Then Yami, Finral, and Gordon arrived through the portal.
"Jeez, that hurt.." Asta said as Arran helped him up but then the two of them finally saw their new home. It was an odd building seeming like smaller buildings were mushed together to make it.
"Alright! The Black Bull's Hideout" Asta smiled
"Nice huh? We got a snazzy place" Yami smirked
"Yup crumbling bricks and all" Finral added
"Home sweet home" Gordon very quietly whispered
'As of today it's gonna be our place too' Asta and Arran collectively thought before the former excitingly ran up to the entrance. "Alright! I'm the newest member of the Black Bulls fresh from Hage-" Asta didn't even get to finish as he was launched from a sudden explosion.
"Asta! You alright?!" Arran said in actual worry as he helped to pull the poor boy out of the dirt he landed in. When Asta was free they both heard Yami laughing in front of the fire
"Welcome to the absolute worst Magic Knight squad, the Black Bulls"
AND WE'RE DONE HOLY SHIT. I HAVE NEVER WRITTEN A CHAPTER THIS LONG BUT I WAS DEDICATED TO RELEASING IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
Now to address a possible elephant in the room. Why Arran is joining the Black Bulls? I'll admit I was originally gonna make Arran be part of the Crimson Lion Kings but then I thought of something. When I was choosing a squad for him I was trying to place myself in the Captains position somewhat and evaluate him. The thing is while most captains are willing to help with a problem such as magic control(Possibly Rill, Fuegoleon, Yami) while others wouldn't waste their time*Cough* Nozel *Cough*. But the thing is unlike other magic control issues Arran's magic can actually kill him if he isn't careful. During his fight with Ivan he burned his arms more than he should've. The Captains don't want to risk getting their own squadmate killed by his own magic if he ends up losing control. But I figured after seeing his determination Yami would crazy and willing enough to take that risk and recruit him. After all he was crazy enough to recruit a magicless kid into a magic knight squad. Not only that but his squad, in their own words, is a squad full of failures so what's two more failures to join the fun?
Alright that's enough ranting from me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and be sure to stay tuned because in the next chapter Asta, Yuno, and Arran get to know their squads. Until then, Blueheartz out.