(A/N): criticism and reviews are appreciated!
Chapter 8: It stays in the family
Yami's P.O.V
"All right, listen up." Yami said, standing in front of the Black Bulls headquarters, his squad standing in front of him "I'm pretty sure some of you noticed, but we've earned so many stars lately that we're actually out of the hole. This is all thanks to you dumbasses working hard." Hearing that, everyone cheered, except Katsuki and Shoto, who stayed stoic. "So eat all this meat!" Yami said, pointing at the two big grills, packed with meat.
"Mister Yami's actually treating us! Today's a damn holiday!" Magna said "I'm gonna eat a lifetime's worth of meat!"
"Marie, I'll only serve you the best meat." Gauche said, looking at his sister's picture.
"Magna, wanna kill each other over this hunk of meat?" Luck asked.
"Of course not, you moron!" Magna replied.
"Aw, come on!"
"Is there anything more blissful than this? I can barely stand it." Vanessa said, drinking some alcohol.
"It's so hot! But so good!" Grey said, before noticing Luck was looking at her "P-Pwease dun mook at muh ben I'm meating!" She said with a mouthful of meat "It's embarrassing!"
Meanwhile, Yami walked up to Katsuki, putting his hand on his shoulder "you were working very hard for those stars, you should enjoy the meat.".
"Hmph"
"All right, Finral! Show us a trick!" Yami said
"Huh? O-Oh, sure…" Finral said "Secret Technique: Stop Hitting Yourself!" Finral then created a portal in front of him and behind him, hitting himself in the back of the head through it. This made Yami burst into laughter.
"All right! You're next, Charmy!" Yami said.
"Secret technique: Instant Disappearing Meat!" she said, two sheep cooks stepping in front of her with a large plate, as she ate behind the cover, and the sheep moved.
"All you did was eat it instantly!" Yami said, Vanessa and Luck laughed next to him "All right, Grey! You're next! Do something!"
"I can't!" Grey said, quickly blushing and covering herself.
"Shut up and do something!" Yami said
"S-Secret Technique: M****** ****xe!" Grey said, turning into the large, dark man and exhaled some smoke.
"You just turned into what you usually turn into!" Yami laughed.
"Special Technique: Crackling Magna Typhoon!" Luck said, spinning Magna around in an electric vortex, as Magna screamed.
"Secret Technique: Meaty sheepy peacock!" Charmy announced, her sheep forming around her with meat to give her the appearance of a peacock.
"Next, I'll work out!" Asta declared.
"That's not a special trick at all!" Magna said.
After some time of playing around with their "Secret Techniques", Asta spoke up "Man, I'm exhausted. I'm gonna call it a night!". ´Seriously, kid? He's usually fool of energy.'.
"Well, all right. Make sure you get plenty of rest!" Magna said, confused.
"Great work, everyone!" Asta said, walking off to the building.
After he walked out of hearing range, Noelle spoke up "Isn't Asta acting a bit weird?".
"Yeah…I mean, when does he ever get tired?" Magna asked.
"Maybe I'll go cheer him up." Vanessa offered.
"Maybe if we try to kill each other, he'll feel better." Luck said.
"He'll feel better if he eats some more meat, la!" Charmy declared.
"I wonder if something happened." Grey said "F-F-Forget I said anything!"
"Guys, I have something to tell you." Finral spoke up "I overheard something when Asta was getting healed. The doctor said that Asta's arms…" he took a long pause "Will never go back to normal.
"What…are you saying?" Magna asked, and Finral told them what the doctor said.
"A curse, huh?" Yami said, Vetto flashing in his head "If that's what the best recovery mage in the Clover Kingdom said, then there's no doubt about it."
"Just when I thought I'd found the ultimate partner…" Finral said.
"This is way too harsh." Magna added.
"The boy has no magic… and now he can't even use his only weapon?" Vanessa said.
Yami felt it, the moment they were told about what happened, the atmosphere changed. 'If there's any way to heal Asta, I'm sure they will find it.'. Yami thought to himself.
They all went to find Asta, creeping in the woods as they stalked him, seeing him sit alone on a boulder, looking at the moon. "Like hell I'm gonna give up!" He suddenly shouted into the sky. "you just had to mess with me again, didn't you, fate?! But you're just firing me up more, you bastard! I'm gonna find a way to fix these arms, no matter what! Or I'll find some kind of strength that lets me fight without my arms!". Yami couldn't help but smile 'That's it kid, surpass your limits.'. "That one time was the very last time I'm ever going to feel depressed! Just you wait, you bastard!".
"Damn straight, kid" Yami said.
"That's one hot-blooded guy, damn it!" Magna said.
"Way to go, Asta" Luck said.
"Yup"
"I'm gonna share my snacks with him later, la."
"H-His optimism is absolutely amazing!"
"I believe in you."
"His courage is admirable, but I won't let him near Marie. Admirable courage, though."
The next morning
Todoroki's P.O.V
He, Noelle and Finral were standing outside, after sending off everyone to all kinds of places.
"Okay, we were able to send basically everyone off." Noelle said.
"I wish they'd all stop being so secretive." Finral said "Asking me to send them places because something came up, or they suddenly remembered they had to be somewhere… I know they're all sneaking away to try and find a cure for Asta. Though I guess since they're not technically going on missions, Yami might get mad at them. Not to mention, Asta would probably say something like, Forget about me! Please put any missions first!"
"I know someone like that" Todoroki said.
"Magna, Luck, and Bakugo went to search some dungeon in a barren part of the Forsaken Realm. Gauche, Gordon, and Momo are at the Royal Library. Charmy, Grey, and Izuku went to search for some unknown ingredients that work against curses." Finral said "Who would've thought that the members of the worst, lowest, and crudest squad would be working so hard for one newbie?"
"No kidding. Especially for such a dumb, reckless, vulgar, no-magic peasant like him." Noelle said.
"Even though he doesn't have any magic, he just refuses to give up." Finral added.
"Even though he doesn't have any magic, he's the first one into the battle, and he fights harder than anyone else." Noelle reminisced "And because he's like that, Asta was able to give us the strength to fight. Now, it's our turn to help him fight!"
Todoroki smiled at that 'They seem like such great friends. Asta's so lucky.'
"All right, Noelle!" Finral said "Why don't we also go look for somewhere promising together-" He was then punched in the face by Noelle.
"Sorry, but there's somewhere I'd like you to take me." Noelle replied "You can go wherever you want on your own."
"What? Where are you going?"
Noelle then whispered something to him, and Todoroki didn't know who she was referring too, but apparently Finral did "I see! They might know something that we don't. Come to think of it… Where the heck did Vanessa go? She disappeared before anyone else."
"Maybe she has some kind of lead herself." Noelle proposed.
"Do you guys still need me?" Todoroki asked.
"Yes, you're coming with me" Noelle said "So Finral, take us there, now."
"Maybe remember you're asking your senior for a favor…But, yeah, ok." Finral replied, making a portal, and both Noelle and Shoto went through, appearing in front of an old house. Noelle took a deep breath before knocking on the door.
"Coming." A voice said from inside.
"Looks like he's home." Noelle said.
"Who's he?" Todoroki asked.
"You'll see soon enough" Noelle replied, before loudly declaring "I'm coming in!" as she opened the door. inside, Todoroki saw a man of average height with a slim figure and well-defined muscle tone. He has medium length messy red hair, blue eyes, and a stubbled beard. And he was naked. "Oh, hey. I just got out of the bath-" he said before being blasted away by Noelle as she screamed.
After that, his wife arrived at the place, punching him in the face. "You worthless husband! Would you fix your bad habit of getting naked already!?"
After that, and after the man got dressed, they sat down to talk.
"Do you have any ideas on how to fix Asta's arms? Even if it's just a rumor?" Noelle asked.
"An ancient curse, huh?" the man, now known as Fanzell asked.
"There's one thing I can think of." The woman, Domina, replied "My home, the Witches' Forest,"
"The Witches' Forest?" Todoroki asked.
"It's an autonomous region that lies east of the Clover Kingdom, near the border of the Diamond Kingdom. All the inhabitants are women, and they're essentially witches who are skilled in special magic such as curses and familiars."
"Wait, if all inhabitants are women, how do they get babies?" Todoroki asked with a stoic face, before Noelle smacked him in the face.
"All women?! What is this magical place?" Finral asked, suddenly excited.
"Don't forget, we're talking about witches here." Domina said, ignoring Shoto's question "I've known of men who got too close and got turned into stink bugs or softshell turtles, then dropped into toilets."
"Wait…speaking of witches…" Noelle said.
"That's right! Could it be that Vanessa suddenly disappeared to try and get their queen to fix Asta's arms?" Finral asked.
"There's a rule stating that witches can only live in the Witches' Forest. Which means that witches like Vanessa and myself who left our home are fugitives." Domina explained "She'd need great resolve to even consider going back. But…" Domina got up from hair chair, hugging her husband "I fell head over heels in love with my soulmate Zell, so what can I do?"
"Yup. We both dove head-first into the bottomless swamp called love." Fanzell said, rubbing the back of his head.
"My sweet Zell…"
"My sweet Domina…"
"You guys are so in love… I'm so jealous!" Finral said.
"So I believed in you and followed you, so how long are you gonna make me live in this hovel, you worthless husband?!" Domina suddenly burst, punching Zell in the face, knocking him over to the floor, and then continued punching him on the floor.
"Y-Yikes…"
"Why don't we get back on track?" Zell asked, sitting back again.
"Yeah, that would be great."
"If Vanessa went back into that forest…I'm worried. I don't know all the details, but apparently Vanessa was very important to the queen. If the rumors are true and she returns, she'll never be able to leave the forest again. To be blunt, the queen is supreme. She's so powerful that even the Diamond Kingdom won't try to deal with her. Not to mention that it's impossible to reason with her. Let me warn you, if you're also planning to go to the witches' Forest…If you anger the queen, you won't be able to come back alive."
"We're going" Noelle announced "If there's a clue to healing Asta's arms there…"
"Yeah"
"Please…Tell us how to get there." Noelle pleaded.
"I'll go, too." Domina announced.
"B-But…"
"Don't worry," Zell said, standing behind Domina "I won't let anyone lay a finger on my beloved. Asta helped me out a lot and showed me the way I needed to go. I owe him big time."
"It doesn't feel great to let that debt keep growing, either." Mariella said "Let us repay it."
"Yeah" Zell said "Besides, I can't leave my last student hanging like this."
After that, they headed back to the base to pick Asta up. Todoroki riding on Finral's broom, as they picked up Asta, Noelle spoke up "Come on, let's go to the W's Forest."
"What the heck is "W"?! Is it a size? Is it an extra-wide forest or something?!" Asta asked, confused at the situation, and Zell used wind to cover his mouth, preventing him from talking.
"I shut him up." Zell said
"Good job, Zell."
"Excellent work, Master." Mariella said "The only method I could think of for shutting someone up was killing them." She brandished a dagger made of ice.
"Um… You might want to rethink your priorities." Zell replied.
"Let's hurry." Domina said, and they all accelerated.
"That's the witches' Forest." Domina declared as they reached a lush forest.
"Witches' Forest?!" Asta asked "What the heck is that?! Where are we?"
"Shh! We need to be extra careful from here on out!" Domina said.
"Huh? What's going on?"
"I'll explain later" Noelle said.
"When the heck is later?!" Asta asked "We're already here! You're dragging this out too much!"
"Just shut up for a while. Otherwise…"
"We'll shut you up again." Everyone said simultaneously.
"Domina, please continue." Noelle said.
"The queen runs her overwhelming magic throughout the forest, so if we give off even a little magic, they'll know we're here immediately." Domina explained.
"Which means we won't be able to use my spatial magic." Finral realized.
"You don't even have to use it." Domina said "If anyone with magic so much as enters here, they'll immediately know."
"And what happens if they find us?" Noelle asked
"Have you ever seen a honeycomb?"
"Uh, I don't have any magic, so I should be fine." Asta said.
"Shh!"
"But then how are we supposed to get inside?" Todoroki asked.
"And that's where these cloaks I made come in!" Domina said "I call them Vanishawls! Put one of these babies on, and ta-da! Your magic, your presence, and your body will all disappear!"
"Ummm…Why do we need to come?" Shoto asked "I thought you said they hated men. Wouldn't it be better if only you three went?"
"Stop complaining" All three girls said at the same time. And then they took off towards the forest.
Before entering the forest, all four boys needed to get under one robe, since Domina only brought two. Fortunately, Shoto used his quirk to cool the air around them, preventing them from sweating their skin off.
"Sorry about the sausage fest. Apparently she only made two of these cloaks." Zell said.
"And to think there are some cute little witchies right over there, giggling away…" Finral said.
"Could you please tell me what we're doing here now?" Asta asked with a starry-eyed look.
"Hey, couldn't you sell this love potion a little cheaper?" They heard a witch ask beneath them.
"L-Love potion?!" Finral burst out, and Shoto quickly covered his mouth from behind.
"Did you hear a man's voice just now?"
"You must be hearing things. There's no way a man could get into this forest."
"You're right."
"Be careful, you moron" Shoto said.
"Sorry. I only ever imagined love potions in my wildest dreams." Finral said.
They then noticed something floating above them. It looked to be somewhat humanoid, made of dirt, without a head, and with its face where the chest should be.
"Okay, now it's our turn" Asta said.
"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…" Zell mumbled, when suddenly, a branch took their robe off, and somehow Zell's clothes as well.
"Heya…Nice place you got here." Asta told the golem. Its eyes glowed bright orange, and suddenly they were surrounded by countless other golems, who proceeded to fire magic bullets at them, as Finral flew away, they knocked into the girls, revealing them to the golems.
"You worthless husband!" Domina cried out.
"Gah! A naked old man is clinging to me!" Finral said.
"Why the heck are you doing, Old Man Zell?!" Asta asked in shock.
"I promise this isn't on purpose. I'm sorry!"
"He can't help it. That's the kind of thing Master is into." Mariella said "You couldn't hold back, could you?"
"No, I just…"
Looking down, Todoroki saw some of the witches looking at them, curious as to what is happening. "Men!?" they cried out "Intruders!"
"Good grief" Todoroki spoke up "Woman, resolve this quickly, or I'll have to do something."
"Jeez! We'll just have to blast our way through to the queen's manor!" Domina replied.
"Right! Might as well use my spatial magic, then! We'll take the shortest route!" Finral said, creating two portals, and they flew right into one of them. But instead of continuing to fly away, Finral stopped to give some witches his contact card.
"A naked old man!" the witches prepared to alert their friends, but Finral took the hint, disappearing into another portal, but again, trying to get another witch to date him.
"Hey, you" Shoto said "If you do that, I'll freeze you solid."
"Ok, ok" Finral said, and they disappeared into another portal, this time, they didn't appear next to a witch, but they were surrounded by the golems again. "Crap! We're surrounded!" Asta said.
As they prepared to fire at them, Todoroki spotted something in the air, flying towards them. When it reached the golems, it spread white smoke, all around them. Finral took the opportunity, flying away from golems and headed towards the distant mansion of the Witch Queen.
"There it is!"
"What the? It's under construction?" Asta asked, seeing a big hole in the wall.
"Perfect! Let's dive right in!"
They dove into the hole, crashing on the mansion's floor and stirring up a little dust cloud.
"I scraped my back because I wasn't wearing a shirt." Zell said.
"That's your own fault for being into that sort of thing" Mariella replied.
"You've got it all wrong! This was seriously just a coincidence!"
"Miss Vanessa!" Asta called out, and Todoroki turned around to see two figures. One was a tall woman with a slim build. She has pink hair, which is pulled up under her hat, and teal eyes. Beneath both of her eyes are three dark blue teardrops. Her lips are the same shade of blue. She wears a light green, layered dress with each layer of the skirt having a large red eyespot. The bodice has a high neck and long sleeves. The skirt flares out into a large hoop. She also wears a white conical hat with a wide brim. It has the same layered look as her dress but lacks the eyespots. Additionally the black feather hatband has a dark red flower in front and a collection of multicolored jewels on her left side. From her left ear hangs a purple stone, and from her necklace hang three black feathers. And she was standing over an unconscious Vanessa, with her foot on her.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" Asta asked "I don't know who you think you are, but get your foot off of her right now!"
"How dare an intruder like yourself address me in such a way?" The tall woman asked "I am the queen of this forest, the mother of all witches. That girl over there, as well as Vanessa, are my descendants. My children. A child who doesn't listen to her mother needs a little discipline, don't you think?".
"If you claim to be their mother" Todoroki spoke up "Why would you step on your child. It isn't something parents do". 'Well, most parents.'.
"This is a family matter" She answered "Outsiders should stay out of it. I am free to do whatever I want to my daughters."
"You may be the Queen of Witches or whatever…" Asta said "But that's got nothing to do with what I said. I told you to get your foot off of her!" Asta charged forward, disappearing into a portal Finral made, and appeared behind the queen, only to be interrupted by the queen's familiars.
"Asta!"
"What is this? You have no magic?" She asked "What a vile, imperfect little brat."
"That's right…I've got no magic." Asta answered "And right now, I can't even fight with my swords. But I'm still better than anyone who'd step on their own family!"
"Enough" Todoroki said, blasting the crows away with his fire, avoiding Asta as he fell to the ground "It's not what we're here for."
"You must be the brat Vanessa was talking about." The Witch Queen said "Why does she want to fix trash like you? Even sacrificing herself…This foolish little thing told me she'd become my slave and live out the rest of her days here in exchange for healing your arms."
"Miss Vanessa…" Asta said, suddenly realizing something "Wait…is that why they're here, too?"
"You told me that you'd become the Wizard king someday, didn't you?" Zell asked "I want you to make that dream come true."
"Me, too."
"When people care for you, none of your problems are just your own anymore." Mariella said "Right, Noelle?" she smiled.
"Yes"
"And with that…" Mariella threw some ice daggers at the Witch Queen, but she used her familiars to block them with ease. "Impressive. Especially since I hid any intent to harm, you."
Everyone prepared to on the offensive, getting their grimoires out, Zell creating a sword. "Now get your foot off of her!" Noelle said.
"Miss Vanessa is one of us!" Asta declared.
'I guess we lost any ability to solve this diplomatically. And now she probably won't fix Asta's arms, so it's all been for nothing.' Todoroki thought to himself.
"you fools" The queen said "What could imperfect creatures such as yourselves possibly do? This little girl, as well as all of you, cannot escape your fates." She made a pink, translucent orb float up, showing them defeated on the floor. "All that awaits for you is the end seen in my divination here." She then grabbed the orb, as if noticing something "They were much faster than I expected. I knew they would be coming, but to think they'd chose a time like this to show up."
"What are you talking about?" Todoroki asked.
"The Eye of the Midnight Sun…" the Witch Queen replied,
"Why are they heading here?" Asta asked.
"Y-You're not just saying that to trick us, are you?" Finral asked.
"How imperfect." She said "If I chose to do so, I could end your pathetic lives at this very moment. Why would I need to lie?" she promptly showed them the orb, and exactly as she said, mages led by girl with pink hair were heading to the forest.
"She was at Nean" Finral gasped.
"She's from the Third Eye or whatever, just like the hairy gorilla that did this to my arms! She's super bad news!" Asta said.
"Then she's probably as powerful as Vetto." Noelle said "She could be even more powerful!". 'Seriously? And this time she has a whole bunch of mages too…this battle could end badly…'.
"It matters not." The Witch Queen said "I will be more than happy to rid this world of any imperfect creatures. Warn the others." She sent her crows off, probably to warn the witches of the forest. Not long after, a bright light shone. Turning around, Shoto saw that someone has lit the forest on fire.
"S-Such powerful flame magic…" Finral said.
The Witch Queen then made another big orb appear, this time showing other enemy mages. 'They look just like the soldiers from that town in the Diamond Kingdom, they must be Diamond soldiers as well. A pincer attack?'.
"T-That's…"
"Near the border of the Diamond Kingdom." Mariella said.
"Yes"
"As I suspected…" The Witch Queen spoke up again "I thought this fate would come to pass much later, but the other force that wishes to attack this forest…"
"Is the Diamond Kingdom" Todoroki completed her sentence.
"You can't be serious. They're coming here?" Noelle asked.
"That really pale guy…" Asta said "It's the super-strong guy we fought in the dungeon! Thank goodness…He's alive!"
"Should you be happy about that?!"
"Anyway, we have to protect the Witches' Forest!" Asta said "I'll defeat both the Eye of the Midnight Sun and the Diamonds!"
"And you're going to it with two broken hands?" Todoroki asked.
"That's right!" Asta screamed in shock, forgetting his arms were broken. 'I could swear this guy is denser than concrete.´.
"The whole reason we even came here was to fix your arms." Noelle said.
"Right…" Asta replied "So much is going on that I totally forgot! Damn it all!"
"Asta? Wait, what are you doing here?" Vanessa asked, waking up.
"Miss Vanessa!" Asta said "Thank goodness! You're awake!"
"Vanessa!"
"Honestly, you were trying to do way too much by yourself."
"All of you are here, too?" Vanessa asked "One of you looks like he lost his shirt"
"It's his hobby" Mariella said.
"No, really, it isn't."
"It's been a while, Vanessa." Domina said "We were also looking for a way to cure Asta's arms and ended up in the same place as you."
"That's right" Vanessa replied, getting up "Just you wait, Asta. I'm going to talk to the queen and have her fix your arms!"
"I decline your offer!" Asta replied "It would be in exchange for your freedom, right? I refuse to let you do that!"
"Wha… How can you be so selfish?!" Vanessa asked, suddenly angry "This is the only way, you moron!"
"You're the one being selfish here, Miss Vanessa!" Asta replied "How could you sneak back home without telling anyone, you drunk?!"
"Well. what was I supposed to do, you shrimp?!"
"I'll figure it out!" Asta said.
"And how are you going to do that?!" Vanessa asked.
"U-Uh, calm down, you two…" Finral said.
"Shut up!" They both said simultaneously.
"You don't have to go through all this. I still have my last resort!" Asta said, a starry-eyed look on his face. he then pulled off his bandages using his teeth. After that, he summoned his grimoire, pulling his sword out with his teeth.
"H-His eyes look a little crazed, don't they?" Zell asked.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Mariella added.
He then took his sword, and using his mouth he struck his own hand, crying out in pain and dropping to the ground. 'Definitely not the brightest kid'.
"Ow!"
"What are you doing, you moron?!" Vanessa asked "The curse has sunk deep into your arms! No matter how crazy you try to get, you can't always compete with the fate you're dealt!"
"So you're telling me that it's my fate to sacrifice one of my friends for my arms to get better?!" Asta asked "Who the hell's gonna abide by that?! I don't care if I have to crush fate itself! I'm gonna fight with these arms!"
"One more time!" Asta said, ready to hit himself again.
"No. you dense moron" Todoroki said, taking the sword from his mouth and putting it over his shoulder. 'Crap, that sword's real heavy. But probably not as much as his bigger one. How does he swing them around like that?'
"Your friends aren't here to be sacrificed!" Vanessa yelled at him "They're here to win against a fate that you can't fight on your own! I have no intention of sacrificing myself for you, either! After I use-"
Todoroki caught on to what she was about to say, and covered her mouth with one hand. "Vanessa, she is right here." Todoroki whispered. Hearing this, her eyes shot wide open and she searched the room frantically for her, seeing her standing behind them.
"Hey, woman" Todoroki said "If you can actually break the curse on the moron's arms, please do it already, it's really a pain in the ass. If you do, he can help fight the intruders off."
"That's right" Noelle said "He wants to save the people out there as soon as possible. He's an idiot, but he's strong. I'm sure he'll be useful to you if you heal him! And if he goes, we'll follow.". Everyone else gave a nod at that. "The enemy is immense. Couldn't you use all the manpower you can get right now?" Noelle asked "If you're truly a queen, you should be doing whatever's best for your forest!"
"It's true. We currently lack the strength to deal with the impending attackers." The Witch Queen said "Very well. I shall heal that brat's arms. I'll even make them sturdier than before."
"Sturdier? Really? Are they gonna be huge like Captain Yami's, then?" Asta asked with a starry-eyed look.
"I highly doubt that." Mariella said "Sturdiness isn't necessarily equal to how big they are."
"Aw, come on!"
"What am I supposed to do about it?" she asked.
The queen had her grimoire out, and it glowed with a dark pink aura. Blood Recovery Magic: Curse-Breaking Blood-Filled Cocoon. The spell created a big, dark red sphere around Asta that looked as if it had veins of itself.
"My arms feel so light! This is awesome!" Asta said, and the cocoon disappeared into thin air "This is great! They're completely better!" he spun his arm around "Look! Look, look, look, look! Now, when my back itches, I don't have to scratch it against a pole! And I can pick my nose!" he then got on the floor, and started doing push-ups in rapid succession "But what I'm happiest about is that I'll be able to work out again!"
"He's still an idiot."
"Well, I don't know if they're actually sturdier or not, but I can feel strength welling up inside me!" Asta declared, pulling both swords out of his grimoire "All right! Let's go, guys!"
"Yeah!" They all answered simultaneously.
"Let's go, my ass!" Noelle said angrily, as she, Vanessa and Finral descended upon Asta.
"Do you know how worried we were?!" Finral asked.
"You crazy moron!" Vanessa said, as they kicked him and tackled, and then Noelle started punching him in the face. "Take that! And that! And that! And that! You could barely move a second ago!" she then threw his robe at him "Here! Take your stupid robe!". They all started beating down on the poor guy.
"Thank you so much, guys! And I'm sorry!"
"Guys, he just got healed" Todoroki said, and they all turned their glares towards him like rabid wolves, and then they calmed down.
"Hey, Shoto" Asta said "I noticed earlier…that you held my sword easily, how? People with magic can't use it". Todoroki just shrugged as an answer.
"Congrats, Asta" Zell said.
"Yeah! Thank you all for what you did, too!" Asta thanked them.
"I've fulfilled my end of the bargain. Now let us see this so-called power of yours." The Witch Queen said.
"Yeah! Leave this to us! Thanks for fixing my arms!"
"Asta, leave the Diamond forces to us" Zell said "Mars and Ladros… I have some unfinished business with them."
"All right, Old Man Zell. Don't die. And put some clothes on."
"Right."
They flew towards the fire and the attacking force, seeing the pink-haired girl blast apart a giant golem with her dragon. After Asta saved a witch from an enemy mage, they went down to the forest floor, to put out the fire. Noelle fired water ball after water ball, but it was too slow. "Move aside" Todoroki said, when she moved, Shoto planted his leg firmly on the ground, frost quickly accumulating on the ground beneath him, and then, ice erupted from the ground, growing giant and covering the fire, snuffing it out. Heaven Piercing Ice Wall!
"Woah! Todoroki, what power!" Asta exclaimed with a starry-eyed look on his face.
"You've got some nerve, doing this to the forest." Vanessa said "This place isn't the best, but it was still my home. I'll protect it, no matter what. Let's go, Asta!"
They ran to engage the enemy force, finding some in a clearing, with one of the mages holding several witches with what looked like plant magic. "That bastard! What does he think he's doing to my cuties?!" Finral asked.
"The number of guards he has around him…He must be the commander." Vanessa said.
"It doesn't matter" Todoroki said "We'll defeat them all soon enough.". he stretched out his left arm towards the floating mages, blasting them with a wall of flame, purposefully missing the commander.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Asta asked "they have hostages!".
"Asta," Todoroki said "If you are this slow, how do you plan to save anyone?" Shoto turned around to look at him, and as the fire cleared, Asta could the surrounding mages fall to the ground.
"Wha-" Asta started speaking "Deku wasn't bluffing, you're so strong! I'm jealous!"
"There's still one left" Shoto said "Go, Asta!", he created a ramp of ice that let to the commander, and Asta understood, running up it fast.
"You guys cause trouble every single time!" Asta yelled.
"Wh-What's with this brat?" The commander asked, sending his vines to attack Asta.
"Quit it already!" Asta said, bringing his sword down on the man's head "Now's your chance to run!" Asta told the witches as they started flying away.
"Asta! Behind you!" Todoroki called out to him, seeing the pink-haired girl flying straight at Asta on her dragon. "There you are." She said "How dare you kill Vetto? I'll kill you!" she announced, as her dragon shot a fireball at Asta.
But Asta just deflected it with his sword, knocking it back her way. Seeing this, her dragon shot out another fireball, and they both exploded on contact, pushing both Asta and the surrounding mages away, but fortunately, Asta was saved by Firnal, who opened a portal beneath him, right into a web Vanessa wove.
"Made it just in time." Finral said.
"Thanks!"
"You keep getting in our way over and over again." The pink-haired girl said "I'll kill you once and for all."
"Bring it on!" Asta said "I'll just keep throwing your attacks right back at you! Over and Over…Come at me as much as you want!" he jerked his swords around wildly, pumped for the battle "I'll just keep throwing your attacks right back at you over and over and over!"
"I hate you…" She said "This time we'll…destroy you!", she flew down at him on her dragon, when she got closer, Todoroki could see her weird grimoire. 'What's up with that? I haven't seen a grimoire like that in all the other mages I met…'.
"Here they come."
Flame Spirit Magic: Salamander's Talon. The dragon's talon blazed aflame, and he was ready to strike, as he did, he sent out three big slashes, which Todoroki blocked with his ice while Vanessa pulled the others out of the way. Todoroki's ice shattered on impact, and he could see that everything that wasn't shielded by him was burned and destroyed behind him.
Surprisingly, Asta managed to sneak up to the girl, and he jumped from an airborne log, slashing at the dragon, wounding him badly. The dragon roared in pain, as flames burst from the slash Asta inflicted on him. As he landed, Shoto could see Asta's clothes caught fire, which he quickly put out.
"Amazing!"
"Man, that was scary! But it's too cool!" Asta said with a starry-eyed look "Man, you're so lucky! I want a Salamander! But that old guy, Vetto, was much faster and had better senses. We can do this!".
"Hey, Asta" Todoroki said "What's up with this girl?"
"Oh, her name's Fana the Hateful or something like that, and she's always talking about killing us." Asta answered. 'Oh'.
"Why did you hurt us?" The girl asked. 'She's definitely not sane, I wonder what got her like this.' Thinking of his own mother, Todoroki felt some compassion for her. "I hate you."
"Okay, time for our counterattack!" Vanessa declared.
"No." Todoroki said, walking up to the girl "Hey, you! Get down from there and we can talk!" he called out to her.
"Wha-"
"What are you saying, Shoto?!" Finral asked.
"No, he's right." Asta said "Let's try and talk this through".
"She's not someone you can just talk to!" Vanessa said.
"Why do you just say you hate us? We've done nothing wrong to you, and neither did the people of the forest." Todoroki said, ignoring Finral and Vanessa, while Asta stuck his swords in the ground, folding his arms across his chest. "If you won 't talk to us, we won't be able to understand each other!"
She opened her mouth, and Shoto felt hopeful for a second, before she spoke "Shut up." She said, her dragon breathing a big wave of fire. But instead of trying to dodge or block the attack, he embraced it, and he could hear everyone calling out his name behind him. 'That's probably how Midoriya would try and solve problems, not with violence. A hero shouldn't choose violence over diplomacy.'.
"Wha-" he heard his friends surprised behind him, and he saw the girl's eyes widen, as the flamed cleared and he and his clothes were unscathed. "Fana, would you mind talking instead of doing this?" he went up into the air with his ice, reaching her dragon's level. She tried blasting him with flames from her hand, but it had no effect. ´I guess I have to thank the old man for that, despite how much I dislike admitting it.'. "Your friend, Vetto, he hated us too. Why can't we just understand each other?" he said, her eyes widening as he stepped onto her dragon's back, and then she froze in place.
"Who. Who would believe you?!" she asked, the purple stone on her forehead cracked, and a third eye appeared in its place, as her eyes turned red. The sky started going dark, what looks like smoke covering it. And then, suddenly crystals erupted from the dragon's back next to her legs. ´Maybe we have something in common that she doesn't realize. She is definitely psychologically traumatized.' Todoroki found a new resolve 'As a hero, how can I leave those that hurt alone?!'. Ice erupted from beneath his feet, blocking the crystals.
"Can you handle all my hatred?" She asked. ´I can't make ice effectively up here, shit!'. Todoroki jumped back on his ice column, and he saw the dragon, well, "evolving". His entire body changed, and he got bigger. The girl formed crystals in midair and Todoroki jumped off the pillar. "Finral!" He called out, and a portal was opened beneath him, sending him to the ground.
"Not only did it get bigger, it's using magic with different attributes?" Vanessa said "Come on, give us a break!"
"Shoto, how are you immune to her fire?!" Asta asked "With your immunity and ice, you could probably fight here off alone! But together, she has no chance!" Asta flashed him a big smile.
"Let the flames of my hatred burn you to ashes!" She said.
"You are welcome to try!" Shoto said, imitating her and setting his left side ablaze.
"Damn it, Shoto! In that case…I'll just have to bring out my special move!" Asta declared as she charged in. but everyone except Shoto was knocked away by the heatwave. "Are you okay?!" Todoroki called out to them.
"Yes…But her insane amount of magic is creating a mana force field. I'm having a hard time manipulating space." Finral said.
"The second I put my magic thread out, it gets burned." Vanessa said "That magic power is ridiculous. And yet Todoroki is withstanding it like it's just a breeze!"
"Die! Why won't you die?!" The girl asked, swooping into another attack, but this time, she didn't go for Todoroki, instead going for his comrades. "Look out!" he cried out.
"Damn it!" Asta said. But they were soon saved by Noelle, who used her water magic to block the incoming dragon Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Cradle! "What are you guys doing?" Noelle asked.
"Noelle!"
"I keep putting out the fires in the forest, but there's no end to it!" Noelle said "I guess I'll have to extinguish…" she paused, looking at the dragon "L-Looks like I'll have to extinguish the source first!"
"Noelle uses water magic." Vanessa said.
"And water can beat fire!" Asta added. 'It's a slim chance with the amount of firepower that girl is putting out…'. And just as he thought, the water of the bubble started boiling and evaporating away. Fire Spirit Magic: Salamander's Talon! The dragon sent out his slashing attack again, destroying Noelle's bubble, and Shoto was relieved seeing them flying away from danger on branches. They were flying away, and Shoto could only hear Asta shouting to encourage Noelle.
He then saw Noelle and Vanessa turn around to come back, flying towards Fana. The dragon prepared to fire, and he could see Noelle prepare her own spell Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Roar! A huge, serpent-looking dragon made out of water shot out of her wand, heading towards Fana. It broke through Fana's attempts to block it, but then she managed to dodge it completely. 'Shit! Just when I thought we had her!'. But to Todoroki's surprise, the dragon turned around, attacking Fana from behind, biting her dragon and taking it away before erupting into steam.
"I'll never forgive you." Fana said, growing more crystals.
"Did you see that, Asta? That's my true power!" Noelle bragged.
"Damn, that was awesome!" Asta replied "That's my comrade! All right!"
"Noelle's attack managed to subdue the Salamander." Finral said "Now's our only chance!"
"All right!" Asta exclaimed "Now it's finally time for my special move!"
"I won't let you" Fana said, creating crystal daggers in the air Mineral Creation Magic: Harpe! The daggers were then launched at Asta and Finral, spinning. "Why?! How is she able to use magic besides flame magic?!" Finral asked while Asta blocked the daggers flying at them "That's so not fair!"
Flame Recovery Magic: Phoenix Robe. Fana was covered in fire, as it healed her wounds. "And she can use recovery magic, too! Damn it!" Finral said.
"Hey, Lady!" Asta called out to Fana "You wouldn't happen to have a brother with a really pale face and spiky hair, would you? He's over on the other side of the forest right now!".
"I don't know anyone like that!" Fana answered "If I have any siblings, they're Licht and the people of the village! Know their grudge against you! I'll massacre every last one of you!"
"Hey, Fana!" Shoto called out to her "You said the people of your village have a grudge against us, so tell us why? I'm not even from this kingdom, there's no way we've met before!"
"I hate you!" She yelled at him, but not firing at him, since she realized it doesn't hurt him.
"That's not what I asked!" Shoto replied, looking up, he saw Vanessa wraps her strings around Asta. 'What are they planning?'. She then picked him up into the air, tying one end of the rope she created to her, and the other to FInral. 'Are they…making a slingshot?'. She then made the strings contract, sending Asta flying. He flew forward, holding both swords in front of him, and destroying the incoming daggers. The dragon dodged him easily, but he just flew into a portal, appearing beneath the dragon and flying towards him again. Even though he breathed flamed on Asta, his swords protected him, as he flew through the flame. "I won't let you kill anyone!" he yelled, before flying straight through Salamander, cutting him in half. Bull Thrust!
The dragon opened his mouth as if he was about to roar in pain, but let out no sound as he disintegrated. "We have you completely surrounded!" Asta declared with a starry-eyed look "So just give up already! Resistance is futile! We don't want to hurt you!". Shoto could see her dragon regenerating behind her "You're still young! You shouldn't just throw your life away! If you do something stupid, your parents and friends back home will be sad!". This seemed to strike a nerve, and Todoroki deliberately avoid mentioning friends or family because he was afraid it will trigger her.
"You filthy humans…Don't you dare speak of my friends!" Fana said, her eyes starting to glow brightly as her dragon's upper body prepared to launch an attack.
"She still has this much magic left?!" Finral asked.
"Oh, damn it!" Asta yelled.
"Asta!" Shoto heard Zell call out, and he looked up, seeing him and a few new faces flying right at them. Fana saw them two, her dragon roared and launched a fireball at Asta's way. "Deflect it over here!" Zell told Asta, and Asta complied, hitting the fireball with his sword and sending it flying at Zell. Zell used his own magic do redirect the fireball, launching it straight at the man behind them. The man screamed for a bit, before falling out of the sky and into the forest.
"Hey! Old Man Zell!" Asta called out to him "What the heck's going on here?! Something just fell!"
"Well done, Asta. I see you've grown even stronger."
"Aw, shucks. It's nothing." Asta rubbed the back of his head "No, wait! Why are you with the pale guy?! He's an enemy!"
"Asta, was it?" The pale guy said "I am not your enemy. Trust me."
"How am I supposed to believe a guy with an evil face like yours?!"
"Don't judge, Asta" Todoroki said, walking up to them.
"And my name is Mars, you shrimp." The pale guy, now known as Mars said.
"Wait, your mouth's nasty now, too!"
"I'll explain everything later." Zell said "For now, I'd like you to trust Mars."
"Well, if you say so."
"Thanks, now… I think Ladros has been taken care of, for now, thanks to Asta." Zell said "So we need to do something about this monster."
"We are trying to talk to her, but she won't listen" Todoroki said.
"Fana!" Mars called out to the woman. 'How does he know her name?'. he then tried to run to her, but he was caught by Asta. "Hey! It's me! It's me! Don't you recognize me?" Marx continuing calling out to her. "H-H-Hey! Wait, wait, wait!" Asta said, holding him "You're going to die, die, die! Were you always like that?!".
"Fana!"
"Mars" Shoto walked up to him "How do you know her? I can go into the flames to talk to her, but you can't, or you'll burn to a crisp".
"Fana! Fana! Fana!"
"Fana? My student Fana?" Zell said in disbelief "After I left, I heard she died in Morris's human experiments."
"Fana!"
"I don't know you!" She said. ´Well, he definitely does.'. her dragon fired a fireball at Mars, but Todoroki sent his ice forward, blocking the attack. 'It's much weaker than before´.
"It really is Fana…" Zell said "But is that transformation magic? No…there'd be no point in that. Or there shouldn't be. The eye is emitting strange power…is it someone's spell? Is the Eye of the Midnight Sun controlling Fana with that eye?"
"What…is this? My head is…" Fana said, clutching her head.
"Fana!"
"Why do all of you insist on getting in my way?" Fana asked "I hate you!"
"Gah! More self-destruct magic?!" Finral said.
"Self-destruct?" Zell asked.
"I won't let her" Shoto said "I'll get close enough to stop her", and then he walked forward, taking the heat in a stride.
"Everything should just…disappear." Fana said, launching fireballs around aimlessly, but one of them was heading for Mars. "Mars, no!" Zell called out, but Mars just stood there, taking the hit straight on.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Asta asked.
"Block it with your magic!" Zell said.
"Master, I have no right to block it!" Mars replied "I killed Fana! I can't-" he was interrupted when Todoroki threw up an ice wall in front of him. "If you die right now, you'll take her memories with you." Todoroki said "But if you want to save her, then help us out.".
"Neither Finral's spatial magic nor my thread magic work against those flames." Vanessa said "and if we agitate it with Noelle's water magic, it might explode immediately!".
"All right, let's do this!" Asta said.
"This time…"
"I'm not…"
"Letting anyone die!"
Both Mars and Asta began to make their way towards Fana, joining Todoroki. "Stay away from me!" Fana said. Shooting out consecutive fireballs. Mineral Creation Magic: Laevateinn! Mars created a giant sword, and it slashed through the fireballs with ease. As for Todoroki, he just needed to create small bursts of ice to absorb the impact, the heat didn't bother him. But looking back, Todoroki could see their clothes catching fire, and skin smoking. "Turn back now! You can't stand the heat!" Todoroki called out to them. Flame Recovery Magic: Phoenix Robe. Mars coated the both of them in fire, healing them and preventing the fire from burning them to a crisp. "I am impressed you can withstand it" Mars told him "But we won't stop either.".
"This pain can't even begin to compare to Fana's!" Mars said, as he and Asta edged forward slowly. As Todoroki reached her, something changed, and he heard Mars call out her name. "It's all over." Fana declared.
"No…Not yet!" Asta charged forward with all the power he had left, bringing his sword down on the spell incasing Fana, and it split apart, disappearing. Fana fell to the ground.
"Finally, it's gone" Asta said.
"It is not gone." Fana said, reigniting her magic "Our hatred will never go away!". ´After all of this? So anticlimactic.'. Todoroki quickly erected ice wall all around her, but soon was pushed out of the way by Mars, who ran up to her, embracing her. "Fana, it's me! It's me! I'm really, truly sorry! Back then, I didn't have the strength to fight alongside you! Please forgive me!".
For a second, there was just silence. And then Fana cried out, as if she was in agony. "We've met in the outside world," Mars said "But nothing's started yet! Let's…let's go see the outside world together!" after that, Fana's flames grew even bigger. 'If his magic runs out, he'll instantly be burned to crisp. I hope he hasn't lost his mind.'. and then, the flames disappeared, and the dark clouds started to clear. Todoroki smiled a little as the sun was again shining on him.
"Okay" Fana said quietly "It's a promise, Mars."
"Yeah, Fana." Mars replied, tears of joy streaming down his face, as he pulled her into an embrace again.
"Thank goodness…" Vanessa said.
Todoroki sat on a log, using his ice to cool himself down. 'I nearly hit my limit there, too. Well, I need to train the Old man's quirk more, after all' Todoroki looked at the embracing couple ´A hero needs to give it his all.'.
"All right!" Asta called out.
"Asta. I couldn't have done it without you." Mars said, turning to Shoto "And you, thank you for snapping me out of it. I really appreciate it."
"Are they your friends, Mars?" Fana asked, coming up behind Mars "Wow! So you made friends in the outside world!"
"No, I wouldn't say they're-" Mars said, but was cut off by Asta "Yeah, we're totally his friends! Right, Shoto?".
"Yes" Shoto said "I'm glad you calmed down, too.".
Asta opened his mouth to say something, but Noelle, Finral, and Vanessa all started beating him. "You stupid dummy! Why do you have to do such drastic things every single time?!" Noelle asked. "Were you born just to try to kill yourself?!" Finral said. "You barely have any clothes on!" Vanessa said, pointing out the obvious. "Actually, Shoto, how come your clothes aren't even scorched?!" Vanessa asked. But Shoto simply answered "They're fireproof.". behind them, Zell embraced both Mars and Fana. "I'm so glad you're both alive." He said.
They then tried to see if Fana remembered anything about her time in the Eye of the Midnight Sun, every piece of information could be valuable. "So you barely remember anything?" Asta asked after Fana said she couldn't remember.
"Yes." Fana said "After the final training, I…". she told them what happened after that "Final training" and how she met Licht. "I don't have any memories after that. It felt as though someone else entered my body. Like I was being controlled. All I remember is that person's fierce hatred.".
"What about the third eye and pointy ears you had?" Asta questioned.
"I'm really sorry. I don't know anything about them."
"You went through all that…" Mars said "I had no idea, and I…"
"Mars, you don't need to feel bad about anything." Fana reassured him "I mean, we got to meet again."
"Right. I'll never let you go again." He said.
"Yeah…Let's stay together forever."
"Y-Yeah…"
"My, my! Aren't things heating up over there?" Vanessa said "He's stiffened up as hard as a chunk of ore. How adorable."
"Please don't say that, Vanessa" Todoroki replied.
"Childhood friends tragically torn apart and reunited by destiny…" Finral said with tears in his eyes "That's really great!"
"What's the matter, Finral?" Asta asked.
"I'm jealous and envious and bummed out!"
"Huh? You don't have any childhood friends?" Asta asked.
"No! I don't have any cute childhood friends like that!" Finral replied "Nope! Nope! Nope! Not one, damn it!"
"Just so you know, I'm not jealous!" Noelle chimed in, slapping Asta out of nowhere.
"Why did I just get slapped?!"
"I'm royalty!" Noelle replied.
"Anyway, why did the Eye of the Midnight Sun come to the Witches' Forest?" Vanessa asked.
"I still feel a strong desire in my head to retrieve the magic stone." Fana said, clutching her head.
"So that means there's a magic stone in this forest?" Vanessa asked.
"Let's hurry and go see the Queen of the Witches!" Noelle said.
"No, before that, we need to save Domina, Mariella, and the wounded witches." Zell said. They then heard an ominous sound, and they saw something approaching from the forest. "Impossible! His magical power should be gone…" Zell said in disbelief, before beams of light pierced the tree canopy, heading in all directions. "Everyone, run!". One of the beams came straight at them, hitting Shoto and knocking him behind the tree line, and into the forest. "Shoto!" he heard his friends call out, as his vision slowly went black.
When he woke up, he saw he was in what looked like an endless, black space. When he got up, he saw there was one source of light in the whole place, turning towards it. He saw that man's back, aflame, like always. Todoroki walked up to him, and when he was close, a voice broke the silence. "What are you doing?" he asked, not turning around. "You let your guard down. How are you going to become a hero that surpasses all might if you're this pathetic?", Todoroki grit his teeth, opening his mouth to speak up, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Shoto, I hope you're not going to die here." A voice said behind him. Turning his head around, he saw his father again, this time he was looking at him, a scar on his left eye. "If you are, how could I ever repent?" Endeavor had a slight smile on his face, something Shoto didn't even think he could do. "Now, get up." He said, his voice stern and his face stoic "You're strong Shoto, you're my boy, so now, wake up!".
Shoto opened his eyes, hearing an explosion. 'They might be in trouble, I must hurry.' Todoroki got up, noticing blood was running down his face from a wound on his forehead. As he got back to the clearing, he saw Asta fall down on his back, his shoulder smoking. And then, he heard a maniacal laugh "I've obtained the ultimate power! If I use this, the other Eight Shining Generals don't stand a chance! Forget them! I can take over the whole Kingdom!" A blond man said, standing in the clearing, surrounded by a red aura "I'll murder everyone who ever looked down on me! But before that, I guess I'd better finish you off." He fired a red beam at Asta, but the attack was blocked by Todoroki, who erected an ice wall in front of Asta.
"Huh?!" The blond man said, noticing Shoto.
"What do you think you're doing?" Shoto asked calmly, but his blood boiled.
"Sh-Shoto?" Asta asked from the ground before passing out.
"I'll ask you again" Shot said, flames flaring from his left side, and ice gathering under his feet "What do you think you're doing to my friends?!"
The blond man laughed "This power makes me invincible! I'll crush you under my boot like an ant!" before he even finished the sentence, Todoroki sent a wall of flames his way. "Ha! Do you mean to feed me with even more power?! Come on, then!" he said, welcoming Todoroki's fire, and then, the screams came. The man screamed in agony "Why?!" he got on the ground to extinguish his clothes which caught fire "Why can't I eat it?!".
"How…" he heard Zell ask in disbelief.
"Now, begone from my sight, villain" Todoroki said, launching a giant ice barrage his way, completely encasing the blond man as the ice just kept on coming. For a second, silence fell on the clearing, and then, an explosion blew away the ice. "Ouch. If I hadn't had that fire magic, I would've been frozen solid." The blond man said "What is wrong with your power?". He pointed his hands at Shoto, firing beams at him, which Shoto block by erecting another ice wall. He then heard a noise behind him, and from the corner of his eye, he saw Asta get up. Well, it wasn't exactly Asta. ´What is that black stuff on him? Is that the anti-magic his swords use?'.
"Shoto…" Asta said "Thank you".
"Later, let's take him out first." Shoto answered, not turning his head from the blond man.
"Yes, sir!" Asta said, charging forward at an incredible strength. 'Wow, talk about a power-up.'. Asta and the Blond man started fighting each other, flying around the forest, with the blond man outpacing Asta and firing more shots at him. 'Even though he can't catch up, it's as if he's homing on that man. If I could just slow him down for him…'. As if by chance, he saw the blond man and Asta flying back towards the clearing. ´There's my chance, I can't miss now!'. Todoroki timed his attack, releasing the biggest ice barrage he could Heaven Piercing Ice Wall! The giant glacier encased the Blond man, allowing Asta to reach him. And then, when the man let out an explosion of magic to escape, it was too late for him, as Asta close in fast Black Meteorite! He hit the blond man with his jet black sword, and the man fell to the ground.
Todoroki's right side was covered in frost, and he turned on his flames to counteract the effect. Seeing Asta land in the clearing, he started walking towards him.
"Kill me. I'm ready." The blond man said, lying on his back. For a moment, Asta just stood there in silence, before bursting out "Like hell I'd kill you!" he said "Right now, I'm gonna go rescue all the people you hurt! Hurry up and heal so you can come help me! Then you can apologize to them all!". 'I swear, this kid is more naïve than Midoriya…'. "You're all wrinkly and bloody now, but I'm not letting you off the hook, you jerk!" Asta said, prompting a laugh from the blond guy. "What the hell?! Are you okay?".
"Yeah…I can't beat that." The blond said "I feel much better now.".
"Uh, did your personality just change?" Asta asked.
"Well, the mage stones broke, so my head feels a bit lighter." The blond replied "Good grief…"
"You sure you're okay?" Asta asked, skeptical "You sure you didn't go crazy? Hey, did you fall asleep? Hey, come on! Are you listening to me?". Todoroki gave a little smile at Asta's show of kindness, and the black stuff on Asta disappeared. As if only now realizing he was hurt, Asta started jerking around "I'm bleeding so much! Oh, crap! I'm dying! Someone please save me!". Todoroki karate chopped his head. "No you're not. Quiet down.". he then looked around, realizing everyone else was down. "No one's okay at all!". He then sprinted over to Mars and Fana, ignoring Shoto. "Hey, you two! You guys can use recovery magic, right?!" Asta asked, trying to wake them up "Do something-wait, are you guys even alive?!". He then saw Fana moving a little bit "Oh, good! You're alive! But you're totally not waking up!".
"Sorry, Mars. Am I too heavy?" Fana asked, ignoring Asta.
"No…you're actually kind of warm, and it feels nice." Mars answered.
"You've seriously changed, dude!" Asta said, turning around.
"Oh, Mars…"
"You're ignoring me?!" Asta asked "Damn it! I'm gonna have to carry you all with me!" he declared, psyching himself up "I'll make as many trips as I need to make! Bring it!.
"There's no need for that." Todoroki heard the voice of the Witch Queen, looking up, he saw craws gathering around the clearing, blotting out the sun. they then headed for the clearing, and they dispersed, the Witch Queen appearing in their place.
"The Queen of Witches!" Asta said "We took down the Eye of the Midnight Sun and the guys from the Diamond Kingdom! That means I paid you back for fixing my arms!".
"I didn't even need to go into battle." She said "It was far from perfect, but well done nonetheless."
"Nah, it was nothing!" Asta said, rubbing the back of his head "Oh, hey, so…While we're at it…Do you think maybe you could heal everyone here?"
Asta's request was followed by an awkward silence, which the Queen broke "Ah, that won't be necessary." She stretched her hand out, and suddenly the clearing was filled with a red liquid. 'Is that blood?'. Todoroki's instincts saved him, as he elevated himself on a pillar of ice, avoiding the red pool. It didn't help much, as red geysers started erupting from the red pool, completely submerging everyone. When the geysers disappeared, everyone but Asta was mounted on red crosses. Blood Creation Magic: Fresh Blood Execution Ground. ´That doesn't sound ominous at all.' Todoroki looked at all his comrades, mounted on crosses throughout the pool. 'Some of them are unconscious, and the others are probably restricted from using their magic. But I bet she didn't prepare against quirks…' Todoroki stopped struggling, waiting for an opportunity.
"You just showed up outta nowhere, and now what the hell are you do-" Asta turned around, suddenly stopping to talk. He then started clutching himself, letting out screams of agony.
"Controlling blood. That is my magic." The queen spoke "Ever since I cast that spell on you, I've been able to manipulate your blood as I please." Thin streams of blood were now connected to Asta's body as he cried out in pain. "I am a queen." She said as Asta collapsed "Why would I bother granting a wish for the likes of you?" Asta's grimoire opened on its own "You are the one who will bend to my will." Asta got up, taking his sword out of the grimoire. Blood Magic: Puppet's blood. The thin vein-looking threads disappeared, and Asta stood up, looking like, well, a puppet on strings, his body limp and moving in an unnatural manner, and Vanessa and Noelle called out his name. "That being said, I can't have you die on me." The queen said "I shall heal you, at least.". Blood Recovery Magic: Curse-Breaking Blood-Filled Cocoon. Thin threads of blood came out her finger, latching on to Asta and lifting him into the air, forming the same red sphere around him as earlier. "Stay with me, and you can rampage all you like." She told him. ´I need to help him, but as long as he is not in imminent danger, I don't wanna waste a trump card she won't expect…'. "If I cannot hold the anti-magic sword in my own hand, I just need to control someone who can" The queen said. 'What is wrong with her?! Are humans just expendable puppets for her?'.
"I've observed how you use it." The queen said "From now on, you'll spend your life in my employ, working as my blade." The red sphere turned black, ominous energy emanating from it, creating destructive trails in the red blood pool. And then, out the black sphere, came Asta, covered in the black stuff again. ´So she only wanted to harness Asta's anti-magic power for her own gain?'.
"Now, for your first task…" The Witch queen said "I shall force you to kill everyone here with your own two hands.". 'He would never…' Asta then growled like an animal, he then started walking, heading for his friends, ignoring Todoroki who was on the sidelines. 'Asta…' Todoroki gave the queen a dark look, before shifting his look back to Asta ´According to Domina, the queen is extremely powerful, and I have yet to see her fighting capabilities, on top of that she's controlling Asta. If I engage them straight on, the odds won't be in my favor…'. "Asta, stop!" he heard Vanessa calling out to him, but she was totally ignored.
"Asta!" Zell called out. ´Should I launch an attack? I can probably get in if I launch a surprise attack, but the queen would get in the way…'.
"Now, then… Which one of you shall I kill first?" the Witch Queen mused. "I know. I'll start with you, little royal.". ´Little royal? Does she mean Noelle? Shit'. "Go." She instructed Asta, and he obediently started walking towards Noelle.
"Stop!" Vanessa cried out.
"No! Wake up!" Zell said "Snap out of it, Asta!". But their words fell on deaf ears. "It's no use. He can't hear us."
Meanwhile, Todoroki started slowly and carefully freezing the cross the was binding him, as to not alert the queen. ´Come on! Come on!'. "Asta, stop! Don't you recognize me?" Noelle asked.
"It must be fate…" The witch queen said, completely cold "To think that a royal of the clover kingdom shall die by his sword.". Asta raised his jet black sword, ready to strike. 'Come on! Come on!' Todoroki then realized something 'I won't make it in time…' his quirk calmed down, almost coming to halt. As he looked on at the scene, he heard Noelle plead again "Asta, wake up!".
"This is farewell." The queen announced, and despite the desperate screams of his friends, he brought his sword down. But to everyone's surprise, the sword halted right before hitting Noelle, Asta fighting to stop his body. "I won't let you kill me." Noelle said "Just you wait!". 'Why is she taunting her?!'. "I'll shake this flimsy spell off right this instant!" she said, struggling against her binds "These stupid things!".
"Puppet's Blood binds itself with the blood in your body and takes hold." The Witch Queen said "no matter how much you struggle, you will never undo it. That goes for you as well, even if you don't have any magic. You are stubborn. However…" Asta's body kept advancing, even though he struggled.
"Please! Make him stop!" Vanessa pleaded with the queen "I swear that I'll never leave this forest again! I'll never disobey you again…so please…"
"No" The queen replied, "I will kill them here, perfectly, to keep you from having any more foolish notions ever again.". Todoroki got back to freezing his restraints, trying to use the time he's been given. "My divinations told me, Vanessa will summon what you want and return to the forest alive someday. That is why I didn't search very hard for you." The queen explained "Granted, I didn't think that what I wanted would be a human with anti-magic swords. But what did you gain by going outside? You formed trivial bonds with imperfect fools, and as a result, you only brought about their deaths. You cannot escape me. You cannot sever this bond. After all, you are my daughter. My family.".
"Hey, woman" Todoroki said "How dare you call yourself Vanessa's mother? Parents like you…" and the image of his father flashed through his mind, but he got rid of it quickly 'I promised…'. "Are not worth calling parents…".
This caught the Witch Queen's attention. "How dare you speak to me so casually?" she gave him a cold look "What do you know about me? You imperfect brat?" she got closer to him, inspecting his scar. "who gave you this?".
Todoroki stayed silent for a second 'If I can delay Noelle's death even a few seconds…'. He took in a large breath, before giving his answer "My mother." He said, looking at the queen with an equally cold look. "Oh, you must've had some really imperfect parents." The queen said, pondering for a bit "Actually, I wonder…" she inspected him a bit "Watching your battle with the Eye of the Midnight Sun, I couldn't help but notice the fire didn't seem to hurt you. You wouldn't mind telling me how?".
Todoroki shot another look at the struggling Asta behind him. "My father…Is a man of fire. That's all I'm telling you." Todoroki maintained a cold expression.
"Oh, how interesting." A thoughtful expression appearing on her face "You don't have to tell me. I'll get it out of you later." She floated away from him, turning back towards Asta. "Do it." She instructed Asta's body.
"You're not my family…" Vanessa said, tears streaming down her face "The Black Bulls are! And right now, that family is about to be taken from me, right before my eyes! If I can't stop this, why do I even exist?!" her grimoire opened, floating beside her "Please! If I truly have this power…My magic, I implore you…" the pages flipped rapidly "Change destiny!". Strings appeared out of nowhere, weaving themselves into the shape of a small, red cat, which landed on Vanessa's head.
"The red thread…of fate." The Witch Queen said in disbelief "Is that what this is?". The cat then meowed, jumping to the ground, and started rolling around. "Well, then… Let us find out." The queen said, forcing Asta to strike down at Noelle.
"NO!" Vanessa cried out, and the red cat jumped onto Asta's shoulder.
"Rue your sin in having underestimated the Queen of Witches." The queen said, and Asta struck, but missed, hitting the crosses right beneath Noelle's legs. ´There's your opening! Don't you dare miss it!'. Todoroki broke out of his now frozen binds, landing on the ground. ´There's no reason to hold back, the cat's out of the bag now.'. As soon as his feet touched the ground, frost gathered beneath them, and in the blink on an eye, an ice barrage headed Asta's way, binding him up to the chest, leaving his sword arm free.
"Wha-" the queen uttered out, seeing frost spread to the entire red pool, she looked over to Shoto.
"What do you think you're doing?" Shoto asked, his ice spreading to the entire pull, covering it in frost. She summoned Asta over, but to her surprise, his sword didn't negate his ice, forcing Asta to shatter all the ice binding him to get himself free.
"What…" The queen said, completely shocked "Why can't he erase your ice?". By now, Asta freed himself, and ran towards Todoroki, slower than the usual Asta. ´I've seen through it…whenever the cat touched Asta, he completely missed Noelle, and it's too unnatural...if she sees she can't hurt us, maybe she'll yield.' Shoto did nothing as Asta raised his sword.
"No! Don't do it!" Vanessa cried out, and the cat touched Asta's arm. Shoto smiled when Asta brought his sword down, barely grazing Shoto's left arm. The cat then touched his leg, and Asta struck himself in the head with his sword's handguard, and red threads ejected from his body.
The witch Queen let out a little chuckle "So you've awakened. Well done, Vanessa. I've been waiting for this moment. I've waited so, so long." Blood Magic: Puppet's blood!. "Now both you and your magic belong to me. That power best suits me because I am perfect." Hearing Vanessa's screams of pain, Shoto couldn't really imagine how this insane woman is perfect. "Now, fate, align yourself with me!" she created a big, blood-red scythe. But to her surprise, the cat jumped, touching her head, and her magic became undone, Asta falling unconscious beside Shoto.
"Darling!" he heard a woman cry out. Turning around, he saw Domina and Mariella coming their way.
"Impossible." The Witch Queen said, doubling over on the ground "Impossible. Impossible!". 'Despite what she said, I think I know what kind of parent she is now. She's like him…'.
The cat jumped on Vanessa's shoulder "So this is the power to control destiny that you were talking about. I don't know much about this power yet, but there is one thing I do know. The magic only takes the side of myself and those I have a family bond with. You and I have no bond."
The Witch Queen got up "Do as you wish. You have utterly defeated me.".
Todoroki stepped up to the two. 'If we can mend our broken bonds…' Todoroki looked at his left hand 'then maybe they can as well.'. "I want to say something." Shoto said, catching the attention of the two women. "Vanessa, I…I want you to forgive your mother.".
"How could you say something like that, after she tried to kill you?!" Vanessa said in shock, turning to look at the queen "Are you controlling him somehow?".
"N-No…"
"You said you didn't know what I was talking about earlier… but I know exactly what you were like" Shoto said, ´I'll keep this as vague as I can, after all, I 'lost my memory…'.'. "My father… had incredible power, but he always sought to surpass the one man that stood above him…as a backup plan, he…" Created" me and my siblings, in order to harness our power and achieve what he could never achieve on his own. And in his quest, he lost the side of what was right and wrong… he neglected my siblings, and drove my mother mad" Todoroki put a hand over his scar "He trained me since I was five. I had no friends, hell, I barely knew my siblings…"
"Shoto, I-I'm sorry, I didn 't know-" Vanessa said, but Shoto cut her off. "That's not where this story ends. After he finally came to his senses, he knew what he'd done was unforgivable, but still, he sought to mend back together his broken family…". He remembered his father's promise "I'll become a hero that you can be proud of…' and he smiled a little "…And that's why I decided to try, too. So Vanessa…Please, try too." Todoroki finished "And that stays between us here. Don't you dare tell someone, after I opened my heart like that…".
"Shoto, was it?" The Witch Queen said "I, well, you have my thanks, boy." He nodded "Let this be a step back towards the right, then". Blood Recovery Magic: Curse-Breaking Blood-Field Cocoon. She sent her healing magic over the entire forest, healing everyone. After her spell was done, the Witch Queen started to walk away, not making another sound.
"Vanessa" Todoroki said "Don't forget what I told you. And never tell anyone" he walked away solemnly to help Asta up, as Noelle came up and embraced her.
As Shoto helped him up, Asta started looking at his body, seemingly confused at something, and then started working out "Woohoo! It doesn't hurt! It doesn't hurt at all! Actually, I feel as light as a feather!".
"The moment he gets back on his feet…" Vanessa said "Talk about energetic."
"Hey, stupidsta! You're practically naked!" Noelle said, a slight blush.
"So what?" Todoroki said, a stoic expression back on his face.
"What do you mean?!" Noelle exclaimed, suddenly flustered.
"Maybe he took after you, Master." Mariella said.
"What?"
'But just look at me now, Noelle!" Asta said, flexing his muscles "As soon as I was healed, I felt like my muscles were even more powerful!"
At this, Noelle's whole face became as red as a tomato, and she slapped him away "Stupidsta!".
"Actually, Shoto" Noelle asked, catching everyone's attention "What was that about a "Man of Fire"?". 'Crap! I didn't think the other heard.'. "You said that was how you didn't get burned by Fana's fire.". Hearing that, Mars pulled Fana closer to him, as if to reassure her.
Todoroki rubbed the back of his head. 'Everyone's intrigued now…' Todoroki took in a deep breath, giving Vanessa a look. "I don't remember much…but… I do know that I can 't get burned because my father is a man of fire. Sorry, that's all I can remember.".
"A man of fire? I wonder what that means…" Asta mused "Maybe the Wizard King knows what that is? He knows a lot about magic, so I'll be sure to ask the name time I get to see him.". and after that, they went towards the Witch Queen's mansion.
"The Eye of the Midnight Sun was apparently looking for a magic stone that's in this forest." Zell told the queen "Do you know anything about that?".
"I would assume the magic stone you speak of is this." She replied, taking off her earing, which was a purple gem "I have no need of it. You may have it." She threw it to Asta.
"Whoa, thank you!" Asta said "Hey, it seemed like the Eye of the Midnight Sun wanted this. Do you have any idea why? Actually, who the heck are they, anyway?".
"That magic stone is a magical item that heightens the wearer's powers, but only those of the elf tribe are truly able to use it." The Witch Queen answered.
"Elves?"
"The elves possessed great power. They lived in what is now called the Forsaken Realm several centuries ago." The queen explained "Each individual elf had an extraordinary amount of magical power. Many of them were equal to me. But…The humans outnumbered them, and when they fought them, the elves were annihilated. That Fana girl's third eye…That is forbidden magic. But that girl wasn't the one who activated that spell. It was someone else. Ordinary humans are unable to meddle with forbidden magic."
"I-I'm so completely lost." Asta said.
"Activating a forbidden spell requires a tremendous amount of mana and some sort of sacrifice." The Witch Queen continued "The ancient demon was also a top-level forbidden spell activated by the leader of the elf clan. It could be that the Eye of the Midnight Sun are descendants of the elves."
"It couldn't be." Noelle said "Are you telling me the evil monsters from the picture book my nanny read to me as a child were actually elves?"
"And Asta, the two swords you bear…" The queen said "they are the ruined remains of the magic swords used by the elves' leader."
"What does that mean?!"
"If you continue to fight them, that mystery should also be resolved eventually."
"Oh, I have another question" Asta spoke up "Do you know what is a "Man of Fire"?".
The Queen gave Shoto a quick look before looking back at Asta "No, this is a mystery to me as well."
After that, they went back outside to depart, and say goodbye. "So you're really going back to the Diamond Kingdom?" Asta asked.
"Yeah" Mars answered "The Queen of Witches sealed the effects of Puppet's Blood into this medicine." He presented them a vial "I'll pass it off as some longevity drug and give it to the king, and put an end to Morris's plans. And I'll remake the Diamond Kingdom into a peaceful nation."
"I decided that I'll help Mars out." The blond guy, Ladros, said "That seems like the quickest way to get into the top ranks of the Diamond Kingdom."
"Uh, can we trust this guy?" Finral whispered.
"We'll keep Fana with us." Zell said "Mars, Ladros, don't push yourself too hard."
"I'll do my best to make sure she doesn't have to see Master naked." Mariella said.
"Fana, I'm sorry. Please wait until I've changed the country" Mars said "I swear that I'll make the Diamond Kingdom the sort of place you can return to."
Fana went up to him, embracing him. "I'll wait as long as it takes! Once the Diamond Kingdom is peaceful, let's go see the world together!".
"Of course!" Mars replied "Asta. You called me a friend. If you run into trouble, I'll come help you at any time, no matter where you are. The same goes for you, Shoto. That's what friends are for, right?".
"Right." Asta replied, putting his hand against Mars' hand "If you ever need any help, let me know! I'll blast my way right into the Diamond Kingdom!". After that, it was just small talk that was easily pushed aside by Shoto's thought, as he looked up at the sky. ´Father, I'm sure we'll see each other soon, so, until then, keep an eye on mother for me.'.
"Sorry to keep you waiting" Vanessa called out to them, flying overhead "Have you finished your goodbyes? Let's get the heck out of this creepy forest."
"Vanessa" Shoto said, but didn't add anything else, his look was enough.
"I'll think about it." She replied.
"Aw, man…I didn't have a chance to get close to any of the witchies." Finral said. And after laughing for a bit, they flew back home.
Yami's P.O.V
"Captain Yami! My arms area fixed!" Asta told him with his starry-eyed look, lifting his arms up as evidence. "Thanks to everyone, I'm healed!"
"I'm going to bad" Shoto said, going off to his room.
"Oh, cool." Yami said, looking away from his newspaper "What's wrong with half-n-half?".
"He had…" Vanessa looked at Shoto as he walked away "quite a day."
"I see. Why are you half naked?" Yami asked.
"What?! That's it?!" Asta said "Captain Yami! We found a magic stone!"
"For real?!" Yami asked, suddenly interested "All right, kid. Here's your first mission since getting your arms fixed." Yami lifted Asta by the head "Go get me some booze!"
"Huh?" Asta said "Fine! I'll go at maximum speed!" Asta then remembered something. "Yami…do you know anything about a "Man of Fire"?".
"Huh?" Yami asked in confusion "What're you talking about?"
"Shoto said earlier in the forest that he remembered something, he said that he remembers his father is a "Man of Fire". So I thought maybe you'd know."
"I see." Yami said "I have no idea what you're talking about." At least that what he said, but in his mind, he could see the image of the burning man Marx had shown them from the boys' memory. ´Could it be? I'll have to inform Julius later…'.
I hope you enjoyed!