How we ended up in a magical new world!

by Milqy

After fighting a warp villain, Midoriya and Bakugo end up in a magical new world. how will they fare in this new world? and will they ever make it back home? read to find out! Bad summary and picture is not mine. rated M for language. *on hiatus until the Black Clover anime continues*

9. Achievements

(A/N): criticism and reviews are appreciated!

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Chapter 9: Achievements

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Yami's P.O.V

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"My lot got this from the old hag in the Witches' Forest." Yami said, placing the purple stone on Julius' desk.

"They defeated the Diamond Kingdom's forces and the Eye of the Midnight Sun." Julius replied "I heard the Black Bulls did an excellent job again. I thank you all."

"Thanks. But nothing's going to get started if we don't get any stars." Yami said "You know, stars. Lotsa stars. Even though our resident hothead is working his ass off, he won't get us out of the hole in time."

"Now, then…" Julius coughed "I've received quite a bit of information, both good and bad. The good news is we should be able to find the Eye of the Midnight Sun's hideout."

"Oh? That sure is good news." Yami said, "So what's the bad news?"

"It appears they're finally going to make their move." Julius said, looking towards the window "Looks like there's going to be another battle."

"Oh, Julius." Yami said, remembering something "Before I forget, I may have gotten intel on our other situation." This caught both Julius' and Marx' attention "One on my rookies remembered something, the others said he didn't get by the Eye of the Midnight Sun's fire magic, and he said it's because his father is." Yami exhaled some smoke "A man of fire. Ring any bells?". It looked as though both Marx and Julius had the same idea as Yami.

And with that, he left the Wizard King's office, heading home to the base.

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The next day

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"All right, all eyes up here." Yami called out to his squadmates, walking into the lounge. Yami exhaled some smoke, before speaking again "So, yeah, there's a festival happening.".

"A festival?"

"Captain Yami!" Asta exclaimed, "What's this festival all about?!".

"To put it simply, it's a friggin' awesome festival!" Magna said, "Understand now?".

"I see!" Asta said, "Or not at all!"

"That was a bit too simple." Noelle said, "Finral, explain this festival in more detail."

"Huh? U-Uh, sure…" Finral replied "As you all know, the Wizard King awards stars to Magic Knights squads to recognize their achievements. All the squads compete to see who can get the most stars. Then they announced the number of stars won in a year and determine the top squad for that year. That's what this festival is."

"Heck yeah! Let's shoot for number one!" Asta said, suddenly excited.

"Considering how much trouble our squad causes each year, I'm sure we're always fighting for last place.".

"Nope!" Yami said, "we're dead last, without contest. I mean, we're the only squad in negative."

"Not this year, muscle head." Katsuki announced, "Finally I'll rub my superiority in those stuck up nobles' faces.".

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Yami asked, but this time, he decided to not grab him by the head. ´The kid deserves it… but still…'.

"Also, this festival is held in full view of the public, and is the biggest, most-loved festival of the year." Finral added.

"And it's called…" Yami said "…The star festival!" everyone clapped their hands at Yami's display. "Whoo! Mister Yami!".

"He's really into this! Captain Yami is surprisingly into this!" Asta said.

"right. I can never get into this stupid festival, but let's go." Yami said.

"Captain Yami, maybe it's because how you're dressed" Momo suggested.

"Yami," Izuku asked, standing next to the stoic Shoto "What exactly do we do there?".

"Have fun." Yami said, intimidating Izuku with a dark look.

"I'll go with you too, Mister Yami!" Magna announced, standing next to Katsuki.

Luck, Finral, Asta and Magna then starting chanting "Festival! Festival! Festival! Festival!" as they followed Yami, pissing off Katsuki easily.

"Oh, sorry to interrupt, but Finral…" Asta said, stopping the Chant "There are some people I'd like you to bring with us.".

After which they departed for the castle city through one of Finral's portals. Arriving at the busy streets, the smells and noises attracted Yami's attention ´Damn I love this festival! I wonder where the scrawny bastard's at…'. "This is awesome!" Asta exclaimed. Yami then turned towards his subordinates, a big smile on his face "All right! Go live it up, you dumbasses! There's still time before they announce the rankings!". After that, his squadmates started dispersing, going else.

"Woohoo! I'm drinking tonight!" Vanessa exclaimed, running elsewhere.

"La! Noms" Charmy said, running in the same direction.

"What do you say, Todoroki? Maybe we can find a good food stand." Momo said, dragging a reluctant Todoroki after her.

"I'm gonna go get some food, too." Magna said.

"I wonder what I should get for Marie."

"I wonder if there's anyone strong around." Luck said, scouting the crowd.

"Hey, Izuku!" a blond kid said, waving at Izuku.

"Jesse!" Izuku replied, going to greet the kid as Yami began to walk away. Noelle and Asta going elsewhere.

"Hey, muscle head, wait up!" Katsuki called out, catching up to Yami "I'm coming with you!".

"What did you not understand by "Go live it up"?" Yami said, shooting Katsuki a look. But Katsuki didn't answer, still walking next to Yami. 'Maybe he can be of some use after all…'.

"So, muscle head, what are we doing?" Katsuki asked.

"We are going to settle between me and the captain of the green praying mantis" Yami said.

Katsuki slammed his fist into his open palm, letting out a little explosion "Finally! A festival with a legal deathmatch!".

"Nope." Yami said, exhaling some smoke, he turned his face to the surprised hothead "This is much harder, and that's why we have yet to settle our score…" he saw Katsuki's hopes get up "This, is a food battle!"

"huh?" Katsuki asked, confused as he and Yami approached a place with food vendors. Yami then froze in place. 'There he is…The scrawny bastard…'. "I've been wanting to settle the score with you for a long time…" Jack said "Your food stall and my food stall…Let's see who sells the most!" he removed his robe, revealing an apron underneath, with a green mantis on top of it "It's on!"."Bring it! There's no way I'm gonna lose!" Yami said.

"You grandpa-faced fisherman!" Jack said, "If you lose, I'll flay you alive!".

"Bring it on, you giant string bean!" Yami retorted "If you lose, I'll make you wipe my ass!"

"It's on! I ain't gonna lose!"

"No matter what…I'm gonna win!" Yami said, "Come on, hothead, you're going to help me.". he then noticed Asta standing behind him. 'The shrimp's here too? Good.'. "Hey, Kid." Yami said, going over to Asta "Come and help me over here.".

"Help you, Captain Yami?" Asta asked, "Oh, Katsuki, you're here too?".

"Get up and come over to help." Yami said, and Asta and a reluctant Katsuki came with him to help him set up his food stand, after which he handed both boys blue robes similar to his. "Put this on.". Asta quickly started taking off his shirt and jacket, putting on the robe on his bare chest, showcasing his muscles. "You too, dumbass" Yami told Bakugo, and the kid reluctantly put it over his black tank top.

"Kid, you will bring in costumers." Yami told Asta, and he then turned to Bakugo "You, help me in the kitchen" he said, handing Katsuki a white band, which he promptly tied around his forehead. After cooking some of the squids, he handed them to Asta "Go, kid.".

"Everyone, come try out Captain Yami's yummy-I mean, Yami-grilled squid!" Asta said, offering grilled squid to passersby.

"Bah-ha! Bha-ha! Bha-ha!" Yami heard a voice coming over from Jack's stand "Captain Jack's meat dishes are the best! You only need one bite to feel satisfied!" It's piping hot! Your mouth can't help but go bah-ha, bah-ha, bah-ha!" looking over at Jack's stand, he saw that Jack had three kids helping him. 'That bastard! I should have brought some of my guys over as well.'.

"You mean they'll be going aph, aph, aphew! That's hot!"

"your heart and stomach will feel phat and content!"

"No shit." Jack said, using his magic blades to slice some meat off of a bigger piece, and onto a plate.

"What the hell, kid? Where are all our costumers?" Yami asked Asta.

"If you don't get us some customers, I'll kill you." Katsuki said, turning away from the grill, small explosions popping in his palm, and Yami gave Asta a killer look "same here."

"Y-Yes, sir!" Asta said, turning back towards the people roaming the festival "Mister, how about a squidtastic squid?".

Seeing this, Jack spoke to his subordinates "Newbie! If you don't get me more costumers, I'm gonna slice you up.".

"B-Bah-ha?!" the weird speech kid, said "I promise he's not scary, everyone! Please buy some, Bah-ha!"

"I was wondering why mana was concentrating over here. What are you doing?" Yami heard the voice of Noelle behind him.

"Hey, pigtails!" Katsuki said, "Help the asshat, he is pretty much useless".

"Yeah! Help me out, Noelle!" Asta said, noticing his teammate, and before realizing what Katsuki said "Hey!".

"Huh?" Noelle said, looking at Jack's rookies "guess you're here, too, Bah-ha.".

"Young lady from the Black Bulls…" The tall rookie replied, "My name is not "Bah-ha", it's Sekke. I'm Sekke Bronzazza, bah-ha!".

"Oh. Whatever." Noelle said "So, what are you three doing, Asta?"

"Captain Yami and…" Asta said.

"…Captain Jack…" the tall rookie continued, before they told her about the Captains' confrontation. "That's why we got roped into bringing costumers in." Asta said. "But neither stall has sold anything." The tall rookie said.

"That's because you're slacking off!" Katsuki shouted at Asta, furiously cutting up squids beside Yami.

"How about some grilled purple snakes I just caught over there?" An elderly woman said. 'Shit! Competition!'. "that sounds super tast-I'm kidding!" Asta said, and Yami grabbed him by the head "It sounds gross.".

"Stop getting distracted by other stalls." Yami said, lifting Asta into the air "My rainbow squids…I risked my life catching them in a storm off the coast of Raquey, using my years of fishing experience! They're the finest you can get! Don't you dare compare them to some snakes!"

"I'm sorry!"

"If I lose to Jack, it'll be all your fault." Yami said with a dark look.

Asta cried out in fear "H-How about some grilled squid?! They were caught fresh off the coast of Raquey! They're the finest you can get! They're delicious, just like the tatoes from Hage Village!".

"What are you trying to do? Ruin my business?" Yami asked, pissed off "So it is your fault that I haven't sold a single one yet!" after which, Yami overdid it, and Asta collapsed to the ground, twitching.

"Stupidsta!"

"Tch. You're friggin' worthless."

"Mine were useless, too." Jack said, stepping on top of them "We don't have time to wait and see who can get better sales."

"Imagine that. I was just thinking the same thing." Yami replied.

"Why don't we…"

"Fight each other with our own abilities!"

"Dead or alive!" the said simultaneously, charging towards each other. "Look that way!" Yami said, sending his hand in the opposite direction Jack was facing.

"Are they playing?!" Katsuki asked, "Why don't we all fight?!". They continued playing for a while, before realizing that won't get them anywhere, so they switched to arm wrestling, then to thumb war, and then just banging their asses against each other.

"We're not getting anywhere" Yami said.

"Guess we need to step it up a notch!" Jack replied.

"If I actually get serious, you're gonna die."

"That's my line!"

"Let's change locations. We're gonna end up causing a disturbance here." Yami said.

"Hey, Katsuki" Yami called out "Get Finral's ass down here.". he could practically feel Katsuki's smile.

"I'll be right back." Katsuki said, running off. When he came back, dragging carrying Finral over his shoulder, he put him down, and Finral transported them to the cave next to Nean.

"We won't bother anyone here." Yami said, taking a bite from his squid "I'm on another level today… Just like this grilled squid!" his grimoire floated next to him.

"And I'll slice you in half, just like that grilled squid!" Jack retorted, getting his grimoire out too.

"Kick his ass, Muscle head!" Katsuki called out.

"Captain Jack can slice a giant mountain in bah-half!" Jack's rookie said, "You may be the captain of the Black Bulls, but you're no match for Captain Jack!"

"Muscle head," Katsuki said, "can I fight him?".

"No."

"That festival had the girls so laid-back that my flirting almost worked." Finral said "Man…"

"You ready for this, Jack the Ripper?" Yami asked.

"That's my line! Yami Sukehiro, my blades are tingling!" Jack replied "They can't wait to slice and dice you! Last time, you were almost dead, so slicing you up wouldn't have been worth it.".

"Who was almost dead, now?" Yami asked.

"You, you dumbass!" Jack said, "You let those Eye of the Midnight Sun bastards beat the shit out of you!".

"I was only acting like they beat the shit out of me." Yami said, "I was going to turn things around right when you guys showed up."

"Whatever. Looks like you're getting worked up, Yami." Jack replied, "You'll actually be worth slicing up today!".

"Let's see who's gonna be slicing up who!"

"Let's see what kind of battle unfolds!" Jack's rookie said in excitement.

Yami and Jack charged towards each other, blades clashing. Dark Magic: Dark Cloaked Black Blade! Yami swiped his sword, sending a wave of darkness towards Jack. "Nice" Severing Magic: Death Scythe! Jack tore through Yami's attack, sending a severing blade towards Yami, but Yami evaded it.

"You're amazing, Captain Jack! Bah-hahaha!" The rookie exclaimed.

"Hey, watch it, damn it!" Yami said "Guess I'll start this next round. I'll show you an extra-special spell."

"Extra-special?" Jack asked, intrigued.

"I awakened a new spell during the mission to the Underwater Temple." Yami said, cloaking is sword in darkness and raising it over his head "My own talent scares me sometimes."

"All right, bring it on!" Jack said.

"Yami! Stop! That's enough!" Finral said, running towards him, but Yami just kicked him away. "Stay out of my way!". 'I'm gonna show that scrawny dude all about severing.'. "Here I come.".

"Come at me!"

Yami jumped into the air, and jack followed suit, preparing his own spell. Yami was about to launch his attack, when his pants started falling off, and looking at Jack, his pants did the same. "What the hell happened to your pants, man?" Yami asked, pointing his sword at Jack.

"Look who's talking!" Jack said, and they both started to laugh.

"Damn. I don't feel like fighting anymore." Yami said.

"Don't make me laugh. Now I don 't feel like slicing you up anymore." Jack replied.

"Jeez! What were you going to do if something serious happened?" Finral asked.

"You dumbass. Like this jackass would go down that easily." They both said simultaneously.

"Right…"

"They say the more you fight, the closer you are." Jack's rookie said "But make sure you don't fight too much. Bah-ha."

After putting his pants back on, Yami had Finral transport everyone back to the festival. "This isn't half bad." Jack said, eating Yami's squid. "Your meat dish isn't that bad, either.".

"Right? Now, I'll make you some dessert" Jack said, turning to his rookie "Hey, go get that one thing!" Jack instructed him, and when he came back, he placed a big ice cube in front of Jack "Now hold it down." Jack chopped the ice into little bits, putting it in cups and pouring syrup over them.

"Not bad." Yami said.

"There ya go" Jack handed him one of the cups.

"Let's call it a draw for today" Yami said, eating the ice. 'Damn this is good.'. "That makes it 53 wins, 0 losses, and 34 draws for me.".

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about?" Jack asked "You mean it's my 98 wins, 0 losses, and 1 draw."

"You must be going senile." Yami replied, "It's my 156 wins and 0 losses."

"I'm the one with 567 victories here." Jack said.

"Oh?" Yami said, getting up, Jack doing the same.

"You want a piece of me?!" Jack asked.

"I;ve been wanting to settle the score with you for a long time now." Yami said.

"Guess tonight's the night." Jack said.

"You giant string bean!" Yami replied, unsheathing his katana.

"You grandpa-faced fisherman!" Jack said, unleashing his blades.

"Now, now, let's just-" Jack's rookie was cut off when jack kicked him away.

"U-Um, Captain Yami, Captain Jack…" Asta said "Come on, we're at this super fun festival so let's not fight. Let's just all get along, okay? 'kay?". Katsuki then grabbed him by the collar.

"The fun's only beginning" Katsuki said, "have you seen the fireworks yet?"

"U-Um, no?" Asta replied.

"You're it" Katsuki said "DIEEE!" he yelled, throwing Asta away with an explosion.

"Thanks, Hothead." Yami said.

"Of course! I've been waiting for some action the entire evening."

"Oh? I like that!" Jack said "You know what, Yami? I don 't feel like slicing you up anymore now that the rookies aren't here."

"Huh, I guess me too" Yami said, sheathing his katana.

"Oh, come on!" Katsuki said, and Yami grabbed his head, picking him up. "See ya later, scrawny guy! Let's get a drink later.".

"Of course, Yami." Jack said, going to look for his rookies.

"Let's go, hothead" Yami said, carrying Katsuki with him. After walking for a bit, Katsuki spoke up "Hey, Muscle head, look at the commotion over there, let's go.". ´I wonder what's going on over there…' Yami thought, walking towards the crowd.

"Seems pretty rowdy over here." Yami said as they approached the crowd from behind "Y'all enjoying the festival?" he then noticed Asta standing in the middle of the gathering "Hey, kid. You still in one piece?".

"Hey, Katsuki! I could have gotten hurt!" Asta said, seeing Yami hold Katsuki in his hand.

"Shut up! I'll kill you!" Katsuki replied.

Yami then noticed a girl in a blue dress "Hey, it's her Cold and Prickly Majesty." Yami said.

"Who?" Katsuki asked.

"Her" Yami pointed at the girl, and burst into laughter "What the hell's up with the sparkly outfit?!". He could hear her taking in deep breaths, before she turned to look at him "And what about you? What are those strange clothes you're wearing?" she asked.

"Hey! You're the dirtiest, macho-est guy out there!" Charlotte's subordinate said "The Captain of the Black Bulls!"

"Hey!" Katsuki said "Only I talk to him like that! Who do you think you are!? I'll kill you!".

"See?" The tan girl spoke again "You even carry around your personal goon!"

"Who are you calling a "goon"?" Katsuki fought Yami's grip "Let me go, muscle head! I'll kill her!".

"No." Yami replied, "Looks like you aren't training your squad members properly, rose girl."

"Shut up!" The tan girl said "Don't you dare come any closer to Sis dressed in that weird outfit! And that goes to you too!".

"You better be grateful I'm holding him because he comes already hot from home" Yami said, noticing smoke started rising from Katsuki's palms.

"Sol, stop…" Rose girl spoke up, trembling. ´Huh? Is she cold?'.

"There you are, Captain! What are you doing?" He heard Vanessa call out to him "Come drink with me!".

"Oh. Hey, Vanessa." Yami said. 'She is definitely drunk…actually, when is she isn't?'.

"She's the Captain of the Blue Rose Knights." Asta said.

"Huh?"

"Who do you think you are, glaring at Sis like that? You're just a Black Bull!" The tan girl said. 'This is not gonna end well.'.

"I'm not glaring!" Vanessa replied.

"A Black Bull couldn't beat Sis in a billion, trillion years!" the tan girl said. This prompted a laugh from Yami "A billion, trillion years, eh? Ouch." He said.

"Hey, you!" Vanessa said, pointing at Rose girl "I challenge you!"

"Ridiculous. There's little time left before our achievements are announced." Rose girl replied "Why would anyone bother to-" the tan girl then put her hands on her shoulders "Huh?! There's no way Sis would lose! Let's do this, Sis!"

"What kind of battle shall it be?" Vanessa asked, "Just so you know, I'm more powerful now than I've ever been before!"

"You fool." Rose girl replied "Do you have any idea who you're talking to? I'm the Captain of the Blue Rose Knights."

"Th-This is turning into a huge mess!" Asta said behind him. ´You just like pointing out the obvious, huh, kid?' "What are we gonna do, Captain?".

"The only thing there is to do." Katsuki said "Fight!".

"Captain, you like a girl who can hold her liquor, right?" Vanessa asked.

"huh? Where'd that come from?" Yami asked "Well, I guess so. Then we can drink together. Why?"

"I challenge you to a drinking contest!" Vanessa said.

"This is nonsense." Rose girl replied "I've entertained you this long, but that's enough. They're going to announce our achievements soon."

"We're ready to go, Sis!" tan girl gestured towards a whole bunch of beer bottles "Let's bring her down and show that insolent girl who's boss!"

"The rules are simple!" Vanessa announced as they both sat down next to the table, which was stocked with beer. "The winner will be decided by who can drink the most booze in an hour! The beer we'll be drinking is this special Clover premium. One of the Clover Kingdom's best! No chugging allowed, though! We can't have any little ones copying us, and we need to savor the flavor out of respect to the brewers!"

"You got this, Sis!" tan girl said.

"I have no idea what's going on, but you can do it, Miss Vanessa!" Asta said.

Vanessa drank one pint of beer, and collapsed on the table, fast asleep. ´She was pre-gaming 100%...'. Rose girl drank her beer, and started swaying around in a weird manner. "S-Sis?!" tan girl asked.

"Yo! She can't hold her liquor at all!" Asta said. 'Why did she agree to participate then?'.

"But that's another thing that's so cute about her!" tan girl said, blushing slightly.

"The hell are those two doing?" Yami asked.

"Drinking, you old muscle head" Katsuki replied, "Are you going blind already?". Yami carried Katsuki by the head over to the table, and took the cup out of Charlotte's hand, downing it in one gulp. "You can't finish it, can you?" Yami said, "Didn't I tell you not to push yourself too much before?". Rose girl blushed, before collapsing to the table, fast asleep next to Vanessa.

"Well done! Well done, Sis!" tan girl said.

"Great job, Miss Vanessa!" Asta congratulated his sleeping comrade.

"What the hell was this battle, besides a waste of time?" Yami asked, confused about their drinking match.

"You really are dense" Katsuki said, he already stopped fighting Yami's grip "Maybe all the muscles got to your head.". everyone else started leaving by now.

"They're about to announce the Magic Knights Squad achievements!" someone said. 'Not good…' Yami gave the sleeping charlotte a look. ´Prickly girl wouldn't want to miss this.'. "All the captains are gonna be there!" someone else said.

"I hear that includes the new captains of the Crimson Lion Kings and the Purple Orcas!"

"Uh…All the captains?" Asta asked, looking over at Yami and the sleeping Charlotte. "We're late." Yami said ´Shit! Julius won't e happy…'. "crap. What are we gonna do?".

"Everyone, thank you for gathering here today." A voice announced. 'Fuck, Fuck, Fuck…'. "This year, I'll be announcing the Magic Knights Squads' achievements myself. After the results are announced, the King will also make an appearance, so please look forward to that. Now, then…As you all, our Clover Kingdom has been battling invasion attempts from both the Diamond and Spade Kingdoms, as well as a new terrorist group called the Eye of the Midnight Sun. The royal capital was attacked, and many lives were lost. I even considered canceling the Star Festival for this year. But it's because of all these events that I wanted. To commend the courageous men and women who fought against them," tan girl was trying to wake up her captain, but to no avail. "and decided to hold the festival. Now, then. Let us welcome them…Our nine Magic Knights Squad Captains, whom we hold in the highest esteem.".

The captains walked out into the stage, and the crowd cheered for them with all its might. Then, Julius proceeded to introduce all the captains, plus the two new captains of the Crimson Lion Kings and the Purple orcas.

"Wait, aren't we missing some captains?" someone in the crowd asked.

"Now that you mention it…"

"Good grief. There's already trouble."

"You're the cause of it!" Finral said, coming up to them.

"Well, anyway…" Julius continued "Let's announce the ranking." Marx made a shimmering screen appear out of nowhere in front of him and Julius. "In the first place, the Golden Dawn!".

"Fuck!" Katsuki yelled, "Let me at 'em!" Katsuki renewed his struggle against Yami's grip.

"The number of stars they accumulated is…" Julius said "an astounding 125!". By now, Yami covered Katsuki's mouth, as he was trying to curse them with everything he had. "That's a huge jump from their record of 96 from last year!" the crowd cheered for them before Julius could continue "The Golden Dawn did excellent work yet again this year. Now let's have the member who made the biggest contribution of stars take the stage. The promised newcomer attended by Sylph, the Wind Spirit, Yuno!".

"Yuno… I can't lose, either!" Asta said "I'm sure that next time…we'll walk that stage together!"

"Next, in second place…" Julius announced "The Black bulls!", and that sent the crowd into a frenzy of disbelief "The managed to accumulate…101 stars!".

"What?!" Asta exclaimed with his starry-eyed look "We're in second place?! What the heck!?".

"Fuck yeah!" Katsuki yelled, being freed from Yami when the latter started dressing up.

"Seriously? Well, crap." Yami said.

"I understand your surprise." Julius said "since the Black Bulls made their own unprecedented record last year by getting negative 50 stars. But things are different this year. They advanced by leaps and bounds to climb this far up the ranks. One of the most impressive members is one of their newcomers…Then again, their captain's not even present."

"Hey, is anyone from the Black Bulls around?" Julius asked.

"Hey, Hothead." Yami said, grabbing his by his magic knight robe "You are needed else. How do you say it…?" Yami flung him backward, preparing to throw him "DIEEE!" he mimicked Katsuki's war cry, throwing him over the crowd and into the sky. ´I may have gone a little overboard there…'. Katsuki flew in an arch onto the stage, using a small explosion to soften his fall.

"That damn muscle head…" Katsuki got up, the ground beneath him charred.

"I see you decided to show up, Katsuki." The Golden Dawn kid spoke.

"Of course I did, jerkface." Katsuki answered, "What else could I do?".

"It looked like you got a lot of stars, Katsuki, good job" Yuno said "Don't let it get to your head, though. I'm sure that next year Asta will stand here, too.".

"Look who's talking." Katsuki replied, "Next year the Black Bulls will be number one!"

"Well, that was quite the entrance." Julius said "This is the rookie who worked the hardest out of the Black Bulls this past year. Katsuki! both Katsuki and Yuno placed first and second obtaining stars among all the rookies. They're two new rising stars. In only six months since they joined the Magic Knights, they've both built up magnificent records. On top of that, they're only sixteen and are on par with their seniors.". Hearing that, the crowd started cheering, surprised at the new youngsters that are running up the ladder of the Magic Knights. 'You deserve it, Hothead.' Yami thought to himself, still waiting next to the sleeping Charlotte.

Then, Yami heard a murmur in the crowd. "Apparently they're peasants from the boonies! Not to mention that Katsuki kid doesn't even have a grimoire!" someone in the crowd said. 'I'm gonna kill him if I find out who that is…'. That spread in the crowd like wildfire, and suddenly no one cared about their achievements, only about their status, and it pissed Yami off.

Suddenly, a huge, bright explosion went off on the stage, the sound booming through the streets and the shockwave washing over the crowd, silencing the people.

"Shut your traps." Katsuki said, one of his hands raised up, the palm smoking "Whoever said that, I dare you to come up here and show your worth, either that or stay quiet." The crowd was completely silent, and no one stepped up to the challenge. "Now that you've seen what power they possess," Julius said "Just like Katsuki said, if anyone doubts their abilities, please come forward. It's true that they're both peasants. But they've worked harder than anyone to get here.".

"I'm so jealous!" Asta said, on his knees next to Yami. "Throw me over there, too."

"No".

"Proud citizens of the Clover Kingdom!" Julius announced "A round of applause for these two new Magic Knights! And…let us overcome our differences in status, band together, and lead our country to victory!" Julius raised his fist up, and murmurs of agreement spread through the crowd. "And now that you're all fired up, I'll announce the remaining rankings!".

"In third place, the Silver Eagles! They earned 95 stars!"

"In fourth place, the Blue Rose Knights! They earned 83 stars!"

"In fifth place, the Crimson Lion Kings! They earned 76 stars!"

"In sixth place, the Green Praying Mantises! They earned 69 stars!"

"In seventh place, the coral peacocks! They earned 67 stars!"

"In eighth place, the Purple Orcas! They earned 51 stars!"

"In ninth place, the Aqua Deer! They earned 49 stars!"

"This concludes the announcements of the Magic Knights squad achievements." Julius said "To all the squads…Please continue all your hard work next year. Now that the achievement announcements are over, here's the moment you've all been waiting for." Julius said "The appearance of our beloved King of the Clover Kingdom!".

"Huh?" Katsuki asked, "there's a king beside the Wizard King?".

"Yes, you boor" Nozel answered

No one cheered as the King stepped into the light. 'Who's the fat lug? Is it seriously the king?'. "My wonderful citizens, how are you doing today?" the king spoke, "I am the King of the Clover Kingdom, Augustus Kira Clover the 13th." The crowd cheered a little bit, but not as excitedly as when Julius spoke. "Revere me more, would you?!" the king said.

"Huh? Who's the short guy?" Katsuki asked.

"No idea" Yuno answered "I think it's the King."

"I am the King! The king!" he said, "I'm the most important person in this whole kingdom!" Golden energy radiated off of him "Behold this sublime mana that's been passed down for generations! My thoughts, my appearance, everything about me is righteous! I am greater than any Wizard King!" he then started coughing, before continuing "My loyal citizens, I have an announcement to make. The Eye of the Midnight Sun's hideout has been located. Until now, they have attacked us many times, and they had the upper hand in every battle. But things are different now. We are going to launch an all-out attack on the enemy! To that end…I have decided to gather an even more select group from the Magic Knights to from the ultimate hand-picked unit. They will be called… the Royal Knights! A week from now, I will hold an exam for all Magic Knights. Only those who pass this exam will be allowed to join my Royal Knights. And then, we will destroy the Eye of the Midnight Sun! Magic Knights, offer up your grimoires in service to this Kingdom!" the King Saluted the Magic Knight Salute, and the crowd cheered, chanting "Royal Knights! Royal Knights! Royal Knights!".

"Why are you the one choosing, your bloated majesty?" Katsuki asked "I bet you don't even have one battle under your belt. Thinking about it, I never even heard about you before. Did you, jerkface?". 'That Hothead…he really likes taunting death…'.

"No…" Yuno answered "But read the mood, you hot head. You're not supposed to tell the truth at times like this". ´Ohhh, that must've stung.' Yami exhaled some smoke, and gave tan girl a look. "Are you gonna wake her up? Go get some water or something to dump on her."

"Execute them!" The king said, pointing his finger at the two rookies "Execute those filthy peasants immediately!" murmurs of disagreement spread through the crowed "Now, now, now! Hurry up and kill them."

"Huh?" Katsuki said "Are you going to come down here and execute me? Oh, Sorry, if you try to come down here you might break your leg.". a vein popped out on the king's forehead, and Yuno's lips curled into a slight smile. 'That kid's such a jackass.'.

"Your Majesty, please calm yourself." The Wizard King stepped in "Out of consideration for me, I ask that you pardon those two. They may become the shield that protects you someday. Besides… If you recklessly brandish your power over something like that, you'll make the King's authority look cheap." He then turned back towards the crowd "The Royal Knights! I'm looking forward to this, too! Magic Knights! Show us your courageous strength!".

'Jeez…This is totally Julius' idea. He always thinks up something fun.'

After the situation was diffused, Julius took the two rookies away from the stage, and Asta went over to congratulate his friend on his achievement.

"What…What about the ceremony?" Yami heard Charlotte behind him.

"It's over, Sis" tang girl told her.

"Call…Call me "Captain"…"

"How are you feeling, Captain Sis?" tan girl asked, and Yami heard Charlotte's head fall against the table, with tan girl frantically trying to wake her up.

"Let's go change so you can change out of this dress, Sis". This time, Charlotte didn't respond, simply letting tan girl pull her along to the changing booth she used earlier.

"Hey, muscle head." Katsuki called out to him "I ditched the asshat, but I found Icy Hot." Looking over, he saw Shoto walk next to Katsuki.

"You are way too much of a jackass" Yami said, exhaling some smoke, before remembering something "You said you wanted to rub our victory in their faces, didn't you?".

"Yeah"

"So come with us to the after-party." Yami said, "I wanna see Nozel's braid shake from anger". After that they waited for tan girl and Charlotte to come back, before heading off.

"Man, the drinks are extra-good tonight, don't you think, captains of the squads that placed below the Black Bulls?" Yami said, laughing with tears in his eyes.

"Get off your high horse. You've been last place every other year, damn it." Jack said.

"And how does it feel to be beaten by the squad that placed last every other year?" Yami said, laughing.

"If you don't shut that filthy mouth, I'll do it for you." Nozel said.

"I'm surprised you had time to braid your bangs after you lost to those potty-mouthed Black Bulls." Yami said, "Aren't you embarrassed?" he turned to look at Katsuki, who was sitting behind him on the table, next to Shoto who fiddled with his water glass "How did you like the ceremony, Hothead?".

"I was surprised Birdie didn't open that big mouth of his" Katsuki said "What's wrong? You let your words free at the last ceremony I attended.". this made Yami burst into another laugh.

"I'll kill you two boors!" Nozel announced.

"Oh? You wanna fight?" Yami got up.

Nozel held out his grimoire, Mercury Magic: Silver Spears. He prepared to cast a spell, before noticing the bartender shoved a glass his way. "Kind sir, please refrain from using attack spells inside our establishment." He spoke, "This drink is on the house.".

Nozel closed his grimoire shut "I apologize.", taking a sip of the drink, he said, "It's good.".

"He's right, Nozel. This is a place to enjoy a drink." The new captain of the Purple Orcas said "That being said, Yami, you shouldn't have been absent."

"Your temper really doesn't match your demeanor" Katsuki said "You always look so calm and collected. I wonder what's got your braid shook?". He sipped the water Yami had given him. By now, Yami almost couldn't hold the laughter "I know, right?" he said "And you," he turned to the Purple Orcas captain "You've got one crazy hairstyle going on yourself.".

The Purple Orcas captain pulled out his own grimoire, and the bartender presented him with a glass "Kind sir, please refrain from using attack spells inside our establishment. This drink is on the house."

"Oh, please do excuse me. I shouldn't have let my temper get to me." He said, taking the glass "Thank you kindly." He sipped the beverage "My, my…".

"Man, what the hell is your problem?" Jack asked "I guess I'll just have to-" the bartender sent a glass his way "Guess I'll let you off the hook today.".

"You guys are acting like pushovers all of a sudden." Yami said, "Is there something sketchy in those drinks of yours?".

"You're amazing, Yami!" Rill, the youngest captain, brought his face centimeters away from Yami's "I'm beyond depressed after being ranked last just once!". He then started to float, but not really, as Katsuki caught him by the back of his robe, lifting him into the air. "What's the big deal, Short stuff?" he asked.

"I-I was just about to say…Y-You look unfazed for years, despite always coming in last! Your heart is invincible" Rill finished his sentence. "It's ok, Hothead. Get him down." Yami instructed, smiling. Katsuki set him down, going to sit down, this time next to Yami.

"It's so amazing! Unfathomable!" Rill said "Even your heart has chest hairs! You are the epitome of insensitivity! You're a total weirdo!".

"Only I talk to him like that." Katsuki said, "So shut up, or I'll kill you!".

"Just wait until next year, Yami!" Jack said, as he, Nozel, and the captain of the Purple Orcas left the bar.

"What? Going home already?" Yami asked, "I don't mind having a few drinks with you tonight, String Bean Scythe!".

"Shut it!"

"Then I guess I'll have to drink by myself." Yami said, "Gotta celebrate my ridiculous ascent to the top!".

"You seem quite pleased with yourself for climbing up the ranks just once." A voice said. Turning around, he found himself face to face with the new captain of the Crimson Lion Kings, fire burning around her. "S-Sisgoleon…".

"Who are you calling "Sisgoleon"?" she asked.

"Well, you're Fuegoleon's sister, so that makes you Sisgoleon." Yami replied.

"We siblings are not referred to by such ridiculous nicknames." She said.

"What? I thought you just kept adding "goleon" to your names, like some sort of verb conjugation." Yami said, confused.

"Nonsense." She said, getting into the bar. ´Wait, I can sense two other people behind her.'. when she entered the bar, Yami could see Asta and the Golden Dawn kid. "Oh, heya, Captain Yami." Asta said, before setting his eyes on Katsuki and Shoto "W-Wait, you had a private party here and didn't invite me?!" he asked.

"Yes" Shoto answered bluntly, And Yami burst into laughter "Looks like she caught you, kid. How'd that happen?" Yami asked.

"I'm not…exactly sure myself." Asta answered.

"You're coming, too." Mereoleona said, grabbing Yami by the head "You weren't even late to the announcement. You just didn't bother showing up.".

"It appears you need training, so I'll help out with that." She told Yami.

"No, wait. I'm already a captain…"

"Good. That's what you get, Yami." Charlotte said, and she was soon caught by Mereoleona. "What are you doing to my sis?!" tan girl asked.

"Who are you?" Mereoleona asked.

"I-I don't know what's going on, but I'll follow you to the ends of the earth, so don't you worry, Sis!"

"C-Call me "Captain"…"

Katsuki started laughing at everyone's predicament, before feeling a paw on his own head, Shoto suffering the same fate. "Wha-… get me down, you crazy woman!".

"There you are, Stupidsta!" Yami heard Noelle "You need to come give Kahono and Kiato a proper send-off! Also, just so you know, the reason we got second isn't because of you or anything!". She then noticed Mereoleona, and everyone entrapped in her fiery paws. "L-Lady Mereoleona… It's been too long. Have a pleasant evening." Noelle then tried going away, but was caught by Mereoleona as well.

"Noelle…" Mereoleona said.

"Y-Yes?"

"You're coming, too."

"Huh? What? Wait, I have nothing to do with this!" she said.

"We look like grapes dangling on a vine right now!" Asta said.

"Quite!"

"Hey, where are we going?" Noelle asked.

"She said something about a hot spring." Asta said, and then got promptly slapped by Noelle.

"I told you lot to quiet down!" Mereoleona said, heading out of the bar, breaking the doors as she squeezed all of the through it.

"Thank you for your patronage." The bartender said.

---

Bakugo's P.O.V

---

'Well, this isn't a hot spring…' Bakugo said, standing in front of the very active volcanic region the crazy lady called "Hot spring".'

"All right! Let's go, you bloody imbeciles!" the crazy lady announced "This is a strong magic region known as the Yultim Volcano. There's a volcanic belt laced with powerful mana deep underground, and it spews lava constantly. This Is a place where no ordinary person can set foot in. But at the summit. There's a splendid and revitalizing hot spring. Well? You're getting excited now, aren't you? Come! Let us head to the summit". ´I'm sweating so much… a perfect place to train!'.

"Zoinks! What fresh is this?" Tan girl asked.

"Sol, you didn't have to tag along." Rose girl said.

"What are you talking about?" she replied, "I told you I'd follow you to the ends of the earth, Sis! That includes this hot spring!"

"Call me "Captain"."

"You got it, Sis!"

"Let us race to see who can get to the summit first, Asta!" Lion boy said.

"Yeah! Bring it on, damn it!" Asta replied, "I need to work out my aggression!"

"How do you plan on getting there if you just slack off right here?" Katsuki said, blasting off into the sky, his explosions bigger than normal due to the heat. "Wait for us, jerk!" Asta yelled. 'As I expected, the sky is cooler than the ground here, but it's still really hot here, I'll get to the top in no time!'. Looking back, he saw all the other Magic Knights start going on foot towards their goal. 'Those dumbasses…the crazy lady probably wants to train their magic in this environment. Too bad, quirks are unaffected. ´ Looking downwards he saw Todoroki already running as fast as he can towards his goal. Not long after, Bakugo was at the top. 'Well, might as well train…'. Katsuki let his hands build some sweat, before swinging them upwards, releasing giant explosions every time, their shockwaves washing along the volcano.

After some time, he sensed the Ki of muscle head and Rose girl heading his way "Hothead, you made it here first?" Yami said, coming out, coated in a dark purple aura "You mind stopping that? You're seriously hurting my ear drums." He said, covering his ears in the presence of Katsuki's huge explosions.

"Indeed. We could hear you all the way down the mountain." Rose girl said.

"Of course not!" Katsuki yelled back "Training is training. And training is good!".

"Hey, dumbass!" he heard the crazy lady yell over the explosions "Stop! We have a guest incoming!"

´A guest? As if I care.'. releasing the next explosion, Bakugo heard a scream. 'Huh?'. He looked up, seeing what looked like Asta, who flew in an arch, landing on a bunch of rocks.

"Yo, Kid! You alive?" Yami asked, and Bakugo stopped launching explosions.

"It looks like you've finally learned a little about yourself." Mereoleona said, "But you still have ways to go."

"What?" Asta yelled, putting his hands on his ears "My ears are ringing! I can't hear you!"

They waited until all other people managed to get up. It was now night, and the volcano seemed to "sleep". Not spewing any lava out. "So you're finally all here, you fools!" Mereoleona said "The Yultim Volcano becomes completely dormant at night. You're supposed to get here before that, damn it! At this rate, we're never going to win back first place! Those who couldn't make it up here before nightfall will try again another day!"

"Yes ma'am!" the Knights saluted.

"I made it here before the sun set, but I shall climb it one more time…no, a hundred more times, and become even stronger than you, Sister!" Lion boy said.

"That's not enough! Climb it 10,000 times!" Mereoleona yelled.

"Yes ma'am!"

"Good! Now I give you all permission to soak in the hot spring!" Mereoleona announced.

"Where is it?" Icy Hot asked, and then, out a crater in the ground next to them, erupted in a huge geyser, filling the crater. "Holy crap! Hot water came outta nowhere!" Asta said with a starry-eyed look "And now it's a huge bath! So this is the Yultim Volcano hot spring!".

"You can't be serious." Jerkface said.

"The analeptic effect of this hot spring is the best in our Kingdom!" Mereoleona announced "But no one ever bothers to use it, so we always get it to ourselves. It's the best hole in the wall you could ask for!".

"Well, I mean, any normal bastard would die before they ever got up here." Yami said.

"All right, you fools! Take off your clothes!" Mereoleona said.

´Huh?'.

"What?!" Asta exclaimed.

"B-But Sister, we couldn't possibly…" Lion boy said.

"All the ladies are here, too! What's gonna happen?!" Asta asked, "Are we all getting in together?!"

"I will never allow any man to see Sis' pure, naked body!" Tan girl said, getting her grimoire out. Earth Magic: Mud Wall Partition! She erected an earth wall in the middle of the hot bath "Anyone who dares to climb this wall shall die!".

"Hey!" Bakugo said "There are more guys here! We should have more space!"

"What are you going to do it, Yami's resident goon?" she asked.

A vein popped out in Bakugo's forehead "I'm gonna kill you and blow away your wall. How about that?" he asked, small explosions popping on his palm.

"Now, now…" Asta said, wrapping his arm around Katsuki's shoulder "…You wouldn't kill your comrades, would you?". His question was answered by Katsuki's murderous look.

"All right, you fools! Hurry up and get in!" Mereoleona said.

They all got into the boys' side, naked. And Bakugo threw the loud asshat into the water head-first as a punishment for touching him earlier. 'This bath is not so bad. In fact, I'm kinda glad I came here. Bath plus training, a very good day indeed.

"How dare you try to show off?! I'm sure you can't handle this heat!" Lion boy said. Looking over at him, he saw him blazing next to Yuno and Shoto, who decided to hang together. ´They both have that stoic face plastered on their face at all times, too'. "I'll melt the cool right off of you!" he announced.

"Really?" Shoto asked "You're doing a really bad job then. Let me help you" he said, the water around him started to bubble, and flames engulfed the left side on his unsubmerged body.

"I'm totally fine, too." Jerkface said.

"What did you say?!" Lion boy asked.

"Leo, he's not trying to act cool or anything!" Asta said "He just hates losing! I also hate losing! Let's see who can stay in here the longest!"

A thin stream of air then started to wrap around Yuno. "Hey! Why are you cooling the water with your wind?!" Lion boy asked, "That's not fair!"

"It's not cheating. Magic is part of my strength, too." Jerkface said, "Besides, you're heating it with magic in the first place."

"That's not fair!" Asta said "Shoto took the Salamander's fire like it was nothing! We can't win against him!".

"What the hell are you dumbasses doing?" Muscle head asked, "There are better ways to enjoy a hot spring."

"Captain Yami!" Asta said, "What are the other ways to enjoy a hot spring?" Asta asked, grabbing a rock out of the bath floor, before starting to work out "Do you mean working out? Or maybe working out? It's working out, isn't it?!".

"Shut the hell up," Yami said, grabbing asshat by the hat "Is your head full of muscles, too? You're the only moron who'd enjoy that.".

"No!"

"It's not working out?" Lion boy asked.

"Captain…Then what's this other way to enjoy it?" Asta asked.

"What else?" Yami replied, dropping Asta "We're gonna go peep at the woman's bath!"

"D-Did he say peep?"

"Are we allowed to do that?"

"Won't they kill us if they find out?"

"I can't believe what a bunch of whiners you are." Yami said with disappointment in his voice "if you're a true man, this is a risk you've gotta take. Even if it costs your life."

"I-Is that what it means…to be a man?"

"Yes. All guys are like that." Yami said, turning to Yuno "I'm sure you want to take a look, too, Mister Cool."

"No, I don't."

"You stupid little punk. Don't you try and act cool with me," Yami grabbed him by the head "You breezy little pretty boy."

"Uh…again, this isn't just part of my character, so please stop…" Jerkface said.

"Well, someone doesn't give a shit about your character, you dumbass." Yami said, "And that's me."

"Please stop, Captain Yami!" Asta interjected "Yuno really isn't interested! He's only ever bathed with guys since he was a kid!". 'O….k….'.

"What are you mumbling about, bomb head?" Yami asked, seeing Lion boy mumbling to himself "Why are you trying to be like that Hot-Blooded King of Hardnoses? You're going to surpass him, aren't you? What the hell are you guys standing around for? This is a battle, in a sense. Why are you so scared of being killed? We came here to whip you wimps back into shape!"

"He's right!"

"You must never run from a battle!"

"We are the best! The Crimson Lion Kings!"

"All right! We're gonna peep!" Lion boy announced, "Let's show them how manly we are!". 'They must have heard here from here. In fact…' Bakugo got up with a sinister smile, and whispered something in Yami's ear "Do it" Yami whispered. He then caught the charging Leopold. "Here. Let me help" Bakugo said "Die!" he flung Lion boy over the wall in a big arch using his explosion, Leo flew into the sky, before crashing in the girls' bath in a huge splash.

"Die?" Asta asked.

There was silence for about a second, until he got out the water, that is. Then there were a couple of terrified screams, and Leo was launched back to their side with the use of a few various spells.

He landed in the water, and Katsuki could see his nose bleeding, and he heard Yami erupt into laughter behind him.

---

Midoriya's P.O.V

---

They were standing in the colosseum, the same one used for the Magic Knights Exam, but this time they were here to participate in a possibly harder exam. 'Th-There are so many other Magic Knights here…'.

"The Royal Knights Exam! I don't know what kind of exam it is, but I'm all fired up!" Said a member of the Purple Orcas, surrounded by a fiery aura "I can finally show everyone my true powers!"

"I beg your pardon, but even that level of power is enough to disturb the people around you, so could you consider calming down a bit?" Mimosa asked.

"M-My apologies" the man said, turning off his aura.

"Mimosa, don't start any trouble before the exam". Klaus said, walking up to her "Pointing out the lower magic level of someone who's your elder… I see you're as obliviously rude as ever."

"And you're so serious, a worrywart, and a four-eyes, Klaus." She replied. 'Ouch'.

"Kacchan" Midoriya spoke to his friend "What kind of test do you think we're going to have?".

"What else?" Bakugo asked "A full-power battle, I suppose. What do you think, Icy hot?"

"I think Yaoyorozu should've been here." Todoroki said.

"You know she didn't think she had the necessary firepower for a full-on battle…" Midoriya said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hmph" Bakugo responded.

"Hey!" Asta said, coming up to the "Excited for the exam?"

"Not really, nervous is a more accurate description" Midoriya replied, "If it is a combat trial, and it probably will be, there are too many people with different magics to count on a uniform strategy…". they walked over with Asta towards Mimosa and Klaus, "But being adaptive is a good quality for a person like us, so I guess this test will be important.".

"Adaptive, right…" Asta said before they got closer to the two Golden Dawn members.

"Hey! Klaus, Mimosa" Midoriya called out to them "Long time no see!".

"I-I-I…I-Izuku!" Mimosa said as she laid eyes on the green-haired boy.

"Have you been well, Asta, Izuki?" Klaus asked "I've been working out and getting stronger! I won't lose to you!".

"Really? I'm getting fired up!" Asta said.

"Izuku! L-L-Let's give it out all!" Mimosa said.

"Heck yeah!" Asta said "Hey, your face is a little red. You feelin' okay, Mimosa?"

"Y-Yes! I-I'm fine!" Mimosa replied.

"I see you're as loud as ever." Yuno said, coming up behind them.

"Hey, Yuno!" Midoriya greeted his friend " I heard from Asta you went to a training session in a hot spring, did it pay off? Because I got a lot stronger, too"

"Yeah" Yuno smiled a little "I hope I'll get to see that new strength.".

"H-Hot springs? What's this about hot springs, Yuno?" Mimosa asked.

"I lost to you in that race up the volcano, But I won't lose to you today, Yuno!" Asta declared.

"Did you do some image training to prepare for when you fail today?" Yuno asked smugly "We wouldn't want you crying."

"What?!"

"Y-Yuno, what's this about hot springs?" Mimosa asked again.

"You seem to be having fun, Yuno" Asta said, ignoring Mimosa.

"You too, Asta.".

"What this about hot springs?!" Mimosa asked again.

Midoriya heard a laugh from behind Mimosa, and saw Leopold standing behind her "Asta, Yuno! Don't forget about me!" He said, "I'm the one who's going to pass this exam!"

"You do know more than one person can pass, right?" Midoriya asked.

"Seriously, what's this about hot springs?!" Mimosa asked.

Asta walked off, and Midoriya returned to his friends, waiting nervously for the exam to start. "Thank you all for gathering here today." The Wizard King came into view on the balcony overlooking the arena, and everyone saluted. "Now, let us begin the Royal Knights Selection Exam." He announced, and the knights cheered.

The King then came up to the balcony, and started speaking "The exam will consist of a team competition: a magic crystal destruction battle tournament!" a shimmering screen came into existence above the King. 'Team competition? I hope we can choose our teammates.'. "The rules are simple! Protect your own team's crystal, which will be placed in your area, and destroy the other team's crystal. The first team to do this wins!". 'That is simple, but I imagine the versatility of magics here will play a key role in this battle, people like me and Kacchan will have a much easier time attacking than defending.'. "If no team is able to destroy a crystal within the 30-minute time limit, the one that has done the most damage to its target wins. Er… we've chosen this format because…Er…Um…Let's see…I believe it's…"

"Ahem" the Wizard King said, drawing the attention to him "In battles against the Eye of the Midnight Sun, several squads will have to work together. We thought this would be the best way to measure the cooperation and strategy skills you'll need at times like that, rather than simply fighting with brute force."

"Precisely!" the King added.

'I see. So they want us to work together, kinda like the cavalry battle…But they still haven't told us how the teams are chosen. I bet they'll make different squad members be in teams together.'.

"Now, let us announce the teams." A screen shimmered into existence above the balcony, showcasing the teams. 'So, I'm with them…' Midoriya gave a look to his future teammates.

"Oh, my bad! I'm a little late!" Midoriya heard a voice, looking up, he saw a man standing on top the colosseum, he then jumped down to the balcony overlooking the arena, and put his hand around the Wizard King. "But I bet our great Wizard King will forgive me for being a tiny bit late. I'm Xers Lügner. It's a pleasure." He introduced himself "Man, I just happened to run into a little old lady in distress. I helped her out, since I'm a Magic Knight, so I ended up a little late. My bad."

"I see. Is the old lady all right?" The Wizard King asked, exercising extreme politeness.

"Yup! She's doing great!"

"Step away, you cur." Marx said, pointing his hand, who shimmered white with magic, at the red-haired man. He blasted, missing Xerx, who jumped down to the stage. "Hey, come on, now. That's not very nice." Xerx said, "What's the big idea?".

"That would be my line." Marx replied "Xerx Lügner? But that's-". The Wizard King put his hand in front of Marx. "Wizard King?".

"What are you trying to pull, you bastard?" someone in the crowd said "How dare you act like that after arriving late?".

"The Wizard King is one of the only guys Sis respects!" Sol said.

"What do you think you're doing to the Wizard King?!" Asta joined them.

"Now, now. Calm down, everyone." The Wizard King said.

"Oh, right. I guess everyone respects the Wizard King." Xerx said. 'I shouldn't judge his appearance, but he looks less than reputable.'. "But I don't. Don't push your values on me, you worthless rabble." He put on a robe of the Purple Orcas, and then proceeded to go over to Asta.

"Was Vice-Captain Xerx always like that?" a member of the Purple Orcas said. 'Wait. Vice-captain? This guy? It looks like something's up…'.

"He's not at all like the rumors. I heard he was the Saint of Prue Ice, but he's been stationed in the borderlands, so only a few people actually know him." Another member said.

´First step will be learning the teams' abilities. And then, to come up with a strategy to counter our enemies. I can do this!'.

"All right, everyone. Have you confirmed your teams?" the Wizard King asked, and everyone got into their respective teams. 'This is a good opportunity to see what we'll be up against.'. Midoriya thought, preparing to take mental notes of the team compositions.

Team A: Coral Peacocks dude (Unknown Magic), Silver Eagles dude (Unknown Magic), Crimson Lion dude (Unknown Magic).

Team B: Xerx Lügner (Unknown Magic), Mimosa Vermillion (Plant Magic), Asta (Anti-Magic). In a head to head fight with a magic user, Asta will probably be victorious, so we must take him out first, then Mimosa so she wouldn't use her support magic.

Team C: Sol Marron (Earth Magic), Magna Swing (Fire Magic), Coral peacocks dude (Unknown Magic).

Team D: Azure Deer girl (Unknown Magic), Purple Orcas dude (Unknown Magic), Green mantises dude (Unknown Magic).

Team E: Finral Roulacase (Spatial Magic), Leopold Vermillion (Fire Magic), Hamon Caseus (Glass Magic). With Finral's support, they could get up close and personal. Defeat quickly.

Team F: Blue Rose Knights girl (Unknown Magic), Silver Eagles dude (Unknown Magic), Purple Orcas dude (Unknown Magic).

Team G: Golden Dawn dude (Unknown Magic), Sekke Bronzazza (Bronze Magic), Shoto Todoroki (Half Cold Half Hot). Both Todoroki and a guy from the Golden Dawn. Potentially very dangerous.

Team H: Crimson Lions dude (Unknown Magic), Silver Eagles dude (Unknown Magic), Coral Peacocks dude (Unknown Magic).

Team I: Silver Eagles dude (Unknown Magic), Crimson Lion dude (Unknown Magic), not a third member?

Team J: Blue Rose Knights girl (Unknown Magic), Green mantises dude (Unknown Magic), Coral Peacocks dude (Unknown Magic).

Team K: Blue Rose Knights girl (Unknown Magic), Luck Voltia (Lightning Magic), Klaus Lunettes (Steel Magic).

Team N: Izuku Midoriya (One for All), Jesse Aurumson (Gold Magic), Silver Eagles girl (Unknown Magic). Jesse has great defense, and I can't wait to see what else can he do now after his time in the magic knights. Looking at the girl, Midoriya saw she was short, had her robe's hood on, and that she has red eyes, and blond hair with dark red edges.

Team M: Green Mantises dude (Unknown Magic), Crimson Lions dude (Unknown Magic), Coral peacocks girl (Unknown Magic).

Team L: Silver Eagles dude (Unknown Magic),

Team O: Coral Peacocks dude (Unknown Magic), Solid Silva (Water Magic), Alecdora Sandler (Sand Magic). Both Alecdora and Solid are arrogant, and can't get along with other, lower-ranking people. Their arrogance will be their downfall.

Team P: Kacchan (Explosion), Yuno (Wind Magic), Noelle Silva (Water Magic.). Three heavy hitters plus Noelle's defense magic, the ultimate team. not a good match up.

"All right, let's head over to the main stage." The Wizard King announced, "Cob, I'm counting on you."

"Yes, yes, yes, sir!" A man said, saluting. He made doors appear out of thin air, and when they opened, Midoriya saw a portal similar to Finral's. 'So we're fighting elsewhere? I see. I'll have the analyze the new arena as soon as we get there.'.

"Right this way! Have fun." Cob said, gesturing towards the portal.

When Midoriya walked out of the portal, he could see they were standing on a large stone platform overlooking what he presumed will be the battlefield. It had grass, sand, woods, water, and ruins scattered across it.

"This is the stage for the crystal destruction tournament?!" Asta asked, a starry-eyed look on his face "It's huge.". 'It is. But maybe we can use it to our advantage, it depends on who we'll come up against.'.

"The battlefield has a wide range of different areas" The Wizard King said, "Use them to display your powers to the fullest." A shimmering screen appeared above him and Marx. "And here's the tournament chart, which we determined by lottery in advance. Battle wins and losses won't directly affect whether you pass or fail. That said, the more you win, the more you'll be able to show your true skills. Since you have the chance, I hope you all strive to win."

'Our first opponent is...Kacchan's team?!' he gave his childhood friend a look, and the latter returned him quite a sinister smile. 'We'll have to overcome such a well-rounded team on the first battle? I hope the others are up for the task…'.

"All right, we're about to begin round one." The Wizard King announced "You may attack your opponents! Thought I'm sure this goes without saying, make sure you guys don't kill anyone! We've got a high-level recovery mage on standby, so fight to your hearts' content!"

Both teams A and B departed to start to fight, going to their respective crystals.

"Yoohoo! This beautiful lady of the Black Bulls came to cheer you on!" Midoriya heard Vanessa say behind them.

"Thank you so much, ladies." Finral said, going up to them "But are you sure it was okay for all of you to come at once?".

"The captain gave us a heartfelt send-off" Vanessa replied.

"Oh, really? That's our captain!" Finral said, "We're actually just about to start."

"Oh? So Asta's team is the first round?" Vanessa looked at the battlefield "Well, that's definitely fitting for him. Asta! You'd better show them who's boss!"

"I can't see" Charmy said "At this rate, I'm going to miss my meal-saving prince's heroic deeds!"

"All right. Are both teams ready?" The Wizard King asked, Charmy now sitting on his laps, eating a cupcake. And his friends started cheering. 'This is time to see how magic knights might combine their powers into a strategy, and see how to counter it.'.

"I wonder what kind of magic we'll see. I can't wait!" the Wizard King said, and Midoriya heard a faint scream. 'Even from here I can hear him…Lower the volume, Asta…'.

Both teams started speaking among themselves, coming up with strategies, before a single shot broke the silence, hitting Team B's crystal. Looking at the other team, he saw one guy scout the area with some contraption on his head, and two more utilizing their magics into a combined long-distance attack. 'So that's their strategy… Considering what I know, I'll get closer to them with Mimosa, Asta, and perhaps that other guy guarding the crystal, and force them to engage in a skirmish' Midoriya started mumbling, not noticing the stares he got.

Midoriya looked back at team B, seeing Xerx lying on the floor.

"He's totally asleep." Magna said

"He sure is."

'Asleep? Maybe it's part of his magic?'.

Another fire blast came their way, and this time it was blocked by Asta. After some talking Midoriya couldn't hear, they started running with the crystal towards the enemy, leaving Xerx behind. 'So he's actually a liability… this won't turn out good for them at this rate, unless they can take all three mages on their own.'.

"Hey, they're actually trying to charge in with just the two of them." Someone in the crowd said.

"He's pretty good, though."

"Isn't the other member of team B asleep? Is he trying to lower his opponents' guard?"

"Depending on his abilities, I guess this could be a way of fighting, too."

By now, Mimosa and Asta reached the middle of the battlefield, and Mimosa grew a giant flower that shot a beam of magic at the enemies, but the opposing mages protected themselves. 'She learned attack spells? That makes Team B all the more dangerous.'. the flower shot a beam again, this time penetrating the rock mage's defense spell.

"Hey, nerd." He heard Kacchan say "You better be ready when I fight you." Midoriya turned to look at his friend "You've been talking about how you've gotten stronger. We'll have an all-out battle here." Kacchan then walked back to his team, and Midoriya returned to his deep thought.

Looking back to the fight, he saw the two attack mages split up, running in opposite directions, with big orbs floating behind them. 'They're concealing the crystal! That's a good strategy.'. unfortunately, it seemed Asta and Mimosa weren't fooled, and they ran after the rock magic-user. The latter stopped in the middle of a small body of water, before releasing what looked like an attack spell. Midoriya could see Team A's plan from his bird eye view, they had Asta and Mimosa surrounded. 'They'll need a miracle to win now. They had been outwitted.'.

Suddenly, Asta's cry pierced the silence, and Midoriya saw his body has frozen, coated by some purple material. 'What is that? None of the enemies' spells had made contact.'. Asta collapsed to the ground, and the enemies didn't launch their attacks yet.

"Asta!" the Black Bulls called out to him.

Team A had decided to launch its final attack, launching three attacks from three different directions. 'Mimosa can't avoid it. And she can't guard against it. It's over.'. but to Midoriya's surprise, three magic circles appeared in mid-air, absorbing the attacks headed for Mimosa, before returning them their senders.

"What was that magic?" Yuno asked.

As the smoke cleared, Midoriya could see all of team A's mages lying on the ground, defeated, and Midoriya could see Xerx had woken up, and headed for the enemy crystal, which was now wide open. Stepping on one of the downed mages, Xerx had reached the crystal. Xerx prepared to attack the crystal, before looking as if he decided against it. After walking away for a bit, he whipped around, destroying the crystal with a point-blank blast.

"Crystal magic stoppage confirmed." One of the mages standing next to the Wizard King said "B Team wins!". Both teams started departing from the stage, and recovery mages went to pick the injured Team A from the battlefield, and Teams C and D entered the battlefield.

"Good luck, Magna!" Midoriya told his departing squadmate.

"Who's that sparkly guy? I can see him all the way from up here." Yuno asked.

"All that sparkling is sort of wasted on him." The Wind Spirit added.

"Kirsch Vermillion. He's Mimosa's older brother." Noelle answered "To describe in a single word… He's creepy.

'I see. So we can expect a great magical ability from him, as expected from a Royal. I wonder what kind of magic does he use?'.

"How could you say something like that?" Klaus asked "He's the Vice-Captain of the Coral Peacocks! Don't sell him short! Despite how he looks, in place of their captain who's always asleep, Dorothy Unsworth, I hear he does almost all of the squad's practical magic!".

"Despite how he looks. So you think he's weird, too. Four-eyes." The Wind Spirit said.

"Four-eyes sure does."

"I do not!" Klaus said, "Well, maybe a little bit."

"All right, then." The Wizard King instructed, and the announcer announced the battle "The next battle will be…Team C: Kirsch, Sol, and Magna versus Team D: Fragil, Adrian, and Willy. Let the second match begin!".

The match started, and Magna didn't seem to waste any time, using his fire magic to create a bat out of fire, and start hitting fireballs at his opponents' direction. He then, for some irrational reason, decided to charge into the enemy team's area alone. But Magna couldn't see the mage ambushing him, grimoire in hand, and ready to strike. A wave of snow headed for Magna, blanketing the area around him, but Magna blew it away with his explosive fireballs. After the failed first attack, the enemy mage decided to launch multiple sharp icicles at Magna, and he destroyed them with his bat.

Suddenly, Kirsch appeared behind Magna. They seemed to talk for a little, before Kirsch headed else, leaving Magna to fight the ice mage. 'Well, Magna does have the upper hand here, so maybe he's going after their other teammate?'. Magna got rid of the enemy's attack, before launching a fireball at the opposing mage, breaking through her ice wall and knocking her out.

Midoriya turned his eyes towards the other knight, Sol, seeing her trapped in what looked like mud, a mage then appeared out of the bog, grimoire floating next to him. 'This Kinda reminds me of Honenuki'. Kirsch then floated up next to Sol, talking to her for a bit, and then flying away, as Sol created four little golems, surrounding the opposing mage. 'Is he…giving them advice? It seemed like after they talked, both Magna and Sol changed their fighting styles. Very fitting for a vice-captain.'.

Something caught Midoriya's attention. In the river flowing through the battle, a mage emerged, launching an attack at Team C's crystal. What looked like a giant fish jumped out of the water, attacking the crystal. But suddenly the area was covered in a pink cyclone, made of petals? It then spread, encompassing the other mages as well.

Midoriya couldn't see anything inside the petal storm, but suddenly the crystal mage announced "C Team wins!". The petals cleared, and Midoriya could see both Magna and Sol posing with Kirsch.

"Well? How was our fighting?" Kirsch asked everyone "Wasn't it beautiful?"

"Uh… Sure." Someone in the crowd said.

"That spell… First, he produced various clones to confuse the enemy." Klaus broke down Kirsch's strategy "Then he covered the battlefield in a storm of magic petals, making it hard to see or detect magic. Meanwhile, it created a safe route to the enemy crystal for his teammates. The only way that's possible is because being royalty gives you a monstrous amount of magic!"

"That magic was awesome!" Asta exclaimed with his starry-eyed look "Way to go, Mimosa's bro!"

"Please don't mention that, Asta." Mimosa said.

"Quiet, swine." Kirsch replied, "You're dirtying my space.". 'Seriously? I shouldn't have expected better from royalty.'. "You're next. A broken vessel like you who can't use magic…I'll use my magic to shatter the rest of you."

"I don't know about that." Asta said, undaunted "I'm not sure how, but apparently when a vessel's cracked, you can use it longer."

"You were only using that vessel because you're poor." Kirsch replied "How unsightly."

"Say what?!" Asta said "That cracked vessel was something Sister bought for us! It's a symbol of love between Sister Lily and me! I'm going to keep using it forever!"

"Asta, this was all just a "what if"." Yuno said.

"Your brain is unsightly, too." Kirsch added.

"Next up is round three!" The announcer said "Team E: Finral, Leopold and Hamon versus Team F: Kyle, Borja and Gaston. The respective teams departed for the battlefield, and once they were ready, the match started.

'They'll probably use Finral's magic to mobilize their attackers, and win the match by quickly wiping out their opponents, not leaving them time to attack the crystal. That is what I would have done, anyway.' Midoriya gave a look to his two teammates. ´I hope they'll even listen to a strategy…'.

The attack has started, and just like Midoriya anticipated, they used the portals to mobilize Leopold, and had him attack the enemy. Another mage had launched an attack against Leopold, to help his teammate, but instead, the attack hit his teammate, Leopold disappearing into a portal, completely avoiding the attack. Leopold then appeared behind the Silver Eagles mage, attacking him with his fire magic.

Finral then mobilized Hamon to attack one of the enemy mages and the crystal. 'Finral has gathered experience from his battle along with the other Black Bulls. He skillfully moves his allies on the battlefield, helping them attack from the best positions. Just as I had anticipated, a very strong team.'. Leopold has charged the enemy crystal, destroying it with his flames.

"Crystal destroyed! E Team wins!"

"You're amazing, Finral!" Asta exclaimed.

"The way he uses his spatial magic is troublesome."

"All of the Black Bulls in this exam so far have been junior Magic Knights."

"I hadn't taken them seriously, but the last two Black Bulls also exhibited powers that seemed beyond juniors."

"Maybe the Black Bulls really are different this year."

"Next up is round four!" The announcer said, "G Team: Langris, Shot and Sekke versus Team H: Gareth, Simon and Medeo." The teams had departed for the battlefield, and the match started as soon as they were ready. Team H covered their crystal with some kind of a steel barrier, and a single mage stood to protect it.

Unexpectedly, Team G decided to go on a head-on attack, with Todoroki and the Golden Dawn dude riding on Sekke's motorcycle-looking magic. Several magic circles activated in mid-air, threatening to hit all of Team G, but before they could, the Golden Dawn dude swung his arm around, shaving part of the crystal away with no effort.

'Wh-What was that?!'

"Th-The crystal's been destroyed. G team wins!"

The Golden Dawn dude and Todoroki got off of Sekke's vehicle, and shortly after Sekke was hit by the trap spells. After that, they both walked back to the balcony, with Sekke being taken care of by the recovery mages.

"In the end, you'll never be more than a means of transportation, Brother." The approaching Golden Dawn dude told Finral. 'Wait, they're brothers?'. "In our upcoming match, be careful not to get in the way of my spatial magic, okay? I can't guarantee that you won't lose something. If that were to happen, Mother and Father aside, I'm sure that she would be sad.".

"You're right." Finral said, a resolute look on his face "So to ensure that doesn't happen, I'm going to win!".

"How insolent of you, Brother."

"We will now begin round five!" the announcer said, "Team I and Team J, come forth."

"Roland, Wainsley, Nix…" Asta read the names of the combatants of the chart "Nills, Ruben…And "Times"? what a strange name.".

"I believe it's just "X", Asta" Mimosa said.

"X? what a strange name."

"I wonder if they entered anonymously." Noelle said.

"X! X! if you're here, please come over immediately!" the announcer said. And suddenly, Midoriya heard a chuckle. Turning to look at the source, he saw a very, very weird looking man. "Wh-Who the hell's that guy!?" Asta asked, and the man headed towards Team I.

"I'm X!" he said, his mouth not moving, and his eyes not blinking. He then glowed in a brilliant light, the mask melted off of him, and revealed him to be the Aqua Deer Captain "Hello! It's me, Rill Boismortier! Are you all surprised?"

After some surprise from the crowd, Rill asked "Huh? Wait…were captains not supposed to enter?!".

"Not true! We're glad to have you!" The Wizard King said, holding a sleeping Charmy in his hand "There's no need to be afraid, everyone. This is your chance to defeat a captain and make a name for yourselves."

"Hurry up and start, if you're all here." The king said.

"The Aqua Deer were dead last in the previous term, so I'm here to rebuild our reputation!" Rill announced.

"What enthusiasm!" a man said, jumping to behind Rill, revealing himself to be and old man in a formal suit. "I am deeply moved, Young Master Rill! Ladies and gentlemen, I ask that you take good care of Master Rill today."

"You're always so dramatic." Rill said "Oh, hey, Asta! I look forward to today!"

"Yeah! Let's both do our best!"

"Are you two friends?" Mimosa asked, and the old man gave Asta a scary look, making Mimosa hide behind Asta. The old man then performed a little dance, getting to Asta, and offering him tea. "You must be Master Rill's trustworthy friend, Master Asta." The man said, sitting down on a stool he pulled from out of nowhere. "I've heard all about you. Thank you for being good friends with Master Rill.". ´He kinda reminds me of Gentle, with his extravagant movements and clothes. I wonder if he really likes tea, too.'. "I am Walter, Master Rill's butler. Please, do have some tea."

"Th-Thank you very much." Asta said, accepting the tea. "It's so classy that I can't even understand the taste!"

"Moron"

"Just Imagine… Master Rill having a friend." The old man said, "This would've been unfathomable before."

"Really? I guess I'm not that surprised." Asta said.

"I do apologize. I've been moved to tears" Walter wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.

"Oh, come on, Walter!" Rill said "Stop bringing up the past! It's embarrassing."

"Oh, I do beg your pardon."

"We're going to begin, finally!" The announced said, and Midoriya turned his attention towards the battlefield. "Round five of stage one! Team I: Nills, Rill, and Ruben versus team J:Wainsley, Roland, and Nix. Begin!". the round has officially started, and Midoriya was looking forward to seeing a captain in action.

Rill has charged forward on a blob made out of several colors, paintbrush, and palette at hand. The other two mages stayed to protect the crystal. To Midoriya's surprise, the captain was quickly captured, ensnared by one of the opposing mages magic vines. 'What?! Seriously?! And he's just crying like a child, although his paintbrush and grimoire are free…'. The opposing mages prepared to take him out, readying fire and ice attacks, while the other mages sprayed them with thin, yellow clouds. 'strengthening magic?'.

Rill then reached for his palette, creating a spiraling fire to counter the ice, and a vortex of water to counter the fire, ultimately countering both attacks completely. Rills attacks, however, did not stop and took out both mages.

"He attacked them with the attributes they're weakest against at the same time!" Noelle said.

What was left after the attack, were two large smudges of paint on the ground, an orange one and a blue one, entrapping both mages. "Excellent work, young master!" Walter said. One of Rill's teammates than freed him from the confines of the vine magic. Meanwhile, the other mage, Ruben, attacked the last remaining enemy mage with a vortex of sand, shuttering the crystal behind him.

"The crystal has been destroyed. Team I wins!"

"Well done, well done." The Wizard King said, Charmy now sleeping in his laps.

"I guess that was all right." The king said.

"He's rather irresponsible despite being a Grand Magic Knight, so he has those around him work hard." Walter said, seeing Rill concentrate on thinking about his painting. "That's the young master's true talent!".

"Next, we will begin round six of stage one." The announced said, and Midoriya's heart skipped a bit. 'We're next after this match…' he gave his teammates a look 'I must steel my resolve, we have to win' he gave his opponents a look 'Despite the odds being stacked against us...'. "Team K and Team L, step forward."

"Are you done? Are you done now?" Luck asked.

"Yeah!" Asta said "You're up next, Luck! I'll be cheering you on."

"You too, Klaus." Midoriya said.

"It's finally our turn! I can't wait!" Luck exclaimed.

"Luck Voltia…" Klaus spoke up "This is a match that will decide who will be among the Royal Knights. You need to take this more seriously. I am the leader. Make sure you don't go running off on your own".

"Aw, don't be so serious. Let's have some fun!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"Welp, there's no point in worrying about it!" the Blue Rose Knight girl that Midoriya remembered was on Luck's team said, slapping both Luck and Klaus on their shoulders. "Let's give it our all!"

"Who are you?" Luck asked.

"I'm your teammate." The woman said "I'm Puli. Puli Angel. As my name and appearance suggest, I'm an angel!"

"Oh, I see. Nice to meet you." Luck replied.

"Let's hit 'em with our best performances!" she said.

"Yeah!"

"You've got this, Klaus!" Asta said.

"Please do your best. I know you can do it if you try." Mimosa cheered him.

"I won't consider you my senior if you lose." Yuno said.

"I see that you're as insolent as ever." Klaus retorted "Just sit back and watch my battle."

"Hey, let's come up with a plan." Luck said.

"Indeed." Klaus replied "The one we have to watch out for the most in this match, is their wind magic user, who's said to be the most mobile member of his squad. A 2nd class Senior Magic Knight from the Silver Eagles. Rob Vitesse." Klaus and his team then departed for the battlefield.

"And now, for the sixth round of stage one!" the announcer said "Team K: Puli, Klaus and Luck versus Team L: Rob, Francis and Winston. And…begin!". The two teams started skirmishing, launching spells at each other, at they both fought for superiority in the battle. Klaus stayed to protect the crystal, meanwhile his teammates engaged the enemy.

Midoriya saw the water magic user from Team L attack Klaus, before attacking the crystal, but the crystal was protected by Luck, who proceeded to launch a counterattack at the mage. "His spell changed shape! That's awesome!" Asta exclaimed with a starry-eyed look. After countering the mage, Luck, with his team's crystal still in his hands, launched an attack at the opposing team's crystal.

Another mage approached Klaus, carrying a large, spiky rock, and Klaus launched his counterattack, a spinning metal lance, who broke through the enemies' rock easily. "Way to go, four-eyes!" Asta said.

"Fantastic, Klaus!" Mimosa praised her squadmate "I guess you're not just some four-eyes who's too serious and worries too much!"

Both teams regrouped, and Puli picked up her team's crystal, heading for sky, and she now had wings? Feathers then started raining from her wings, creating a gust of wind that disrupted the enemy team, and gave her own allies a boost of speed. Even though her spell worked great on the two mages, the third one, Rob, didn't seem fazed, and he stood in place to protect the crystal. But Luck had gathered too much speed, and he kicked the opposing mage into the crystal with extreme force, shattering it on impact. 'Another swift defeat? Every team up until now seemed to defeat the opposing team swiftly, I hope the same won't happen to us…'.

"In a single blow?!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.

"The crystal has been destroyed. Team K wins!" the announcer said "Next up, the seventh round of stage one…Team O and Team P, step forward.".

"Which means it's finally…" Asta said with a starry-eyed look "time for their team!"

"I heard that you grew up with Stupidsta." Noelle said, "I hope you're not as reckless as he is, too.".

"Look who's talking. You can't control your magic well, can you?" Yuno asked "It looked like it took all you had to maintain your Mana Skin at the volcano. Can you actually fight?".

"Huh? I'm royalty!" Noelle replied, "Can you actually think and fight, you violent peasant who's Asta's childhood friend?!".

"That wasn't even an argument. That lame comeback…is Asta rubbing off on you?" Yuno retorted.

"What?! Why would I ever be influenced by him?!" Noelle said, suddenly flustered "See!? You're just like Shtupidshta!".

"Calm down. Guess I was right."

"I'm perfectly calm!"

"Shut up already, you damn morons." Bakugo said, his temper reaching its limit.

"Yeah, grow up, you two." Asta said, "Learn to get along with each other."

"Who cares about you, Asta?!" Noelle punched him in the face.

"I see you're having a friendly chat." Midoriya heard a voice behind him "It's as though you think you actually have the upper hand. The Black Bulls just happened to make a good showing for once, and you really believe it was thanks to you?"

"Shut up, you moron" Bakugo said, "Don't act as though you have already won."

"Make sure you do your best to run away, Noelle" Solid said, before going away with Alecdora, and Yuno, Noelle, and Bakugo departed for the battle as well.

"We Will now begin the seventh round of stage one." The announcer said "Team O: Sandler, Dimitri and Solid versus Team P: Bakugo, Noelle, and Yuno. Begin!"

"You got this, guys!" Asta cheered his friends on.

Looking at the battle field, Midoriya couldn't believe his eyes, seeing all of team O charging in on some sort of composite magic. 'Are they stupid? A head-on attack on such a team can only result in defeat. If this is their entire plan, there is no way they can win.'.

Seeing their charge, Yuno launched a spell their way, forcing them all off of their ride with a blade of air, and in response, one of the mages shot fireballs at Yuno's way. Noelle erected her defense spell, a dome of water appearing around her team and crystal, blocking the enemies attack.

Suddenly, Alecdora dropped a big chunk of sand on the dome, covering it completely. But not soon after, he saw Yuno fly out of the dome, Noelle, and the crystal in hand, and not long after, the entire thing was blown away by Bakugo. Yuno was flying towards the other team's crystal, but Alecdora quickly caught up, obscuring his way with sand. Yuno sent Noelle away, while he stayed with the crystal, and Bakugo fought the fire mage.

Noelle was carried by Yuno's magic, and Solid went after her. After both of them landed, Solid confronted Noelle near the crystal, activating some kind of spell, launching what looked like snakes made out of water at Noelle. Meanwhile, in another part of the arena, Alecdora mage a huge sand knight, preparing to attack Yuno and the crystal, but instead, a tornado appeared inside of it, ripping it apart effortlessly.

Looking back at Noelle, he saw she summoned her mighty sea dragon spell, facing of with Solid. The dragon charged forward, easily getting rid of Solid's spell, and smashing both him and his team's crystal.

"She destroyed the crystal in a single blow!" Mimosa said, surprised.

"The crystal has been destroyed! Team P wins!" The announced said. As the dust cleared, Midoriya could clearly see the crater Noelle's spell created, and the defeated Solid laying inside of it.

"Yes! Great job winning, Yuno!" Asta congratulated his friend "You too, Katsuki!".

"You too, asshat." Bakugo replied.

"Who are you calling an asshat?!"

"Great job, Yuno!" Charmy said, approaching Yuno with a cupcake in hand "Y-You were so cool! Here's your usual after-battle dessert." She offered him the fancy cupcake.

Yuno took the cupcake out her hands "Thanks. I'll be sure to savor it." He said, and took a bite "It's good.". hearing that, Charmy leaped back, landing with her back on the floor, and Asta immediately went to check on her.

"Next, we will begin the eighth and last round of stage one." The announced said, and Midoriya's heart skipped a beat "Team N and Team M, step forward.".

"You've got this, Deku!" Asta said.

"Don't you dare lose, damn Deku." Bakugo threatened.

After that, Midoriya walked towards the announcer, meeting up with his team, and then both teams went to the field, and their respective crystals. "So, first, let's each introduce each other, so we all know each other's powers." Midoriya said, "I can use a sort of reinforcement magic, so I have super strength and speed.".

"Yeah, Izuku, you're very strong, I have no doubts we'll win." Jesse said "and I use Gold Magic. An all-purpose magic, I can do recovery, defense, and attack magic.".

"I'm Mel." The Silver Eagles girl said "I use Honey Magic. I can do recovery magic as well, but my magic is most useful when used subtly, and not in an all-out battle, but as a Magic Knight, I can do that as well."

"I see." Midoriya said "What do you mean by "Used subtly"?".

Mel raised her hand to shoulder level, and on her index finger, honey formed into what looked like a sleek bee with reddish eyes. "From disrupting the enemy to sending out scouts, large scope battle control is what I mean. I could, theoretically, make my magic move the crystal around and hide it, and it will allow all three of us to go on the offensive."

"Okay, that does sound good, but I don't want to risk it." Midoriya said "But I do have a plan. Jesse, since you have the best defensive potential here, I want you to stay and protect the crystal. Mel, I want you to spread your scouts and come with me, we'll destroy the other team's crystal. I'll do the main attacking, as we don't know the powers of our opponents, while you support me. Sounds good?"

"Yes, sir!" Jesse said, and Mel just nodded quietly.

"We Will now begin the eighth round of stage one." The announcer said "Team N: Izuku, Jesse and Mel versus Team M: Igna, Radix, and Petra. Begin!"

"You won't have to hold long, Jesse." Midoriya said as he and Mel ran off in the direction of the opposite team, and Midoriya could see Mel had her grimoire floating next to her, Honey droplets flying backward off of Mel as they ran, forming into little bees and scattering around. Honey Creation Magic: Drone Scouts.

When they reached the ruins in the middle of the field, they stopped to hide behind a wall, Mel waiting to confirm the enemy team's crystal's location, she blinked, and when her eyes opened, they looked like a golden honeycomb. They stayed like that until she blinked again, and spoke "Two of them are with the crystal on the hill to our right. One of them is advancing towards our crystal.".

"Good, it'll make it all easier." Midoriya said "Let's go-" he said before rethinking his actions "Actually, can your scouts scan for trap spells?". Mel nodded, and after two seconds, she spoke up again "Your prediction was verified. The are multiple trap spells all around the hill."

"Okay. Good. We can use it to throw them off balance." Midoriya said, "Can you create something bigger than the scouts?" Mel nodded in response and a plan formed in Midoriya's head "okay. I've got a plan. We'll run up at the hill, and when we get close enough, I'll create a dust cloud to obscure out opponents view. While I do that, you'll send your magic to activate the traps. They'll think we were caught, and then, we'll strike."

"I understand." Mel said, and they ran straight at the enemy.

When Mel signaled him, he activated his quirk, and punched down at the ground, stirring up a dust cloud. Mel got her grimoire out, casting a spell Honey Creation Magic: Drone Sentinels. A couple of human-sized drones appeared, looking like a cross between a knight and a bee, having four, javelin-looking arm stingers, one pair smaller than the top one. They looked artificial, sleek and unnatural. Their reddish eyes glowing with a faint red light.

The sentinels went into the traps, triggering explosions all along the ground. "Now!" Midoriya charged forward, and Mel cast another spell Honey Magic: Seizing Coat of the hive. All the scouts converged on the two opponents, smashing into them and covering them in honey, their movements becoming sluggish.

'We can do it!' Midoriya was about to smash the crystal, but he needed to evade an attack coming his way. Looking at the attacker, he saw one of the mages covered himself in molten lava, destroying the honey. "This almost got me, it messes with mana control." The mage said, passing the lava coat to the lady next to him, and preparing another spell. Lava Magic: Liquid Pyro Blast! A molten orb appeared next to him, before firing a constant stream of lava at Midoriya, who jumped away.

The lady mage recovered herself, getting out her own grimoire Rock Creation Magic: Entombed Vortex! A sharp vortex of smaller rocks appeared, and went after him, too. "Izuku, take care of this one, please." She said, gesturing towards the lava mage. Midoriya nodded, appearing to him in an instant, and delivering a punch to his face, knocking him out. Honey Magic: Seizing Coat of the Hive! Mel cast a spell, this time, a whole bunch of small, golden orbs formed next to her, and she shot them all at the woman, this time completely covering her. Seeing that, Midoriya smashed the crystal with his fist.

"The crystal has been destroyed! Team N wins!" The announced said, and Midoriya made his way back to the balcony. When he got back to his friends, they all congratulated him on his performance.

"At least you haven't lost, Deku." Bakugo said "But prepare, next time, it's you against me."

"Why don't we jump right into stage two?" The Wizard King said "But before that… I'm counting on you guys."

At first, Midoriya didn't know who he was talking to, but then a group of mages standing in the battlefield answered "Yes, sir!". looking at the battlefield, he saw the mages use their magic to completely rearrange the battlefield. Buildings and hills sprouted from the ground, and out of a giant cliff that was created in the field, a waterfall appeared.

'The stage is changing! They probably want to see how we'll adapt to a whole new terrain'.

"Its easier to judge your abilities when you're forced to fight in a variety of situations." The Wizard King said "Now, then…For stage two, you'll be fighting upon this stage.

"The stage may have changed, but my beauty remains the same." Kirsch said. 'They were right, he is creepy…kinda reminds me of Aoyama.'. "The same goes for the fate of you filth." Kirsch told Asta "I'll make sure there's no trace of you left. I hope you're prepared."

"Hey, I'm not that easy to get rid of!" Asta replied.

"Asta isn't filth!" Mimosa said "You're the one who should be prepared, Brother!"

"Asta! No holding back, you got it?!" Magna said.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Magna!"

"At least you're spirited, Funglasquent." Sol said.

"Stop calling me Funglasquent!"

"Let's do our best teamwork again, guys!" Xerx said, chuckling to himself.

"And now…Team B: Xerx, Mimosa, and Asta versus Team C: Kirsch, Sol, and Magna." The announcer said "Round one of stage two…begin!". Hearing that, Midoriya ran back to the edge of the balcony, not wanting to miss the match.

Right after the match started, Midoriya could see pink petals started covering the field. 'He's going with the same strategy again? It seems reasonable, if it isn't broken, don't fix it.'. the only thing Midoriya could see now was four illusions looking like Kirsch flying above the battlefield, the latter being completely engulfed in petals. "Hey, Izuku." Yuno said, coming up behind him to watch the match.

"Oh, Yuno, Noelle, I'm glad you're awake." Midoriya replied, not turning his gaze from the battlefield bellow him.

"Ah, it's in full bloom." The Wizard King said.

'To be honest, without big area of effect attacks like Yuno and Kacchan can use, I can see no way in which they can negate this spell. that is, unless Midoriya can cut through it, but I'm not sure about that. If they can't break the spell, Team C can win without even being seen.'.

Something caught Midoriya's eye, a thick, black line running through the petal blanket that covered the arena. 'Is that…Asta?'. The black line ran throughout the arena, eventually erasing the petals, and Midoriya could swear he saw some magic circles getting erased. When all the petals cleared, Midoriya could see Asta standing amidst some ruins in the battlefield, his sword in hand.

"What in the world is going on?" The King asked.

'If he can use that power to erase magic on a large scale, why didn't he use it to win the previous round? If he would've used it, he would have been able to erase all three spells! Maybe there is some limit to that power? Or maybe some prerequisites he has to meet in order to use it?'. "Looks like Asta's learned another interesting power." The Wizard King said.

Looking at Magna's team, he saw Kirsch suddenly mount a platform made of petals, before charging towards the other team's side, leaving his teammates behind with the crystal. 'What is he doing? Charging in alone like that doesn't fit a Vice-Captain, then again, maybe it's part of a plan?'. When Kirsch reached the big hill in the field, Midoriya could see him launch a spell into a cave inside the hill. Instead of entering the cave, he created a couple of clones that went into the cave. Soon after, Kirsch landed in the cave entrance, launching another spell into it. 'I wonder who he's fighting in there.'.

Hearing a loud crash, Midoriya turned his attention over to the other side of the battlefield, where Sol attacked Mimosa with her golem. Mimosa ran away from Sol, creating some distance between them, before activating her own spell, as a giant flower sprouted from behind her. The flower lit up, before shooting a magic beam at the golem, blasting off his left arm. It didn't help much, as the arm turned into a small ball of mud, flying at Mimosa, before spreading around her, trapping her inside the mud. After immobilizing Mimosa, Sol carried on, walking away on her golem.

Midoriya heard an explosion, turning towards the cave Kirsch walked into earlier, he saw Asta and Xerx stand at the entrance, and Xerx was blowing the entrance up, sealing the cave. Midoriya also noticed the fast-approaching Magna, who looked as if his legs were on fire. Skidding to a halt, Magna confronted Asta and Xerx, who had the crystal behind them. Magna threw a single fireball at Asta, which Midoriya was sure Asta will easily block. That was before the fireball suddenly disappeared, and impacted the crystal on a different location. 'What? A teleporting fireball? That seems like a pretty nice skill to have.'.

"That's so interesting!" The Wizard King said, a starry-eyed look on his face "He's far more talented than he looks.".

Asta finally managed to block on, catching on to Magna's technique, and this prompted Magna to start throwing fireballs at a much faster rate, Asta blocking the majority of them, but some fireballs did slip through his defense.

While Magna and Asta battled, Kirsch has suddenly joined the battle, flying in surrounded by petals. While Asta switched to fighting Kirsch, Xerx cast a spell on the crystal, returning one of Magna's fireballs right back at him. Magna got his bat of fire, ready to knock the ball away, but instead, the fireball disappeared, appearing elsewhere and hitting Magna with a blast of fire. 'That "return to sender" trap spell seems really useful. It both mimics the effect of a spell and makes it even stronger, I wonder if there's a limit to it.'.

Kirsch was now flying into the air, distancing himself from Asta. Suddenly, Kirsch's movement was halted, and through the petals, Midoriya could see a white magic circle binding him. 'In mid-air? How did he know Kirsch will go there?'. While Kirsch tried escaping his binds, Asta ran, jumping off a rock, and knocked his sword into Kirsch's chin, and the latter collapsed to the ground.

Out of nowhere, Sol and her golem erupted out of the ground. As the golem threw a fist at the crystal, it was stopped inches away from impacting it. Suddenly, plants erupted from the golem, covering it. ´Is that Mimosa's magic?' scanning the field, he saw Mimosa standing behind Sol, her hands glowing with magic. The golem then ripped its chest open, revealing the crystal inside.

Asta took the opportunity, and dashed forward, slashing the crystal in half.

"The crystal has been destroyed." The announcer said "Team B wins!"

"A royal losing to a peasant? How unbelievably pathetic!" the King said.

"Next, please prepare for the second round of stage two!". 'Next match is Finral vs his brother, the one with that awesome magic.'.

Asta and Midoriya both went towards their friends in order to support Finral, and prepare him for his upcoming battle. "There you go." Vanessa said after she combed Finral's hair.

"Th-Thank you, Vanessa."

"That's perfect! You look awesome!" Asta said.

"Could you do mine, too?" Magna asked.

"You already lost, you delinquent." Bakugo said, "Either way, you look just like the loser that you are."

"What!? Who're you calling a failure!?"

"Now, now. Try to stay calm, Magna." Luck said, "Like a loser should."

"You bastard! I'm gonna kill you!" Magna declared, lighting a fire in his hand "I'm so gonna kill you!"

"Good! Let's do this now!" Luck said, jumping back, electricity whizzing around his body.

"Wait, you guys-" Asta got in between both of them, and soon was blasted by them. After that, even though Asta was asking them to stop, both Luck and Magna lobed attacks at each other.

"Come on, you guys, stop! This is embarrassing!" Noelle said.

After everyone gave Finral their encouragement, Finral, Leopold and Hamon departed for the battlefield.

"It's finally starting" Asta said.

"And now, Team E: Leopold, Hamon and Finral versus Team G: Langris, Shoto, and Sekke." The announcer declared. "Round two of stage two, begin!".

Hamon cast a spell, scattering several little pieces of glass around the field. 'I wonder what that spell does?'. Meanwhile, Midoriya saw Sekke and Langris approach Team E's crystal, while Todoroki stayed to protect their crystal. 'Are they gonna do the same strategy again? I wonder how Finral can counter that weird magic Langris uses.'.

As Sekke and Langris approached Team E's, Langris tried again to use his attack, but Finral opened a portal in its way, both magics disappearing in an explosion. "Th-That's awesome!" Asta exclaimed.

"You can cancel out spatial magic with spatial magic?" Noelle asked. 'Oh, so he uses spatial magic too. Well, he is Finral's brother so it is to be expected.'.

"Keep it up, ya jerk!" Magna yelled.

"Marie's waiting. Hurry up and win." Gauche said.

Midoriya saw Finral opened a portal, and Hamon and Leopold jumped into it. 'Probably on their way to the crystal. Was the spell Hamon used some sort of detection spell?'. Looking at another part of the field, he saw Todoroki standing alone in a clearing, the crystal next to him. 'Makes sense, he'll be able to use his powers more effectively, and no one could get near him and launch a sneak attack.'.

As soon as Leopold and Hamon got out of the portal, they headed towards Todoroki and crystal, the latter standing guard in front of it. As soon as Todoroki saw them, he launched an ice barrage their way, catching Hamon, who didn't get out of the way in time. A battle of ice and fire ensued, but Midoriya was more interested in Finral's battle. "A spatial magic battle! You don't see that every day!" the Wizard King said with a starry-eyed look.

"Ah, so that is Finnes's fiancé, Langris." The king said "Not bad at all. He's still no match for me, though."

"Keep it up, FInral!" Asta encouraged his friend.

"It's only a matter of time before their crystal is destroyed!" Vanessa said.

"Are you drunk again, woman?" Bakugo asked, "the two dumbshits on Finral's team still haven't gotten through Icy hot.".

´Well, he's right. But still, if Leopold or Hamon pull something out of their sleeve, it could go bad for Todoroki.' Midoriya didn't dare shift his gaze to Todoroki's battle, wanting to see the spatial magic battle. Suddenly, Midoriay saw Finral use a new spell, and a glowing, green orb appeared in front of him. The spell then made its way towards Sekke and Langris. Slower than other spell, but not too slow. Even after Sekke evaded it, it continued chasing him, and Langris got off of Sekke's "Motorcycle". Soon after, Sekke switched his vehicle for his defense sphere, and as soon as Finral's spell touched him, he disappeared.

"H-He disappeared?!" Asta exclaimed.

"This way, he can get rid of enemies without hurting them! He must be a kind soul." The Wizard King said. 'Oh, so it's not an attack spell? It's a teleportation spell like he usually uses, just mobile? So it's more like Kurogiri's quirk, teleporting people involuntarily'.

"You're so awesome, Finral!" Asta exclaimed.

"B-But where did he go?" Gray asked. 'That is a good question.'.

Returning his attention to the battlefield, Midoriya saw Langris open his grimoire, it's pages flipping, and ominous energy gathering around him. 'Is it darker here, or is it just me?' Looking up, Midoriya could see dark clouds cover the sky above them. A whole bunch of orbs radiating an ominous aura appeared next to Langris. 'What is up with this spell?'.

"This doesn't feel very pleasant." The King said.

"Finral!" Asta yelled out to his friend.

"If that attack hits him…" Noelle said.

"Run!" Vanessa called out to him.

Instead of running, FInral stood his ground, and several green orbs like earlier appeared next to him. They both launched their spells at each other, similar spells colliding in colorful explosions, brilliant and blinding, so much so that Midoriya couldn't see the two anymore.

When the light disappeared, and the smoke cleared, Midoriya saw the crystal riddled with holes. But to his horror, Finral was laying on the grass in front of the crystals, riddled with holes and bleeding bad. "Finral!" Midoriya and Asta yelled out at the same time.

"G-G Team wins!" the announcer said.

Even though the match was over, Midoriya saw Langris approach Finral 'What is he doing?'. Langris raised his hand, readying an attack. 'The match is over…That bastard!' Adrenaline pumped through Midoriya's veins, and power exploded out of every cell in his body. Soon, the balcony lost a big chunk of itself, when Midoriya launched himself at the battlefield, soon, he could feel Langris' surprise as Midoriya was standing behind him, carrying FInral in his arms. "You bastard" he heard Bakugo behind him, turning to look, he saw Langris laying on the dirt with his stomach, and Bakugo standing over him, one foot on his back, and surrounded by Magna, Asta, and Luck.

"Just try and pull something again." Bakugo said, his palm smoking dangerously "I'll blow your fucking head off."

"Forget the match. We'll kill you." Luck said.

Soon, all Black Bulls present surrounded him Langris, aiming spell with harmful intent at him. "There's something wrong with you. The match was already over!" Asta said, anger audible in his voice.

'Crap, crap, crap! My bones feel like glass that is about to shatter. I push my limits too much lately.'.

"Maybe you've been on a roll lately, but you're still Black Bulls Flunkies. What do you think you'll do against the Vice-Captain of the Golden Dawn." Langris said from the ground "Now get your filthy foot off me".

"What was that? You arrogance shithead." Bakugo drove his leg further into Langris' back.

"Who the hell cares about your status when we're trying to protect our precious friend?!" Asta replied.

"Precious friend?" Langris asked.

"That's enough." The Wizard King said, exiting a portal with his company in tow "Those who go easy on their companions in a fight can't be trusted. But those who try to kill their companions have problems that run much deeper than trust. Now get your foot off of him, Katsuki."

"He's in bad shape. Leave him to me" the recovery mage that accompanied the Wizard King told Midoriya, and he put Firnal gently on the ground. Water Recovery Magic: Qualle Operation. Several magic jellyfish appeared next to the mage, touching Finral's wounds.

"Will he be ok?" Noelle asked.

"I'll do everything I can." The mage answered.

"Companion? That useless fool brings shame upon the Magic Knights." Langris said arrogantly.

"You little…"

"Maybe we'll kill him after all…"

"Firnal's nicer than anybody! That's what makes him a true Magic Knight!" Asta said.

"No matter how tough you are…" Midoriya said "The heart makes the hero, not the strength. You're no Magic Knight!"

"I'm not a Magic Knight? What?" Langris asked, chuckling "I guess making it this far has gone to your head. You sure talk big for a Black Bulls newbie." He then tuned towards the Wizard King "Wizard King, before the next teams conduct their match, would you let me battle them? Actually…Let's just start." He turned towards them, readying an attack "Let the semi-finals begin!" he said, attacking Asta. However, the attack was quickly cut by Asta's sword. 'He can even cut that? Damn, that sword is useful.'.

"Sir, aren't you going to stop them?" Marx asked.

"In actual combat, no one says "stop" or "start"." The Wizard King said, "So keep going."

"Good idea, Old man!" Katsuki said, his palm glowing bright as he threw his arm at Langris. Seeing that, Langris readied his own attack, and Asta jumped in to block it. But before anyone could do anything, all three were frozen inside blue, translucent orbs. Time Binding Magic: Chrono Stasis. 'Seriously?! Time magic?! A fearsome power, indeed.'.

"You two can hear me, yes?" The Wizard King spoke "Although I'd like for you two to fight as if this were real combat, it is still a match. Sit tight for a long second, until preparations for the match are completed. Don't worry. I'll have everything ready before your enthusiasm cools." He then turned towards Cob and Marx "Prepare for the semi-finals. Get the crystals ready. Also, bring the other members of Team B and Team G here."

"Roger-dodger-roger! Um…" Cob said.

"Team B has Xerx Lügner and Mimosa vermillion. Team G has Shoto Todoroki and Sekke Bronzazza." Marx told his colleague.

"His heartbeat is getting weaker" The recovery mage, Dr. Owen said.

"I'll never forgive you if you die!" Vanessa said.

"Yeah! If you're going to die, I need to kill you first!" Luck told his friend. 'Is that supposed to be an encouragement?'.

"Wake up! Don't make me set you on fire!"

"Have fun!" Cob said, sending all the remaining members of Team G and B out of his portal.

"I thought we won." Mimosa said.

"What's Asta doing here?" Sekke asked.

"The semi-finals round between Team B and Team G. We've already set up your crystals at your starting positions." The Wizard King said "Let me just remind you that this is a match. Whichever team can destroy the other team's crystal first wins. It's not about killing your opponent."

"Wizard King" Todoroki spoke "I would like to withdraw from the match. I will not fight alongside a villain scum like him.".

"I'm afraid it's not possible" the Wizard King replied. After that, he transported both teams to their respective crystals, while everyone else returned to the balcony.

The match started, and Team B used the same strategy they used at the first round, Mimosa carrying the crystal while Asta protected it, and they all charged at Langris, who met them head-on, summoning those ominous orbs again. Asta started blocking them, but even though he managed to block most of them, now and then some of them got through his defense, hitting him. Midoriya then saw Mimosa started healing Asta. 'As much as this is a good idea, once Mimosa's mana runs out, their crystal will be immobilized, either way, Asta will soon be overrun by the attacks.'. Midoriya's prediction came true as several orbs got through Asta's defense, hitting him and the crystal.

The battle seemed to take a turn when Xerx got in front of Asta, with Langris' attacks coming right at him. Several of the orbs hit, but instead of putting holes in him, a magic circle activated on his body, absorbing the orbs. "What in the world is that?" The King asked.

"He drew a magic circle on himself? That would drain his magic power constantly That's extremely risky." Marx said.

"Exactly." The Wizard King said "But that's apparently how he does things."

Xerx released Langris' attack right back at him, the orbs now being much bigger than when Langris launched them. Langris defended himself, and the magic collision resulted in a bright explosion. When the dust cleared, everyone could see Langris was unharmed.

Langris made more orbs, bigger this time, appear next to him, before launching them at an exhausted Xerx. But fortunately for him, Asta jumped in the way, cutting the attacks. 'What's that black stuff covering him? Is that what he used against Kirsch earlier? He did strike a pose earlier while Xerx took his place defending. Is that how he activates this power?'. After some talking among themselves, Asta charged Lagnris, as the latter launched orbs at him. When he got close enough, he struck the flat side of his blade into Langris' stomach, and carried him along as he flew, before smashing him into the crystal, destroying it. But at the same moment, Asta's crystal gave out, and the many holes in it spread fractures to the entire crystal, destroying it.

"Both teams' crystals were destroyed at the same time" the announcer said "the match is a draw!". The dark clouds began clearing out, and the bright sky was visible again. Midoriya could see Todoroki go and support Asta, as the black stuff came off of him, and he collapsed. Seeing this, the entirety of the Black Bulls ran towards Asta as well, offering their words of congratulation, and soon enough, most Magic Knights present were down there with Asta.

After all preparations were over, the next battle was announced. "And now, Team I: Rills, Nils, and Ruben versus Team K: Puli, Klaus and Luck. We will now begin round three of stage two."

Looking down at the battlefield, it seemed as if Luck and his team already had a plan, as they started constructing some kind of cannon out off steel, with a large, glowing blue spear at its barrel. 'Amazing! Composite magic really has a lot of potential. I wonder why Magic Knights don't use it more often.'.

On the other side of the field, Rill had begun drawing, a being appearing behind him. ´Is that… Zeus?'. Luck launched the attack, and it flew with incredible speed, piercing right through the cliff in the middle of the field, heading straight for the enemy team.

Rill, however, was undaunted, and his drawing made the lighting spear go around, missing the target, and then head right back at the senders, destroying their crystal.

"The crystal has been destroyed. Team I wins!" the announcer said. 'What the hell just happened? He can do that!?'.

"Black Bulls…" Mimosa approached them "Asta is physically exhausted, so he's resting in the infirmary down below. I'll stay by his, so please, cheer on Noelle."

After that, Midoriya joined his teammates, and they headed down to the battlefield. When they reached their crystal, Midoriya spoke up "We are up against a really strong team. Frankly, I don't think we'll match them in head on combat, so we'll need a plan. Despite how strong she may be, Noelle is her team's weakest link, even though she is valuable due to her defense magic. We'll take her out first. After that, I'll try to take out Yuno, since he can defend the crystal up close, while Bakugo can't due to his powerful explosions. Jesse, I want you on defense again, although I do want you to slowly and safely move forward with the crystal towards the enemy team. Mel, you will use your scouts and come with me. This time, search for Noelle. I can't make a better plan until we see what method of attack they'll use. Okay?"

They both nodded.

"Next up, we have Team N: Izuku, Jesse, and Mel versus Team P: Katsuki, Yuno and Noelle." The announcer said "We will now begin round four of stage two.".

"Let's go, Mel." Midoriya said "Jesse, do your best!". Mel and Midoriya ran off to find their opponents, and Mel got her grimoire out. Honey Creation Magic: Drone Scouts. Mel's scouts spread out, going to find Noelle. After running for a bit, Midoriya and Mel hid behind a some rocks and a tree, while Mel activated her honeycomb like eyes, and three seconds after she spoke up "Yuno and Katsuki are charging straight for the crystal, and Noelle is guarding the crystal. It doesn't seem like they even have a plan, it's like they're going to try crushing us and win in one fell swoop.".

"Not good." Midoriya replied "I trust Jesse, but I fear Yuno and Bakugo's overwhelming power." Midoriya took a second to think before speaking up again "Mel, go and support Jesse. Hold them off for as much as you can, I'll take Noelle out and win with the time you buy me. Do your best!"

She nodded, casting another spell. Honey Trap Magic: Majestic Swarm's Hive. "I made my scouts into trap magic, hopefully it'll slow them down. Honey Creation Magic: Drone Sentinel. She created one of her bigger drones, and it carried her away after Yuno and Bakugo "Good luck, Izuku." She said.

One for All: Full Cowl 30%! Midoriya activated his quirk, red lines running across his body, before being replaced by lighting which danced all over him. And with that, he ran off at an incredible speed, quickly spotting his opponents crystal. And Noelle spotted him too, opening her grimoire. A single explosion pierced the silent, indicating Bakugo has engaged his teammates. ´I have to hurry!'.

Noelle activated her spell, a huge serpentine-looking dragon appearing from the end of her wand Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Roar! The dragon charged at him, preparing to ram him, and Midoriya reacted, twisting his lower body in preparation for a kick St. Louis Smash 35%!

Under the pressure of Midoriya's mighty kick, the dragon gave in, disintegrating in a cloud of water droplets, showering him and Noelle. He could see her eyes widening in shock, but she didn't lose her cool, erecting a magic barrier. Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Lair!

'I have no time to waste!' Midoriya landed on the ground, before continuing his charge towards Noelle. Midoriya put his arms in a cross position, before bringing them down in a chopping motion Carolina Smash 35%! The air pressure from the attack tore through Noelle's shield, destroying it. Seeing the opening, Midoriya charged in, too fast for Noelle to react, his punch grazed her face and hit the crystal, destroying it.

"The crystal has been destroyed." The announcer said "Team N wins!".

"That power…What was that?" Noelle asked "I didn't know you got this strong, Izuku.". after that, both of them returned to the balcony together. When he returned, he could see Bakugo going of somewhere, probably frustrated by his Team's defeat.

"Next is the second round of the semi-finals." The Wizard King declared "The first match of the semi-finals ended in a draw, so this match will be the last one.".

"We will now begin the last match of the Selection Exam." The announcer said "Team I: Rill, Nils and Ruben come forward!". After Team I gathered, the announcer called out again "Next, Team P: Izuku, Jesse, and Mel, come forward.".

"Please go easy on us, Team I" Jesse said, and Midoriya couldn't tell if it was a joke or if he was serious.

"There is no need, Jesse." Midoriya said "This match, I'll come at them with full power!".

"What? You mean he wasn't at full strength yet?" Some one in the crowd asked.

"He can't be serious. He's so fast others can't even react to him!" Another said.

´Probably shouldn't have said that. Now Rill might expect this and counter. Stupid! Stupid!'. "I can't wait!" Rill said, excited "With you as my next opponent, I might finally be able to paint my ultimate masterpiece!".

"You're welcome?" Midoriya replied.

After that, both teams departed for the battlefield, going over to their respective crystals. "Izuku! If you had been a second late, they would have won the previous round!" Jesse said "You bastard! Why weren't you using your full power earlier?!".

"Because I trusted you can protect the crystal." Midoriya replied "I wanted to save my power to later matches, so they won't expect it."

"I-I see." Jesse said "Sorry man."

"It's okay, but now we need a plan." Midoriya said "The thing is, with Rill on their team, there are too many unknowns. That why I want you on the attack with me, Jesse." Jesse nodded, and Midoriya turned to Mel "Meanwhile, I want you to take the crystal, and protect it with everything you have. Find a good place to hide, scatter you scouts and create traps. Don't let them draw you into a fight. If the do, protect the crystal for as long as you can, okay?".

"I understand" Mel said.

"For the last fight of the exam, we have Team N: Izuku, Jesse, and Mel versus Team I: Rill, Nils and Ruben." The announcer said "Begin!".

"Go, Mel." Midoriya instructed, and the girl ran off with the crystal "Jesse, let's head off, too." They started running, heading towards the enemy, and Jesse already had his grimoire open next to him, ready for a fight. "Jesse. I'll tell you what I think happens next. My prediction is that the two other members in Rill's team will head off for our crystal, since our strategy until now was leaving one person only with the crystal. this will leave Rill with no support."

"You talk like he needs it!" Jesse said.

"Jesse, both of us had gotten stronger, right?" Midoriya spoke up again "I heard about your volcano training. I heard all of you got a lot stronger there, right?".

"Yes, but still, he's a captain!"

"It doesn't matter." Midoriya said "Together, I believe we can do it. You're a noble, meaning you have enough mana for a long fight with big spells, and I'm not bad myself.". the enemy area was now in view. They could also see Rill waving at them, notifying them off his location. 'Seriously? Well, I can't see the other two here, so I was right. We will finish it here right here.'. "Jesse, get ready." Midoriya said.

Gold Creation Magic: Fallen King's spears. A whole bunch of golden spears with elaborate design appeared all around Jesse, and were then shot at Rill, the latter making a column of Lava appear, blocking the spears. "Seriously? Well, I shouldn't have expected much." Jesse said, creating another Magic Golden Creation Magic: Revenge of The Greedy Dragon! A storm of golden pieces appeared all around Jesse, forming into a large, spiky, golden dragon, intricate design running along it's body. Inside its dark eye sockets, two bright red orbs shone. Jesse then started floating next to it. "Let's go, Izuku!".

"Whoa, what an inspiring magic!" Rill said "I can see it! The masterpiece!" Rill looked through a frame he made with his fingers.

"Huh?" Jesse asked "Let's defeat this airhead as fast as we can, Izuku!" he said, suddenly pumped. He flew with his dragon at Rill, and the latter made a monster made out of a lava mass appear, but Jesse wasn't undaunted, as his dragon opened his maw, releasing a wide beam of golden light at the monster, blowing his entire right side apart. After that, Rill started escaping, riding on a mass of water, as Jesse flew after him. One for All: Full Cowl 30%! After activating his quirk, Midoriya took off after the two of them, running along as their exchange of magic attacks broke apart the ground, throwing dust and rocks everywhere. But despite that, Rill was still avoiding and blocking all attacks Jesse was sending his way. ´All it will take is one hit from me.' Midoriya dodged a flame spire sent his way by Rill ´So how do I get in close enough without him interrupting me?' he evaded a bunch of jagged, pointy rocks 'I can definitely close the distance, but if I do, he'll just do something shady and block me.'. they were now flying over a pond, and Midoriya was forced to run on water in pursuit of the airborne battle.

Gold Creation Magic: Bright Avenger's Wrath! Jesse made a couple of golden pieces arrange themselves into some kind of barrel shape, with most of it open. After that, a golden light beam was fired from it, and Rill made ice erupt from the water to block it. He then elevated himself on a tower of ice that grew on and on, Midoriya jumped into the wall, cocking his hand on preparation Detroit Smash! The strike impacted the ice, shattering the base and making the entire thing collapse. Between the falling ice chunks, Midoriya could see Rill diving down, still holding onto his crystal. ´This is my chance!' Midoriya jumped off of one of the falling pieces, heading straight to Rill. The latter saw him, and sprayed some red paint on Midoriya, and he through his hands into a cross guard, protecting himself from the ensuing explosion. As he was launched back, Midoriya saw two columns, one of water and one of fire, spiraling around him, before trapping him inside a space as they both solidified.

Midoriya sensed someone land above him. ´Must be Rill!' he jumped up, smashing his way through the construct, and he saw Rill jumped away from him, flying away on a platform of fire. "Need a ride?" Jesse appeared next to him on his dragon, Midoriya got on its back, and Jesse flew away, tailing Rill from behind. As Rill landed down on the ground, Jesse's dragon fired another beam, and Rill blocked it with rocks that appeared out of the ground.

"You are both really strong. This is starting to get really fun!" Rill said "But this still isn't enough for me to get the inspiration for my ultimate masterpiece!"

"You are really strong, too, Rill." Midoriya said "I hope we can be friends after this match is over."

"Oh, yes! Let's be friends!" Rill said, readying his paintbrush.

"But, now." Midoriya said, getting off of Jess's dragon "I think it's time I tried harder" Midoriya got into a stance "I was planning to use it only in the finals, but since this is the last match". One for All: 45%! The lightning whizzing around his body became more aggressive, and he glowed with a strange light. The ground beneath him cracked by his massive strength.

"Wow… That's amazing, Izuku!" Rill exclaimed "I feel like I can draw anything right!" colors splashed from his palette, creating some kind of a hybrid between a bird, dragon and person. It was colored purple and white. "Take his crystal out, Midoriya!" Jesse said "I'll hold whatever that is!". Jesse's dragon fire another one of his golden beams at Rill, and the latter's creation shot out an opposing beam, purple in color Picture Magic: Scream of the Mystical Dragon Vouivre!

Jesse's power, however, was not enough. His dragon was destroyed, and he was nearly blown away from the battle. "Don't worry, Jesse." Midoriya told his friend, smiling "Because I am here."

"huh?" Rill said, and Midoriya charged, the overwhelming power coursing through his body pushing him forward at an incredible speed. When Rill's creation prepared to retaliate, Midoriya had already delivered a series of consecutive punches to it, and it disintegrated back into paint. He then turned his attention back to Rill, who was about to try and draw something new. Midoriya didn't give him the time, and in a split second he kicked Rill into the side of the cliff, the latter gasping as the impact forced the air out of his lungs. Rill collapsed on the ground, defeated. 'So I guess speed is the only counter to him. If you can outmatch his drawing speed, you can win.'. Midoriya threw a punch into Rill's crystal, easily shattering it.

"The crystal has been destroyed." The announcer said, and Midoriya powered off his quirk, carrying Rill over his shoulder "Therefore, Team N – Izuku, Jesse and Mel – wins!"

As Midoriya started making his way back towards the balcony, Rill's old butler came at him quickly. "I hope the Young Master wasn't hurt too bad!" Walter said.

"We won! We Fucking won!" Jesse said "I can't believe it!".

"Calm down a bit, Jesse" Midoriya said "Just remember, sometimes, brain over brawn is just better. We couldn't have won without our opponents' mistakes. And that why you never underestimate an opponent.". and with that, they all returned to the balcony.

"This concludes the Selection Exam" The Wizard King said "First of all, let me congratulate you on your victory." He then gestured towards Rill, who by now have woken up "You may have lost by a hair, but you also did amazingly well. Also, the other teams may have been defeated, but it doesn't mean you're out of the race. I'm going to go over all of your battles from today, and will probably select and announced about 20 Royal Knights at a later date."

Hearing that, the crowd got all rowdy, knowing they still have a shot at entering the Royal Knights.

"Finally, His majesty has something to say." The Wizard King said, giving his place to the King. ´Seriously, him again? Why can't the Wizard King just be the king? He seems a lot nicer.'.

"Ahem." The King said "Excellent work today. You displayed high levels of magical power and versatility in dealing with various obstacles, not to mention the use of careful planning and combination attacks. Any one of your teams could have easily been the winner.". 'Huh? Actually something remotely wise…that's seems a bit out of character.'. "However! I worked harder than anyone else! Without me, this day would've never come! I am the one who decided and announced the formation of the ultimate squad of Magic Knights, the Royal Knights! I am the great one who made this exam happen, so praise me! What are you doing?! Hurry up and praise me!". Everyone stayed quiet, and Midoriya couldn't help but think 'What's up with him?'.

"Your Majesty, please calm yourself." The Wizard King said "They all gathered here because they all supported the idea of the Royal Knights from the bottom of their hearts. Determined to protect this kingdom from the Eye of the Midnight Sun. Don't you think their thoughts and actions show that they are ready for anything?" the King turned away, frustrated "Now, then… I'll be counting on you if you're chosen to be a Royal Knight." The Wizard King saluted.

"Yes, sir." Everyone else saluted as well.

"We will now bring the Royal Knights Selection Exam to a close." The announcer said, and Cob opened a portal, leading back to the city. And with that, everyone dispersed, going back home.

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I hope you enjoy

I am sorry it took a lot of time for this chapter to come out. I think the next one will be the last one of the first saga, because I do think I'll right the next saga as new episodes come out.

See you on the next one!