Chapter 17: The Power of Peasants

Disclaimer:

Well, this chapter was slightly delayed just because I've been enjoying myself watching the Euros (An international football/soccer tournament" and so I've just been out with friends watching the games :).


"Yuno's my friend!" Lucas shouted as the Diamond Kingdom mage had his spell destroyed by Asta's Anti-Magic sword.

Lucas looked towards where he had flung Asta and breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad I got the right amount of power to fling Asta... and Yuno is safe too. Thank goodness!" He opened his eyes and smiled. The Light mage scanned the room to get familiar with the situation.

In front he saw Asta and Yuno and just ahead of them was the Mineral mage, an enemy from the Diamond Kingdom. "That robe... and similar style of clothing, as well as those stones", he eyed up the magic-enhancing crystals that were embedded into the enemy's body. "That's just like Mystic's, so he must also be from the Diamond Kingdom".

As Lucas familiarised himself with the enemy and the situation that Yuno was under, the other Black Bulls, Noelle and Luck, made their way forward and reached the same area as the others.

Behind Yuno, Klaus was standing gobsmacked. He couldn't believe what just happened and he started to sweat profusely. "Wh-what on earth just happened? We of the Golden Dawn had so much trouble with this one guy but he... that peasant... that Asta... took his magic attack out so easily!" The Steel mage adjusted his glasses as he was in disbelief at what he saw.

A shout came from in front of him. It was his fellow teammate Lucas desperately trying to get the Steel mage's attention. "Klaus, look out behind you!" Lucas was about to move to help his Senior but was beaten to it by a quick flash of blue lightning. "Woah, he's quick!"

Luck immediately rushed forward to help Klaus who was about to be hit by one of the enemy's clones that were made earlier. The solid crystal clone of the enemy was about to swipe at the blue-haired mage, but Luck zipped in and destroyed it with one quick kick.

"Haha, that was fun! I wish there were more of those clones though!" The Black Bull laughed and licked his lips.

Instead of saying thanks, Klaus couldn't even speak as he was shocked to his core. "First, a peasant comes and saves us, and then a commoner like him saves me... Wait! He's... the one that couldn't stop beating up people at the Magic Knights Entrance Exam a few years ago, he beat his opponents far more than he should have. It's... Luck the Cheery Berserker!"

"Oh, hi there, Four-Eyes!" Luck smiled.

"Ah! He called me Four-Eyes as well, can this day get any worse?!" The mage scratched and rustled his hair in frustration.

"Honestly, Bakasta! Don't go flying ahead and leaving us behind!" Noelle pouted, seemingly annoyed at her fellow squad member, though there was an underlying sense of relief to her expression.

The Dual mage looked at the royal and thought something was off. "Hm, she sounds like she's annoyed but her facial expressions don't really match... maybe it's a Royal thing?" Lucas crossed his arms, confused. Suddenly, his head perked up as he sensed the faint trace of a familiar mana, coming from behind Yuno.

He gulped as he recognised the mana. The mage slowly turned his head, and his blue eyes traced the open area they were in. Lucas's sight slowly darkened, matching the feelings he was exhibiting. He saw a bright green and pink light illuminating a cradle made out of green plants and pink flowers, and in the middle was the person he had dreaded to see in that state.

"M-Mimosa!" Lucas hurried over to where the Plant mage was resting, body injured and wounds still slightly bleeding. "Wh-what happened to you? Are you okay? Is anything broken?" Lucas frantically asked, looking up and down her body multiple times, eyeing up the injured areas and feeling sad, yet angry at the same time.

Just then another presence rushed up to Lucas and Mimosa. It was Noelle and she looked very worried for her cousin who was laying in the flower basket.

"Mimosa! What happened with you?" She asked, clutching at her Black Bulls robe.

The Plant Magic user slowly tilted her head towards the two and smiled weakly. "W-well, this is a bit embarrassing isn't it, haha... I'm not the smartest so I ended up in this annoying situation. It was the Diamond Kingdom mage there, but my injuries are only my fault...", she spoke sadly.

Lucas gritted his teeth in anger to the situation. "It's because I wasn't here... Mimosa, please... I'm sorry I wasn't here", he held her hand.

"N-nonsense, Lucas. You were attacked by the enemy right? That's who you have in that floating sphere behind you, I assume? You did the job of a Magic Knight so that's great!" Mimosa put on a positive expression to alleviate some of the guilt that the Light mage was feeling. Another part that her façade hid well was the disappointment she felt in herself for being too weak.

"Don't worry, Mimosa. I'll help take down the enemy, so you just rest up", he stood up to his feet and walked towards Asta and Yuno who were in battle stance against the enemy mage.

Mimosa looked towards the Light mage and felt something bubbling up inside of her. It felt warm but she didn't exactly know what it was or what the cause of it was. All she knew was that she appreciated what Lucas said and was doing for her.

"Hmph. He's right, you know", Noelle started talking. You just rest for now and heal yourself... who knows when we'll need your healing abilities again?" She spoke in a softer tone to her injured cousin. "Whilst you do that... Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Nest! I'll protect you!"

"N-Noelle! Thank you...", she responded. The Plant mage turned her head to where Lucas was walking to, and she thought about him. "Lucas, you really are amazing...", she thought back to what just happened with Asta saving Yuno, but what she focused on was Lucas's role in it. "He supported Asta with his Light Magic and he was able to protect Yuno. Supporting people is what a support mage like me should be able to do and Lucas was able to think of the plan on the spot... He really is something", she smiled.

Lucas reached the area where both his squad mate, Yuno, was, as well as Asta. The ashen-haired mage stood in the middle and slightly ahead, whilst the other two stood slightly behind. Lucas to the left and Yuno to the right.

"Sorry guys. I had to check up on Mimosa but now I'm ready for battle!" Lucas flicked through his yellow and blue, four-leafed grimoire.

"You sure took your sweet time, Lucas. Though I understand why", Yuno playfully smirked. Lucas simply ignored the remark, he would have responded normally but he was feeling very frustrated with what happened with Mimosa.

"So, I'm guessing you're the guy who injured Mimosa and beat up my squad mates, right?" Lucas clenched his fists.

"So what if I am? What does that have to do with a weakling like you?" The enemy responded, his voice as monotone and flat as ever.

Lucas started to get even more annoyed. "So, what if you are? Us three are going to kick your ass! I already took care of Mystic and the others drove some Smoke mage away... you're all that's left!"

"What did you say?" The Mineral mage tensed up. He looked around to see if he could sense his companions, but he had problems with doing so. "There's no sense of Lotus... but Mystic is here. I can tell from her weak mana. You captured her?" He asked.

"So what if I did?" Lucas retorted, using the same response that the enemy used against him.

The enemy soldier looked behind him and saw the floating sphere of Light Magic that was being used to trap Mystic in. "I see... if you caught her then you must be a strong foe. Though, I can take you on easily... Mineral Creation Magic: Talos Puppet Cluster".

All around the Mineral mage, the familiar crystallised clones of himself formed. There were many of them and the enemy blended into the crowd that he had summoned before him.

"Just remember this... The weak will perish, and only the strong will remain. That is all that matters", the mage's voice echoed from within the crowd he had camouflaged into.

Asta, Yuno, and Lucas tried to focus on where his voice was originating from but they couldn't due to the sheer amount of clones there were in front of them.

"There is no reason for the weak to stand on the battlefield. I'll acknowledge that the others were beaten... but I'm much stronger than them. The reason I'm here... the reason I was born was to break people like you", his voice concluded.

The three Magic Knights that were facing the enemy readied themselves up for battle. Yuno took his grimoire out and stared generating some wind, whilst Lucas did the same by enveloping his left arm with his Light Magic. Asta, however, zipped forwards in the blink of an eye and ended up surrounded by the mineral clones.

"Is that so? You were born to break people like us? Then I'd like to see you... break me!" The ashen-haired mage swung his large broadsword towards the mage but ended up completely nullifying the mana that the clone was emitting, shutting it down and destroying it in the process.

"Mineral Creation Magic: Laevateinn". The enemy formed his huge crystalised sword once more and aimed it for Asta's body. The sharp and jagged edge of it was rushing towards the Black Bull. "I intend to break you".

Asta, with his sword in hand once more, slashed through the mineral creation and severed it into two halves. As he cut through, he jumped upwards and landed on the half where the handle of the sword was and started running across its surface area, his feet clanging against the millions of minerals that were embedded within the sword itself. He jumped and dodged various obstacles that came from the enemy and eventually reached the top end of the sword where the enemy was waiting.

"It doesn't look like you can break me after all!" Asta shouted with a smile on his face.

"Hmph, that's no matter. I'll jus-!" As the enemy was talking and trying to prepare for his next move, Asta appeared immediately in front of him and hit the blunt edge of his broadsword across his torso causing him to be flung and propelled backwards and into the wall behind.

The Diamond mage quickly brushed himself off and flew forwards towards Asta. "This guy is strong...", he eyed up the black sword Asta had in his hand and decided on what he would do next. "The sword is a huge problem, perhaps he's using a type of Reinforcement Magic that boosts his attack power? I'll get rid of that first", he thought to himself. He flew straight ahead, his mana encircling him.

"Mineral Magic: Crystal Gauntlet". The armoured mage surrounded his left hand with an armour-like glove which boosted his strength and defence at the same time. He then went to reach for Asta's sword to pull it away from him so that the battle would become easier for him, however something unprecedented happened to him. As he touched the sword, his mana started to weaken, and he had trouble releasing his magic spells. Within a matter of seconds, his armour spell had disappeared as well as his momentum.

Asta smiled once again. "You didn't think that would happen, did you?" The Black Bull then swung his sword forwards, pushing the enemy back into the ground away from him.

Lucas and Yuno deadpanned and made a poker face as they witnessed what just happened. They had their grimoires out but weren't even able to do anything with them.

"I... I thought we all would have to fight him and that's why I gathered behind you, Asta! I guess you're just that amazing, though!" Lucas thought to himself, slightly disappointed that he wasn't able to help in any way against the main enemy.

"Asta likes to put himself at the centre of attention, even without meaning to. He just finds himself there", Yuno spoke out to Lucas. "Seriously... he's something else", the Wind mage smiled to himself.

"Well, I guess we should clean up around him. Right, Yuno?" Lucas asked to which he was met with a nod from Yuno.

The two used their magic to destroy the Talos Puppet Cluster that were still standing around. They managed to do it relatively easily as Lucas used his Angelic Strike spell to disintegrate them, whereas Yuno, with a sudden boost in spirits, was able to destroy the rest with his Wind spells.

As they were speaking, Klaus, once again, looked bewildered. Droplets of sweat fell from his head and hit the floor beneath him. "H-how can a mere peasant that I can't feel any mana from be able to do something so incredible?!"

Behind him, Noelle started to speak to him. "Honestly, when will you stop complaining?" She flicked her hair in accordance. "Asta... negating magic is what he can do. That's his power. I don't really know why you think a peasant isn't able to contribute to the battle. Your squad has two peasants as well and they're very impressive", she added.

"N-negating magic?! Wha... how can such an extraordinary power like that be wielded by a peasant? He must have gotten lucky... that's right!" Klaus continued to disregard Asta's abilities.

"You say he's lucky? I mentioned that Lucas and Yuno were incredible too, did I not? Do you think they were lucky to have the powers that they have? You can see it in their faces... they worked exceptionally hard to be where they are, and Asta is no different. Just watch him", the royal Silva concluded.

Suddenly, the area started to rumble with an immense sense of mana pressure that came from where the enemy mage had landed. The ceiling, walls, and floor started to move dust that were sat or resting alongside them due to the rumbling. Everyone looked at where the source of it was coming from and they saw a giant shape start to form.

"M-Mineral Creation Magic: Heavy Armoured Titan!" With a sudden and immediate rush from the enemy, he landed right in front of where Asta was standing. The Diamond Kingdom mage had surrounded himself in a body of minerals and crystals that served as an ever-stronger set of armour, with his head just poking out from the top of the body. As the Armoured Titan's legs moved, the floor around it turned to crystals too.

"J-just... what are you?!" The enemy roared which completely surprised everyone in the area. The mage's cool and calm demeanour had changed to something along the lines of frustration and anger. He pulled his two arms back and quickly flung them towards the area where the ashen-haired mage stood. He managed to make contact.

"Th-this is!" Asta struggled as he swung his sword all around him. He negated some of the armour that had come to hit him but a lot of it, he just could not hit due to how quick and strong the attack was.

"Asta!" Yuno cried out, seeing Asta on the ground pained him.

Asta had his clothes torn by how sharp the Armoured Titan's attack was. His Black Bulls robe was ripped as well as most of his shirt that he wore underneath. Bruises and cuts were plastered all around his body as he struggled to get up.

"What am I? I'm... just someone who was b-born without any magic!" The ashen-haired Black Bull struggled to say as he was still on the floor.

Lucas was with Yuno watching the whole thing unfold. They wanted to help Asta but they knew their magic couldn't counter the enemy in the same way that Asta could.

"It's still so hard to believe that Asta has no magic...", Lucas thought.

The other Golden Dawn member, Klaus, was, once again, shocked to hear and see what was happening. "W-wait... no magic? Is that even possible?! So, I guess the ability to nullify magic was lucky after a-!" He paused on the spot, seeing what was happening with the injured Black Bull.

"I have no magic... but even so... I'm going to become the Wizard King!" Asta slowly rose up, leaning his entire body weight on to the broadsword he had dug into the ground. Blood started to drip from the open wound on his forehead and the scratches and bruises pained his entire body, yet he stood up. "I'm alive... in this world... to prove exactly that!"

As the Black Bull stood up, his body was exhibited to the rest of the Magic Knights. Asta's well-toned and defined body showed how hard he had worked from an early age. His six-pack abs were the main focus for almost everyone there. Many people saw Asta as a simple and foolish boy who didn't know when to stop talking, however, this instance here showed just how much work he had done to prove the reasoning behind his claims of becoming the Wizard King.

"H-his body... just how much work and training has he done?!" Klaus muttered in disbelief.

Another person who couldn't quite believe his eyes was Lucas. He was with Lucas as they saw Asta stand up with a fierce determination. The Light mage looked at the Black Bull and was inspired by him. "I knew Asta had to be strong to hold that massive sword around but... I didn't think he had done this much work! Maybe I should train a lot harder when it comes to my body too...", the mage looked at his hands and arms, clenching his fists in the process as a sign of determination.

"He... wants to grow up to be the...", the enemy thought as he looked towards the Black Bull. "Grow up...".

"Mars!"

"Mars, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"Mars!"

The enemy, whose name was Mars as revealed from the sudden flashes of images that entered his mind, was struggling to focus on the battle at hand. His mind was at two different places; one part of it was trying to focus on beating Asta, whereas the other part was thinking about something that was deeply ingrained within him. The images he saw included a young-looking girl with a beautiful face that housed a great smile, and the girl had flowing pink hair as well.

He shook his head in a bid to re-align himself with the task. "I'm... going to destroy you and everything you love!" Mars shouted out, losing all composure that he once had.

"What did you say? Destroy everything? The Wizard King protects everyone and everything... that's what it means to be the Wizard King!" Asta retorted, gritting his teeth and clutching the hilt of his sword.

"P-protect...", Mars held his head in his hands again.

"We were born to protect everyone in this country", the pink-haired girl in Mars's head said softly.

"F...F-fana...", Mars violently shook his head to stop the flashing images coming through his brain. He moved the Heavy Armoured Titan a step closer to Asta and shouted at him to back away.

Whilst this was happening, Lucas was looking at Mars with a face of curiosity. His eyes had widened and sweat fell from his head as he thought back to what Mars had just uttered. "He said... Fana...", why does that name... why does my body react to that?" He looked at his arm as it had started to tremble, ever so slightly. He shook his head to stop the distraction and looked at Asta with his sword in both hands.

"Get out of my way! Begone... pebble!" Mars screamed at the ashen-haired mage.

"A pebble? Well, I may be a pebble...", Asta replied as he dashed forwards, sword in both hands as he swung it backwards to generate power onto his strike. "However, I'm a pebble that shatters diamonds!" Asta concluded. He hit the blunt edge of the sword straight into Mars's body which sent him plummeting into the floor behind him. His mana subsiding and his magic powers being erased as he fell unconscious.

Everyone looked in awe at the sheer power and determination that Asta just displayed. His strength and willingness to not stray from the battle was an inspiration to all and so, with him winning the battle, he cried a victory shout.

"LET'S GOOOOOOOO!" Asta roared.


NOTES:

This chapter was hard to do, just because I want to focus on Lucas as it is HIS story but including canon material like this – Asta battling Mars etc is important to do so, just to get a reaction from Lucas and how it will influence him going forward.

I had thought about Lucas being the one to fight Mars mainly, but I feel that would've gone too far away from canon material + Asta and Mars have this special dynamic going on that I didn't want to break or change.

Asta winning was obvious, but what was interesting was Lucas's reaction to Mars saying "Fana"... hmm, what could this mean?