The Beast That Protects

Clover Kingdom, Forsaken Realm, Forest Outside of Sosshi Village

Asta and Diabla both had savage smiles as they crept through the forest.

And they found their targets.

It was large brown-furred boars with flames from their heads and cheeks.

As they moved out of the forest, one of the boars turned to the two and squeaked at them, as both dragon and rider licked their lips simultaneously.

And that was when the flight fight kicked in for the boars.

The flight won, and so they ran from the two of them.

"This seems like overkill," Noelle said as she watched their teamwork.

"What can you do," Magna asked as he sat on a rock.

A Few Hours Later, Land Outside of Sosshi Village

Magna and Asta, their steps heavy with the weight of the boars, were trudging along. Then, in a moment that seemed to freeze time, Asta, his burden seemingly forgotten, came to an abrupt halt. His face was a canvas of mixed emotions, alarm, and something else, a story yet to be told.

"What is it," Lily asked him.

"There's blood in the air and not animal blood," Asta said, his voice filled with fear and determination. Sensing the urgency in his friend's voice, Magna dropped his boar and ran to the top of the hill, his heart pounding in his chest, the danger palpable. What he found there shocked him to his core.

As they ascended the hill, a chilling sight greeted them. Sosshi Village, once a lively hub, was now engulfed in a dense, otherworldly fog that seemed to devour everything in its path, casting an eerie pall over the landscape.

"Magna, what's happening?" Asta asked, setting the boars down.

"Sosshi Village was where I came from," Magna said as he looked at the village covered in coming. The old man who beat Yami and me in Poker was the man who encouraged me to become a Magic Knight," he said, narrowing his eyes as Asta turned to the boars.

"Storage Magic: Food Storage," Asta called out as the board glowed the same colour as his Grimoire's aura before tuning into small orbs of light and floating into the Grimoire. "Let's check it out," he said, and the girls nodded as they walked up to the mist.

"We'll be going in blindfolded if he walk in there," Noelle said as she felt the magic in the air.

"This is not the work of a villager and no the work of Seihi; he has Iron Magic," Magna said as the others narrowed their eyes.

Asta held out his devil arm and opened his hand as the plam formed a blood-red and black aura. As he got ready to release a spell, "Anti-Magic: Destruction Wave," he called out as the aura burst out of his hand and moved through the village, dissipating the mist around it.

"Let's go, follow me," Magna said as he ran into the village, and the three new members followed him.

"I don't like the smell in the air," Asta said as the girls looked at him, "It smalls of death, and blood has been spilled," He said as Magna started to run faster along with the three.

Once they found the village square, they found a lot of people gathered together, with women and children crying and the men beaten, and some of them had lost limbs.

Regardless of the injury, it was clear that they had all been attacked and assaulted by someone.

But what shocked them was that above their heads were ice crystals ready to drop.

"Kill them," a man's voice said as the ice crystals fell. Asta and Magna jumped into action, and Asta turned into Asta S.O.R. Mode and burst some of the ice crystals.

Magic gathered a fireball in his hand before throwing it. As that one fireball burst into a hundred, that hundred started to move around the air and hit and destroyed the ice crystals. "Fire Magic: Exploding Buckshot," he called out.

Once all the crystals were dealt with, Magna checked on the villagers. Asta turned to a man in cyan robes in the corner and snarled at him with dragon eyes, his teeth becoming fangs. "Are you the ones who did this?" he asked as Magna turned to him.

"You've thrown off my schedule," He said as Noelle and Lily got ready, "No matter, in ten seconds everyone here will die," He said as he raised his hand as a large bullet of ice formed in front of him.

And he shot it towards them.

Fueled by rage, Asta held out his hand as the ice bullet broke into small bits and started to form around him. "Why are you doing this?" he growled at them as the man looked at the ice around Asta.

But none of them answered him.

"How are the Magic Knights here? There are none in the area," one of the men in the cyan robes asked.

"So this is an unofficial mission," another man said as the ice around Asta formed around his arms.

"These are the Black Bulls; they are the ruffest and stupidest of all the Magic Knights' squads," the man with Ice Magic said as he rechecked his pocket watch. Five minutes is all I'm willing to use to dispose of those villagers," the man said as Asta was fed up with them ignoring him.

"Ice Dragon's Scales Hail," Asta called out as he spun around, shooting feather-shaped sharpened ice bullets at the man.

"Mist Magic: Thick Sheild," one of the men said, but Asta had none of it as he held out his hand and sent out another wave of Anti-Magic, stopping the spell.

"So that is how he did that," the ice magic user said as he looked at Asta. He could somehow use a type of magic that can stop other kinds of magic, and it seems like he has more than that," he added.

He held up his hand as more ice crystals formed in the air.

It was much more than the first time, as he was ready to kill everyone who opposed him in the area.

"Ice Mist Compound Magic: Cage of Infinite Hail," he said, and Noelle looked shocked. I shall put you all down like the beasts you are," he said, letting go of the ice crystals.

Noelle looked at Asta, who was bursting some but could not get them all, while Lily was doing the same.

"I must," she muttered as her Grimoire opened and turned to a spall.

While they gift their user's knowledge spells, the Grimoire still needs to be discovered in terms of its true power.

But this is known.

A rush of water burst forth, enveloping them in a protective dome.

When a user's magic power becomes excellent or emotions are set on protecting something, new spells shall form within the user.

"Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Nest," Noelle called out as the dome turned into connected whirlpools that shattered the ice on impact. I am a noble and a member of the Black Bulls," she said at the angry look in the ice mage's eyes.

Asta smiled at her, and Lily did the same. "I shall not let you tough any member of this village," she told them.

"Noelle, Lily, you two protect the villagers, Magna and I are going to show these punks who you don't put a dragon and a bull in the corner," Asta said as Magna smiled at him, and the two of them walked out.

"So you think that the two of you will be able to fight me and my men," The ice mage asked them.

Asta said nothing to him before running at the man with two arm blades made out of water formed out of forearms as he rushed forward.

"Water Dragon's Fin Blaces," Asta called out as he slashed at the ice mage while Magna threw fireballs at the other men in cyan robes.

"Ice Magic: Heavenly Ice Fang," The man called out as ice spikes formed out of the ground, and he aimed to impale Asta.

But Asta moved his body in the air and landed on one of the spikes, "How did you doge that," The man asked as he looked up at Asta.

"Ice can't hurt an ice dragon," Asta said as the fin blades turned to ice, "Ice Dragon's Frozen Arc," Asta called out as he slashed at the air, sending out two arcs of ice-cold energy that hit one of the mages that followed the Ice Mage.

As the arc of energy hit him, it froze on contact and dropped the man, "Nice shot Asta," Magna said as he pelted them with more fireballs.

"People like you should just roll over and accept death like the beasts you are," the man said as he formed more ice crystals, shot them at Asta, and stopped them mid-air.

"You're getting better at using Ice Magic, Lord Asta," The Spirit of Rain told him as Asta smiled at the compliment.

"And bastards like you should be rotting in a cell," Asta told him as he looked down at the ice mage.

"Fire Magic: Prison Kill Buckshot," Magna called out. The man turned around and formed shields of ice that blocked the fireballs, and he watched as Magna fell to his knees.

"So this is all the magic power you have," he asked as he shot a thin blade of ice and stared at Magna.

But he did not see Asta switch spirit to the Spirit of Fire to return the fireballs Magna sent to the man.

Or Lily using her Seven Heavens.

But as the ice blade reached Magna, a smaller Sea Dragon's Nest formed around the downed Magic Knight.

"Hey, keep your eyes on your enemy," Asta told him as the ice mage turned to Asta, and the fireballs landed on their targets and exploded on impact.

"He can use fire magic," the man thought before seeing the marks on Asta. So he's the one I heard of, the Spirit Chosen," he added as he looked at the fire around him.

And that was when he noted something.

"The fire, it's not going out," he thought. Asta appeared before him as he gathered his magic to stop the fire, his eyes glowing a sinister green with a small pinprick of red, as in his hands was his Anti-Magic Sword.

"Do yourself a favour, shut the hell up and go down," Asta roared at him as he hit the man with his sword.

And simultaneously knocking the man out and stopping his spell.

"Asta, I got it from here," Magna called out as the flames in the area moved to form around the knocked-out men and formed ropes of flames. "Fire Restraining Magic: Flame Rope Solid Binding Formation," Magna said as the flame ropes were finished binding the men.

Noelle dropped the spell surrounding the villagers, safely letting them out.

But she lost control of the spell surrounding Magna, so he got drenched.

"Oh, come on," He shouted as Noelle tossed her head over her shoulder.

"Shit, I did it again," She thought as Asta walked over to Magna and helped him up.

Asta held up a hand as chains formed around the man. "Magna, you can stop your spell and regain your power," he told his senior Magic Knight.

"What's this spell," Magna asked as the fire was put out.

"A magic that comes from my bond with you know who," Asta whispered to him as Manga nodded, and Noelle looked confused.

Noelle walked over and whispered to him, "Is it a devil spell," she asked him.

"Yes, it's called Devil Restraining Magic: Demonic Statue Chains," Asta said as a small Anti-Magic Bird appeared and leaned on Asta's head. "So you followed me?" he asked the bird.

It taps on Asta's head with its beak before it flies into a building, "Is that your pet," Magna asked Asta, who shook his head.

"No, Liebe told me that that bird has been watching over me ever since I was young," Asta said. Manga nodded as he and Asta moved the men so that it would be easier to move them.

After a few minutes, the men woke u, saw they were in chains and looked over to the Black Bulls, who glared at them.

"Hey, it's about time you woke up," Magna said as he looked at them as he looked at the men, "And once the rest of my magic power comes back I'll take you on the back of my Crazy Cyclone and you will be put before the counsil," He told them as the ice mage looked at the chains on him.

He scoffed at him as he looked down at the chains. "These chains are both stopping my magic power and draining it," he thought as he looked back up at Asta and saw Diabla beside him. "That beast you have with you, they were the mounts of Amestris, right?" he asked Asta as Dibale snarled at him.

But Asta said nothing to him.

"The Magic Knights will pull everything out of your head, including who you are, where you come from, and who you work for, and we will learn everything that you have been up to," Magna said as the man stayed quiet.

They ensured that the man was secured as Asta held out his hand, "Storage Magic: Prisoner Storage," Asta called out as the man turned into orbs of light before tuning into cards that hell to the floor.

"Grampa," A boy yelled out as Asta looked over as a wounded old man lay dying on the ground, and Asta walked over with Lily next to him.

"We can help," Asta said to the boy, who nodded at him.

"Spirit Magic: Spirit Separation," Asta said as he touched the old man. Pulling his hand back, the man's spirit came with him.

"Holy Magic: Divine Healing," Lily called out as the man's body was cocooned in a golden light.

"Hey, what's happening?" Magna asked as he looked at the spirit of the old man. "Seihi," he asked the man.

"It's good to see you, Magna, and I'm glad you brought your friends with you," Seihi told the Fire Mage as he smiled at the man. And I see you're on your way to becoming a true man," he said to Magna, who smiled back.

The cocoon faded, showing Seihi's body had recovered, and so Asta put his spirit back in his body, "Thank you both for saving me," He told the members of the Black Bulls as Asta released the boars to the ground as Seihi smiled at him, "And you got the boars as well," He said with a smile as Asta and Noelle mounted Diabla with Magna getting on Crazy Cyclone and Lily getting on her broom.

"Well were off," Magna said as he pocketed the cards holding the prisoners. As the two brooms and dragon took off, the Anti-Magic Bird followed them, and it had something in its beak.