I do not own Black Clover or any of its characters.
Beast
"Unfortunately, it's not as simple a matter as me having the luxury of deciding not to fight you," Dane said. "And since you singled me out right off the bat, I'll have to give you a warm welcome myself."
Vetto grinned wickedly, crouching. "Beast Magic, Bear Claw."
Orange mana formed over his hands, forming into huge, clawed fingers, and Dane bent his knees slightly, readying himself.
"Since you and I didn't really meet last time, what name should I piss onto your corpse after I rip you apart?" Dane growled.
"I am Vetto the Despair," the Beast Man introduced himself. "Antithesis of the Hope the Clover Kingdom falsely claims to aspire to."
"Good to know," Dane said.
Then, as one, they exploded forward. However, having seen Vetto fight once before, Dane immediately began to fight dirty. He snapped his fingers rapidly, bathing Vetto in explosions. However, unlike any other person, who would have avoided the blasts, including Licht, Vetto allowed them to hit him, bursting from the third explosion directly in front of Dane and slashing. Dane roared in effort, his Raya's light enhancing his speed and making up for the lack of speed Nue brought with him. Dane's blade began to clash rapidly with Vetto's claws, Dane backpedaling under Vetto's monstrous power. However, as he did, his free hand worked tirelessly, beginning to change the air around them into ozone. As Dane stepped back, a steel spike stabbed up at Vetto, only for Vetto to smash it, lunging and slashing wildly at Dane, only for Dane to deflect it and finally slash back. However, Vetto deflected it as well, then spun, slamming a devastating kick into Dane's chestplate and hurling him away, only for Dane to smirk.
"Burn," Dane ordered Vetto as he snapped his fingers.
A trail of flames raced over toward Vetto, only for Vetto to grin. The ozone erupted into a massive explosion, shaking the cavern, but as the flames and smoke began to fade, Vetto stalked forward, surrounded by an orange aura shaped like what Dane was pretty sure was a rhinoceros.
"Beast Magic, Rhinoceros Armor," Vetto grinned. "I'll give you three free attacks."
Dane exploded forward instantly, slashing with all of his and Nue's might, cracking the armor. He struck again, cracking it further. Then, on the third slash, the armor shattered, only for Vetto to take a single step back, avoiding the strike. Then, he'd activated his Bear Claw again and slammed a strike into the center of Dane's armor, shattering it instantly and sending Dane bouncing backward.
"My turn," Vetto grinned, crouching. "Beast Magic, Cheetah Charge."
He exploded forward faster than Dane had expected. Faster than he could prepare for. Orange magic cloaked his legs and feet now, as well as his arms. And in less than the blink of an eye, he'd reached Dane. Dane roared in defiance, slashing hard with both arms, only for Vetto's strike to explode completely through Dane's sword, stabbing a massive chunk of the blade into Dane's abdomen before sending him exploding away from Vetto. Vetto grinned, watching Dane struggle to stand. Dane ripped the chunk of blade out of his abdomen, pressing his hand to it and focusing. He screamed in agony as the wound sealed itself, then stood, trembling with rage.
"You filthy pest!" Dane snarled. "I'll rip you apart!"
"How?" Vetto scoffed. "You haven't put a mark on me! But if you want to continue, I'll show you true despair."
"I'm coming," Raya's voice spoke in his mind.
"Wait," Dane responded in kind. "Not yet. Even together, we can't beat him. I have to stall. Which means that I have to hurt."
He crouched, placing his hands to the floor again and snarled in effort. Then, in a wave staring at his chest, his body began to change, turning into his treasured Diamond Metal. At his side, his Grimoire shone, the pages flying past rapidly. Then, the ground around him erupted, a sea of Diamond Metal fists and spears flashing across the distance to Vetto, only for Veto to rapidly evade everything, only for any that missed to halt and a fresh fist or spear to erupt from its side. Vetto cackled, beginning to smash them rapidly. However, as more and more began to join in the hunt, Vetto's grin began to slip into an annoyed grimace, then an enraged snarl. Then, in the blink of an eye, he'd used Cheetah Charge to reach Dane, exploding through the sea of metal beams around him, only to be greeted by a Diamond Metal fist the size of his torso, exploding backward. He flipped, landing on his feet and staring at Dane, who had added Diamond Metal to his arm from the ground to form the fist. Then, as he began to stand, the fist exploded, the excess metal spraying at Vetto, only for his Beast Claw to block it.
Except, as it did, Dane exploded from the ground at his feet, slamming a punch into the side of his head. Vetto staggered to the side a step, but just as he did, Dane shrieked in pure, unrestrained agony as his arm flattened into a blade below the elbow, stabbing at Vetto. Vetto batted it aside and Dane spun, his other arm transforming into a spiked, bladed whip and lashing out at him. Vetto smashed the whip and Dane screamed in agony again, only for Diamond Metal to flow from the ground to reform his arm at the same time as two dozen spears stabbed inward at Vetto from every direction except behind. Vetto scoffed, leaping forward as another scream rang out, smashing through the spikes hiding Dane from view, only to realize Dane had altered himself again. This time, his arms had both become long tubes about four inches wide. And then, an explosion erupted deep inside of each and Vetto roared in pain as the force of the blast hurled him away, and the countless tiny, Diamond Metal spheres jammed into Dane's arms ripped at his flesh and punched through him entirely. Dane fell to his knees, shrieking in agony once again as he transfigured his arms back, being left gasping and panting for breath, sweat pouring down his metallic face.
"You're a freak!" Vetto laughed. "Causing yourself agony to alter your own body into weapons. You really are dangerous."
"Says the monster who's healing all the meaningless damage I've dealt," Dane growled, watching the last of the wounds seal. "But it's fine. It bought plenty of time."
"Plenty of time for what?" Vetto scoffed.
"For me to read through my Grimoire fully for the first time," Dane smirked. "Transmutation Magic, Molecular Reproduction!"
The loudest shriek of agony yet tore from Dane's throat as the ground below him flooded into him as flesh and bone and clothing exploded from his back, not injuring him but causing him unimaginable pain. And then, within a couple of seconds, a dozen more Danes had formed, transforming their body into Diamond Metal as well. Half of them formed themselves a variety of weapons as the others slammed their hands into the ground. In an instant, the cavern became a Hell of weapons exploding from every possible surface and Danes relentlessly assaulting Vetto up close. However, Vetto merely cackled and roared, smashing through whatever efforts they went through to defeat him.
"Shit," Dane panted. "I was hoping numbers would last longer."
As Vetto began to slaughter the other Danes, their corpses began to pile up around Vetto, but as he crushed the last one's neck, Dane slammed his palms together.
"Transmutation Magic, Kamikaze Destruction!" Dane roared.
As one, all of the dead Dane replicas exploded apart, transforming into a thick, sticky fluid that splattered over Vetto. Then, as Dane snapped his fingers and sent a tongue of flame flashing across the cavern into his chest, the fluid exploded into a raging bonfire. Vetto roared in agony, thrashing and flailing, but no matter what he tried, the flames refused to go out. He couldn't brush the fluid off, and when he formed his Rhinoceros Armor, it did nothing to extinguish the flames.
"Transmutation Magic, Atomic Dust Storm!" Dane roared.
The cavern floor around him exploded into dust that raged into a storm instantly, rapidly spreading through the cavern, swallowing Vetto whole. Then, Dane clapped his hands and the dust shone for a brief instant before erupting into a massive explosion that hurled Dane backward, sending him bouncing and crashing backward through the tunnel he and Vetto had initially entered through. Dane groaned, beginning to scrape himself up, only for Vetto to burst out of the smoke an inch from Dane. His body was scorched and charred, chunks of flesh were missing, and his face was split into a terrible, horrifying grin as his Bear Claw descended. In an echoing explosion, Vetto's blow collided with Dane's arms, which were roaring with Nue's flames, and Dane exploded backward through multiple walls before exploding out of the temple entirely, spinning as he plummeted into the streets, the people of the underwater city screaming. Dane crashed to the ground and groaned, his flesh returning to its normal form as his bracer, shockingly intact, landed next to his head, and he stared at his arms, both of them amputated at the elbows and blood spraying from his stumps.
"Shit," Dane groaned. "Gotta...fix those."
He shrieked in agony, but he didn't have the right components to create real arms, so instead, he merely sealed his stumps.
"Hey!" the man who'd wished them luck shouted. "Stay with us!"
"Don't die!" the girl who'd told them not to thank them cried out.
"Ra...ya," Dane croaked.
Raya appeared over him in her human form instantly, immediately starting her healing spell.
"We could have won if you-"
"No," Dane interrupted. "He's stronger than us both combined. Your power...dropped...when you saved me. I hold you back. You can't...fight him."
Raya hesitated, then grit her teeth, tears spilling down her cheeks as she focused on healing him.
"I...knew it," Dane nodded. "How...much?"
"Forty percent is for you," Raya said. "You're worth so much more than that."
Dane nodded. "How long?"
"A couple of minutes," Raya said. "Aside from your arms, there's not much actual damage."
Dane nodded, and allowed her to focus, sensing for the others. He could sense individual fights, but Vetto's presence had vanished again. However, it didn't stay that way for long. The others had all been alerted to his presence, and the other fights were including mana signatures Dane didn't recognize. Within minutes, Luck and Magna's power jumped as they entered a battle, and as they did, a third power joined theirs. However, the third power lasted only a moment as Vetto's power returned.
"I'm finished," Raya reported.
"Good," Dane groaned, pushing himself up, then staring at his arms. He shook his head, and his Grimoire opened, Diamond Magic flowing up from the ground and attaching itself to his arms, creating prosthetics that he could control. "I never thought I'd end up dealing with this." He put his bracer onto his prosthetic and formed himself a suit of armor. "Raya, it's time to show him what we can really do together."
"Yeah," Raya nodded. "My power is yours."
She possessed his armor, and he turned, exploding off of the ground and flashing up into the chamber where he could sense Vetto.
"Raya," Dane said. "I'm sorry. You're about to see me at my worst."
"It's alright," Raya said, her voice echoing from his armor. "I love you for everything you are. So, just this once, don't shy away from your impulses." Her voice turned cold and cruel. "Let's crush him!"
Then, Dane exploded through the wall just as Luck and Magna shoved a combined sphere of lightning and flame at Vetto. However, it was no good. Vetto had caught their hands with his Bear Claw, negating the spell.
"Luck, tell me what I need to know!" Dane snapped.
"Just...after...he...a...ttacks," Luck forced out before he and Magna collapsed.
"Got it," Dane nodded. "Thank you, Luck. Now, then. Where were we, Vetto?"
Vetto turned, chuckling darkly as he stared at Dane. "You're alive. Impressive."
"Dane, he's stronger than you," Yami's voice warned. "You did well before, but it's time to push past your limits."
"Don't worry, Captain," Dane said. "I'm not fighting alone this time."
Then, as he swung his arms out to his sides, there was a flash of light as a pair of shinine, golden bastard swords formed in his hands. Vetto's eyes widened, and as Dane's Grimoire snapped open, the temple began to tremble as Dane's eyes took on a cold, emotionless light.
"Spirit Magic," Dane intoned coldly, "Raya's Radiance!"
The light from his armor intensified multiple times over, turning blinding, and Dane exploded forward, shattering the ground beneath his feet. Vetto roared in rage lunging and slashing at him, only for Dane to roll past his fist, then flip, slashing his side. Vetto snarled, spinning and grabbing Dane's ankle, only for Dane's empty right hand to slam to the ground. It exploded into a forest of Diamond Metal Spikes instantly, forcing Veto to leap backward, receiving multiple gashes.
"You little bastard!" He lunged, but Dane spun on the hand on the ground, his prosthetic twisting along its length, allowing a devastating kick to explode into Vetto's cheek, hurling him.
Then, as Dane's prosthetic shifted so that it was no longer twisted, he pushed off of the ground, exploding after Vetto, reforming his swords. Vetto flipped, landing on his feet, and roared, his magic enhancing his legs again. Except, as he did, Raya activated her Reinforcement Magic on Dane's entire body, and his next step shattered the ground and closed the distance between them, Dane's swords splitting Vetto's torso in an "X".
"You should be grateful," Dane said.
"Spirit Magic," Raya's voice rang out.
"You're too powerful for me to use the same technique as I did against Licht," Dane said.
"Pixie Dust!" Raya finished.
Hundreds of tiny specks of light flashed into existence around Dane and flashed forward with all the speed of Licht's attacks. Vetto roared in pain as they slashed, pierced, and burned his body. He took off at a sprint, Raya's continuing attacks remodeling the room as Dane dropped, slamming his hands to the ground.
"Transmutation Magic, Spike Trap!" Dane roared.
The entirety of the room, except for beneath Magna and Luck, beneath the unconscious, or possibly dead, Temple Mage, and in the entrance to the chamber where Asta and a Temple Mage stood, erupted into a massive field of shiny, silvery spines, all of them only about as big around as two fingers at base. However, due to their size, there were thousands, and Dane managed to score more than two dozen hits this time. And then, a split second later, Raya's Pixie Dust exploded into Vetto in a constant rain. However, after a moment Vetto exploded from the smoke in his Rhinoceros Armor, protected from their attacks but with his Cheetah Chase also active. As he charged Dane down to ram him, Dane smirked, a pair of arms sprouting from the back of his armor. Both flexed their palms, but as they did, Dane's boots fused with the ground, his armor swelling rapidly to rival Vetto for size.
"You're going to try and stop my charge!?" Vetto cackled. "Foolish peon!"
Then, Just as Vetto was about to hit Dane, Dane's right arm shone blindingly as his prosthetic drew excess metal from the ground, transforming into a spear.
"Spirit Magic, Fairy Spear!" Raya shouted.
There was an explosion as Dane and Raya's combined thrust exploded through Vetto's armor piercing his chest before the excess metal fired, yanking him backward and stopping his charge. Then, Dane slammed his palms together, the spear erupting with spikes in every direction, only for Vetto to have already removed it.
"My turn!" Vetto grinned, then stopped, sniffing. "What..." His eyes widened as Dane grinned.
"Right where I needed you," Dane grinned. "Thank you, insect! Transmutation Magic, Supernova!"
From the arms on Dane's back had been a massive cloud of all of the most chemically unstable and volatile elements he could think of or mix together, and all controlled to channel into a single spot. Then, as his magic activated, a single spot combined into a violently explosive reaction, setting off a massive blast that blasted nearly a quarter of the room off of the temple.
The High Priest screamed instantly. "My temple! Be more careful you insolent little-what the hell!?"
Vetto exploded out of the smoke, charred and smoking again, but roaring in rage. "DIE!"
Dane exploded forward, forming a pair of Light Swords, and slashed at Vetto, who dodged around him, moving to punch him from behind.
"Got you!" Vetto grinned.
A Light Sword stabbed into his chest, making it an inch before he shattered it and leapt away, staring as the arms extending from Dane's back held a pair of swords. Dane's swords vanished, and he smirked, turning to Vetto again. Vetto growled in annoyance, then charged again. However, this time, as did, Dane formed a pair of daggers in reverse grip, then began to spin, flip, and slash, Raya controlling the blades behind him and allowing for a seamless, endless stream of attacks. And then, Asta and the Temple Mage with hi had joined in, Asta wielding both swords as the Temple Mage wielded a pair of teal swords and fought while dancing. Vetto snarled and roared in effort, struggling to fend off all four of the others, but the angrier he got, the fast and stronger he got. He began to force the three of them back rapidly.
"Ready?" Raya asked.
"Let's do it!" Dane snarled.
Then, as Vetto swung a punch at them, they flashed and vanished, all four of their blades tearing through his back. Vetto roared, spinning and swiping at them, only for them to again appear behind him.
"Transmutation Magic, Iron Maiden!" Dane snarled, face split into a wide, wicked grin.
A massive, silhouette-shaped, Diamond Metal Coffin exploded from the ground behind Vetto, spikes bristling from both the back of it and the door. Vetto moved to leap away from it, only for Dane to snap his fingers. Flames raced around in front of Veto before erupting into a massive explosion, hurling Veto backward onto the spikes of the back before the door swung closed. And then, a split second before the door closed, the Iron Maiden exploded apart.
"Spirit Magic, Starburst!" Raya chanted.
Vetto spun just as Dane and Raya both unleashed a blast of pure Light Magic from each hand, all four blasts slamming into Vetto's crossed arms, exploding against his Bear Claw shrouds. Vetto flipped, landing on his feet and roaring, only for both Asta and the Temple Mage to slash downward from behind. He leapt forward, escaping with only a pair of scratches, but as soon as he had, Dane appeared in front of him, Raya knocking his arms outward with a pair of Starburst blasts, leaving his torso exposed. Dane lunged instantly, reaching for Vetto, and Vetto's eyes went wide. He knew well what would happen if Dane could use his magic on him directly. No amount of mana or Magical Power could save him from Dane. His Rhinoceros Armor formed, catching Dane less than an inch from contact, but before Dane could use his fingers, Vetto slammed a strike into him directly, sending him exploding across the temple.
"Dane!" Asta shouted.
Dane spun out of the temple once again, but flipped, stopping himself in the air with Raya's power. "Still not enough. We have to push harder."
"Do it," Raya said. "No holding back."
"Yeah, but the problem is that most of my usual attacks aren't good enough to leave a dent," Dane growled. "I'd try using concussive blasts by ripping the air apart, but they're weaker than the explosions he already withstood. I can't use vacuums, because he's strong enough to resist their pull. And he's already survived several augmented explosions, so those aren't useful, even if Asta and that other one weren't in the way."
"Then if your magic isn't strong enough, we'll use mine," Raya said. "He's fast and he's incredibly strong, but I'm the Spirit of Light. I'm stronger, even at sixty percent."
"We'll see," Dane said, reforming his light swords. "Let's go."
They shot back up into the room, but just as they arrived, Noelle fired off a truly monstrous attack. A water dragon exploded across the chamber, slamming into Vetto's Bear Claw and struggling for a moment before overwhelming his strength. Then, it shoved Vetto around the room for several seconds before exploding out of the temple and crossing the city, splashing into the ocean. Dane stared at Vetto, who was left standing near a break in the wall, his right arm missing and blood splashing across the ground.
"Now!" Dane and Raya shouted, appearing in front of him. "Spirit Magic, Supreme Starburst!"
Both Dane and Raya's right hand formed a single massive blast of Light Magic together, but as they moved to blast Vetto with it, a third eye opened on his forehead, and in a sudden explosion of raw mana, their attack was blasted apart and canceled and they sailed backward, crashing into the wall off to Vetto's left.
"I'll kill you!" Vetto seethed. "You have my gratitude for summoning me, human. Mythical Beast Magic." Then, he spoke in a language that Dane couldn't understand, but which sent terror spiking through Raya.
"What is that?" Dane breathed, staring at the horrible, sinister magic roaring off of Vetto.
"It's...impossible!" Raya breathed. "We've...lost!"
"Hold it together, Raya," Dane growled. "We're not dead yet."
A spell circle appeared beside Vetto, and his arm regrew, even more monstrous than his last.
"His arm...grew back?" Noelle breathed.
"Get out of there!" Yami's voice shouted suddenly. "Run, Noelle!"
"Not a chance!" Noelle refused.
"Raya, gather the others," Dane said, pushing himself up. "Get them out of the way and heal them. It looks like Kahono's throat was crushed, so leave that alone, but close up that one guy's leg, and grab the other piece. I'll have to reattach that and fix her throat myself, although they definitely won't thank me."
"You can't fight this," Raya warned. "That's demonic power."
"We don't have a choice," Dane said. "Even if we ran, he'd catch us in an instant. But that surprise I gave him should kick in soon."
"It should have already," Raya argued.
"He's a monster," Dane said. "It'll take time. Go."
She left his armor, and in a series of rapid flashes, she gathered the others along the wall, now in her true form, and started her healing spell. As she did, Dane retracted the extra arms from his armor, gritting his teeth. Demonic magic. That was a new one, but it was one that he definitely didn't want to face. However, it was better him than Noelle. Just then, Vetto lifted an arm, a spell circle forming in front of him once again.
"Now, begone!" Vetto ordered Noelle. "Mythical Beast Magic."
Again he spoke in that terrible, unknowable language, and a massive, blood red, monstrous head formed from the spell circle, then roared, a massive blast of dark purple flames exploding out of the head's mouth. Dane couldn't even move before the blast had reached Noelle, but he didn't need to. He wasn't the only one up and moving. Asta had managed to get himself in between Vetto and Noelle, splitting the attack in half with his sword and allowing them both to live. His right arm was broken and non-functional, but his left was still able to hold a sword, and he'd opted for his smaller one.
"I know I said I'd do this alone, but I'll need you for this, Nue, Ko," Dane growled.
Ko possessed his armor immediately, and Nue possessed the Magic Tool dagger he'd finally drawn from his belt, which transformed from seemingly glass to a dark purple metal blade and a black hilt. He wished now that he had Fei. Fei possessing his armor would be the perfect counter to Nue's raw power, at least when he wasn't using Raya's power, but Ko was a passable stand-in for Fei, and granted him other benefits that Fei didn't. He'd make it work.
"Asta, you saved me!" Noelle gasped.
"Not yet," Asta panted. "It's not...It's not over! You haven't won! We haven't given up and we're not going to!"
"You're right," Vetto agreed. "It isn't over yet. The real Despair starts right now!"
"We'll see," Dane growled.
"You I'm not surprised made it back," Vetto admitted. "I didn't manage as solid a hit this time as last time, anyway. "But you? Back for more, Anti-Magic Brat? I see you can stand, but it will do you no good. What use is a body in tatters in the face of my true form? I'll relish your destruction. The mana whispers. It urges me to plunge you three into the depths of pain and utter despair!"
"How can you even stand up when you're so gravely injured?" Noelle asked.
"It was Kahono," Asta rasped. "She used the last of her strength to heal me a little. I could barely heal her...but it was enough."
"We have to take him down," Dane said seriously. "Then I'll heal Kahono's throat and that one's leg. They won't be too grateful at first, but it should work."
"That's Kiato," Asta informed him. "Kahono's brother."
"Don't care," Dane snarled, his impulses beginning to roar in his ears again. "We're about to begin. I'll start. Don't keep me waiting."
Then, he exploded forward, flipping over Vetto's first strike, staring at the blood red Bear CLaw Vetto had formed. He couldn't take a hit from that. But that was neither here nor there. First, he had to deal with the next strike. He'd keep himself alive one strike at a time. And so, as he landed and Vetto spun, striking again, Dane roared, slashing upward in reverse grip and challenging Vetto's raw power with Nue's, even in a dagger.
"Spirit Magic, Tiger Strength!" Dane roared as he slashed.
Under Ko's flames on his armor, black stripes formed. And then, as Dane's dagger clashed with Vetto's enhanced Bear Claw, Vetto's eyes widened as the arm was deflected upward and Dane's dagger wasn't immediately destroyed. Ko focused, and his Reinforcement Magic on Dane's body activated, Dane spinning in a flash and lashing out at Vetto. Vetto leapt backward, escaping with a scratch across his abdomen, Vetto snarled, and Dane slashed again from a distance.
"Spirit Magic, Serpent Strike!" Dane roared.
The blade of the dagger transformed, flashing out as a serpent and sinking its fangs into Vetto's shoulder. He roared, swiping downward at it, only for the snake to retract just as fast, evading the strike.
"I'll crush you!" Vetto snarled.
"Just die!" Dane snarled. "Spirit Magic-"
Vetto exploded forward, swiping at Dane, only for his body to contort and take off in a flash, spiraling and flipping around Vetto, his dagger slashing a myriad of scratches into Vetto in seconds.
"Nue's Barrage!" Dane finished as he leapt away from Vetto, barely evading a counter swipe.
"What you said before," Asta spoke up. "About how my biggest weakness is not knowing how to give up. You were wrong! It's my strongest weapon, and there's no way I'm going to give up before my dream comes true! Not ever!"
Vetto began to laugh, looking between Asta and Dane before even more magic power began to explode off of him. Dane swallowed hard. Raya had been right before. The surprise Dane had given him, the toxic mercury in the spikes Dane had pierced him with when he'd used his Spike Trap, should have kicked in already. It had done nothing.
"You would call your death wish a weapon?" Vetto laughed. "You'll soon find out how useless it is against me. I'll teach you a valuable weapon. Ignorant whelp! You've never known despair like I'm about to show you! But before I delight more in your pain, I think I'll clean up some of the trash lying around here."
"You can't!" Asta shouted.
"Mythical Beast Magic!" Vetto shouted, spell circles appearing behind him.
"Stop!" Asta shouted. "No!"
A mass of blood red mana exploded into the air above him before bursting into countless spears, spraying toward Raya and the wounded. Dane could sense Raya's fear and exploded toward her to help her deflect the blasts, but before he could reach her, Vetto reached him, slashing with his Bear Claw.
"Dane!" Raya shrieked.
"Watch out!" Asta and Dane both shouted, Asta at Dane, and Dane at Raya.
Then, at the last second, threads wrapped around Dane, yanking him out of the way at the same time as yanking Raya and all of the wounded out of the way of the blasts, then bound around Vetto, pinning his arms to his sides.
"Oh dear," Vanessa spoke from the tunnel where she had finally arrived. "Could this furry fellow be the notorious Vetto the captain has told us all about? It seems highly likely. But you're much more brutish and uglier than I imagined. Not really my type, sorry."
"Vanessa!" Dane smiled. "Perfect timing!"
"Well, it wouldn't do for him to break my favorite toy," Vanessa shrugged. "Looks like he's really given you a hard time. You know, I would have been way better off getting dead drunk today. And as for you over there, kiddo." She looked to Asta as Dane stepped up beside her. You're even more reckless than I thought. And yet, I'm here now solely because of your refusal to give up the fight."
"Thanks a lot," Dane snorted. "Guess I'm not going to be needing any fun after this." He narrowed his eyes. "This is even worse than fighting Licht. Be careful."
"Worried about me?" Vanessa asked.
"Yes," Dane said seriously. "He'll crush you in a single blow."
Vanessa nodded, grasping the seriousness of the situation. "I finally understand why everyone in the Black Bulls had their eyes on you, Asta. Makes perfect sense. Isn't that right, Captain?"
Vetto snorted. "You think that being persistent is enough to win?" He raised his arms, breaking free of Vanessa's threads easily. "Pitiful. As if these cobwebs could restrain me! Please. You can't trap a Mythical Beast!"
"What fun would it be if you actually stayed tied up?" Vanessa asked.
"Plenty," Dane growled.
"Keep talking," Vetto smirked. "Your confidence will disappear quickly enough. You're just one more insect for me to destroy!"
"You obnoxious pest!" Dane snarled.
"Mythical Beast Magic!" Vetto snarled, the same monstrous head as he'd attacked Noelle with forming behind him.
Dane knelt, but the blast was too fast for him to try anything to block or deflect it, and Asta was too late to use his sword. However, before it could hit them, Finral intervened, using his Magic to send it behind Vetto and to his right, only for Vetto to deflect it into the ceiling with his Bear Claw.
"It appears there was one more mouse on the loose," Vetto smirked as Finral stepped into view, shaking and sweating in fear.
"Ah, hey, look at that," Finral said nervously. "You guys sure are on fire today, huh?"
"Finral, you're here!" Asta cheered.
"Oh, my," Vanessa blinked.
"Our juniors are giving it all they've got," Finral said. "Time for us to show off our most advanced stuff."
"How nice of you to finally show up, Finral," Vanessa smiled, nudging Finral with her elbow. "You old incompetent so-and-so."
"Hey, of course I'd show up," Finral defended himself shakily, voice hoarse from his terror. "What do you think I am, a coward?"
"These little mice," Vetto chuckled. "No, they're not even worth that. More like a swarm of pitiful ants. They can't even hope to inflict the tiniest scratch upon the likes of me!"
"Already have," Dane reminded him. "Want a few more?"
Vetto laughed. "You are the only one that ranks above an ant. You are worth...a rat."
"Then stand still and let me give you rabies!" Dane growled.
"Right, Noelle," Vanessa said. "Do you still have enough magic to protect everyone?"
"Uh, yeah!" Noelle nodded.
"Then I'll leave you to it," Vanessa nodded as Noelle ran over to where Raya was still healing everyone. "My goodness. That's a stunning amount of magic. Daunting."
"You're right about that," Asta growled.
"You can't see it though, can you?" Finral asked, pointing at Vetto.
"Well, no, I can't actually see it," Asta agreed. "But I can definitely feel his ki."
"You sustain one direct hit from this guy, and that's it," Vanessa warned. "You're down for the count."
"You'll be missing your head," Dane specified. "I'm going. Make a plan and help me." He exploded forward without waiting for an answer. "Spirit Magic, Fox Trot!"
His movements rapidly sped up as Ko's true Reinforcement Magic activated until he was flying around the room, Vetto's mouth stretching into a terrible grin as he perfectly tracked Dane's movements.
"Spirit Magic, Monkey Dance!" Dane chanted.
While his speed was still enhanced, his movements became more erratic, switching directions on a dime, flipping and rolling, streaking along the walls. Vetto's grin grew as he watched Dane tracing an ever-changing track, not slowing for an instant.
"Transmutation Magic, Pincushion!" Dane roared.
Suddenly, the entire room erupted, anywhere he'd passed, anywhere he'd touched, exploding into a spray of the long, mercury spears Dane had tried before, all of which flew inward. Vetto growled, his arms beginning to sweep around in a blur, smashing the spikes, but scratches began to accumulate. Several stabbed through Vetto entirely, but Vetto simply smashed them and continued, seeming unfazed. And then, Dane had reached him, flipping and slashing among the ongoing rain of spears. But this time, he couldn't get his dagger through Vetto's guard. Finally, he launched himself away as the spikes ended.
"Transmutation Magic, Atomic Dust Storm!" Dane roared.
A massive explosion of dust erupted from his feet, racing toward Vetto, only for his mouth to stretch into a grin again.
"Mythical Beast Magic!" Vetto roared.
He cast the same long-distance blast again, clearing the dust, but missing Dane, as he'd moved as soon as the Atomic Dust Storm began.
"Dane, I'm done!" Raya announced.
In an instant, Ko and Nue had been dismissed and Dane had sheathed his dagger, Raya possessing his armor again. However, before Dane and Raya could rejoin the battle, Asta joined in. Vetto tried his distance spell, only for Finral to again send it back at Vetto. Vetto deflected it again, then charged Asta directly, only for Finral to warp Asta behind Vetto. Vetto spun to attack him again instantly, only for Vanessa to yank him out of the way. Then, after a moment, a portal opened behind Vetto and he spun, punching, only to shatter a stone, a second portal releasing Asta from below, allowing him to slash Vetto across the face, though his dull sword didn't cut.
"This is my weapon!" Asta roared. "Now watch! I will defeat you!"
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