Chapter One Hundred-Twenty-Seven: Not Strong Enough

Unbridled rage wasn't often an emotion Yuno portrayed.

The most notable time it had overtaken him was during his encounter with Arbus, when he believed that the woman he loved like a mother was about to be taken from him. And once again, that fear had returned as he saw the unconscious bodies of his squadmates, people who accepted him as their own and made the Golden Dawn his home away from home. Unknown to Garderois, he had just made the biggest mistake of his life, and in Yuno's mind, that created one certainty.

The stone mage wouldn't live to see tomorrow.

But for the time being, the disciple was just glad to see somebody around. "That was a cool thing you just pulled off. Are you a spirit holder? That's incredible!" he banged his fists against each other. "This is perfect, people with spirits are usually pretty strong, meaning the master could deem it absolutely necessary, meaning I can go all out from the start!"

"Master? So, there's a person in charge? Someone who's stronger," Yuno thought.

"Alright then, spirit guy, let's see what you can do! Stone Magic: Gauntlet Artillery!" Garderois exclaimed, raising his fists as jagged pieces of stone fired at rapid speeds.

"Wind Spirit Magic - Mana Zone: Spirit's Hushed Dance!" Yuno weaved around each of them with no issue. "My turn! Wind Spirit Magic: Spirit Storm!"

In response, the dark disciple interlocked his arms in front of him and braced himself as the beam made contact, pushing him back a far distance before fizzling out. "Damn it, my arms are feeling kinda numb, but who the hell cares?! That was awesome! But it seems that you'll have some trouble since I've got the attribute advantage!"

"Advantages aren't going to matter when I'm done with you! Wind Creation Magic: Swift White Hawk!" the vice-captain retorted before deploying the avian.

The stone mage beckoned it. "C'mere, little birdy, I'm going to tear you apart!" he readied his hands to catch it, but to his amused surprise, it evaded him. "Impressive, but can't you see you're only prolonging the inevitable?"

The hawk then flew up, so the man decided to do the same. Charging mana into his legs, he shot himself up, intercepting its path before grabbing it by the wings, landing before he ripped it in two.

"I hope you have a better spell than that, or else this is going to end poorly for-," he cut himself off, detecting things moving in his peripheral vision. With a quick turn of the head, he saw the unconscious bodies of the Golden Dawn, threads of solid wind around their stomachs as they were placed at the utmost edge of the room. He then turned to Yuno, identifying him as the one responsible.

"Oh, I get it now, you knew it wouldn't hurt me, you just sent it to distract me so you can get your buddies out of harm's way. That was pretty clever, I think I like you. My name's Garderois, what's yours?"

"You don't deserve to know my name. Besides, you aren't going to live much longer anyway," Yuno threatened him with calm fury.

However, Garderois wasn't perturbed, in fact, he was chuckling. "Sorry, spirit guy, my master's already borrowing the mystery card, you'll have to wait your turn. In the meantime, let's fight some more!" with that, he jumped at an angle, his fist already reeled back as he closed the distance.

But Yuno was faster, backing up with seconds to spare before flying up a few feet above him. "Wind Magic: Spirit-amped Tornado Fang!" the attack was released with devastating force. The spade combatant crossed his arms as he shot down, his body still in a vertical position, causing him to coat his legs in stone as they took the brunt of his descent.

A thick cloud of dust emerged soon after, but the vice-captain didn't plan on letting it disperse naturally, opting to blow it away with a wind, and there stood Garderois. The material covering his hands was nearly gone, pieces chipping off by the second, his hands and face bloody from numerous cuts, but despite that, he couldn't be happier.

"Amazing! Simply amazing! You're the kind of opponent I've been waiting for!" he exclaimed, ignoring his stained hands as he covered them in stone again, assuming a stance. "Let's not stop now!"

Slowly, Yuno's rage began to subside, but only because it was replaced with how disturbed he felt. "Is fighting all you care about?"

"Damn right, that and destruction. As long as I can do that, I'm content," he answered without hesitation or shame. "That's why I love being a Dark Disciple under the Dark Triad, they let me partake in it as much as I please. They're way better than that loser, Loyce,"

The wind mage paused, his face turning blank. "Excuse me?"

"Oh yeah, you're from Clover, you don't know who that is. He was the former king of my country, a total wimp who just went on and on about peace and harmony and all that shit. He believed in combat, but only as a last resort, which is totally boring if you ask me, so we killed him and his wife. Now the Spade Kingdom is under the leadership of some real rulers,"

A shadow now loomed over Yuno's face, he said nothing, he just floated in the air. "What's got you so quiet all of a sudden?" Garderois asked before repeating his prior move. "C'mon, do that tornado thingy again! I wanna try blocking it!"

Like before, Yuno got out of the way, but instead of attacking then and there, he flew further away before landing. The stone mage did the same as he turned around, feeling a large surge of mana building up. "Ooh, you're going to do something big, aren't you?!" he coated his entire abdomen in stone. "Bring it on!"

The knight's grimoire flipped to the page of his strongest spell. "So be it! Wind Spirit Creation Magic: Spirit of Zephyr!" he exclaimed as he formed the sword, holding it in front of his face before he zoomed forward with incredible speed, striking the disciple's stomach region.

At first, it appeared that Zephyr wasn't doing anything, but that quickly changed as the stone coating began to deteriorate. "It's over!" the vice-captain gave one last cry before he cut through his opponent like butter, blood spilling out.

Garderois' body slumped on the ground, now cut cleanly in two as organs slowly poured out, but the man was just managing to cling to consciousness. He stared up at Yuno, who stood over him, hearing him open his mouth. "That was for hurting my squadmates…and for mocking my father,"

With what little strength he had left, he responded to that last portion. "What…are you…talking about? Who…are you?"

"Yuno Grinberryall,"

The disciple's eyes widened beyond belief before he succumbed to his wound. The wind mage then undid his sword as he took a few breaths to cool off.

"Time to find the others,"

"What the hell is going on?!" Oliver wondered aloud with concern.

William pulled out his communication device. "Your guess is as good as mine," he activated the item. "Can anybody read me? What's happening?!" unfortunately, he got no response.

"If no one is answering, then we must be under attack," the wood mage deduced. "The question is: by whom?"

His half-brother took out his grimoire. "We'll find out soon enough. Let's go,"

"Right,"

The two mages were about to head out into the fray, but before they could even take a step, their ears registered a sound, one they both recognized.

"Footsteps, and they're getting closer," they both thought, their eyes narrowing. On its own, the sound of footsteps would've been nothing to worry about, but what caught their attention was its pace. It went at a moderate speed, as if the person in question had all the time in the world, certainly not the speed someone would be going at in the middle of an attack, and that wasn't even counting the eerie mana encroaching the room.

Without speaking a word to each other, they knew what to do, so they waited until the sound reached its zenith and the figure came into view, standing at the entrance.

Zenon.

"A Spade Kingdom mage? So, they're bringing the fight to us," Oliver said.

The black-haired man ignored his statement, opting to point at the older of the two. "William Vangeance, I presume?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"I'm going to need you to come with me," Zenon answered with his usual nonchalance. "Whether you come willingly or by force doesn't matter to me,"

The world tree mage narrowed his eyes. "Then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, because I'm not going anywhere,"

His opponent simply shrugged. "Suit yourself," he put his hands in his pocket, his grimoire flipping to a page.

"Not so fast, you bastard!" all eyes darted to the left, just in time to see the wall morph into sand as Alecdora emerged in front of them.

"You're here?" William was a little surprised.

"Yes, Captain Vangeance. After the spade mages came, I immediately rushed here," he explained, extending his arm protectively. "Don't waste your time on him. His magic power may be high, but I have the advantage,"

Zenon raised a brow with partial curiosity. "Is that so?"

"Damn right it is! Sand Magic: Mister Sandman!" he exclaimed as his body morphed. "Now you lose!" without wasting another second, he charged.

"Bone Magic: Eternal Fangs," the man said calmly as bones protruded from his spine and arms, extending in length as they rushed at him in turn. However, it quickly became apparent that it wouldn't be effective as Alecdora's body shifted, the spikes all passing through him.

"I hope you can see now that I wasn't joking!" his fists expanded and he drew them back in a vertical sense, but Zenon effortlessly jumped back, the attack hitting the floor instead, generating a powerful shockwave that blew the office doors off its hinges.

Oliver whistled. "Holy crap, he's actually doing it. We might not even need to get involved,"

The sand mage cockily agreed. "Truer words have never been spoken!" he didn't let up, charging once more.

"I'll admit, it's a decent trick, but that's it, it's decent," Zenon retorted before the pages of his grimoire flipped. "Bone Binding Magic: Impaler Cage," the same bones he deployed changed trajectory, racing up before zooming down, landing around the knight, seemingly trapping him in.

But Alecdora wasn't worried at all, so much so that he laughed hysterically. "What is this supposed to accomplish?! You do know I can just morph my body around this, right?"

Zenon stared him dead in the eyes and gave his response. "No, you can't,"

At that very moment, the bones began to radiate a dark blue hue, becoming more and more visible…then it happened. Alecdora's body began changing, reverting back to normal until he regained his human appearance.

"W-What? What did you do to my-?!" he didn't get another word in, his mouth too busy coughing up blood, his body having been pierced in seven different places before he collapsed.

"Oh no!" the half-brothers mobilized in an instant, but William was faster. "World Tree Magic: Magic Warding Ash!" he exclaimed, creating a large ash tree that broke through the floor beneath him, expanding the size of the battlefield. With great speed, the captain deployed the vine-like branches, commanding one to retrieve his injured subordinate while the rest went on the attack.

"So, this is World Tree Magic in action, huh? Interesting," Zenon remarked with little amusement as he commanded his bones to meet them.

Alecdora was wincing in pain as he was carried onto the arms of his savior. "My deepest apologies, Captain,"

"Don't be sorry, you were amazing out there. Leave the rest to us," he ordered the branch to bring him somewhere out of the danger zone before turning to the aqua deer. "Oliver, it's time to show him what we're made of,"

"Right! Wood Magic: Soul of Yggdrasil!" he assumed his transformation and immediately created his hoverboard, mounting it and soaring through the air. "You're going to regret making an enemy out of the Clover Kingdom!" he snapped his fingers, conjuring a trio of large logs that were spiked at the end, all of them falling at once.

Zenon paid his attacker little heed as bones emerged from his sides, zooming and overlapping above him, acting as an aerial shield.

Oliver was a little annoyed at how little attention he paid to it. "That lack of focus is going to cost you! Wood Magic: Forest Upheaval!" a pillar emerged beneath the bone mage's feet, launching him high into the air. The teen then conjured a root whip, launching it, intending for it to wrap around his feet and take him for a rough ride, then hopefully, it would provide them a chance to increase the pressure to its maximum.

However, fate had other plans.

Zenon's hands remained firmly in his pockets as his attire flapped in the wind, his eyes finally on Oliver as bones rushed out, wrapping meticulously around the whip, stopping it in its tracks. He then landed firmly on his feet. "If you're so adamant on getting in my way, you'll pay the price. I'm not going to kill you, but when I'm done with you, you'll wish I did,"

"Yeah right! I've fought my fair share of battles! I've looked peril in the face numerous times, you can't intimidate me!" he fired back.

"All of that is irrelevant. Nothing you've faced in the past would've prepared you for me,"

"I've heard enough!" William interjected. "World Tree Magic: Dracaena Formation!" he slammed his hand on the roots of his tree, the branches now ignoring the bones and going for their caster, wrapping tightly around Zenon.

Oliver saw his chance and took it. "Tear him apart, Wood Creation Magic: Pine Edge Wolf!" he waved his finger in a large circle motion before the creature took form, its appearance different from before as it sported larger and sharper quills around its body. The beast growled before speeding over to the restrained bone mage.

But the transformed noble wasn't going to stop at that. Once the wolf got close enough, he conjured a thick dome around Zenon, trapping them in, then he conjured a multitude of daggers in every conceivable direction within the dome's parameters, sending them one after the other. He may not have been able to see the daggers, but as long as he knew they were in there and they were moving toward their target, he was content.

A whole minute passed as the wood mage was now catching his breath. "Thanks for the assist, William,"

"You're the one who deserves the thanks, that move of yours was impressive,"

Oliver nodded. "There's no way he could've survived all of that, and if by some miracle he did, I made the dome thick enough so that his bones shouldn't be able to penetrate it. Now, let's go find the others, they may need our help,"

"Agreed, I just hope Yuno has gotten back, then things would really be in our-," the half-brothers both whipped their heads in the direction of the dome, detecting a familiar eerie mana signature coming from it. And then, to their shock, a dark blue portal opened and out walked Zenon, completely unscathed.

"N-No way, that's not possible," Oliver undid the dome, just to see broken daggers and his wolf cut in half, but that wasn't what had most of his attention. "He…he just used spatial magic. He shouldn't be able to do that, it can't be done!"

"Yes, it can," was all the triad member said in response.

The world tree mage convened with his fellow knight as they now stood side-by-side. "Don't be alarmed, if he has access to a second attribute, then he's one of the people Loropechika warned us about,"

"Y-Yeah, that's right. He must be a devil host then. Do you think he's using any of his devil's power now?"

William gazed at his enemy cryptically. "I don't know, but it doesn't matter. Don't forget, this is what we all trained for, we will win,"

Zenon stared at the two with his usual blank expression, but behind it held something somewhat different. He may come off as aloof, but even he wasn't blessed with infinite patience, and this was minorly getting on his nerves. "My turn. Bone Magic: Myrkul Cascade," he tapped his foot a singular time, and from there, numerous jagged bones rose up from the ground, nearly overtaking the space entirely, moving far quicker than his previous spell.

The pair of knights broke apart. With William being the faster of the two, he had time to engage the attack in the smartest way. "World Tree Binding Magic: Ashen Constrictor!" at his command, the vine-like branches bulged, increasing in both size and speed as they quickly and continuously wrapped around each attack that got close.

Unfortunately, despite growing stronger, Oliver was no captain, his reflexes were not yet quick enough to attempt to replicate his half-brother's technique in time, so he opted for the only option he had: to flee. Moving his hoverboard as fast as it could, he darted around the room, the bones following him at breakneck speed, already close to catching up with him.

"I can't just run, I have to fend them off too!" he concluded in his mind. "Wood Creation Magic: Wood Hammer!" his trusty weapon formed as he continued to fly away while swinging at whatever got close, using any opening he got to conjure a shield to cover what his hammer couldn't.

However, from where the captain was standing, things weren't looking so great. "I've trained with him and I know his limits…he won't be able to keep that much longer,"

And he was right, in a matter of seconds, Oliver's hammer was close to breaking apart, the teen now desperately creating whatever popped into his mind that could protect him, even forming a sphere around himself, just to fail as the bones penetrated it with ease.

"C'mon, you can do it, just keep going!" he told himself, but unbeknownst to him, a portal appeared in his blind spot and out of it came three bones, prepared to skewer his arms. They rushed at him until he finally spotted it in his peripherals, but by that point, it was too late to try and counter it.

"Watch out!"

In an instant, a shadow loomed over the wood mage, belonging to none other than William, the man boosting himself over and taking the hit for his half-sibling, his right arm suffering a piercing strike to the wrist, elbow, and bicep.

"AHHHH!" he grunted in pain.

"No!"

"Don't…worry, I'm…ok," he tried to sound reassuring as he deployed his augmented branches to safeguard them both.

Oliver quickly expanded his board to accommodate William before slowly pulling out the bones one by one, creating small wooden casts around those specific areas, the two sharing a silent smile to one another. But the teen's expression didn't stay like that for long, contorting into one of rage as his head turned and made eye contact with Zenon.

"You just made a big mistake, forget just defeating you!" his beige aura flared stronger than before.

"I'm going to crucify you!"

"This isn't good,"

In another part of the base, the thought entered Klaus' mind as he and a small group of his squadmates stood within a multitude of his steel walls, placed with gaps that would allow them to peek at what went on from the outside. However, such a feature would prove to be useless as the entire area was filled with a thick layer of mist.

"Damn it, I can't see a thing!" one of them exclaimed in annoyance.

"If we can't see anything, how exactly are we supposed to beat this guy?" Hamon wondered aloud.

"That's the thing, you aren't going to beat me," Foyal's voice responded, but rather than hearing it coming from any one direction, it came from everywhere.

"How is he doing that?" Klaus voiced his confusion.

"It's an ability of my spell. Fog of Chosen Souls doesn't just randomly decide who can see through my mist, it also lets me project my voice everywhere to further throw you off. I personally love it, the mind games I can play on my enemies are incredible,"

The last part of his explanation angered the spectacled noble. "Mind games? So that's how you see all of this?! Is this all a game to you?!"

"More or less," the disciple shamelessly confessed.

"Then we will defeat you, for we are the Golden Dawn, and more importantly, we are Magic Knights of the Clover Kingdom!"

In his mind, Klaus was half-expecting him to scoff at his declaration like many opponents in the past had done, but to his utter bewilderment, Foyal became ecstatic. "Yes, such fire, such passion, I want to hear more, I want your spirit to be raised to its peak! Only then will I have ultimate satisfaction when I break you!"

"How could you say such a thing? You're sick!"

"That's what all my enemies say when they learn of my modus operandi, but they don't know what they're talking about," he riposted. "This is a battlefield, there's no place for morals and ethics here; my style isn't only fun, it's efficient. When my foes' spirits are broken, when their morale is nothing but a fleeting memory, victory becomes easier, and that's why we fight, to be victorious,"

"That's all a bunch of hogwash!" Hamon retorted. "Victory becomes easier not by breaking your opponent's will, but by simply being stronger than them!"

"Those things are mutually inclusive. One can only break another's spirit by being stronger than them. Maybe you'd like for me…,"

"...To demonstrate it,"

The eyes of the knights widened upon hearing the final part of his sentence because, for the first time since their standoff began, his voice was coming from one spot, and it sounded close.

Hamon peeked through one of the gaps, and lo and behold, there Foyal was, standing a few meters away, his form clear to see despite the fog. "You finally decided to show yourself, huh?!" he charged mana into his legs and jumped out of the barricade, running at the mist mage.

"Yes, we're about to see which one of us was right," was his only response.

"Then prepare to be vanquished! Glass Magic: Verre Ricochet!" he constructed just a singular glass wall behind the man rather than his usual entrapment of panels before flicking the marble in his fingers. The projectile flew right past the spade soldier and hit the wall, bouncing right back with incredible speed, already growing to a moderate size. It was targeting his chest, attempting to cleanly puncture his heart.

But then, just centimeters away from succeeding…Foyal vanished. During that time, Hamon had been grinning, happy that he was about to eliminate the threat single-handedly, but once his foe dispersed, so had his smile, replaced by disappointing shock.

"Did you truly believe I'd expose myself like that?" the mist mage's voice was everywhere again. "My strength is so overwhelming that I can make a clone of myself that's nearly real, even to the point where it has mana to sense, and you charged in so confidently, but look at you now. I guess that means I'm the one who was right, but don't feel too bad, I'll leave you with a consolation prize,"

Similarly to his voice, the sound of flapping pages was heard everywhere. "Mist Magic: Spectral Strike!" the surrounding fog condensed, and before the glass mage could do anything, he was bombarded by a multitude of deep slashes, the man dropping to the floor.

"Hamon, no!" Klaus yelled, but that was the least of his problems as more clones appeared above his barricade, now with a clear sight of the knights within. "There are only five of them, we'll be alright! Steel Creation Magic - Mana Zone: Spiral Lance Quintet!"

At his command, five drillheads spawned at once behind each of the copies, destroying them swiftly, but before they could catch their breath, more showed up in their place, all declaring the same spell.

"Mist Magic: Spectral Strike!"

"Everyone, out!" Klaus dropped his walls as fast as he could and jumped for safety, however, his squadmates weren't as quick, and each of them fell victim to the onslaught of attacks.

The steel mage landed roughly, quickly turning his head in every direction, just waiting for when he would be attacked. "Bastard, just you wait, I'll stop you and avenge my comrades!"

"Worry not, I'm under orders not to kill them, granted, whether they die of their wounds or not is completely on them. Be at ease, I won't finish you off as quickly as them, after all…,"

"...I want to have fun breaking you,"

.

.

"How can this be happening?" Letoile muttered to herself as she ran through the mist, her Another Atlas active, but it was smaller than before.

"Whoever that guy we followed here was, he's made himself practically untraceable. His mana has melded with the environment, and his voice is everywhere, and nothing I can do is working,"

At that moment, she recalled the first thing she did upon arriving, and that was to deploy her Useless North, but unlike the short battle with Nebra during Kivn's takeover, her needle returned to her, unable to locate his body.

"If only there was some other spell I could use to track him, if I don't, then who knows what will happen. I need-,"

She suddenly paused as it came to her. She did have another option. "If Useless North didn't work normally, then what would happen if I Mana Charged it? Zuka told us that it can boost the potency of our spell when she taught it to us," her voice grew hopeful, but then a small frown formed. "But I can only do it once before I need to recover, if it doesn't work, then I'm truly screwed. It's best that I wait and save it for another spell. I can't forget that that spatial mage is still here,"

Making up her mind, she kept on running while a thought went through her mind.

"What I'd give for Luck to be here,"

.

.

"Steel Creation Magic: Spiral Lance!"

"Steel Magic: Guillotine Assault!"

"Steel Creation Magic: Spiral Drill Shower!"

Whenever clones of Foyal appeared, Klaus was already on it, destroying them as quickly as they had formed, but it was clear to anyone who could see him that he was beginning to exhaust himself.

"You can't go for much longer, can you?" the mist mage taunted.

"Shut up, I'll carry on for as long as I need to!"

"That's just wishful thinking. Everything that exists has limits, even me. Garderois and I still have to work hard if we want to reach the next stage and prove that we're worthy of receiving more devil power from our master,"

"Then I'd hate to burst your bubble, but that won't be happening!" Klaus exclaimed as another clone vanished, but now he was breathing more heavily than ever. "I will defeat you, mark my words!"

And that made Foyal's newest clone grin. "Forgive me if I happen to heavily doubt that. Mist Magic: Spectral Strike!"

The golden dawn instinctively backed up, but it ended up going south as the increased distance did him no favors and the attacks were still on their way. However, this time he knew what was coming, so he had a countermeasure.

"Steel Magic: Mana Skin!" he declared as his body was covered in a gray aura and he tanked the cuts head-on.

"So, you made yourself a little tougher, aye?" Foyal deduced with a smirk. "Which means I can hold back less. Aw, you shouldn't have,"

"Shut up!"

"As you wish, actions do speak louder than words," his grimoire flipped to a page. "Mist Creation Magic-," his declaration was cut off by a sudden blast of wind. Both mages looked in the direction it came from, spotting Yuno flying in.

"Specs!"

"You're here!"

The vice-captain nodded as he set his sights on the disciple. "Wind Magic: Crescent Moon Sickle!" he launched his attack, destroying the clone in one blow.

From where he was, Foyal furrowed his brow. "This will be troublesome, my attribute is at a natural disadvantage. I need to finish him quickly," he thought. "Beat this! Mist Binding Magic: Sealing Spectral Hands!"

Out of nowhere, clumps of mist solidified and changed shape, turning into looming arms that quickly grabbed Yuno from all sides, squeezing him as tightly as possible, but the teen didn't look worried in the slightest.

"Wind Magic: Towering Tornado!" the spell raged only for a moment before its caster dispelled it, but a second was all that was needed for the vice-captain to be free. "From what I can assess, you're using your magic to make clones so you don't have to face me directly, but with the poor matchup, I bet even you can tell that you won't stand a chance unless you come at me yourself!"

The mist mage grit his teeth. As much as he hated to admit it, the knight made a fair point. Truth be told, he had faced wind mages in the past and had dealt with them easily, but this one wasn't like the others, he was different.

"Do you really think he'll do it?" Klaus inquired.

"It's either that or he'll fail so much as to touch us," Yuno replied as their eyes twitched in unison.

"I can sense his mana!"

Their gazes transitioned upward, seeing Foyal emerge from the haze of his own creation, brandishing a scimitar of solid mist. "You've forced me to abandon my typical strategy, but that changes nothing! I'll still beat you! I'll still break you!"

"Are you sure about that?!" a new voice was heard as a new knight entered the fray, jumping into view just a few yards from the descending disciple.

The guys knew who it was immediately. "Letoile!"

The compass mage smirked. "Hello, boys!" her sights were now set on Foyal as she expanded the range of Another Atlas, placing him inside.

He watched in shock as his weapon failed to keep itself together, ultimately fading away. "No, this isn't good. I can't even blend back into my mist!"

With her leap placing her at a higher elevation than the man, she emulated her boyfriend's technique as she positioned herself accordingly and performed a one-legged dropkick, hitting him dead in the face, rocketing him out of her spell's territory.

"The honor will be mine! Steel Creation Magic: Blazing Spiral Lance!" Klaus exclaimed before jumping after him. "Ever since our battle began, you've gone on and on about wanting to break our spirits, but what you fail to realize is that they can't be broken! We've gone through tribulations, we've had our mettle tested, and we came out stronger! This is the end for you, so take these three words to your grave: WE ARE INVINCIBLE!"

And the noble stuck true to his promise as his drill pierced Foyal straight through the heart, coming out of the other side of his back, the death being so quick that the disciple didn't even have the chance to wail.

Hardly any time passed before the fog finally cleared away and the trio reconvened with one another. Yuno stretched as he undid his Spirit Dive. "Damn Specs, I won't lie, that mini-speech was kind of badass,"

Klaus undid his own spell, flustered. "U-Um, thank you, it just came to me in the moment,"

Letoile rested a hand on her hip. "Which is even cooler if you ask me. Now, let's go and find that last guy. Hopefully, someone has-," she didn't get another word in. Meters away from where they stood, the ceiling gave way and collapsed as three mages emerged from the top floor.

The steel mage identified two of them. "It's Captain Vangeance and Oliver, along with that guy from earlier,"

"Hold on, didn't he have spatial magic?" the girl looked perplexed as she observed the objects around him. "All those bones appear to be coming from him. Who the hell is he?"

However, Yuno didn't speak just yet, his eyes were locked on the foreigner with a mix of surprise and silent rage. Of all the people who had to come and make trouble, why did it have to be him? Despite only hearing his name once, the former prince would never forget it.

"Zenon Zogratis,"

His squadmates heard what he said, the older of the two raising a brow. "You know him?"

"I'll explain later,"

"Wood Magic: Gale of Splinters!" Oliver exclaimed as he fired the ranged attack, but it failed as the bones around Zenon shielded him.

William nursed his wounded arm. "Ranged attacks haven't been working, those bones of his just keep getting in the way,"

"Then what do we do?" his half-brother asked.

"We try to get up close and personal," was his answer, a small smile forming. "Get as close to him as you can and attack, I'll do everything I can to cover you,"

"That sounds risky, but you have a point, this may be the only shot we have," the aqua deer agreed as he constructed a second board, mounting it before zooming at the devil user, going at his top speed.

"Just give it a rest already," Zenon's bones were already on the move, but so were William's branches. Whenever the opposing force would get close, it was handled, creating a constant stalemate as Oliver flew in closer. "Fine. Just remember, you asked for this,"

Without warning, the bones started moving even faster, and they were stronger too as the ones already in the world tree mage's grasp began to win the struggle for freedom, forcing the captain to invest more power to keep them detained, unfortunately, that would leave the teen more exposed.

"Just keep going!" the man yelled.

"I'm already on it!" Oliver's hammer was in hand along with ten floating shields around his person. The attacks got more ferocious, but he had to keep going, the enemy mage was just standing there with all the confidence in the world, he had to show him that he was worth taking seriously.

"Just ten more meters!" the pair thought as the wood mage raged forward, charging mana into his legs and taking off, cutting that distance in half, but Zenon wouldn't make it easy, launching a singular bone tendril on its way to his shoulder.

But it would never hit him as William intervened, wrapping the last vine he could spare around Oliver's right wrist, pulling his body at a curve going northeast, all while the wood mage was creating a dagger, and once he was able to, he threw it with all his might. The weapon whistled softly through the air, and by some miracle…it landed. Even though the bone mage had moved his head, reducing the injury to a small scratch that didn't draw blood, it was a small victory if the grin on the teen's face meant anything.

Zenon's expression had yet to change, but he raised a brow. "Not bad. Bone Magic: Myrkul Submission," he stated as a small group of bones contorted and merged, resulting in what appeared to be a battering ram before deploying it.

Oliver waved his arm with a quick motion, conjuring five shields in front of him, but they might as well have been made of butter with how easily the opposing construct tore through them. "Crap," he cursed, bracing himself.

"Look out!" William came to his rescue once more, pushing him out of the way and taking the hit for him as he was sent through a wall and into the next room.

"No!" Oliver yelled.

"Captain!" the trio followed suit, getting the attention of the other mages at last.

"You guys!" the aqua deer called out to them, flying to them.

The triad member gave them a quick glance before his eyes fell on the body of his dead subordinate. "You killed Foyal, and now that I think about it, I can't sense Garderois' mana either, but I suppose that's an error on my part. They could only handle 40%, I should've brought stronger people,"

Bell flew next to her partner. "Yuno," her voice was laced with underlying fear.

"I know," he said back before transforming.

At last, the man's gaze returned to the knights. "I've wasted too much time here," he snapped his fingers, and just like that, they were under attack.

"We won't lose!" the quartet declared as they called on their trustiest spells, the perspective mainly on Yuno and Oliver as they managed to destroy the ones coming their way.

"Nice one," the prince complimented the noble.

"Likewise," he returned the gesture. "Klaus, Letoile, how'd you guys do-,"

Both boys turned to check on their friends, but what they saw made their stomachs turn and their blood run cold. They were hoisted up in the air, impaled in more places than they could count, their faces in total anguish.

Unbridled rage was an emotion neither Yuno nor Oliver often portrayed, but that was thrown out the window as their bodies slowly turned, revealing glares that desired death.

"YOU BASTARD!"

They were already off, the wind mage flying straight ahead with Zephyr while the wood mage mounted his board and flew around, coming from behind with his hammer, the weapon having been modified to be paired with an X-shaped buzzsaw. However, neither hit directly as Zenon protected himself on both sides, resulting in a stalemate.

"This isn't good, we're not getting through!" they thought as they observed the bones breaking away, just to regenerate faster than they could destroy them.

"Zero,"

The pair perked up upon hearing their opponent say that. "What?"

"That's where you're at, you're both Stage Zero," he clarified before side-eyeing Oliver. "Granted, in your case, you're only at that level temporarily, your immense rage and adrenaline just managing to bring you there, but even the lowest form of Stage Zero is still Stage Zero," he then closed his eyes. "I suppose that a reward is in order for lasting so long, I'll show you just a bit of my devil's power,"

Then it happened.

"Devil Power: 55%," in an instant, the scenery changed, they were no longer in the base, they were now within a box surrounded by a dark blue space. But the biggest thing was the entity hovering above them.

The being in question captured the pair's attention before Zenon stole it back. "Make no mistake, you both are strong, but at the end of the day, when compared to me…," he began, both hands out of his pocket as he produced a sword, shattering the opposing weapons in one swing each. However, it was the man himself that shocked them more, his form different as he sported wings and horns of different shades, and his face, the blank expression gone at last, only to be replaced with the most sadistic grin they had ever seen.

"...You're just not strong enough,"

"I must hurry!"

Transitioning to the outside, a figure was seen zooming fast through an open field of grass, the person being none other than Ralph, flying on a broomstick.

"If the coordinates Lily and Orsi gave me are accurate, then the Golden Dawn Headquarters shouldn't be too far," he said aloud to himself as the building in question was finally in view, but he could feel his worry growing as he noticed the external destruction.

"Please, don't let it be so," he muttered before arriving and dismounting, running through the wreckage. "Prince Yuno! Prince Yuno, where are you?!" he kept going, noticing the unconscious bodies around him, but they weren't on his mind.

"Ok, don't panic, unless the Dark Triad were here, Prince Yuno should be fine. He'd never lose to the regular soldiers or the Dark Disciples, he's probably just resting somewhere, that's it-,"

"Stay with me, please!" he heard a female voice cry out.

"It's Bell," he realized, running in the direction it came from until they were finally in his line of vision, but then he saw them…and he couldn't believe it.

"No," it was barely above a whisper, his body stumbled back, the color draining from his face. What exactly did he witness?

It was Yuno and Oliver, their bodies bound to two bone crucifixes. Their arms were secured by spikes going through their wrists, their legs straightened out with a long spike going horizontally through their ankles, a longer bone spike lodged in their sides, blood dripping out. But it was their eyes that made the sight so unsettling, blank and lifeless as their heads slumped.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Ralph yelled as he ran their way, spotting Bell crying as she desperately tried to wake them. "What happened?"

The spirit turned to him, sniffling. "There was…this guy…he was too powerful,"

"A guy?" he repeated before he took notice of the object's composition. "Zenon," he realized before getting serious. "We have to get them down,"

Bell watched as his fists caught fire. "Let me help," she calmed down enough to lightly blow on them, the flames growing stronger as he jumped, performing multiple chopping attacks, breaking the main structure as the pair fell with a thud.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I wasn't strong enough to protect you," her tears started up again as she rested on Yuno's chest, giving Oliver a glance. "Either of you,"

Ralph did his best to stay strong, but he was worried. He didn't know any recovery spells, but at least there was a silver lining: they were alive and somewhat well.

Or were they?

All of a sudden, the man's eyes began to spot particles in the air. "What the?" he followed where it came from, only to see the grimoires of the boys, both beginning to crack away incredibly slowly, but it still scared him beyond belief.

"They're dying," he said in a defeated tone.

"What?!" the spirit yelled, shaking her head. "N-No, it can't be true. D-Do something, please!"

"I…I can't," he clenched his fists tightly and dropped to his knees. "I'm sorry,"

It was over, there was nothing that could be done. The pair were finished, right?

Wrong.

Out of nowhere, a strong green glow emerged from below the debris, catching the two off guard, the surprise going even further as roots emerged from the cracks, followed by leaves, ending with the formation of a tree.

Bell was in awe. "This magic…it's the captain's," she deduced as vine-like branches neared the defeated pair, pulling out the bones lodged in them before wrapping around the puncture wounds, glowing brighter before retreating, revealing them to be closed.

"They're being healed," Ralph slowly got back on his feet as life returned to Yuno and Oliver's eyes, their grimoires returning to normal. "You're okay!"

They both stood back up, nursing their heads as they carefully inspected their injuries. "What happened?"

"You both were dying, then the captain's magic saved you," the wind spirit answered.

Yuno saw the tree in the distance. "The captain did this? I've never seen him use this spell before,"

Hearing that got Oliver's attention. "This must be it then, the spell he made after mine. World Tree Recovery Magic: Budding of Yggdrasil,"

Throughout the wreckage, other people began to awaken as well. "We're…alive?" Letoile asked, not expecting to survive.

"I…I guess so," Klaus replied. He then noticed the glass mage a few feet away, still unconscious. "Hamon, this isn't the time to be sleeping, we've got to check on the others," he got no response, so he walked over to him, and then…

"AHHHH!"

"Specs, Letoile, what's the matter?!" Yuno questioned with concern, just to get the worst answer.

"It's Hamon…he's…he's dead!"

The vice-captain froze. "What?"

They weren't the only ones, Raelynn was heard soon after. "Shiren is too!"

In mere seconds, the area was littered with sounds of screaming and crying, knights mourning their deceased squadmates, and with each one heard, Yuno's heart dropped further and further.

.

.

It was done.

A mile away from the base, Yuno used his magic to clear the grass of a large area, and there, with a shovel in hand…he buried his fallen comrades, alone, the sun beginning to set on the horizon. His hands were sore and dirty, his eyes crestfallen, but he didn't let that stop him until he was finished.

"Hey,"

He paused at the sound of Oliver's voice behind him, his usual chill tone gone.

"Hey,"

"I could've helped, y'know,"

"I needed to do this alone," he replied softly, dropping the shovel. "A third,"

"What?"

"A third of the Golden Dawn are dead, and if it wasn't for Captain Vangeance's spell, it would've been all of us, and you," he answered before asking something. "The captain was found, right?"

"...No," the wood mage shared the bad news. "When that guy confronted us, he was looking for William. He must've captured him after beating us," he then took out his hood from his robe and draped it over his head so that no one could see the growing tears.

Yuno didn't say anything back right away, he was just thinking. The day started out normally, just handling his responsibilities, but then things started to spiral. He learned that he was the prince of a foreign nation, that the birth parents he always wanted to know were dead, that the life he could've lived was torn from him so brutally, just to be thrusted into a battle soon after, and now he was standing over the grave of his own making, standing over what used to be his trusted friends and comrades, lives he was unable to save. Many things were asked of a Magic Knight, one such thing being the ability to keep your emotions in check, something Yuno personally excelled at, but at that very moment, he couldn't do it anymore as he lifted his head into the sky.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"