His lips curled into a rare, genuine smile. "Fighting together… might not be so bad after all."
"Whoa," Asta grinned. "Did I just pull a Naruto and win with a talk-no-jutsu?"
"Ahhhh~ this is bad, this is really bad," Naraku's Lotus groaned. "They're syncing up. Guess I have no choice but to escalate."
He flipped his grimoire. A fresh page turned, and a vortex of black smoke poured from his book like a waterfall, flooding the entire battlefield.
"Smoke Magic: Falling King's Smoke Prison!"
The black smoke enveloped the area, thick and suffocating.
"Tch… large-scale magic," Asta muttered, leaping back to regroup with Noelle and Luck. The three took up a triangular formation—balanced between offense and defense.
"You're trapped," Lotus's voice echoed from the smoke. "No visibility, no oxygen, no escape!"
"You sure about that?" Asta narrowed his eyes.
"Open First Gate: Gate of Opening!
Second Gate: Gate of Healing!"
Asta's muscles tensed and glowed as he distributed his overflowing energy evenly across his limbs. With one mighty leap, he charged, anti-magic swirling around his sword like a storm.
"HRAAAAHH!!"
SLASH!
With a single powerful swing, Asta sliced through the thick smoke like a blade cutting silk. The magic was dispersed in an instant.
"H-He broke through?!" Naraku's Lotus gasped. "My Smoke Prison has never been pierced before! It's a high-tier spell, refined for years!"
Asta landed, eyes calm. "Magic has limits. Your smoke is strong, but it's still powered by mana—and I'm the worst match for mana users."
He gripped the sword tighter.
"Let's go again."
SLASH!
Another swing. Another gash in the smoke. The darkness tried to reform—but this time, it was slower. Sluggish.
"Ngh, he's draining my mana!" Lotus staggered. "This brat's not just cutting—he's destroying the magical structure holding it together!"
SLASH!
A third blow. The smoke barrier trembled like a cracked mirror.
"This is… impossible…!"
But Asta didn't stop.
Because that's what it meant to carry a squad on your back.
To fight for a family.
****
Sweat dripped down Lotus Whomalt's forehead as he clenched his teeth. His Smoke Magic was being drained at an alarming rate—like a major artery had been severed. He grunted in frustration. He had expected Asta's anti-magic slashes to slow down eventually. After all, a kid with no magic power shouldn't be able to keep swinging that ridiculous sword forever. But now they were in a war of attrition, and he was starting to realize—Asta wasn't slowing down.
"Let's see who gives out first, kid!" Lotus muttered to himself."
"The Fourth Slash!"
Asta roared, summoning all his strength. His dantian—a term Captain Yami often mentioned in his intense training sessions—was burning with effort. Every swing of the Demon-Slayer Sword devoured his stamina and Zetsu-enhanced instincts, yet he kept pushing forward.
"This is what it means to surpass your limits!" Asta grinned, sweat flying from his jawline. His eyes were fierce, determined. He wasn't alone either—Noelle and Luck were right behind him, providing backup and protection.
Unlike you, Lotus, Asta thought, we fight together!
Lotus flinched. "How is this brat still swinging?!" His magic couldn't withstand more than three more direct slashes like that. His Falling Smoke Prison, once a massive 30-meter sphere of dense smoke magic, had shrunk to barely 15 meters in diameter.
"Tch. This is getting out of hand."
He opened his Grimoire, flipping it in the air. "Smoke Magic: Lazy Lotus Carriage!" A purring, smoke-formed vehicle emerged, ready to whisk him away.
Simultaneously, his Falling Smoke Prison began to dissipate.
"Time to retreat with some style." Lotus smirked as he scooped up several downed Diamond Kingdom mages with tendrils of smoke.
"He's retreating?!" Asta blinked, lowering his blade for just a second.
Luck bolted after him by reflex, but even he—the fastest of the group—couldn't keep up. The smoke-powered vehicle surged ahead, escaping into the maze of the dungeon.
"Coward..." Noelle muttered. "I thought he was some elite mage, but he just ran off."
Asta dropped to one knee, gasping. He pulled out a magic recovery potion, guzzling it fast. Even if it didn't help his magic—since he had none—it still helped with stamina and healing.
"Heh. Not bad for an old guy." Asta wiped his mouth. "But I'm not done yet!"
****
Meanwhile, Lotus reclined in his smoke-carriage, already miles away from the battlefield.
"Phew... That was too close." He chuckled to himself. "Still, I bought enough time for Mars. That's what matters."
His pink eyes flicked toward the depths of the dungeon. "Let's see just how strong the Diamond Kingdom's finest war machine really is. Can he handle that anti-magic brat?"
****
Back at the dungeon corridor—
"He's heading for the treasure hall!" Asta stood up, gripping his sword.
"We've got to get there before Golden Dawn does," Noelle added, brushing back her silver hair.
"Let's go!" Luck grinned. His eyes sparked with electric energy. He closed his eyes briefly to sense mana flow—but suddenly tensed.
"Wait... Something's not right."
Noelle raised an eyebrow. "What now?"
"I feel an overwhelming presence ahead... way stronger than Lotus..."
Asta's expression turned serious. "So he's there."
Without another word, the trio sprinted toward the treasure hall—faster now, with Luck guiding them through the dungeon's shifting labyrinth.
****
Meanwhile, at the treasure hall…
The Golden Dawn trio—Yuno, Mimosa, and Klaus—had just arrived. Before them stood a massive, rune-covered gate glittering with ancient magic.
"Incredible..." Mimosa breathed, eyes wide. "This ancient structure… it's so well-preserved."
"Hmph. A dungeon's just a pile of old rocks," Klaus muttered, pushing up his glasses.
Yuno remained silent, his eyes fixed on the gate. He sensed something. A chill.
"Strange... There's something approaching fast—"
Before he could finish, a diamond-formed bridge shot forward from behind them—slamming Mimosa and sending her flying.
"MIMOSA!" Klaus shouted.
Yuno spun around, his hand going for his grimoire.
Standing on the bridge was a calm, terrifying figure—Mars, the Diamond Kingdom's weapon. His eyes glowed pink as he walked with unnatural grace.
"What's the matter?" Mars said flatly. "You're in my way."
"You bastard!" Klaus growled. "Attacking a girl from behind—do you Diamond mages have no honor?!"
Mars tilted his head. "Honor? You're just stones on the path."
A massive diamond projectile launched toward them without warning. Klaus countered with his Spiral Magic: Whirl Spear, just barely holding back the attack.
"What the—he didn't even open his grimoire!" Klaus realized in horror. "His control… it's unreal!"
Mimosa lay unconscious, and Klaus was already at his limit. They were in serious danger.
"Yuno..." Klaus said through gritted teeth. "You need to enter the treasure hall. Now!"
"But you can't take him alone!" Yuno argued, wind swirling around him.
"This mission is more important than my pride. If we fail, the enemy gets everything!" Klaus shouted.
Yuno hesitated—but nodded. With one final look at his fallen teammate and his struggling comrade, he turned and bolted toward the treasure hall.
Klaus readied another spell.
"I'll hold him off… even if it kills me!"