Yuno gritted his teeth, the weight of the decision before him pressing down like a vice. Klaus was right—he should turn back and reach the treasure hall alone. That was the mission. But in the next second, Klaus might fall, might die. Could he really live with that?
"Still hesitating? What's the point of all of us dying here meaninglessly!"
Klaus snapped, his voice harsh, but the worry behind it clear.
"Be careful!"
Yuno suddenly turned on his heel and sprinted toward the fight instead of away from it. Every instinct told him to complete the mission, but abandoning his squadmates went against everything he stood for.
"Idiot..."
Klaus cursed under his breath but felt a strange sense of relief. If only one of them could make it out, he had hoped it would be Yuno. Now, even that was slipping away.
But his moment of distraction cost him. The pink-eyed Diamond mage—his movements sharp and emotionless like a weaponized automaton—formed a massive diamond construct above Klaus's head. A crystalline mass, shaped with terrifying precision, came crashing down.
"It's over..."
Klaus muttered, frozen beneath the descending death.
But then—
WHOOOOOSH!
A powerful gust of wind magic ripped through the air, shattering the diamond before impact.
"You moron! You should've kept going!"
Klaus barked, furious and grateful all at once.
"We'll beat this guy first," Yuno replied firmly, his expression resolute. "Then all three of us will go in together."
The conviction in his voice startled Klaus.
Asta's words echoed in Yuno's heart—
"We may not be related by blood, but our bond is deeper than family. Always protect your comrades."
That belief, that unshakable determination to stand with his friends, was what made Asta so unyielding—and it had left a lasting mark on Yuno.
"Three... together?"
Klaus repeated, stunned.
Even Mimosa, weak and trapped within her own healing magic, felt a warmth stir within her chest. That emotion was... connection. Bond.
"I'm not holding back anymore,"
Yuno said, wind magic whirling violently around him, his cloak snapping as magic surged from his grimoire.
Klaus could only gape.
He finally understood:
If Asta had defeated this Yuno… how terrifying must Asta truly be?
But the show wasn't over yet.
Feather-like wind magic burst from Yuno's body, coalescing into a mighty white eagle. Alongside it, countless wind blades formed like shining bronze swords—two distinct magic spells at once.
"Wind Magic: Spirit Creation Magic – Spirit of Zephyr!"
"Wind Magic: Gale White Hawk!"
The twin spells soared toward the pink-eyed Diamond mage in tandem.
But the enemy didn't flinch.
"Diamond Magic: Crystal Saber,"
he murmured, summoning a ten-meter-long diamond sword that glittered with sharp edges and immense mana. He swung it down, shattering Yuno's attacks like glass.
"He blocked them both…"
Klaus whispered in disbelief. "And he hasn't even used a grimoire yet…"
The Diamond Kingdom's mages were monsters—trained through experiments, torture, and enhancement. And this one was no ordinary mage. Klaus knew now—they were facing someone bred for war.
"…Yuno can't win."
Mimosa said weakly, watching through blurry vision from her healing cocoon. "We're done…"
"No, we're not!"
Yuno shouted, determination flaring in his eyes, though his mana was beginning to wane.
"It's useless. You're wasting time. Move or die."
The Diamond mage raised his massive sword again.
"Yuno!"
Klaus shouted in despair.
But before the blow could fall—
CLANG!
A blur of black and green intercepted the sword mid-swing, the impact splitting the diamond blade clean in half.
"Asta…?"
Klaus murmured, wide-eyed.
Standing before Yuno was none other than Asta—the so-called 'magicless commoner'—holding his Demon Slayer Sword, his Anti-Magic radiating like a black flame.
"Sorry I'm late,"
Asta said with a grin, tilting his head.
Klaus stared in disbelief. This was the boy he'd mocked? The one who shattered an elite Diamond mage's attack in one swing? He felt the sting of shame burning his pride.
Yuno let out a short, breathless laugh.
"…I owe you again."
Just like when Revchi attacked Hage. Just like during the dungeon mission. When everything felt lost, Asta stepped in, without fail.
"How am I ever supposed to repay you?"
Yuno muttered, smiling ruefully.
Meanwhile, Noelle and Luck arrived at the scene, Noelle immediately rushing to Mimosa.
"You're hurt!"
she exclaimed.
"I-I'm okay… just slow to recover,"
Mimosa said with a weak smile, wiping away her tears.
Noelle frowned, raising her wand.
"Then let me protect you."
"Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Cradle!"
A protective sphere of water formed around Mimosa, reinforcing her healing spell. The warmth of that act, the gentleness behind it, made Mimosa's tears fall freely now.
She wasn't alone. They were never alone.
Back on the battlefield, Asta stood firm beside Yuno.
"Now that I'm here…"
Asta said, raising his sword with a smirk,
"Let's take this guy down together."
Luck couldn't help but mutter, "I've always been confident in my speed… but I didn't realize I'm not even close to Asta, and he's not using a single spell!"
His words were half disbelief, half excitement—because more than fear, Luck loved a good fight.
"It turns out the third member of the Black Bulls is that battle-crazed Luck Voltia?" Klaus said with visible surprise. "No wonder... If it weren't for the uproar he caused during the Magic Knights Entrance Exam, he would've been snatched up by every captain!"
Klaus felt frustrated. He was from Golden Dawn—supposedly the most elite squad—yet they were being overshadowed by the supposedly worst squad in the Clover Kingdom: the Black Bulls.
Then Asta's gaze turned deadly serious as he faced the enemy mage.
"Tell me," Asta said, gripping his massive Demon-Slayer Sword, "what the hell did you do to my comrades?"
Across the water, the pink-eyed boy from the Diamond Kingdom—Mars—stared back emotionlessly. Despite his age, his voice was cold and devoid of empathy.
"So what? The weak die, the strong survive. That's the natural order," Mars replied.
Asta's brow twitched.
"Another Gaara..." he thought with a sharp breath, briefly reminded of the same broken logic. "I'm not here to fix people like you," he said coldly. "If you're hurting my friends, then I'll just take you down."
"I was born to destroy all weakness," Mars said, and in an instant, his grimoire flared open. Crystals began to form in the air—diamond clones, dozens of them, all forged from his overwhelming magical power.
Klaus's jaw dropped. "How can he summon this many at once? There's no end to his magic reserves!"
But while Golden Dawn's pride faltered, the three Black Bulls only burned brighter with fighting spirit.
"You talk too much," Asta growled.
With a single step, he burst forward—his anti-magic blade slicing through the diamond clones like they were made of paper. The seemingly indestructible defenses that had stalled even Yuno collapsed with every swing of Asta's sword.
Mars's expression finally shifted. Shock. Disbelief. Fear.
He had fought countless opponents… but none had ever nullified his magic like this.
As Asta charged, Mars countered. Leaping into the air, he condensed a giant diamond broadsword, sharp and glittering, ready to cleave Asta in half.
"Your magic doesn't work on me, either!"
Asta leapt skyward to meet him, channeling every ounce of raw power into his swing. The diamond sword cracked instantly. Asta's blade smashed through, shattering the weapon into glittering shards before slamming into Mars's chest.