"That old man is really strong. Should we restrain him while we can? Asta, can you clear away the smoke?"
"Yeah, leave it to me."
At my words, Asta began walking slowly toward the smoke.
Flaaap!
The sound of a Grimoire opening? Come to think of it, Lotus was supposed to escape on something like a car here... We're too late.
"Time to run away~"
"Hey, old man!"
"Wait!"
"I won't let you get away~"
Crackle!
Luck concentrated Mana in his legs to capture the enemy he had worked so hard to catch.
"[Smoke Creation Magic: Busy Hurrying Lazy Carriage]."
"I caught up!"
Fwoooosh!!!
"Senior, this way!!"
"Thanks~"
Luck chased after him at nearly the speed of sound to catch him, but he had no choice but to dodge the smoke attack. I stopped for a moment to catch him as he veered away.
"Ahh~"
"Damn it! He got away!"
"Huff... huff... You guys... are too fast..."
"Try concentrating Mana in your legs to reinforce your body, like Luck does with his magic. It'll make running easier."
"Yeah, thanks..."
"I wanted to finish him off, but I guess this isn't the time~
Let's hurry to the treasure chamber~"
"You're really the one saying that?!"
"Right, that's what we were doing! Anyway, let's go!"
"...! This Mana?"
"What's wrong, Kadel?"
"Senior... you felt it too, right?"
"Looks like the strongest one was someone else!"
"What are you two talking about?"
"Like I said earlier, I don't think those guys are all there is.
And it sounds like there's a clash in front of the treasure chamber."
"Then we need to get there now!! Which way do we go?"
"Follow me!"
In an instant, the amount of Mana being used by the person I assumed was Mars surged dramatically. That meant he'd seriously entered combat, and Golden Dawn might be in danger.
"Hurry!"
"Yeah!!"
____Golden Dawn's Side_____
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Yuno was protecting his comrades behind him alone, but he looked close to his limit.
Watching Yuno's back, Klaus recalled what he knew.
What kind of unsettling magic is that...? Even Yuno, fighting at full strength, can't leave a single wound on him... Those embedded gems... I've heard of them.
Rumors said the Diamond Kingdom was using experiments to raise Magic Warriors with artificially enhanced Mana... They selected children with exceptional Mana from a young age, forced them into grueling competition, implanted magical tools that enhanced their Mana into their bodies, and eventually made them kill one another... The sole survivor of that slaughter... is that him!?
With only his vague memories, Klaus had perfectly discerned Mars's past.
But there was almost nothing he could do in the current situation.
Damn it... No matter who the opponent is, how can something like this happen so easily!? What the hell is this situation?! I'm a noble! A member of Golden Dawn! And yet my comrades have been injured so easily, while I'm being protected by a commoner junior...
"This... This can't be allowed to happen!!
[Steel Creation Magic: Steel Pipe Explosive Spear]!"
A powerful drill of steel shot up from the ground toward Mars.
"Klaus!"
"[Ore Creation Magic: Talos's Doll]."
Crackle!
"An ore... clone...?"
Mars blocked it with absurd ease.
Craaaack!
In the end, Klaus's magic was shattered.
The doll immediately attacked Klaus, but Klaus skillfully defended himself once more. However—
"Senior!! Huh...?"
Swoooosh... Bang!!!
A gigantic ore greatsword came crashing down toward Yuno with a clear ring.
"Argh!!"
Yuno took flight with Wind Magic and counterattacked at the same time, only to be struck back by the ore sword.
"[Wind Magic: Crescent Kamaitachi]!"
"[Ore Magic: Nemean Armor].
Your magic cannot harm me."
Yuno counterattacked again and again, but Mars did not so much as budge.
At Mars's words, Yuno's memories of the past overlapped with the present.
"I told you it was useless."
It's useless, Asta. Let's stop training now.
Aren't you pushing yourself too hard, Asta?
Not yet! I'm not stopping until I land a hit on you!
Whoooosh!
Aaaargh!
Asta.
Not yet... Not yet!
Enough already...
I won't stop! I'll never give up!
That's amazing, Asta! I'll never give up either, so we'll keep going together, all right?
"Hyaaah!!"
Bang!!
Even Yuno's spirited slash did nothing to Mars.
"Stop this pointless—"
"I won't stop!"
"Move aside."
"I won't!"
"Give up."
"I won't give up!!"
"Yuno!!!"
At Mars's gesture, the greatsword swung down.
Yuno tried to block it with a slash, but it was useless—until that moment.
Clang!!!!
With a crisp sound he had not heard in a long time, Asta appeared and split the greatsword in half with his anti-magic blade.
"Hey, ugly! Don't put your hands on him whenever you feel like it!
Yuno is our... rival!!!"
"Unbelievable... Just when I thought I'd finally repaid my debt."
"I thought I'd caught up to you, and here you are lying on the ground, you idiot! Don't just let yourself get beaten up!"
"What happens to our promise if you get taken out here?"
"I was just about to begin my dramatic counterattack."
"Don't lie! You're a complete wreck! You looked like you were about to die!"
"Weren't you actually about to die just now?"
"My counterattack was about to begin."
"You're definitely lying!"
"It was about to begin."
"You really do have a side like that!"
"Did you come to get in my way?"
"What?"
"We came to help, since you looked like you were having a hard time~"
"I had things under control by myself."
"You can lie without changing your expression?"
"It's not a lie."
"You can go back now."
"Can't be helped."
"Let's see which of us takes him down first!!"
"Are you the one who attacked everyone in Golden Dawn?"
"And if I am? The strong remain, and the weak disappear.
That is all.
[Ore Creation Magic: Talos's Doll Army].
On the battlefield, the weak have no value. I was born to crush people like you."
"Is that so? Then try crushing me!!"
"That is my intention."
"Hah!!"
Bang!!
Once again, Asta's sword slash shattered the greatsword.
Then Asta's massive blade collided with Mars's ore gauntlet, sending Mars flying.
"Guess I'll handle the rest... Fine.
[Time Restraint Magic: Chrono Stasis]!"
At that moment, Mars appeared once more.
This time, he was clad in massive armor.
"Asta!!!!"
"Are you all right, Asta?!"
"What the hell... are you?"
"I'm... someone who was born with no Mana at all...!
Even so, I'll become the Wizard King...! To prove that... I'm alive!!"
"I... merely destroy everything!"
"Destroy everything? The Wizard King is someone who protects everything!!"
"You're in my way! Move aside, pebble!"
"Asta! Like back then!"
"Yeah! Kadel!!"
I grabbed Asta's body and braced myself to leap.
"Here we go!!
[Time Acceleration Magic: Chrono Sileres], and [Time Manifestation Magic: Chrono Mono Avatar]!!"
"Even if we're pebbles, we're!!"
Bang!!!
Asta and I shot forward with tremendous force, our speeds combining as Asta's velocity was boosted in an instant.
"The pebbles that will smash diamonds!!!"
"You really are completely reckless...! But that's why I believed in you!!"
"Of course!!"
After somehow knocking Mars down, we began making our way back toward the treasure chamber.
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