In a forest somewhere far away from the last hope academy, a bunch of people could be seen being sieged by hundreds of small cat like creatures.
"This group has gotten quite big, why don't we let the newcomer handle them." The red cloaked figure of the group suggested as he looks at the hundreds of shadow cats surrounding them.
"I don't mind, i needed some practice for my new skills as well.", Another figure accepted and begins walking forward as he tosses away the black cloak on his body.
The felines pounce him as if looking at good, only to be met with a quick cut from a black katana and sliced to bits as the figure's frame finally comes in view under sunlight passing through the canopy.
This was Asta, on his first mission as a member of messangers
(Asta) " You guys better not waste anything, it's money we are talking about."
(Sol) "As if! This will going straight to the squad funds."
(Quill) " Stop drolling and get to work *gives sol a smack on the head* Work first money later."
Asta on the other hand didn't want to get involved in all the butchery work so he decided to be the fighter for the mission.
He ducked under a pouncing cat, uppercuts another while using katana to cleanly sever slay the several more before charging straight in as he switches to Goliath.
Another bunch jumps towards him from shadows of the trees, their claws aimed at his neck and fingers but their speed was far from being Asta's match as the slaughter continues under Asta's assault on the horde like a human against a bunch of ants.
Many managed to scratch at his arms as they split but his newly made armor worked wonders against the pathetic claws of some small living shadows.
He dashes, Swinging Goliath in full swing as he ripped away a tree and a bunch of shadow cats only for him to swing again and again until the ground was filled with craters, the floor gouged out by sword swings but the horde didn't lessen in the slightest.
(Yubin) 'Why don't you use machine magic to make some turrets or something?'
(Asta) 'Did your brain degrade with all those years? *swings Goliath and splits a bunch of shadow cats* You expect me to use some magic the academy haven't recorded about me? They will brand me a imposter for all I know.'
(Yubin) 'Like those greedy punks are gonna mind. For all I know you might just get more support from them.'
(Asta) *Enlarges Goliath to twice the size and spun like a beyblade*, 'or be sent to research department where I would get treated like a guinea pig. Now shut up and let me fight.'
Asta states his final say before shoving Yubin back to the grimoire and quickly switches to defiance and redemption as he threw the floating Goliath like a gargantuan sized spear and closed in for some quick combat.
Coating the short sword with Anti-magic, Asta weaved into the horde swinging his swords as pleased. The cats fell one by one, chopped to pieces or split in half under the flurry of attacks.
Slaughtering his way through the horde with ease like a hot knife through butter, Asta went full rampage mode swinging his swords to the point it looked less like a battle and more like butchering house until his blades got stuck.
He quickly shifted his eyes and meet a purplish pair of eyes looking at him from within the mountain of shadow cats and the next second he felt something hit him away as he flew away before landing on his feet right between Mimosa and Sol who were still helping with the loot.
They two girls were knocked away from the shockwave of his landing, almost falling onto the corpses in shock as they turn to him.
"Oi Asta! Can't you see us working over h- now that's new.", Sol's words took a full turn mid sentence as she watches a towering figure slowly walking towards them in low strides.
Mimosa on the other hand felt the hostility and the pressure from the enemy and instantly tapped into her beastmen strength, getting fully ready for a battle.
The for was a cyclops like creature made of pitch-black shadows and looked like a armored behemoth made for war, ready strike at tiniest of movement.
The tension hangs in the air as Asta felt his blood pumping through his body and suddenly saw a glimpse of very fast figure in the tree behind the cyclops. It was their Bodybuilder rogue, Gunther.
With a silent step that looked unnatural for the giant body of his, Gunther lunges at the cyclops from behind with a pair of clawed gauntlets. He was only half way through when the cyclops turned towards him, rotating it's body like a owl's head and slamming it's arm onto him.
Gunther flew away from the hit but the others quickly joined into the fight as Asta arrived first, his hands holding onto his war axe 'the Tyrant' as his calm smile gets overturned with a unnatural sadistic smile and he swung it with such force the cyclops was split into two.
But it didn't collapse as the cyclops instantly rejoined itself, one of it's arms turning into a flail and bashes onto Asta, sending him sliding across the ground while Quill came with fist covered in a orb of magic.
"YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST DIED FROM THE FIRS- OOF", Quill was stopped by a bunch of hands that came from beneath the corpses and latched onto him from behind.
" Explosion magic: suppression burst" , He turned twisting his body as punched at the hands, blowing them up to bits while he himself was knocked higher into the air until he was right above the cyclops.
"Never interrupt a guy talking for style." Quill announces from above as grabs onto the cyclops's head as he fell and locked his arms around it.
"Bloody twister"
With his arms circled around the head, Quill channeled mana to his feet and shoulders, creating a sort of jet like effect as he turned into a spinning top and rips away the cyclops's head alongside himself.
Meanwhile, Gunther came from the side. His feets in full swing as he enhances himself with stage 4 ki and his acceleration magic, he slides right between the monster's feets, ripping a huge chunk with the gauntlet as he passed.
T
It was clear which side had the advantage for the fight but.. The cyclops wasn't some amateur either as the shadowy being transforms itself into a tiger and leapt away towards mimosa.
But it's judgement about her being the weakest link was a big mistake to say the least as Mimosa quickly raised both palms and basically chopped him into four pieces before impaling it with hundreds of wooden stakes that rose from the ground.
The monster had barely rejoined itself when another attack hit him as a humanoid golem burst through the ground and locked it in place.
BOOM
Before any of the messangers could understand what was going on, they saw the beast flying over them and crash into one of the tree tops. Asta was there, tyrant in hand that was impaled right through the shadow tiger's mouth.
He has four black wings on his back and the dragon scales have crawled up to his neck and palms, his pupils have narrowed down till they look similar to a reptile with a gaze that sends shivers down one's spine.
Asta yelled, giving a war cry as impaled the war axe deep down the monster's neck, swinging it around on the flick as of his hand, playing with it like a toy until he bashed open it's head into two and split it into halves.
This time through, he didn't allow him to reconnect and instantly suppressed with a scroll he had obtained or it would be better to say, gained as a gift from nero.
He was quite hesitant when she sent it to him through some owl but now he couldn't help but inwardly thank as he unleashed the contained sealing magic straight on the shadow.
Soon, multitudes of black chains rupture out of the ground. They shackled the beast, immobalizing it in it's entirety and compressed it all to a single orb which was then picked up by Asta.
"Now this should fetch a lot of money. I should ask nero for more scrolls like this." Asta mumbles to himself while pocketing the orb and turned around to see Gunther, Quill and Sol looking at him with puppy eyes and he couldn't help but sigh.
(Asta) "No you're not getting this scroll. It was the only one I had."
(Sol) "Now don't be like that. We did help in the battle. it wouldn't hurt to give us some information would it?" *Approaches closer and tries to act seductive , only to fail miserably and be dragged away by mimosa*
On the other hand. Quill being the experienced leader he is, brought out a small parchment and begins writting and soon handed it to asta with a wink.
It was a contract, a contract that said quill will wash Asta's laundary and clean his room for the next two weeks if asta bought him one of the scrolls.
There was also a clause in the bottom that said, he would pay for the scroll just get him the supply.
Asta looked at the contract and then to the straight backed quill in front before relenting and giving it back to him.
(Asta) "I only had one. I will see if I can get more."
(Quill) *A bright smile on the face*, "Now that's a promise!"
********
Meanwhile the group had their banter within themselves, some people were not having a great time to say the least as somewhere in the distance a duo could be seen sitting among the trees.
" How did it go? Any chance he is the one or is there someone behind that told him to?" One of the figures asked the other.
"I think the latter. He can't be some reincarnation or something without a second grimoire, the guardian king wasn't someone who try to hide himself." The second figure said as he felt his connection to the shadow monster fade away.
"So what do we report then? The family head needs a report in written."
" Just say he is just a messenger, no need to keep a eye on him. It would do us better if we looked around the king's grave instead."
The duo finally decided upon their excuse and left but unknown to them, a small insect was right behind them, transferring all their talk to Asta who scoffed at their impatience and decided to act his part.