Zura slammed both palms into the ground, sending a network of reinforced earth magic through the dungeon floor and up the walls, bracing the structure. The magic pulsed like veins of gold, holding the stone together even as explosions ripped through the chamber.
"Hold the damn roof, I'll handle these two!" Zura barked, switching from lightning to flame to ice in rapid bursts, overwhelming Mars's crystal shields. His magic wasn't just copied anymore—it was bent, sharpened, and remade to fit his style.
Lotus tried to flank again, but Sekke of all people blocked him, grinning under his bronze armor. "Not today, smoke guy!"
For the first time since they'd entered, they weren't just surviving—they were pushing back.
And as Mars's defense cracked under the relentless assault, Zura felt it in his gut. Canon or not, fate wasn't untouchable.
And he was about to prove it.
Mars's crystal blades shattered under the weight of Zura's last strike, fragments skittering across the chamber floor. The Diamond mage stumbled back, breathing hard, more crystals already forcing their way up his arms and shoulders, jagged and unnatural. His eyes were glassy—more weapon than man.
"Stop fighting, Mars!" Mimosa's voice cracked through the chaos, but it didn't reach him. The crystal growth was feeding on him, warping him.
Zura's jaw tightened. 'That's not just magic—that's control.'
Mars roared and charged again, the floor splitting under his boots. Zura sidestepped, catching him with a burst of wind magic that slammed him into a pillar. The structure groaned, but Zura's reinforcing spell kept it standing.
In one motion, Zura flooded his hands with searing flame and razor-sharp wind, carving straight into the crystal on Mars's arm. The hardened shards screamed as they cracked and splintered. Mars howled—not from pain, but from the magic's hold breaking for a heartbeat.
Lotus tried to intervene, his mist curling toward Zura, but Klaus's steel shields slammed down in his path, forcing him back. "Handle him, Zura! We've got this side!" Klaus barked.
Zura didn't waste the opening. Lightning arced down his arms, channeling into Mars's chest. The shock wasn't meant to kill—it was to overload the artificial crystals embedded deep inside. Sparks crawled over the unnatural lattice, and for a moment, the glow inside them flickered.
Mars dropped to one knee, coughing, his eyes clearing just enough to look… human. "What… are you—" His words broke into a grunt as the crystals surged again, trying to reclaim him.
"Not letting you stay their damn puppet," Zura growled. He switched to earth magic, ripping a chunk of crystal from Mars's back like pulling out a parasite. Blood welled, but Mars didn't scream—he only looked at Zura in confusion, as if some long-lost memory was clawing at the edges of his mind.
Lotus, realizing things were turning, blasted the chamber with choking mist to cover Mars's retreat. But Zura didn't let him. He spun, fire blooming in a ring around them, forcing the mist back and locking Mars in place.
"Look at me!" Zura shouted over the roar of flames. "You're not their weapon. You're Mars. You're not a killer, but a son of a bitch! Don't let them take over you!"
For a breath, the crystals slowed, and the glow dulled.
Zura seized the moment, sending a final surge of pure magic—not fire, not wind, not earth, but raw mana—into Mars's chest. The crystal lattice cracked, fractures racing through every embedded shard until they shattered completely, dusting the floor with glittering fragments.
Mars collapsed, panting, his body free of the unnatural growth.
The room went still.
Lotus, no longer smirking, simply stared before vanishing into the lingering mist, retreating.
Zura kept his eyes on Mars. "Canon says you'd be buried under this place. Guess I'm rewriting that part."
The dungeon didn't collapse. And the Clover Kingdom would keep it.
And for the first time, Mars was still breathing.
Mars's eyes opened slowly, pupils adjusting to the dim glow of the dungeon chamber. The flames Zura had summoned earlier were gone, replaced by the soft shimmer of the treasure crystals lining the walls. His breathing was still ragged, but the tension in his body… it wasn't the same rigid, soldier's stance from before.
"What… happened?" Mars's voice was hoarse, his gaze darting between Zura, Klaus, Mimosa, and the still-buzzing Sekke. He looked down at his arms—bare skin where crystalline growth used to be. His fingers trembled.
"You happened," Zura said flatly, crouching in front of him. "Or, more like, the real you. Without all the Diamond Kingdom's crap grafted into you."
Mars frowned, as if the words didn't fully register. "They… told me I had to fight. That I had to protect the mission."
"Yeah, well, the mission's over. You lost," Klaus said, though his tone lacked the usual edge. He was still staring at the huge treasure vault around them, calculating. "And by 'lost,' I mean you're still alive. Consider it a win."
Mimosa knelt beside Mars, her hands glowing with healing magic. "The crystals were killing you. They would have pushed you until you broke. You're lucky Zura—"
"I didn't do it for luck," Zura cut in, his voice sharp but eyes locked on Mars. "You've got choices now. You can walk out of here breathing, or you can crawl back to the people who turned you into a walking rock garden. Up to you."
Sekke, completely ignoring the emotional weight of the moment, was already shoving gold coins into his bag. "Uh, guys? Dungeon's Clover's now, right? I'm just… you know… making an inventory for the kingdom."
"Sure you are," Zura muttered, not looking at him.
Mars tried to stand but stumbled. Mimosa steadied him, while Zura gave him space. The Diamond mage's expression was conflicted—half relieved, half terrified. "If I go back… they'll kill me. If I stay… they'll come for me."
"Then don't go back," Zura said simply, standing. "This place? It's ours now. You want to live, you stay out of Diamond's reach. You want revenge? You learn to fight on your terms, not theirs."
Klaus gave him a pointed look. "You're offering asylum to an enemy soldier in the middle of a dungeon? You do realize what the higher-ups will say?"
"Yeah," Zura replied, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "They'll say we kept a strategic asset and a dungeon out of enemy hands. You're welcome."
Mars didn't respond, but his eyes lingered on Zura—like a man who'd just seen the first crack of sunlight after years underground.
Above them, the dungeon groaned faintly, but no collapse followed. The structure held. Clover Kingdom scouts could move in and secure it. The treasure, the resources, the strategic foothold—it was all theirs now.
For Zura, though, the victory wasn't just about land or loot. He'd just proved something—canon events weren't untouchable.
They could be rewritten.
***
A/N- Wassup guys! How are you doing. Just wanted to say it's kinda wild that mars appeared in the latest chapter of Black Clover.
Goals for Extra Chapters
-150 power stoles - 1 chapter.
-300 power stones- 3 chapters.