The storm cracked open like a whip.
Skyfang disappeared in a flash of white lightning — and before anyone could blink, it reappeared right in front of Nova. Its massive claw, glowing gold and white, tore through the air with a thunderous boom.
Nova barely had time to react. His arms crossed in front of him, mana flaring instinctively.
CRASH!
The impact shook the entire coliseum. A concussive shockwave exploded outward, kicking up a dense cloud of dust that engulfed half the arena. The barrier shimmered violently under the pressure.
Nova's body was flung backward like a ragdoll, skidding across the cracked stone floor before digging his boots in and halting the slide. The ground behind him splintered.
Up in the stands, several spectators gasped.
"He—he got hit!"
"That thing moves faster than sight!"
Arden's smirk returned instantly, his voice rising through the thunder.
"What happened to that calm confidence, Ashbourne?"
He folded his arms, pride gleaming in his eyes as lightning reflected off his armor.
But then, the dust moved.
A ripple of mana rolled through the haze and the cloud of smoke dispersed instantly, as if erased from existence.
Nova stood unharmed. His sleeves were torn, his forearms slightly singed — but his expression hadn't changed.
His arms lowered slowly, eyes fixed on Skyfang, he muttered under his breath. " This is interesting. Let's stretch muscles."
Then his gaze flicked — just slightly — to the side.
Fenrath, the alpha, was already there.
Its golden eyes glowed fiercely as it lunged from the dust behind Skyfang, claws extended. Sparks danced off its fangs — a coordinated ambush.
Nova tilted his head back in the last second, the claw barely missing his throat. A few strands of his black hair floated away from the impact wind.
With a twist of his wrist, the ground beneath Fenrath rose like a wave.
"Reality Script: Earth Reinforcement — Rising Wall."
A slab of hardened earth erupted upward, slamming into the wolf's chest mid-lunge and throwing it back several meters.
The beast landed on its feet, growling low, electricity arcing across its body.
The crowd erupted — the sight was like something torn out of a legend. Lightning wolves clashing against shifting terrain, the battlefield glowing with both fury and elegance.
Skyfang howled, leaping forward again, its claws and fangs coated in lightning. Each strike came faster than the last — too fast for most eyes to follow. Every swipe left crackling trails of electricity that tore the stone beneath Nova's feet.
Nova, however, was no longer defending blindly. Each time Skyfang struck, he redirected. Each time it lunged, he sidestepped or raised the terrain beneath it.
"Reality Script: Pillar Formation."
Spikes of earth burst upward in timed intervals, deflecting Skyfang's claws and breaking its momentum.
Fenrath darted in from the side again, fangs snapping, lightning discharging from its jaws.
Nova raised his hand, a quick gesture summoning an earthen barrier just in time.
The lightning struck — BOOM! — a blinding flash followed by a rumble that sent shockwaves through the coliseum. The smell of scorched earth filled the air.
For a heartbeat, the wolves pressed him hard, Skyfang from above, Fenrath from below. Every time Nova created distance, they collapsed it instantly, their teamwork flawless — the primal instinct of predators amplified by Arden's control.
Nova slid backward, boots grinding against stone. Dust and light swirled around him as his grimoire floated beside his shoulder, pages flipping on their own. His eyes flickered red for a moment.
He slammed his palm to the ground. "Reality Script: Fortification Array — Tectonic Armor."
Golden runes spiraled out from beneath him. In an instant, thick layers of enchanted rock encased his arms and torso, glowing with faint golden veins.
The next time Skyfang's claws hit, the blow met stone and runes instead of flesh. The sound of the impact was deafening — THOOM! — a flash of sparks bursting between them.
Skyfang growled, pushing harder. Fenrath lunged in from the other side, jaws wide open. Nova ducked under the Alpha's bite, spinning low.
He thrust his hand upward.
"Reality Script: Earth Lance."
A spear of solid stone erupted from the ground, grazing Fenrath's shoulder as it jumped back, lightning trailing in its wake.
The two wolves regrouped beside Arden, growling low, static humming around them. The floor beneath their paws smoked from the residual charge.
Arden's smirk had returned, though it was tighter now — his fingers twitching slightly as he maintained the mana link between him and his beasts.
"Not bad," he admitted under his breath, eyes narrowing. "But let's see how long you can keep that calm when facing this."
He used another spell," Beast magic: Elemental Reinforcement."
The thunder above rumbled violently as lightning spiraled down into both wolves. Their fur bristled, their size growing slightly, eyes glowing bright gold as the mana synchronization deepened.
The two wolves lowered themselves, ready to lunge — their bodies flickering in and out of view.
Nova exhaled slowly, flexing his fingers. His armor hummed softly with residual energy.
His eyes lifted to meet Arden's, calm as ever.
"Alright," he said quietly, more to himself than anyone else. "Let's get serious."
His Reality Wish Grimoire began flashing, pages glowing with shifting crimson runes. From within the swirling light, a Ven-Drive materialized — but unlike Asta's, which radiated a blood-red, ominous aura, Nova's Ven-Drive glowed with a clean crimson light and an otherworldly presence.
The device shot forward and immediately wrapped around him, plates unfolding and locking into place as it formed a full armor over his body.
The armor formed over Nova in smooth, deliberate segments, each piece locking into place with a quiet metallic snap. In moments, he was completely encased.
The Ven-Drive armor was pure black—so dark it seemed to swallow light rather than reflect it. Thin crimson veins ran beneath the surface, pulsing softly like living mana channels, giving the armor a controlled, dangerous heartbeat.
Up close, it was clear this armor wasn't made for show. Every plate was shaped with purpose.The chest piece was molded tightly against his torso, layered with internal reinforcement that suggested incredible strength.
The arm guards overlapped in slim, flexible segments, offering full mobility without sacrificing protection. His legs were similarly designed—streamlined and lightweight, clearly built for speed and fluid movement rather than slow tank-like defense.
Across the armor, faint runes were etched into the surface—some straight, some curved—forming a subtle network that glowed faintly in sync with the crimson veins. Their purpose wasn't obvious at first glance, but anyone familiar with enchantments could see it: these runes enhanced everything—power, defense, flexibility, and probably more.
The spine piece was particularly striking. It extended down his back like a hardened mana conduit, emitting a soft red pulse every few seconds. When the light traveled through it, the rest of the armor responded, almost as if the entire suit was breathing with him.
Nothing about it was bulky, nothing slowed him down. The armor balanced strength, defense, and agility with unsettling precision—creating a look that was clean, lethal, and unnervingly efficient.
When he finally lifted his head, the faint red glow crawling across the armor made him look like something forged specifically for battle—a weapon wearing human shape.
The moment Nova's armor finished locking into place, the arena stirred with startled voices.
Commoners reacted first, leaning forward in their seats.
"Wow… that looks amazing."
"That armor is beautiful… and kinda intimidating."
"It definitely looks expensive. Really expensive."
Up in the noble stands, the reactions were more measured, more technical.
Some nobles whose business is about armour crafting commented," A solid design… balanced build. It's crafted for speed and durability both."
Another noble with knowledge in enchantments narrowed his eyes slightly," Those runes—some are unfamiliar, but their purpose is clear – Enhancements for strength, defence and mobility."
Another noble agreed under his breath," It's refined craftsmanship. Certainly not ordinary."
Meanwhile, in the Captains' Room—
The atmosphere shifted the moment Nova's armor finished forming.
Rill leaned forward immediately, both hands pressed against the glass as he practically sparkled.
"Woaaah! That armor's sooo cool!
The colors… the runes… it looks like something straight out of a painting!
I wanna draw it—no, paint it—right now!"
He already had a brush halfway out of his pocket.
Jack the Ripper let out a sharp grin, eyes narrowing as he studied the black plating," Heh… that's some nice armor. Makes ya just wanna slice it open and see how tough it really is."
His fingers twitched eagerly, blades popping out just a little.
Meanwhile, Nozel, Yami, Fuegoleon, and Charlotte had their attention on something entirely different.
Fuegoleon glanced toward Yami, voice low,
"That artifact that came out of his grimoire…"
Yami nodded, exhaling smoke through his nose, "Yeah. Looks real similar to the one that new brat in my squad uses."
Nozel's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, "I noticed that too. It has a certain… flowing quality. Almost reminiscent of my mercury magic."
Charlotte gave a small nod, "Mm. The movement and adaptability are similar.
Tell me, do you think the artifact that boy—Asta—uses was given to him by Nova?"
Fuegoleon frowned slightly, "If that's the case, it's concerning. You saw how powerful and adaptable this artifact is."
Yami shrugged lazily, "Doesn't matter. Both of 'em are in my squad. I'll handle it."
A collective tic mark practically formed on the foreheads of the other captains at Yami's smug tone.
The man clearly enjoyed reminding everyone that Nova, a person with Four Leaf Clover Grimoire, had chosen the Black Bulls willingly.
Across the room, William Vangeance stood still, his face partially hidden by his mask, deep in his own thoughts — gaze fixed on Nova's armor below with an unreadable expression.
And not far from him, Dorothy remained curled up on her couch, dozing peacefully through the entire discussion.
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CHAPTER:- [138 - TWO MOTHER'S (R-18)] IS AVAILABLE ON MY P@TREON