In the Royal Capital's Order of Knights pub, several Captains were having a drinking contest.
Just as they were getting tipsy, a loud door-breaking sound sobered them up considerably.
"Who's there?"
"What's going on? An enemy attack?"
Jack and Yami turned to look back. The person who had burst through the door was the newly appointed acting Captain of the Crimson Lion Kings Squad—Mereoleona.
Her condensed Mana formed a lion's claw, and she was holding several individuals wearing Magic Knights cloaks like little chicks. On closer inspection, they were Yuno, Asta, and Charlotte, the Captain of the Blue Rose.
"Ah, isn't that Big Sister Leo? Are you here for a drink too?" Yami asked, looking at the newcomer.
"Who are you calling Big Sister Leo?!"
Bright red flames flickered around Mereoleona.
"Isn't it all the same?" Yami mumbled. After taking a sip from his wine glass, he pointed his finger at Mereoleona's side as if he had discovered a new continent, "Haha~ Isn't that the brat from our squad? What, did you get caught?"
"What have you all been doing?"
Asta, hanging in mid-air, bent down and rubbed his head, "I don't know what happened either. I was just brought here for no reason."
Just as Yami was about to laugh and say a few more words, a lion's claw made of flames landed on his head too, lifting him up just like Asta.
"Eh?"
"Seriously? Big Sister, I'm a Captain now. At least give me some face, right?"
Mereoleona stood there with her arms crossed, replying in an unrefusable tone: "You're coming too."
"Not only were you late for the Star Festival, you were completely absent. It seems you've gotten complacent. It's necessary to train again!"
"Stop it, Big Sister, it's embarrassing."
Yami, powerless to resist, was about to maliciously mention that there were other Captains here, but he found that the long, strange man Jack and the Captain of the Purple Orca had already vanished from their original spots.
They… had already slipped away when they saw the situation was bad!
Yami gritted his teeth: "Those guys, they run really fast. They didn't want to leave when we were drinking."
Mereoleona led the group out, walking as if they were grapes on a vine.
After the group left, the bartender in the pub glowed with fragmented white light. After the light dissipated, the bartender's appearance underwent a drastic change, revealing—Magic Emperor Julius.
"Your temper hasn't changed a bit, Lady Mereoleona."
"This is good. Under her leadership, the Crimson Lion Kings Squad should gradually revive. She is an indispensable general for attacking the Eye of the Midnight Sun."
...The wilderness area west of the Royal Capital.
Yultim Mountain, climbing trail.
Aside from the Hui Wai Realm, which is adjacent to many harsh and powerful magic zones, there are also some dangerous Mana Zones near the Royal Capital in the southern part of the Clover Kingdom that few people set foot in. Yultim Volcano is one of them.
On the dark brown flat ground beside the climbing trail, Mereoleona was passionately introducing to those standing around: "Here, there is a volcanic belt carrying powerful Mana from deep underground, constantly erupting lava. Normally, no one wants to approach here."
"But—on the top of the volcano, there are hot springs that can nourish the body and strengthen the physique!"
"How about it? Are you excited? Let's climb to the top of the mountain!"
The scorching air stung the skin of Asta and his companions. They stood silently, gazing at the volcanic area before them. Dark red magma flowed over the scorched earth, and black smoke rose from the crater at the center of the mountain peak.
Sizzling hot lava could be seen splattering intermittently with the naked eye.
"—I'm not excited at all!"
"It's clearly a scene straight out of hell."
"Excellent!" Leopold of the Crimson Lion Kings Squad got motivated. His brother Fuegoleon's severed arm and unconsciousness had made him realize his own weakness. Now was a good opportunity to become stronger.
He glanced at the people around him, his gaze then falling on Asta, with whom he had fought alongside in the Royal Capital, "Since that's the case, Asta, let us have a showdown, to see who reaches the summit first!"
Called by name and hearing about a showdown, Asta got pumped up: "Oh! If it's a competition, it's a competition! You big idiot!"
"By the way." Leopold turned his head to the left, to Yuno, the other person who had stolen the show with Asta at the Star Festival, "You also come and compete, the Golden Dawn's… that… what was your name again?"
Yuno, pointed at, turned his head back and glanced, saying in a faint voice: "As you wish."
"...Eh? So cold. Is this what they call a cold-hearted person?"
Leopold's words were cut short as he was kicked away. Mereoleona angrily said: "Don't be so lazy! Hurry up!"
Seeing the Captain's command, everyone from the Crimson Lion Kings Squad started heading towards the volcano. Asta and Yuno were also among the crowd.
With a tiger's leap, they jumped from the scorched platform to the area near the volcano. The surging crowd rushed forward, but after only a few dozen meters, their speed visibly slowed down.
The scorching hot wind dried them out like a steamer.
Leopold and the members of the Crimson Lion Kings Squad panted, wiping the profuse sweat from their faces.
'Such terrifying heat… the atmosphere near the volcano is filled with turbulent Mana!'
'Sweat is pouring non-stop, breathing… is super difficult, my throat feels like it's burning!'
Some people had already stopped moving forward, beginning to gaze at the unscalable volcano, "To climb this lava-ridden volcano in this state, that kind of thing… how is that possible?!"
Just as they were about to give up, four people burst out from the crowd.
Mereoleona, standing on the high part of the scorched platform, watched this scene with interest, "Oh? Those two guys are quite interesting. I thought they would be much worse… but now it seems…"
"Heh, even a Captain should feel pressure… it seems they've really been slacking off."
The four who rushed out were Asta, Yuno, Charlotte, and Yami. While the strength of the two Captains was unquestionable, what was going on with those two guys?
Leopold watched in shock.
And… even more unbelievably… the two Captains were not the fastest. The person in front of them was none other than that kid from the Golden Dawn—Yuno!
Turbulent Mana stirred up the volcanic lava.
Hot black rocks fell from high above.
"Bell!" Yuno softly called, and the cute spirit beside him flapped her wings in response. She gently blew a breath, and a swirling storm crashed into the lava, sweeping away the danger ahead.
"Yo~ little bro, not bad!"
Yami leisurely smoked his cigarette, praising Yuno. Had the rookie from the Golden Dawn already grown to this extent?
Yuno looked back. Charlotte, the Captain of the Blue Rose, and Yami, the Captain of the Black Bulls Squad, were behind him, one on each side. Asta was a little further back.
'Not bad, Asta, you haven't been left behind. But if this is all you've got… just wait to be left in my dust!'
He took a deep breath, and his speed increased as Mana surged.
The turbulent natural Mana in the volcano was like a docile child beside him!
Yuno now… had not just recently started using Mana Skin and Mana Zone, but had been doing so for a year now.
The group quickly advanced towards the volcano.
Gradually, Asta, who was climbing by simply relying on his physical prowess to resist the harsh environment, was left behind. Only three people remained in the first group.
Mereoleona angrily reprimanded the members of the Crimson Lion Kings Squad behind her for not even being able to keep up with someone who had no Mana. The technique of Mana Skin began to spread among the crowd, and they started to attempt and practice it.
Her sharp gaze fixed on the very front.
"That posture, without a doubt… has already mastered Mana Zone."
"Although Yami and Charlotte are Captains, they usually focus too much on the power of their magic and neglect some basic Mana techniques. I imagine their strength will also see a significant leap after this climb."
"As for him… his physical fitness far surpasses that of ordinary Mages."
Mereoleona stared at Asta, "A body tempered through a hundred trials… although it allowed him to rush out initially, if it's just like this, reaching the summit is still hopeless."
No sooner had she spoken than a strong black and red light overflowed from Asta's body. In the blink of an eye, a black light suddenly leaped out, advancing towards the top of the volcano at an astonishing speed, like a black meteor.
"Oh?"
...