At dusk, the setting sun painted the horizon in a fiery orange.
In an open space outside the arena, Ryoma, Yuno, and Asta met again.
"Congratulations."
Ryoma spoke first, a hint of a lazy smile on his face, as he looked at both of them.
"Golden Dawn, the strongest Magic Knight Squad, suits you well." He said to Yuno.
"Yo! Asta, congratulations. Looks like you have good luck." Ryoma then turned to Asta, teasing him.
"Black Bull... but at least you joined. Hahahaha!"
Asta scratched his head, grinning broadly.
He suddenly turned, pointed at Yuno, an unyielding flame burning in his eyes. "Yuno, you joined Golden Dawn, and I joined Black Bull. Let's make this our starting point and settle our rivalry."
Facing Asta's aggressive challenge, Yuno simply nodded calmly, his gaze as firm as ever.
"Mhm. Let's see who becomes the Wizard King first—"
However, just as the atmosphere reached its peak, something unexpected happened.
"Ugh..."
Asta's smile suddenly froze on his face. He clutched his stomach, cold sweat instantly appearing on his forehead.
The roasted monster snake he had eaten before the Magic Knights Entrance Exam was finally beginning to exert its astonishing side effects.
"I can't hold it! It—it's coming out!"
Asta squeezed his legs together, his face contorted in pain. Before he finished speaking, he had already shot off, sprinting into the distance.
Watching Asta's frantic escape, Ryoma could no longer hold back.
"Pfft."
He laughed out loud.
What's meant to come, will always come.
It seemed Asta couldn't escape Yami's "loving" head massage service, no matter what.
"Is he alright?" Yuno frowned, looking in the direction Asta had run off to.
"Don't worry, he won't die." Ryoma waved his hand, signaling him not to mind.
"Let's follow him and see. After all, from today onwards, we're comrades."
Ryoma said this, but what he was thinking was that he couldn't miss the upcoming show.
The two followed unhurriedly.
—
On the other side, in a secluded alley.
"To make me suffer such great humiliation." A familiar and irritating voice rang out.
"It's all your fault that I can only join Green Mantis."
Sekke, the bronze magic user who was instantly defeated by Asta in the practical test, was hiding in a corner, his face filled with resentment.
He couldn't accept it.
Even more infuriating was that the good-for-nothing had actually been chosen by the captain of Black Bull.
Why?
"But, it doesn't matter anymore."
A sinister smile appeared on Sekke's face.
"Let me test your luck."
He extended his hand, and his grimoire automatically opened.
"Bronze Curse Magic: Sekke Poison Lizard!"
A viscous bronze liquid gushed out from his grimoire, quickly coalescing into an ugly lizard form.
The poisonous lizard hissed, about to dart out.
Suddenly—
A large foot clad in a black boot, without warning, stomped on its head.
Splat!
The bronze poisonous lizard was instantly crushed into a puddle of mud.
"Hm?"
A lazy, yet oppressive voice sounded from above Sekke's head.
"What are you sneaking around for, you scoundrel?"
Sekke's body stiffened, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.
He stiffly raised his head, and what met his eyes was Yami's face, which looked as if it could devour people.
"Ca-Captain Yami!"
Sekke was scared out of his wits, his legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground.
Just then, Asta finally ran over from the other end of the alley, clutching his stomach and looking exhausted.
"So-sorry! Captain! I'm late!"
Yami ignored Sekke, who was sprawled on the ground. He slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on Asta, a dangerous curve on his lips.
"Oh? So you finally showed up, kid."
"You dare to make me wait for you, you've got some nerve."
"It seems I need to teach you a good lesson."
Before he finished speaking, a large hand shot out like lightning, accurately pinching Asta's head.
"Waaahhh!"
Asta let out a pig-like scream.
Yami effortlessly lifted him up, the force in his hand steadily increasing.
"As a welcome ritual for joining, let me help you crush your head."
"It's going to break! It's really going to break! Ahhh!"
As Asta was experiencing this unique "welcome ceremony," Yami's gaze turned to Ryoma, who had just walked over with Yuno.
"And you, kid, you're also in my squad, right? Since you're comrades, you should share the good fortune."
Saying this, his other hand reached out.
However, just as his hand was about to touch Ryoma, Ryoma's figure shimmered like water, and Yami's hand passed right through him.
"Hm?"
Yami raised an eyebrow.
The real Ryoma had, at some point, appeared a few steps away, looking at him with an innocent expression.
Ice crystal illusion.
A simple but practical little trick.
He certainly didn't want to experience this kind of "head massage" that could squeeze out a person's brains.
"Heh, an interesting kid."
Yami grinned, not pursuing the matter further.
He held the nearly unconscious Asta and gestured to Finral behind him.
"Finral, let's go."
"Alright."
Finral responded, took out his grimoire, and waved his hand forward.
A silver-gray circular void appeared out of thin air before everyone, with twisting and rotating space inside.
Just then, Ryoma's gaze was firmly fixed on that passage.
It's here!
Spatial Magic!
If he could study it properly...
Ryoma's eyes instantly became incredibly bright.
He stared at Finral, his gaze as if he wanted to thoroughly see through him from inside out, analyzing him completely.
Finral, who was trying hard to maintain the portal, suddenly shivered for no reason. A chill ran from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.
What's going on?
It feels... like I've been targeted by some terrifying demon.
He looked around in horror but only saw Yami's impatient face and Gordon, who was silently standing nearby.
And... that newcomer, Ryoma, with his clear eyes, who looked harmless.
Was it a delusion?
"What are you dawdling for?!"
Yami had already lost his patience. He grabbed Asta and, like throwing trash, tossed him into the portal.
"Waaahhh!"
Asta's scream disappeared on the other side of the space.
Then, Yami himself strode in.
Ryoma retracted his gaze that had sent shivers down Finral's spine, a subtle smile on his lips, and followed him in.
The moment he stepped into the portal, he closed his eyes, carefully sensing the peculiar flow of magic and coordinate transformation during the spatial shift.
Finral and Gordon followed close behind.
When everyone emerged from the portal, they were in front of an old, crumbling, strangely styled castle-like building.
"Waaahhh! This is Black Bull—"
Asta, who had just been thrown out, scrambled to his feet, looking excitedly at the ancient castle headquarters before him.
Ryoma, meanwhile, was still savoring the sensation of traveling through space, constantly analyzing the magical structure within his mind.
Yami took a few steps to stand at the entrance, looking at the two very different newbies.
He put his hands on his hips and grinned. "How about it? This place is quite impressive, isn't it?"
"Welcome to Black Bull."
"Alright!"
Asta couldn't contain his excitement. He pushed off with his legs and charged towards the large castle gate.
He extended both hands, pushed open the gate with force, and began to loudly introduce himself.
"I'm Asta from Hage..."
Before he finished speaking—
Boom!
A massive fireball, without warning, suddenly burst forth from inside the gate. The scorching flames instantly engulfed Asta.
Immediately following was an even more violent explosion.