"Waaah!"
Magna scrambled away, his hair standing on end from the electricity.
"Luck! You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"
"You started it!"
"You're the battle maniac who attacked me first!"
"No problem! Let's just kill each other!"
Luck and Magna were completely consumed by their fight, cursing each other while wildly unleashing magic.
Meanwhile, Finral scurried around in a panic. Every time he opened a gate to escape, it only increased the chaos of the battlefield exponentially.
Fireballs flew wildly, and lightning raged. The already weathered Black Bulls base looked even more war-torn due to the "cooperation" of its three members.
However, at the eye of this chaotic storm, "Ryoma", an illusion made of ice crystal strolled leisurely.
Boom!
A massive fireball detonated behind him, and the violent shockwave lifted a layer of earth. But he merely took a step forward at just the right moment, perfectly avoiding all damage.
Sizzle!
A swift bolt of lightning shot past his cheek, ionizing the air beside him with a burnt smell. But he only tilted his head slightly, and the lightning struck a patch of ground behind him.
No matter how wild, dense, or indiscriminate Luck and Magna's attacks were, they couldn't touch even a corner of his clothes.
This extreme disdain ignited the last shred of rationality in the two battle maniacs.
"Damn it! Damn it all!"
Magna's eyes were bloodshot. He poured all his mana into his hands, and a massive fireball, never seen before, almost compressed into a black-red orb, condensed in his palm.
"This rookie... he's amazing! Absolutely amazing!"
Luck, meanwhile, threw his head back and laughed, his laughter maniacal.
The lightning all over his body no longer discharged outwards but contracted inwards, converging into a destructive lightning orb.
They glared at "Ryoma", who was so close yet seemed impossibly far away.
They were ready to unleash their strongest attack, one capable of completely leveling this open space.
Behind them, Finral's face was as pale as paper. He could feel the terrifying energy contained within those two magical powers.
We're going to die!
We're really going to die this time!
Just at this critical moment—
A lazy, yet undeniably authoritative voice, clearly cut through all the explosions and roars on the field.
"Alright, the farce is over."
He didn't walk towards the chaotic battlefield, nor did he spare a glance for the two idiots about to go berserk.
His steps were unhurried as he walked to Vanessa, who was leisurely drinking wine.
Then, under everyone's astonished and uncertain gaze, he slowly drew the katana from his waist.
Yami simply held the katana, pointing its tip at an empty space beside Vanessa.
That spot was completely empty.
"Captain?"
Finral looked at him, puzzled, even forgetting to run.
Those two maniacs were about to blow this place up, what was the captain doing? Gesturing at thin air?
Yami didn't answer. He simply touched that empty air with the tip of his katana.
Buzz—
A faint, almost imperceptible Dark Magic fluctuation emanated from the black katana tip, like an invisible fine needle, piercing that void with perfect precision.
Clink.
An extremely crisp sound, like the shattering of ice crystal, rang in everyone's ears.
The sound came from a hidden ice crystal, smaller than a speck of dust, which was the core of the entire illusion.
The next moment, the tens of thousands of tiny, light-refracting ice crystals that covered the entire battlefield simultaneously lost all their luster. They no longer reflected light, no longer distorted perception.
They reverted to ordinary water vapor and then dissipated with the wind.
The "Ice Water Illusion: Kaleidoscope" that had enveloped the entire battlefield collapsed in an instant, like a giant bubble being popped.
"Ryoma", who had driven Luck and Magna mad and kept Finral scrambling transformed into specks of blue light and vanished into the air under everyone's gaze.
As the illusion was dispelled, the world returned to its original appearance.
A base courtyard, ravaged and scarred, looking as if it had just survived a war.
Luck remained in the posture of releasing a lightning orb.
Magna remained in the posture of throwing a fireball.
Finral remained squatting down with his head covered.
All three of them stood frozen in place, disheveled.
Their gazes cut through the messy battlefield, past the smoking craters, and finally converged on the same spot.
The spot where Yami's katana tip had been pointing.
There, at some unknown point, stood a person.
It was Ryoma.
He stood perfectly fine on Vanessa's other side, still holding a cup of wine she had given him, having not moved an inch the entire time.
He... was watching the show from the beginning?
Luck and Magna's minds went completely blank at that moment.
Wait a minute!
So... what exactly were we fighting just now?
That Ryoma who was running around the battlefield, making fools of us was fake?
We destroyed half the base just by attacking thin air?
An indescribable sense of absurdity and shame made their faces flush instantly.
They had become complete clowns. They had been played for fools by a rookie in front of the entire squad.
Click.
A crisp sound of the katana being sheathed broke the suffocating silence.
"Hahahaha!"
Yami returned his katana to his waist and suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
He walked up to Ryoma and patted him heavily on the shoulder, making Ryoma stumble.
"Kid, your magic is very interesting."
Magna opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but looking at Ryoma's calm, unperturbed face, all his curses got stuck in his throat.
Unwilling?
Of course, he was unwilling. But the strength the other party displayed had wiped the floor with him.
He held his breath, and walked up fiercely. Then, he grabbed Ryoma by the neck, clamped him with his elbow, and growled through gritted teeth.
"Good... kid. You're something else."
Asta, who had watched this passionate battle, excitedly ran over.
"That was amazing! Ryoma, let's fight again!"
Just then, Luck walked over and threw a black cloak to Ryoma.
Magna took out another one and threw it to Asta.
Both cloaks had the Black Bulls' emblem printed on them.
"Catch. These are yours."
"Ohhh!"
Asta's attention was instantly diverted. He excitedly grabbed the cloak, immediately put it on, and danced with joy.
Ryoma calmly took the cloak.
Before he could unfold it, Luck's bright smiling face leaned in. His eyes sparkled with an excitement and fervor greater than ever before.
"That one doesn't count. Let's fight again. This time I won't fall for it. Let's kill each other."
Ryoma's expression showed a crack for the first time. He had originally intended to just feel out Finral's Spatial Magic, which was why he had pulled him in. But then it seemed he had gotten a little carried away.
Would he have any peaceful days after this?
Would he wake up one day to find Luck standing by his bed, ready to blast his face with an electric cannon?
He just wanted to test the effects of his new magic, but it seemed he had accidentally stirred up a hornet's nest.
Just as Ryoma began to seriously consider his future safety—
Yami exhaled a thick smoke ring, grinned, and said, "Now, it's time to give you your first mission."