The walls of the dungeon quaked under the weight of the monstrous magic surging through the battlefield. Cracks split the stone tiles, the very air pulsing with oppressive mana.
"Mineral Creation Magic: Levateinn!"
The Diamond Kingdom mage stood high on a ridge of crystallized rock, a towering figure cloaked in dust and menace. Above his outstretched hand, a gargantuan blade of shimmering mineral—twice the size of a house—hung suspended, casting a jagged shadow over the ravaged hall.
Below, Yuno's boots skidded back over cracked ground, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. His grimoire hovered weakly beside him, its pages trembling. Breathing came in gasps. The toll of battle was written all over him—his cloak torn, arms trembling, a trail of dust and blood smeared across his jaw.
Klaus struggled to one knee, bruised and panting, but his spirit had not wavered.
"I will never let it end like this!" he roared, summoning his grimoire with a burst of will. Pages flipped furiously.
"Steel Creation Magic: Fierce Spiral Lance!"
A gleaming drill-shaped lance burst from magic, spiraling with piercing force as Klaus hurled it straight at their foe. The spell cracked through the air like a thunderclap, aiming directly for the mage's heart.
But at the last second—the Diamond mage's body shimmered, his limbs turning into hard, glinting ore. The lance shattered uselessly on contact. Klaus's eyes widened.
"No—!"
In a flash, the enemy countered, his mineralized fist slamming straight into Klaus's face. The blow sent him crashing into the far wall with bone-crunching force.
"Klaus!" Yuno cried, reaching out—but his legs buckled beneath him. His vision swam.
Mimosa, trapped in a cocoon of her own healing spell, was struggling to keep consciousness, blood soaking the edges of her golden robe.
The Diamond mage turned his dead, pitiless eyes toward Yuno. "You're just a pest."
He raised his hand again.
Another sword formed—colossal, jagged, and merciless—poised to bring the final blow down on Yuno, who was too drained to move.
The sword fell like a meteor.
Yuno clenched his eyes shut, bracing for the end. His body refused to move—nerves burned out, limbs heavy as stone. All he could feel was the crushing pressure of the incoming blade, and the bitter taste of failure.
Is this it...?
But the pain never came.
A loud CLANG echoed like a thunderclap.
The pressure vanished.
When Yuno slowly opened his eyes—what he saw left him stunned.
The massive mineral sword that had been about to slice him in half... had been cleaved cleanly down the middle. Both halves clattered to the dungeon floor like collapsing mountains, kicking up a storm of dust and debris.
Suspended in midair above him, balancing on a jagged stone outcropping, was a figure wielding a massive greatsword—his wild green eyes burning with defiance.
"Asta...?"
Asta landed lightly on the ground, dust swirling around him as he leveled his black, chipped Demon Slayer Sword at the Diamond mage.
"Hey, pale dude," Asta said calmly, his voice low but firm, "Hands off this guy."
Then his voice rose into a shout, eyes burning with pride as he stepped in front of Yuno—shielding him without hesitation.
"HE'S MY RIVAL!"
Klaus, still recovering from the blow that sent him into the wall, blinked in disbelief. "Th-that boy... he deflected that attack...?"
Mimosa, still weak but conscious, gasped as she recognized the figure. "That's... that Black Bull kid...?"
Yuno stared at Asta's back. The boy was small, rough around the edges, loud—everything Yuno wasn't. And yet here he was, standing between him and death with no hesitation.
His fingers twitched. His heart pounded.
Even now, Asta wasn't letting him fall behind.
"You idiot," Yuno muttered under his breath, voice cracking with a mix of shame and gratitude.
Asta didn't turn.
But he grinned.
The atmosphere was suffocating just moments ago—thick with tension, silence, and the weight of imminent battle.
And then…
"I SAID I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM!" Saru screamed, eyes wild and tail twitching, his face inches from Luck's.
"NO, I AM! YOU STOLE MY PREY EARLIER!" Luck yelled back, practically growling as sparks crackled faintly around his fingers.
Both of them grabbed each other's collars and began furiously shaking each other like two rival monkeys in a jungle brawl.
"No, I'm fighting him!"
"No, I am!"
Their shouting echoed off the dungeon walls as magical energy started crackling around them—not out of malice, but pure chaotic idiocy.
Everyone else stared in silent disbelief.
Klaus blinked, utterly dumbfounded. "Are these morons seriously arguing over who gets to die first?"
Mimosa sweatdropped. "This… this is the famous Black Bulls?"
Even the Diamond Kingdom mage raised a brow, muttering, "What in the hell am I looking at...?"
Yuno sighed heavily and crossed his arms. "Idiots."
Asta, meanwhile, was nervously glancing between the two. His mouth opened to speak—then closed again.
Then both Luck and Saru suddenly turned their heads in eerie synchronization, glaring at Asta with matching wild grins.
"HEY ASTA!" they shouted together. "WHO SHOULD FIGHT HIM? ME, RIGHT?!"
"Uh—uhhh..." Asta froze like a deer in headlights. His hand went to the back of his head. "Ughh… Why don't you just, I dunno… decide with rock-paper-scissors?"
Both of them gasped. "THAT'S A GREAT IDEA!!"
They immediately let go of each other's collars and held out their fists, crouched slightly like two gamblers ready for the duel of destiny.
"Rock... Paper... Scissors...!"
Luck threw Scissors.
Saru threw Paper.
Luck's eyes lit up. "YESSS! I win!! HAHAHA—"
But before anyone could even blink, Saru vanished in a blur of motion.
"Huh?" Luck looked around—just as a thick rope somehow looped around him from behind. "Wait—what—HEY!"
Saru had appeared behind him, grinning like a gremlin with a stolen cookie. With monkey-like agility, he'd whipped out a rope from who-knows-where and hogtied Luck at lightning speed.
"Gotcha!" Saru cackled, giving the final tug and securing the knot with a flourish.
"What the hell?! This wasn't part of the deal!" Luck thrashed wildly, rolling like a cocooned beetle on the floor.
"I let you win!" Saru claimed shamelessly, dusting off his hands with an innocent expression. "But you weren't fast enough to stop me. Soooo it's my fight now!"
He casually kicked the tied-up Luck into the corner of the room—where he landed with a thud and a muffled, "I'LL REMEMBER THIS, YOU DAMN MONKEY!"
Saru turned back to the Diamond mage, cracking his knuckles with a wide, fanged grin. "Alright, pale-face! Let's dance!"
Everyone else just… stared.