"Noelle, it's up to you!" Drake shouted.
"What?!?" Noelle pointed at herself, incredulous. "But I can barely control my magic…"
"Believe in yourself!" Drake incinerated a dozen ice spikes with flames from his hands.
"Magic is a miracle born from the heart. If you believe, you can do it. Look around you. Is this the time for doubt? You're royalty! Show me some royal spirit!"
Noelle looked back and saw a frightened little girl clinging to her clothes.
"Sister, save me!"
The fear that had plagued Noelle vanished; she saw a girl needing help. She had no time for doubt.
"So noisy! I'm royalty; I don't need your lectures."
Her Grimoire opened, and new text appeared.
"This is… my new magic!" Noelle's face was determined as she activated her magic.
"Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Cradle!"
A wave of water rose from the ground, forming a protective dome over the villagers.
The ice spikes struck the water, creating ripples but unable to harm the villagers inside.
Drake looked up, smiling. "See? You could do it! Now I can deal with that bastard!"
"And me!" Asta's expression was serious. "I won't forgive him!"
Drake looked into Asta's eyes. "Of course! Only you can show how wrong he is."
Magna clenched his fists. "You two are men! But don't forget your senpai! Leaving everything to the rookies? I'd lose face with Captain Yami. And I have a score to settle with this guy!"
The three moved out of Noelle's protective dome.
Heath checked his watch. "This magic power… troublesome! You're wasting my time!"
Noelle's new magic had disrupted his plan; he couldn't use the villagers as hostages.
"Damn Black Bulls! You think you can defeat me? Naive!" Heath said coldly, his Grimoire turning.
Heath gestured; sharp ice pillars appeared behind him, rapidly growing and aimed at the trio.
"Piece of cake!"
Asta cleaved the pillars in two with a single swing of his sword and closed in on Heath with incredible speed.
Heath spread his hands; fog rapidly solidified into two ice spikes aimed at Asta.
"Exploding Inferno Magic Ball!"
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
The ice spikes extended too quickly; Asta wouldn't be able to react in time, but Magna and Drake's support arrived.
Their flames shattered the spikes, clearing the path for Asta.
"Thanks!" Asta swung his Demon-slayer Sword at Heath.
"Not a chance!" Heath shouted, creating a wall of ice, impaling Asta and sending him flying.
Magna groaned, "Damn it! That guy's magic casting speed is unnatural!"
Drake nodded in agreement. Heath's magic formation speed was too fast; that scale of ice creation magic couldn't be completed in an instant.
Besides the possibility of Heath being a powerful mage at the Captain level, there was only one other explanation.
Drake looked at Heath's three subordinates. "The problem is them. Their composite magic isn't simple!"
"Then…" Magna created a giant fireball.
"Exploding Fireball!"
Magna's fireball dispersed into smaller fireballs targeting the three.
An ice wall appeared, blocking the fireballs. The fireballs shattered the wall but dissipated.
"Not that easy," Magna said, unsurprised. He'd anticipated this. The minor antagonists' fog magic likely accelerated Heath's spellcasting. Heath wouldn't let them be easily defeated.
Drake cracked his knuckles. "Let's break through!"
"Energetic, Drake!" Magna exclaimed. "I won't lose! Asta, keep up!"
"Yes!" Asta gripped his sword tighter.
"Charge!" ×3
They moved simultaneously, forming a battle formation.
"Foolish brats! You think you can break my magic?"
Drake couldn't recall Heath's strength from the original timeline; he was unexpectedly powerful.
Ice rapidly spread from Heath's feet. The temperature plummeted; ice formed on Noelle's magic.
Ice spikes erupted around the three, creating a deadly landscape.
"Fire Dragon's Blazing Inferno!"
Drake stopped, his flames melting the surrounding ice. He shattered and melted the ice spikes in their path.
The flames hit a thicker ice wall, shattering it but not harming Heath. Drake hadn't aimed to defeat Heath directly; his goal was to clear a path.
Asta and Magna didn't stop, trusting Drake's judgment.
"Dirty bastards, stay back!" Heath raged, creating more ice pillars.
"You're the dirty one!"
Asta cleaved the pillars with his Demon-slayer Sword and reached Heath.
Heath's face contorted; he used all his magic power.
"Impossible! I won't lose to you trash!"
Ice spikes shot at Asta like bullets.
"You're finished!" Magna wouldn't let Asta be impaled; he poured all his magic into his next spell.
"Exploding Fireball!"
Instead of throwing it, Magna slammed the fireball into the ice spikes, shattering them.
Heath tried to cast magic but found the fog dissipating. He saw Drake sending his subordinates flying.
Asta raised his black greatsword.
"You called the magic-weak villagers beasts, but I have no magic! Even so, I will become…"
The greatsword slammed into Heath's shoulder, severing his magic power with its anti-magic. The intense pain knocked him unconscious.
"…Wizard King!" Asta declared, wielding the Demon-slayer Sword.
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