(A/N):
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The chamber roared.
Stone cracked under pressure.
Black anti-magic carved streaks through the air.
Asta moved like a shadow torn loose from the world—
A black streak flashing across the battlefield.
His first strike came fast. Too fast.
The horned boy twisted at the last second—The blade missed by inches.
"Tch—"
The boy clicked his tongue, irritation flashing across his face.
"If I had my full power, a coward like you wouldn't even—"
He didn't finish.
Because Asta was already behind him.
A second sword—Drawn mid-motion from his grimoire—
Black. Heavier. Hungrier.
-THRUST!!!
The blade plunged straight through the boy's torso.
Silence.
"...."
"...."
"...."
For a split second—Everything froze.
The boy's eyes widened.
"...."
Not in anger. Not in mockery. But in shock.
"…What…?"
The anti-magic surged. Violently.
It didn't just wound him—It severed something deeper.
An unseen connection snapped.
-Snap!
Like a thread cut clean.
Across the chamber—Eron's petrification halted instantly.
The stone stopped spreading.
The faint glow around him flickered—And began to recede.
Back at the blade—The horned boy trembled.
"…No…"
His form began to destabilize.
Cracks spread across his body.
-Cracks!
Dark mana leaked out like smoke.
"My… link…"
His voice broke.
The life force he had been feeding on—Gone.
Cut off completely.
Now—It was his own life slipping away.
He staggered back as the sword withdrew. His body began to dissolve.
"…Impossible…"
His eyes locked onto Asta.
Rage. Fear. Hatred.
All at once.
"You—"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"…Low…"
The name slipped out.
Half-formed. Unfinished.
"…curse… you…"
But the words never completed.
His body shattered into fragments of fading mana.
Disappearing completely.
Silence fell.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Heavy. Final.
The chamber stopped trembling.
The dark mana vanished.
The dungeon's presence weakened instantly.
Asta stood still. Breathing heavy.
-Huff! -Huff!
"...."
The black wing flickered. The horn faded.
The markings receded.
His red eye dimmed—Returning to normal.
His body swayed. Then—He collapsed.
"Asta!"
Luck rushed forward.
Yuno followed closely.
Leopold checked Eron immediately.
"…He's alive!"
The stone receded completely from the boy's body.
His breathing returned—Weak. But steady.
Magna exhaled deeply.
-Sigh!
"…We did it."
Luck stretched, smiling faintly.
"…That was a good fight."
But in the fading echoes of the chamber—One thing lingered.
A name. Spoken. But not understood.
Not fully heard.
Yet.
Because something inside Asta—Had listened.
For a moment—There was peace.
Breath returned. The boy was saved.
The enemy… gone.
Then—The ground shook.
Violently.
Cracks spread across the throne room floor like lightning tearing through stone.
A deep, ancient rumble echoed through every corridor.
Magna looked up.
"…Don't tell me—"
Yuno's voice cut in immediately.
"It's collapsing."
The dungeon had lost its core.
Without it—The entire structure was failing.
Chunks of stone began falling from the ceiling.
The walls split.
The throne behind them crumbled into dust.
Then—Ahead of them—A massive door burst open.
Blinding natural light poured in.
An exit.
Leopold shouted hurriedly,
"That's our way out!"
Luck steadied himself and helped lift Asta with Yuno.
Magna carried Eron carefully.
"Everyone—MOVE!"
They ran. All of them. Through the collapsing hall.
The corridors they had struggled through—Now broke apart behind them.
The guardian chamber shattered.
Statues fell and crumbled.
The crushing corridor cracked open completely.
The mine tunnels collapsed inward.
Dust and debris chased them like a tidal wave.
"FASTER!"
Magna yelled angrily.
Luck dashed ahead, clearing falling debris with lightning.
Solid and Nebra cast quick spells to shield the group from collapsing stone.
Leopold blasted obstacles apart with fire.
Step after step—Closer. Closer—To the exit.
The opening widened as they approached.
Sunlight. Fresh air. Freedom.
"JUMP!"
Asta managed weakly as he regained a sliver of consciousness.
One by one—They burst out of the dungeon.
Rolling across the ground outside.
Behind them—The ruin caved in.
-BOOOOOOM!!!
The entire structure collapsed inward, sinking back into the earth as if it had never existed.
Dust rose into the sky. Then settled.
Silence followed.
"...."
"...."
"...."
At the same moment—
The barrier surrounding the dungeon flickered.
Then—Shattered.
Disappearing completely.
The villagers who had been waiting rushed forward.
The boy's parents were the first.
"ERON!"
They ran to him as Magna gently lowered the boy.
"He's alive,"
Noelle said softly seeing the parents of the boy's reaction.
The mother collapsed beside him, crying.
The father stood frozen for a moment—Then bowed his head deeply.
"…Thank you…"
Around them—The Magic Knights caught their breath.
Exhausted. Injured. But alive.
Yuno glanced back at where the dungeon once stood.
Nothing remained. As if it had never existed.
But he knew—That wasn't true.
Because something from inside it—Had already escaped.
He turned his gaze toward Asta.
Who lay unconscious. Breathing steady.
Relief spread through the village like sunlight after a storm.
Eron's parents held him tightly, tears streaming down their faces as they thanked the Magic Knights again and again.
"Thank you… thank you…!"
The villagers gathered around, voices overlapping in gratitude.
Some bowed. Some cried.
Some simply stood in stunned silence.
Because their child—Had been brought back.
Alive.
Footsteps approached from behind.
Heavy. Steady.
-THUD. -THUD.
The crowd parted slightly as two figures stepped forward.
Yami Sukehiro and Nozel Silva.
They had been waiting outside the barrier the entire time.
"...."
"...."
Now—Their eyes scanned the group.
Assessing. Measuring.
Yami took a drag from his cigarette, exhaling slowly.
"…You brats look like hell."
Magna groaned hearing his captain's remark.
"We almost died like hell too."
Luck grinned like he wanted to experience it again.
-Grin!
"It was fun."
Yami smirked faintly.
-Smirk!
"Good. Means you didn't waste the trip."
Nozel stepped forward, his sharp gaze moving across each knight.
He paused briefly at Noelle. Noticing her exhaustion. Her effort.
But said nothing.
"...."
Instead—He turned to the group as a whole.
"…You completed the mission."
Simple. Direct.
But from him—It meant acknowledgment.
His eyes shifted to Asta.
Unconscious.
Carried carefully by Yuno. A brief silence passed.
"…What happened to him?" Nozel asked.
Yuno answered calmly.
"He pushed beyond his limits."
Not a lie.
Nozel held his gaze for a moment—Then nodded.
-Nod
"…He'll recover."
Yami flicked his cigarette aside.
"Alright. Enough standing around."
He turned toward the road.
"Let's head back."
The Magic Knights began moving.
Slowly at first.
Then as a group. Leaving the village behind.
The villagers watched them go.
Some waving. Some bowing.
Some simply staring at the heroes who had returned from a place they couldn't even comprehend.
Behind them—Ashvale returned to quiet.
But not the same quiet as before.
Because now—It was a place that had witnessed something ancient. Something dangerous. Something that had almost claimed a life.
Clover Capital...
Royal Palace...
The room was quiet. Too quiet.
At the center stood a stone platform, ancient and worn, its surface carved with eleven distinct slots—each shaped to hold a magic stone.
Only a few were filled.
Faint light pulsed from them like distant stars trapped in stone.
Before it stood Ben.
Still. Watching.
"...."
Perched atop his crown, Nero tilted her head slightly, her sharp eyes fixed on the platform.
She could feel it.
The pull. The resonance.
These stones weren't just artifacts—They were calling.
Ben exhaled slowly.
"Four," he murmured.
Four stones currently in his possession.
Recovered over time.
Located—thanks to Nero's strange, instinctive connection to them.
And—Four more.
Held by the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
That left three unaccounted for.
Eleven in total. A complete set.
A key. To something far greater.
His system interface flickered faintly in his mind—
[Long-Term Task: Collect All 11 Magic Stones]
[Objective: Free Nero from her current form]
Ben glanced upward slightly.
Nero remained still.
Calm. Unreadable. But he knew.
This mattered to her.
More than she showed.
Behind him, footsteps echoed softly.
Julius Novachrono entered the chamber, hands behind his back, gaze already drawn to the platform.
"Fascinating, isn't it?" Julius said lightly.
"These stones… they resonate with something ancient."
Ben didn't turn.
"They're not just power sources."
Julius smiled faintly.
"No. They're components."
A mechanism.
A ritual. A door.
Something that required all eleven pieces.
Ben's eyes narrowed slightly.
-Forwn!
"I have four. The Eye has four."
He paused.
"Which means the rest… Are either hidden," Julius finished, "or waiting to be discovered."
Silence settled again.
Heavy.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Because this wasn't a race that could be rushed.
If the Eye completed the set first—Whatever they were planning… Would begin.
Ben folded his arms.
"I can't move openly."
Julius nodded with a helpless sigh.
-Nod -Sigh!
"Nor can I."
The Wizard King's tone softened slightly.
"This isn't a battle you win with force alone."
Ben finally turned his gaze to the platform fully.
The stones glowed faintly.
Calling. Waiting.
Nero shifted slightly on his crown.
Her eyes remained locked on the stones.
"...."
Silent. But certain.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N)Thanks for reading the chapter!
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