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Chapter Text

Carved rock made for a pretty unforgiving couch. Still, from the looks of the food, Gifso didn't stint on the good stuff. Yami settled in, grabbing a mug of something citrus-y and salty. Vaguely alcoholic, but not strong enough for Yami to be wary. Watching Gifso's game wouldn't be as cleansing as a good fight, but Yami could definitely make this work.

Especially after the Bulls took down four of the Underwater Temple's priests in less than three minutes. Right after Gifso had been bragging about them, no less. Yami laughed as Gifso fumed. Grinning, Yami looked over the monitor spells to check on his less aggressive squad members. Without his permission, his gaze snagged on Finral. The guy was keeping to the shadows, using his portals to stay on the move.

Tactically sound, but Yami wasn't going to let him get away with it.

If Yami had to deal with a sudden attraction to someone unavailable, there was one upside to it being Finral. They were already in a years-long game of finding ways to get the other's goat. Plus, Finral had woken him up with a seawater bath their second day in Raque.

(Along with a fresh breakfast from Suntown, which... was unexpectedly touching. Finral could have just dropped a couple rolls on him and said it counted for the takeout joke. But thinking about it made Yami start to feel mushy again.)

So if Yami felt like working off some entirely understandable frustration after the last week, Finral wouldn't see it as anything other than Yami evening up the scoreboard. And hey, it was that, too.

When Gifso summoned a communication spell and announced that there'd be no leaving the arena until the game was over, Yami took his opportunity.

“Oi, Finral, why are you hiding? Hurry up and fight, or I'll kill you!”

Finral jumped at Yami's voice. Yami smirked. Startling Finral was always worth a point, in his books.

“Eh?! Yami! Wait, are you with the priest?” Finral sounded caught between confusion and rising exasperation.

Yami's smirk widened. He tried to sound matter-of-fact rather than smug when he drawled, “We're enjoying some food and drinks while we watch you guys fight.”

Finral's jaw dropped, his hands going up incredulously. “What?!”

It was absolutely petty to enjoy the way Finral's voice went whiny with jealousy at the realization that Yami was lounging around with appetizers while Finral got lost in a creepy cave. And stalked by fighting priests. Yami didn't give a fuck about pettiness, and enjoyed it immensely.

Especially when Finral wheedled, “Come on, make him stop this violent game!”

With a touch of mocking incredulity at the very idea, Yami replied, “Huh? It's fun to watch because it's so violent.”

Next to Yami, Gifso chuckled. “That's right, that's right!”

Finral's expression went flat and annoyed. Yami smirked at the familiar combination of 'I should have known' and you'll get it later.' It was the same look Finral wore when he got the bill of damages from one of Yami's nights out drinking with his old war buddies.

Yami thought he could see a vein twitch in Finral's forehead as Finral demanded, “When did you two hit it off so well?!”

Pretty much the moment Yami realized the priests weren't truly malicious and the Bulls weren't actually in any danger. Not that he was going to reassure Finral of that; he'd figure it out on his own. Call it training.

“It's definitely no fun if you're not gonna fight,” Gifso commented. From the twinkle in the old man's eyes, Yami suspected he had a way to fix that.

Eyes on Finral, Yami said, “Don't let that coward get away.” Finral twitched again, glaring up at the ceiling of the cave. Yami was definitely going to get it later, but that was what made it fun.

Voice thick with amusement, Gifso cast, “Game Magic: Monster Toy!”

Despite his main goal being to make Finral's life difficult, Yami still noted with approval that Finral's head turned before the giant fish popped into being. He'd sensed the magic forming. Top marks on situational awareness, like always.

But Finral was too slow to escape the game token. It got Yami thinking. He watched as Finral ported free when it swallowed him and kept running, faster without magical enhancement than a number of mages with it. Yami was used to that quick thinking and agility. He trusted it to keep Finral safe from sneak attacks and standard dungeon traps.

Finral hadn't even had time to flinch when Licht had shot at his back.

I've cut him too much slack, Yami realized. He's not made for direct attacks, but that's even more reason to push him past his limits.

Gifso cackled at the spectacle of Finral bolting away from the giant fish. “I should use more of these!”

Now that was an idea. Yami reached into his grimoire belt and found the blank papers and bit of charcoal he kept on him for the rare occasions he needed to note something down. He sketched from memory- though with a few embellishments.

“Oi, geezer.”

Gifso glanced over. Yami grinned, holding up the drawing of one of the nastier fish that lived in the lake a little west of the Bulls' base.

“Let's do this one next. It'll probably kill him!”

Gifso looked baffled, muttering. “Are you sure you're actually on their side?” But he snapped his fingers obligingly. “Nice drawing, though!”

Gifso's version, aside from being several times larger than the real thing, was yellow and orange striped rather than the grey-blue fish Yami was familiar with. It flew after Finral with enthusiasm, fins flapping and teeth snapping. Amused, Yami wondered if Finral would recognize it under the new color scheme.

Yami checked on the others, but his thoughts kept wandering back to Finral. Mildly irritating but nothing new, especially this week. Yami wasn't sure what had been more distracting: Finral deciding he liked wearing the board shorts, or the ladies of Raque deciding they liked it too.

Getting more involved in Finral's training at this particular juncture was going to be frustrating. But it wasn't like Yami could- or would- delegate it to anyone else. Besides, exposure therapy was a thing, wasn't it? Maybe if he spent time with Finral when the guy wasn't at his best- and he was definitely not at his best when training- Yami's libido would cool off.

For the sake of argument, Yami contemplated that for a moment.

...no, Finral sweaty, disheveled, and flushed from exertion and annoyance was not going to cool anything off.

Oh well. Rubbing one out before dragging Finral off to the training grounds wouldn't even make top ten of the weird shit Yami had done in his life. Deal with it and move on.

Chapter Text

Of course, just as Yami settled in to watch Luck and Magna beat the crap out of Gifso's son, things went wrong.

There was a split second warning. Not from Yami's senses, but from Gifso's. The old man suddenly tensed. An instant later, the rock ceiling above Gio exploded. He must have felt the breach of his game barrier. A magical construct, pulsing red like a monstrous heartbeat, crashed through the stone and straight for Gio.

Gifso sputtered as dust and debris obscured the monitor spells. Yami squinted as the haze cleared, trying to see past it. In his gut, he already knew. The feel of that magic was too unique.

Eye of the Midnight Sun.

Four figures in robes burst out of the thinning cloud of dust and scattered. Vetto remained, grinning at Luck and Magna with shark-like teeth. Yami stood, eyeing him thoughtfully.

“Playtime's over, gramps. Hurry up and get me in there.”

Yami's mind was working overtime. If Finral could have portalled out of Gifso's game, he would have. If Valtos had a marker here and could have portalled to the Underwater Temple, why crash in? There was a chance one of the terrorists was carrying a spatial magic homing beacon. But not a high one, and even with the hole Vetto just made, it might not penetrate Gifso's game barrier.

Taken altogether... Vetto wasn't likely to get backup from Licht, Fana or Rhya this time.

Yami liked his odds against Vetto a lot better without the rest of the Third Eye around. Especially with the strongest of the Bulls for his backup. Gifso's family too, if Gio could still fight and the grandkids were all they were cracked up to be. Yami didn't give a damn about honorable combat when it came to terrorists. Ganging up on Vetto was the best strategy.

Gifso shook his head. Matter-of-fact and resigned, he told Yami, “We can't leave here until the game is over. I can't undo the spell. Those are the rules of my magic.”

Sounded like a pain to Yami. Not that it was going to stop him. “Got it.”

He drew his sword and turned toward the wall. Yami heard Gifso's bewildered interjections behind him, but ignored them. If Vetto could smash through Gifso's magic, Yami could cut it.

“Dark Magic: Lightless Slash!”

The stone sliced cleanly under his power. So did the game barrier.

But the darkly tinted bubble beyond was another story entirely. Yami's lip curled into a snarl of frustration.

Gifso sputtered, “Wha- what in the world?!”

Yami glared at the robed figure standing across from Gifso's tower, hands raised to maintain their spell. Now that there was a hole in Gifso's magic, Yami could feel the distortion in the mana outside.

Not Valtos, but another terrorist spatial mage. They're supposed to be rare, how many of these bastards do they have? Why were Yami's biggest headaches always spatial mages? At least Finral had never managed to trap him in another dimension. Right at that moment, Yami would have happily relived every second of the last week's horny, frustrated jealousy if it meant he could leave this goddamn bubble.

Whole damn element was too fucking over-powered.

Vetto's voice drew Yami's attention back to Gifso's monitor spells.

“Black, foreign swordsman... The mana tells me you're here.” Loved by mana, the mana tells me... Do these guys really think magic has opinions? “Stay there and watch for a while. You're going to be my main dish... After I season you with despair as you watch all of your friends die!”

Yami's grip tightened on his sword. Same crap as before, then.

But Vetto was dead wrong if he thought Yami was going to cower and give up. If he thought the Bulls would lay down and die. Yami gave the terrorist outside one last glare promising imminent death before he dropped back on Gifso's couch.

So he was benched. So fucking what.

He had faith in his idiots.

“Oi, gramps. Make it so they hear us out there.”

Of all the things Yami had learned about leadership when he'd been Julius' vice-captain, one had come naturally. Act like you're calm and your subordinates will stay calm too. It'd been the same on the streets. Keep your cool, act like nothing bothered you, and you wouldn't be mistaken for an easy mark. Yami had saved himself a lot of trouble by having a naturally deadpan demeanor and sarcastic sense of humor.

Not that he'd ever been an easy mark.

“Dumbasses, listen up.” Through Gifso's spells, Yami saw various Bulls glance upward. Vanessa waved.

Finral glared, clearly expecting another taunt. Yami wished he could oblige him.

Instead, Yami continued bluntly, “The game just got crashed. Vetto and three other Eye of the Midnight Sun terrorists are running around in the arena.” One silver lining: aside from Vetto, that spatial mage was probably the biggest threat, and he was stuck keeping Yami trapped.

Yami inhaled, focusing on keeping his irritation out of his voice. “Due to reasons, I can't go over there.”

Finral, predictably, exploded. “What?! What do you mean, reasons?!”

Yami grit his teeth, hating the way that this time, genuine alarm tainted the shocked incredulity. But there wasn't a point in answering him. Maybe Finral could get Yami out of the bubble, but the only way out of the game arena was the hole Vetto was standing in front of. If there was any chance of him sneaking past Vetto, he'd have to do it on his own without Yami hinting about it where Vetto could hear.

Finral was fast. But like Licht, Vetto was faster. He would have killed Finral at Nean if Yami's attack hadn't forced Vetto to detour, giving everyone time to jump out of the way. Yami wasn't going to say anything that would give Vetto the incentive to seek Finral out specifically.

“Meaning you guys gotta do something about them.” Yami tore his gaze away from Finral. Charmy was still sleeping. Grey was who-knew where. Noelle looked nauseous. But Luck and Magna were ready to fight, Vanessa was uncharacteristically sober, Gauche was pissed, and Asta was grinning with a mix of vindication and excitement. Figures the kid wants a rematch.

As if to commandeer Yami's attention again, Finral yelped, “You can't be serious!” Even through the blue tint of Gifos's monitor spells, Yami could see him paling rapidly.

Yami stared at the images of his squad members. They were right in front of him, and yet completely out of reach. All he had to help them was his voice. Yami ordered, “Listen up. All of you, surpass your limits right here, right now.” If he dies because I didn't push him enough...

Yami didn't finish the thought. Instead, he told them, “If you die, I'll kill you. That's all.” There was nothing else to say.

But the old joke did the trick. Finral twitched, some of the fear ebbing away to be replaced by aggravation. He was still pale, but he looked less panicky. Finral muttered something Gifso's spells didn't pick up. Then he disappeared through a portal without reappearing on any of the other images.

Yami didn't ask the old man to seek him out. Only Vetto and the spatial mage had much chance of catching Finral anyway. Since the spatial mage was playing prison warden and Vetto was already facing Luck, Magna, and Gio, Yami and Gifso's attention was better spent watching the cultists in the arena and trying to find a flaw in Vetto's tactics.

The other three cultists who'd tagged along with Vetto got knocked down like ninepins. Yami felt mildly better.

Still no sign of Finral.

When Vetto took out Gio in one hit, Yami reminded himself that in this case, no news was good news.

Chapter Text

“Magna, Luck... You were true men.” Yami watched as they fell at Vetto's feet, the thud muffled through Gifso's monitoring spell. Next to him, Gifso's eyes were wide with horror.

Gifso was right to be anxious. They hadn't put a scratch on Vetto. But Yami couldn't fault them for it when they'd given it everything. Fought on despite their injuries from the first strike, figured out the vulnerability of Vetto's attack, even shaped a combo attack despite Luck's spotty record with teamwork. They'd lost, but Yami was proud of them.

Vetto loomed over them, hand raised to deal death. Yami didn't flinch. He'd seen what Vetto, too focused on the kill, had missed.

No one in the arena could hear them without Gifso's communication spell. Yami didn't care. It made him feel better to talk, and in this shitty situation he'd take what he could. As Asta stepped onto the image, Yami told him, “You better stand strong too, kid!”

Asta was between Vetto and his seniors before the words even finished leaving Yami's mouth. Even better, he didn't waste any time pulling out his second sword. He wasn't going to go easy on Vetto like he had on Kiato.

Yami still felt a touch of disquiet when the slash across Vetto's chest didn't bleed much. It got stronger when Vetto didn't break a sweat under Asta and Kiato's combined assault.

Vetto tallying up Asta's weaknesses- weaknesses Yami knew- was just salt in the wound. Yami could hear his teeth grinding. Him too... He was motivated, so I let him train on his own too much. When we get out of this, I'm making all of them fight me until they drop.

The tension coiling tighter and tighter in his chest abruptly snapped when Vetto grabbed Asta and got bitten for his troubles. Yami laughed, harsh and breathless and probably a touch hysterical. Not that Gifso, hooting next to him with the same level of nervous energy, was in any position to judge.

The sudden hilarity gave way to genuine relief when Kahono's spell knocked Vetto and Asta apart. But Yami had mixed feelings about Noelle's appearance. She only mastered her control issues when she wasn't trying to fight directly. If she's a purely defensive mage...

*

Roughly twenty-four hours earlier...

Magna and Luck's impromptu fireworks burst against the backdrop of the nearly-full moon. Settled on a nearby rock formation, Yami took a drag on his cigarette, enjoying some well-deserved smugness at Noelle's success. You threw her away, Nozel. But your loss is my gain, asshole.

Yami glanced over when a portal formed next to him. An instant later, Finral stepped out, footing sure despite the uneven rock face. He wasn't wearing his Bulls' robe, but at least he had his tunic on. Yami reflexively quashed the disappointed flicker of his libido that wouldn't have minded more skin.

Finral was grinning, obviously just as high as the rest on Noelle's triumph. It made a pleasant change from how mopey he'd been after his failed date. The one Yami wasn't thinking about because the blend of jealousy and sympathy gave him indigestion.

Shutting the portal with a flick of his fingers, Finral said, “There you are. Not going to join the party?”

That brought back Yami's good mood. He smirked up at Finral. “In a minute. Someone had to hang back and tell Raque's town guards that the big explosion of water magic wasn't an attack.” Luckily being a knight captain was good for something. The guards had been happy to take his word for it, relieved it wasn't a kraken or sea serpent beaching in the middle of the night.

Just the Black Bulls' own Sea Dragon, Yami thought with pride.

Finral laughed. “It was pretty flashy!” He glanced back down to the beach where the Bulls were starting to really party. Magna and Luck shot more magic into the sky. Below the brilliant display, everyone ate Charmy's cakes and passed around Vanessa's wine. Finral's smile softened, gaining an edge of melancholy. “She really did it.”

Yami looked over at him. “Knew she would. I don't give people jobs they can't do.” Yami put a bit more emphasis on the words. “Doesn't have to be attack magic to make a difference.”

Finral paused, then sighed, sitting next to Yami and looking down at the party below. Yami watched Finral, waiting to see if he was going to actually say what he was thinking about.

After a moment, Finral said, “This mission... it's only a secret until Eye of the Midnight Sun is taken care of, right?”

Yami wasn't sure where Finral was going with this, but he shrugged. “Probably. No reason to keep it under wraps after that.”

Finral nodded. He was still smiling that soft, half-melancholy smile. “Good. I'm glad she'll get the recognition.”

Ah. Yami took a drag on his cigarette, mulling it over. Then he said, “Too bad for Nose-braid I don't share. When he comes crawling back trying to steal her for the Eagles, I'll just laugh in his face.” Still looking at Finral, Yami continued blandly, “Then I'll punt his baby-faced ass back to his headquarters.”

Finral glanced over at Yami in surprise, then looked away. But not before Yami saw the him fail to suppress a smile. Someplace between wry and affectionate, Finral replied quietly, “I don't think Captain Silva's particularly baby-faced.”

Yami smirked around his cigarette. That was better. “Hmm. Must have been thinking of another idiot.” Langris. “Same thing.”

Finral huffed a laugh. “Like that's going to happen... but thanks, Yami.” He stood, smiling back at Yami without the earlier melancholy. In its place was a mischievous light that tugged at Yami's groin and made him instantly pay attention in anticipation.

Finral declared, “Last one down there gets to explain the damages on the beach house bill to Marx.” The next second he was through a portal.

Yami cursed and leapt down toward the beach. Even with magic enhancing his speed, it was just far away enough that he was greeted by Finral's smug laughter.

Yami wasn't going to admit it, but he didn't mind losing.

*

Back in the present...

Kiato and Kahono were good. Yami had rarely seen a better set of synchronized fighters. Gifso was right to be proud of his grandchildren.

It didn't matter.

Yami saw the moment Vetto decided that killing them wasn't enough. He'd seen eyes like that too many times to be surprised, even when Kiato's leg went flying in a spray of blood. Kahono's throat was next. Noelle screamed her name as Vetto grabbed Kahono by the hair.

Without the need to make any room for shock, Yami felt nothing except dueling tides of fury and disgust, both caged by overwhelming frustration. When I get out of here...

But all he could do was watch. Cynically, Yami was grateful for Vetto's cruelty. Because of it, no one was dead yet.

Vetto reached for Kahono's shoulder. Yami braced himself for more blood. Gifso choked on a sob, his eyes fixed on his granddaughter.

The whole room- the whole Underwater Temple- suddenly shook with power. Yami tasted salt on the back of his tongue. It felt like the ocean itself was roaring under his feet. All at once, the tables turned.

Gifso was confused. Yami wasn't. He felt a smirk stretch his face, born from the same smug pride as yesterday.

Not just a defensive mage, then.

“You finally showed up, Noelle.”

Yami took off points for the way Noelle's eyes left her opponent to follow Kahono when Vetto tossed her aside. But Vetto was too overconfident to make use of the opportunity.

“Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Roar!”

Chapter Text

Vetto didn't fall. That was the first thing that sent a chill down Yami's spine.

He'd dealt that kind of damage to opponents before. The pain and trauma put most people down for the count, and blood loss ensured they never got up again. The broken remains of Vetto's ribs shifted in the gore of his wound as he howled, but his stance was steady as a mountain. Even losing twenty pounds on one side had only made him stagger for a second.

Vetto's torso slumped forward, breathing ragged and wet. He'll fall now. But the adrenaline spiking Yami's blood already knew better. Something was wrong.

Vetto straightened. The wide grin splitting his face was almost as disturbing as the sudden surge of twisted mana that made Noelle flinch back. Gifso gasped, and Yami grunted at the way it felt like writhing snakes in his gut. If Vetto's magic had been beastly before... this felt monstrous.

A third eye opened on Vetto's forehead.

Noelle trembled, her grip on the wand going slack. Yami didn't blame her. His own hands were clenched into white-knuckled fists. It didn't help the shock and horror spreading through his veins like ice. That's no illusion or transformation magic. What the fuck is he?

“Impressive... You managed to draw me out, human.” Vetto's voice was low and guttural, but Yami couldn't hear any pain. Only triumph.

In the back of Yami's mind, deep below the ratcheting panic, an old memory stirred. A story.

A long, long time ago...

...when the priestess' arrow struck the cat, it roared like a tiger. Its tail split in two and a horrid magic poured forth...

A magic circle with symbols Yami had never seen, not on either side of the ocean, formed over Vetto's wound. Yami's heart stopped, his instincts once again one step ahead of his brain. No.

It wasn't possible.

There was a flash of white as bones knit together before they were covered by tattered flesh. It was like watching a man being shredded in reverse, and it turned Yami's stomach like no attack spell ever had. It restored Vetto's arm right down to the sharpened tips of his nails.

No. Not nails. Humans had nails.

Monsters had claws.

Vetto's fingers flexed, new-made knuckles cracking. The skin over them moved smoothly, nothing like the pink, tender skin and scars left behind when recovery magic closed a wound.

“He regrew the arm he lost? There isn't any magic like that!” But even as Yami said it, there was no denying the evidence before his eyes. The words hung useless in the air, a poor attempt to shield against the truth.

There wasn't any human magic like that.

...its true form revealed, the demon healed its injury with one lick of its tongue...

The shocked realization tumbled from his lips, as if saying it aloud would take away its power. “These guys aren't just terrorists... they're something weirder. Something terrible...”

Another, far more recent memory intruded. 'Black, foreign swordsman... You're going to be my main dish. After I season you with despair as you watch all of your friends die!'

Vetto's promise seemed less pretentious now. Yami's breath came faster, images coming in flashes. The cave at Nean. Three knight captains against this guy and his friends last time, and they hadn't won. The Third Eye had retreated for Licht's sake, nothing else.

Gio was the strongest in the temple; he'd been tossed aside like a rag doll. Magna and Luck had poured everything into a combined attack that hadn't even touched Vetto. Asta had put a single scratch on him- only to be beaten down before Vetto moved on to maim Kiato and Kahono.

Noelle overcame all her limits and unleashed a dragon that would have leveled an army.

Vetto was still standing, inhuman and unkillable as a god.

Or demon.

Yami broke.

“Run... “ It dropped from his mouth without thought, too quiet to be anything but a plea. Heart hammering, he inhaled and tried again, yelling, “Get out of there, Noelle!”

Belatedly, Yami realized that Noelle couldn't hear him. Gifso didn't have a communication spell active. But he saw her look at the others. At Luck and Magna. At Kahono and Kiato and Gio.

At Asta.

Even before he saw her grip tighten on her wand, he knew she wouldn't run.

...unnatural fire burst from the demon's mouth, incinerating all before it...

Vetto's blast filled the cavern with light and smoke. Yami didn't look away. If he'd gotten Noelle killed, he owed it to her to witness the result.

If there was anything left of her.

The smoke cleared. Yami couldn't breathe.

It revealed a tableau as impossible as Vetto's regrown arm. Noelle stood unmoved, utterly unharmed, with deep groves in the cavern floor on either side of her. Crouched in front of her, sword raised, was Asta. Battered and bruised, but standing.

Alive. They were both alive.

Yami inhaled. Relief, and more than that- hope- flooded back into Yami's body with a suddenness that almost ached. Like numb limbs stinging as they came back to life. But he could move again. Yami gripped his scabbard, feeling a feral grin stretch his face.

“Kid...!”

…the cursed boy's magic robe protected the priestess from the flames. But the true battle had only begun...

Yami was covered in a sheen of cold sweat, fine tremors of tension skittering over his skin. His pulse was pounding and it took concerted effort to haul his breathing back under control. He couldn't fight if he couldn't breathe. And he was going to fight.

Vetto roared. Yami kept grinning.

You had me for a minute there, Mister Despair.

You won't get me again.

Chapter Text

Hope and determination were all well and good, but Yami had never felt more frustrated in his life. He yelled impotent threats through the spatial barrier. He wanted out. But the terrorist spatial mage only laughed at him. Yami's dark magic caused ripples in the bubble, but nothing else. No tears or weak points to target to escape.

“Before I defeat you, I'll take out the trash.”

Yami heard Vetto's voice from the monitor spell. Asta and Noelle can't protect them all. He redoubled his efforts in a frenzy.

More ripples, deeper and stronger. But it felt like he was slashing at the sea. No matter what he did, more mana flowed in to fill the space. His attacks never crossed into the real world beyond the bubble.

He raised his sword to try again when he felt a whisper of familiar magic across his senses. Nothing like the earth-shattering power of Noelle's blast, but it made Yami slump in relief all the same. Vanessa. Calmer, Yami turned back towards the monitoring spells. The cavern floor was pitted with Vetto's power, but there was no blood or corpses.

Vanessa's threads deposited the injured off to the side. Gifso shuddered in relief, murmuring what sounded like a prayer of thanks, when her magic lingered on Kiato to bind the fabric of his shorn trouser leg into a messy tourniquet. Good. Hopefully the guy wouldn't bleed out before they could get him to a recovery mage.

Vanessa walked toward Asta and Noelle, insulting Vetto as casually as if he were a sleazy drunk. Yami smirked. She had to know that this wasn't going to be a picnic. But she wasn't letting it show, smiling as she told Asta, “You really are something, boy. You didn't give up, and that's why I'm here.”

Vetto, rather than seem dismayed at the threads binding him, only looked at her like one more insect to crush. He hadn't tested the threads yet, sizing her up, but Yami knew they wouldn't hold him. She's never been able to keep me trussed up. More training for her, too.

Asta beamed through bloody teeth. “Thanks, Vanessa!”

Vanessa stepped up beside Asta. “I was wondering why the other Black Bulls liked you so much, and I think I finally get it.” She glanced up at the ceiling, senses unerringly finding one of the viewpoints of the monitor spells. She winked at him. “Right, Captain?”

That's right, kid. Just like she said. Because of you, everyone was able to go beyond their limits. Thinking of the fight with Licht, Yami admitted to himself, Even me.

Yami remembered his conversation with Finral on the way to the bar in Nean, the night after Asta saved Noelle from her out-of-control magic. This is why I'm serious about training up Magna to replace me, Finral. Even without magic... Asta's got what it takes to become Wizard King.

Finral still wasn't on any of Gifso's images, but Yami refused to believe he was dead. Hiding, sure. But with all their enemies now accounted for, Yami wasn't going to start worrying again. Finral could take care of himself.

Yami refocused on the fight when Vetto burst through Vanessa's bindings. Maybe, despite his arrogance, Vetto had learned some wariness of Asta's swords. His next attack was another blast like the one he'd aimed at Noelle. Yami's heart stopped when Asta's reflexes were a hair too slow.

The magic halted a foot from Asta's face.

Yami couldn't see the portal through the glare. But when Vetto's attack suddenly reappeared to shoot at him from behind, there was only one explanation. Yami barely saw Vetto block it. His heart had started to beat again, pounding in his chest so loud it felt like Gifso could hear it.

Finral.

Voice all cracking bravado, but Yami could see the way his legs were shaking. Finral froze when he looked directly at Vetto, obviously rethinking what he'd gotten himself into.

Yami inhaled to tell Gifso to cast the communication spell again. To tell Finral- something. Anything. Whatever would make him stop panicking, because now that he'd stepped up, all panic would do was get him killed.

Vanessa cut in before Yami could get the words out, elbowing Finral and congratulating him for showing up despite being a wuss. It worked, Finral's inability to let a jab go unanswered kicking his brain back in gear despite the way he was still trembling.

Yami watched Finral step past Asta, stretching his fingers the way he did before training exercises. Movements Yami had seen a thousand times before, as familiar as his own sword drills. As expected as portals in the corner of the common room and sly grins and exasperated sighs, certain as the fancy noble handwriting that recorded all of the Bulls' official business. Flitting in and out like a bird or lounging around like a cat, but always within reach when it mattered.

And now it was Yami who couldn't reach him.

The realizations and confusions of the past week were suddenly irrelevant. Finral was important to him. He'd already known that, what the hell did the details matter? Was Yami less anxious or pissed or worried because he'd put off labeling it?

No.

Yami's heart couldn't take much more of this. Someplace, he could hear echoes of Owen's lectures on his smoking habit.

But Vetto was still hanging back. Despite his words about vermin and ants, Yami thought it had gotten through the monster's head that these two were going to be just as much trouble as Asta's swords.

Noelle pulled back, running over to the wounded. She took up a guard position, wand out. Good. If she can recover a little juice, she'll be able to protect them from any stray crossfire.

Finral swallowed hard as the remaining three faced Vetto. Vanessa teased, “Stay strong, Finral. If you faint, Captain will have to carry you home again.” Her threads wrapped around Asta, supporting his torso and binding his swords to his hands.

Finral sputtered, “That only happened once!”

Yami felt a brief wash of phantom warmth across his arms and torso, remembering the end of that night out at Nean. Carrying Finral to the edge of the woods, and being disappointed when Vanessa stole him away.

If it meant Finral survived this, Yami would carry him from the Underwater Temple back to base. On foot.

Asta launched at Vetto, and Yami had to force the longing away.

With Finral in the fight, Vetto's long range attacks were useless. Yami just wished it had taken Vetto longer to figure that out. Any mana that they could get that guy to waste was an advantage. Unfortunately, for all his monstrosity Vetto wasn't a fool.

For never having fought together before, Finral and Vanessa were working well together. But they'd been friends for years. Even more than that, both of their magics relied on the same attention to detail and trajectory. A natural alliance, one might say. Especially with Asta to throw their weight behind.

They're working together to surpass their limits.

Vetto's next swipe at Asta was almost comical, missing by a mile as Asta was yanked to safety by Vanessa's threads. It was even better when Vetto underestimated Finral, tricked into wasting a strike on a portalled boulder. Yami felt something like a good mood return when Asta took advantage of the distraction to get Vetto across the jaw. Threads swooped Asta away from Vetto's furious counter-strike, and Asta landed another blow on Vetto's shoulder.

Not so untouchable now, are you.

But they wouldn't be able to defeat him with scratches. Yami watched as they started maneuvering Asta closer. It was the only way, but Yami didn't like it. He liked the way Vetto had gone on the defensive even less.

His battle instincts are too good. Vetto had shown the patience to analyze his opponents' moves and weaknesses before striking back. Yami watched all three eyes dart between portals, following Asta's trail.

He didn't like it at all.

Chapter Text

Yami's focus was on Vetto. Vetto, who wasn't wearing down or taking serious injury. Vetto, who was on the defense, even when Yami saw openings that he could have pursued. Openings that Vanessa or Finral would have deflected Asta away from, maybe, but...

Could that bastard be...?

Vetto dodged again- but this time Yami saw the shift in his movement. Attack.

“Oi, old man. Cast that communication spell again!” Gifso startled, having been focused on the fight. But he did as Yami asked.

Too slow. Even as the spell bloomed, Vetto's claws came down. A quick combination of thread and portal magic saved Asta from being disemboweled. But when Asta tumbled to the ground and scrambled back to his feet, he was clutching his side. Blood seeped from under his hand, staining his white shirt.

Fuck. I knew it.

Asta steadied himself. He took a breath and shouted, “This is nothing. One of his attacks just happened to graze me. Let's go again!”

Yami cut in before the reckless bastard charged, yelling into Gifso's spell. “Hold it, kid!”

Asta startled. “Captain Yami?!” But he stayed put. Yami huffed a quiet sign of relief before lecturing him.

“You should be the first one to know that he didn't just happen to graze you, since you're the one fighting him up close. That bastard was purposely not attacking as much and defending instead to better understand all of your habits. If you barge in unprepared... he's definitely going to get you next time.”

Vetto grinned. He didn't even bother to deny it. “As expected from the Black Swordsman.” His smile widened, showing all of his pointed teeth. “The next attack will be your last, insects!”

Asta snapped, “You don't get to decide that, you hairy gorilla!” Either because he couldn't sense where Yami and Gifso were watching from or because he had better battle instincts than Noelle, Asta didn't take his eyes off Vetto. “You too, Captain! We won't know until we try!”

Yami ground his teeth. Why'd I recruit a bunch of stubborn bastards again? “I know, damn it! I'm ten thousand times stronger than you!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Yami saw Finral make a face like he was torn between throwing up in fear or laughing at Yami dealing with another fight-drunk, stubborn bastard. Think I don't realize I might as well be yelling at myself?

Yami might even have been worse at Asta's age. Wasn't that a depressing thought.

Waving his sword in challenge, Asta yelled, “Then stop watching and come help us!”

Yami almost bit through his cigarette, painfully aware of the spatial magic outside Gifso's tower. Frustrated and pissed, he snapped, “Really? You're going to say that? The thing that's bugging me the most?! When I'm barely able to keep my blood from boiling in this dumbass situation...” He clenched one fist in the other, fighting back the surge of frustrated rage.

The situation that was Yami's fault. He'd trusted his gut, and been right; Gifso had never meant them any real harm. But relying on that had resulted in leaving them all vulnerable to this fucking disaster.

Maybe it wouldn't have mattered. Maybe the terrorist spatial mage would have still gotten the drop on Yami with Vetto's presence distracting him. None of it mattered now.

If you let yourself get caught up in the past, you'll just trip over the present and fuck up the future.

Yami took a deep breath, then barked, “Hey, kid! You need to calm down too. I didn't say you couldn't attack him. I'm just saying you can't keep doing the same thing. He's going to kill you unless you guys change!”

That got Asta to stop. Yami could finally see the wheels turning in his brain instead of his stubborn gut. Good. Yami finished, “You all know exactly what to do in situations like this!”

Asta squared his shoulders, hefting his swords again. “Right here, right now...”

Finral and Vanessa joined him, and they finished the order together. “We'll surpass our limits!” Yami breathed out, some of his anxiety eased by the display of solidarity and synergy. They can do this. They have to.

Asta launched at Vetto again. But the threads drew him along even faster than before. Gifso fell back against his seat with a sigh, the communication spell dissipating again. No point in random exclamations from the peanut gallery distracting the combatants.

The next time Asta and Vetto made contact was a draw. Could have been worse. Vetto went back on the defensive, trying to learn their new pace, and Yami grit his teeth at every near hit. They were getting so close he could taste it. One mistake and they would die- but Vetto was in the same boat. One screw up, and Asta would land a solid hit.

Trip already, asshole.

Asta made another slice across Vetto's abdomen, deeper but not deep enough. Still, it had to be stinging like hell when he moved. He's not healing himself. Doesn't think the scratches are worth it, doesn't have time with their attacks, or can't heal wounds caused by anti-magic...?

Yami's train of thought utterly derailed when he heard Finral yell.

“Asta! Believe in me!”

Finral was still pale, face shining with sweat. But his gaze was focused like Yami had never seen, even sharper than the day he'd sent them falling through a dozen portals on the way to Zocodany. The grimace of effort and clenched teeth were half-familiar too, like finally seeing the true form of something after only catching its shadow.

Had Finral ever asked anyone to believe in him? Not that Yami remembered. Finral went out of his way to play down his reliability, to discourage anyone from putting expectations on him. Yami had never been fooled. He'd never hesitated to put his faith in Finral's hands. But neither had Yami ever challenged the coping mechanism.

“Trust me and jump in!”

Weeks ago, Yami'd told Vanessa, 'The ladies can keep the fake playboy routine, I'm keeping Finral.' The underhanded, stubborn, over-dramatic, exacting, heart-on-his-sleeve, king-of-all-grudge-holders hiding under flowery manners, genuine kindness, and ingrained fears of confrontation and failure.

Fear that Yami had done his best to chip away at. To show Finral that he didn't need to fight like his brother to matter, didn't need to walk on eggshells to be liked, that he could handle things with his own strengths instead of being judged for them.

Fear that was currently lying shattered at Finral's feet, because-

Asta bellowed back, “Sorry, but I already believe in you!”

Had Yami ever said it that bluntly? I should have.

But it wasn't the time for regrets or philosophy. Yami watched, tension coiling tight in his chest again. Vetto taunted them about their limited mana, and Yami grit his teeth. Neither Finral nor Vanessa were what you'd call low mana. Not like Magna. But Vetto was right. At this rate, they were using it up quickly. Too quickly.

Finral's hands were shaking, eyes wide and fixed like he didn't dare blink. His portals were becoming smaller and smaller. Vanessa's face was more composed, but her clenched fists were trembling and the threads were starting to fray and thin.

Even Asta's stamina wasn't limitless. Especially with no magic to enhance it. But his spirit was undaunted.

That spirit was still pulling everyone else along. A reflect ray struck Vetto, and Yami watched as Gauche, Grey, and Charmy entered the fight.

Even after the cave at Nean, Yami hadn't predicted that lineup. Two of the least social members of his squad and the most oblivious? But it worked. It was weird as hell, but it worked. Gauche's tactical skills, Grey's versatility, and Charmy's raw power made for a deadly combination.

It gave Asta the opening he needed to run Vetto through.

Vetto threw back his head and roared in pain. Yami saw the beginnings of relief and triumph light in the Bulls' faces.

Yami didn't let himself join them. He kept watching Vetto.

Vetto didn't fall.

Instead, he lunged, enormous hands gloved with hideous magic closing hard around Asta's forearms. Asta screamed over the snap of breaking bones. Vetto's face looked even less human than before, alight with cruel joy. He demanded gleefully, “Did you think you'd won?” Vetto squeezed harder, and Asta choked on another scream.

“Did you?!”

Chapter Text

Asta's screams echoed through the cave.

“Did you think your puny strengths combined would actually work against me? I let you hit me! Now I have your weapon!” Asta's agony made Yami's gut churn, but at least Vetto was too busy gloating to deliver a killing blow.

Yami's gaze fell to the angle of the sword, cataloging the damage. Stomach wound. Wrong side to hit the liver, too high to hit a kidney, too low to hit a lung, must have angled just right to avoid the spleen, wouldn't matter in the short term if the pancreas got nicked...

Still, a wound that would have anyone else down in agony. But if Vetto was able to keep his regenerative mana flowing everywhere but the actual cut... then he could keep fighting.

What will it take to take this guy down?!

Vetto was still talking. “I know that once you lose all hope, the most unmistakable despair is created! Fall into the darkness of despair!”

Yami snarled. Don't talk about darkness to my squad, asshole. Like you know anything about it.

Asta kept screaming.

Vetto leaned in close, delighting in Asta's pain. “That's right! That's the way I wanted to hear you humans scream! Now, fall fully into despair!”

In a frenzy, Vetto repeated the word 'despair' until it stopped sounding like anything, just a meaningless backdrop to Asta's pain. Yami saw the triumph of moments before shatter on the Bulls' faces. Noelle fell to her knees. Vanessa looked haggard, no trace of her composure now. Finral's teeth were clenched in a grimace of fear. Even Gauche's usual veneer of irritation was wiped away. Grey and Charmy were shaking.

Asta toppled. Vetto let him go. Asta fell his knees, arms swaying like dead weight. Vetto loomed over him.

Vetto demanded, “How do you like that, insect?! I'd like to see you try to stand again now!”

In a small, coolly logical corner of Yami's mind, he thought: He's doing it again. Delaying the kill to satisfy his need to see them give up. That's why he hasn't won yet.

That's why we still have a chance.

Asta's head snapped up. “Not yet!” He got to his feet, slowly but painfully. Vetto was either too stunned or too prideful to stop him. “I'm not giving up yet!”

Yami saw the moment on every face in the cave as they realized it wasn't over. Including Vetto.

Vetto roared, “Curse you!” and swung a clawed hand toward Asta.

Yami blurted, “Vanessa!” But even though she couldn't hear him, she was already moving, threads yanking Asta away and into a portal. Vetto pursued, only to be deterred by a reflect ray from Gauche. Asta reappeared behind Finral and Vanessa, breathing heavily and back on his knees, but still upright under his own power. Good.

Finral turned to him immediately. Yami couldn't tell if he trusted Gauche's distraction, his own senses if Vetto tried another distance attack, or if Finral was just too rattled to remember to keep his eyes on the enemy. “Asta, are you alright?!”

Vetto stalked toward the three. He wasn't even running, and Yami couldn't tell if it was fatigue setting in, another touch of battle-honed caution, or more outright arrogance. Whichever it was, he made an easy target for Noelle. She didn't have enough in her for another dragon, but the raw water magic still forced Vetto to turn and block.

It gave the other three time. Vanessa's threads flashed, winding around Asta's arms like puppet strings. “I'll support your broken arms!”

A tear tracked down Finral's face, followed by another. Yami didn't even think Finral realized he was crying. But Yami felt the ache of it. We're thinking the same thing. Wondering how that kid is still standing after the beating he's taken.

But far from being dazed with pain, Asta's eyes were bright, his teeth bared in a snarl as feral as Vetto's. “Thanks, Vanessa! Now I can still fight!”

Vanessa barked, “We're doing this again, Finral!”

Finral startled. He hastily rubbed away his tears. “Right! I can do this! No matter how many times it takes!”

Vanessa launched Asta towards his second sword. He grabbed it without needing to slow down, then continued toward Vetto.

And despite Vetto's bragging, Yami saw the moment he paused. Yami squinted, trying to confirm his suspicion.

Vetto's eyes weren't keeping up with Asta's movements.

Are they finally wearing him down?

Yami eyed the sword in Vetto's gut again. The mana shield, enhancement, and regenerative abilities of the Third Eye were beyond any raw, spell-less magic that Yami had ever encountered. He'd assumed that Vetto could work around the sword, especially after the combination of tainted mana and brute strength that had crushed Asta's arms.

But if the sword's anti-magic was interfering... was it canceling out some of Vetto's enhancements? Enough to bring him down to Asta's level?

When Vetto yanked the sword out of his body in a spray of blood, Yami nodded to himself. That had to be it. No fighter as experienced as Vetto would pull out an embedded blade without a hell of a good reason or a recovery spell ready to go.

Vetto must have decided that severe blood loss was worth not having his magic fucked up.

Vetto roared, but this time Yami heard the pain and denial. “There is no way that I would lose against you humans!” It sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

Asta yelled back, “You haven't won against anyone! Did any of them actually give up before you? No one has despaired!”

Dead wrong, kid. Yami did. So did the rest when Vetto grabbed Asta's arms. But that wasn't important. It doesn't matter if someone gives up once, twice, a hundred times. What mattered was coming back from that brink. Asta was the one who gave them the strength to climb back up. Vetto's howls of denial didn't change that.

Vanessa's expression was determined, a focus and fierceness to her that Yami had never seen. Not on the girl in the tower, repressed and proper. Not on the young woman who'd shown up to demand to become a knight, more acclimated to regular life but still naive. This was the woman she'd become, sure in her own choices and choosing to fight for them. Yami was prouder of her than he had words for.

Finral was still moving, no longer shaking, gaze unwavering in a way Yami recognized. That place past tears and beyond terror, where death was so close that there was no room for fear. Fear was all about anticipation, and once the danger was there you just had to move. Where mind and body came together in the logic of survival. It was a place Yami knew well, but had never expected to see Finral.

Vetto unleashed a wave of unformed magic so powerful it shook the cave. Walls cracked, loose rocks falling free. For a moment Yami worried that he'd decided to just bring the place down on all of them. Asta fell through another portal, momentum enough to send him tumbling before landing hard on his side.

But despite the opening, Vetto didn't pursue. Yami waited, but Vetto looked frozen.

Something like foreboding settled cold in Yami's gut, but it wasn't the same as before. It didn't even feel like magic at all, or ki. Not quite. Not that Yami could sense ki through a monitor spell anyway.

Asta stood. He took a step forward. Then another. An invisible power emanated from him, pressing on Yami's chest like he'd held his breath a little too long.

Vetto faltered.

Yami watched, the foreboding growing stronger, but mixed with a certain amount of sadistic satisfaction. Whatever the kid was doing, it was disturbing Vetto more than Yami. Asta picked up speed, and Vetto couldn't even move as the next sword strike cut open his arm. Then another cut to his face. His back, then his other arm. Vetto's eyes were wide and blind with shock.

Can you do what they did? Feel that despair you've been blathering about and fight through it back to hope?

Yami bet he couldn't.

Vetto tried to strike again, but it was uncoordinated and instinctive, born of panic rather than skill.

Asta roared, “Despair... You've lost!”

Asta brought his sword down on Vetto's chest, slamming Vetto into the ground. The impact cratered the rock, sending yet more debris flying. Yami felt the moment Vetto's magic flickered out, his grimoire falling inert next to him.

Chapter Text

Gifso laughed, tears of relief in his eyes. “He did it! He defeated the beast!” On the monitors, Yami watched Finral and Vanessa pull Asta into a slightly-tighter-than-wise hug, given his injuries.

Yami gave himself a few seconds to be relived, looking over his squadmates and the priests. Nobody dead. Not even Kiato, thanks to Vanessa's tourniquet.

Later, Yami'd have to figure out what was up with that weird power he'd felt from Asta at the end. Whatever it was, it'd sure spooked Vetto.

But they had more immediate problems. Yami looked out of the triangle opening he'd cut in Gifso's tower. Sooner or later, the terrorist spatial mage outside was going to figure out that his boss wasn't coming out. Yami didn't know if the guy could open portals, but Yami didn't want to risk him escaping. The Eye of the Midnight Sun having a direct line to the Underwater Temple was too dangerous for everyone living here.

But the Bulls were exhausted, and if anyone else in the Temple could fight, Yami figured they'd have taken a crack at the guy earlier, since he was vulnerable while having to pin down Yami.

“Oi, gramps. Think any of your people can get into the arena without the last creep seeing? Until he's taken care of and your 'game' is over, Finral can't portal anyone out for medical attention, even if he has the mana.” Which Yami doubted.

Gifso leaned around Yami to peer out at the lone terrorist. He looked torn. “I don't know. But now that that monster is down, some of our recovery mages might try.” Yami could guess what he was thinking. His family needed help, but as the leader of the temple, he was worried about more of his people, especially healers, putting themselves in danger.

Finral's raised voice came from the monitor spell, catching Yami's attention. “Seriously, Gauche?! I have seniority!”

Despite everything- or maybe because of it- Yami couldn't help a huff of laughter. Things were back to normal if everyone was giving Finral shit.

But when Vanessa teased him about running away, Finral sighed and smiled. More sincere than Yami expected, Finral said, “It's true that I did want to run away. But when I heard Asta, my body moved on its own.”

Vanessa's expression softened too. “Because you didn't give up, Asta.”

Finral looked a little teary eyed again. “Because you believed in us, we were able to win. Thank you.”

Asta chuckled, looking perfectly at ease despite all of his still-bleeding injuries. “What are you talking about? You're my seniors, who Captain Yami accepted into the Black Bulls. Of course I believe in you.”

Yami felt his own smile turn smug. Damn right. I picked the losers that everyone else overlooked, and it paid off.

Vanessa told Asta, “You sure know how to make a girl smile.”

Finral sniffled, more tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. “Stop making your seniors cry.”

As the excitement of victory gave way to reality, Yami wasn't surprised when it was Asta who said, “We need to figure out a way to tie up that guy and haul him out of here. There's a lot we have to ask him.” Kid had a practical head on his shoulders, even if he was a reckless idiot.

There was a sudden flicker right on the edge of Yami's senses. His stomach dropped.

The whole world pulsed. Relief turned to dread as something primal howled from Yami's soul. Foul, rotten magic spilled out of Vetto's unmoving form. What the hell will it take to make this guy stay down?! Vetto rose up like a devil from hell, somehow even more horrifying than before. The magic that writhed around him made the taint from before feel like meadow air. The feeling of wrong clawed at Yami's throat.

Through the monitor spells, Yami saw Finral's eyes widen in shock. “You're kidding, right?” His voice was shaking, the returned fear overwhelming his exhaustion.

Last time, Yami felt despair.

This time, it emerged as fury. “That bastard!”

Yami barely felt the table smash beneath his fist. “Let me the hell out of here!”

He could see the buildings outside the barrier, less than a hundred yards away and more distant than the stars. His sword was in his hand, body tense, but there was no point. Raw power couldn't break through dimensions. All those years of stares and whispers, but in the end dark magic was just as mundane as earth or wind. Nothing special, nothing otherworldly-

“It's the same as last time!” Finral yelled.

He's right. When Asta hit Licht, and unsealed something. It was the same feeling of doom and destruction. Like the air right before a lightning strike, or standing on the peak of Yultim at the crack of dawn. But it was infused with something far less natural. Yami's gaze was drawn back to the monitor spells.

Finral was pale and sweating, swaying with exhaustion, eyes wide and teeth clenched like he was trying not to throw up. He'd never looked worse, even sick as a dog. The bloody light of Vetto's magic was so strong it tainted Gifso's spells, erasing the blue and bathing everything in a red haze.

Blue.

“The blue doesn't go up forever, did you know? It curves away under you.”

Wait-

“There's nothing, not even air. Just dark space.”

Finral.

Thousand of portals. Holes in space, connecting one place to another through a plane of nothing. And the place where nothing lived...

“Nothing between you and the stars.”

Yami's heart beat faster. He felt the image solidifying in his head, the new magic inking itself into his grimoire. Yami turned back toward the opening in the tower. He raised his sword, inhaling. Dark magic rose from his skin, clean and cold. His mind cleared of everything but one truth.

If there's a place we meet...

Yami brought down his sword, and the world shattered.

Then I can cut anything.

With the spatial bubble burst, Yami jumped out of Gifso's tower. He landed on the terrorist before the man even realized what was going on. The terrorist went down, and Yami kept moving. The scenery of the Underwater Temple flew by in unimportant flashes, all of Yami's focus on his destination. The cave that housed Gifso's arena had started the day unbroken, but now it sported several giant holes from Vetto and Noelle's magic. Yami leaped up and into the closest one.

He heard their voices.

Finral, the fear stripped back out and replaced with determination. “-come this far! I'm not giving up until the end!”

Noelle, haughtiness replaced with the beginnings of actual authority. “There must be something we can still do!”

Asta, still loud, still aggressively undaunted. “Bring it on!”

Yami wasn't too late.

He jumped down from the hole, landing hard on the shattered floor. Not that it mattered, enhancement magic cushioning him from the blow.

They were alive. Under the profound clarity still ringing in his head from the spell, a trace of droll humor drawled, “Right, consider it brought.”

There was a burst of noise from the Bulls, variations on 'Captain!' in surprise and relief.

Except for Finral crying, “Yami! You finally came!”

It'd been years since Yami had told Finral to not to bother with his rank. They had over a dozen members now, but Finral had never started using the title. Yami had never asked him to. It'd never even crossed his mind.

In this moment of clarity, Yami wasn't afraid of the emotion filling his chest when he looked at Finral. He would kill or die for any of the Bulls. Any of the family he'd made in this once-foreign kingdom.

Asta rallied again. “Now that Captain's here, let's beat the snot out of this guy!” Bleeding and shaking with fatigue and pain, barely on his feet, but still ready to go. Yami knew that if he had to, Asta would keep going until his heart gave out.

Good thing he didn't have to.

Yami started toward Vetto, ruffling Asta's hair in passing. “Who do you think you're talking to? Don't get a swelled head.”

Asta stopped, blinking. “What?”

“You guys already risked your lives fighting him.” Yami's eyes swept over all of them, lingering on Finral. “You did good.” Finral was staring at him like the words actually landed for once. Like Asta's presence finally unlocked what Yami had been trying to tell him for years. Maybe Yami would be jealous about that later. But right now, in this place of clarity, there was only satisfaction that Finral could finally hear the sound of his own worth.

Yami stepped past his squad members, looking up at the growing sphere of pulsing magic with Vetto at its heart. “I'll be nice and take care of the cleanup.” He smirked, readjusting his grip on his sword. “Rather, I'm taking all the glory.”

The reason I'm able to surpass my limits is because of you.

Magna and Luck, who gave it their all. Asta, who never gave in. Noelle, who unlocked her fury. Gauche, Grey, and Charmy, who came together. Vanessa, who stood up and rejected a fate she didn't like.

Finral. Finral, who finally realized that he was enough to tip the scales of destiny. That his power mattered, that he mattered.

Loving them wasn't a weakness. It was a strength. Being in love with Finral-

You've always mattered. About time you saw it for yourself, Finral.

Yami raised his sword.

Vetto growled, “It's no use... You humans shall taste despair... Despair!”

Yami didn't feel anything but the certainty of his path. No fear. Not even anger. “It doesn't matter how strong your magic is. This spell cuts through dimensions!”

His blade fell, and the world split in two again. The building magic of destruction choked and dissipated, severed by the cold, clean line of darkness and space. It was probably the sudden change in pressure from the dissipated magic... but for a split second, Yami thought he could see stars.

-being in love with Finral was just another kind of strength.

“See ya, Mister Despair.”