The royal capital buzzed with excitement. Word had spread far and wide that the prestigious Royal Magic Knights Selection Exam was about to begin. Nobles, royals, commoners, and even magic scholars gathered to witness the most promising young mages from across the Clover Kingdom. Among them stood the members of the mysterious new squad: Akatsuki.
Though little was publicly known about them beyond their explosive debut and the overwhelming might of their leader, Asta, whispers followed their black cloaks embroidered with red clouds.
Yuno: "It's time. The stage is set."
Asta (grinning): "Let's show them what Akatsuki is made of!"
Avi (calmly): "Stay sharp. This isn't just an exam—it's a battlefield of politics, power, and hidden agendas."
They entered the royal palace grounds, where captains, vice-captains, and the Wizard King himself observed from high platforms. The stage was designed to test magical aptitude, adaptability, teamwork, and decision-making. But hidden in the background, more than tests awaited. Several factions—disguised nobles, shadow operatives loyal to Lucius, and devil cult remnants—had planted themselves among the crowd or disguised as participants.
Avi, in his limited-reveal identity as a capable but unassuming Akatsuki member, sensed the undercurrents.
Avi (thought): "Lucius... you're not watching idly. And if you're not, neither am I."
---
Round One: Mana Synchronization Trial
In a massive, floating coliseum, the participants were asked to resonate their magic with the kingdom's protective crystal—a relic created by Julius and the royal rune magicians. The resonance was to determine compatibility, potential, and control.
The test seemed simple—until the crystal began violently rejecting several participants, causing magical backlash. Screams erupted. A noble girl fainted. A barrier malfunctioned. Instantly, Asta and Yuno moved.
Asta: "I'll cut through the overflow!"
Yuno: "I'll seal the unstable field with wind pressure. Avi—"
But Avi had already moved, subtly weaving invisible strings of Origin Magic and adjusting the magic frequencies to dampen the crystal's aggression. No one saw it.
Wizard King (thought): "Fascinating. Three from Akatsuki, acting without panic, restoring order. Their chemistry is... almost too perfect."
---
Behind the Scenes: A Clone's Hunt
Outside the exam ground, one of Avi's clones, cloaked in concealment magic, followed a suspicious noble group whispering about sabotage.
They met in a hidden courtyard, guarded by a spatial mage. There, cloaked figures discussed a plan to assassinate a royal examiner who had previously exposed Lucius' failed project years ago.
The clone moved.
In a flash of movement, he subdued the spatial mage and placed memory-dream triggers on the nobles. Their minds would confess subconsciously during dream assessments by magical interrogators later.
Clone (smirking): "Lucius, even your seeds will rot before they sprout."
---
Round Two: Magic Terrain Adaptation Trial
Each group of three was dropped into magically altered terrain: burning deserts, gravity fields, poison fog marshes.
Asta, Yuno, and a girl from the Coral Peacocks were placed into an unstable temporal zone—time constantly sped and slowed. The goal: retrieve a relic at the center.
Yuno: "The flow of time here… it's mimicking Time Magic signatures."
Asta: "Even my anti-magic swings are lagging or zipping past."
Peacock Mage: "I—I can't focus. My healing is unstable."
Avi, already sensing a trap, had placed a counter-sigil on their clothes. The sigil stabilized the flow just enough. As the group advanced, spectral monsters—beings made of fragmented time—attacked.
Asta: "This is no ordinary test!"
Yuno: "We're being watched by more than just the judges."
They fought together. Asta cleared the path. Yuno carried the injured. The Peacock Mage boosted their stamina. They retrieved the relic.
And again, unknown to others, Avi had triggered an anti-surveillance mirror that blocked Lucius' spies for a brief period.
Avi (thought): "I won't allow anyone to interfere. Not now. Not with them."
---
Elsewhere: The Devil's Residue
At the borders of the zone, one of Avi's long-range projection constructs found something alarming: Word Magic residue. Hidden within a "scrapped" relic left for decoration, a rune pulsed.
It was faint, but it bore Zagred's mark—likely a backup catalyst meant to awaken dormant hatred among the elf reincarnated souls still lurking deep within magic structures.
Avi marked it, sealed it with Origin Runes, and prepared a full cleansing ritual post-exam. He couldn't allow the elf reincarnation arc to begin earlier.
Avi (thought): "You play your pieces, Zagred. I break your board."
---
Round Three: Battle of the Crests
The final trial was a free-for-all. A battle royale where mages competed to steal magic crests from each other. Teams could betray, ally, or go solo. It was pure chaos.
Asta: "Oh, this is my kind of game!"
Yuno: "Tread carefully. They'll come at us in waves."
Avi (smiling faintly): "Let them."
Teams attacked them from all directions. Fireballs, ice spears, gravity pulls. The Akatsuki trio moved like clockwork. Asta's brute power, Yuno's surgical wind, and Avi's subtle support made them nearly untouchable.
At one point, a trio of royal mages working under House Kira tried a sneak curse attack, targeting Asta's mind.
Avi (softly whispering a chant): "Nullify. Reverse. Forget."
The curse backfired.
Judges stared in disbelief as the trio collected 27 crests in under 30 minutes. None of them used flashy ultimate moves. Their efficiency was unsettling.
Wizard King (smiling): "They're not just powerful. They're practiced. Someone's guiding them. Someone... in the shadows."
---
Aftermath: Back at the Palace
Once the trials ended, Julius and the other captains gathered to review the exam.
Captain Charlotte: "Those three… they didn't act like new recruits."
Captain Yami: "That Asta kid's gotten even tougher. The wind brat too. But that third one... I can't read him."
Julius: "A mystery worth watching. Let's promote them. Give them tasks closer to the core."
In the shadows, Lucius received his own report.
Lucius: "So… Akatsuki grows. The child with Anti-Magic thrives. The Wind Spirit bonds strengthen. But the third… he's a ghost in our records. No birth. No trace. Just presence."
He smiled faintly.
Lucius: "No matter. All pawns must eventually show their hand."
---
Back at the Akatsuki Base
Avi stood before the great mana map again. Dozens of threads shimmered. Elf souls, devil remnants, Lucius' schemes, Heart Kingdom's runes, and Spade Kingdom's shadow cults. He tugged at one.
A visual of Fuegoleon appeared. He would soon face Licht's ambush. A moment of fate. One that required precise, invisible intervention.
Avi (thought): "Next step... saving the lion. Quietly. From behind the veil."
[To be continued in Chapter 21...]