For a second, silence ruled the coliseum.
Then came the uproar.
" What the hell was that?"
"It destroyed the entire pillar reinforced with runes."
"It broke the barrier in one shot!"
Commoners cheered in disbelief. Nobles whispered furiously, half frightened, half fascinated.
Up in the royal box, Julius's eyes glimmered with barely contained excitement.
"Fascinating…" he said under his breath. "That weapon doesn't amplify magic — it converts it. It absorbs surrounding mana, refines it, and transmutes it into the unique mana that boy wields."
The King shifted in his seat, feigning indifference but clearly rattled. " Find out where that commoner got such a powerful artifact."
A mages standing behind bowed and left the room.
Down on the field, Asta lowered the smoking weapon, grinning wide. "Direct hit!"
Yuno, still hovering calmly nearby, gave the faintest smirk. "You're still showing off."
"Hey, if it works, it works!" Asta laughed, spinning the gun lightly before the Ven-Drive absorbed it back into his arm with a soft hiss of steam.
The crowd erupted again — laughter, cheers, disbelief blending into a single roar.
And above them, Nova leaned back in his seat, watching with quiet satisfaction.
---
After the sound of explosions and shattered targets faded, Captain William Vangeance once again stepped forward.
"The next test," he announced, "is one of balance and precision — the Plant Growth Test."
He gestured lightly, and with a faint pulse of mana, small circular stone pedestals rose from the ground across the field. On each rested a single seed, glowing faintly with neutral mana.
" You are to pour your mana into the seed before you," William continued. "The strength of your control will determine how much life it can nurture."
The crowd quieted again as candidates moved into position, each standing before their own seed.
From his seat above, Nova leaned back slightly, one hand resting under his chin as his gaze followed Asta. His expression was calm, but his thoughts ran sharp.
Good thing I modified the Ven-Drive to absorb and store mana, he mused silently. Without that feature, Asta wouldn't be able to participate in this one at all. Anti-magic and growth spells don't exactly mix.
He sighed quietly, watching the boy scratch his head with visible confusion. Still… I should've added a brainwave assist mode for idiots. Would've saved me the headache.
On the field, the test began.
Hundreds of grimoires fluttered open once more, their pages shining with gentle light. Candidates raised their hands and released streams of mana into their seeds.
In seconds, tiny roots sprouted, followed by stems and leaves bursting into life. Some grew small flowers; others, tall saplings that shimmered with color. The crowd murmured in appreciation, the commoners cheering whenever one grew faster than the rest.
Then came Yuno.
His golden grimoire floated open beside him, wind swirling softly around his hand. He directed the flow of his mana like an artist guiding a brushstroke. His seed responded instantly, sprouting upward with grace, intertwining air currents forming a protective spiral around it.
Within moments, Yuno's seed became a slender, radiant tree shimmering with faint golden wind particles.
The stands once again erupted.
From the captains' section, a few heads nodded in approval. The others simply stared, impressed but silent.
And then… all eyes turned toward Asta.
He stood awkwardly in front of his pedestal, brow furrowed, staring at the small, lifeless seed.
"Uh…" he muttered, scratching his cheek. "How am I supposed to make this grow?"
The silence that followed was heavy. Even the commoners, who'd been cheering moments ago, tilted their heads in mild confusion.
Nova, up in the stands, dragged a hand down his face.
Of course. He's Asta. The loud, headstrong protagonist who rushes into every fight like a headless bull but can't connect the dots when it comes to finesse.
Celise glanced sideways at him. "He looks… lost."
Nova exhaled deeply, muttering under his breath. "He's not lost. He's thinking, and may keep thinking until the end of the day and wouldn't find the damn answer."
Down below, Asta suddenly perked up — his eyes flicking briefly toward Nova's direction, like he'd heard him speak in his mind. But before anyone could say a word, he looked back at the seed, determination flashing in his gaze.
The Ven-Drive on his arm shimmered, plates shifting. The weapon dissolved from its previous form, morphing into something new — a sleek, compact wand, smooth and faintly glowing with a restrained crimson hue.
Asta held it steady, his expression uncharacteristically focused. "Alright… let's try this."
The wand began to hum, absorbing mana from the air around him. Wisps of blue and green light coiled toward its core, swirling like mist.
The captains felt it immediately — the faint draining pull of ambient mana. But unlike before, this time the artifact didn't turn it into destructive anti-magic, under Asta's deliberate control.
Carefully, Asta lowered the wand toward the seed and released the stored energy.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then the seed quivered.
A faint pulse of life rippled through the soil. A delicate sprout broke through, stretching upward shyly into the light. Its tiny leaves unfurled, trembling, until it became a small, vibrant green sapling.
It wasn't tall. It wasn't radiant. But it was alive — grown through balance, not destruction.
A collective murmur spread through the audience.
"He… did it?"
"Wait, how? He doesn't even have mana!"
" That artifact is really something else."
Julius leaned forward, eyes bright with wonder. "He suppressed his anti-magic flow and used external mana instead. Ingenious — instinctive, even. He's learning to guide power rather than erase it."
Even Yami, who'd been quiet, chuckled softly from his spot among the captains. "Heh. Not bad, kid. Guess there's more to that musclehead than swinging swords and yelling."
As the crowd's reactions swelled again, Asta scratched the back of his neck, looking at the small plant proudly. "Hah! It's not big, but it's something!"
Up in the stands, Nova couldn't help but smirk.
When the murmurs from the plant test finally died down, William Vangeance raised his hand once more. His voice echoed clearly across the arena, calm yet carrying quiet authority.
"This will be the final test," he announced. "You will now face one another in combat. There are no teams, no second chances — simply defeat your opponent. You may use any form of magic or ability at your disposal. The only rule: no killing."
A ripple of energy went through the crowd — excitement, nervousness, and anticipation blending together. The candidates looked around, eyes darting from one face to another, already measuring their chances.
Down on the field, whispers began to spread like wildfire.
"Who do we challenge first?"
"Pick someone who can't even hold their broom!"
"Forget those two — no one's dumb enough to fight them."
Everyone knew exactly who them meant.
Yuno — the boy with the four-leaf clover grimoire whose name was already spreading across the capital like a rumor.
And Asta — the loud, unpredictable commoner with that strange artifact that had defied every test so far.
Most candidates weren't stupid enough to tempt humiliation.
"You're crazy if you think I'm fighting him!"
"No way I'm touching that metal-winged freak!"
"Forget it — I like living."
Still, there were a few who couldn't keep their mouths shut.
"BAH-HA! What a bunch of cowards!"
The familiar, grating voice made heads turn. Sekke Bronzazza swaggered into view, wearing his usual smug grin.
"You think the great Sekke fears anyone here? Please! I'll crush whoever dares to face me! BAH-HA!"
He puffed his chest out proudly — only to notice that neither Yuno nor Asta even looked in his direction.
A nearby contestant, clearly desperate to pass, sighed and pointed at him. "You. Sure, I'll fight you."
Sekke blinked. "Huh?"
"Yeah, I just need to win once. You seem easy enough."
The entire section erupted into laughter. Sekke's face turned red, and he stomped forward, yelling, "Y-you'll regret this! I'll show you my Bronze Magic: Sekke Magnum Cannonball! BAH-HA!"
As the crowd watched him clumsily roll himself into his bronze sphere, Nova let out a long exhale from the stands. I swear, this man's purpose in life is to provide background comedy.
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CHAPTER:- [131 - TEASING CELISE] IS AVAILABLE ON MY P@TREON