A wave of excitement swept through the crowd as the Captains of the Magic Knights revealed themselves. Every squad was represented, from the prestigious Golden Dawn to the infamous Black Bulls.
William Vangeance, Captain of the Golden Dawn, stepped forward. He raised his grimoire, and his voice cut through the chatter. "[Magic Tree, Descend]."
Instantly, the sky darkened as thick clouds blotted out the sun. From the center of this gloom, a vibrant green light erupted, and from that light, a massive, spectral tree began to grow. It stretched its luminous branches over the participants, and from each twig, a single broom sprouted and gently descended into the hands of a hopeful mage.
As the last broom was distributed, the clouds dissolved, and the sky returned to its clear blue. William closed his grimoire. "We will now begin the Magic Knights Entrance Exam," he announced, before detailing the rules to the assembled participants.
While William spoke, Kaiba's attention was fixed on the Captains, his eyes sharp as he tried to gauge their power.
'Soon, I will surpass them all,'he thought.
The first test was a simple assessment of their broom-flying skills. For Kaiba, who regularly traveled the vast distance between Nairn and Kikka, this was child's play. He completed the basic maneuvers with effortless grace. The only others who showed similar ease were a few nobles and Yuno, the protagonist's best friend and rival.
Kaiba glanced at Yuno for a moment before his gaze drifted downward, scanning the field for the protagonist himself. He quickly spotted Asta, the boy from Hage, struggling wildly. Asta's face was screwed up in a comical struggle as he wrestled with his uncooperative broom.
'Asta, what is with that face?'Kaiba chuckled to himself.
Seeing an opportunity, Kaiba decided to impress the judging Captains. He kicked his broom into a dazzling display of skill, weaving through the air as if the broom were an extension of himself.
He darted between other participants, stopping a hair's breadth from a collision, then leaped from his broom, spun it in a full 360-degree arc, and landed back on the shaft with flawless balance.
The Captains took notice, visibly impressed by the exceptional control and flair he demonstrated, a stark contrast to the fumbling efforts of most other applicants.
The next test was the Magical Ability Exam. A towering stone wall materialized in front of each participant, their objective simple: destroy it.
Kaiba cracked his knuckles and uttered the command, "[Duel!]"
As always, his grimoire transformed in a flash of light, morphing into a futuristic gauntlet on his arm and a communication device on his left ear. He accessed the gauntlet's interface, and five holographic cards fanned out in his hand. Among them was the same card that had nearly killed him: Crimson Nova. The others were Reptilianne Servant, Three-Headed Geedo, Dragonic Guard, and Botanical Lion.
'This one will do,' he thought, making his selection. "I summon Botanical Lion!"
Energy swirled in front of him, solidifying into the form of a powerful, plant-covered beast with sharp, wooden claws. With a simple mental command from Kaiba, the creature roared and lunged. In a single, devastating blow, it shattered the stone wall into rubble.
A murmur of surprise rippled through the Captains. Summoning magic was rare, and the flawless execution demonstrated exceptional control.
"The boy uses Summon Magic," a red-haired man mused aloud. It was Fuegoleon Vermillion, Captain of the Crimson Lions. "His control is excellent. I wonder what other creatures his arsenal holds."
The youngest captain, Rill Boismortier of the Aqua Deer, was practically vibrating with excitement, his artist's eyes glued to the Botanical Lion. "I've never seen a monster like that! I hope he shows us more. The possibilities for a painting would be incredible!"
The next examination was Magical Ability Control. Each participant was given a single sheet of paper and instructed to levitate and maneuver it through the air using only their mana. Kaiba accomplished this with effortless precision, his paper dancing through complex patterns without a single falter.
This was immediately followed by the Creation Magic Exam. The task was to form a solid object from pure mana. While others struggled to manifest simple shapes, Kaiba concentrated, and a familiar, dinosaur-like creature composed of shimmering, light-blue energy materialized before him, Agumon.
Next was the Developmental Magic Exam. William Vangeance presented each aspirant with a single seed. Their challenge was to accelerate its growth. Channeling his mana, Kaiba coaxed the seed to swiftly sprout, vine, and bloom, a task he found relatively simple compared to the trials he had already overcome.
"And now, for the final examination," William's voice rang out, silencing the murmurs. "You will engage in combat."
A wave of anxious whispers spread through the crowd, though a few remained stoically silent. Kaiba was among them, quietly stretching and preparing his body. He couldn't afford to lose focus; a single mistake could mean failure.
Fuegoleon Vermillion stood, his presence commanding immediate attention. "You will choose a partner to fight against, and you are permitted to use your grimoire. Remember this: fighting is our duty, but protecting the kingdom is our ultimate responsibility. Show us the true extent of your abilities!"
William added, "The match will conclude when one combatant yields or is rendered unable to continue. Do not fear serious injury; we have skilled healing mages on standby."
Everyone erupted into a frenzy of shouted challenges and hasty alliances as they scrambled to choose their opponents. While the chaos unfolded, Kaiba's eyes locked onto a single target: Asta, who was spinning in a panic, his head on a swivel as he searched for a fight.
Kaiba's goal was simple. If he wanted a true challenge to push his limits, he would fight Asta, one of the exam's most notorious powerhouses. He was done playing it safe; it was time to gain real experience, not cower from a fight.
"Hey, dwarf!" Kaiba's voice cut through the din.
Asta whirled around, pointing a finger at his own chest. "Huh? Me?"
"Yeah, you," Kaiba confirmed, a sharp grin spreading across his face. "Let's fight."
"Really?!" Asta's panic vanished, replaced by pure exhilaration. He bounded closer, his eyes shining with excitement.
"Yeah. You look strong," Kaiba said. It wasn't flattery; he genuinely meant it. A protagonist in a setting like this couldn't possibly be weak, unless your name was Kinoshita Kazuya, but this was clearly a different league.
"Alright! I'm fired up! Thank you for choosing me as your opponent!" Asta beamed, vigorously shaking Kaiba's hand with a grip that was surprisingly powerful.
Nearby, Sekke Bronzazza let out a quiet sigh of relief. The blonde-haired braggart had been eyeing Asta as an easy target, but seeing him claimed by the intimidating Kaiba, he quickly slunk away to find a less daunting participant.
. . . .
Kaiba and Asta stood facing each other. Kaiba fell into a low stance, muscles coiled like a spring as he prepared to rush forward.
Across from him, Asta stood his ground, a bead of sweat tracing his temple. The intensity of Kaiba's focus was unnerving; he was being taken completely seriously.
"Choosing the easiest target," Fuegoleon muttered under his breath, his arms crossed. "How unmanly."
Among the other Magic Knights captains, reactions were mixed. While they understood it was a legitimate, if cynical, strategy to target the seemingly weakest participant, a few couldn't hide their disappointment. Yet, a thread of curiosity remained. They were all interested to see how Kaiba's magic would fare, even against an opponent like Asta.
A similar chorus of whispers rose from the other exam participants, who were observing from the covered outer ring of the colosseum, safe from the blazing sun.
"He picked the weakest one. Lucky him."
"I should've been the one to call him out first."
But among the crowd, Yuno was the only one smiling. He couldn't wait to see Asta prove them all wrong. A small part of him was even impressed that Kaiba hadn't dismissed Asta as a joke.
On the stage, Asta broke the tension. "What's your name?"
"Seto Kaiba," he replied coolly.
"I'm Asta! The man who will become the Wizard King!" As always, Asta declared his dream without a hint of shame. A wave of laughter rippled through the colosseum, but he ignored it completely. "Let's both give our all in a fair fight!"
Kaiba gave a single, sharp nod.
The referee, standing between them, raised his hand and brought it down sharply. "Begin!"
"[DUEL]!" Kaiba activated the spell. His grimoire dissolved in a flash of light, morphing into a futuristic gauntlet on his right arm and a communication device on his left ear.
Without hesitation, Asta rushed forward, pulling his massive Demon-Slayer Sword from his own grimoire.
As he ran, Kaiba's gauntlet whirred to life, ejecting five cards that materialized as shimmering holograms beside him:
· Reptilianne Servant
· Dark Mimic LV 3
· Dragonic Guard
· Crimson Nova
· Eidos the Underworld Monarch
But Kaiba didn't wait. Channeling raw mana throughout his body, he surged forward to meet Asta's charge. In an instant, his speed eclipsed Asta's.
They closed the distance. Asta led with a powerful horizontal slash. Kaiba reacted instantly, leaning his upper body back just enough for the blade to whistle past his chest. As he dodged, he commanded, "Dragonic Guard, come out!"
From a rift in the sky, Dragonic Guard descended, its own blade already swinging down at Asta. With a grunt, Asta was forced to redirect his own sword to block the aerial assault.
The parry created the opening Kaiba needed. He lunged forward, driving his shoulder into Asta for a full-body tackle. The impact sent Asta skidding backward, but he managed to arrest his momentum by jamming his sword into the ground like an anchor, carving a furrow in the stone.
Asta looked up, a fierce grin spreading across his face. This was the kind of difficult fight he craved.
Kaiba readied his next move, Dragonic Guard standing menacingly at his side.
A stunned silence fell over the colosseum, followed by a wave of murmurs. The spectators were shocked by the explosive exchange, but most of all, they were stunned by Asta, a boy with no mana, not only holding his own but weathering the assault with sheer, brute strength.
A low whistle came from the observation deck. Yami Sukehiro, Captain of the Black Bulls, grinned around his cigarette. "Wow. I knew the kid was physically strong, but I didn't expect him to already be at the level of a 5th-Class Junior Magic Knight."
Around him, the other Captains offered nods of grudging agreement. Asta had undeniably demonstrated that level of power. While some still struggled to reconcile his complete lack of magic with his performance, others were already beginning to accept that their initial assessments had been wrong.
From what they had just witnessed, both Kaiba and Asta were operating at a tier far beyond a typical novice.
Back in the arena, Kaiba watched as Asta steadied himself. "Are you done?" he asked, his tone challenging.
"Done?" Asta shot back, a fierce grin spreading across his face as he tightened his grip on the Demon-Slayer's hilt. "No way! This is just the start!"
A sharp smirk tugged at Kaiba's lips. The air crackled between them as the two combatants prepared to unleash everything they had.
— X —
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