The next morning.
"Let's go!"
Noelle created a giant water sphere, enveloping the Black Bulls members within it. The rotating sphere moved deeper into the sea.
"So beautiful!"
"Wow! What kind of fish is that?!"
The underwater world was as magnificent as ever. Even though Adam had been there once before, he was still excited.
In the Strong Magic Zone, several underwater whirlpools blocked the water sphere's progress.
"Noelle, you can do it!"
Noelle cheered herself on silently, controlling the water sphere to navigate through the gaps in the whirlpools. The currents from the underwater whirlpools made the sphere spin, and Adam was on the verge of throwing up.
"Keep going! Almost there!"
Ahead was a dazzling white light. Noelle controlled the water sphere, charging through it in one go.
"Look! A magic barrier," Noelle shouted.
A semi-circular magic barrier seemed to enclose something.
"How are we supposed to get in?" Asta asked then.
"Kid, of course, you'll use your Anti-Magic!"
Yami grabbed Asta's head and, with all his might, threw him directly over.
"Ah!"
Asta held his breath, pulled out his dormant devil's sword, and directly cut a large hole in the magic barrier. The others rushed in right behind him.
"I can't... Ugh!"
Asta opened his eyes. There was no water inside the magic barrier!
White buildings, resembling two clouds intertwined, appeared before everyone.
"Charmy, let me borrow your cotton for a bit."
"Okay!"
Charmy made a "flying carpet" out of cotton, carrying everyone towards the center inside the barrier.
"There are people!" Asta exclaimed in surprise.
The people here were no different from those on the mainland; they were all ordinary commoners.
No! This place was as remote as Hage Village, so their status, like Adam's and Asta's, was that of "lower-class people."
"I thought there would be mermaids!"
Adam was truly disappointed for nothing. Why didn't the people here have tails? Why were there no mermaids underwater?!
"They're outsiders!"
An underwater native shouted, and the Black Bulls members were immediately surrounded.
"No outsiders have come here in a long time."
"Are you from the Magic Knights?"
"Your clothes are so beautiful!"
These people probably saw the Black Bulls insignia on Adam and the others, and immediately greeted them with great enthusiasm.
"Where is your temple's leader?" Yami asked menacingly.
"If you're looking for the High Priest, he's at the very top of the steps." A middle-aged man pointed upwards. The Black Bulls members looked up to see a massive twin-cloud building standing at the highest point of the space's core.
"I'll take you there!"
Adam scanned his surroundings. The people here seemed a bit too friendly.
Of course, if outsiders went to Hage Village, everyone there would also be very kind.
Still, it's better to be careful!
Adam quietly followed behind everyone. These steps were quite high, so it seemed the High Priest, as mentioned by the villagers, held the most esteemed status here.
"We're here. This is the High Priest's palace."
The palace's main gate opened automatically. The Black Bulls members all moved forward, and Adam deliberately walked behind the others. He felt that things were going a bit too smoothly.
With Asta, the King of Trouble, here, things wouldn't be that simple.
"If you come back, let's have a good chat!"
The villagers' simple voices made Adam feel like he might be overthinking things.
"Thanks!" Asta even waved and shouted.
"If you can come back!"
Bang!
The palace gate slammed shut. Everyone except Adam had walked too fast and hadn't heard the villagers' ill-intentioned words.
"Dragon Blast!"
Adam turned and fired a beam of light at the gate. The door was quite sturdy; it only cracked and didn't completely shatter.
"He heard what we said just now, didn't he?!"
The villagers outside the door were startled and suddenly at a loss.
Seeing that the gate wasn't as sturdy as he'd imagined, Adam turned and chased after the Black Bulls members ahead.
"Adam! What are you doing?!"
Such a loud noise, everyone heard it. Asta quickly ran to Adam's side and shouted, "That's so rude! We haven't even met the owner here, and you've already damaged their main gate!"
"Asta, when will you grow up a bit?"
Adam sighed, and like a benevolent old father, he patted Asta's head.
"Adam, you're not allowed to make that expression."
Asta's fur instantly bristled. He and Yuno had been subjected to Adam's "loving care" since childhood. Even though they were all the same age, Adam's demeanor deeply hurt their "little hearts."
This was why Yuno didn't like to bother with Adam. "I treat you like a brother, but you insist on making me feel like you're a generation older. It's simply outrageous."
The Black Bulls members had never seen such a scene before and were all a bit speechless.
"Let's go!"
Yami urged them. On the surface, he seemed indifferent, but inwardly, he felt a bit strange. Was this kid perhaps a bit too mature?...
"Hey! Is anyone there?"
The Black Bulls members arrived in a spacious cave. The surroundings were somewhat gloomy, not looking like a place good people would live.
"Oh my, what's that?!"
Whoosh!
A giant strange fish attacked from behind everyone. Gauche, Magna, and Luck immediately attacked it. Three beams of light struck the strange fish, and it instantly turned into white light and dissipated.
"Oh ho ho, welcome to the Sea Temple. This old man is the High Priest here."
An old man with very long hair and beard came before the Black Bulls members and introduced himself.
"Your goal is the magic stone, isn't it? If you want it, play a game with me."
As soon as the old man finished speaking, Adam stepped forward, grabbed his beard, and his eyes flickered with electric light, making sizzling sounds.
"Hey, old man, stop stalling. Hand over the magic stone now, or I'll finish you off."
Delay breeds trouble!
Adam, imitating Yami, decided to make it a quick fight. The Black Bulls members were somewhat shocked! Adam's imitation was spot on.
"You brat!"
Yami grabbed Adam, threw him aside, and said to the white-haired old man with a menacing tone, "Tell us! What game are we playing? Let this game master here have a go at you."
It definitely won't be cards!
Adam was a bit speechless. If the captain was like this, how could the members below be any good?
The old man bluffed for a while, saying that after winning the game, he would treat everyone to good food and drinks, and even prepare exciting little performances, which made the Black Bulls members' hearts stir.
The minority obeys the majority, so they had to play with this guy first.
"We'll play Temple Battle Royale! Yay!"
This old man, despite his age, was excitedly rolling on the ground. Adam really wanted to go up and kick him a couple of times.
"Come out!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Several people wearing masks of sea creatures appeared from nowhere.
"Finally, foreign Mages have come in!"
"The fish spoke!" Asta exclaimed!
"Then, let the game begin!"
Water jetted from the ground, engulfing the Sea Temple priests and the Black Bulls members. Adam directly transformed into a fish and, following the current, entered the temple.
"I've scattered you all throughout the temple. Afterwards, you will have a 10 vs 10 duel with 10 priests. The team that eliminates the opposing team first wins!"
The High Priest's voice echoed from the air. These were truly simple and easy-to-understand rules.
Adam, who had landed in the lake, hadn't yet returned to human form, but the jade pendant on his chest lit up again.
"It didn't light up when I went into the sea earlier, so I thought the treasure had been taken."
Adam finally got excited. Nothing was more thrilling than gaining strength!
Wait, there were 11 people in total, why was one missing?
At this moment, Captain Yami was watching the competition with the white-bearded old man. There were also many delicacies on the table, and the two were drinking as they watched.