"It feels somewhat familiar…"
Adam watched Latin's receding figure. After circling in the air, he let out a loud cry.
From then on, there would be no more super farms… Latin followed the mysterious orb's guidance, heading towards the Diamond Kingdom.
Adam also left the area. He received a message from Leona and flew towards the Royal Capital.
These two "old friends" almost met… At the Royal Knights selection venue.
The first stage of the competition had completely ended, and participants like Magna had all passed the first round of selection.
It was quite surprising that Finral, the coward, actually dared to directly confront his foolish otōto (younger brother).
"I will definitely win."
That didn't sound like something this man would say.
Rill, the Captain of the Azure Deer, had secretly signed up for this competition to reverse his Knight Order's reputation as the lowest-ranked.
Was there no one else in his Knight Order? The Captain himself had to step in.
It was a complete landslide; Rill single-handedly dominated the first match.
Regarded as a monster by his family, he treated the battlefield as a canvas to paint his most perfect work.
Sea Serpent versus Sea Dragon, a wave clash with no suspense. Noelle once again proved herself, defeating Solido.
"I am no longer weak!"
Noelle's heartfelt cry shattered years of insecurity.
"The second stage, first match, now begins!"
A pink sea of flowers swept across the entire arena, but the black demon possessed the power to destroy everything. Whether it was traps or flower seas, Asta obliterated them all.
The battle entered a heated phase… Royal Capital, Vermillion Family Estate.
Magnificent and opulent, Adam was beyond words to describe this massive estate.
Compared to the Royal Family's residence, the Black Bulls Headquarters wasn't even fit to be a toilet.
"Comparing oneself to others is truly infuriating."
As Adam walked through, no Royal Family guards stopped him. It seemed Leona must have given prior notice.
Adam didn't believe that the rumors about him alone could scare everyone.
Only by seeing if someone was human or ghost could the truth be discerned.
"Adam, over here."
Leona, dressed in white training attire, waved at Adam from the castle entrance.
"I have a bad feeling about this."
Adam felt a little uneasy. He approached Leona and said, somewhat uncertainly, "You didn't call me here just to be your punching bag, did you?"
"You guessed it."
Leona's smug smile made Adam's mouth twitch unconsciously. He immediately shouted, "No way, absolutely not! I only came because you said there was something good. I didn't expect it to be sparring with you…"
"There's a reward after the spar!" Leona said with a hint of mystery on her face.
"Haha, glad to be of service!"
Adam's expression changed rapidly. He grinned widely and said, "I love sparring. It's a great way to improve my combat experience."
"Then let's go!"
Leona led Adam into the castle. After passing through the luxurious hall, they arrived at the entrance to the house's basement.
"This is where I practice magic at home."
Leona opened the basement door. Inside was a world of its own, not a simple training ground, but a fiery environment created with magic.
A wave of heat washed over them, and Adam felt his whole body warm up. This was simply a cultivation sanctuary for Fire Mages.
"Adam, come on!"
Leona took a fighting stance, her entire magical power surging.
"You'll spar with me using fire magic. Once the Royal Knights are formed, it will be time to counterattack the Eye of the Midnight Sun. I need to train hard."
Hearing Leona's words, Adam curiously asked, "So, you'll be leading a team too?"
"Of course, I must avenge my foolish brother, who is currently in a coma."
Leona stomped, creating a large hole, and lunged at Adam.
"There should be a prize for the battle."
"What do you want?"
"We'll talk after the fight!"
Adam unleashed astonishing power, his entire body covered in flames. This was the embodiment of dragon and pig combined with the power of the Flame Demon.
Containing the boundless strength of an ox, Adam's fist and Leona's fist collided, making the temperature in the entire basement even hotter.
"Again."
The two were pure wild beasts. This sense of fist-to-flesh impact brought excited expressions to their faces.
"Again."
...At the Royal Knights selection venue.
In the first match, the team led by Vice-Captain Kirsch of the Coral Peacock lost to Asta's team, which greatly displeased the King who was watching, as he was very vengeful.
He still hadn't gotten over Asta and Yuno's mockery.
The second match was a battle of destiny: the showdown between the useless older brother and the genius younger brother, a drama of parental favoritism and arranged family marriage.
The malicious younger brother was determined to personally destroy his foolish older brother.
"Langris, no matter what you think, you are still my otōto (younger brother)."
A massive magical power erupted from Langris. Finral felt he had encountered this unsettling magic somewhere before.
The Three Demon Eyes!
"As expected."
The Magic Emperor's expression showed a hint of realization.
"Langris, stop!"
"Nii-chan, what do you know about me? You left without a care, a coward who can't even hurt others. Don't act like an older brother."
Defense and offense intertwined, green and purple merging. Finral ultimately couldn't withstand his brother's attack.
"Disappear!"
Langris slowly raised his right hand. He would never admit that, deep down, he was extremely jealous of this gentle older brother.
So, please disappear!
"Stop!"
"Roar!" With a dragon's roar, Xiao Lan (Little Blue) appeared behind Langris. If this human dared to move, it would directly devour him.
The Black Bulls members, standing on Charmy's Cotton Chef, directly launched themselves onto the battlefield.
"If you dare to move, I'll kill you."
Magna held a flaming baseball bat on his left, Luck was fully armored with lightning on his right, and Asta, holding his Demon-Dweller Sword, stood in front of Finral.
All the Black Bulls members were poised to strike. If Langris dared to move, they would kill him.
"That's enough."
The Magic Emperor teleported using Spatial Magic, putting an end to the farce.
Owen, the kingdom's worst quack doctor, rushed to Finral's side to treat him.
This unconscious traitor had reached the point of abandoning all familial ties, even trying to kill his once-favorite Nii-chan.
"I've always disliked you, you Black Bulls members."
After saying that, Langris was about to attack Asta with Spatial Magic.
"Roar!"
Xiao Lan (Little Blue) let out a deafening roar, about to devour this disobedient human.
"That's enough."
The Magic Emperor used the cheap trick of Time Binding, trapping Langris and Xiao Lan (Little Blue) in Spatial Magic.
The semifinals were about to begin!
...Inside the basement built by Leona.
"Exhilarating!"
Leona was drenched in sweat. It had been a long time since she had experienced such high-intensity training.
Adam's hands were numb. He had used the strength of an ox, and even though this power was only at its second stage, it was not something ordinary people could match.
Indeed, they were meant to be dragon and phoenix twins; truly extraordinary.
"Continue."
Leona's eyes held a fiery glint. This battle maniac hadn't even noticed that her clothes were soaked, revealing her devilish figure in full.
Gulp~
Adam swallowed. To test someone with this… who could resist such temptation?
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, let's begin!"