After passing through the spatial ring, a strange building came into view.
A pitch-black, somewhat dilapidated castle stood before them.
Yami Sukehiro yawned and said, "Yo, welcome to the worst and most wretched squad in the Magic Knights, the Black Bulls, you brats."
Asta stared at the ruined fortress with sparkling eyes and said, "So cool!"
Brushing the dust off himself, he ran toward the gate and shouted, "Hello everyone, I'm Asta, joining today!"
BOOM!
A violent explosion blasted the gate apart. The short Asta was pushed back by the shockwave as the entire gate flew off its hinges.
Two people wearing Black Bull robes were fighting fiercely in front of the entrance.
An orange-haired youth grinned excitedly and shouted, "Magna, can you go any faster? Fight me!"
"Damn it!" Magna Swing roared while flames covered his body.
"Stop dodging if you've got the guts! A real man fights head-to-head! Relying on speed isn't manly at all!"
These two were clearly the battle maniac Luck Voltia and the fiery delinquent Magna Swing.
At that moment, a long-haired woman in a Black Bull robe suddenly wrapped her arm around Yami's shoulder and said, "Captain, let's have a drink together."
This was Vanessa Enoteca, the witch who loved wine.
Her robe hung loosely over her body, revealing that she was wearing nothing but underwear underneath.
Cedric subconsciously adjusted his pants to avoid an embarrassing situation.
Asta stared at Vanessa's nearly naked body, his face turning bright red as blood trickled from his nose and he said, "In my heart, there is only Sister Lily."
"Quiet down, all of you, and stop destroying the base," Yami said lazily as he punched the wall beside him.
CRASH!
Half the wall collapsed instantly.
Yami casually pointed at Asta and Cedric and said, "These are the new brats joining the squad, so you'd better show some unity and love, got it?"
The other members immediately stood up straight.
Definitely not because they were scared.
Absolutely out of pure respect.
A blond man stepped forward and introduced himself with a grin, "I'm Finral Roulacase, so if you have any cute older sisters, please introduce them to me."
Finral then pointed at a gloomy man with dark circles under his eyes and said, "This is Gordon Agrippa, but no one really knows what he's thinking most of the time."
Around them stood the other Black Bulls.
The battle-crazy Luck.
The hot-blooded delinquent Magna.
Vanessa with a wine bottle in her hand.
Charmy Pappitson, who was constantly eating.
Gauche Adlai, who had a sister complex.
And Grey, who hid behind transformation magic all day.
To put it bluntly, they were all weirdos.
Not a single normal person in the group.
Magna looked at Asta and Cedric and said, "Newcomers have to take an initiation test, so you, shorty, you're first."
"Aaaah, I'm first?" Asta shouted excitedly. "Awesome!"
Asta happily followed Magna outside the fortress.
Magna cracked his knuckles and said proudly, "Kid, watch closely, because this is what a real man's magic looks like."
"Fire Magic: Exploding Fireball!"
A blazing fireball shot toward Asta.
Asta immediately pulled out his anti-magic sword and swung it forward, slicing the fireball clean in half.
The flames disappeared instantly.
Magna stared in surprise and said, "Interesting, that straightforward fighting style of yours is pretty good, kid, and I acknowledge you as a man."
Asta scratched his head and smiled awkwardly before saying, "Senior's fireball was really cool."
"You've got good taste, kid!" Magna laughed loudly. "Just call me Big Brother Magna!"
Magna raised his hands and formed dozens of fireballs in the air.
"Fire Magic: Exploding Fireball Buckshot!"
Dozens of blazing orbs shot toward Asta.
Asta felt that he couldn't dodge them all, but his body instinctively moved.
He narrowly avoided most of the fireballs.
"Asta, bat them back!" Cedric shouted calmly.
Asta stomped the ground, veins bulging in his legs as he gripped the anti-magic sword with both hands.
He swung it fiercely.
The incoming fireballs were knocked back even faster.
Just before they could hit Magna—
"Tree Magic: Tree Spirit's Barrier."
A huge emerald-green shield suddenly appeared in front of Magna.
The flames exploded harmlessly against the barrier.
When the smoke cleared, Magna stepped out completely unharmed.
Magna scratched his head and muttered, "That shield appeared just in time, or I might have gotten blown up by my own magic."
Then he glared at Cedric and shouted, "Who asked for your help? I could have handled it myself! But your magic isn't bad, so how about becoming my lackey?"
Cedric raised a hand lazily.
"Tree Magic: Tree Binding Eternal Burial."
Emerald branches burst from the ground and instantly wrapped around Magna.
Within seconds, they formed a large tree that trapped him inside, leaving only his head exposed.
Cedric smiled slightly and said, "I really hate it when people yell at me."
Magna struggled furiously and shouted, "You brat! Sneak attacks are cheap! Fight me one-on-one if you've got the guts!"
A branch slowly grew over Magna's mouth.
Cedric said calmly, "Senior, keep it down."
Nearby, Vanessa suddenly leaned against Cedric's back.
Her soft curves pressed firmly against him as she whispered into his ear, "You're quite impressive, little brother, so why don't you come to big sister's room tonight for a drink?"
Cedric cursed internally.
This woman was basically a succubus.
Unfortunately, the little guy in his pants wasn't cooperating.
Cedric subtly shifted his stance to hide it, but Vanessa clearly noticed everything.
She glanced down with a playful smile and teased, "So you're not only strong with magic, but you seem pretty impressive in other areas too."
Cedric's face stiffened slightly.
Vanessa smiled proudly after successfully teasing him.
Stupid woman.
Keep teasing me like that and one day I'll make you regret it.
Just wait until I make you call me daddy.
Luck suddenly appeared in front of Cedric with shining eyes and said excitedly, "Your magic seems really strong, so fight me!"
Cedric waved his hand casually and replied, "Maybe tomorrow, because it's not convenient right now."
Later that night, Cedric lay on his bed in the room assigned to him.
He stared helplessly at the still excited "big guy" in his pants.
He couldn't calm down for a long time.
The next morning.
Cedric walked into the dining hall and greeted, "Morning, Senior Charmy, and today's meal looks incredible."
Charmy Pappitson happily devoured a mountain of food.
The table was filled with meat dishes, but Cedric felt full after just a few bites.
After putting on the Black Bull robe that represented his status as a Magic Knight, Cedric pushed open the castle gate.
Outside, he saw Asta and Magna kneeling before a silver-haired girl.
The girl crossed her arms proudly and said, "Good, now you understand that I am royalty."
Asta knelt on the ground and shouted loudly, "Lord Royal, please forgive this lowly commoner!"
Magna suddenly stood up and yelled, "Royalty or not, in the Black Bulls I'm your senior!"
The silver-haired girl immediately became furious.
"You mohawked punk, are you trying to provoke royalty?"
She condensed a huge sphere of water and launched it forward.
However, the attack missed Magna and drenched the kneeling Asta instead.
Asta instantly became a soaked drowned rat.
The girl turned her head away awkwardly and said, "Hmph! Who told you to kneel there anyway?"
She then pointed at Magna and Asta and said proudly, "Since you've joined the Black Bulls, you should at least show some basic respect to your seniors."
She suddenly ripped off the Black Bull robe and threw it onto the ground.
"I don't care about this trashy mantle."
She even stepped on it several times.
Cedric slowly walked forward.
"That's going too far, little girl."
Noelle Silva glanced at Cedric with obvious disdain.
"What right do you have to lecture me?" she said arrogantly. "Looking at you, you're nothing but a peasant."
Cedric flicked his finger lightly.
A massive tree suddenly burst out of the ground.
Its branches instantly wrapped around Noelle's slender ankles and lifted her upside down into the air.
Noelle gasped in shock and grabbed her white skirt tightly.
No!
This was the last shred of dignity she had left.
As a royal, she couldn't lose face in front of commoners.
"Put me down this instant!" Noelle shouted, though her voice gradually became softer.
Her face turned bright red.
It was unclear whether it was from the blood rushing to her head or something else.
"You peasant, put me down right now or I'll—"
She suddenly realized something.
I should have worn an extra layer today.
If these peasants see me like this…
Hold the skirt tight, Noelle!
Royal girls never admit defeat!
Under the sunlight, the girl's flushed face looked even more enchanting.