Chapter 376: Royal Capital III
The shockwave rattled the dueling circle. Dust plumed upward as the stone floor cracked beneath their clash, a booming echo reverberating through the coliseum.
Gasps erupted from the stands.
"He cut through wind magic—like it was nothing!""No way... that guy doesn’t even have mana!?"
Up on the balcony, the Captains leaned forward. Their expressions sharpened—surprise plain on their faces.
Yuno’s calm didn’t waver, his grimoire flipping rapidly. "Wind Blade Storm!"
Dozens of compressed wind blades spiraled around him before shooting outward in a vicious storm. The air shrieked, sharp enough to split stone apart.
Asta crouched low, his breath falling into rhythm. Haki shimmered over his arms, darkening until it coated his body like armor. "Dark Moon Breathing—Second Form!" His foot smashed into the ground, stone exploding as he launched himself forward with Geppo, charging straight into the storm.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!Each blade shattered on his greatsword. Sparks flew, black lightning crawling faintly along the steel. His swings weren’t wild—they carried the precision of a swordsman who had cut steel a thousand times before.
The arena went dead silent.
Yuno blurred across the circle, riding his own winds. His hand swept forward, forming a piercing spear of compressed air. "Take this!"
Asta answered head-on, haki hardening, his sword crackling faintly with anti-magic’s pulse. Their strike met in the center—BOOM!
Dust and stone erupted, weaker candidates staggering as shockwaves blasted outward.When the dust thinned, both boys were still standing. Asta’s grin stretched wide, his chest heaving with exhilaration. Yuno’s expression remained calm, though his eyes narrowed, a rare flicker of focus breaking through his mask.
The Captains exchanged sharp glances.
The Crimson Lion King captain let out a low chuckle. "Two unknowns, and they fight like this? Hah. Where did those brats crawl out from?"
The Blue Rose captain tilted her head, eyes narrowing. "The dark-haired one’s mana is refined... but the white-haired one—I can’t sense a single trace. Yet something is coating him, strengthening his body. Not magic. Something else."
Jack the Ripper burst into manic laughter. "Heheheh! Whatever it is, it’s letting him clash with a mage who looks like a prodigy. I like it."
Yami exhaled a lazy stream of smoke, though his gaze stayed locked on Asta. "That kid’s got guts. Swordsmanship like that doesn’t just appear out of nowhere. Can’t sense mana, but whatever he’s wrapped himself in feels like another kind of energy entirely."
Another Captain leaned closer. "So what is it? Are you saying it’s a hidden form of magic?"
Yami shrugged. "Beats me. Doesn’t matter what you call it—the brat’s standing toe-to-toe with someone clearly born for magic. That ain’t normal."
The Silver Eagle captain frowned. "But if he truly has no magic, how can he even serve as a Magic Knight?"
Yami smirked, tapping his cigarette. "You’re watching the answer right now. Sometimes, you don’t need mana if you’ve got the strength to split the battlefield in half."
Below, the arena buzzed with tension as Asta’s blade gleamed darker, haki crawling thicker across his body, while Yuno’s winds coiled tighter, sharper, howling to break free.
Neither was backing down. And every Captain watching knew one thing—whoever these two were, they weren’t ordinary kids.
The dueling circle shook under the pressure of their clash. Asta’s blade crackled with raw force, every swing wrapped in blackened haki, while Yuno’s wind coiled tighter, sharper, compressing into deadly streams that screamed across the arena.
Each impact split the stone floor wider, gusts of wind and shockwaves of raw strength tearing across the ring.
The crowd of candidates shielded themselves, their eyes wide not with fear—but awe.
"Look at them..."
"They’re commoners, just like us."
"If we train hard enough... maybe we can reach that level too!"
A fire of hope spread through the rows of common-born candidates. For the first time, they weren’t watching nobles flaunt inherited magic—they were watching one of their own rise up.
But not everyone shared the admiration.
From the seats where noble youths sat, anger twisted their faces.
"How dare they—peasants standing at the center of the exam!"
"They have no right to shine brighter than us!"
"Disgusting... acting as if they belong in front of the Captains!"
While commoners cheered louder, inspired, the nobles whispered venom, their pride boiling at the idea that two boys from a forgotten village were commanding the arena’s attention.
Yuno’s winds screamed higher, his four-leaf grimoire glowing faintly, while Asta’s breathing deepened into perfect rhythm, haki crawling thicker along his blade until it looked like obsidian lightning.
Their auras collided in the middle of the arena, grinding against each other until sparks flew.
And then—
BOOOOM!
The explosion shook the entire coliseum. Dust and broken stone scattered across the stage, sending weaker candidates to their knees.
The overseer slammed his hand down, runes blazing as a barrier surged up around the duel, cutting off the clash in an instant.
"ENOUGH!"
When the haze cleared, both Asta and Yuno still stood tall, weapons raised, battered but unyielding. Their eyes locked, refusing to bow.
The arena erupted—half in cheers, half in curses.
"To think... peasants could fight like that!"
"They’ll overturn everything if we let them!"
Up on the balcony, the Captains leaned forward at last—not with scorn, but with interest.
Before the arena’s dust from Asta and Yuno’s clash could even settle, another voice rang out—loud, sharp, and dripping with arrogance.
"Hmph! Enough of this nonsense!"
A youth in richly embroidered robes stepped forward from the line of waiting candidates. Golden thread traced his attire, and the proud crest of the Hapshass family gleamed on his chest. His eyes burned with scorn as he pointed directly at Yuno.
"You—commoner with the four-leaf! Do you actually believe a peasant rat can stand on the same stage as nobility? I am Salim de Hapshass, heir of my house, and I’ll put you back where you belong!"
The stands reacted instantly. The nobles clapped and nodded in approval, smug smiles spreading across their faces. The common-born, however, muttered in anger, some even booing at his arrogance.
But before Yuno could respond, Dave stepped forward with an almost casual stride, silver-black grimoire faintly glowing at his side. His expression was calm, almost bored.
"You’ve got it all twisted," Dave said smoothly. "If you want to prove your nobility is worth anything, try it on me instead. Let’s see if your pride can keep up."
Salim sneered, his pride stung. "Another loudmouthed commoner? Fine then. When I crush you, I’ll make sure your miserable family remembers their place beneath us."
The overseer raised his hand reluctantly. "Candidate duel—begin!"
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