Admittedly, this one dIdn't take as long as I thought it would to write out, but I also deicdely to split it into two parts. Still it's one the chapter that takes more from the original source materailof the manga and show just more of a hyper-cut of the events instead of the history part of Fanzell, Dominate, and Mariella. I do like that part but they aren't really as relavent o to this story so I took it out. I did mix up my take on thing with that said though.

Enjoy my friends,

Alvasa out!_!

Both Finral and Noelle walked down the street of a town on the outskirts of the Clover Kingdom’s Forsaken Realm, near the border of the Heart Kingdom.

“Are you sure this is the right town?” Finral said as he looked around, “I mean I don’t think they’d settle somewhere this populated?”

“According to the last letter, this is where she said they decided to, ah… set down roots?” Noelle said with a confused tone, “Whatever that means…”

“Yeah… once a royal, always a royal,” Finral grabbed the bridge of his nose, “You may be dating Asta, but you certainly didn’t pick up any of the commoner lingo he often says, outside of some of the more vulgar phrases…”

“What did you say?” Noelle glared over her shoulder, causing a chill to run down Finral’s spine.

“Nothing…” he meeped out as he threw up his hands. ‘Not taking into account a quick-fire trigger. She picked up on certain things. She certainly has come a long way since coming to us. I’d say we all have, after that last battle. I usually would’ve turned and run instead of supporting the kid… Something about him makes you just want to put your best foot forward and help…’

“Here we are,” Noelle said as she turned and looked at a simple house. “Here we go,” she knocked on the wooden door but were met with silence.

Suddenly, a lot of yelling was heard from the other side, and then, the door was flung open, as a scraggly-looking older looking redhead man, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, flew out of the door and nearly crashed right on top of Noelle, or he would have, if Finral hadn’t opened a portal in front of and behind the girl to cause the man to land on the dirt, on his face.

“Owwwww…” the man groaned.

“Hey, is that Noelle?!” came a chipper tone from a slender woman with fair skin and orange hair tied in a knot by a blue hat. She wore a long-sleeved dark violet dress, with a brown belt and cloak over her shoulders. “It is!” she laughed as she rushed over and hugged the silver-haired girl, burying her face in her chest, “How have you been? It's been a while since I last wrote to you, I know, but we’ve been busy around here. But, you didn’t have to come and check on us!”

“I think she needs air, Dominante,” came a half-caring voice from a voluptuous, fair-skinned young woman with pink eyes and short black hair wearing a black fur cloak with a fitted white top, brown short shorts, and black boots, “How can you even do that with such a smaller chest?”

“Mariella shut up!” Dominante shot at the girl as she released Noelle, who gasped, “I’ll have you know Fanzell loves the size of my chest!”

“Old men really don’t care about the size, just that it’s a girl's chest, once you reach his age,” Marillea shot with a wave of her hand, “Speaking of old men, where did the old man go?”

“He’s down there,” Finral pointed at the scraggy guy and then saw the black-haired girl. “Mariella, how have you been? We should-” he suddenly found the girl behind him, with an ice dagger’s edge on his throat.

“Go on, finish what you were saying, trash,” Mariella warned with a deep bloodlust.

“It's just a reaction I have when I see a pretty lady!” Finral cried out. “Besides,” he used a portal and was standing beside Noelle, as he helped her up. “That amount of killing intent is nothing to what we’ve had to put up with lately…” he thought back to the Seafloor, but then, to when Asta went berserk.

Mariella looked at them both, “You guys aren’t here for a visit, are you?”

“Sadly, no,” Noelle nodded. “We need your help, Code,” she looked over at the young woman.

“Please just call me Dominante,” Dominante giggled innocently.

“What’s my student gone and done now?” said the scraggy guy as he stood.

“Maybe we should get inside first!” Dominante said as she threw the man inside the building before she looked at Noelle. “Fanzell can get dressed, while you and Finral start explaining to me and Marilla what the story of your visit is, okay?” she said, as she happily skipped into the building, while Mariella just sighed and walked in.

“Somehow… I get the feeling that this is gonna be you and Asta one day, ya know?” Finral did a bit of a head nod while holding his chin with a content smirk.

Noelle just held her wand out to the side and blasted him away with water down the street, slamming into a wall before walking inside.

Some time passed, while Noelle and Finral explained what happened on their last mission. They didn’t go into any great amount of personal detail, except for the fight against Vetto.

“So, that’s what happened,” Noelle said as she put her teacup down and looked at the others, who were a bit more than stunned.

“Hey, old man,” Mariella said to Fanzell, “Are you sure you taught that kid? He sounds way too powerful to be one of your students.”

“Yes, he’s my student,” Fanzell said. “And stop calling me old man!” he yelled at the black-haired mage, before turning back to Noelle and Finral, “Truth be told, I didn’t teach Asta a whole lot. I really just corrected his stances and helped him even out his sword technique. More like he taught me, but with what you told me though…” He looked at Noelle, “What he did, I can say I’ve seen him do it for minor stuff, like lighting a fire or stirring the water for soup. To think he’s gained enough skill to fight with water like that. Also, that black power you’ve mentioned, he never used it in front of me.”

‘No surprise for me there,’ Noelle looked off to the side and sipped her tea, “He uses that power quite regularly, actually, more so than his magic.”

“So, the kid can use magic,” Mariella said as Dominante flipped through some books in the background while partially listening, “Probably all sorts of enhancement spells.”

“He does have a few, but he mostly uses creation magic to affect the area around him and his opponent, to give him the edge in maneuverability,” Noelle explained.

“Sounds like him,” Fanzell nodded, “I’ve never seen Asta use magic before though, so what type does he have?”

“Really?” Finral scratched his head, “It’s not like he keeps it a secret though.”

“You need to remember Asta didn’t use magic as a kid,” Noelle pointed out, “He didn’t really rely on it, even after he got his grimoire, from what he told me. He told us all this when we first met, remember?”

“Why would I remember every little detail about your boyfriend?” Finral shot back.

“What?!” Dominate slammed her book shut, “You and Asta started dating? Oh, that’s so great, but what about…”

“It’s… complicated and let’s leave it at that,” Noelle looked at the floor with a beet-red face. “Did you find anything in your notes? Any artifacts that could help him?”

Dominante looked at Noelle and sighed, “Sorry, I can’t help. I was never very good at recovery magic, to begin with, and a cursed injury like what you describe is way out of the wheelhouse for just about anyone, let alone a recovery artifact of this era.”

“So, it's still possible to get something from, say, a dungeon?” Finral asked.

“It’s not out of the realm of possibilities,” Mariella crossed her arms under her chest, “But it’s highly unlikely you’ll find one of these that’s powerful enough to treat the knucklehead without waiting for one of these dungeons to show up, let alone if one of these artifacts will even be present by the time you can get inside and to the treasure.”

“That’s all too true,” Fanzell stroked his chin, “There was one guy back home who might know someone or who might’ve helped, but he’s a nutcase who’s just as likely to cut Asta up for experiments at the same time.”

Mariella scowled, as she looked out the window at the very thought of this guy.

“We could always go and try and see the witch queen,” Dominante suggested, “No one in the forest really knows how old she is, but she has a very special type of magic and is extremely powerful and knowledgeable, so it’s worth a shot.”

“Um…. the witch queen?” Finral said as he recalled when Vanessa disappeared a few days after Asta did, “I wonder why she didn’t tell us?”

“You think they’ll let you back in, after all this time?” Fanzell looked at his wife.

“Witches come and go as we want,” Dominante winked, “I’d have to escort Noelle and Marilla while you two waited outside, with Asta, too. They don’t allow men even to set foot through the gate.”

“If she can help, I want to try,” Noelle said with determination, “Asta would do the same for us.”

“Ah, young love!” Dominante gushed as she held her cheeks and daydreamed.

“It’s settled, then,” Fanzell said as he stood up. “First, we get Asta, and then, we head over to the Domain of Witches,” he put his hands on his hips, and his pants fell down.

Later on in that village, the day would later come to celebrate the Whale of the Banshee, in honor of the harsh scream that was heard across the town that day.

Nairn…

“Never thought the country boy would shack up in the city,” Mariella looked around.

“He did say he stayed out in the forest around his hometown for most of his child life,” Fanzell thought as he looked around the town, “But still, I have to agree with Mariella on this one though…”

“That’s a rare occasion, old man,” Mariella put her arms behind her head.

“I’m not old,” Fanzell countered.

“So, yeah…” Dominante looked over to Finral and Noelle, “If he’s supposed to be resting from his injuries, it would make a lot more sense for him to be out in the countryside in his hometown, or at least in the Black Bull’s hideout. Why’s he here?”

“He’s your boyfriend. You tell her,” Finral gave a wry smirk, but Noelle swiftly tripped him and caused a major nosebleed.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Dominante quickly turned around and looked Noelle square in the eyes.

“Oh. Well… you see…” Noelle nervously pushed the tips of her fingers together.

“Going to the market, Luca!” they heard a new voice, as Rebecca stepped out of her house, after getting an affirmation from her little sister. She turned with a smile, and then stopped when she saw Noelle, with Finral off to the side, trying to stop his nosebleed. “Noelle?”

“Oh! Hey, Rebecca… hehehe…” Noelle nervously chuckled, “Is… ah… How’s Asta feeling, and can we… ah, see him?”

“You know you’re welcome here, Noelle,” Rebecca smiled, “I take it these people are friends of your’s and Asta’s?”

“Yes!” Noelle shouted.

“Excuse me,” Dominante called attention to herself. “Hi, my name’s Dominate Code and the two behind me are my,” she cleared her throat, “stripper of a husband, Fanzell Kruger, and his student, Mariella.”

“Stripper?” Rebecca recoiled slightly.

“Oh, not for money, dear,” Dominate giggled a little, “He just likes to take his clothes off.”

“Okay…” Rebecca said, “Well, my name’s Rebecca Scarlet, and this is my home. Feel free to help yourself to anything. If you need anything, then please ask my little sister Luca. I’m sorry I can’t stick around, but we need some food, as we’re starting to run low.”

“Sorry to interrupt you again, dear, but can you tell us where the little loud boy named Asta is?” Dominante raised her hand, “It’s kind of pressing…”

“Oh, he’s out back in the forest,” Rebecca smiled, “He said something about doing some sort of training. Just follow the sound of sword strokes. My little brother Marco is learning how to handle a sword under him, too.”

“He’s training?!” Noelle said, “He should be resting! How could you let him go out and start straining his body?!”

“I told him the same thing you did, but you know how our boyfriend is, Noelle,” Rebecca sighed as she crossed her arms, “Then, I saw the sort of training he said he was going to be doing.”

“What sort of training could he do in his state?” Finral said as he let go of his face, and his nose suddenly started to gush blood again, “Damn it!”

“I have to agree,” Fanzell said as he joined them, missing his overcoat, “Outside his legs, he shouldn't be able to do any form of physical sword training.”

“You’ll just have to see for yourself,” Rebecca pointed to the woods behind her home, “But I’ve got to go, before the stalls close for today. I’ll see you later for dinner, Noelle!” She waved and ran off.

Dominante got in front of Noelle, “‘Our Boyfriend’?”

“I must admit, I’m curious, too,” Mariella gave a sly smirk.

“Not touching it,” Fanzell said, now missing his shirt.

“Put your clothes on!” Finral shouted.

“Into the woods, we go!” Noelle said very robotically but was stopped by a very annoyed-looking Dominante and a very curious-looking Mariella.

Sometime later…

“So, how long has the whole thing been going on with the…urm…” Fanzell looked at Finral, whose nose had now stopped bleeding. “Ya know,” he pointed at Noelle, and then back to the house behind the group.

“Oh, you mean them?” Finral sighed, “Um… well, Asta apparently met Rebecca not long after he and his friends came to the city, before the Knight tryouts, and Noelle was just after that, literally the next day.”

“So, what happened to the little girl he was engaged to from Hage?” Fanzell asked as he scratch the back of his head while thinking, ‘Damn, the kid is pretty damn smooth…’

“She knows all about the other girls,” Finral shrugged, “She wasn’t even against the thought of Asta seeing other girls. In fact, from what Asta’s told us, it's pretty common for guys to have multiple wives, where they come from.”

“So, nobles on this continent aren’t the only ones who have concubines,” Fanzell rubbed his chin.

“It's not that surprising, really,” Finral looked off to the side, knowing the full effects of the situation the lovers could be in. “But they’re different,” he looked forward with a smile.

“He really loves them all, doesn’t he?” Fanzell smirked.

“I say he does,” Finral nodded, “He’s not afraid to face a crazy berserker mage in the middle of an ocean. But…”

“You saw another side of our boy, didn’t you?” Fanzell looked over with a knowing glance.

“I don’t want to say it, but Asta is a hell of a lot stronger than anyone knows, or he wants them to even find out,” Finral sighed, “He saw one of the upper officers of the Eye of the Midnight Sun and went berserk. This fight took place after he’d just fought the leader and exhausted his magic, too.”

“You mean he fought all of those weirdo-overpowered mages without his magic?” Fanzell turned his head to stare in disbelief.

Finral gave a slow but shuddering nod, “And he was winning. It took three of our captains at full power, plus Yami, with the help of one of Asta’s own swords just to get him to stop, and if we didn't have Asta’s sword, I don’t think he would've stopped.”

Fanzell just looked at Finral’s terrified expression, the former finding it hard to believe that the kid he knew was actually that strong when he was completely unhinged.

He was quickly pulled from his thoughts by the sound of clashing wooden swords. Noelle, herself, completely threw Mariella and Dominante off her as she rushed forward.

“Yep,” Dominante snickered, “She definitely has it bad. I never thought Asta would have more than one girl at the same time, let alone have them all be okay with it. They must really love him a lot.”

“Asta has no shortage of eye candy, but at the same time, he does love them all the same,” Finral comes up to the two women. They both look at him with half-lidded stares. “It's the truth! I swear! Go ask him yourself!”

“We better do as he says, lest Noelle tears into him too much,” Fanzell added, and the girls nodded, as everyone walked on.

They all stopped when they saw Noelle just standing at the edge of a small clearing. They all looked at what she was looking at, to see Asta sitting cross-legged under a tree with his eyes closed, as he sat on the flat of his Demon Slayer sword. It was in Anti-form and floating in the air, and his magic power had enveloped his form.

What really had them staring was what was in front of the mage. It was a young redheaded boy, who was none other than Marco, and he was sparing with what looked to be a black and red outlined humanoid figure, holding a wooden sword. Off to the side, there were two more of these forms fighting each other. One was a bright shining gold color, wielding the Demon Dweller sword, while the other was a black and purple outline form that was using the Demon Destroyer sword to fight.

“Hmmmm….” Mariella smirked as she formed an ice dagger in her hand. She was thinking of throwing it, when she suddenly froze, as she felt the edge of a blade at her jugular.

“You really think he didn't know you were all here,” came a cold and calm voice from next to her.

“Oh! Raava,” Noelle said as she looked over to the tall glowing ornately dressed woman, with a folding fan next to Mariella’s neck, “These are-”

“I know exactly who these three are, my young student,” Raava said as she withdrew the fan.

“Asta is well aware of your skills, assassin, and he knew the moment you stepped into the woods. I do not take these jokes lightly either,” she glared at Mariella, who was genuinely terrified of this being now.

“Okay, well, everyone this is Raava,” Noelle motioned, “The great light spirit and contractor of Asta.”

Everyone but Finral had their mouths hanging open at this point.

“So, ah… Asta has light magic?” Fanzell asked.

“He has Light and Dark magic,” Finral said, causing everyone to be struck by lightning.

“Let it go, Raava,” Asta called out as he opened his eyes, “It was just a joke, and one that I could’ve easily dealt with.”

“Hmph,” Raava scoffed, before disappearing.

“Big sis Noelle!” Marco called out as he rushed over and hugged the water mage.

“Hey, guys,” Asta floated over on his sword, “Long time no see.”

“Aaaaaassssstaaaaaaa….” Noelle glared.

“I know you guys said no physical strain, but I never did any,” Asta quickly said. “Instead, I used these guys,” he referenced the humanoid forms with a motion of his head, “These are a form of puppetry spell I came up with to help Marco learn sword techniques as I can’t teach him directly.”

“CAN I SEE!?!” Dominante quickly got in his face with stars in his eyes.

“Be my guest,” he smirked. “There’s nothing really special about them,” he explained, “I simply used some fallen logs we have here in the woods and had Raava cut them to the right proportions, with Marco’s help. I then infused and covered them with my magic and anti-magic to control them.”

“Interesting,” Dominante examined the dolls, “They look like they’d be very difficult to maneuver, but you handled all three at once.”

“You’re still not wrong,” Asta continued to explain, “They were incredibly difficult to control with just magic and anti-magic, so I used my swords as conduits. It really helped, but it still takes a lot of concentration.”

“I still find it hard to believe you didn’t do any strainful things during this experiment,” Noelle narrowed her gaze.

“Other than some leg training to keep from getting lazy or stiff, I SWEAR I didn’t do anything to put a lot of strain on my body!” Asta said as he threw up his dark magic arms, “Rebecca and Twilight would’ve definitely killed me way before you got here, but on to the real reason you guys are here. Did you find something that could help me?”

“Maybe,” Noelle looked at the others, and then, down at Marco, “Marco, this is private, so I need you to go back to the house.”

“Magic Knight stuff?” he wondered.

“Yeah. Sorry,” she smiled.

“I’ll take him back,” Raava reappeared. “Come on,” she held out her hand. “And don’t forget your sword,” she motioned.

“Oh! Yeah!” he said with stars in his eyes, as he rushed over and grabbed his practice sword and then rushed back and took hold of Raava’s hand before the two left.

“On to business,” Noelle cleared her throat, “Code would you please explain what you told Finral and me?”

“Sure!” Dominante smiled, as she turned to Asta and started her explanation.

So, the witch explained what they could do, or at least try to do, in order to heal Asta’s arms.

“So?” Noelle looked at her boyfriend.

Asta looked at her pleading eyes and then back to the others before answering, “I appreciate the thought, guys, I really do. I’d really rather wait on the others and Twilight to finish their research, but there’s no guarantee with them, unlike this.” He scratched his head with his dark magic hand, “But that's even if the witch queen will see us. Men aren’t allowed to enter the forest, after all, and… I’ve heard my fair share of stories about the ruler of the Witches Forest.”

“We could sneak in,” Mariella gave an evil smirk as she looked at Dominante, “Perfect situation to test how well your latest product works, right?”

“I mean, it is,” Dominante placed a finger on her chin. “But at the moment, I only have the two of them, and we have a pretty large group here,” she said as she reached into her satchel and pulled out a white sheet with red and gold trim.

“Allow me to introduce you to the Vanish-All Cloak!” she proudly brandished the fabric around, “It hides not only the appearance but also any traces of magic power from anyone beneath it, including any magic they may be performing at the time as well. So, we can use while riding broomsticks to fly on.”

“Handy…” Asta said, “How many can we hide under one of these things, and how much?”

“Um…” Dominante said, “30,000 yules!”

“Oh, that's no problem,” Noelle said as she reached for her purse. “Is this enough?” she said, as he held up a bag overflowing with coins.

“Wait, are you serious?!” Dominante yelled.

“She’s royalty, so yeah, she has no concept of commoner money,” Finral laughed but was then promptly blasted with water.

“I do, too!” Noelle fumed, “I learned how to be a lot more conservative, thank you, but this situation is different! I want to help my boyfriend get the use of his arms back, so money is not a big deal!”

“Calm down, Noelle,” Asta said with a small snicker, “It was a joke.”

“I need to say something a bit more serious that may seriously work against us,” Dominante says with a serious tone. “You guys are affiliated with Vanessa, and she used to be the Witch Queen’s pride and joy, literally, so much so that she eventually started to keep her away from the other witches, at least until a certain strapping young magic knight, at the time, accidentally broke into that place, and Vanessa took the opportunity to escape and follow him.”

“Yami,” Finral, Noelle, and even Asta all said in unison.

“Finral, open the portal,” Asta said as he jumped off his sword, and it returned to his black grimoire, “I think our resident drunk made a very unwise choice to try and help me…”

“I agree with you there,” Finral opened the portal, and they all arrived a short distance away from the forest’s gates.

“Hmmm….” Asta looked at the forest.

“You’re going to have to keep your voice down, or we’ll be blasted with god knows what sort of magic,” Dominante looked at Asta.

“I’ll be quiet when I need to,” he gave a very stern look to the former witch that sent a chill down her spine.

“Hey, Noelle,” Dominante said in a much more whispered tone, “Are you sure he’s okay? That look he shot at me just now… It was like he wanted to tear me apart…”

“Don’t take it too hard,” Noelle held her hands up. “This is just how he is sometimes. He usually is like this when someone he cares about is in danger,” that’s when she realized it and looked over, “What’s wrong? Do you sense something?”

“Vanessa was here a few days ago,” Asta said.

“How can you be sure?” Mariella asked with a raised eyebrow.

“She’s the only other person who had knowledge of a possible cure, not to mention the fact that Finral said she disappeared not long after I left the base for Rebecca’s house,” Asta said, “There are also faint traces of her magic and Qi in the air here, and a few passing birds that nest in some trees saw her get pulled in by a massive murder of crows.”

“YOU CAN TALK TO ANIMALS?!” Finral yelped, only to be slapped by Mariella and silenced with a wind spell around his mouth by Fanzell.

“Another skill from your homeland?” Fanzell asked.

“Not important right now,” Asta pointed out, “We need to get in there.”

“I brought the Vanish Alls,” Dominate pulled the cloaks out and tossed one to Finral. “Let’s go…”

Elsewhere…

A member of the Eye of the Midnight Sun steadily walked through the base, until he came to a girl with red and golden streaked hair.

“Mistress Fana,” he knelt down. “The Black Bulls we have been observing have started to move,” he explained, “They have been spotted near the Forest of Witches. We believe they are after the next Magic Stone there.”

“Truly despicable,” Fana said as she stood up. “They are the ones that hurt Licht and killed Vetto,” she glared with bloodlust in her eyes. “They must pay… I will make them all pay….” she seethed as a red reptilian eye opened, to look at what was going on.

“Gather those needed,” Fana ordered, “We must kill them all!”

From an unknown location, a certain masked individual looked at what was going on through a crystal ball.

He cracked an evil grin. “Yes, my dear Sunset you must go there and face them,” he snickered. “Go and face the boy… Make his anger flare! FORCE HIM TO UNLEASH THE BEAST OF DARKNESS IN HIS SOUL AND UNSEAL THE PUREST BLACK EQUESTRIAN MAGIC UPON THIS WORLD!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!”

Back in the cave, Fana heard this order in her mind. “As you wish, Master Fragment,” she said, as the crystal on her forehead started to crack.

Minutes Later…

Witches swarmed the Forest as they all conversed or flew on their brooms, while others went about doing other activities, such as drawing or buying fruit from vendor witches.

A couple of witches were sitting at a table on a veranda and speaking with one another.

“I swear, these days, you can’t leave the forest without being swarmed by a man,” a witch in red said, “Last time I went to the city, I was suddenly approached by this creepy guy who kept saying Bwa-ha! And then, he pulled out a bouquet of a hundred roses…”

“That’s so weird,” the witch in black across from her agreed but shot back, “But it's also a little sweet, in a slightly creepy sort of way, I guess…”

“Geez,” Noelle said, “Sure is crowded in here.”

“I can kill something right now,” Mariellla groaned.

“Sorry, you two,” Dominante gave a sincere reply, “The Vanish-Alls were originally made for one person… But it beats being turned into a human honeycomb.”

“We just have to put up with it till we reach the queen,” Noelle sighed. “At least we’re fairing better than them,” Noelle looked over her shoulder to where the guys were supposed to be.

“We’re in a forest of magic hotties, and I’m stuck in a sausage fest,” Finral complained.

“At least these things work,” Fanzell said, “My girl’s got a knack for makin’ the best magic tools around.”

“Are you sure you can’t sell this love potion a little cheaper?” a green witch asked an elder witch in a black and white striped hat.

“Sorry, dear, but no,” the elderly witch looked with mock concern.

“THEY HAVE LOVE POTIONS HERE?!” Finral yelped as Fanzell slapped his hand over the spatial mage’s mouth.

“That’s weird. I swear I just heard a man,” The green witch looked around.

“Don’t be silly, dear,” the elder witch teased, “How could a man even get in, let alone past the security?”

“You’re right,” the green witch turned back around.

“Speak a little louder,” Asta hushed, “You almost got us caught…”

“Sorry, guys. I just got excited over hearing something I’ve only ever seen in my dreams,” Finral cried slightly.

“Hey, what's that thing?” Noelle pointed to a little floating creature, “It’s weird, but it’s kind of cute.”

It was a small humanoid figure with short arms and legs. It had two black eyes, wavy black mouths, and leaves on the top of their heads,

“That’s a security golem,” Dominante explained, “It’s harmless at first, but if it detects you or any traces of foreign magic, they lock onto you and swarm while blasting you with magic bullets.”

“Now, I get why you said something about human honeycombs,” Noelle nervously remarked.

“Right,” Dominante confirmed, “If we let even one of those things find us, we’re dead.”

“A harmless looking facade,” Mariella admired the tool, “and a merciless attack… the idle assassins…”

“Please admire things that can kill us to yourself,” Noelle shuttered at her friend’s line of thinking.

“Don’t worry,” Dominante reassured the girls, “As long as we’re under the Vanish-All, it can’t detect us.”

The little mud man floated by and down, just over the ladies, who breathed a sigh of relief.

“Now, it’s our turn,” Finral and Fanzell said in unison, as Asta just looked with a deadpan stare.

“And cue the branch,” Asta rolled his eyes.

A branch snagged Fanzell’s coat and the Vanish-All, as the guys’ broom moved forward.

Suddenly, the branch tugged at the clothes and pulled off the cloak and Fanzell’s clothes.

As soon as this happened, the golem came face to face with the group, Asta still wearing the unemotional deadpan stare, as the little mud man stared at them.

“Hi there,” Finral said.

“Nice weather we’re having today, ehehe…” Fanzell nervously chuckled as the golem's eyes turned bright orange.

“Remind me to bury you six feet under, from your neck down,” Asta looked over his shoulder, before he jumped from the broom, and his Demon Slayer shot from his black grimoire for him to land on, as the multiple golems swarmed around them and proceeded to fire magic blasts at them.

“Are those men?!” one of the witches pointed.

Asta looked down and activated his spiritual pressure on the girls, causing them to collapse there while struggling to breathe. He activated his second grimoire and stacked his arms spells.

Asta pulled his dark magic katana and light magic katana from his second grimoire and started to gather the surrounding mana.

“Dark Magic, Shattering Lightless Slash!” he said as he sent out a single crescent of dark magic that broke into multiple slashes, which destroyed many of the golems, “Light Magic,” he raised his sword, and Noelle told the girls to cover their eyes. Finral covered Fanzell’s while scrunching his own face. “Blinding Flash!” he called out, and a bright golden light covered everything in the flash, blinding everyone.

“Let’s move,” Asta led the charge now, “The golems from other parts of the forest are inbound, and the blinding spell will wear off pretty soon.”

“Right!” everyone nodded as they sped off to the Witch Queen’s Palace.

“Golems are everywhere,” Mariella said.

“ZELL, I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!” Dominante yelled as the little mud dolls blasted them from every direction.

“So shameless,” Mariella said as she looked at her master.

“Oh, come on!” Fanzell shot back, “It’s not like I did it on purpose!”

“Unfortunately, that’s the sort of shameless person you are master,” Mariella bluntly said.

“If you don’t shut up, I’ll kill you both myself!” Asta roared, “Finral!”

“Right!” Finral activated his spatial magic and opened jumping portals for the group. “With my spatial magic, I’ll create a shortcut in no time!”

They were soon ahead of the golems, but at the same time, lost Finral and Fanzell.

“Don’t tell me….” Noelle grabbed her face.

“Damn it Finral!” Asta yelled as he looked back through the portal and saw Finral handing his number out to the witches. “This isn’t a shortcut you asshole!”

“GET YOUR ASSES OVER HERE!” Asta shouted as he used his dark magic arm and reached out and enlarged it to squeeze the life out of his comrade. “YA CAN’T KEEP IT IN YOUR PANTS FOR MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES!!!” he furiously shook the now dizzy Finral.

“Ah, Asta! Golems!” Fanzell pointed out and looked forward, “CLOSING PORTAL!”

“Let’s go,” Asta slapped Finral once more, to wake him back up, then tossed him through the portal, and went in after Fanzell.

“Damn you Finral!” Asta yelled as he looked around, and he saw the spatial mage already handing his contact info out again, “We don’t have time for your bull shit!”

The green witch screamed, “Ahhhh a naked old man!” And ran away.

“Hey, how about-” Finral already moved on, but Asta came up and tightly grabbed onto his head, mimicking another dark magic user they both knew.

“If you don’t start making with the running, I’ll start with the cutting,” Asta glared at the mage almost identically to Yami, to the point Finral couldn’t help but yelp ‘Yessir’ and made a portal that led them out, above the trees.

“Say bye-bye Grandpa!” a witch with a much gruffer voice and thicker build as she used a wind spell to the boys into hte air above the forest.

“Nice going,” Fanzell said as they were now surrounded by the golems again, and they were about to fire when a smoke bomb shot up.

“What was that?” Mariella said.

“Spew Smoke,” Dominante said, “It’s a spell type of item that has minute traces of magic power in it. It's preventing the golems from getting a reading on the boys’ presence at the moment, but it won’t last long.”

“Wait! This is our chance,” Noelle pointed out, “We head straight for the queen.”

As soon as the silver-haired girl said this, Asta shot out of the smoke, towing Fanzell and Finral on the broom, via a golden light chain, at top speed. The girls didn’t even have a chance, as he sent a chain out and around them.

“I’m gonna kill that idiot!” Noelle screamed as they headed straight forward.

“There,” Dominante pointed to a massive hole in a building that looked like it was made of upside-down houses, “Aim for the hole!”

Asta sped forward on his sword, and they all hit the ground hard.

“Ow… I wish I’d had my shirt on, so I wouldn’t have scraped my back,” Fanzell sat up, somehow having gained pants.

“Yet, you simply couldn’t resist your urges,” Marella bluntly sighed, as she was already on her feet, “Shameful. Simply shameful.”

“Oh, come on, Mariella! I said it was an accident,” Fanzell pleaded, “An accident!”

“Idiot!” Noelle knocked Asta’s block off.

“Oh! Hey, Noelle. Glad you’re alright, gyaaaaahhhhhhh….” Asta said with swirls in his eyes.

“Imperfect,” they heard a woman say just beyond them, “Simply imperfect…”

She was a tall woman with a slim build. She had pink hair, which is pulled up under her hat, and teal eyes. Beneath both of her eyes are three dark blue teardrops. Her lips are the same shade of blue. She wore a light green, layered dress with each layer of the skirt having a large red eyespot. The bodice has a high neck and long sleeves. The skirt flares out into a large hoop.
She also wore a white conical hat with a wide brim. It has the same layered look as her dress but lacks the eyespots. Additionally, the black feather hat band has a dark red flower in front and a collection of multicolored jewels on her left side. From her left ear there was a purple magic stone, and from her necklace hung three black feathers.

The dust started to clear, and everyone saw Vanessa laying on the ground in a very rough shape, with the woman stepping on her. Everyone who didn’t know by the woman’s face now realized she was none other than the Witch Queen.

“So, you do have Vanessa,” Asta shot to his feet.

“Vanessa,” Noelle and Dominante called out.

“Tell me what it is that you think you're doing to her?” Asta growled through gritted teeth, “I don’t care if you are the queen of this damn forest. Get your foot off her right now!”

“You dears barrage into my home and make a demand of me, little boy?” the witch queen said, “I am the Queen of this forest and the mother to all the witches here. I have more daughters and descendants than can be counted. Some of you will recognize me, like little Vanessa here.”

“I said get your foot off of her,” Asta’s gaze narrowed, and his spiritual powers flexed, exerting pressure on everyone, making it harder to breathe for them. “Or, I’ll do it myself.”

“This is a family matter,” the queen stated. “Your input is not-” she was cut off as a light and dark magic sword shot right at her, forcing her to move back and away.

The witch queen looked at the sword protecting Vanessa and then back to Asta. “Perfect,” she said. “Yet imperfect. If only you weren’t a man, then you would be so perfect,” she remarked with intrigue as she saw his arms. “So, you're the one Vanessa wanted to fix. Imperfect.”

“How is it that, in that state, you can still cause so much havoc in my forest?” the queen said with a stony face, “Truly imperfect.”

“You like perfection?” Asta laughed, and then, turned furious, “WHAT UTTER BULLSHIT!”

The queen’s eyes widened at the comment. “Perfection is everything. If it is not perfect then it is imperfect and should not exist. Vanessa is an example of this. If she had remained in this Forest and continued to hone her string magic, as she was instructed, then she herself could have gained the ability to control fate itself,” the queen explained, “Yet, she chose to follow an imperfect man, and this is her state now, though it is not too late for her. I can still make her perfect.”

“Like I said, what utter bullshit,” Asta started to walk forward, and the others tried to stop him, only for them to meet his gaze and freeze before he continued to walk. “Your so-called perfection doesn’t exist, your highness. Everyone is who they are by making mistakes and learning from them by being imperfect. No one is the epitome of perfection itself,” he glared at the queen, “(Most of all you, who has silently sat here for the last eight-hundred plus years and allowed the world to turn around you),” he spoke in elvish, fully surprising her majesty.

“Who are you?” she asked. “And how is it you know that dead language?”

“Like I’d tell you,” Asta gave a snide smirk.

“Very well. Then, you shall die,” the queen activated her grimoire. “Blood Magic, Blood Shot!” she said as she pointed and fired a blood magic bullet at Asta, only for the mage to counter as he activated his dark magic arms and pulled the Demon Slayer out of his black Grimoire in anti-magic mode and sent the shot right back, to graze her cheek. “You have great magical power, as well as light and dark magic, not to mention not one but two grimoires, as well as that sword, and you speak the language of that now-extinct race quite fluently. There is no doubt in my mind…”

Asta scowled as his slayer switched to its light magic form.

“How is it that when you showed your face that you had no magic whatsoever, and now, you have magic greater than any witch currently in this forest, outside Vanessa and myself?” the queen narrowed her eyes.

“I think the real question you should be asking is will we help you in the coming fight,” Asta evilly grinned, while the others were confused.

“Why would I need the help of imperfect trash, such as yourself?” the queen scoffed.

“Use your scrying and look into your crystal ball, your majesty,” Asta waved his sword over Vanessa and cast a minor healing spell over her, as Noelle and Dominante rushed over to help her up, “You’ll find not only the Diamond Kingdom at your door, but the cult known as the Eye of the Midnight Sun as well.”

Noelle looked at her boyfriend, knowing this had to do with his nature as a Displaced.

A red-hued crystal ball Asta mentioned floated over and showed the exact scene Asta described. She then used her magic to create an even larger, ball to show the forces of the Diamond Kingdom. Dominante and Fanzell’s eyes were fixed on the Diamond Kingdom’s leaders, as they recognized them as Fanzell’s former students, alongside Mariella.

“My superior power will vanquish those imperfect fools with perfect grace. Go tell my children,” the queen said as she sent out her crows, “I see no reason why I should ask for your help in this matter,” as soon as she spoke, the crows were set on fire from a blow from the dragon leading the charge from the Eye of the Midnight Sun. The resulting explosion also caught the forest on fire, with several witches injured, and others fleeing from the inferno.

‘Salamander. Although it's still quite young, it’s still far stronger than I predicted,’ the Witch Queen asked herself, ‘Have my abilities faltered? No. Slight imperfections beget larger imperfections.’

“Let’s make a deal,” Asta said, getting the queen’s attention, “You don’t want us here. I know that much, but you don’t want those others here more.”

“Very well,” the queen narrowed her gaze on the boy, but he didn’t flinch at all. Then, her vision moved to the sword in his dark magic grip and made a plan, “Let the imperfect trash clear out the imperfect trash then. State your terms.”

“First, I want you to heal my arms and completely remove the ancient curse from my whole body, not just overwrite it,” Asta listed off, “Two, after this small battle is done, we leave here with Vanessa, and you never bother her again.”

“Imperfect terms but acceptable,” the queen said, “My terms are that you will rend my forest of this trash, and then, you and I will speak about you before you leave this place, descendant.”

“Asta, think about what you're doing here,” Noelle warned.

“Hmmmm…” Vanessa came around and saw Asta’s back, standing in front of her. “Captain… Wait, Asta, Noelle, Finral, and more familiar faces, too. What are you doing here?!?”

“Hey, Vanessa. Long time no see,” Dominante smiled, “We came to see if the queen would fix Asta’s arms, too.”

“I accept,” Asta cried out. “And you,” he turned around, “You tried to sell yourself for my sake! How could you do that?!”

“Excuse me,” Vanessa countered, “This was my choice, and I did it for-”

“DON’T YOU DARE GIVE ME THAT BULLSHIT!” Asta shouted, “How could you think giving up your freedom for my arms would make me happy? You’re my friend, and if something happened to you, a lot of people would've been very upset. Me included! How am I supposed to be alright with you sacrificing yourself for my sake?!”

“How else was I supposed to get your arms back?!” Vanessa said, “There are some fates you just can’t overcome!”

“AHAHAHAHA!” Asta laughed, “When has that ever stopped us? If fate tries to stop us, then we kick its ass into submission!”

Vanessa looked and only smiled, “Just what the captain said. Listen, I wasn’t going to sacrifice myself. I was going to make a deal with the queen, and then, I planned on your anti-magic to help get me free.”

The queen’s eyes widened at the mention of Asta’s power, and she now reworked her earlier plan to also include that power.

“I’m not the end-all cure-all, Vanessa,” Asta said. “Friends are there to help us overcome our fates, after all,” he looked at the queen.

Noelle looked over at Asta and then at the queen. “Hey, Queen of Witches,” she swallowed the lump in her throat and steeled her resolve. “If you can heal Asta, then stop standing there and do it already, “ she demanded. “If you forgot, then I’ll remind you then…Your forest is burning right now, and Asta just made a deal with you. Your forest is in danger, and Asta itching to get out there and fight for your sake and save your people, your daughters. He may not be the brightest guy at times, but he’s really strong. Having him out there will be a huge help, and where he goes, we follow,” she motioned to the group and they all nodded in recognition of the mater mage’s statement.

“Hmhmhmmmm… very well,” the queen chuckled lightly, “Not only will I heal you, but I will also strengthen the flow of your power throughout your body, making it more robust than before.”

Asat smirked, because this was a far better outcome than he could've hoped.

She activated her grimoire and held up a finger. “Now, Blood Magic, Curse-Breaking Blood Cocoon,” as soon as she said that, tiny strands of blood flew from the Queen’s fingertip and encased Asta in a swirling sphere of blood magic.

Asta laid back in the sphere, and everyone was shocked when they saw the dark areas on his arms literally dissolve off his skin, before he was set back on the floor.

“Well?” Noelle got close, and Asta smirked as he picked her up by her waist, taking her by complete surprise. “All better!” he laughed, “Actually, even better than before!”

He started to spin around. “Idiot, put me down!” Noelle yelled as she smacked him, causing him to hit the floor, with her narrowly landing on her feet.

“Damn, Noelle,” Vanessa complimented her junior, “You’ve got more guts than I thought.”

“Yea, I’ve never seen anyone outside you and Asta speak to the queen like that, ever,” Dominante added.

‘Joke while you can,’ the queen internally chuckled, ‘But once all this is over, not only will I have my daughter, but also that boy’s anti-magic.’

“Now, I can get to business,” Asta said with slitted eyes. “I can finally have my revenge for what you tried to do to Twilight… Sunset…” he said as he held up his hand, and the Slayer flew to him and entered anti-magic form.