Chương 67: Chapter 67: Strange Sudden Mission
[Third Person's PoV]
When Stephen returned from his intimate meeting with Mimosa, he immediately noticed Wanda waiting in the dimly lit corridor. Her eyes were wide with urgency, the flickering torches casting shadows over her worried expression.
"Stephen!" Wanda's voice broke through the quiet, echoing off the stone walls.
He glanced back as the shimmering barrier of the Mirror Dimension sealed shut behind him, dispersing into faint tendrils of light. "Yeah?" he asked, his brow creasing in concern.
"Yami left me here to wait for your return," she began, her words hurried.
"What? What's going on?" Stephen's voice hardened, eyes narrowing as a sense of foreboding crept up his spine.
Wanda took a breath to steady herself, strands of her auburn crimson hair catching in the soft draft. "We received an urgent call from the Magic Knights Headquarters. Reports came in that children from neighboring towns have been abducted. Asta and Gauche were already on the scene when it happened, but they sent word back for reinforcements. Vanessa was too drunk to be reliable, Charmy is incapacitated after overeating, and Luck and Magna exhausted themselves sparring. Yami couldn't risk sending Noelle or me alone due to our inexperience, so he decided to intervene himself. He took Finral—half-awake—and Noelle, leaving me behind to inform you."
Stephen's expression darkened as he took in the gravity of the situation. His jaw tightened before he gave a sharp nod. "Alright, follow me."
He led Wanda down the stone corridor to his chamber, their hurried footsteps reverberating with an anxious cadence. As they stepped inside, the room glowed faintly from enchanted orbs lining the shelves, illuminating the artifacts resting on their stands. Stephen went and activated the Orb of Agamotto, which was in the shape of a globe.
"Show us the location of Captain Yami and the others," Stephen commanded, spreading his fingers around the sphere as if embracing its energy.
The orb spun faster, a soft hum filling the room before it halted with a resonant click, projecting a shimmering map into the air. A pinpoint of light marked Yami's location. Stephen flicked his fingers, zooming in on the scene until it took form— In a battlefield. Yami stood gripping Asta by the head, the young knight's legs kicking in protest, while Noelle hovered nearby, a worried smile tugging at her lips. Opposite them loomed Valtos, sneering, and another figure Stephen hadn't encountered before: the imposing Licht, whose presence radiated an aura of ominous light.
"If I say do it, you do it. You'll turn into a big man that way" Yami barked, smoke curling from his lips as he released Asta.
Stephen's eyes darted to Wanda, his brow quirked. "Do they even need us?"
Wanda's cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and uncertainty. "Captain Yami said to bring you, so... here we are."
Stephen exhaled sharply, a hint of a smirk ghosting over his lips. "Alright."
He deactivated the orb and crossed the room, his crimson Cloak of Levitation leaping from its stand and fastening itself around his shoulders. Dragonfang flew from its stand, its blade gleaming as it slid into place at his side of his sash. Nero, the sharp-eyed anti-magic bird, cawed once and settled on Stephen's shoulder.
With a quick motion, Stephen summoned a swirling orange portal. He glanced at Wanda, his eyes determined. "Let's go."
They stepped through, and the battlefield unfurled around them, the stench of charred earth and the metallic tang of magic thick in the air. Stephen landed beside Yami and Asta just as Valtos' expression twisted in irritation. The spatial mage's eyes narrowed; he recognized that portal anywhere.
"Ah, perfect timing!" Yami grunted, barely turning as he continued to drag on his cigarette. "I was just about to teach this brat something new. Might as well make it a group lesson."
A glimmer of light caught Stephen's attention. Licht stood a short distance away, a fresh gash marking his otherwise flawless face. His expression serene.
[Light Recovery Magic: Healing Light Particles].
A blinding glow enveloped him, mending the cut within seconds. Asta's eyes widened in disbelief. "He can heal himself too?!"
Yami snorted, unphased. "Some mages loved by mana can do almost anything. Now pay attention!" He finally set Asta down and looked over both Stephen and Asta simultaneously "Back where I come from, there's something called Ki. It's how I keep up with his light-speed attacks."
"Ki?" Asta echoed, confusion etched on his dirt-smeared face. "Not mana?"
Stephen's eyes narrowed as he processed Yami's words, intrigue sparking in his mind. 'Ki? Is it like chi, are they the same thing? And what does he mean the place from where he's from?'
Yami glanced back at Asta, then Stephen. "It's not just a form of energy. It's awareness. Sensing the eyes on you, the breath around you, the shifting of muscles—it's all Ki. I use it to predict his moves before he makes them. I then move accordingly to what I predict he's going to do."
In a swift motion, Yami spun and deflected an incoming light attack from Licht, the dark edge of his katana slicing through the spell. "When I do it I combine it with Magic and Muscles and fight that way. It's like being a Magic Swordsman or something"
Valtos looked slightly annoyed as he watched Yami instruct them, "Talking in the middle of a fight, how insolent. You mustn't get serious, Master Licht! I know this is impertinent of me to asked but can I take care of them, I owe that the white streak Wizard for last time"
Licht only smiled towards Vatos, "Thank you Valtos, you're always so helpful, in that case Capture them both, you are allowed to injure them both."
"An easy task" Valtos said as he conjured two balls of magic with two small black portals in front of them, aimed directly behind both Stephen and Asta.
Stephen whirled, conjuring an Eldritch shield in an instant to block the attack behind him. The magic crashed and dissipated against his shield. Yami intercepted the other, cutting it mid-air to save Asta.
"Huh?" Asta exclaimed looking back, "that was close, Wait did you do it just now Stephen!? Did you sense ki?" Asta asked, flabbergasted.
"No" Stephen said, shaking his head, "I used my magic detection and sensed when the attack appeared behind me," Stephen explained with a sigh.
"Great timing, practice on the slanted eye creep over there with the lines over his face." Yami ordered, "Oh and Stephen unless you can't sense it with ki don't bother blocking and let it you, only when you're able to sense it with your ki will I allow you to block it"
Both Stephen and Asta Immediately began to protest against such idiotic orders,
"Huuuuh!? It's too soon! There's no way I can handle–" Asta shouted,
While Stephen looked at Yami weirdly, "What!? You want me to be purposely hit, just because I can't feel Ki!? Are you trying to get me killed!?"
Yami smirked, smoke trailing as he spoke. "Where I'm from, there's a saying: 'A warrior never breaks his word.' Asta, You said you were going to be the Wizard King, didn't you?" Yami asked before looking at Stephen, "As for you I'm sure you promised yourself something otherwise you wouldn't be working so hard either…"
Yami then alternated his gaze as he held his cigarette by his mouth, "So right Here and Now, Surpass your limits, there's just no other way you can accomplish your dreams if you don't"
Asta's hesitation melted into fierce determination. He brandished his buster sword, eyes locked onto Valtos. "YES, SIR!"
Meanwhile Stephen let out a sigh as he pulled his sword from his sash and held it with both hands, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "You just had to say something cool…"
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