"Asta!" Mimosa screamed as a trap magic circle suddenly flared beneath Asta's feet.
Before he could react, the spell detonated with blinding white light, spraying venom in all directions. Asta collapsed, unconscious.
Zora, who had separated from Asta earlier, opened his eyes from his nap.
Bang!
Asta's body hit the ground hard, and the opposing team immediately seized the opportunity to unleash a barrage of powerful attacks aimed at the crystal Mimosa was defending.
Boom!
The battle reached its peak—but to everyone's shock, the combined strikes didn't shatter Asta's crystal. Instead, they were reflected back by a hidden trap magic circle.
The attackers were caught off guard. Their own magic rebounded on them, blasting them down along with their crystals.
Asta's team wins!
"It's wonderful!"
Noelle clenched her fists tightly. She wanted to prove to her family that she was no longer the weak girl they once mocked.
"By the way… where's Adam?"
Noelle turned and saw only Chamy and Vanessa sitting atop Little Blue. That little dragon never let anyone ride it except Adam—and pretty girls.
"Sister Vanessa, did you see where Adam went?" Noelle asked, her voice laced with worry. In truth, she wondered if Adam was off doing something… questionable again.
"Noelle, we haven't even entered the palace yet," Vanessa teased. "You're already trying to control him? Be careful—Adam might start finding you annoying."
Her tone was joking, but there was an unmistakable trace of jealousy.
After all, Vanessa had been the one who helped Adam "sleep" comfortably last night. It was only natural she'd feel a little possessive.
"Sister Vanessa… you don't know. After Adam came back last night…"
Noelle hesitated, but couldn't hold it in any longer. She leaned closer to whisper.
Chamy's ears perked up immediately—her gossip radar was on high alert.
"Really?" Vanessa raised a brow.
"I found… a reddish-brown hair on him."
"Damn it."
Vanessa crushed the cake Chamy had just handed her. "That bastard already has me and Noelle, and now someone else too?!"
"Unforgivable," Noelle growled in agreement. Both women were fuming. Adam was in serious trouble.
Chamy just stared in horror at the crushed dessert in Vanessa's hand.
"My cake…" she whimpered.
"Ahhh—choo!"
Adam sneezed mid-flight, feeling a chill run down his spine.
Something was definitely wrong.
"Why do I suddenly feel like someone's cursing me…?"
Adam frowned. His instincts were screaming danger. After the mess he'd gotten into yesterday, he couldn't afford to take any risks.
He stopped mid-air, hovering warily.
"There might be trouble ahead," he muttered.
Better safe than sorry.
He opened his grimoire and chanted, "Clever Monkey, grant me the ability to transform everything."
A golden light enveloped him. In the next instant, Adam's form shifted into a majestic eagle, wings slicing through the air as he sped toward Naian City.
Whoosh!
"This time, nothing can possibly go wrong," he said confidently—jinxing himself immediately.
"Give me your body!"
"In your dreams!"
Ladin was on his knees, trembling violently as he battled the devil's will inside him. Their souls collided, each trying to erase the other completely.
"Damn it! I've slept for centuries since falling into the abyss…"
The devil's voice seethed as it clawed deeper into Ladin's consciousness. His fragmented soul was too weak to survive long—it needed a host. It needed him.
"I won't lose…"
Ladin gritted his teeth. The faces of his parents flashed before his eyes—his reason to keep fighting. He would live. He would find a way to bring them back.
"What the hell happened here?"
Three members of the Green Mantis squad were flying nearby on a mission when they stumbled upon the scene of carnage.
"There's someone up ahead!"
Ladin's pained screams drew their attention.
"Hey! Identify yourself!" one of them shouted. "Answer now, or we'll attack!"
"Why waste time?" another sneered. "He's obviously the killer."
The fat mage on the right swung his arm, launching a massive fireball straight at Ladin.
"Don't bother me, you idiots!"
Ladin and the demon shouted in unison.
An enormous Lightning Spear ripped through the air and pierced the fat man's chest instantly. The other two panicked, abandoning their comrade and fleeing toward the capital.
Cowards.
Ladin didn't care. The battle inside his mind was reaching its peak.
The devil's power was ancient and immense, though weakened with age. Against it, Ladin was only human.
"Is this… the end for me?"
No. His willpower surged one last time. The transparent sphere in his hand began to glow, pulling the devil's essence into itself.
"Let me go, you deceitful human!" the green devil howled, swirling violently inside the orb.
Ladin's body trembled as sweat soaked his clothes. He knew this strange object had just saved his life.
"I'll finish you off while you're weak!"
"No, wait—let me go! I can give you power, knowledge—we can rule together—No!"
Ladin ignored the pleas and activated the orb again, drawing the devil's power into himself.
This time, the demon couldn't resist. His soul shattered as Ladin's magic devoured him completely.
"You… you're the devil now…" the fading voice whispered.
"Whatever you say," Ladin replied coldly.
Pain exploded in his skull as new knowledge and power flooded in—dark, chaotic, intoxicating.
"Dragon… demon… black energy… rules everything…"
The transformation completed. Horns sprouted from his head, black wings from his back, lightning crackling around his body.
A human no longer—Ladin was reborn as something else.
"It's time to go," he said quietly. "This place is cursed."
He took one last look at the ruins of his home. "Rest in peace…"
When Adam reached Nairn City, the glowing pages of his grimoire suddenly stopped moving. The mysterious pull he had been following vanished completely.
"Are you kidding me?!"
He hovered mid-air, facepalming. "Was this whole trip just a prank?"
Still, curiosity got the better of him. "Since I'm here anyway…"
Adam decided to check out the Ladin family estate. Maybe he'd find some rare animals to play with—or, more likely, trouble.
As he flew toward the manor, he spotted a few injured Green Mantis mages crawling in the distance.
"Yikes. Not my problem," Adam muttered, zipping past them.
But the closer he got, the heavier the air became. A metallic, rusty smell filled his nostrils.
Blood.
He shifted uneasily. "What the hell happened here?"
The eagle circled high above the manor—and froze.
The sight below was… horrifying. The once-beautiful estate had turned into a slaughterhouse.
Adam felt his stomach twist. Even he wasn't sure what kind of monster could've done this.
Then he noticed movement.
A figure with black wings and lightning flickering across his body.
Ladin.
After burying the last of the corpses, the man turned toward the sky. His eyes narrowed.
He could feel it—someone was watching.
Ladin's gaze locked onto the eagle circling overhead.
Adam's sharp eyes met his.
For a moment, neither moved.
Both of them thought the same thing—
I've seen that face before…
...
Author's Note:
The full completed version of Black Clover: I Awakened the Power of the Twelve Zodiac Talismans is now on Patreon!
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