"Something seems familiar..."
Adam looked at Ladin's receding back. After hovering in the air for a moment, he let out a loud sigh.
No more super farms...
Ladin followed the guidance of the mysterious orb and headed toward the Diamond Kingdom.
Adam also left. He received Mereoleona's message and flew toward the royal capital.
These two "old friends" were almost bound to meet again.
The Scene of the Royal Knights Selection
The first stage of the competition had ended, and Magna and the others had all passed the first round of selection.
What was surprising was that Finral, that coward, actually dared to confront his stupid little brother directly.
"I will definitely win," he said.
That wasn't something the usual Finral would say.
In order to reverse the Phantom Deer Squad's terrible reputation at the bottom of the rankings, Rill, their captain, secretly signed up for the competition himself.
Was there really no one else in his squad? The captain had to step up personally.
It turned into a one-sided slaughter. Rill swept through the first match alone — hailed as a "monster" by his own squad. He treated the battlefield as a canvas, painting his masterpiece through combat.
Sea snake versus sea dragon — a duel with no suspense. Noelle proved herself once again and defeated Solid.
"I'm not weak anymore!"
Noelle's cry from the depths of her heart shattered the inferiority she'd carried for so many years.
"Second stage — first match, begin now!"
A sea of pink flowers swept across the arena. The black demon's power destroyed everything in its path — whether it was traps or illusions, they were all torn apart by Asta's swing of the Demon-Slayer Sword.
The battle reached its climax.
The Royal Capital — The Vermillion Family Estate
Adam couldn't find the words to describe how magnificent the Vermillion manor was.
Compared to this place, the Black Bulls' hideout wasn't even worth being called a toilet.
"Comparing yourself to others is just depressing."
Adam walked through without being stopped by any of the royal guards. It seemed Mereoleona had already arranged everything in advance.
He didn't believe that the rumors about him alone could scare everyone off.
"Adam, over here!"
Mereoleona, wearing a white training suit, waved to him from the castle gate.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Adam muttered.
He walked up to her cautiously. "You asked me to come here, right? Don't tell me... you're planning to use me as a punching bag?"
"You guessed right," Mereoleona said with a smug grin.
Adam's mouth twitched. "Impossible, absolutely impossible! You said you had good reasons for calling me here — and it turns out I'm just your sparring partner?"
"There'll be a reward after the fight," she said mysteriously.
"Haha! Happy to help!"
Adam's mood flipped instantly. He grinned. "I love sparring! Builds experience, you know?"
"Then let's go."
Mereoleona led him through the luxurious hall and down to the basement entrance of the manor.
"This is where I train when I'm home."
When she opened the door, Adam was stunned — it wasn't just a basement, but a blazing arena filled with fire magic.
A wave of heat hit his face, making his whole body feel like it was on fire. It was truly a sacred ground for fire mages.
"Adam, come on!" Mereoleona said, taking a combat stance as flames surged around her.
"You're going to fight me with fire magic. Once the Royal Knights are assembled, we'll be countering the Eye of the Midnight Sun. I need to be ready."
"So, you'll be leading a squad too?" Adam asked curiously.
"Of course. I still have to avenge my stupid brother lying coma in the hospital."
With that, Mereoleona stomped the ground, leaving a crater as she rushed toward Adam.
"The fight better have a prize!" Adam yelled.
"What do you want?" she asked, grinning.
"Let's talk after the fight!"
Adam burst forth with fiery energy, his whole body engulfed in flames — the combined power of the Dragon, the Pig, and the Fire Demon.
Containing the Bull's immense strength, his fist clashed with Mereoleona's, and the temperature in the basement rose sharply.
"Come again!" she shouted.
The two of them were like wild beasts, exchanging blow after blow — their excitement evident with every hit.
"Come again!"
Back at the Royal Knights Tournament
In the first match, Captain Kirsch's team lost to Asta's team — which made the king, watching from above, extremely displeased.
He was a petty man who held grudges, and he hadn't forgotten Asta and Yuno's earlier sarcasm.
The second match was a fateful one — a duel between a "useless" older brother and a "genius" younger brother, a story of jealousy, family pressure, and favoritism.
The younger brother sought to destroy his sibling with his own hands.
"Langris, no matter what you think, you're still my little brother," Finral said.
A massive surge of mana erupted from Langris's body. Finral felt an all-too-familiar discomfort from that twisted energy.
Three Magic Eyes.
"Really…" murmured the Wizard King, understanding dawning in his eyes.
"Langris, stop this!"
"You don't know anything about me, Brother! You're just a coward who ran away! You never hurt anyone, and you still act like a brother!"
The clash of green and violet magic filled the air — defense and offense intertwining. Finral couldn't hold out against his brother's assault.
"Disappear!"
Langris raised his hand. Deep down, he knew — he was jealous of his gentle brother.
So please... just disappear!
"Stop!"
"ROAR!"
With a thunderous dragon's cry, Xiaolan appeared behind Langris. If this human dared to move, it would devour him whole.
The Black Bulls arrived, standing on Charmy's giant sheep, catapulted straight into the battlefield.
"If you move, you die," Magna growled, flaming baseball bat in hand.
Luck stood beside him, lightning crackling from his armor. Asta stood in front of Finral, gripping the Demon-Slayer Sword tightly.
All of them were ready to strike if Langris dared attack.
"That's enough."
The Wizard King teleported in with Time Magic, halting the chaos.
Owen, the kingdom's top healer, rushed to Finral's side.
This twisted younger brother no longer recognized anyone — not even his beloved Ni-chan.
"I've had enough of you Black Bulls meddling around!" Langris snapped.
He raised his hand again, space magic forming around Asta — but before it could strike…
"ROAR!"
Xiaolan bellowed again, ready to devour him.
"Enough!"
The Wizard King used Time Magic: Chrono Bind to restrain both Langris and Xiaolan in suspended time.
The semi-finals were about to begin.
Back in Mereoleona's Training Chamber
"Happy!"
Mereoleona was drenched in sweat, exhilarated. She hadn't had such a heated spar in ages.
Adam's arms were numb — and that was even after using the Bull Talisman's strength. Though only at the second stage, it was still monstrous.
"She's seriously something else… capable of giving birth to twins someday with that stamina," Adam thought, smirking to himself.
"Continue," Mereoleona said, her eyes blazing with battle-lust.
She didn't even notice her soaked clothes clinging to her, highlighting every curve of her devilish figure.
Gulp.
Adam swallowed hard. "You're seriously testing my self-control here."
"What's wrong?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Nothing! Let's get started again!"
...
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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