[Third Person's PoV]
"Bwahahaha!" The old man erupted into boisterous laughter, his voice echoing through the Temple. "It appears a few have already met their matchups!" He leaned forward in his seat, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he gestured to the glowing viewing bubble before them.
The screen displayed Asta, Magna, Luck, Gauche, and Wanda, each standing face-to-face with their assigned Temple Mages. The Temple Mages smirked and jeered at their opponents, radiating confidence.
The old man chuckled again, clapping his hands. "Isn't this exciting? Oh, by the way, what are the ranks of your mages?"
"Huh?" Yami muttered, his dark eyes narrowing at the old man. "How do you know about our ranking system?" He shrugged lazily. "Well, they're all Junior Magic Knights—except for Stephen over here. He's an Intermediate."
Stephen, who was lounging in his seat, hunched over a plate of food. He was thoroughly unbothered, happily feeding scraps of meat to Nero, the bird perched atop his head.
The old man raised a curious eyebrow at this revelation but quickly let out a hearty laugh. "Hahaha! Intermediate, you say? According to your Knight system, my Temple Mages are stronger than that! Junior mages don't stand a chance! Had I known Stephen was only Intermediate, I would've sent him into the fray as well—just to spice things up!"
"Oh, really? For real? Man, that's not good," Yami replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm. A sly smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, betraying his amusement.
Stephen's lips curled into a faint smile as he absentmindedly broke off another piece of meat, offering it to Nero. The bird chirped contentedly, unfazed by the chaos around them.
"GRAAAAAAAAHHH!" The battle cries of his squadmates echoed through the screen.
Wanda unleashed her chaos magic in a dazzling display, sending her opponent flying across the room to crash against the far wall. Luck blurred into action, his lightning-charged gauntlet making quick work of his target. Magna roared as a fireball exploded outward, scattering his opponent. Asta's anti-magic sword carved through the air, cutting down his foe with a swift, decisive strike. Gauche's magical mirrors erupted with beams of energy, overwhelming his adversary.
The scoreboard flickered, updating in real time: 10:10 → 10:5.
Yami's grin widened, a smug expression plastered across his face. "Unless, y'know," he drawled, lighting a cigarette, "those idiots are stronger than their titles."
The old man's jaw fell open, his confidence faltering. He stared at the numbers and then at his fallen mages, sweat trickling down his temple.
Yami threw his head back in a booming laugh. "Hahahaha! Hey, old man! Let's make a bet! I'll put 10,000 yuls on my team!"
The old man growled, clenching his fists. "They were careless..."
Meanwhile, Stephen had quietly pulled out his grimoire and began to flip through the pages of his book, his focus unshaken by the commotion.
Yami clapped the old man on the back roughly, his laughter resonating throughout the chamber. "Hahaha! Come on, you idiots! Beat them like rugs!"
The old man regained his composure and sneered. "The battle's just getting started! The remaining priests won't go down so easily—especially the three Great Priests. They're Senior-level mages."
The scene shifted as Finral, who had been hiding, was suddenly targeted. The old man cast a nuisance spell, summoning a monstrous fish creature to chase him. Finral's quick thinking and portal magic kept him just out of reach, his panicked yelps lifting the old man's spirits.
In another corner, Charmy had been happily using her magic to capture underwater creatures for a makeshift feast. Her delight was short-lived, however, as a masked mage ambushed her with Song Magic, lulling her into a deep sleep.
The scoreboard shifted again: 9:5.
"Hehehe," the old man teased, glancing at Yami. "Falling asleep counts as a KO, you know!"
Yami clicked his tongue in annoyance. "No food for her for a week."
The camera cut back to Asta, who faced a mage wearing a swordfish mask. The mage introduced himself as Kaito and shared his dream of becoming a dancer. Asta grinned, introducing himself and declaring his own aspirations. Their swords clashed in an electrifying duel, sparks flying as Asta's anti-magic sword shattered Kaito's mask, revealing his determined face.
Meanwhile, Noelle squared off against the mage wearing the dolphin mask—the same one who had defeated Charmy. The mage revealed herself as Kohono.
Yami arched a brow. "Hey, isn't that the girl you all met earlier?"
"Yeah, that's her," Stephen replied without looking up from his grimoire.
"Hm?" The old man hummed. "Ah, so you've encountered my granddaughter."
"Seriously?" Stephen asked, looking up with mild curiosity.
The old man beamed proudly. "Indeed! Kohono and Kaito are both my grandchildren—talented and strong!"
Before the old man could continue his bragging, the screen showed another of his mages being subdued. Vanessa, grinning mischievously, had them tangled in a web of strings. She tipped back a bottle of liquor, letting out a satisfied sigh. "What a rude man~ Trying to trap a helpless woman. You can't complain now that I've trapped you instead."
The score updated: 9:4.
"Whoa, Vanessa!" Yami exclaimed, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "She's usually drunk and useless until she gets warmed up, but today? We're on fire!"
As Asta and Noelle continued their battles, Stephen snapped his grimoire shut, his calm demeanor shifting into irritation.
Yami glanced at him. "What's with you? Eat too much and get constipated?"
Stephen shot him a deadpan look. "No. They're here. They've just arrived."
The old man frowned and gained a wary expression. "Who are you talking about?"
Stephen's expression darkened. "The Eye of the Midnight Sun… They've infiltrated the Temple."
Hearing that the old man secretly let out a sigh of relief, 'It's not them… It appears we still have time'
…
Magna and Luck seem to have met up face to face against a temple mage wearing a hammerhead shark mask over his face. Both of them appeared to be dirty from their battles.
Luck had his usual unnerving smile as he asked, "What's this? Are you getting tired Magna? You can go and get some rest if you want to"
Magna just had a grin plastered on his face as he said, "I'm just bursting with Energy! You butt out Luck!"
The Temple Mage just laughed, "Hahaha, Why don't you both just come at me together! I'm really sorry my father is causing you all this trouble!"
Lightning just trickled around Luck's face as he sensed the mana deep within the Temple Mage, his eyes were burning with battle intent, 'He's strong!!! Magic as deep as the ocean! No doubt about it, this guy is the strongest one out of the bunch'
"At the very least, out of consideration for the two of you, I'll end it fast" The Temple Mage said.
[Water Creation Magic: Sea God's Hammer]
A giant hand made out a water materialized behind the Temple Mge while carrying a mallet.
A fireball materialized on Magna's palm, while lightning crackled around Luck.
"You ain't ending nobody bro!!" Magna shouted.
"I'm nowhere near finished having fun!" Luck joined in.
*BOOOOM!*
The ceiling suddenly broke apart, rocks and dust flying in every direction as an orange shaped whale broke through creating a large opening.
"WHAT IS THAT?!" Magna exclaimed loudly.
They soon heard a creepy chuckle as the dust began to settle, revealing Vetto with a large grin plastered on his face, "It looks like you guys are having a lot of fun here! Come on, let us play too~!"
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