After an intense battle between Team K and Team L, (Y/N)'s team managed to emerge victorious after successfully destroying the opposing team's crystal. Meanwhile, those who were watching from afar still had expressions of disbelief on their faces as they still couldn't believe the fight they had witnessed. The two teams that had just fought met for the last time and congratulated each other on each other's performance before returning to the others as the final match of the first round was about to take place, which meant that....It was the turn of Yuno and Noelle's team. While on the way back, Randall made sure Selena wasn't near before taking the opportunity to ask (Y/N) something that had been on his mind ever since the battle had ended.

Randall: "(Y/N), can I ask you something?"

(Y/N): "Hmm? Sure Randall, what's up?"

Randall: "Just back then, when you stopped that monstrous compound magic spell......you weren't actually being serious yet, were you?" He asked with a rather serious tone.

(Y/N): "Heh.....mind telling me how did you come to that conclusion?"

Randall: "Well.....for starters, you have yet to use that type of magic that you possess besides your plasma attribute."

(Y/N): *smirk* "So you still remember huh?"

Randall: "It's not exactly easy to forget an important detail like that....." He deadpanned.

(Y/N): *chuckles* "I guess you have a point..... Anyway, I wasn't actually planning to use it at all, at least directly."

Randall: "Huh? What exactly do you mean by that?"

(Y/N): "You'll have to wait and see." I playfully grinned at him.

After that interaction, the three of us finally went back to the others, where most of them were silently staring at us, well, at me specifically. I could hear some whispers as I passed by some of the participants, but I just shrugged and headed towards the rest of my friends, who were currently encouraging Yuno and Noelle since they were next.

(Y/N): "Hey guys." I waved as I walked closer to them.

Asta: (Y/N)! YOU WERE SO COOL!" Asta exclaimed with starry eyes.

Mimosa: "U-Um, congratulations on your victory, (Y/N)."

(Y/N): *smiles* "Thanks you two. So, how are those two doing?" I asked while pointing at Yuno and Noelle in front of us.

Noelle: "WHAT WAS THAT?! I'll HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I'M ROYALTY!"

I recoiled back slightly at Noelle's sudden outburst at Yuno and just turned to look at Asta and Mimosa with wide eyes, the two just chuckling nervously before walking over to our two friends in front of us.

Noelle: "YOU'RE JUST A COMMONER, A SAVAGE AND A CHILDHOOD FRIEND OF ASTA'S!! CAN YOU EVEN THINK STRAIGHT WHEN YOU'RE FIGHTING?!" Noelle exclaimed rather angrily.

Yuno: "......What a lame comeback.....and that childish way of putting things, did you get that from Asta?" He deadpanned.

Noelle: *blush* "W-WH-WHAAAT?! HE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS! I SEE THAT EVEN YOUR ATTITUDE IS LIKE THAT OF STUPIDSTA'S!"

Yuno: *chuckles* "You're too flustered.....guess I called it." He smirked as Noelle got even more annoyed.

Noelle: "I'M NOT FLU-FLUSTERED!"

Asta: "H-Hey come on now! Why don't we all get along?" He said as he walked closer.

Mimosa: "Uh.....I have a feeling you had something to do with this Asta...." She stated awkwardly as she too approached the two.

(Y/N): "What the hell I'm I witnessing right now......" I muttered quite dumbfounded at the current display in front of me.

?????: "Well, isn't this nice? How very laid back of you to be having a friendly chat at this moment." An arrogant and familiar voice said from behind us.

I turned around and shifted my eyes towards the source, my eyes narrowing as I looked at the person in front of us. That silver hair and noticeable bangs to the right along with that vile smirk on his face, it was one of Noelle's older brothers, Solid Silva. I remember him from the war merits conference, ever since I laid my eyes on him I knew he was going to be a problem, my suspicions were later confirmed after he mocked and poured a glass of water on Noelle before Asta jumped in and defended her. If only I'd had the chance to put him in his place like I did with Alecdora that day, maybe all of that would have been avoided. Regardless, I fell silent as he approached Noelle with an evil grin, immediately starting to tease her once more.

Solid: "I'm amazed that the trash of our family decided to attend this tournament. The Black Bulls suddenly get various accidental achievements and now you think you're ready to fight me even when you can't control your magic?" He laughed mockingly as Noelle stared at him quietly.

Yuno, who was a bit concerned, quickly glanced at Noelle, who was doing her best not to let Solid's words get to her, something that (Y/N) noticed as well. One couldn't help but imagine what hellish childhood she must have gone through alone, being constantly harassed and mocked by her siblings without anyone there to help her, and all because she couldn't control her magic. Angered, (Y/N) was about to intervene until Alecdora interrupted and called for his teammate. Solid simply rolled his eyes and walked back to his side, his smile still on his face as he laughed at Noelle one last time. Concurrently, Alecdora briefly looked back and glared at Yuno, who just stared back at him confused.

Yuno: "We should get moving as well." He said as he walked to the field.

Noelle and her other teammate nodded and started to follow him. However, just before Noelle left for the match, an unfamiliar hand grabbed her by the shoulder and stopped her. Surprised, she looked at the owner of said hand and was shocked to see (Y/N) smiling at her.

(Y/N): "Don't worry Noelle. I know you guys can do this." I said with a reassuring smile.

Noelle: "Th-Thank you (Y/N)."

(Y/N): "Now go out there and prove your brother wrong."

Noelle gave me a soft smile and nodded before turning around and rejoining her team. Moments later, the announcer signaled the start of the match. Asta, as well as the rest of the Black Bulls and the three of us from the Golden Dawn, began to cheer for their team.

Yuno and Noelle started arguing about something while their teammate just watched from the sidelines and carefully searched around for the other team. Before they could decide on their plan, the opposing team was already on the move as they combined their magic to replicate the same method the captains had used to return to the capital during the attack. Without hesitating, Yuno quickly used his wind sickle to reduce the great mobility of his enemies, as it could prove to be a hindrance in the long run if it wasn't dealt with now. Meanwhile, Noelle looked around her and managed to spot their third and last opponent, who began to cast various fireballs at their position. In return she immediately pointed her wand forward and created a water sphere around her and her team, successfully stopping the flame magic and momentarily shielding her team from any outside attacks. However, wanting to maintain the pressure, Alecdora used his sand magic and absorbed the water completely, immediately attacking once more. Yuno in return used his wind magic and quickly dragged Noelle along with the crystal to a safer place. Yuno sighed and looked back at the enemy that was following them, if the three were here this indicated that they had left their crystal unguarded, which meant that someone had to go ahead and head for the other team's crystal while the remaining two defended their own. Yuno analyzed the situation in front of him, surely he was the fastest among the three, if he wanted to take advantage of the brief opening they had created, he had to move now. But, just before he did, Noelle looked at him and pleaded for him to let her be the one to do it. Yuno raised an eyebrow and stared back at the silver-colored hair girl behind him, noticing a look of full determination on her face as his golden eyes stared deeply into hers.

Klaus: "If this keeps up they will remain on the defensive for the whole match. They have to think of something quickly."

(Y/N): ".... I have a feeling they already have."

Pointing at the two, we all watched as Yuno stayed behind and protected their own crystal while Noelle, with the help of Yuno's wind, went for the opposing team's crystal.

Asta: "You can do this Noelle!" He exclaimed excited as Noelle kept advancing.

Meanwhile, Yuno landed on the ground with the crystal and looked at Noelle with a smile, she has been fighting alongside Asta all this time, so he was sure that she was capable of completing their objective. Nevertheless, Yuno still had to be cautious as their opponents might attempt to destroy their own crystal before she had a chance to do so. While still being carried away by Yuno's wind, Noelle took a quick look behind her and spotted Solid already on her tail, something she had predicted would happen. Back to Yuno, Alecdora tried to call out to Solid who had acted on his own, but his words fell on deaf ears as Solid just ignored him, leaving him alone against Yuno. Alecdora gritted his teeth and stared at the boy in front of him, eyes filled with resentment whilst he created his sand golem.

Yuno: "Please, make sure you don't hold back." He stated as he opened his grimoire.

Alecdora's anger continued to build up within him as he had several flashbacks of various instances where he overheard some of the other Golden Dawn members praising Yuno and (Y/N) for their various accomplishments during the Battle of Kiten, but even so, Alecdora still believed that he had a chance to prove himself to be better and be able to rise above them. Unfortunately for him, all of that hope was shattered after the star awards festival, when the two brothers ended up taking the top spot among all other squad members. At this point, his envy towards the two had reached its peak after he noticed that even the captain had started interacting with them even more so than before. That's why right now, there was nothing he longed for more than to finally put the two of them in their place and be the one to impress the captain while making sure their squad remained on top.

Back with Noelle, after traveling and fending off Solid's attacks, she had finally reached the other end of the battlefield. However, Solid was able to overtake her and position himself in front of his team's crystal, which meant that Noelle now had no choice but to defeat him if she wanted to have a chance to destroy the crystal. A sadistic grin formed on Solid's face as he prepared to attack Noelle with his water magic, trusting that she was no match for him at all. A bead of sweat ran down Noelle's face as she stood in front of him, she was still a bit anxious, but she was fully determined to bring him down no matter what. Solid frowned after seeing her reaction, he was hoping that by now she would have run away from him, but instead she stood her ground and pointed her wand at him, her grimoire floating beside her as she flipped through many of its pages. Solid widened his eyes and a feeling of fear began to swell up inside him after noticing a giant figure started to form right behind Noelle.

Yuno stared at the giant in front of him, completely unfazed by the enormous amount of magical strength behind it. The wind spirit quickly appeared beside Yuno ready to aid him on his fight, but was surprised when he commanded her to step down. Enraged, Alecdora wasted no more time and launched his attack at Yuno, who in return, just extended his hand and completely destroyed Alecdora's spell by casting his towering tornado spell inside of it. Alecdora widened his eyes and looked back in complete shock, his most powerful spell had been destroyed like it was nothing by someone who wasn't even fighting seriously. Falling to his knees, Alecdora just stared at the ground in disbelief while Yuno simply walked away, waiting for Noelle to complete her objective.

What was seen next was.....surprising to say the least. Solid could be seen trembling with fear as he stared at the monstrous spell coming out of Noelle's wand. A giant snake-like creature with the head of a sea dragon with razor sharp teeth was staring directly at Solid, waiting to be unleashed upon him. Its sheer size was so massive that it easily dwarfed all of Solid's own spells, giving him little to no hope of deflecting the attack. Still, even with all odds against him, he refused to be beaten by someone he considered inferior to him and in one last desperate attempt, Solid launched his attack at Noelle, who just stared narrowed her eyes at him before unleashing her spell as well. The enormous sea dragon easily smashed through and destroyed Solid's spells, continuing on its way to Solid and hitting him directly, wounding and knocking him out completely along with the crystal with a single hit, making Team P the winners. Noelle stood before her unconscious brother with an undaunted determination, she was no longer afraid of him, she knew that she was not weak anymore.

With the match over, several mages immediately went ahead and carried Solid back to attend his injuries. On the other hand, Yuno looked back at Alecdora who was still at loss for words, his strongest spell had been defeated by Yuno without a single bit of effort from his part. Yuno just sighed and commented on the nobles' fragile egos before walking back to the rest of his friends.

Asta: "Awesome job Yuno!! You were amazing out there!"  Asta said excited as Yuno approached us.

Yuno: "Mhm, you too shrimp." Yuno responded nonchalantly.

Asta: "HUH?! WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHRIMP?!" Asta said annoyed while Yuno ignored him.

(Y/N): "Good job Yuno, I would have lost all of my respect for you if you would have lost that." I told him with a smirk.

Yuno: Like I'd care." He challenged with a slight smirk of his own.

(Y/N): *laughs* "Let's see if you keep talking big once we get to our match, if you pass the next one, of course ~." I teased.

Yuno: "Hmm, I should be the one saying that, since you are the one facing a captain next."

Although I hate to admit it, Yuno was right. In my next match I will be facing the captain of the Aqua Deer, and based on what I saw in his own fight, his magic would definitely be a hassle to deal with. As long as he doesn't realize the weakness of my attribute, I think I should be fine. But.....I guess if it comes down to it, I'll maybe have to use my Astral Projection against him if there is no other option.

???: "U-Um, you were terrific Yuno, your magic is so cool! How about you have an after-battle dessert?" A small petite girl asked shyly as she approached Yuno and offered him a delicious-looking pastry.

Yuno: "Thank you. I'll be sure to savor it." He said as he grabbed the cupcake.

Yuno proceeded to take a bite out of his dessert and even smeared some of the frosting on the side of his lips. Yuno ran a finger across the frosting and licked it, followed by a compliment to the girl. For some odd reason, all of this made the small girl fall dramatically to the ground, presumably passing out while Asta asked her if she was okay. The girl, whose name was Charmy, just laid there on the ground as the wind spirit flew over her annoyed. I blinked twice quite dumbfounded at the scene in front of me while Asta just laughed slightly at my reaction.

Asta: "Oh! By the way! Noelle, good job on knocking your annoying brother off the field! That spell was amazing!"

(Y/N): "Yeah, I have to agree. Your magic is incredible."

Noelle: "H-Hmph! That's right, and I was actually holding back as well, his upper body would have been blown completely off if I didn't." She said proudly as she did a hair flip.

(Y/N): "Heh, is that so? Well hopefully one day I'll get to see you use it at its full power."  I said while smiling, at the same time wondering if I would be able to stop it if I went against it head on.

Asta: "Yeah! I'd like to see it again too!!" Asta said with starry eyes.

Noelle: "W-Well ... I guess I can demonstrate it to you one day, but don't be surprised by its power, I'm a royal after all, so it should be expected." She said with a slight embarrassed blush.

With the first round already over, the wizard king expressed his excitement at the next set of incoming matches. Meanwhile, the king ordered Julius to continue with the next game in a very bored tone. The king took a quick glance at the three brothers who were chatting with an annoyed expression on his face as all three managed to make it through the first round. The king simply rolled his eyes and hoped that they would lose soon. Shortly after, the wizard king announced that we would be jumping straight to the second stage. However, before we started, Julius signaled to his assistant mages to go ahead and start working on something. In an instant, all the contestants felt how the ground began to shake violently as many structures and mountains began to take shape while others moved, all the magic knights gasped in amazement after noticing that the entire scene was changing before their eyes.

Julius: "Its easier to judge your abilities when you're forced to fight in different situations and conditions, so with that being said, for stage two......

Julius: ".....You'll be fighting upon this stage!"

Asta: "H-Holy crap!" He exclaimed shocked.

Taking a quick look at the bracket, it seemed like it was Asta and Mimosa's turn again, and this time they were facing off against Kirsch and Sol's team. Hmmm, I wonder how Asta and Mimosa will cope with Kirsch's powerful magic? This match will be very interesting to watch.

Kirsch: "Ah, it doesn't matter if the stage had changed, my beauty remains the same." He said with his hand on his face.

Sol: "Ugh, yeah yeah." She rolled her eyes.

Kirsch: "Heh, and the same goes for you two filths. I'll get rid of both of you so there's no trace of you, you better get ready." He pointed at both Asta and (Y/N).

(Y/N) raised an eyebrow and just looked at Kirsch with an indifferent expression while Asta simply gritted his teeth and pointed back at the Vermillion royal.

Asta: "Hey I'm not that easy to get rid of!"

Mimosa: "You will regret saying that! You're the one who should be prepared brother!" She intervened with an irritated tone.

Kirsch: "Mimosa, it seems that you have exposed yourself too much to these vulgar commoners and you have already lost sight of yourself.....don't worry, in the next match I will free you from these unsightly beings with my magic."

Mimosa: "Grrr....."

???: "Oi Asta! We're not holding back on each other out there, alright?!!" Asta's squadmate shouted with a grin.

Asta: "Of course! I wouldn't dream of it, mister Magna!" Asta said eagerly in return.

Sol: "Hey at least you're energetic, Funglasquent." She laughed.

Magna: "What the- HEY! Stop calling me funglasquent!" He answered angrily.

Kirsch: "Would you two come along? We have to go and