The Attack on the Capital End

As Zoro returned, he saw the masked man now bound by Fuegoeleon's intense fire bindings. The captured figure struggled, held firm by the glowing flames that circled his body, singeing the edges of his cloak.

"So, you're done here, huh?" Zoro asked, arriving with Yuno, who had Sylph, the green Wind Spirit, hovering beside him, while Vermithra, a fiery red spirit, buzzed excitedly around Zoro.

Fuegoeleon nodded, his gaze sharp as he turned to address the masked man. "What is your purpose in attacking the capital? Surely it's more than just revenge."

The masked man's lips twisted into an eerie smile as he chuckled softly, his voice a chilling whisper. "Our true objective… is you, Fuegoeleon Vermillion." With those words, the ground beneath Fuegoeleon suddenly warped, twisting into a black hole that swallowed him in an instant. No one had time to react as the fiery captain vanished into the dark void of spatial magic.

Zoro narrowed his eyes, his hand gripping his sword tightly. "What trickery is this?" he muttered, watching as Fuegoeleon disappeared before his eyes.

"Big Brother!" Leopold shouted, his voice breaking as he saw his brother vanish. His fists clenched in anger, he turned to the masked man, eyes blazing. "You freak! Where did you send my brother?"

Asta, assessing the situation quickly, gripped his sword and called out, "Leo, that's not the spatial mage! He's somewhere else." He rushed towards a nearby pile of fallen zombies, his anti-magic blade slicing through them. Just then, a dark figure appeared atop a nearby building, laughing as he removed his mask.

"Good job figuring that out," the spatial mage sneered. But before he could say anything more, Zoro had already leapt to the rooftop, appearing behind him in an instant.

Without hesitation, Zoro grabbed the spatial mage by the face and slammed his head into the building with brutal force. The mage's muffled gasp escaped as Zoro grinned, eyes flashing with anticipation. "Where did you take that red rooster? You're not letting him have all the fun, are you?" He kept smashing the mage's head against the rooftop, the force cracking the tiles beneath them.

The spatial mage, overwhelmed by Zoro's speed and strength, barely had a chance to think. 'W-What is this man's power? Fine, if he wants to die so much, I'll send him to the master.' Struggling against Zoro's grip, he activated his spatial magic, enveloping them both in a thick, dark substance.

In an instant, they both disappeared into the shadows of teleportation.

"Vice-Captain!" Asta and Noelle shouted, watching in shock as Zoro vanished along with the enemy.

"Take me with you too!" Leopold cried, desperation in his voice as he just wanted to find his brother, fists clenched as he stared at the empty spot where his brother and Zoro had disappeared.

"Mooo, he forgot to take me with him…" Vermithra muttered, crossing her tiny arms in a pout, sparks flickering around her as she hovered in the air. She closed her eyes, focusing hard as she attempted to use her spiritual connection to locate Zoro. A moment later, her eyes flew open, a look of shock crossing her face. "W-What? I can't sense him…where did he go?" Her voice shook as the reality hit her, her glow dimming. The usually bold spirit was now visibly distressed, darting in anxious circles.

Noelle, noticing Vermithra's distress, stepped forward with concern. "What happened? Where did the Vice-Captain go?" she asked, her voice laced with urgency as she watched Vermithra's panicked state.

"I don't know! I… I can't feel his presence anymore!" Vermithra cried, her voice trembling. Her eyes welled up with tears as she floated helplessly, her usual energy subdued by the fear of losing her partner. "He's just… gone! I can't sense anything," she whispered, on the verge of tears.

Asta, fists clenched, tried to calm her. "It's okay, Vermithra. Zoro's strong—he'll be fine! But we need to think fast."

Noelle nodded, swallowing her worry as she glanced toward the distant hills. "We should go find Captain Yami and tell him what happened here," she said, her voice firm, masking her own fear. "He'll know what to do."

With a quick nod, the group began rushing toward the Black Bulls' base. Vermithra hovered close to Asta, her gaze darting between the group and the horizon, hoping desperately to sense Zoro's presence once more.

.....

As Zoro arrived in the strange dimension, he took in the eerie surroundings—a vast, white expanse dotted with magic circles that pulsed as if they maintained the reality around them. His gaze quickly shifted to the scene in front of him. There, kneeling on one knee with labored breaths, was Fuegoelon Vermillion. Sweat poured down Fuegoelon's face, and blood dripped from a missing arm, with a gaping hole carved into his abdomen. Hovering above him was a figure cloaked in an intense, almost divine aura, with flowing, pale hair and piercing eyes filled with a cold indifference. The figure emanated power, embodying an ethereal and intimidating presence, like a being untouchable by mortal hands.

The figure's gaze turned to Zoro, meeting him with an expression that betrayed no emotion. Before Zoro could react, the spatial mage who had brought him here knelt at the figure's feet. "Master, this intruder wished to meet you," he said with awe, his voice reverent. "Please do us the favor of ending his life." Without a second glance, the spatial mage created a swirling black hole and disappeared, leaving Zoro with this powerful opponent. But Zoro ignored him, his focus fixed on the battered state of Fuegoelon.

"Hey, Red Rooster! What're you doing down there, lookin' that pathetic?" Zoro barked, his voice seething with restrained fury. "Stand up! Is this guy so strong you can't even hold him off?"

Fuegoelon looked up with a relieved smile, a glimmer of hope filling his exhausted eyes. "You… you're here." His voice was weak but grateful. "I'm relieved… please, take care of him." With that, Fuegoelon finally lost consciousness, collapsing to the ground.

The man floating above sneered. "So, you're the famed vice-captain of the Black Bulls—the demon of the Clover Kingdom. I've been eager to test your strength, but…" His sentence was abruptly cut short as a massive black slash hurtled toward him, so swift he barely had time to register it. It sliced through his arm, blood spraying into the air. His eyes widened, stunned by the ferocity of the attack.

"To hell with your nonsense! If you want to fight, then fight! Don't just stand there running your mouth!" Zoro growled, Enma in his hand, its blade coated in a pitch-black sheen with sparks of crimson lightning crackling around it. He released his Conqueror's Haki in a powerful wave, the force resonating through the dimension. Yet, to Zoro's surprise, the man simply smirked, unfazed, as particles of light gathered around his severed limb, reconstructing it in mere moments.

"Oh, so you're a light mage, huh?" Zoro said, his tone colder as he drew his second and third swords, holding one in each hand and placing the third in his mouth. It was rare for him to wield all three swords, a testament to how seriously he was taking this opponent. Rage simmered beneath his steely gaze as he recalled Fuegoelon's brutalized state. Though Zoro didn't care much for the redhead's righteous persona, he respected his strength and dedication. Seeing him reduced to such a state fueled Zoro's anger, his aura blazing around him in shades of black and purple. "I'll kill you," he declared, his voice low and deadly.

The man gave a cold smile. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Litch, leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun," he said with a chilling indifference. "And I welcome the chance to take you on." With a casual wave, Litch summoned hundreds of glowing light spears in the air, each poised to strike. A four-leaf clover grimoire hovered before him, its pages flipping as he directed the spears with a single raised hand. They launched forward at dizzying speeds, honing in on Zoro.

Zoro's muscles tensed as he sprang forward, slicing through the onslaught of light with frightening speed. Each light spear shattered as his blades tore through them, leaving a wake of obliterated magic in his path. In a single bound, he closed the distance, his swords aiming straight for Litch's throat. But just before his blades could connect, Litch vanished in a flash of light, reappearing behind Zoro, his expression unchanged.

Orbs of light materialized around Zoro, forming a ring that surrounded him completely. In an instant, each orb fired a beam of energy at him from every angle. "Enough with these pathetic tricks. Fight me for real!" Zoro growled, an icy glint in his eyes. "Three-Sword Style: Dragon Twister!" He twisted his entire body, generating a massive whirlwind laced with black and red lightning. The tornado's force neutralized the incoming beams before surging toward Litch, cutting through the very fabric of the dimension itself. The white expanse trembled, the stability of the magical realm cracking under the force of Zoro's attack.

Litch flashed away again, reappearing above the Dragon Twister, a sly grin spreading across his face. "So, this is the fabled style of the strongest swordsman," he mused. "But let me tell you, you are not the strongest." In a blur of movement, he appeared behind Zoro, summoning a sword of light and bringing it down with precise force. But as the blade clashed with Zoro's, it shattered almost instantly, unable to withstand his Haki-infused strike. A large gash appeared on Litch's shoulder, blood pouring from the wound.

Litch staggered back, his expression flickering with surprise. His light magic, renowned for its strength, hadn't held against Zoro for even a second. As he reappeared a distance away, trying to heal himself, he frowned as the wound resisted his magic's effects. "What…?" he murmured, bewildered.

Zoro smirked, his gaze sharp and mocking. "Surprised, are you?"

Litch's face regained its cold indifference, though his eyes held a glint of determination. "No, this is as I expected," he replied coolly, increasing the output of his magic. With a faint glow, he finally managed to close the wound, though the process took longer than he anticipated.

"Light Magic: Light Whip of Judgment!" Litch's voice echoed through the ethereal, dim-lit dimension as blazing whips of light crackled to life around him. The whips hummed with destructive energy, illuminating the dark space with sharp, jagged streaks of radiance. With a malevolent grin, Litch hurled them toward Zoro, each whip lashing out like the fangs of a viper, fast and deadly. But Zoro's form blurred as he sidestepped effortlessly, weaving through the barrage, each strike missing him by a hair's breadth.

"Is this all you've got?" Zoro's voice was low, laced with disdain. His face twisted in disappointment as he parried one of the luminous tendrils with his sword, slicing through it as though it were nothing. "I thought you might actually be a challenge. How the hell did you beat that 'Red Rooster' captain if this is all you can do?"

Litch's face darkened, eyes narrowing with offense. "How dare you, you magicless insect!" His voice grew harsher, mocking as he wielded his light whips with renewed fury. "These are my Whips of Judgment, designed to punish criminals like you! You're exactly the kind of fool who deserves them." His mouth curled into a maniacal grin as he intensified the assault, his whips striking at Zoro from all directions, encircling him like the jaws of a trap.

Zoro's expression turned grim. With a few swift, precise slashes, he shredded the light whips, each movement effortless. His gaze bored into Litch, radiating an eerie calmness. "You're nothing more than a flashy light bulb, pretending to be strong." A crushing wave of Conqueror's Haki exploded from him, sending tremors through the dimension itself. Litch faltered in midair, his aura flickering under the sheer pressure, beads of sweat forming on his brow.

Zoro's swords began to emit an intense green flame, his Haki blazing around them as he focused his killing intent. He planted his foot, the ground cracking beneath him, before launching himself forward at a speed that left a streak of green light in his wake. His voice turned icy as he spoke, "The nine mountains and eight seas constitute one world. A thousand of them form a small chiliocosm, and when I gather and cube that chiliocosm, there is nothing I can't cut."

Positioning his swords in a triangular stance, Zoro began to spin them, each blade a whirl of green fire until they merged into a blazing circle. "Three-Sword Style Secret Technique: The Billion Fold World!" His roar reverberated like thunder, shaking the dimension itself.

Litch's instincts screamed in terror, urging him to defend. Channeling his mana with all his might, he layered ten thick barriers of light around himself, each one shining with radiant energy. "Light Magic: Lord of the Light!" he cried, a desperate edge in his voice as he summoned a massive, brilliant sword of light, gripping it tightly as he fortified his defenses. He poured his mana into his Mana Zone, strengthening his power, yet fear was clear in his wide eyes as he felt the suffocating pressure of Zoro's Haki drawing closer.

Zoro's attack was unstoppable. Each layer of Litch's barrier shattered in an instant, as fragile as glass before the might of Zoro's spinning swords. In a flash, Zoro was upon him. Litch attempted to swing his sword, but Zoro's attack tore through it effortlessly. The world held its breath for a heartbeat as a thin line appeared across Litch's torso.

Litch's expression was frozen in shock as he felt his body split, his upper and lower halves drifting apart. But he was not the only thing severed—Zoro's attack had cut through the very fabric of the dimension. A massive crack split across the realm, and the entire dimension shattered, collapsing into oblivion as the scene shifted back to reality.

They reappeared in the cave, which lay deep within a mountain, yet the whole upper half of the mountain had been cleaved away, exposing the sky above. Light streamed down upon the desolate remnants of stone, now carved clean in two. Zoro stepped forward, lowering the injured Fuegoelon from his shoulder and dropping him gently to the ground.

Litch lay there, barely alive, his severed form somehow clinging to life. Zoro glanced down, his foot pressing against Litch's chest, and held one of his swords poised near Litch's throat. "Pathetic. You can't even withstand a single attack. Your strength is nothing but empty arrogance." Zoro's words were colder than ice, cutting deeper than any blade could.

Just as Zoro raised his sword for the final blow, a swirling portal burst open beside him. From it shot a small, glowing figure—Vermithra. Her speed was startling as she collided with Zoro, her tiny arms wrapping tightly around his neck. Tears streamed down her face as she buried herself against him, sobbing, "Waaa! Zoro, where were you? I tried to find you, but I couldn't sense you! I was so worried!" She clung to him, her crying unrelenting, as if she feared he would disappear again.

Zoro's face twisted in mild annoyance, but he let her cling to him, his usual gruff demeanor softening as he allowed her to vent her worry. More portals opened, and familiar figures stepped out one by one—Yami, Charlotte, Nozel, Asta, Yuno, Klaus, Mimosa, Noelle, Finral, Leopold, and several other Magic Knights, each one stunned by the scene that awaited them. Their eyes widened, taking in the shattered mountain, the open sky, and Litch's defeated form lying motionless at Zoro's feet.

Yami's gaze flicked to Zoro, his usual calm demeanor unfazed as he took a drag from his cigarette. "Yo, moss head. So, you're not dead, huh?"

Zoro's smirk returned. "Tch. Like I'd die to this weakling. I'm not 'Red Rooster' here," he replied dryly, nodding toward Fuegoelon's unconscious form.

"Big brother!" Leopold cried, rushing to Fuegoelon's side, his face pale as he took in his brother's battered form. Turning to Zoro, his eyes blazed with anger. "What happened? What did you do to him?"

Zoro's gaze turned cold and sharp. "Watch your eyes, kid, or I'll take them from you." The weight of his words, combined with his menacing aura, made Leopold falter. He swallowed, lowering his head. "I… I'm sorry. I was just worried."

Nozel stepped forward, his face impassive as his eyes scanned the scene. He looked at Litch, split and broken, and then at Zoro, the man responsible for this devastation. "And this is…?" he asked, nodding at Litch's defeated form.

"He's their leader, or something like that," Zoro replied with a shrug. "But he's weaker than an ant."

Nozel's eyes flicked to the mountain, its entire upper half severed cleanly, and then to Fuegoelon's battered body. Fuegoelon, a man of immense strength, had barely survived this encounter. And here was Zoro, standing unscathed, as if he had been on a leisurely stroll. The other Magic Knights were silent, their eyes wide as they took in the sheer magnitude of Zoro's strength. To Zoro, the enemy's leader was a mere annoyance, yet to them, Litch was a formidable opponent—a terror even for the strongest among them.

Yami chuckled, breaking the silence as he surveyed the destruction. "Guess we don't have to worry about this guy anymore," he said, smirking. "But, moss head, maybe tone it down with the landscaping next time, huh?"

Zoro shrugged, unconcerned, the faintest hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "If they're going to send weaklings after me, it's not my fault their worlds can't handle it."

As Charlotte observed Litch's severed body lying at Zoro's feet, she shook her head, half in disbelief. "So, even after being cut in half, he's still alive?" she said, marveling at his resilience. "We should take him back to the kingdom. With the right spells, we might be able to access his memories—learn what he's planning," she continued, her eyes glinting with determination. The rest of the knights nodded, but before they could move to secure Litch, a strange feeling washed over them.

Suddenly, the air around them shimmered, and a black, swirling portal appeared beneath Litch's remains. Shadows curled and twisted as if a void had opened up beneath him, tendrils of darkness reaching up to reclaim their fallen leader. The portal pulsed with an unsettling energy, and within seconds, Litch's upper and lower halves were being drawn into the abyss. The knights could only watch in shock as the inky darkness enveloped their enemy, spiriting him away from their grasp.

Yami grunted, his expression shifting to one of frustration. "Figures. The coward's got friends lurking in the shadows, ready to bail him out." He tossed aside his cigarette and glared at the spot where the portal had vanished. "Can't even stay down when he's beaten. Annoying prick."

Charlotte crossed her arms, her usually calm expression marred by irritation. "This spatial mage must be skilled. To extract him with such precision…they're far more organized than we gave them credit for." She cast a frustrated glance at Yami. "This complicates everything. Now, whatever chance we had to interrogate him is gone."

Asta, visibly agitated, clenched his fists, his voice loud with disappointment. "We had him! How could he just vanish like that?" He looked around at the others, his fiery spirit undeterred. 

Finral shifted uncomfortably, looking down with an apologetic expression. "I could try tracking the residue of their spatial magic, but if this mage is as skilled as they seem, they might have erased any trace of it by now…" He gulped, clearly unsettled by the power displayed.

Nozel crossed his arms, his gaze cold but his mind assessing. "It's a reminder that we've underestimated the enemy's coordination. If they're this dedicated to preserving their leader, they're preparing for something even more significant." He looked at the mountain, sliced cleanly in two, and then at the spot where the portal had vanished. "We'll need to adjust our approach. Their persistence suggests a larger scheme is unfolding."

Yami smirked and cracked his knuckles, the thrill of the challenge reigniting in his eyes. "Good. Let them come back for more. Next time, they won't be so lucky. We'll hit them hard enough that no portal's gonna save them."

Mimosa stood nearby, worry etched across her gentle features. "If he's taken away and healed, he'll come back stronger, won't he? They'll be even more prepared, and we'll need to train even harder to face them all."

Leopold, barely containing his frustration, clenched his fists tightly as he looked around. "My brother almost died because of that scum! Next time, I'll be ready. There's no way he'll escape us again."

The knights all shared a moment of silence, their minds weighed down by the bitter taste of almost achieving victory.