Foolishness

Authors Note:

The void element is overpowered. The concept is so broken. This is one of my struggles plowing through the plot. Our protagonist is following a traditional story arc wherein there are physical and emotional stakes. I don't want to mess up fight scenes by making it so cringe and one-sided. Imagine you have the power to warp reality into nothingness. Nothingness to nullify everything that is thrown at him. Even if it's a physical attack - which is something, the protagonist, Asta could not do in the manga.

Still, this void thing is relevant to the plot as Abiel is related to Kalpa. If you're playing Elder Scrolls, you know what this word means in the lore.

And thanks a lot to those who gave a thumbs up to the story. I have a full-time job and other responsibilities to manage, but those likes mean a lot to me.

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Kiten Plaza

Becoming a magic knight my ass, Abiel bit his lip. He hated it. He shouldn't have to, but he couldn't stop himself, but to hate it. Hate these moronic delusions. Hate these ideas. These thoughts romanticize the notion of him defending and saving these people. The idea of becoming a hero, he hated it.

He put his hand over his elbow. Although the wound was shallow, it stung. These arrogant people did not deserve to be saved. They did not deserve the privilege. They were monsters. On paper, he knew it. He knew that this world was not his. This world was harsh. Wars, in this world, were frequent. They were like World Wars where they exercised actual nuclear power on a day-to-day basis.

He should not have let his emotions run its course. Despite knowing the reason, and having an understanding of the cause of these abuses.

Why does it hurt so much?

"Hey."

Why does it hurt him so badly -

"You're doing okay?"

The question disturbed his thoughts. It disturbs him more when he realizes that the globe of fire is getting low. He still hasn't done his mission, his haircut. The teen black hairband held his medium-length blond hair together, leaving some of his strands left hanging.

"Who are you, Sir?"

"Don't call me sir. Not now -not in this setting, Fu-hah!"

"Hero?"

"Yes, a Hero. Don't you know me?"

Abiel frowned. It urges him to. In a moment of split second, he turned it into a smile.

"Well, I don't go out a lot in these areas. But well, I know you - you're Sekke Bronzazza, right?"

"No."

"What?"

"Wrong."

Abiel blink.

"You spoke it wrong. It's Sekke. Sekke the Shield Hero. The future Magic King."

"Uh, Nice… to meet you, Mr. Shield Hero."

He offered his hand, which, the future hero accepted. Abiel was sure of it. His eyes were firm.

"Nice to meet you as well." The teen mused. "As you see I have been patrolling in these areas to see if there's something wrong."

"Patrolling?"

The man did not wear his squad's signature robe. Though, he was not supposed to do so. Abiel knew they still had four months, or so,

for the next Magic Knight Examination. It should be in four months. There could be no other way he's already admitted.

"Kid…" He got closer to him. In instinct, he tried to put a distance. "You see. I'm a secret Agent of the Golden Dawn. You people may have known me as the prodigy and a Magic Knight candidate - but that's just a ruse. I'm the third, just below Vice-Captain Langris Vaude Fu-hah!"

Abiel noted a major thing. Sekke Bronzazza was a good actor. The way he talks. The way his posture didn't swayed. His eyes were firm, not even once it broke its eye contact. Not even that smug expression faltered. If he had been not otherworldly, he'd already been fooled from the start.

"Let's back to our point," Sekke said. "Are you okay?"

"… am I okay?"

"Kid. You have been shaking from the spot for a long time. There's no way an honorable Magic Knight like me would leave you there,

Fuh-hah!"

"I'm… shaking?"

"Did something happen?"

I was shaking. Abiel was not sure. He had been occupied. Overwhelmed by the events that occurred. By that look of the main love interest. Had something been wrong? His fist tightened. He should have been at home, asking his old man on how to activate his Mana Sensor.

He shrugged the thoughts. Sekke Bronzazza was famous in the Kiten. Not as an agent of Golden Dawn, of course, but as a Magic Knight Candidate. There was once a customer in Soranon Fried that talked about his feats, especially, that indestructible Bronze Magic. A rare element, those commoners wished in their lives to have. Out of nowhere, he came up with an interesting idea.

"Um, well. I'm just a bit lost…"

"Lost?"

He nodded. "I have a bad sense of direction."

"You're not from here - aren't you?"

He shook his head.

"I live here. Since you're a Magic knight, do you perhaps know my older sister?"

"Fuh-hah! Of course!" Sekke grinned. "We have access to the confidential matters, including the identity of the people here in the

Clover Kingdom. Just don't get noisy 'bout this, the public might get paranoid."

"My older sister is Fragil Tormenta."

"Fra-gil?"

"Do you know her?"

"D-do you mean t-the heir of h-house Tormenta? The rulers of Kiten?"

"Yes."

The man looked at him again. His eyes became stern. It observed. Abiel bit his tongue, trying to maintain the look.

"Hmm… your face indeed looks like that of a noble's." He muttered. "Don't falter! I can escort you on the way through your Manor."

"No… not yet. How about we do something good?"

"Something what?"

"Don't worry. Just come with me."

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Violence in the Clover Kingdom was not allowed. The older teen followed him, passing through block by block. His endurance was crumbling, he felt it. Abiel's constitution was not good. It was mediocre, and his days working as a service crew in Soranon Fried did improve it.

"This place should be okay."

The pair ceased their tracks. The sun had already vanished from the skies. Thankfully, the splendid light magic devices scattered

through the area did their work to reduce the dimness. They were beyond the eyes of the public. In a hideous alleyway.

"What are we going to do here, Fuh-hah?"

"Can you sense the amount of mana I have?"

He gave him a look, from head to toe. Abiel grinned. It took him ten seconds, which Fragil had done in mere blink of an eye. He concluded, that Sekke could not sense, or examine his mana in his body. He did not try to manipulate it, to ensure the other teen would get a good view.

"I definitely do!" Sekke snickered. "Your mana is not bad for a noble, but it's no match for me - fuh-hah!"

"Not bad for a noble?" Abiel asked. "How would my mana have compared to you?"

Sekke crossed his arms. "It's 0.9% of my mana. Fuh-hah!"

0.9 percent, Abiel smiled at that. His routine. The training plan he formed, was simple to follow, it's all about creating the vortex to absorb as much energy from that unknown dimension. He couldn't perform hand-to-hand combat unless there was someone who could help with him.

"That's good, Mr. Shield Hero. Can you help me test something?"

"Test?"

"No, well - I mean, train something."

"Explain to me properly. Fuh-hah."

"Can you please use your Spell?" Abiel asked. "That one - that Bronze Cannon Ball thing?"

"How did you know that I have that spell?" Sekke frowned.

Abiel raised an eyebrow. Skills in Black Clover, such as Noelle; Water Creation Magic: Valkyrie Armor, did not come out of nothing. It was through enlightenment and personal development - that she gained that overpowered skill, or rather, spell. The same thing might be the situation for Sekke, as he might recently unlock it. How troublesome.

"Oh - right. I heard it from one of my servants that you've got this cool bronze magic." He said. "And since you're Mr. Shield. I had guessed that your spell would be sort of defensive, more like a cannonball."

Sekke paused for a moment.

"A good mind you have there, kid noble. Then - why do you want me to use that ultimate spell of mine, fuh-hah?"

"Abiel will do… now, could you please activate that spell? I want to test how my magic will fare into such a powerful Magic Knight like you."

"Fuh-hah! Don't want to…"

"Why though?"

"Because I only use my magical prowess to defend people fuh-hah!"

"How about we make a wager then?"

"Fuh-hah?"

Abiel smiled. "Yes, a wager. If I could manage to pierce through your magical defense - it's my win. If not, then it's yours. I will be doing a favor. If you win, you can ask me anything. I swear to my Tormenta Family."

"And you're twelve years old?"

"It's fourteen."

"… no Grimoire yet?"

"Yes…"

Sekke paused. Contemplating the offer. He didn't even consider that he was going to lose. Not even asking what would be the reward if Abiel would be the victor. He was not sure if it was confidence. Not sure if it's arrogance. Whether it's the former. It didn't matter much. He wanted to try something.

"I will grant you fifteen seconds to destroy my Ultimate Skill. Once the timer is over. I win."

"Alright."

The other teen gave him a time limit. Sekke was not strong. His potential was run-of-the-mill. A comedic relief, a fake, pathetic character that did not receive any respect from the powerful individuals in the series. But, Abiel does. He respected him. During the clashes of the atomic-like monsters, this teenager, successfully survived. That weak, episode one something spell - made him survived.

"Let's do this, Abiel! Bah-ha!"

His grimoire flipped. It floated in front of him. Abiel had forgotten the appearance of it, based on the anime. The book shined in turquoise. So, this must be Grimoire. It looked a lot more mesmerizing than he thought.

Bronze Creation Magic - Sekke Magnum Cannonball​

A bluish sphere manifested around himself. It has several peaks at random positions, with its intricate pattern giving an aesthetic design. It will evolve soon. Not now, but this could be one of the most iconic defensive spells in the canon.

"Go on! Your time will be up soon!"

"Here I go."

Rotate, Abiel did not shut his eyes. Though, inside his Void Space, he could feel his globe rotating. It's spinning fast. His fingers were formed into a finger gun. Copying a pistol. A black matter merged from the tip of his index digit. He visualizes the result. It must be fast. No, it should be fast, and fast, and faster. Faster than Patry could be, with his rare Light Magic. But he could not. His reserves were draining. It couldn't sustain his desired effects.

"Mana Bullet."

Bang!​

The mana bullet flung away from him. There was a screeching sound. It traveled, more than he could think of something. The air seemed to crack. His vision went monotone in a millisecond. This form of attack pierced through his defense. It tore open with a loud whining noise.

What? Abiel froze. His eyes bulged. He couldn't believe what he had done. Sekke lay on the ground, with a hole in his stomach, it formed a puddle of blood. The bronze user's green eyes stared into the sky with a dull glow. He didn't do anything wrong. He… just wants to try on how his offense would fare, against the baseline defense of this verse. He only wants to test himself. To survive in this mad world like him. There could be no way he's going to be down with this.

His stomach got shaken. He pukes whatever he consumed this morning. It got worse; his vision was whirling. It felt like a stone crashed in his head. It might be because his mana was depleted by forming that attack. His affinity, the void crushed the laws of physics, or even the laws of magic It slammed through his defense with no problem. It created a path. A path where time did not exist, and thus, it traveled with no resistance. A raw power without the limitations of this world.

"Terrorist attack!"

"Someone please call a Magic Knight!"

"Another Diamond Bastards?"

Move, move, move, move! Abiel panted. His vision darkened. Mana's depletion was worse than he thought. Fucking hell! He screamed internally. He wanted to escape from the scene. He wanted to think of an excuse, an alibi, or a plan to get out of the current predicament. The darkness in his eyes worsens. He couldn't see anything. Not even a scream could escape his lips. He lay on the ground with his consciousness slipping from his grasp.

He only wants to know his chances of survival...

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The next chapter will be a bit dark. Can I post it here? Kind of not-so-explicit torture stuff!