Chapter 39: Strange Dungeon Exploration (End)
[Third Person's PoV]
As the flames surrounding Mars began to heal his wounds, Noelle stepped forward with determination in her eyes. She raised her wand confidently, her voice steady. "I'll put out the flames!" she declared.
Before she could act, Stephen shouted, "Noelle, step back!" His warning was sharp, but too late. Both he and Asta were too far to intervene in time.
Mars's eyes flashed coldly as he slashed his hand through the air, sending a powerful wave of force that struck Noelle hard. She was flung backward like a ragdoll, crashing into the stone wall. A jagged wound opened across her torso, staining her silver clothing with a deep crimson.
"NOELLE!" Asta, Mimosa, and Stephen screamed in unison, their voices echoing in the chamber.
Asta and Stephen's eyes locked onto Mars, fury igniting in their veins. "You…!" they both growled.
In an instant, Stephen's mana flared to life, and an overwhelming pressure filled the room. An orange, blazing aura engulfed him, swirling like flames as his face was cast in shadows. The only visible feature in the darkness was the piercing glow of his eyes. His hair whipped wildly in the wind, and his cloak billowed violently, flaring behind him as if alive.
Without a word, both Asta and Stephen gripped their swords tightly. With a burst of strength, they shattered the crystal that had entrapped them. The sound of breaking stone filled the air as Asta readjusted his grip, swinging his sword in a wide arc. The weapon hummed with stolen mana, absorbing Stephen's earlier magic and unleashing it in a blazing crescent of orange energy.
The crescent of magic slashed through the air with a roar, and as it collided with Mars, an explosion of energy sent him flying backward, his feet skidding across the dungeon floor as he struggled to stay upright.
Stephen darted forward, moving with blinding speed. Mars steadied himself, his expression hardening. "I'll admit you're strong," Mars sneered. "But strength won't matter in a contest of speed!"
[Mineral Creation Magic: Harpe]
Mars summoned dozens of shining daggers, which materialized in the air around him. They began to spin, transforming into a whirlwind of deadly blades as they hurtled toward Stephen and Asta with terrifying speed.
Stephen charged headlong into the onslaught. His cloak seemed to be guiding him through the barrage. He moved with the grace of a dancer, twisting, ducking, and spinning as the daggers zipped past him. But not all of them missed—several blades nicked him, drawing thin lines of blood.
Despite the pain, Stephen's resolve never faltered. His sword flashed in the dim light, shattering the incoming daggers as he closed the distance to Mars.
Asta followed closely behind, turning into a blur of movement. His sword swung with all the strength he could muster, smashing through the spinning blades with sheer force. Yet, the closer they got to Mars, the more intense the barrage became, making it harder for them to evade the attacks.
Meanwhile, Mimosa knelt beside Noelle, her eyes brimming with tears. She glanced at the deep wound marring Noelle's torso, her hands trembling. "My healing cradle spell won't be enough…" Mimosa whispered, panic creeping into her voice. She gritted her teeth, gathering her mana with determination.
[Plant Recovery Magic: Princess-Healing Flower Robe]
Flowers bloomed around Mimosa, forming an ethereal robe with wings of petals that unfurled behind her. Her hands glowed with a gentle green light as she channeled her magic into Noelle's body, desperately trying to heal her friend. Memories flooded Mimosa's mind—memories of Noelle pushing herself, training relentlessly to grow stronger, determined to prove herself.
As Mimosa worked, Yuno was still trapped in the large crystal formation nearby. His jaw clenched in frustration as he watched Asta and Stephen fighting Mars. 'Damn it… why am I always the one who needs saving? The one left behind while they charge ahead. I refuse to be left behind anymore! How can I call myself his rival if I can't even stand by his side?!'
Yuno's grimoire began to glow brightly, its pages flipping rapidly in response to his resolve. The wind around him began to pick up, swirling with increasing intensity. His eyes widened as the grimoire stopped on a page he hadn't seen before—similar to the mysterious scroll he had opened earlier.
A gust of wind gathered at Yuno's side, forming into a shape—small and delicate at first. A little green fairy appeared, yawning as if waking from a long slumber. She blinked her eyes slowly before lazily waving her hand.
With a sudden, powerful gust, the crystal trapping Yuno shattered into pieces. Yuno stared in disbelief at the tiny fairy, who simply smirked before turning her attention to Mars.
Mars, now wielding two enormous crystalline swords, was caught off guard as the fairy pursed her lips and blew gently. A violent gust of wind erupted from her, obliterating everything in its path. Mars's swords shattered into dust, his armor crumbled away, and the flames that had been healing him were snuffed out. The force hurled him across the dungeon like a rag doll, slamming him into the wall with such intensity that the stone cracked. Blood spewed from his mouth, and his eyes rolled back as he fell unconscious.
Stephen and Asta stopped mid-charge, turning slowly toward Yuno, whose lips curled into a small, victorious smirk.
"Well… that was kinda anticlimactic," Stephen muttered, shaking his head as he walked toward Mars's limp body.
As the crystal formations trapping the others began to dissolve, Asta watched in shock as Stephen raised his sword above Mars. "Stephen, what are you doing!?" he shouted, worry evident in his voice.
Stephen rolled his eyes and brought the sword down swiftly. Asta charged forward, only to stop in confusion. The blade had only made a shallow cut on Mars's cheek.
"What? This sword absorbs magic when in contact with blood. We wouldn't want him recovering again, so I'm draining most of his mana, leaving him powerless. What did you think I was going to do?"
Asta blinked in confusion. "Eh? I thought you were gonna execute him or something…" He scratched his head awkwardly, sheathing his sword into his grimoire, where it became a new page.
Stephen's words were abruptly cut short. As the cracks spidered across the walls of the treasure hall, spreading in all directions, "I'm not that dark—"
The ominous rumbling intensified, rocks beginning to rain from the ceiling.
"Everyone, take cover! The dungeon is collapsing!" Klaus yelled, his voice barely audible over the deafening noise. Alongside Luck, he quickly unleashed their magic, blasting apart the larger boulders, but they couldn't keep up with the sheer volume of falling debris.
Mimosa, seeing a shadow loom above her and Noelle, looked up in horror. A massive chunk of stone was plummeting straight for them. Without hesitation, she threw herself over Noelle's injured form, her heart pounding as she braced for the impact.
But it never came.
A burst of glowing orange magic illuminated the space around her. She blinked in disbelief and turned to see Stephen standing beside them, his hands raised. A shimmering shield of eldritch magic had formed above them, holding the rock at bay. "Are you two okay?" he asked, his voice calm despite the chaos around them.
Noelle weakly raised a thumb. "It still hurts… but I'm doing much better thanks to Mimosa," she murmured.
Mimosa, visibly relieved, nodded. "Let me help you up." Gently, she draped Noelle's arm over her shoulder, helping her stand as rocks continued to crash around them.
"Everyone, gather around!" Stephen called, urgency creeping into his voice. "I'll open a portal and get us out of here!"
Just as the glowing portal began to swirl into existence, Asta dashed from the treasure hall without warning.
"Where is that idiot going!?" Noelle shouted, her voice strained with both pain and frustration.
Moments later, Asta reappeared, dragging the unconscious smoke mage and a barely conscious Mars over his shoulders. "Open the portal now!" he yelled as the floor beneath him shook violently, chunks of debris hurtling down like an avalanche.
Stephen's portal flared to life, and without hesitation, everyone leaped through, Asta diving in last, just as the dungeon collapsed entirely behind them. A few stray rocks tumbled through the portal before Stephen swiftly sealed it shut, leaving the roaring destruction behind.
"What the hell were you thinking?!" Klaus demanded, staring at Asta like he was out of his mind.
"Our mission was to conquer the dungeon, not eliminate our enemies," Asta replied, panting as he lowered Mars and the mage onto the ground. "I couldn't just leave them there to die."
Klaus looked taken aback, while Luck, Yuno, and Stephen exchanged small, approving smiles. Asta's unrelenting sense of justice was infectious, even if it bordered on recklessness.
Stephen turned toward Noelle, who was now standing with the help of Mimosa. He stepped closer and, before anyone could react, enveloped Noelle in a tight hug. "I'm just so glad you're alright…" he murmured, a heavy sigh of relief escaping his lips.
Noelle's face turned bright red, her arms stiff and awkward. "Wha-what the hell are you doing!?" she stammered, her voice cracking with embarrassment.
Stephen, realizing his mistake, awkwardly pulled away, his own cheeks flushed. "Sorry... I was just—uh—worried," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
Noelle, still blushing furiously, fanned her face in an attempt to cool down. "I'm… I'm alright… Thanks for worrying…"
"Noelle…" Mimosa called softly, her own cheeks tinged pink.
"Hm?" Noelle glanced over, still flustered.
Mimosa, looking increasingly uncomfortable, pointed down.
Following her gaze, Noelle's eyes widened in horror. Her tattered clothing had ripped during the battle, exposing her chest, which she'd unknowingly been waving around while cooling her cheeks. Her face went from red to crimson in a split second.
"AHHHHHH!" Noelle shrieked, crouching down and frantically covering herself.
Stephen, his face matching Noelle's in color, hurriedly shrugged off his cloak and draped it over her, averting his eyes. "Here…"
"T-thank you…" Noelle whispered, pulling the cloak tightly around herself.
Before the group could process the situation, a sudden burst of smoke erupted from where Mars and the smoke mage lay. Lotus, freed from his bindings, shot into the air with Mars in tow, the two of them disappearing into the distance on a conjured smoke ride.
"Should we chase them?" Yuno asked, tilting his head curiously.
Asta shook his head. "Let them go. The dungeon's destroyed. There's no point in going after them."
The group exchanged glances before nodding in agreement. They'd completed their mission, and pursuing a retreating enemy seemed pointless after everything that had happened.
Klaus approached the trio—Asta, Stephen, and Yuno—his face a mixture of shame and gratitude. Without warning, he pulled each of them into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry for underestimating you guys… for judging you just because you were commoners. You're all exceptional Clover Kingdom mages."
Stephen, suppressing a smirk, inwardly corrected him, 'Sorcerer, actually.'
"You're not bad yourself, four-eyes!" Asta exclaimed, patting Klaus on the back with a grin.
As the group gathered to survey the aftermath of the dungeon's destruction, Stephen couldn't help but glance back at the collapsed ruins with a mischievous glint in his eye. 'I'll have to come back later and rewind this place. There's no way I'm leaving all that treasure behind.'
And thus came the end of their Strange Dungeon Exploration!
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