"Are you really sure we should do this? This could backfire."
"As much as it pains me. I agree with this- *points at Yubin* This metal slug for once."
Evicarde and Yubin both suggest as they watch Asta sitting on a throne connecting himself to the entirety of the city. However he didn't listen to them.
He turns towards the two of them, making a creepy smile before his eyes grow white. The situation feels surreal but to understand we have to go a little back in time.
-10 mins earlier-
Having told Evicrade the entire story of Asta's multiple lives and his previous life aka Jassen's orders. The three of them find each other engaged in casual talk.
Asta starts first, bringing out the subject of food in the group, "Where is the kitchen or the rations, I feel like coming something?"
Evicarde laughs, "You and cooking? I would rather starve just like I have been for 50 years now."
The dragon laughs, expecting the other two to join him but they both just glared at him with shocked eyes.
"Starving?" Asks Yubin.
"Why? You are the Guardian dragon! Which bastard decided to cut your rations!?" Grunted Asta with bubbling rage in his voice.
...
Evicarde seemed to overestimated the boundaries of his friendship with the two morons like Yubin and Asta. He sighs, a small cloud of smoke rising from his nostrils.
"The second generation king died in a coup alongside everyone that knew of this place." Evicarde told to the Asta, "the rest of the kings were too bothered to visit the so-called labyrinth beneath the castle and have been using it like a exile ground."
Asta punches the floor in rage, " So you have been eating exiled criminals down here!? That's too low!"
Evicarde had no excuse to make, he ate what he got and stayed in hibernation unless there was a problem bigger than a coup. Despite its history, the city had almost no outer invasion in the last century and the only one was by a alliance of small pirates.
"I. I didn't want to deal with all that political crap and be used as a bargaining chip. Does it really matters?"
"Damn Sure it does!" Asta slams the floor and stands up, "I didn't built this useless city when my own buddy is starving down here."
"Oi Asta! Don't do anything with only your impulses, a hidden dragon co-" Yubin tried to convince Asta but was interrupted by edge of Goliath placed beside his neck.
Asta looked at two, a saddened face appearing before he gritted his face in frustration, "when did you two lose your pride?!" He asked them, receiving no answer.
...
"Just like I thought, we have grown soft.. I asked you to protect the humans Evicarde, not became their stupid prisoner incinerator!" Asta closes the anti-magic grimoire, "I am gonna make them realise, once and for all."
However before Asta could just charge out covered in treasures from the vault, Yubin stopped him.
"What about that girl? Noelle was it? Are you gonna kill her for something like this?"
"Heh *asta smirks* Who said anything about killing?"
Yubin was confused, "What do you mean then? You really weren't the merciful type if I remember correctly."
Yet despite the looks being thrown at him, Asta smiled as bright as ever before slamming his foot down. "Machine magic:"
Awaken Colossus
The giant dome chamber shifted within seconds, the ley lines in the walls redirecting themselves from the walls to the floor like living vines. The ground changed, patterns of hundreds of magic circles coming starting once more with magic stored over century.
A hall transformed into a throne room, a giant throne made of gears and wires slowly rising being constructed from the floor while a giant golem face appeared in the background of the throne.
"๐๐ก๐๐ญ.๐๐ซ๐.๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ.๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ, ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ?" The face spoke, a pair of royal clothing coming out of his mouth beforing being hovered to Asta's hands by two metal bug drones.
At the same time, both Evicarde and Yubin were trembling but not with fear or nervousness but something else.
"JASSEN!! Why the hell will you awaken a war weapon for no reason?! Do you wanna destroy the darned city?" Evicarde roared before pushing himself out of his dwelling and glared into Asta's calm eyes. "This is overkill no matter how I look at it!"
Asta looked back, no hint of pressure in his eyes, "Colossus. Disable defense measures, only allow utility ones."
"๐๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก." Colossus understood the command and got to work, disabling over 90 of the defense features back to shut down.
Using the moment when both Yubin and Evicarde were tensed up, Asta quickly wore the royal cape and the golden clawed gauntlet in his hand and sat on the throne.
He felt his mind be connected to the entire palace, each mechanical soldier which were placed around the palace as statues became his eyes and ears to look at everything and everyone.however-
"I am gonna turn those ones back off. I am a faithful man not a pervert peeker. " Asta says with a nose bleed and turns off most of the soldiers except those in the ceremony hall. "Now let's see what they are doing."
Nevertheless Asta seemed to have forgotten about his two buddies beside him in the dome because a slap from Yubin's wings brought him back to his own body.
"Why the hell would you do that?! I was looking at the ceremony! "
"Says the one with a nosebleed and flushed cheeks. The reincarnation really ruined your personality for the worse." Yubin screechs in a eagle sound which only asta understood.
"I turned them off! Believe me!"
"Why should we? Who knows how many girls who don't even know what just happened to then!? I will rather die than let you tarnish your name."
Asta sighs, "fine, if my cheeks get flustered again, you are free to hit me with a fire ball to the face. That enough to convince you?"
Evicarde and Yubin think for a moment. The two nod after Weighting the pros and cons in their mind. "You better not do it. Even I won't uphold my contract if you became a degenerate."
"Rest at ease Evi. I am just gonna teach the old elders a lesson." Asta ensures the two of his buddies before sitting on the throne once again.
"They are still not older than you damn ancient." Yuvin chims in before going to the corner to get a mental rest.
- Back to current time-
Having connected with metal soldiers scattered around. Asta found himself looking through the eyes of a presumed sculpture based on his past life.
A claymore in hand with a metal chain cape and a armor of plated vest on the body. The soldier stood towering beside the king's empty chair.
Asta moves the eyes silently, glancing beside him to find a certain someone sitting on one of the smaller chairs with a small crown, " I expected this but he still looks just like before."
The person was obviously Nozel who was currently talking to Yami and a old man who Asta didn't recognize. Their voice wasn't really reaching the statue clearly except Yami's, so Asta decided to switch to another statue.
Luckily for him, there was a statue just beside with a halberd in hand. "Looks like my luck still stands."
Asta saw his vision shift, appearing just above Nozel, looking down at him from above. Their voices now fell into his ears.
"They are gonna do it. The elders are all are probably have been planning for this for years." Asta heard Nozel say and his ears perked.
"Do what? I don't like suspense in drama! Just say it out already! "
Meanwhile Yami handed a adorned dagger to Nozel and spoke, "whatever it is, you can count me in for causing chaos. "
"That's why I invited you Yami, but it seems you gave me a even bigger shock then I thought.. How did you even remember?" Nozel asked, "I don't remember telling you anything."
"That brat told me and I remembered."yami replied.
" Brat?"
"The dwarf swordsman of my squad and your sister's crush. That dimwit Asta."
Crack
The dagger was snapped into two in Nozel's hand and a frown appeared on his face.
"Don't tell me the topper of the academy-"
"Disappointedly, it's indeed him."
Yami confirmed Nozel's thoughts, successfully increasing his stress while Asta recoils back in his throne from witnessing the conversation.
"What is wrong with me? I even saved more people than you!"
"Don't you think thats a bit too much Nozel, the kid did nothing wrong. " Yami tried to convince but-
"Didn't he ask out a nun to marry him? The same nun who had raised him like a bigger sister or maybe a mother?"
Yami shut up instantly, there was no come back from this truth. The best Yami could do now was pray Asta had forgotten about his sister lily complex and turned a new leaf.
"Well. He did say he was gonna ask her for the last time in his life and got rejected before the paladin war."
Nozel thinks for a moment, "prove it. "
Yami looks confused, "Eh?"
"I said prove that brat is over his complexes and I will consider it for once." Nozel sneered with a disapproving gaze, "..hopefully Noelle rejects him when she gets her memories back."
Thud
The metal soldier's rigtt eye fell and shattered. At the same time Asta was trying his best to control the rising anxiety in his mind.
All the embarrassment of the asking Sister lily out struck him in the heart like a javelin, a burst of blood coming down his throat before he snappee back.
"He just had to remind me didn't he? *bloody coughs* That bas-"
Boom
A fireball to the face brings Asta back, Causing him to bounce on the ground before he slammed into the wall and created a 'him' shaped Dent.
"You has disappointed me Jassen. You have fallen." Evicarde laments.
"I am ashamed of you Asta. To imagine you would." Yubin joins in.
The two didn't bother to let Asta reply before striking. Then returned to their story telling while Asta recovered from his injuries.