Black Bulls Base - Ruins
Time Remaining: 70 Hours
Nacht Faust stood on top of a pile of rubble that used to be Yami's toilet. His four small devils chittered around his shoulders, creating an aura of unsettling cheerfulness amidst the gloom.
The remaining Black Bulls sat in the dirt. Bandaged. Beaten. Crying.
"Stop sniveling," Nacht said. His voice cut through the tears like a cold razor. "Yami Sukehiro is gone. William Vangeance is gone. If the Qliphoth opens, they die. If they die, the world ends. If the world ends, I will be very annoyed."
"We know that!" Magna slammed his fist into the ground. "But what do we do? Zenon wrecked us! Dante wrecked us! We're too weak!"
"Yes," Nacht smiled. "You are. That's why you're staying home."
"WHAT?!" The Bulls roared.
"The enemy consists of the Dark Triad. Devils. And high-ranking mages," Nacht explained, holding up a finger. "We are assembling an elite strike force. A scalpel. Not a bludgeon."
He looked at Asta, whose arm was blackened by his deal with Liebe.
He looked at Yuno, who had just landed, wind swirling with silent fury.
And he looked at Saitama, who was trying to tie Yami's katana to his belt using a piece of twine.
"Hey," Saitama muttered, fumbling with the knot. "Does this sword have a safety switch? It's heavy. Keeps pulling my pants down."
Nacht stared at the man who had turned Dante into a puddle.
"You," Nacht said. "Bald man. You are the vanguard."
"I'm a hero," Saitama corrected, finally tightening the knot. "Does the vanguard get paid extra?"
The Royal Capital - Meeting Hall
Preparation Phase
The raid team gathered. The lineup was terrifying.
Mereoleona Vermillion: Radiating heat, literally vibrating with the desire to punch the Spade Kingdom off the map.
Fuegoleon Vermillion: Stoic, Flame Spirit Salamander perched on his shoulder, missing an arm but carrying enough firepower to burn a sea.
Nozel Silva: Braids tight, eyes murderous. His sister (Noelle) was hurt. Someone was going to pay.
Jack the Ripper: Licking his scythe, giggling about slicing gravity.
Dorothy Unsworth: Sleeping (but lethal).
Rill Boismortier: Drawing angry doodles.
Langris Vaude: Sulking because he had to team up with Yuno, but willing to erase space to save his Captain.
Charlotte Roselei: Trying to pretend she wasn't panicking about Yami. (Spoiler: She was panic-hyperventilating internally).
And then, the anomalies.
Asta.
Yuno.
Noelle.
Secre (Nero).
Genos: The cyborg walked in. He looked different. Bulky. His "Witch-Blood" coolant system now glowed with purple accents. He had literal bits of the Black Bulls base welded onto his shoulders as armor plating.
"Upgrade complete," Genos clanked. "Armor Class: Fortress. I have integrated Sally's Sticky Gel Launchers into my elbows."
"Why sticky gel?" Saitama asked.
"To entrap the targets for ease of punching, Master."
"Gross."
Saitama: Wearing the blue Heart Kingdom blanket-cape tied over his scorched yellow suit. And on his hip... the dark, chipped katana of Yami Sukehiro.
Nacht clapped his hands. The shadows swallowed the light in the room.
"Here is the plan. We infiltrate the Spade Castle. We split into teams. We find the Dark Triad. We kill them."
"Kill?" Saitama asked. "Can we just arrest them? Paperwork for killing is a pain."
"They are hosts to devils," Nacht said cold as ice. "There is no arresting evil. You crush it."
"Fair enough."
Nacht snapped his fingers. Piles of cloth appeared on the table.
"These are Cloaks of the Shadow," Nacht explained. "They hide mana signatures. Wear them. We are invading silently."
"Stealth mission?" Asta cheered. "I love sneaking!"
"You scream when you sneak," Nozel pointed out.
Saitama picked up a cloak. He put it on.
The hood slid off his head immediately.
"It slips," Saitama noted. "Too smooth."
He pulled it up again. Slide. The friction coefficient of his bald head was too low. The cloth refused to grip.
"Just leave it down," Nacht sighed. "Your shiny head might actually blind the enemy. It's tactical."
Training Scene: The Blade and the Boy
Outside, on the terrace, Asta was trying to master Devil Union. Nacht was beating him up with shadow demons.
Saitama sat on a bench, looking at Yami's sword.
He drew it.
SHIIING.
It was a rusted, heavy slab of dark iron. Not elegant. Brutal. A blunt instrument meant for dark magic.
"How do you use this thing?" Saitama wondered.
He stood up. He saw an apple on a table ten feet away.
"Okay. Sword style."
Saitama swung.
He didn't use technique. He didn't use form. He just swung the heavy metal bar violently fast.
VWOOM.
The sword moved so fast it created a sonic boom.
But he hit the table.
CRACK.
The table split in half. The apple flew into the air, untouched.
"Useless," Saitama grumbled, sheathing the sword. "Fists are better. But Yami said keep it."
"Saitama-sensei!"
Asta ran over, bruised and muddy. "I did it! I fused with Liebe! Look!"
Asta transformed. Black armor covering his body, four horns, red eyes. Devil Union. He looked edgy. He looked cool.
"Whoa," Saitama nodded. "You look like a villain from a kid's show. Nice cosplay."
"IT'S NOT COSPLAY!" Asta yelled (in deep demon voice). "It's Power! I can sense the Ki in the sword, Sensei. Captain Yami's blade... it likes you."
"Likes me?" Saitama looked at the hunk of iron. "It's heavy. And it smells like stale cigarettes."
"That's the Captain's soul!" Asta teared up. "Carry it with pride!"
"I'll carry it," Saitama agreed. "Mainly because if I drop it, it'll probably crack the planet crust."
The Launch
Time: T-Minus 1 Hour
Location: Heart Kingdom / Spade Border
They didn't take a boat. They took Nacht.
"Shadow Corridor," Nacht announced, opening a massive pool of darkness on the ground. "This connects directly to the Spade Kingdom Castle's basement. We appear. We strike. We separate."
"Wait!"
A voice called out from the sky.
It wasn't a bird. It wasn't a plane.
It was... weird.
A man made of painting oil flew down on a scribble-creature. Rill Boismortier.
And riding behind him... Charmy.
"MEAL TIME!" Charmy shouted. She was wearing a "Raid Suit" which was just a bib. "I'm coming too! The wolf is hungry!"
"Extra mana battery," Nacht allowed it. "Get in."
One by one, the strongest mages of the continent stepped into the shadow.
Nozel fixed his hair. "I take Vanica. That witch is mine."
"Hey!" Noelle stepped up. "Get in line, Brother. She killed Mom."
"We will share the kill," Nozel conceded.
Mereoleona punched her own hand. "I take the Ancient Demon. It looks big."
Jack licked his blade. "I take Dante. He thinks gravity scares me? Keke. I'll slice gravity."
Genos stepped forward. He did a systems check.
"Target: Zenon Zogratis," Genos announced. "Bone Magic user. Calculating... skeletal structure analysis required. I shall disassemble him."
Asta and Yuno bumped fists. "Let's save the Captains. First one there wins."
They jumped in.
Saitama stood at the edge of the shadow pool. He looked back at the relatively peaceful land.
"Genos packed the lunch, right?" Saitama asked Nacht.
"Yes. He has sandwiches in his thigh compartment."
"Good."
Saitama jumped into the darkness.
Spade Kingdom - Castle Basement
It was freezing.
They emerged into a cold, stone dungeon. The air was heavy with the smell of sulfur and approaching doom.
"Stealth is paramount," Nacht whispered. "The Dark Triad is on the upper levels. The Qliphoth ritual is in the deepest chamber. We split up. Asta, you go to the bottom. I'll follow. The Captains, engage the Triad."
"Wait," Saitama said.
He was looking at the ceiling.
"Why use stairs?"
Before Nacht could stop him, Saitama crouched.
"Saitama-san," Nacht warned. "If you break the stealth—"
Saitama jumped.
Not a big jump. A "hop" to check the structural integrity of the floor above.
CRASH.
His head went through the stone ceiling.
Then the next floor.
Then the next.
He tore a clean, circular tunnel straight up through the architecture of the Spade Castle.
Debris rained down. Sunlight beamed in from the hole that now extended five stories up.
Alarms started blaring immediately. WEE-OOO WEE-OOO.
"Intruders!" A voice shouted from the upper levels. "They're coming through the floor!"
Nacht face-palmed. His cool, collected demeanor shattered.
"He... he breached the vertical axis," Nacht muttered. "Stealth is zero. Surprise is 100%."
Saitama dropped back down through the hole, dusting drywall off his shoulders.
"Found them," Saitama pointed up. "There's a room with scary looking guys on the third floor. And the bone guy is on top."
Mereoleona grinned. A fire sparked in her eyes.
"SUBTLETY IS FOR COWARDS!"
She rocketed up through the hole Saitama made.
"FLAME MAGIC: HELLFIRE INCALNATION!"
The raid began. Not with a whisper, but with an explosion.
The Battles Begin
The castle turned into a warzone instantly.
West Wing:
Nozel and Noelle crashed through a window to find Vanica waiting, bored, swirling wine. She dropped the glass when she saw them.
"NOELLE!" Vanica squealed. "AND... SILVA BROTHER? Did you bring the bald guy?!"
East Wing:
Jack the Ripper slashed through a wall. He found Dante Zogratis (fully healed, looking smug again).
"Gravity King!" Jack giggled. "You lost to a fist. How about a scythe?"
The Spire:
Yuno and Langris flew straight for the top. Zenon Zogratis stood there, looking out the window at the snow.
"You came," Zenon said, bones rattling. "Yuno of the Golden Dawn."
And in the Basement:
Asta and Nacht were sprinting toward the ritual room. But they were blocked. By Two Ancient Demons.
The Central Corridor:
Saitama and Genos walked down the main hallway. Soldiers—devil-possessed knights—rushed them.
"Die, intruders!"
Genos raised his hand. "Gatling Runes: Iron Rain."
Pew-pew-pew.
The soldiers fell, incapacitated by non-lethal (but very painful) high-speed nuts and bolts.
"We need to find the bone guy," Saitama said, adjusting his cape. "He has Yami."
Suddenly, the floor melted.
"Welcome," a voice echoed.
From the walls, figures emerged.
Morris, the Diamond Scholar, stepped out. But he looked different. His eyes were black. Horns sprouted from his head. He had hijacked the Qliphoth knowledge.
"I expected you," Morris grinned, pushing his glasses up. "The Anomaly. Saitama. I have been studying your combat data. Gravity. Speed. Impact."
"Who are you?" Saitama asked. "The librarian?"
"I am Evolution!" Morris cackled. "I have modified the castle! The gravity in this hallway is amplified by Lucifero's leaked mana! 100 times normal!"
WHOOM.
Gravity slammed down.
Genos fell to one knee, servo-motors whining. "Master... Gravity fluctuation detected. Movement restricted."
The floor cracked. The walls buckled.
Saitama stood there. His cape didn't even drop.
"Is this the trap?" Saitama asked.
Morris frowned. "100 times... is insufficient?"
"I used to train with weights," Saitama said. "I strapped rocks to my back."
He walked forward. The stone floor shattered under his boots with each step, unable to support his density against the gravity field.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
He walked right up to Morris.
"You're in the way."
Morris panicked. "Extraction Magic: Operation—"
Saitama gripped Yami's katana.
He didn't draw it. He just held the sheath handle.
He swung the scabbarded sword like a baseball bat.
THWACK.
The sheath hit Morris in the ribs.
Morris flew. He smashed through the left wall, crossed the courtyard, smashed through the right wall, and embedded himself into the side of the Clock Tower.
"Home run," Saitama said.
He looked at Genos.
"Are you okay?"
Genos stood up as Morris's spell faded. "Operational. Though my joints need oiling."
"Let's go."
Saitama looked up at the ceiling.
"I can hear the bone guy," Saitama said. "He's upstairs. And..."
Saitama's eyes narrowed.
"...I smell barbecue sauce. Someone is grilling."
High above, Mereoleona was burning an Ancient Demon.
The War for the Spade Kingdom was on.