Darkness and crimson intertwined in the sky.
Asta—now awakened with the devil's power—pursued Ladros relentlessly through the air. His overwhelming anti-magic aura forced the deranged man to keep dodging desperately.
This bastard actually thought swallowing the Fire Spirit's power made him invincible!
Asta's sword struck true, sending Ladros hurtling through the air before he crashed into the ground with a thunderous boom.
"Oh my god, what the hell is that?!"
From afar, Adam—riding on Little Blue—spotted two clashing figures of black and red tearing through the sky.
"That… looks like Asta, doesn't it?" Adam muttered uncertainly. That energy was far too sinister. It carried a suffocating sense of ancient malice.
Unlike Adam's own demonic power, this aura was something out of history—one recognized and feared by the ancient overlords who once ruled the world.
He couldn't help but laugh under his breath. "Hehehe~ how shameless."
"Blood Creation Magic: Execution Ground!"
Just as Asta's words began to reach Ladros, the ruler of the Witch's Forest—the Witch Queen—intervened. In her greed and cruelty, she decided to strike down all three sides at once.
The entire forest turned crimson, soaked in blood. In her pursuit of control, the queen who had lived for centuries constructed a bloody cross to execute Noelle and the others.
"Asta, you will be my sword forever—Blood Puppet!"
When the Witch Queen healed Asta's injuries earlier, she had secretly implanted a blood curse into his body. Once activated, he would become nothing more than her puppet.
"Kill them!"
The Witch Queen's voice was cold and merciless. Asta—half-demon and half-human—walked toward Noelle like a feral beast, his sword raised high.
"Asta! Stop!" Vanessa cried out.
The woman who had been "imprisoned" in the Witch Forest for years finally stood her ground to protect her friends in the Black Bulls.
Her grimoire glowed with pink light, and a thread of destiny shimmered to life.
"Witch Queen, you've gone too far!"
Before Asta's blade could touch Noelle, the blood-red field around them turned into a vast ocean of blue. The crimson crosses melted away, and everyone fell into the water below.
Asta's sword missed its mark, and the Witch Queen froze—she had completely forgotten about him.
Of course… how could such a troublesome man be defeated by the Dungeon?
Following the shift, a small pink cat appeared and lightly brushed its paw against Asta's arm.
Fate had been rewritten.
"Witch Queen, you—!"
Adam's eyes widened in disbelief. He had just been about to activate his own Water Demon spell when the surge of energy was abruptly interrupted.
The bloody execution ground remained, but Asta's attack shifted—striking the base of the cross instead of Noelle.
"This cat…" The Witch Queen's gaze locked onto Vanessa's companion. Realization struck her, and she immediately cast another spell.
"Blood Puppet!"
She tried to seize control of the pink cat—the creature she had long sought, the one that could rewrite destiny itself.
Too late.
Adam saw through her intentions instantly. "That cat… it rewrites fate by touch!"
Vanessa's crimson eyes burned with rage. The so-called queen, blinded by greed, had turned on her own kin.
"Dragon Blast!!!"
Adam roared, unleashing a devastating torrent of flames straight toward the Witch Queen.
At the same moment, the pink kitten touched the queen's body. The bloody world shattered, erupting in a fiery explosion.
The Witch Queen, who had just raised her scarlet scythe to claim everyone's fate, was thrown violently to the ground.
The others were saved again—but this time, fate's threads couldn't undo Adam's furious dragon explosion.
"Ahhh!"
The Witch Queen screamed as the flames engulfed her. She'd thought herself untouchable—protected by destiny itself—but Adam's power broke through it all.
"How—how is this possible?! Your fate… how has it not been rewritten?!"
The queen lay writhing in pain. Her Blood Magic struggled to heal her, but even centuries of experience and countless secret arts couldn't undo the damage.
Adam stepped forward, his face twisted with fury, his body radiating golden light.
"My destiny is mine alone!"
He glared down at the queen. "You've gone too far, old hag. You enslaved Asta, tortured Vanessa, tried to kill my Noelle and toyed with lives like they're nothing."
He clenched his fist, mana surging in a violent wave. "In your next life… don't live so damn long!"
A crushing pressure condensed around his arm. His golden grimoire floated beside him, pages glowing with the emblem of the Black Bull.
"Adam, stop!"
The pink cat leapt forward, pawing at him, but instead of striking the Witch Queen, Adam's punch slammed into the ground beside her, leaving a massive crater.
"Vanessa! What the hell are you doing?!"
Adam turned, glaring at her. This woman—this hopelessly kind woman—was actually shielding their enemy.
"You can't kill her!" Vanessa's voice trembled. Facing Adam's rage, she couldn't hide her panic.
"Give me one good reason."
"The Witch's Forest can't survive without her! If she dies, everything here will burn. The witches will be captured—turned into slaves…"
Adam stared at her for a long moment, then slowly smirked.
He glanced down at the Witch Queen. He wasn't entirely convinced. A creature that had lived for hundreds of years surely had backup plans—secrets to ensure her survival.
Maybe even… resurrection.
He sighed and stretched lazily, a sly grin curling his lips as he turned toward Vanessa.
"Adam! Don't do anything stupid—Vanessa didn't do anything wrong!"
Noelle, still weak on the ground, called out desperately.
"Yeah, Noelle's right! We're all comrades! Give her a break, man!"
Finral added awkwardly, though he clearly wanted no part of the situation.
Adam ignored them both and stepped closer to Vanessa. The pink cat perched tensely on her shoulder. Vanessa met his gaze stubbornly, though her eyes flickered.
Leaning in, Adam whispered in her ear, "I'll listen to you—but on one condition."
"What condition?!"
"A reward… for comforting the injured hero."
No one heard what he said after that, but when Adam straightened up, Vanessa's face was red, and he was smiling faintly.
Adam turned and looked around the battlefield.
Huh?
The crazy woman—Fana—was unconscious. The other two men nearby looked familiar.
"People from the Diamond Kingdom…? And that shady old guy?"
He squinted. "Uncle, what are you doing here? Weren't Sister Dominante and your apprentice Mariella with you?"
"I—I'm not here!"
Fanzell's eyes darted around, refusing to meet his gaze. Damn this kid—always flirting with Dominante at the market, holding her hand while chatting for half a day!
Had to stay on guard around this one.
"I'm not a jackal, a tiger, or a leopard…" Adam muttered under his breath. "What's wrong with this guy?"
He sighed. It really was unfair to be so suspicious of such a gentleman like himself.
He walked over to Noelle, gently helping her up. "You okay?"
"My… my foot hurts a little," she murmured shyly.
"Let me see."
"Don't you dare!"
Vanessa, still biting her lip, turned toward the fallen Witch Queen. Her eyes were complicated—anger, pity, and duty mixed together.
The once-proud queen knelt before her now, head lowered.
"Is this what you call the power to manipulate fate…?"
Vanessa's voice was soft, but her trembling hands betrayed her emotions.
Her cheeks were still faintly flushed.
The price of saving the Witch Queen… was far higher than anyone realized.