A foggy and muddied forest is where the portal takes our group of straggling Black Bulls in Asta, Finral, Noelle and Tyrus and they get a look for their surroundings.

Tyrus: So.... where exactly is this Branch Zero? This is honestly my first time hearing of such a place.

Noelle: Mine's as well. And Nero is supposedly working here, she must've have been working on some really top-secret.

Tyrus looks at Finral and Asta who bring up the rear and the four nod at one another.

Tyrus: Let's get to searching for this place- OW FUCK!

In a rare moment of clumsiness, the Senior Magic Knight doesn't turn around and runs into a thick rooted tree branch!

Asta: Are you okay, Ty?!

The facial area around his nose and eyes immediately flare red from pain and the overall whacking and contact of the ecosystem. He blows his nostrils and wipes the rogue tears trying to escape his eyelids.

Tyrus: Yeahhhh... let's just never speak on what just happened. Chalk that up to pure unfamiliarity with this forest.

Noelle: Right... I'll never laudddd this over your head.

Tyrus flashes his girlfriend a serious look.

Noelle: I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Or am I?

Finral: Hey, we made it! I see it.

In the high end fog... it begins to clear out, revealing a giant door.

Finral: Welcome to Branch Zero, guys!

Asta: HEEYYYYYYYYYY! I'm Asta from the Black Bulls, my teammates and I were sent here to find Nero on orders of the Wizard King! Is anyone there? Can someone open-

Finral: That's not how it works, buddy. Branch Zero, it's a lab but also a very well kept secret that only a limited amount of nobles know about this place. You see guys, to enter, you need to spell out a secret password with your magic.

As soon as the Vaude noblemen completes the process, the doors whoosh open with violent winds, catching the foursome off guard almost immediately. Once the maelstrom dies down, they look and see a young woman no older appearing than in her early thirties with green hair wrapped in a bandana and red glasses.

Tyrus: I'm sorry Ma'am... and who might you be?

Millie: Ah, yes you must be the Black Bulls. I'm Millie Maxwell, and I'm the Branch Coordinator of this magic facility. It's a pleasure meeting some of our finest young Magic Knights. I've already been updated on the situation, please if you will all follow me with haste.

Asta: Right!

She quickly makes a for switch which closes the doors immediately.

Millie: As I've stated before, we've already been debriefed on the detoriating situation... I'm going to actually let someone you're familiar with show you around Branch Zero.

Millie steps to the side and reveals Secre Swallowtail, a member of the Black Bulls known by her peers by the nickname of Nero and a person from the ancient times of the Clover Kingdom, with the noticeable features of her wearing glasses and void of her Magic Knights affiliation.

Asta: Nero!

Secre: It's good seeing you all, I can take it from here Ms. Maxwell.

She leads them away from the branch coordinator as they move in line with their squad-mate, taking in the hustle and bustle of Branch Zero.

Secre: The magic tool Julius needs is right down below all of us, stored in the very depths of the facility far away for safekeeping. Right now, Sally is making a few minor tweaks and adjustments to it as we speak.

Noelle: Wait, Sally? Like Eye of the Midnight Sun lunatic that kidnapped Asta and Tyrus, Sally?

Sally: THIS COULD BE MY GREATEST EXPERIEMENT EVERRRRR!

Tyrus: It would have been SOOOO much better if you didn't mention that freaky woman was roaming around here, Nero. Seriously, I just felt the sensation of a needle pricking my arm or scalpel going across my abdomen.

Noelle: That reminds me, Nero you've watched over the Clover Kingdom for centuries right? Surely you know who the heck these intruders are that interrupted the Triumph? The ones that attacked the stadium and nearly killed all of those people?

Secre keeps moving but doesn't disregard the Royal completely.

Secre: I... actually don't know all of the details regarding the three people, I'm sorry Noelle. However I do know of at least the man who appears to be the ringleader.

Tyrus: You can? Like what exactly?

Secre: We'll start with the aforemtioned mastermind. His name is Conrad Leto, I trust all of you have at least heard his name?

Tyrus: Yeah.. I believe so, wasn't he like the last Wizard King or something like that? You know before Julius? I believe he was in charge when my father, mother and Noelle's mother were all Magic Knights. I remember reading a book about the previous Wizard Kings in Clover Kingdom in the Royal Library a few months back.

Finral: Hey, yeah I think Tyrus is onto something!

Secre: Yes... Tyrus is indeed correct.

An elevator platform appears as she continues giving them the run-down.

Secre: Conrad was a former Magic Knight that resided in the Clover Kingdom, and he was... the predecessor of Julius Novachrono who we all know as the 28th and current Wizard King. Conrad himself, was the 27th Wizard King.

Finral: Hold on but that doesn't make any sense, I thought I read somewhere that the last Wizard King died of a terminal disease ten years ago! How exactly did he come back to life?!

Secre: I'll explain more as best as I can. For now, get on.

They all obey her command as they get on and Secre immediately pushes a glowing button.

Secre: Conrad Leto, 27th Wizard King, before then he was actually a squad captain of an rather infamous Magic Knight Squad. Even before being chosen for the role, he was known as one of the most formidable and powerful men of his time in the Clover Kingdom's history. As I stated before, he was a captain of the legendary tenth Magic Knight Squad, known as the White Serpent. And as you might expect with someone like him leading the charge, the squad immediately established an impressive track record, praised for their success and questioned for the their rare moments of failure. The citizens of the land, they trusted Conrad and he was recognized for his vast talents and abilities, it would be no surprise he was chosen for the role as the top mage in the land, the Wizard King. However with the new appointment, he too had changed. He was defeated and as a result, his status as the 27th Wizard King had been stripped.

Secre looks at her squad-mates, her face never betraying her usual monotonous tone as she drops the major bomb.

Secre: Conrad.... for no reason, he had rebelled against kingdom, and sought to destroy the very land he was tasked in protecting.

Noelle: What do you mean, he "rebelled" against the Clover Kingdom?

Asta: NO WAY, I CAN'T BUY THAT NERO! The Wizard King's supposed to be protect and provide peace for all of the people, not upend it!

Tyrus: Exactly, why do something so- so- so chaotic and vicious for no reason?!

Secre: I have no idea, you two. But what we do know, is that for certain, Conrad used the first Wizard King's Lumiere Silvamillion Clover's magic item, the legendary Imperial Sword Elsdocia.... a weapon that belonged to His Royal Highness Prince Lumiere. When Julius and the others learned of his insidious plans, they stopped Conrad before ultimately sealing him altogether.

Finral: Talk about intense.

Secre: Then they would go on to announce Conrad had died of a terminal disease, so not as to cause panic and grief among the citizens. Now you must all keep in mind, Julius our current Wizard King, wasn't enough to upend him, even with assistance with all of the Magic Knight Squad elites of elites. I mean the likes of Fuegoleon Vermillion, our own Captain and even Noelle's older brother, Nozel Silva. In the end, Julius had no alternatives and was forced to use his Time Magic, in an effort to continue sealing his prison.

Noelle: We get it, Conrad's a fearsome and strong individual.

Tyrus: But we gotta ask the burning question, what the hell type of magic does he use if not even the Wizard King could beat him soundly?

Secre: That would be Key Magic.

Asta: Key... Magic?

Secre: Yes. It grants him the ability to create keys which he then can use to open and close rifts with nothing but thin air. The magic space he opens up with these keys of his are able to absorb anything. Tools, magic items, grimoires, you name it, if he so much as can get a key on it, it's his to wield.

Noelle: Seriously?

Tyrus: Good God, this man is really a monster. No wonder why the Purple Orcas captain looked so scared when he saw him... he knows what he's capable of.

Finral: Wait, Nero... are you saying-

Nero: Yes. His Key Magic has the ability to steal the magic of other mages. After he does steal it as well, he's free to wield it however he pleases it as well, as if he were the original owner from birth.

The elevator stops in front of a wide-ranging opulent door deep within the guts of the Branch Zero Research Facility....

Secre: Sealing Magic, Inverse Release!

Her magic blazes, as it begins unlocking the door from the center-mass, finally opening after rotors clanged and banged with one another. The elevator then slides and once more rolls on down, with Finral nervously chuckling.

Finral: Heheheh... so was anyone else expecting that was the stop we needed to take? How far down are we exactly going?

Tyrus: What's the matter there, buddy? You're not getting scared on us, are you, Roulacase?

Noelle: It does feel like the security's tightening up.

Secre: Indeed, please be patient. We're almost there.

They finally come across a foggy and dark lab, the only source of brightness being those of flickering headlights.

Secre: This right here everyone is the innermost part of the Branch Zero facility. This is where we store and research only the most important magic tools in the labs.

Tyrus: Yeah about this, Captain Yami and the Wizard King said you were co-developing some sort of rare magic item and we were asked to retrieve it, care to enlighten us on your hard work, Nero?

Secre: Yes, I suppose I should let you all in on the secret. It's something from my and Prince Lumiere's time.... it was a magic item that could control the power of the Imperial Sword Elsdocia. You can all think of it as sort of a sheath for for the Imperial Sword itself. However we're not finished with it, as it's still a prototype. But with any luck, we can use it in its unpredictable stage to still seal Conrad here and now.

She places her hand on a bio-scanner, which proceeds to read her mana and magic power, immediately registering the Sealing mage's presence. She walks in the lab with Asta, Tyrus, Finral and Noelle all pouring in behind her but she suddenly stops, her blood running cold and sweatdrop racing down from her forehead to her neck..... she only sees an individual holding Sally by her labcoat, glasses shattered.

Secre: He's here?! But how?

They all look up and find Conrad surrounding her table as his emotionless voice rang out to the Black Bulls.

Conrad: When I had heard you were co-developing a magic item that had been worked on by the first Wizard King Lumiere himself, I had high hopes and rushed to see just what exactly what you were producing. But alas, it just turns out you and this girl were working on nothing more than useless piece of junk.

He shatters it underneath his hand, shockingly never drawing blood from the glass in his body.

Secre: NO!

Asta: SALLY, HANG ON!

He looks at them, cruelly tossing the ex-Midnight Sun member into Secre as they go skirting roughly across the floor.

Secre: AHH!

Noelle: Nero!

Tyrus: Now you fucked up- ICE STALKER BLADES- wait, where the hell did he go?!

Asta: DEMON-SLAYER!

The foster siblings step forward but Conrad uses a spatial portal disappearing and then reappearing behind the quartet of Black Bulls-

Tyrus: SHIT, BEHIND US!

But it's too late, he cruelly gut-checks Tyrus before viciously upper-cutting the Senior Magic Knight and kicking him right into Noelle!

Tyrus: OOFFF!

Noelle: GAHHHH!

Asta: TY! NOELLE!

He's next as the 27th Wizard jumps and harshly kicks Asta in the back of his spine, jacking his back before he misses punching Finral as the noblemen put a portal up to redirect the attack. This temporarily shocks Conrad.

Conrad: Oh? Not bad there- let us try that again.

He stomps on Finral's foot, punches him twice in the face somehow not breaking his nose before immediately judo-tossing him into a recovering Tyrus, who hadn't read the attack and felt the full brunt of Finral's body weight on top of the ice mage with the duo going crashing into a bookcase!

Tyrus: FUCKKK!

Finral: AHHH!

Noelle: TYRUS! FINRAL, ARE YOU GUYS OKAY?!

Asta looks up but then feels several sharp projectiles sticking into his body!

Asta: TCH! Damn you, bastard!

Conrad: Hang on, I know you.

He cocks an arrogant smile, proceeding to encase Asta in a boulder like structure.

Secre: How did you find this place?! ANSWER ME, NOW!

Conrad: Hm... Secre Swallowtail, also known as Nero, another mage from out of the Black Bulls. Your squad-mates are Finral Roulacase, Noelle Silva, Tyrus Hail and Asta.

Tyrus: Bite us all where the sun doesn't shine, ex-Wizard King.

Conrad ignores the smartassery, seeing the ice mage craking his jaw and spitting some blood up.

Conrad: Memory Exchange Magic, the very magic that allows you to peek into another person's memory. Quite the useful magic despite it being a rather poor taste, indeed. It makes it easier to also see what other people have experienced through your own lens. But thanks to Marx's cooperation, I was so easily able to locate this place before you even got here.

Tyrus: Fuck... no..

Noelle: You stole Marx's magic?!

Conrad: Allow me to show me you all one last thing before I crush you under my boot.

He uses the stolen Wizard King's aide's magic, bringing up various motion videos of Princia running her legion magic, civilians running for shelter in the Common and Forsaken Realms. And the Triumph Flying Fortress being ripped from the ground, the images stunning the Black Bulls.

Tyrus: Inconceivable!

Princia: Citizens of the Clover Kingdom! I demand you all surrender your magical power as a tribute immediately or resist and face death in the swarm of my dominant Legion Magic. Resistance is futile and will lead only to your death! My soldiers will continue fight on until the very last drop of their magic power is spent.

Conrad: I present to you, one of the former Wizard Kings, and in this occasion one of the even rarer Wizard Queens, the 11th edtion, Princia Funnybunny. The Imperial Sword is supplying her with the magic power it has stored and it turn will absorb the magic power of those around her. Meaning she practically has no limit. All of your Magic Knight squads have been completely obliterated. Not only this but we have essentially taken over the Kingdom, its citizenry, and all of major facilities which have since been seized.

Secre: It can't be....

Conrad: Impressive, is it not? So many people, and in such little time. And don't think you're being invaded by a sorry legion of soldiers. Princia can summon an army equal roughly to the military power of a rivaling country, let's say the Diamond Kingdom for example.... oh and as for those "powerful" Magic Knight Captains and Knights who bought you all the time to escape from subjugation..... let's just say they've been swiftly taken care of.

He switches out the panels to then reveal several new ones which made them pale all over again. The first showed Yami, cratered into a pillar, hair tousled and knocked out.

Asta: CAPTAIN YAMI!

Another shows Nozel, Nebra and Solid all battered and bruised but in the Silver Eagles Captain's case, he laid on top of a pool of his own blood, also unconscious, maybe even dead causing Noelle to cry.

Noelle: NOZEL! NEBRA! SOLID!

The next one showed some Blue Rose Knights and Crimson Lion Kings, most notably Fuegoleon, Leo, Vice-Captain Randall Luftair and Blue Roses Wainsley, Sol and Tyrus's own sister Selene being swallowed up by massive amounts of fireballs from Salamander's doing after they were reflected by Jester's Barrier Magic.

Tyrus: NO, BABY SISTER!

He falls to a knee, cursing himself out that he wasn't there to protect in her moment of vulnerability, it didn't matter to him if she was a capable fighter in her own right, that was still his youngest and only sister.

Conrad: As you can see, they're all fast asleep. What would be the fun in killing them so quickly? When you know they will resist no longer.

Secre: All of those people at the stadium that were evacuated.....

Noelle: No... no.... Nozel, Nebra, Solid.....

Conrad looks at the youngest royal of House Silva and immediately it had dawned on him... Noelle was still around during his time as Wizard King as she was only a young kid....

Conrad: Ah, that's right. It completely slipped my mind, you ARE the youngest daughter of House Silva. The ever famous Acier Silva, former captain of the Silver Eagles. She was truly a magnificent warrior, worthy of her nickname "Steel Warrior Princess".... How pathetic of Nozel to fall before his baby sister. It must pain Acier to know that he couldn't save any of his siblings, let alone his youngest.

He knew exactly what he was saying to dig under the tsundere's skin and Tyrus began to tense up... not only was he subjected to seeing that gnarly image of Nozel.... but his own sister might've been incinerated in front of him.

Conrad: To think such a weakling and a coward like could not only be a Squad Captain, but the eldest of such a renowned warrior like Lady Acier!

Noelle: YOU SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH, NO ONE SPEAKS ABOUT MY BROTHER THAT WAY! SEA DRAGON'S ROARRRRRRRR!

Tyrus: NOELLE, DON'T DO IT, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT CONRAD WANTED YOU TO DO!

But his pleas fall deaf to his girlfriend's ears, Noelle's trauma and anger bursting to the surface as she whipped her wand out and summoned her most lethal attack.

Conrad: How right you were....

His eyes narrows as he witnesses the dragon emerge in a brilliant display, its power growing with each second...

CRASHHHHHHHHHH!

But in the dust would emerge multiple vines wrapping around her skin ever so tightly to the point of cutting off circulation to her wrists and legs.

Noelle: GYAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Tyrus: NOELLE, FUCK! COME ON BODY!

Asta: HANG ON NOELLE, TY AND I ARE COMING!

They fight desperately to either free themselves or fight against the burning pain they were experiencing while both witnessed Conrad stalk the water mage menacingly. He looks at the pitiful state Noelle was in, as her mana slowly but surely was being rapidly drained out of her.

Noelle: LET.... ME.... GOOOOO!

Conrad: Hmmm... you have much to yet learn but given you're of royal blood, I'm not surprised your water magic is of the highest level and purity.... I believe I shall take it.

He summons a key, putting it to a random page of her grimoire, and unlocking it..... and she immediately feels the after effects when she witnesses her magic book turn to stone.

Noelle: My magic... it's... it's.... draining so rapidly.

Conrad: That's the beauty. When there's such a clear and concise difference in our abilities... it's far too easy to take someone's magic..

Tyrus: NOELLE! HANG IN THERE.... DARLING!

Conrad: Hm....

Even with the loss of her true, unconcentrated power, he felt something rising within Noelle's fellow water-based mage. Pure rage.. He expertly weaves and dodges a cratering punch, courtesy of Tyrus's Iceberg Punch as he then quickly slices all of the roots that held his unconscious significant other prisoner.... she immediately fell right into his arms involuntarily.

Tyrus: Noelle.... Noelle... come on talk to me!

He immediately puts his forehead on hers, as tears escape freely through his eyes just as Asta broke through his prison.

BOOOMMMMMM!

Asta: NOELLE, TYRUS! ARE- YOU.....

He finds his foster brother weeping over Noelle's unconscious body but he quickly senses through ki detection the Royal is very much alive, just exhausted and severely weakened.

Asta: TY, I KNOW YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT NOELLE BUT YOU GOTTA DIG DOWN DEEP, MAN! LET'S KICK THIS CLOWN'S ASS!

Tyrus flashes a raging expression not at Asta but rather Conrad, the man who stole her literal pride just a second ago.

Tyrus: Nero... do me a favor and watch after Noelle and Finral... I am going to kill this fucking fuck nugget pussy bitch.

Secre: You can trust me.

Tyrus carries Noelle and Finral over to her as she still tends to Sally before running to Asta's side, one of his Ice-Stalker Blades drawn and leveled towards Conrad's throat.

Tyrus: NOW TELL ME WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK DID YOU DO TO OUR SQUAD-MATE!?

Conrad: Heheh... maybe you should both learn this the hard way.

He raises his left arm, aiming it between the two male Black Bulls, before centering it on Tyrus.

Conrad: Water Creation Magic..... Sea Dragon's Roar!

Asta: INCOMING!

Tyrus: I SEE IT!

BOOOOOOOMMMMMM!

They get pushed back, surprisingly remaining uninjured as Tyrus threw up Hodr's Shield before the attack landed onto him and Asta.

Asta: Kf. Kf!

Tyrus: That... was... Sea Dragon's Roar! YOU DIRTY MOTHERFUCKER, YOU STOLE NOELLE'S MAGIC! OHHHHHHH I AM GONNA ENJOY WHOOPING YOUR ASS! ASTA, BACK ME UP!

He clears the smoke and debris away, immediately revealing that both have tapped into their special forms, Black Asta which covered all of Asta's right side and the glowing of transparent white wings, salt and pepper hair, white and blue horns on his hairline, scales on his forearms, expanded muscle mass, and one blue eye, one grey eye indictative of Tyrus's fully having tapped into his Ice Spirit partner's Kuraokami's power to get his Spirit Dive which he had dubbed the "Azure Dragon" given the massive dragon's blue exterior.

Asta: YEAH, I'M WITH YOU! GIVE NOELLE HER MAGIC BACK!

They rush Conrad from opposites ends, immediately rushing back into Secre and Sally's not-so-secret lab anymore, forms lit ablaze and swords drawn. The former Wizard King read the attack clearly and threw up a shield causing a hellish explosion. He quickly is put on the escape as the duo give chase, with Conrad unlocking separate doors which hurl Flame and Lightning magic at the two.

Tyrus: TRY FUCKING AGAIN! THIS DOESN'T STOP UNTIL I BEAT THE PISS OUT OF YOU, CONRAD!

Tyrus roars and continues his pursuit ever so closely getting to Conrad with Asta deflecting and negating the attacks.

Asta: I'D LISTEN TO HIM! BY THE TIME WE'RE DONE WITH YOU, YOU'RE GONNA BE BEGGIN' THAT YOU WERE SEALED THIS WHOLE TIME!

Conrad: Interesting, it seems the darker-skinned young man wields the long-fabled Ice Spirit and can access his very own Spirit Assimilation..... and the other one has Anti-Magic, the power that can negate any and all spells or attacks.

Asta: BLACK-DIVIDER!

He takes a massive swing of the extended Demon-Slayer Sword, barely missing Conrad but Tyrus himself cranked up the heat so to speak.

Tyrus: FROST FINGER ROCKETS!

Multiple rapid fire beams produce and shoot out of the tips of Tyrus's finger to devastating impact but none hit the ever-elusive Conrad.

Tyrus: STAY STILL SO I CAN PIERCE YOU, YOU SHIT!

Conrad: HM!

He taps the ground beneath them while still gliding, but destroying a pair of large pipes.

Tyrus: I GOT THIS ONE, KEEP THE HEAT ON HIM!

Asta: RIGHT!

Tyrus freezes his entire right leg, inspired by a certain Lioness while looking at the departing Asta and Conrad but then focusing on the pipes....

Tyrus: GLACIES CRUS CALCITRARE! NOW SHATTER!

He shatters only as many as his leg would allow him, four being the max as he rejoins Asta as they go through the maze of welding and metal constructs... only to find more coming right at them!

Tyrus: BASTARD! MORE DOORS, ASTA!

Asta: NOT JUST THAT, PIPES!

They look and try evading as many as possible but find themselves overwhelmed....... but Tyrus's anger overwhelms his sense of pride.

Tyrus: CONRADDDDDDDDDDDD! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU FUCKER!

BOOOMMMMMMMMM!

He lands on a pipe only to find his storm of pipes utterly thrown to the wayside....

Tyrus: HERE'S ONE FOR MYSELF! GLACIES BRACHIUM!

Conrad: SO FAST!

The next thing Conrad feels is ice and the force of Tyrus's entire forearm digging into his spine, before the ice mage gave him a receipt for sneaking him with the three piece he inflicted earlier.

Conrad: OOFFFFF!

Tyrus: HERE'S ONE FOR SALLY, AND NERO! ANOTHER ONE FOR FINRAL AND ASTA! ANOTHER SERVING FOR MY CAPTAIN! YOU GET ANOTHER ONE FOR INCINERATING MY SISTER SELENE!

He begins unleashing chained punches into Conrad, not caring where they landed but so long as it connected with the 27th Wizard King's body he was satisfied.

Tyrus: BUT THIS ONE..... IS FOR NOELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEE WHOSE POWER YOU CALLOUSLY RIPPED AWAY FROM HER AFTER YOU SHOWED HER SIBLINGS IN THEIR BROKEN STATES!

He punches Conrad with an oversized Iceberg Punch hitting him square in his chiseled jaw. It was all in vain though because despite this hellacious rally, Conrad only smirked wiping a smidge of blood from his lip.

Conrad: All that for a couple drops of blood..... Not bad, ice mage.

Asta: HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!

Realizing he was in the middle of the Black Bulls, he tightened his knuckles immediately calling upon his "borrowed" lightning magic, hoping to neutralize at least one of them and hit his mark, a concentrated bolt popping Asta's back and sending him to the ground.

Tyrus: Asta! OOOFF!

He too suffers the wrath of lightning catching him in the spine as he's sent cratering to the ground.... as then a purple substance grows underneath them.

Tyrus: What the fuck..... OOOHHHH HELL NO!

Leeches of all shapes and sizes with jagged teeth spring up and immediately try to dig into the duo's flesh, with Tyrus slashing a few into hundreds of pieces before he along with his foster sibling are both overwhelmed.

Asta: WHAT THE HELL IS ALL THIS GOOPY CRAP! HANG ON TYRUS! NGGGGGHH!! DEMON-DESTROYER!

He calls upon the blunted sword and bangs on the hard, metallic surface, immediately undoing the poison inflicted to them.

Tyrus: Thanks, man! You saved my ass.

Conrad gleefully begins clapping at the two of them.

Conrad: WONDERFUL! MY WHAT WONDERFUL AND TERRIFYING POWERS YOU WIELD, THE BOTH OF YOU! But you Asta, you wield such mystifying power! You can nullify not only magic but also any phenomena that is derived of magic. I would like to take both of your magics but if I did have Anti-Magic.... But I guess I'll bite on the opportunity, it affecting all of the other magic I have collected would be just be bad news. How about of the three of us have a little chat, men to men?

Tyrus: If it's not involved with giving Noelle giving her magic back, it's an automatic no for me!

Conrad: Oh come now we all walk the same path, do we not? Don't be like that but.... then again!

He summons a plasma ball and sends it shooting immediately towards Tyrus as it rapidly expands and captures him against a metal wall!

Tyrus: GAHHHHHHHHH! SO TIGHT..... CAN'T MOVE!

Asta: TY! THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?

Conrad approaches the ice mage and with one quick prod of the Marx's Memory Magic he begins looking through Tyrus's journey from his fated being left behind by his young mother at the time in Antoinette back at Hage Village.... all of the core memories he had with Asta and Yuno.... him opting to join the Black Bulls with Asta over Yuno and the Golden Dawn and that of Coral Peacocks, Aqua Deer and Crimson Lion Kings.

Conrad: I see it now... you're not an orphan at all Tyrus. You're the eldest son of the Noble House Hail, your sister is of the Blue Rose Knight order led by Charlotte Roselei, I actually happened to know your mother, Antoinette and dearly departed father, Vergil. And what do we have here?

He looks at a couple specific memories regarding Noelle and himself, such as the fight with Vetto, the Star Festival double date with Underwater Temple Mages Kahono and Kiato, the Royal Knights Selection Exam and their kiss which kick-started their whole romantic relationship and a random lunch date the two were on during an off-day.

Conrad: I see... it seems you and Lady Noelle Silva are.... more than just friends.

Tyrus: What of it? I cherish Noelle with my goddamn life, and she does the same for me! What does my relationship status have to do with any of this madness you're causing with these other Wizard Kings?!

He continues to fight and thrash desperately until Conrad feels the sensation of Anti-Magic rush towards him, this causes him to back up as the Demon-Destroyer sword immediately undoes the plasma holding Tyrus hostage.

Asta: What the heck are you talking about?!

Tyrus grabs his blade, powering back into his Spirit Dive state.

Tyrus: We have no interest in chopping it up with the likes of monsters such as you, Conrad!

Asta: AND WE ARE NOTHING LIKE YOU! YOU HEAR ME, NOTHING!

The coolness intensifies between the trio....

Conrad: You don't think so... let's start with the Imperial Sword, Elsdocia. The magic item that was developed by none other than the first Wizard King, you know him as Lumiere Silvamillion Clover. But what you don't know is that it happens to be quite compatible with my Key Magic. The Imperial Sword is a key itself, meant to store exceptional amounts of magic left behind by great mages and heroes of the past and as a symbol of greatness and legacy for the future generations like you two and myself. You see it stores the magic of every past Wizard King that has ever oversaw the Clover Kingdom along with their collective wisdoms but also a piece of their very fabric, their souls so to speak. Are you starting to fully understand the grasp of what I'm saying, Asta and Tyrus? This weapon, this key... it can absorb, store and unleash an absurd amount of magical power all in go burst! And with it, I will gather all of the previous Wizard King's generational power, bind them with the various types of magics I have borrowed and otherwise stole and create... A GARGANTUAN COMPOUND MAGIC! Once our goal is achieved, I will then proceed to drive it right into the main mana veins of the Earth herself. And following it will be an unprecented disaster, the likes that no one has ever seen before! The continent itself will be destroyed AND EVERY SINGLE CLOVER KINGDOM CITIZEN WILL DIE!

Tyrus: You ARE a fucking monster!

Conrad: But you, you two have nothing to fear. The Imperial Sword can restore the souls of those who have departed, think about it Tyrus... a new world where you and your sister didn't have to be separated at birth. I can even restore Noelle into her own body once more and you can repeat every step you took to win her heart! You two are among the most worthy I would select and I would only bring back those who would be absolutely useful enough to build a new Clover Kingdom. I know I was loathed, I've seen in it everyone's memories you two. Trust me when I say I know where you two have been. You used to be laughed at, demeaned, spat on because you grew up in the Forsaken Realm. You know it's true Asta, people with magical power own EVERYTHING! And those without magic in this society wind up perishing without a second thought. Isn't this world unbearble, Asta and Tyrus? Shouldn't we destroy everything that is corrupt about the Clover Kingdom, start a new? Join me, you two and we can create a society where everyone can be equal, live, laugh and love another without having to be persecuted because one's weaker than the other!

Asta thinks back on the fateful words he said to Mereoleona during the fight against the Eye of the Midnight Sun.

Asta: I just want a kingdom, that all of us can co-exist. Get along and laugh together, we can have I don't know picnics or parties in the vast land of the Clover Kingdom. And when I become the Wizard King, we'll have one. You'll see Captain!

He grits his teeth and gives the Demon Destroyer and Demon Slayer Sword in anger.

Asta: NO! DON'T FEED US ALL OF THAT BULLSHIT!

Tyrus: WE STAND ON BUSINESS AND WE STAND ON THE FACT THAT THE WIZARD KING OR QUEEN IS MEANT TO PROTECT THOSE THAT LIVE IN THEIR NATION AS WELL AS PERSERVE THE PEACE! NOT KILL THEM, YOU IDIOT!

They chase after him and gives them a disapproving almost condescending look as they made their decision.

Tyrus: GET THE FUCK BACK HERE, YOU DAMN THIEF!

Tyrus springs up to his opponent's wings propping him up as barrels came racing down towards them.

Asta: WE WILL NOT LET YOU DESTROY EVERYTHING WE WORK SO HARD TO PROTECT! THAT'S NOT SOMETHING A REAL WIZARD KING WOULD DO, CONRAD!

They appear right in front of him and he shakes his head.

Conrad: Think about it, you cannot possibly hope to build a world with meaningless lives and values like you two follow so dearly. The ideal society is meant to help those who are oppressed, YOU BOTH KNOW WHAT THAT IS LIKE!

He summons another Sea Dragon's Roar, which Tyrus promptly freezes and shatters!

Tyrus: OF COURSE WE DO!

Asta: BUT EVERYTHING YOU'RE SPOUTING IS NONSENSE! KILLING A MASS POPULATION, DESTROYING THE ENTIRE CONTINENT! YOU DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT EXCEPT YOUR OWN AMBITION! I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW YOU FIND ANYTHING ABOUT THAT NORMAL!

Asta races towards him, grabbing Tyrus as he spins him around and viciously throws him at Conrad.

Conrad: You two don't understand just how broken this world truly is..... for two unique and powerful mages, I'm truly pitified... AND DISGUSTED!

Asta: I SAID SHUT THE HELL UP!

Tyrus: AND GIVE NOELLE HER MAGIC BACK! NOW ASTA! ICE MAGIC, Ice Laden, HEAVENLY SLASH!

They both throw slashes at Conrad, both minorly hitting but being able to slash and draw blood from his cheeks..... his key immediately dissipates from the recoil of the winds off the dual attacks pushing him back a slight distance.

Tyrus: Now.... I AIN'T ASKING AGAIN, I'M TELLING YOU! GIVE NOELLE HER GODDAMN MAGIC BACK, LETO!

He trembles and stays silent in the face of the Black Bulls..... but his rage soon bubbles over!

Conrad: Why.... CAN'T YOU JUST UNDERSTAND ME, YOUUUUUUUU TWOOOOOOOO?!

A flaming wall appears in front of them, stunning them!

Tyrus: OH SHIT!

Asta: LOOK OUT! RAHHHHHHHH!

He slashes the torrent of flames but when he turns around to look for Tyrus he finds him flying, like a rogue cartwheel in the air as he goes cratering into a wall before he falls to the ground.

Tyrus: GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Asta: TY!

He turns around to find Conrad getting ready to sneak him, as he flexes his other hand having focused all of his stolen mana in a vicious singular punch, having knocked the literal power boost out of Tyrus, his attention now turned onto Asta.

Conrad: I KNOW YOU TWO BRATS HAVE EXPERIENCED IT!

He begins piecing up Asta, violent punch after violent punch either clanging with the Demon twin swords or Asta's gut and face.

Conrad: THE UNFAIRNESS, THE CONSTANT BETRAYAL! AND THE HELLACIOUS INEQUALITY OF THE GOD FORSAKEN COUNTRY, KNOWING THIS WORLD IS AGAINST YOU!

He sends Asta down below, as the magic-less kid goes skating right next to Tyrus's prone body, as he looks at the many dents in the pipes, showing he had quite the nasty set of landings enroute to the ground.

Asta: Ty! Ty, wake up man!

Conrad: You must choose, Asta! You can either walk this path alongside my allies and I, or you can watch as everything and everyone you have come to know and love.... BURN AND DIE!

Tyrus begins to stumble but falls right back down just as Conrad summons multiple doors brimming with intense magic. Conrad snarls and lets the duo have everything in his arsenal, torrents of magic hellaciously hitting Asta and Tyrus every which way.

Asta: NNGGHHHHHHHHHH!

Tyrus: GYAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The innermost section of Branch Zero is utterly totaled under Conrad's powerful magic, blocks of concrete falling and exploding..... as it's then revealed a bloodied Asta and Tyrus are laid on top of another from the many attacks feeling like tremors.

Conrad: Give up this fight, Asta.... I beg of you. You and I are more alike than you care to admit. Accept that simple fact, and you can stand alongside myself, Princia, Edward and Jester. I will ensure that Tyrus and the others will be resurrected in my new world.

Asta continues to breathe raggedly and denies his request.

Asta: I would.... rather die.

Conrad: I see... have it your way. By morning's approach tomorrow, the fusion of magic will be complete.

He begins to turn around before Tyrus weakly grabs at his ankle.

Tyrus: Stop.... you madman. You.... don't fucking.... leave... until you return.... my girlfriend's... magic back... to her....

Conrad looks at his broken state....

Conrad: That's your only concern? I get it, wanting to protect and secure the ones you cherish the most. You seem to have a deeper connection with Asta... see to it that you convince him that I'm in the right. And only then, will I return Noelle Silva's magic to her. Know this... I will truly regret killing you two.....

He roughly kicks Tyrus's grip off of his ankle before he hears the two speak in concert....

Asta: You better hear us now...

Tyrus: We won't EVER give up, Conrad.

Asta: One day....

Tyrus: I will become the Wizard King....

Asta: Because.... my magic... my magic is never giving up.

Conrad: AH! AHHHH! TCHHH!

Finral: Spatial Magic, Fallen Angel's Wingbeat!

Two green dots sail over the injured Black Bulls with Asta and Tyrus disappearing at first touch.

Conrad: What?! Hm....

He turns around to find a slightly injured and exhausted Finral bringing Tyrus and Asta, taking in the rest of the group of Nero holding Noelle and Finral, the awakening Sally.

Finral: That's all... I'm officially tapped out, guys. Now what do we do, cause I don't like the face he's giving us.

Nero: We're not done, Finral. We still have to give it everything we can!

The 27th Wizard King begins menacingly walking over to them..... when glass tubing shatters all over the place, a gust of wind following the impact. Yuno suddenly appears in the chaos, his own Spirit Dive disappearing.

Tyrus: Y-Yuno.... sorry you have to see Asta and I in such sorry states.... but don't try fighting him. He's a different breed.

Finral: Wait, when did you get here... and Ms. Maxwell too?!

Millie: The Golden Dawn's new Vice-Captain made it very clear that he come help you all and wouldn't leave otherwise.

The Branch Coordinator retrieves two mini tubes.

Millie: Sally... drink up, it's go time!

Sally: OKAY!

Millie: Sorry, but this time there's no plan. We play this by the ear.

Sally: OOOH, SOUNDS LIKE A FUN TIME!

Millie drinks her own tube.

Millie: Please.... if there's one thing I absolutely loathe... It's improvisation.

Yuno fires Wind Blade after Wind Blade at Conrad who just bats them to the side carelessly.

Yuno: All right, smartass.... TRY THIS! WIND BLADE SHOWER! FOLLOWED BY TOWERING TORNADO!

After firing his two most powerful attacks, he bends a knee out of exhaustion while witnessing Conrad emerging once again unscathed aside from his two previous dealt wounds. He continues his march, hoping to steal Finral's spatial magic.

Asta: Y-Yuno....

Conrad is suddenly impeded when he realizes strings hold him in place. After stepping on a proximity trap, more strings restrain the disgraced Wizard King as he motions his eyes over towards Millie.

Millie: I never thought I'd use it on the likes of a previous Wizard King or at a time like this... but we're left with other options. SALLY, QUICKLY LET'S TRY TO ACTIVATE THIS WITH ALL THE MAGIC WE HAVE ON US!

Conrad: Did you honestly believe such a parlor trick could work on my being?

Glasses fall but they're not of Millie's makeup.

Secre: Maybe not, but thanks to them along with my friend's help. I can hit you with everything I have! SEALING MAGIC, Eternal Prison!

She manages to trap Conrad in a prism box..... but what the usually studious and observant Secre fails to notice is a key in his hand as he blows her back his magic after a few attempts able to dispel Eternal Prison.

Secre: AHHHHHHHH!

Yuno: Unbeliveable!

Finral: This is a monster we're fighting, Nero wasn't doing him any justice!

Yuno looks at his rivals.... his friends.... his brothers.... catastrophically wounded and bloodied while also taking in Secre and Noelle's bad state....

Yuno: Retreat for now!

Using Swift White Hawk, everyone makes a literal swift getaway from Branch Zero.... with Conrad Leto victorious..... walks through the now desolate halls of the Branch Zero Magic Research Facility, Sally and Millie's fates left ambiguous. A pinging emanates from his robe as Marx Francois' Memory Magic appears at the side of him...

Conrad: Jester.... it's Conrad. How the process in the fusion of magic going right now?

Jester: Ohhh hey you! We're sitting pretty around twenty percent right now. Generally speaking, everything seems to be going well... As it's looking we should hit our target area of tomorrow's Dawn, as scheduled.

Conrad: I'm pleased to hear that. I want to thank you, Princia and Edward. All of you for fighting the good fight with me.

Jester: It's finally happening! A brand new Clover Kingdom! NO ONE WILL EVER HAVE TO CRY SAD TEARS OR BE ROBBED OF WHAT THEY HAVE!

Edward: Indeed.. when all is said and done, we will be the victors. These poor lost souls will be saved and born again.

Princia: Say what you will, but what I truly seek is a Clover Kingdom and in turn a world where no one can oppress another person. Where people can't seek power for greed, corruption and to lord over the vulnerable! I trust you can achieve all of this on your back, Conrad?

Conrad looks at the clanging of a bouncing tiny necklace with his eyes staring at the setting sun, and the arriving moon.

Conrad: I can.... what about the mana veins, are there any updates?

Jester: Oh don't worry your pretty little head..... I found us the perfect one. It's in a remote village in the Forsaken Realm.... called Hage. Remember where that Demon's Skeleton lies?

Conrad knows exactly what the 16th Wizard King refers to... a memory then takes him back when he and a familiar face watch over the people of Hage...

Conrad: As it stands, my Key Magic is absolutely garbage unless I borrow someone's power. Kinda goes hand in hand with the type of future I'm fighting for, you know what I'm saying, Julius? One day... I will change the very fabric of this nation.

Julius looks at him.... not saying anything but rather giving him a smile to which Conrad returns.

Conrad: I'd like to think my real magic.... is never giving up!

Conrad: I told you, Asta.... you and I are more alike than you care to admit, kid.

F.W.C. 7,420 Words!

End of Part Three of Killer Ice: Sword of the Wizard King!