Black Clover - By My Side (Asta X Noelle)

Chapter 32: The Royal Knights Exam (Part 14)

[It appeared as though humanity would be destroyed by demons. But a single mage saved them all. He was called the wizard king, and he became a legend.]

Noelle POV:

The battlefield is cleared of everyone except Asta's and Langris's team. The rest of The Black Bulls and I stand atop of the wall, watching over the battle to come. Nobody says a word. We do nothing but watch from above. Everyone knows why Asta is doing this. Right now, he's fighting for Finral. However, despite knowing this, I can't help but be worried. 

The match begins, and from the start, Asta and his team take off running. Mimosa uses her plant magic to bind the crystal to her as they run along. Asta leads the charge towards Langris, who is also running towards them. Langris pulls out his grimoire and uses the same spell he used while fighting Finral. He hurls the magical orbs towards Asta, but he uses his sword to nullify the magic. However, he isn't able to block all of them. The orbs hit Asta's body, erasing away his flesh, causing his body to bleed. 

I clench my fists and grit my teeth. He's hurting Asta badly. First Finral. Now Asta. The more I watch the two of them fight, the angrier I get. I don't want to see Asta get hurt so much, but he's always putting himself into these positions. I just wish I could help him out.

As I dread the situation, I feel a hand on my shoulder. "Noelle, try to calm down. I think everyone can tell how on edge you are." Vanessa hugs me from behind, "try to loosen up a little, Noelle!" She has a smile on her face, and she looks happy. However, that smile disappears, and her demeanor becomes much more serious. "Asta is a strong boy. No doubt he'll be great. So, Noelle. Just believe in him. I'm sure you're worried. All of the Black Bulls are. But don't worry, he'll pull through. And after, you two can go be alone together." Vanessa winks, and the smile that had left her face appears once again. 

She lets go of my shoulder and walks away before I can even say anything. However, it doesn't matter because what she says leaves me speechless. I look back to the battlefield and think about what she just said. You two can go be alone together. Thinking about what she said makes me feel giddy inside. I look to Asta, whose fighting on the battlefield, and butterflies start to swirl around in my stomach. Ugh, why did Vanessa have to say that? 

I sit down at the edge of the wall and observe the fight. Currently, Xerx is standing in front of Asta while he holds his sword. What is Asta doing? It seems as if he's concentrating on something. Suddenly, a chill goes down my spine causing me to flinch. What is this feeling? Why do I feel like I've felt this before? Just as I ask myself that question, a black substance starts to form over Asta's body. It's that anti-magic form. He's able to use this again! This form of his still gives me chills from the time we were in the Witches Forest. 

I look over to Vanessa and Finral, who were also in the forest when Asta took on this form. Both of them look distressed, with sweat rolling down their faces. They begin to talk with each other, and I walk over to see what they say.

"He's doing it again," says Finral. "Do you think he'll be okay like last time?"

"I hope so. Last time, he was able to control it. Maybe it will work this time as well." Says Vanessa.

"I think he'll be fine," I intervene, "earlier, it looked like he was concentrating. Maybe this is what he was counting on happening. Besides, he used it in his match against Magna."

"I hope you're right, Noelle," Finral says worriedly. 

Asta, what is your plan? Asta, now powered up, points his sword towards Langris. They exchange a few words, but it is impossible to understand what they're saying from here. Then in an instant, Asta flies towards Langris using his anti-magic form. He uses the flat side of his sword to hit Langris and send him flying towards his crystal. I look over to Asta's crystal, which looks as if it'll shatter any second. Asta flies straight into the enemy's team crystal, snapping it in two.

"Way to go, Asta!" I shout. "You wo-"

"This match ends in a draw!" The Wizard King stands from his seat, "it would seem that both teams have destroyed each others' crystals."

In shock, I look over to Mimosa, who was guarding the crystal. And just like The Wizard King said, their crystal was shattered to pieces. I look back to Asta, who is kneeling on one knee. Asta... lost? There's no way. Still surprised, I watch as Asta falls to the ground unconscious. My heart drops. This can't be happening. 

[Chapter 32 end]