At the same time as Asta incapacitated the black bulls, the upper regions of the Brimstone city were witnessing a battle.
Mana was surging around, magic circles and spells kept colliding with each other as a literally horde of magic knights sieges the city's main door, bombarding it with thousands of different magics.
Golden Dawn, Purple Orca, Silver Eagles, Blue Rose and lastly the Crimson Lions. Five of the nine knight squads had banded together in a massive force which surrounded Lucius.
The squads not present were also not just sitting on their butts, the remaining four had been sent as recon and Infiltration forces from the lower entrances to city before the main force could arrive.
However different to expectations of the magic knights, there weren't any traps waiting for them, only a giant gate that had a mocking message written on it.
However the insult made everyone go rabid towards the door, leaving the captains hovering in the back, waiting for their chance to move as they watched the door being showered in spells.
Meanwhile among the captains, Fuegoleon was intrigued by the door.
"That's a rather sturdy door. I wonder what it's made up of. But something has been bugging me. "
Fuegoleon commented, gathering a bit of Nozel's attention towards it.
"What about it?"
With a single swipe of his finger, Fuegoleon pointes at the gate. He fires a weak beam of fire, creating line of explosion alongside it.
But when the smoke from the explosion subsided, there wasn't a single scratch on door, much less any damage.
"The door has no barrier of any sort, it is resisting completely based on its own structure. And also, it is not a open or close door. "
"And what makes you say that?" Nozel asks Fuegoleon with his eyes still stuck to the door, "is it the lack of a middle section? "
Fuegoleon shakes his hand in denial. "Not at all... Look at the place it is standing on."
The other captains and Julius immediately looked at the floor beneath the door. The floor was full of bearing and small wheels and it didn't make of them to understand what was happening.
"HALT! "
Nozel immediately ordered a ceasefire, stopping every magic knight and mercenaries present in their tracks.
Then he moved ahead by himself, gliding down straight to door as he put his hand on it and conjured dozen or so hands made of mercury.
And after all that, with just a single shove to the side, the door seamlessly slides to the side.
"Idiots."
The magic knights heard Nozel mutter something to himself and got embarrassed. Just imagining that they have been wasting both their time and magic on a sliding door was a memory bow etched into their heads.
Then just when the morale was it's lowest, a sound broke through the awkward silence.
Clap. Clap-Clap.
"To think it took our guests over an hour just to figure out how doors work. You have really lowered the intelligence standards with your stupidity, Julius."
Julius looks ahead, his vision scanning and noticing a familiar face just standing on the edge of dark corridor.
"Conrad."
The knights immediately get wary, each bringing their grimoires out in anticipation for whats to come.
An awkward silence fills the world as Julius and Conrad stare expressionlessly into each other's eyes. However the silence was broken as a certain lady rushed ahead with a explosive force.
Swipe.. . Baam!
"You still haven't changed a bit. Mereleona. Did you not learn anything over the years? "
"Shut up! The only thing care about is squishing that pride of yours, once and for all! "
With a full swing of her fist, Mereleona slams her flame covered arm towards into Conrad's chest.
However he didn't bulge and as the flames slowly extinguished, a figure of an giant armoured chess soldier with arms was revealed with a caved in middle body.
Soon after, Mereleona felt herself being struck from the side and flew far away to the wall, crashing into it with a loud impact that bent the metal wall.
"What just happened!?"
"Where did that come from?"
"... Look, there is someone standing in the shadows! "
Under the terrified gaze of everyone except Conrad, three figures walked out from darkness, the three Ressurected wizard kings with their much younger appearances.
The pressure from the presence immediately descended, leaving many magic knights gasping for their breath and fainting many weak ones.
The tension grew by the second as questions spun in Julius's head. Meanwhile the five captains were shocked by the amount of mana they were sensing right now.
"Wizard kings... They are all wizard kings!"
The shocking words immediately collapsed the morale of everyone, leaving each of them stunned in their place.
But within that time, Jester casted a barrier around entire entrance, stopping anybody from escaping as the panic grew further.
"JULIUS!"
Conrad's voice rang amidst the Chaos.
"I hope you have come prepared! Because today you will not be leaving this place alive!"
The four wizard kings raise their dominant hands together at once, sending their mana throughout their surrounding in massive amounts as each of them spoke two words.
"Mana Zone" X 4
Immediately the effects of the mana zone arrived as dozens of siege Ballistas formed out thin air while strong freezing winds blew towards the Squads with terrifying force.
Many knights were thrown away from their brooms and sent falling down to ground. Each of them were immediately captured by dozens of bubble like barriers that formed around them before the walls shifted to reveal several passages in which Jester skillfully threw them.
Within just a second, over 40% of the magic knights were gone. But by this time, the captains had come back to their senses as they each gathered their magic and attacked with their own attacks.
Spears of liquid mercury shot towards the wizard kings, flying quickly through the air as they arrived right in front of Conrad but couldn't recive much of reaction.
"Key magic: Seal"
With a swipe of his hand, Conrad immediately absorbs the spears into key lock.
The same keylock then appeared above Nozel, sending the spears hurling right back at him only for them be converted back to liquid mercury.
"You are gonna have to do better than that, Nozel. You will never reach me with such pathetic attacks." Conrad spoke arrogantly. He then snapped his fingers summoning dozens of different keylock near the magic knights but before they could open, Julius stops each of them with time magic, buying the knights a moment to escape at the expense of most of his mana.
However the wizard kings weren't the only people with mana zone as two other individuals darted ahead, one covered in a cutting winds and a glowing green cloak, the other in a cover of orange flames that shock the space with each step.
Two swords collide as Yuno and Jester clash against each other. Meanwhile Princia charges ahead to intercept Meroleona in her tracks before she could attack Conrad.
"Can I leave these two to you guys?"
Princia nods, "You deal with those weaklings, I will have some fun with this lady over here!"
Jester also nods, "I was already waiting for this kid anyway. After all, he did say who we had to wary of. "
Then within a blink of an eye, the ground splits open by itself, revealing two passages.
Jester and Princia both dragged Yuno and Meroleon through the passages, taking them deeper within the city to fight freely to their leasure.
Meanwhile, the magic knights shrudder as two of their top combatants were taken away from the battlefield. However they also saw a new hope since their enemy had halved in numbers.
Little did they know, they were nothing more than sitting ducks in front of a two crocodiles.
But when Conrad vanished from his spot and appeared behind Julius, that hope broke down faster than piece of chalk being crushed under a foot.
"Julius... I will still give you an option. Surrender and nobody else will get hurt."
Julius's grip tightens as his nails dug into his own skin. He slowly turns towards Conrad, noticing the disgustful and hostile gaze directed towards himself.
The captain tried to defend Julius but dozens of key holes appeared above them, engulfing each of them with thunder and lightning as they all were instantly subdued under the power of dozens of artifacts before being bound by a sealing chains.
On the other side, the magic knights were being attacked by hundreds of spearman and flying eagles made out of transparent ice.
"Will you really let them go?" Julius asked.
Conrad pridefully replied, "I will. I swear on the name of my wife."
The mention of Conrad's wife reassured Julius. He knew that as cruel as Conrad could be, he wouldn't swear on his wife's name unless he means it.
It was regretful for him, but Julius took the deal and lowered his head while the Nozel, Charlotte and other captains tried to stop him.
However as seconds kept passing by, The cries eventually stopped and Julius eventually looked up to see a giant seal covering him from all sides.
"Key magic: Gate of execution. "
...
Julius panics for a second wondering why Conrad will go to such lengths to create a seal out of all the things he could do.
However before Julius could ask any questions, Conrad turned towards entrance where all the remaining magic knights were subdued.
"Julius...As much as I want to kill you. The one who will handing down your execution is not me," Conrad smirks, "Or should I say, the execution of Lucius Zogratis. "
Julius looked at Conrad with confusion, "What do you me— Argh!!!"
However before Julius could talk, he felt a pain from the depths of his soul, a sensation of something trying to rip out of him but couldn't because of the seal.
Meanwhile, the Captains saw the pained expression on Julius's face and gets filled with rage. Their earlier panic was now replaced overwhelming hostility but the chains that sealed their mana kept them in place.
"What did you do to him!? " Nozel, as the only one with his mouth still uncovered, screams at Lucius.
However Nozel was also quickly shut up as a binding chain shuts his mouth close.
"You may not know this but your beloved Julius isn't a normally talented person. "
Conrad begans explaining while making sure his voice reached every person. "He is man with two souls, one is the Julius you know... And the other is Lucius, a reincarnation of an dead angel and a devil host. *shifts his gaze towards the entrance* isn't that right? Asta. "
The Captains quickly turn their eyes towards the entrance, watching as Edward himself moved out of path to reveal a gate behind him.
The gate opens slowly, a single person walking out of it with a katana in hand and the cloak of black bulls now placed over his shoulder.
The knights were in utter disbelief, their eyes almost popping out of their sockets as Anti-magic pulsed everywhere from just Asta's presence.
The ice covering them instantly broke down to nothing, their mana refusing to come out of their bodies as they helplessly watched him walk past them before blurring away from his spot only to appears in front of Julius with a single flap of shapeless wings.
His body was covered in Anti-magic, his left hand clutching on to Jack's grimoire while he stared down at Julius with mind-numbing bloodlust that didn't match his personality.
Under the hostile gazes of everyone, Asta looks at Conrad, giving a subtle nod while gesturing for him to move on.
Not a single word was spoken, but the gestures were enough for them determine the hierarchy between Asta and Conrad.
Then—
Slash!
Without a single warning or any sort of hesitation, Asta slashes at Julius. The blade passes through without cutting anything, not even harming the barrier in place as Julius felt the pain within his soul subside.
But a single slash wasn't enough. So before anybody could understand anything, Asta raises Demon-slasher high above his head, coating with Slashing attribute with every single bit of his Anti-magic despite the terrible 3% conversion ratio he could get within the limited time.
"Demon slasher... Infinite Slash"
There was no fancy attacks, no honorable fight. Only a execution of Lucius who was screaming deep within the depths of Julius's body after being taken by surprise and shock.
The edge of Demon slasher moved without any image or after image, almost appearing as if it just teleported from one position to another in eyes of others.
However as connection between Lucius and Julius was severed, the body deemed Lucius as a hostile force, pushing him out as a translucent figure of light.
However Asta followed Lucius and took a final look at him face as he smiled with satisfaction before slashing his soul to pieces.
...
....
[Ding... Mission complete. Rewards ready to redeem]
"Phew... " Asta turns around, "That was unexpectedly easy."
________________
I will be honest, I hated Lucius with a deep passion and wanted to end him in the most disrespectful manner possible.
And after a few moments of thinking, I thought– is a big fight really necessary?
So I decided to not make one. :p
Call it lazy if you will but, there is nothing more disrespectful than dying before even getting a proper appearance.
we killed him in the loading lobby.
Also we ain't ending here since I never deemed Lucius the final boss.