Gabriel fell silent for a moment, observing Damnatio calmly. Then he slightly lowered his head, a faint smile forming on his lips.
Not a sneer, but the expression of someone who had heard the answer he had anticipated all along.
"Very well. Ash is satisfied with your answer," Gabriel said, his tone flat yet gentle. "Empty Judge."
He then stood up.
At the same time, the pale throne behind him collapsed and vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.
Almost simultaneously, Gabriel's pale white Grimoire—in digital mode—flipped its pages rapidly, eleven pages opening at once before finally settling.
[- Dark Matter Union Magic: Raziel teilt das Leerenlicht -]
Instantly, a Gigan magic circle appeared before Damnatio's eyes. In the next moment, his vision froze.
Visual information streamed directly into his mind—not as an illusion, nor as a blurry image, but as a complete, immersive experience implanted into his consciousness.
Damnatio fell silent.
This was not merely Dark Matter Magic, but a fusion of Gigan's abilities that created a transmission effect, forcing perception at the level of consciousness itself.
Before Damnatio could utter a word, Gabriel had already turned. His body blurred, then vanished from the room without a sound.
Moments later, Gabriel's voice echoed—not through the air, but directly inside Damnatio's mind.
"Enjoy the life of your people, full of injustice, Damnatio."
After leaving Damnatio's chamber, Gabriel hovered above the night sky of Clover Kingdom's capital, a look of satisfaction on his face.
As if the long-suppressed turmoil within him had finally found its way out.
"I… am incredible," he murmured in his mind. "The Pale Mist that watches the stars, now teaching justice to the Kingdom's Judge? This… is too perfect!"
Yet, after a moment, his smile faded.
Even though he had deliberately chosen to remain indifferent to the hardships of the people caused by the Nobles in the Black Clover world, the justice delivered by Judge Damnatio still unsettled him.
That was why Gabriel deliberately delivered a few blows in the form of truth. After all, he could not strike one of the pillars of society in Clover Kingdom, no matter how distasteful he found them.
A few seconds passed, and his thoughts began to calm. The gleam of satisfaction on his face faded, replaced by a gaze full of calculation.
"Next… what now?" Gabriel murmured softly, lost in contemplation.
Then, finally, an idea flickered across his mind.
A thin smile appeared on his lips.
Without hesitation, he dove and shot forward. His three pairs of pale white wings flapped, leaving behind feathers that slowly fell and vanished into the night air.
***
Fifteen days had passed.
Seven of them, Gabriel spent building a training ground, crafting various training tools, and erecting a hidden mansion deep within the forest.
The construction process drained his Compression Energy repeatedly, yet the results were immensely satisfying to him personally.
One day, Gabriel met Asta and began training his physical strength. He equipped him with four weighted rings—two on his arms, two on his legs—each weighing 150 kilograms.
Over the next seven days, Gabriel trained Asta to get accustomed to a total load of 600 kilograms. Surprisingly, in just two days, Asta was already able to bear 300 kilograms with relative ease.
Now, they sat beneath the shade of a sprawling tree. In front of them, a board depicting the structure of the human anatomy was spread out.
Asta sat on the green grass, eyes shining with excitement.
Gabriel, not wearing his Persona Ash, stood before him as the Master, explaining the essence of the training that was about to be imparted.
"Listen carefully, Asta!" Gabriel said, tapping the board depicting the human anatomy.
"Total Concentration Breathing is a technique focused on developing the lungs—taking in as much air as possible and controlling it efficiently."
"This technique accelerates blood flow and heart rate, while also raising the internal body temperature," he continued calmly. "As a result, bones and muscles become far more active."
Gabriel then extended his right index finger toward Asta's face, emphasizing the most important point.
"Essentially, this technique enhances the user's physical attributes and capabilities—without ceasing to be human."
Asta's eyes lit up. He immediately raised his hand, ready to speak. But just before he could say a word—
"Don't ask yet," Gabriel interrupted firmly. "The explanation isn't finished."
"W-what!?" Asta exclaimed, mouth wide open.
Gabriel ignored him and continued in a serious tone.
"The improvements include strength, speed, stamina, and endurance. But that's not all—the mental capacity to match a strengthened body also increases, such as thinking processes and reaction time."
He crossed his arms, half-closed his eyes, then lowered his voice.
"Up to this point," he said calmly, "any questions?"
"Sensei, can breathing really make someone stronger!?" Asta asked, his voice full of his characteristic enthusiasm.
Gabriel slightly lowered his head, a faint smile on his lips, and closed both eyes.
The question forced him to increase Gigan's output—processing the world's visuals and possible answers multiple times faster inside his mind.
In truth, Gabriel wasn't entirely sure. He didn't truly know if breathing, in the sense of the techniques like in Kimetsu no Yaiba, could actually make someone stronger.
What he had explained to Asta so far was only theoretical—a fragment of information he had read and understood from the internet.
However, that didn't mean the technique was impossible.
After all, Gabriel himself was proof that realities could collide. If other anime worlds could become real for him, then learning a breathing technique was no longer entirely out of the question.
For that reason, without realizing it, Gabriel intended to make Asta the key. If Asta could learn it, then he himself would surely be able to follow suit someday.
There was only one problem.
Asta could read Ki.
Lying or fabricating excuses in front of the boy would be the same as exposing his own falsehood.
"Ki techniques… really are troublesome," Gabriel murmured in his mind.
On the other hand, Asta gazed at him, eyes shining brighter and filled with hopeful anticipation for his Master's answer.
Finally, the best way to dodge the question occurred to him.
Gabriel opened his eyes, then turned his back to Asta.
"Breathe," he said calmly, "and you'll find the answer yourself, Asta. Use your Ki to guide it, just as you sense the flow of Anti-Magic."
Asta fell silent.
Not because he didn't understand, but because for the first time, he wasn't given an answer—only a direction.
He clenched his small, calloused fists and took a deep breath.
"Breathe…" he murmured softly.
Asta closed his eyes—something he rarely did while training. Normally, he would move, shout, strike—but not stay still.
This time was different.
The Ki around him felt… strange.
As he inhaled, his chest expanded. As he exhaled, the world didn't change—but he did.
"Huh…?" Asta furrowed his brows.
He drew another breath.
And this time, he felt something.
Not Mana. Not Anti-Magic.
Instead, it was a sensation between his heartbeat, the flow of blood, and the movement of oxygen within his body.
"…Sensei," Asta's voice was quieter than usual, almost surprised at himself. "I think… I can do this."
He drew another breath—slower, more controlled.
"So… it's like this," he continued, eyes widening. "I can hear my own breathing and heartbeat. This… is amazing."
His eyes opened wide.
"I'm not stronger yet," he admitted honestly.
"But… it feels like I can control myself better."
Asta glanced toward Gabriel's back. His wide smile returned—not the carefree grin of a child, but the smile of someone who had just discovered something new.
"If this is what Sensei meant…"
"That means breathing doesn't make someone strong right away—"
He clenched his fist.
"But it prepares you… to become strong!"
In front of him, Gabriel wore a faint, knowing smile.
He closed his eyes again and muttered in his mind: "Seems like… this kid really did it. And my theory wasn't wrong."
"This… is getting more interesting."
Gabriel then turned his body around, the faint smile still lingering on his face.
"At a more advanced level," he said calmly,
"this technique can slow the circulation of toxins in the bloodstream, even suppress bleeding from serious injuries."
He tapped a finger against the anatomical board beside them.
"The method is to focus attention on every inch of the body and align your breathing with precise control," Gabriel continued.
"By doing so," he added, "the user's sensitivity spreads throughout the body—enough to detect, and even stabilize, hidden internal injuries."
His voice dropped slightly, taking on a more serious tone. "At its extreme," he said, "the practitioner can consciously control the contraction of muscles and blood vessels."
Asta swallowed hard.
"However…" Gabriel continued, "that extreme level can only be reached once you've mastered Constant Breathing."
He fixed Asta with a sharp gaze.
"Breathe correctly from morning, noon, night, even while you sleep. And I'm confident you can master it, Asta."
Gabriel crossed his arms.
"By maintaining that breathing every minute of the day, your physical fitness will improve drastically—without the need for magic, mana, or any other power."
He paused for a moment.
"And that is the core training I will give you."
"Understood?"
Asta's eyes shone. He immediately stood tall and clenched his fists.
"All right, Sensei!" he replied, full of enthusiasm.
Seeing Asta's spirited determination, something stirred even more deeply within Gabriel.
In truth, the reason Gabriel chose to become a teacher for a magicless boy was surprisingly simple—even almost shallow—and far from pure altruism. He merely wanted to feel a sense of symbolic satisfaction.
He wanted to feel as if the watcher of the stars, the pale mist observing from afar, was bestowing a fragment of knowledge upon a child rejected by the world.
A scene that, in his mind, felt… beautiful.
__
Author's note:
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