Asta stepped out of the portal, the distortion fading behind him as his feet touched solid ground. In front of him stood the base of the Black Bulls. From any angle he looked at it, it didn't resemble the headquarters of a Magic Knight squad. The structure was uneven, worn down, and carried the marks of countless fights, as if repair had never been a priority.
Inside was even more chaotic.
Magna and Luck were already clashing in the middle of the room, flames and lightning flickering as they moved across the space without restraint. Grey sat quietly on a couch nearby, lost in her own thoughts, barely reacting to the noise around her. Vanessa lay sprawled across the floor, a bottle in hand, drinking without concern. Charmy sat at a table, completely absorbed in eating, as if nothing else in the world mattered. Gauche stood off to the side, staring intently at a picture of his sister Marie, completely ignoring everything else.
Besides Asta, Finral stepped forward and tried to raise his voice.
"Everyone, listen! We have a new—"
No one paid attention.
Asta watched the scene calmly, absorbing every detail without a flicker of reaction.
Then a heavy impact echoed through the room.
Yami Sukehiro had arrived.
His fist drove straight into the wall with force, leaving a visible hole as the impact echoed through the base.
The entire room went silent.
Every member stopped immediately and dropped into place, sitting in a line without hesitation.
Yami glanced at the damage beside him, then at the others.
"…Oi."
A brief pause.
"Don't go around breaking the base."
The hole in the wall sat right next to him.
No one said anything.
No one reacted.
Yami scratched the back of his head once, as if that settled it.
"Finral."
He turned slightly.
"Handle the rest."
Finral straightened immediately.
"R-Right!"
Yami didn't wait.
He stepped away and walked further inside, disappearing without another word.
The silence lingered for a second—
then all eyes shifted back.
Finral quickly stepped forward again now that he had everyone's attention.
"Alright! Everyone settled—let's do this properly. We've got a new member."
Asta stepped forward slightly.
"I'm Asta. From Hage Village."
Finral nodded and began pointing at each member one by one.
"That's Luck," he said.
Luck leaned forward slightly, smiling.
"You look strong. Let's fight."
Finral waved his hand quickly.
"He's a battle maniac… but he's a good person."
He moved on.
"That's Vanessa."
Vanessa lifted her head slightly, looking at Asta with a lazy smile.
"From Hage, huh? That some remote place? Want big sister to show you a good time?"
She tried to sit up and immediately turned to the side and vomited.
Finral sighed.
"She drinks a bit… but she's a good person."
He pointed next.
"That's Grey. I don't know much about him… but he's a good person."
Grey shrank slightly under the attention.
"And that's Charmy."
Charmy didn't even look up.
"She loves food… a lot. But she's a good person."
Next—
"That's Gauche."
Gauche immediately stepped forward and shoved a picture forward.
"If you even look at my sister, I'll kill you."
A brief pause followed.
Finral continued like it was normal.
"And that's Magna. He might look like a street punk, but he's a good guy."
Magna gave a confident grin.
"And that's Gordon… you've already met him."
Gordon tried to say something quietly.
"…nice… to meet…"
No one heard him.
Finally, Finral placed a hand on his chest proudly.
"And of course—me. Finral. The most handsome of them all."
Finral finished the introductions, stepping back slightly as the room settled just enough to focus.
Magna didn't wait.
He pushed himself up, rolling his shoulder once as his gaze fixed on Asta.
"You don't just get to wear that robe," he said, voice firm but not hostile. "If you're joining us, you prove you belong here."
Asta didn't respond immediately.
He had already seen this before.
Not here—but he knew the pattern. Tests. Strength displays. Pointless trials that wasted time proving things that didn't matter in an actual fight.
There was no need for that.
Instead, he spoke simply.
"Then let's just fight."
The room shifted slightly at that.
Magna blinked once, then grinned.
"…Straight to the point, huh?"
Magna's grin widened immediately, clearly ready to accept—
but before he could speak, a presence slipped in between them.
Luck.
He appeared almost instantly, leaning slightly forward, eyes bright with interest and a sharp smile already forming.
"I'll be your opponent."
Magna clicked his tongue, irritation flashing across his face.
"Oi, this was my—"
Luck didn't even look at him.
"I want to fight him."
There was no hesitation in his voice, no room for negotiation.
Just intent.
Magna stared at him for a second, then exhaled sharply through his nose.
"…Tch."
He looked back at Asta.
"Fine. Your problem."
Asta didn't react to the exchange. His attention stayed steady, but his thoughts moved quietly.
He already knew how this would go.
In canon, after joining, he ends up handling most of the chores—cleaning, washing, dealing with everything no one else bothers with. It isn't assigned. It just happens to the newest member.
There were faster ways to deal with it.
He spoke again, calm as before.
"Let's make it more interesting."
A brief pause.
"I know newcomers end up doing most of the chores here."
Now Magna's attention sharpened.
Asta's gaze didn't shift.
"If I win, you handle my share."
Another pause, just long enough to let it settle.
"And if I lose, you can take this month's my salary."
Silence followed not confusion, but consideration.
Magna didn't answer immediately this time. His expression changed slightly, eyes narrowing as he weighed it.
Salary…
A quick glance toward Luck.
He knew how strong he was.
That alone tipped the scale.
And gambling wasn't something he avoided.
A grin returned.
"…You're serious."
He stepped forward slightly.
"Alright. You're on."
Behind them, Vanessa let out a low whistle. The atmosphere shifted—not tense, but interested.
Luck's smile widened further, almost delighted now.
"Good."
Asta turned without another word.
"Outside."
Luck was already moving before the sentence finished.
Magna followed, still grinning.
The others began to stir as well.
A match like this wasn't something they were going to miss.
The group moved outside, the noise of the base fading behind them as they stepped into the open ground beside it. The area was uneven, worn from repeated use, with patches of cracked earth and scattered stone. It wasn't formal, but it was enough.
They spread out without needing to be told.
Magna folded his arms, already focused. Vanessa leaned back comfortably, watching with interest. Charmy stayed nearby with food in hand, completely relaxed. Finral remained at the edge, knowing things would escalate quickly.
At the center Asta stood still.
Across from him, Luck Voltia smiled.
Lightning began to gather.
Thin arcs formed first, then wrapped tighter around his legs and arms, shaping into sharp, clawlike extensions over his hands while his boots crackled with unstable energy. His stance lowered slightly, weight shifting forward.
"Let's go."
He vanished Instantly.
The ground cracked where he had been standing as he shot forward in a straight line, speed compressing the distance between them in a single motion.
Asta moved at the last moment.
The sword came up impact.
Lightning and steel met.
The energy dispersed the moment it touched the blade, scattering outward in sharp flashes as Luck's strike lost its edge.
Luck's eyes sharpened.
He pulled back just enough.
Then he disappeared again.
This time not in a straight line.
He came from the side.
Then behind.
Then above.
Movement shifted rapidly, direction changing midstep, arcs of lightning tracing erratic paths as he circled Asta in bursts of speed. Strikes followed without pause sharp, fast, relentless.
Asta adjusted.
The sword moved constantly, intercepting what it could, turning just enough to catch incoming blows as they came from shifting angles.
But not all of them.
A hit slipped through his guard, striking his side.
Another clipped his shoulder.
A third landed against his back before he could fully turn.
The pressure didn't stop.
Luck didn't give him space to breathe, each movement flowing directly into the next, faster with every exchange.
His grin widened.
"You're keeping up."
Asta didn't answer.
His footing shifted slightly.
He tightened his grip on the sword, focusing as he drew the anti-magic inward, guiding it from the blade into his hands, holding it there instead of letting it disperse.
Then he moved.
He shifted the sword behind him, positioning it along his back, covering his blind spot completely.
His stance adjusted with it, his focus now entirely forward as the anti-magic settled into his hands.
Luck came again.
This time from behind.
His strike met the sword directly and the lightning broke apart instantly.
The lightning discharged on contact, anti-magic canceling it before it could carry any force
Luck pulled back midmotion, eyes narrowing slightly.
"…Right."
He shifted forward, launching a fast, direct kick but Asta didn't dodge, his hand moving in time to catch it.
The moment contact was made, the lightning wrapped around Luck's leg flickered then vanished.
Dispersed completely under the antimagic.
Luck reacted instantly, twisting to pull free—
but Asta had already moved.
He stepped forward, planting his foot hard into the ground, stabilizing fully before driving the motion downward.
Luck was slammed into the earth.
The impact cracked the surface beneath them, dust and fragments lifting slightly from the force.
But—
Luck wasn't done.
In the instant before full contact, lightning surged across his back, forming a brief layer that absorbed part of the impact.
He took the hit—
but not completely.
His body tensed, already preparing to move again—
Asta didn't give him the chance.
He followed immediately.
Without pause, his arm drove forward, the strike landing cleanly against Luck's temple, the impact snapping his head to the side as the force carried through.
Luck's body went slack for a moment, the world around him fading as his senses dulled, his control slipping just long enough for everything to go quiet.
He didn't move.
For a few seconds, he stayed there, flat against the ground, the fight already decided.
Asta didn't follow up.
He didn't need to.
The result was clear.
Luck stayed down for a moment after the impact, then drew in a sharp breath as control returned to his body. He pushed himself up slowly, rolling his shoulder once as if testing it, before breaking into a wide, excited smile.
"…That was fun."
His eyes locked onto Asta again, bright with the same intensity as before.
"We'll do it again."
Asta let out a small breath, the tension leaving his shoulders as he lowered his arm. A faint smile touched his face.
"Yeah."
Nearby, Magna clicked his tongue, rubbing the back of his head as he looked between them.
"…Tch. Lost, huh."
The frustration didn't stay long. A grin returned quickly.
"Fine. I'll handle it."
Vanessa stepped forward, threads moving from her fingers as she adjusted the Black Bulls robe over Asta's shoulders, tightening it into place with practiced ease. She leaned back slightly, satisfied with the fit.
"Welcome to the Black Bulls."
Asta adjusted the robe once, feeling it settle properly.
The moment passed naturally, the group already easing back into their usual rhythm.
Later that night, the base had quieted.
Asta sat in his room, a small lamp casting light across the table as he wrote steadily on a piece of paper.
A letter to the church.
The scratches of the quill continued for a while before a faint sound came from the window.
A small figure landed lightly on the edge.
The Anti-bird.
It settled there, watching him.
Asta glanced up, pausing for a moment before letting out a small breath.
"…You made it."
The Anti-bird didn't move.
He looked at it for a second longer, then set the pen down.
That was enough.
Asta lay back, closing his eyes as the room fell quiet again.
The first day had ended.