Midnight.
The protective sigils outside the Black Bulls hideout flared like dying stars — pulsing red, then shattering.
The first explosion shook the eastern wall. Dust rained from the ceiling. The air screamed with magical pressure.
Lady Elara Vaustaine had brought a force designed to kill.
But she hadn't expected the Black Bulls to already be waiting.
The First Line of Defense
Yami stood at the front entrance, katana drawn, smoke curling from his lips.
"Didn't think we'd get a whole damn war tonight," he muttered.
Behind him, Noelle summoned her water armor, Magna spun his flaming bat, and Luck was practically vibrating with excitement.
Vanessa tugged a thread from her cat's tail and smiled darkly.
"This won't take long."
The enemy's magic users surged forward — lightning, steel, wind clones, enchantments. But the Bulls didn't break.
They swarmed.
Inside — Protecting What Matters Most
Asta kicked open the door to their private chambers, sword already out.
"Yuno, come on," he said quickly. "We need to get you to the lower vault. It's sealed magically — you'll be safe there."
Yuno stood slowly, cradling his stomach with one hand, his grimoire with the other.
"I can fight," he said. "I'm not helpless."
Asta stepped in close, firm but gentle. "You're carrying our child, Yuno. I don't care if you're royalty, a general, or the wind incarnate — I need you alive more than I need you fighting."
Yuno's expression softened. He nodded.
Together, they moved — Asta leading, Yuno right behind him, their bond like a shield.
But as they reached the lower stairwell, a figure appeared in a blast of teleportation magic.
Lady Elara.
She looked regal even in battle armor, wind magic sparking like frost across her fingertips.
"You could have been great, Yuno," she said. "But you wasted yourself on a brute with no lineage."
Asta stepped between them. "You don't get to talk to him. Not ever."
Lady Elara raised her hand, wind swirling violently.
Yuno reached for his grimoire— but Asta didn't let her finish.
His anti-magic sword tore through her spell mid-cast.
The Battle That Changed Everything
The duel between Asta and Elara was brutal. She was fast, but he was faster. She was refined — he was relentless.
Every strike was for Yuno.
Every block was for Caelum.
Yuno stood behind him, both hands on his belly, feeling the baby squirm with fear — or power — as the magic raged around them.
Then, Elara struck a low blow — a twisting spike of wind, aimed not at Asta…
…but at Yuno's stomach.
Time slowed.
Asta roared.
His sword shattered the spell in midair, the backlash of anti-magic so violent that it flung Elara into the stone wall behind her.
She collapsed — out cold.
Asta didn't waste breath celebrating.
He turned immediately, kneeling beside Yuno. "Are you okay? Is the baby—"
Yuno gasped and grabbed his arm.
Then stilled.
"…They're kicking again."
Asta exhaled in relief and dropped his head against Yuno's shoulder.
"They're strong," he whispered.
"Just like their father," Yuno replied softly.
Asta looked up, breathing hard, and kissed Yuno fiercely — raw and full of feeling.
Aftermath
The Black Bulls secured the rest of the hideout by dawn.
Lady Elara and her followers were detained, but not before news of the failed kidnapping spread like wildfire.
Spade and Clover both demanded answers.
But Asta and Yuno were done with silence.
They stepped into the light — as lovers, as warriors, and as parents-to-be.
And the kingdoms would have no choice but to face the truth:
This child was not a threat.He was a legacy.A future.