BLACK CLOVER: Through the Looking Glass

Hearing that Licht was not a member but the leader of a terrorist group that attacked the Clover Kingdom, Yami said to Asta with a serious face keeping his eyes on Licht.

"You can that scrawny line-faced dude. That bean pole in mine."

"Yes, Captain!" Asta shouted in agreement brandishing his sword at Valtos who made a sour face at the name he had been given.

*THUD* *THUD* *THUD*

With hard steps resounding all over the now-broken cave, Yami walked towards Licht who was floating in mid-air after healing Valtos, and looked at Yami with the same kind of expression.

"Now, then...

*CRACK*

It's been a while since I've let loose."

Yami said moving his arm creating a popping sound. Following this, he kneeled in the forward direction and…

"Dark Magic: Dark Cloaked Lightless Slash!"

…swung his sword with an aggressive look at Licht who responded with a seemingly endless barrage of light-based attacks, when he noticed something.

'As I thought...

My magic is being drawn in.

So this is the power of dark magic.

But...'

"Now that I know that, it'll be impossible for you to get me." Licht said looking to Yami to which he just put his finger in one of his ears as if removing dust from inside.

With an unimpressive gaze, he spoke.

"Hey, you were in the middle of some weird story, but that wasn't the end of it, was it?

That grimoire means you're a citizen of the Clover Kingdom, right?

Why attack your own country?"

Hearing his last sentence, Licht became enraged as he shouted on the inside.

'What do you know about me?! Your country attacked us.'

"You're wide open!" But he shouted this out loud attacking Yami from his blind spot, a foolish action.

*TING*

*SWOOSH*

Without looking at him, Yami swung his sword at Licht that left a gaping wound on his body. 

Immediately Licht gained distance from him and quickly healed himself all the while looking at Yami in a new light.

"He left himself wide open so I'd let my guard down...

Yami Sukehiro.

You are a worthy foe.

Answer me. What's your real goal here?" Licht asked with a genuine tone of confusion.

"Since you're a foreigner, I'm sure you've noticed them, too.

The distortions in this country.

Some are on the brink of death from starvation, but others have so much excess food that they throw it away.

People are ranked by how much or how little magic they have, but some have great magic, yet are discriminated against for reasons of birth."

In every sentence he spoke, the intensity of his voice increased. He appeared to be a general who was increasing the morale of the army before the war or a charismatic person who was inciting people to cause revolution just by the fire in his eye.

"Some are hurt in the name of justice because they were born in another country.

We were born from these distortions in order to correct them." 

"I'm not seeing the point here." Yami said snapping Licht out of his reverie who was previously entranced by his own speech.

But not paying it mind, Yami continued trying to weasel out any information from Licht he could, and seeing that comparing him to people he so despised seemed to rub him the wrong way, Yami did the same.

"Aren't you trying to do the same thing these distorted people do?

Are you sane?"

"Perfectly sane.

Let me answer your sins with sin." Licht replied without any hesitation with his arms wide making him look like a religious figure.

"So you're gonna have it your way, no matter what." Yami spoke taking a smoke and continued.

"I like guys like that.

But...

I hate your guts!"

*BBBBOOOOOMMMMM*

*THDRRRRR*

He threw a gigantic Dark Slash at Licht who barely dodged it that divided all of the cave and then some by a large gash.

Not fazed by it, Licht started to fly in an erratic direction and hurl light-based projectiles at Yami, who too moved with a speed not far from the speed matching Licht's.

If Licht flew high, Yami jumped near to him using falling rocks and walls of the caves and sent dark slashes after dark slashes at Licht that swallowed the light constructs. This basically left them in a deadlock, but to the eyes of Asta who was only able to see blur, it was a wake-up call.

"Wh-what's with this battle?" Valtos muttered in disbelief that someone could match up to Licht, and that person was not even the Wizard King himself.

'So this is the captain's full power...

I don't have any magic. Can I surpass them, even if I train?' Asta thought as he truly felt the gap in strength between them.

'To think that he has enough power to go head to head with Master Licht...' Valtos gritted his teeth as he shouted, "Master Licht! Please allow me to assist you!"

Before Licht could even reply, Valtos did a repeat of what happened previously but using his tactical brain this time, knowing he could not match their speed, he tried to hinder Yami instead.

Spatial Magic: Magic Bullet

Burning an enormous amount of mana than usual, he threw thousands of magic bullets that appeared from the portal in an instant making an uncanny sight that could only be described as 'Patches of night over the blue sky.'

With a skid, Yami stopped in his tracks because dark magic is not as strong in front of spatial magic as it is against light magic.

He snapped his head to Asta as he shouted in frustration.

"Hey, brat. That was close!

Why are you wimping out, you dumbass?

I left that scrawny guy to you. I don't give guys jobs they can't do.

Do something about him in your own way."

"Yes, sir!" Asta said with a mix of shame and desire to not Yami down once again in his tone. But with that said, he housed a contemplative face as he thought.

'That's right... I'm going to become the Wizard King, no matter what.

I don't have time to get depressed.'

"All right, let's do this!

First, I'll become the guy who beats you!"

Asta shouted as his sword started to glow with a purple hue. A purple hue that was being channeled from Gauche's magic. Feeling the recent but unique feeling of using magic, albeit not in a conventional way.

"You won't get me twice." Valtos shouted as instead of standing still, he too started to move through the portal he had conjured, not letting his magic bullets strike back at him

"You may be able to see what's coming, but can you block all of these?"

"BRING IT ON!!" Asta bellowed as he swung his sword to a speed that the sword stopped being visible to the naked eye. In doing so, he sent back multiple magic bullets back that did not hit Valtos who was moving continuously when…

'One of them got through...'

*THRR*

"ARGH!" Asta grunted in pain as a magic bullet he could not deflect collided with his chest causing his bones to rattle due to his muscle density, there was not a serious injury, but it was an injury nonetheless.

Seeing the hit landing, Valtos grinned.

"This will go on forever...until you can't move anymore!

You dared defy Master Licht despite having no magic.

You will pay with your life!" Valtos said triumphantly as he increased the intensity of his attacks, making it harder for Asta as more and more attacks sneaked through.

'Damn it... I don't think I'm going to last until he runs out of magic.

Even if I manage to repel his attacks, at this rate, he's going to beat me.

Calm down and think...do this my own way...' Asta thought, with his mind focused on the word 'my own way'.

Then he did something…his own way.

"You threw away your only weapons?

Have you lost your mind?!"

Yes, he threw the sword infused with mirror magic like a rocket, that may seem like a foolish thing to do until…

*ZMMM*

"Eessshh!"

…the sword turned and shone strong blinding light all around which caused Valtos to shut his eyes close. Giving Asta a moment.

A moment that was all he needed.

"In that case, I'll take you out with an extra-big one!" Asta bellowed as the light faded away in front of Valtos who opened his eyes to find…

"He jumped into my space?!"

…a punch speeding at him.

*POW*

*CRACK*

The punch connected with Valtos' chin, cracking in the process and knocking several teeth out of his jaw.

"You just punched him in the face!

You're hilarious, kid!" Yami laughed between the fight at which Licht who was engaged in a heated battle with him launched an attack at him.

"You let your guard down again."

"That'd be you."

Yami replied as he suddenly appeared in front of Licht whose eyes widened at it, as he observed that the attack that he shot at Yami was…

'My attack was absorbed?

And I can't move...'

Grinning at his surprised expression, Yami gripped his blade and…

'Dark Magic: Black Hole, and then...

Dark Magic: Dark Cloaked Black Blade!'

…coated it with dark magic and swung it at Licht. Seeing that he had no way of escaping the attack fully, Licht moved his body in a way that it…

*THWCK*

Arghh…!"

…amputated his arm and left a large gash on his chest that left even some of his ribs exposed. Immediately, he moved back hitting Yami on the chest to gain distance from him clutching his wounds.

As Yami crashed down, Asta ran to him and shouted "Captain Yami!" but before he could register, Yami smacked in the back…hard.

"Well done, brat!"

"Is this your way of praising someone?!"

"Yeah, it is. You got some problem with it, huh?"

"No! No! No!" Asta said backing away from getting into an argument with Asta while Yami narrowed his eyes.

'Where is Mr. Creepy? Knowing him, he would have laid traps by now, but he is not doing anything.

He is not the one to run and also is too patient and passive, but by now, he could have easily taken out that scrawny-looking guy at the least.'

Deciding to have a heart-to-heart (beating) session with Wilhelm later, he turned to Licht who was clutching his stump of an arm but spoke with a look of realization on his face instead of one of pain.

"You got me.

It's probably within five meters.

The range is definitely limited, but to think there was a magic that could absorb my own magic and stop me from moving...

Dark magic is amazing.

The one attribute that's the natural enemy of my light magic.

However, dark magic is extremely slow.

Light has absolute speed, making them polar opposites there, as well.

That's why you cloaked your weapon in darkness and created a combat style that uses reinforcement magic to compensate." Licht ended pointing with his eyes at Yami's sword that was still set ablaze by darkness."

"Correct!" Yami said as like at teacher would when his student would give correct answers to the question he had asked.

'Why does it sound like he's bragging?!' Asta thought

"By the way, what's up? You can use recovery magic, can't you?

So hurry up and heal.

But while you're healing yourself, I'm going to get real close and chop you up even more." Yami said menacingly which did not faze Licht at all.

Instead, he said, "I'll admit it. You're the second person I've met with the power to defeat me.

But I sadly cannot waste my time with you."

"Huh? What was that, punk?

And whaddaya mean, the second?" Yami asked, not liking the way Licht talked.

"I still have an ultimate enemy left who inflicted this unhealable wound on me, the Wizard King, Julius Novachrono."

'So Julius met him already, huh…' Yami thought contemplatively at Licht's response.

But then Licht started to accumulate copious amounts of mana in a small area in front of him and spoke as if he had already won.

"This is currently my greatest magic.

Speed you cannot avoid...

A spell with such a wide range and high output that pulling it in with that spell you used won't do any good.

You will meet your end the moment I release this, Captain of the Black Bulls."

"Like hell, he will!

Quit underestimating Captain Yami!

Your face is stupid!"

"Yeah, that's not good. That's some insane magic."

"What?!" Asta squawked at Yami's nonchalant comment.

This earned Licht's attention who looked at Asta with no hidden amount of disgust.

"Boy. You will also be punished for hurting Valtos, and return that grimoire."

At the same moment, Yami thought with an internal grimace.

'That's definitely a four-leaf for you...

His magical abilities are off the charts.

Unless I catch him by surprise, he'll just dodge any slash at light speed.

What should I do?

I'll leave that up to the me of five seconds from now!'

Well, he is the Captain of Black Bull. This should be expected of him.

"This is your end."

Dark Magic: Black Cocoon

At Licht's declaration, Yami decided to put both him and Asta in darkness in hopes of tanking the attack.

"This magic...

I've gone into defensive mode, but...

It's hopeless. He's gonna kill us."

Or maybe not.

"What?! How are you so calm?!" Asta cried in despair when he suddenly brandished his sword and enflamed his sword of determination.

"Okay, then! I'll just deflect it!"

"Nah. The swords will probably be all that's left of you." Yami pissed all over that flame.

"No!

Then what should we do?!" Asta asked with a pleading gaze.

"Uh... not give up until the end?" Yami replied shrugging his shoulder.

"Now you're just trying to act cool!" Asta called out the bullsh*t.

"Haahh…To be completely honest, there's nothing we can do right now." Yami said in a dispirited manner, then he suggested in a manner that seemed almost hopeless to Asta.

"Grit your teeth and stand firm. That's all we can do right now."

"Farewell, Yami Sukehiro." Licht spoke when suddenly a portal opened inside the cave hidden behind a stone

"Whoa, what the hell?!

Did we come to the wrong place?" Finral whispered to Gauche who pointed at the black cocoon.

"Look!

That's Yami's magic!"

"Gah! This has gotten way out of hand!" Finral half cried.

"Light Magic: Ray of Divine Punishment." Licht said in finality at the same moment when it seemed that time had almost slowed down.

*THUD*

*THUD*

*THUD*

With steps that almost seemed to reverberate through the entire body of Gauche, he moved.

He moved in the path of light.

And…

"Mirror Magic: Full Reflection!"

… reflected the attack back.

"You-"

That was all Licht managed to mutter before…

*BOOOM*

No matter how big or strong it is...

Mirrors reflect light!

***

Thank you Himanshu_Dwivedi_4919, Marcus_Leyero, Beleth_85, can_kan, lord_of_Wright, Sheroe_Alpha, Camt2417, Dark_mist_03 for powerstones.