Two Seconds of Brilliance... Morning Peacock!

At that moment, Sol Marron was honestly completely dumbfounded.

No matter how much she thought about it, she had never expected someone to step in and disrupt things—and the one doing so was actually the captain of the Black Bulls, Yami Sukehiro.

She loathed men intensely. Aside from the strange, special feelings she had toward Carl, nearly every other man in her eyes was someone who deserved to die.

But Yami Sukehiro stood on the same level as the captains present, and was even one of the foremost among them.

It could be said that Yami Sukehiro was someone who could truly "punch her to death with one blow."

So Sol Marron immediately withdrew her attack.

However, the expression on her face as she looked at Yami Sukehiro was far from pleasant.

"Damn it... Why are you stopping me?"

"Captain Yami, I'm standing up for my sister!"

"Huh?"

Yami Sukehiro instantly waved a hand, and a dense black radiance surged around him.

Dark Magic!

At almost that exact moment, the eyes of every Magic Knight captain lit up.

Although Yami Sukehiro was rough, slovenly, and even rather irritating, his strength was genuinely top-tier.

Otherwise, with all the trouble he had caused in the past, how could he have remained so firmly seated as a Magic Knight captain?

Now that Yami Sukehiro had slightly revealed his Dark Magic, everyone was immediately intrigued.

And Sol Marron was forced back again and again by the terrifying aura that erupted at that moment.

Charlotte stood atop the high wall and shouted in a sweet voice:

"Enough! Sol, come back!"

Sol Marron hesitated for a moment before finally flipping back onto the city wall.

Meanwhile, a hint of curiosity appeared in Yami Sukehiro's eyes.

"We meet again."

"I told you yesterday that we would meet again."

Carl nodded.

Yami Sukehiro spoke again:

"Even though I can't beat you at drinking, when it comes to strength, you probably still can't beat me."

Carl nodded once more.

There was nothing wrong with that statement.

If he could beat Yami Sukehiro already, then he would have gone straight to challenge the Wizard King. Why would he still be here taking part in the selection?

Thus, after hearing Yami Sukehiro's words, Carl was not displeased in the slightest. Instead, he looked at Yami Sukehiro with a questioning gaze.

"Captain Yami."

"I did beat you at drinking. After all, there are no fathers and sons at the drinking table. You should understand that."

"So now, are you going to attack me?"

Carl's words immediately drew astonished looks from everyone present.

Not only were the Magic Knight captains atop the high wall watching with appraising gazes, even the selection participants who had been fighting had completely stopped, staring at this surreal and absurd scene before them.

Yami Sukehiro took a drag from his cigarette, slowly exhaled the smoke, and looked at Carl.

"I want to test your strength. I have a feeling you're still hiding something."

"You don't mind if I take one swing at you, right?"

"One swing."

"As long as you can withstand a strike using twenty percent of my strength, I think plenty of people will be willing to take you in."

A trace of solemnity appeared on Carl's face.

Yami Sukehiro made it sound light and casual, but anyone could tell without thinking how terrifying his strength was.

Carl nodded.

If he wanted to become the Wizard King and possess fame, wealth, and glory, then naturally, he needed strength worthy of it.

Besides, he also wanted to see whether he could truly block this seemingly ordinary move.

Yami Sukehiro flicked his blade with one hand. The sword rang out, and half an inch of its sharp edge emerged.

Then, the dark magic power around him began to coil and entwine without end.

As he prepared to strike, Yami Sukehiro smiled lightly.

"Don't be nervous. It won't hurt!"

"Dark Magic—Dark Cloaked Iai Slash."

He did not even fully draw his sword.

Yet in that instant, a frigid black aura suddenly erupted around Yami Sukehiro.

A flash gleamed across the blade, and a terrifying wave of slashing power instantly spread outward, as though it could tear apart everything.

The surrounding examinees were already scared senseless.

Wait...

Was this really supposed to be a selection exam?

If an attack like that landed on them, they would have been sliced in two with a single blow. It was terrifying beyond measure!

Amid Yuno and Asta's worried stares, and at the moment when Charlotte's fingernails nearly dug into her palm as she hesitated over whether to intervene—

Carl suddenly leaped backward.

At the same time, the Grimoire at his side finally flew out.

Four-leaf Clover!

It was actually a Four-leaf Grimoire!

Almost everyone immediately spotted the Four-leaf Clover pattern on its metal cover.

A Four-leaf Grimoire had never been anything ordinary.

After all, the First Wizard King had used a Four-leaf Grimoire.

It symbolized infinite possibilities. The power and potential recorded within were practically the standard possessions of supreme experts.

Everyone present had already seen Yuno's Four-leaf Clover, as well as Asta's bizarre Five-leaf Clover.

But when a third Four-leaf Grimoire appeared, everyone's reactions were still spectacular.

Even Yami Sukehiro's expression revealed a rare hint of surprise.

"Another Four-leaf Clover?"

However, Carl had no time to explain the origins of his damaged Grimoire to Yami Sukehiro.

As he retreated, the Grimoire rapidly enlarged and floated in front of him like a shield.

The Four-leaf Clover pattern and magic circle on its cover lit up at the same time, gleaming with dazzling magical radiance.

Without any hesitation, Carl instantly unleashed every move he had.

"Dragon Fist!"

"Dragon Claw!"

"Divine Dragon Tail!"

As all three moves blasted out simultaneously, three kinds of magic with different attributes nearly intertwined, forming a cone-shaped torrent of magic power that surged toward the Dark Cloaked Iai Slash.

But Carl did not stop there.

Only as Yami Sukehiro's opponent could he truly understand the terror of that strike.

If he failed to block it, he would undoubtedly die on the spot.

Carl did not dare slack off in the slightest.

The next moment, dense white light abruptly poured from his body.

The white aura flowed and churned around him like steam.

Carl's expression was grave as he let out a thunderous roar.

"Morning Peacock—!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A terrifying aura erupted in an instant.

Carl sprang into the air, and his metal Four-leaf Grimoire rose alongside him.

The instant he began throwing punches wildly, the entire Grimoire seemed to become fully activated.

Fist-sized magical meteors fell one after another, pouring down like a torrential rain. They were like the brilliant yet deadly radiance of a peacock spreading its tail, with even dark-attributed power hidden among them.

Magic power tore apart and exploded as it fell, lasting for only two seconds.

The next moment, Carl dropped directly to one knee.

The tearing pain coming from every part of his body made him smile bitterly.

Forcing himself to use Morning Peacock, a move that required at least four Gates to perform steadily, while only opening the Second Gate, the Gate of Rest, was still too much.

Even though his physical constitution had been altered to become quite exceptional in this magical world, he still could not fully bear the strain.

But fortunately:

That move had ultimately blocked it.

He had successfully blocked Yami Sukehiro's Dark Magic: Dark Cloaked Iai Slash.

Although it had only been the most ordinary slash, Carl had nearly used all of his strength.

That was Carl's own understanding of the situation.

But in everyone else's eyes, this scene was entirely different.

"Where the hell did this guy called Carl come from...?"

"A newcomer actually blocked a strike from Yami Sukehiro?"

"Isn't that utterly unbelievable?!"

"Holy shit, that's insanely impressive!"

"Isn't he a total freak? Good thing I didn't make a move earlier, or he probably would've beaten the shit out of me."

Charlotte even felt her legs go a little weak.

The next second, she instinctively grabbed Sol Marron beside her.

Sol Marron immediately became nervous.

"Sister, what's wrong?"