Chapter 33 - Pain

"So what if he's got a lot of mana!" The leader of the hooded mages yelled after seeing the sudden drop in his unit's morale. "WE OUT NUMBER HIM 5 TO 1!! WE CAN EASILY KILL HI-

While the leader of the hooded mages was trying to raise the morale of his allies, Grim smirked at the attempt and activated a spell.

[First Form: Unknowing Fire]

*SWOOSH!!*

Leaving a trail of fire behind and bursting forward at a shocking speed, the spell Grim had executed did its job as Grim appeared several feet behind the team leader.

*THUD*

*Silence*

"L-Leader..."

Robotically turning their heads to the side, the sight of Grim holding a glowing orange sword with flames curled around it came into view as the decapitated head of their leader fell from his neck and rolled onto the floor. Due to the heat from his sword, the wound had been cauterized and not a drop of blood could be seen.

"So that's what it feels like to kill someone..." Grim rung out amidst the silence as he clenched and unclenched his fist. "I wonder when the guilt that people talk about will set in."

"H-He killed someone..." Asta's mind shook over seeing some die in front of his eyes.

Even Noelle who had apparently been checking on Fuegoleon this whole time was shocked by what she had seen.

"Now then." Grim's voice snapped them out of it. "Since the only one we really need is that freaky looking zombie guy over there and the spacial mage. I'm guessing that the clover kingdom will see the rest of you as expendable."

"Expendable..." One of the mages muttered and stared at their decapitated leader's head.

After witnessing the death of their team leader, the other 4 hooded mages were at a loss as they couldn't comprehend the situation. Their mission was clear, stay on standby until Valtos and Rades ran into some trouble then come and back them up. But with the sudden death of their leader. things had taken a dark turn.

If Grim's previous actions of unleashing his mana was enough to deter them, his killing of the unit leader was more than enough for everyone to see him as a threat.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Valtos couldn't help but look at the boy more seriously. While he had been warned of Asta and his anti-magic capabilities, he never would have thought that one of the Eye of the Midnight Sun's team leaders would be taken care of some quickly and cleanly.

"Now then, do your best to defend yourselves." He grinned.

[Breath of Mist - 2nd Form: Eight Layer Mist]

Not wasting anymore time, Grim switched styles and unleashed a flurry of mist attacks as the hooded mages fell into panic.

*Swoosh!!*

*Swoosh!!*

*Swoosh!!*

"ARGHH!!"

"RUN!!"

*SPLAT!!*

With the release of his attacks, various screams and cries echoed out as Grim mercilessly ripped the unit apart piece by piece.

'This... isn't good.'

Watching from a safe distance, Valtos was begining to get pissed at the intelligence gathering team as they didn't inform them of just how ruthless and capable this mage was.

One of the hooded mages that saw one of Grim's attacks coming at him activated a spell on instinct.

[Wind Creation Magic: Piercing Tornado Needles]

Manifesting minature vortexs made from wind in front of him, the spell caused the vortexs to be stretched to their limits until it resembled elongated spear-like needles that blew away the mist attacks.

"I-I'm alive..."

'A wind spell...'

Seeing the spell, the smile on Grim's face deepened as he switched to Breath of Thunder.

[3rd Form: Thunder Swarm]

Creating a spinning wave of lightning around his person, the surrounding mages were zapped and paralysed.

"ARGGHHH!!!"

*THUD!!*

'Lightning magic!!'

Seeing Grim's lightning abilities, Valtos raised Grim's danger level to a rank higher.

Using the fear he gathered from his actions, Grim slowly stepped towards the wind mage. Every step he took echoed within the mage's mind as he saw the shadow of death closing in. Combined with the immense magic power he was feeling, the wind mage knew that resisting would be pointless and that his fate had already been decided.

'I-I'm going to die...'

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE!! FIGHT!!" Valtos's voice rung out. "DON'T FORGET THE REASON WE CAME HERE! IF IT WASN'T FOR PEOPLE LIKE HIM WE WOULDN'T BE OUTCASTED BY SOCIETY!! WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO SCURRY AROUND IN THE SHADOWS LIKE RATS! NOW TAKE A STAND AND FIGHT!!"

"He's right y'know." Grim suddenly said to everyone's surprise. "If it weren't for people like me then you'd probably be doing way better right? Now doesn't that make you angry? While I'm living a life of comfort and glory, you're forced to be nothing more than a sacrifical pawn whose only purpose is to die for a cause that you bȧrėly believe in?"

"Barely believe in..."

"That's right." Grim nodded not knowing what he was talking about. After seeing him use wind magic he wanted to stir the fires in the mage's heart and cause him to attack him. But after his previous actions, he could see that the man's spirit was already broken and his will to fight had been crushed. So to bring it back to what it had previously been, he was making shit up to try to re-ignite his passion.

"Do you really want to die here today? To die without accomplishing anything? To die knowing that you were just another face in the crowd? Is that what you really want?"

"No..." The mage said quietly.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you."

"No."

"What?"

"I SAID NO!!!" The mage yelled and released his own magic power. "I WON'T DIE TODAY!! I'LL KILL YOU, DEFILE YOUR CORPSE AND RETURN HOME AS A HERO!!"

"DAMN RIGHT YOU WILL!! NOW WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? ATTACK!!"

"ARRGHHHH!! [Wind Creation Magic: Piercing Tornado Needles]"

'What the hell is happening?' Noelle wondered unable to follow what was going on.

Screaming loudly, the wind mage shot multiple tornado needles at Grim.

'Finally~'

Breathing lightly and switching to Breath of the Beast, Grim braced himself as the needles tore through his body leaving behind a couple of small holes and blowing him off his feet.

'FUCK ME!!! IT HURTS, IT HURTS, IT HURTSSS!!! WITH THE AMPLIFIED BUFFS THAT BREATH OF THE BEAST GIVES ME I THOUGHT IT WOULDN'T BE THIS BAD!!'

*CRASH!!*

"I... I DID IT!!!" Seeing Grim crash into the concrete without any sign of getting back up, the wind mage's heart with filled with shock and delight.

'He... did it.' Looking at Grim's motionless figure, Valtos was slightly surprised he reassessed his previous evalutation. 'Maybe he wasn't so troublesome afterall.'

"GRIM/RIVAL!!!" Asta and Leopold screamed in union before charging the wind mage. Despite their tired states from fighting Rades and his zombie army, both boys prepared to deal with the wind mage. Unfortunately for them, seeing Grim go down caused the wind mage's confidence to return as he raised his hand towards the approaching figures.

[Wind Creation Magic: Piercing Tornado Needles]

"GYYAAHHH!!"

'So fast...'

Feeling the wind needles pierce through their bodies, both Asta and Leopold found themselves quickly losing consciousness as the slowly fell to the floor.

"ASTA!!" Noelle yelled.

"Ah...Ha...Ha...Hahahahahahahahaha!!! I did it again!!" The wind mage laughed crazily before pointing his hand at the 2 boys. "Now to finish the job!!"

[A/n: I think Grim might have broken his mind and made him a tad bit psychotic.]

Unable to leave Fuegoleon's side, Noelle was forced to watch as her friends lives were about to be snuffed out.