Drake contacted Rhya using a communication device left behind. After a long wait, Rhya appeared on the screen.
"Yawn. Such an urgent call; what's wrong?"
Drake calmed himself. "The Magic Knights will select the King's Selection Knights to attack the Eye of the Midnight Sun. Are you ready?"
Rhya waved his hand. "Don't worry; little Sally is capable; everything will be ready before the Magic Knights depart!"
Drake frowned. "But this isn't our plan! Did you really try to stall?"
Rhya yawned; he seemed unreliable.
"Relax. The original plan was to expose the real base. Because of your information, Patri decided to change plans. You'll soon get the message—the previously discovered base was fake; the real one is elsewhere, requiring more Magic Knights."
Drake breathed a sigh of relief. "Rhya, you're reliable."
Rhya smiled. "I'm good at lying! We'll concentrate the reincarnated elves at the new base; that way, I can fulfill my promise of avoiding civilian casualties."
Rhya sighed inwardly; he didn't want to lie to his comrades, but he had to.
Drake was glad he'd partnered with Rhya; he wondered how Rhya had made the plan progress so smoothly.
Leaving the alley, Drake was about to find others when a fiery lion's claw grabbed his head.
"Big Sis, what are you doing here?"
"We have a training agreement! Let's go!"
It could only be Mereoleona. Drake saw Asta and Yuno also captured; they were carried like luggage. Asta greeted Drake.
Mereoleona carried them, followed by Crimson Lion Kings members. The group grew; Yami and Charlotte weren't needed for this training but were brought along for demonstrations.
Noelle and Sol Marron joined the hot spring training; Noelle was forced, Sol came voluntarily to accompany Charlotte.
Drake felt at home at the Ultime-Volcano Mountain Trail; he'd spent more time here than at the Black Bulls' headquarters.
The others were shocked by the hellish landscape. It wasn't the hot spring training they'd imagined; they looked like they were considering a fraud report.
Drake smiled. "It's scary, but there's a great hot spring at the top."
Asta asked, puzzled, "How do you know, Drake?"
Drake stretched. "I trained here; I know the area."
Asta yelled. "Damn it! Drake's been training like this! I can't fall behind!"
Yuno looked serious; if Asta was his rival, Drake was his goal. Even with his talent, Yuno knew Drake had always been stronger. He hadn't realized Drake was training so intensely.
"What are you doing now, Drake?" Asta asked, watching Drake warm up.
Drake replied, "My training is different; I'll warm up first."
Drake said to Mereoleona, "I'll go ahead; I'll wait for you at the top!"
Drake's fire dragon wings spread; he flew towards the summit.
Mereoleona smiled. "Such an impatient kid!"
She turned to the trainees. "See that kid? He's moving freely where you struggle to breathe! If you have the spirit, climb the mountain and see how he trains!"
"Yes!"
The Crimson Lion Kings' elite members, energized by Drake, ran towards the mountain path.
Yami, watching Drake fly, took a drag of his cigarette, his expression turning serious. He'd been reluctant, but now he wanted to train seriously.
Drake reached the summit, landing by the lava lake. At night, the lava receded, and hot water emerged. Drake prepared; the training wouldn't be easy.
Mereoleona arrived first; even after instructing Asta and Noelle, she quickly reached the summit but waited for others.
Reaching the summit wasn't easy; they needed Magic Skin to resist the heat, had to watch out for lava, and faced elemental creatures.
But this didn't stop the strong; the two Captains reached the top easily; Yuno, riding the wind, arrived soon after.
But someone caught up. During the Witches' Forest battle, Asta had faced a life-or-death crisis, breaking through with his anti-magic-infused black state.
Half of Asta's body was covered in black stripes; a horn grew from his forehead; his eye color changed; black wings allowed him to fly.
He flew past everyone, leaving a black trail. But Asta couldn't control this power; he flew because the anti-magic was drawn to powerful magic.
As Asta was about to fall into the lava, Mereoleona released her magic power. Her attraction to Asta surpassed the Ultime-Volcano Mountain Trail's; Asta flew towards her.
"Waaaah! Get out of the way!"
Mereoleona grinned. "Get out of the way? Foolish. In a lion pride, the mother lion hunts!"
Mereoleona appeared beside Asta, punched him, sending him flying, breaking his black state.
Mereoleona crossed her arms. "You understand yourself a little, but it's far from enough!"
After instructing Asta, Mereoleona turned to Drake. "Those fools will take a while. Let's start our training!"
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