"Replaced" - Luck Voltia fanfic // Black Clover

Chapter 18: Sacrifice

"Ice Magic: Piercing Icicles!!"

Clovis released icicles that are growing from the ground directly in Magna's direction. Magna stood still for a second with his grimoire open. Before the icicles could hit him, he hollered, "Flame Magic: Maximum Exploding Fireball!!" His palm hit the icicles and they shattered from the flames. "Asta, now!"

"Yes, Mister Magna, sir!" Asta said as he grabbed his sword from his grimoire and hit Clovis's waist with it. Clovis then flew across the room and hit the wall on the other side of the room. Blood was oozing down his mouth. Vanessa stood up from where she was sitting and used her thread magic to tie him all up. Finral and I just sat where we were and watched in awe. No wonder! Magna would never really do such a thing! He was just using himself as bait so we could trap him. Really smart, actually.

Magna walked towards Clovis slowly. "Did you really think I was going to sacrifice myself?! You must be dumb to think I would when there's other ways we could stop you. And only those who've known me for years know that." He glanced at me with a smile. "And to think you were even dumb enough to fall for it. Who has the genius plan now?!"

"Idiots." Clovis breathed. "Idiots everywhere." He struggled in Vanessa's threads. "Idiots, all of you!" A blast of freezing wind irradiated from him and blasted Magna and Vanessa away and made them both hit the wall.

"I..." Magna struggled after he hit the wall, and he looked like the force hit his ribs too hard.

Vanessa on the other hand, wasn't in as bad of a condition as Magna, since she wasn't as close to Clovis as Magna was. She still looked hurt though, but she stood up straight and looked like she was trying to ignore her pain. Magna stood up as well, looking terrified at Clovis. Noelle and Asta stared in horror. Clovis has somehow broken Vanessa's threads... and Rouge, Vanessa's Red Thread of Fate cat, couldn't seem to fight against the blast, or recognize it as an attack. What... is he?

"Insects, insects, insects!!" Clovis repeated. "You are all not worth anything more than bugs!" He had this weird, terrifying aura around him that was making us all scared to our spines. "I came here, expecting for everything to play out perfectly, and it almost did, until you had to ruin it!" He pointed directly at Magna, who was shaking with his back against the wall. "You know what, I got the perfect punishment for you!"

"Huh...?" Magna looked confused and a little dizzy.

Clovis quickly approached me and held me tight by the shoulders. "How 'bout the death of your so-called 'best friend' is enough to pay for your sins?!"

"Ma–" I began but he held my mouth so I wouldn't be able to speak. I could breathe. I feel like all of this is doing horrible justice to my lungs. I struggled from his grip, but dang, he's strong.

"Let him go!" Vanessa hollered at him.

"Can't hear you." Clovis sang as he brought out a pocket knife and held it beside my neck. I stopped struggling immediately and knew that if I made a single movement, then I'm dead. I made small whining sounds.

"Luck!" Magna said. He looked terrified, but he also seemed not to know what to do, since I'd be dead if he tried to do anything.

Clovis didn't do anything. He just kept holding the pocket knife beside my neck and smirked at everyone else. "Try to do something about it, you jerks."

I was scared for life. I don't think I ever heard my heart beat so loud before. I wondered if the others heard it too. They seemed too focused on the fact that we were being threatened by my death.

"Please don't kill him! I'll do anything!" Magna yelped.

"Too late. You already made me angry enough." Clovis's state was still awful, and he had bruises from Asta's sword still on him and was even still bleeding in some areas. He still didn't do anything to me, as if he was trying to taunt them and was enjoying the terrified looks on their faces.

I looked at Magna, with a terrified look in my eyes. He was looking in my eyes as well and looked scared for me. I might actually end up dying... all because we accidentally let this guy into our squad. I didn't know what to do or how to react, because if I moved, I'd be dead. I can't believe this. All this time... all of these two weeks... had been a lie. The Black Bulls newcomer was actually after killing us all along. And Magna and I... were his main targets.

The others couldn't do anything but stay still and stare. If they used a spell on him, then I'd probably die, and if they said anything wrong, then I'd probably die. We literally have a Sword of Damocles hanging above our heads at the moment. How could so much go wrong in so little time?

Maybe... maybe there's something I can do. Maybe... just maybe... I can try. Let's see... What are my options? I obviously can't move a muscle, since I'd be dead if I tried, and I can't speak either, since Clovis is holding my mouth shut. Instead... how 'bout I use...

...my mana sensing?

Yeah, that might work. It might be useful at the moment. I shut my eyes and tried focusing on all of the mana in the base. It seemed like the nearest mana possessors were... right outside the door? Huh? Are their people hiding there? Strange. The others didn't seem to pick up on their mana. Am I the only one who notices that there's some people hiding behind the unbroken parts of the door? Yeah, there's a smoldering large hole in the door from Magna's flame magic, but they seem to be hiding beside it if my mana-sensing isn't failing me right now.

If I'm sensing correctly, I think the others don't notice because they seem to be trying to condense their mana. Only I could sense them, since I have a much higher level of mana sensing. An array then appeared below where Clovis was bending down, causing him to jump up out of the way to avoid it. The trap then exploded with ash, but Clovis avoided it in time so he wouldn't get affected by it. I was then freed and was breathing rapidly, trying to catch my breath. I opened my eyes to see who was there and I heard a familiar voice.

"You damn fool. Trying to kill a squad member around his whole squad."