WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Black Clover Chapter #268, “Devil,” by Yuki Tabata, Taylor Engel, Annaliese "Ace" Christman, available now in English from Viz Media.
The secrets of Asta’s family history are finally starting to emerge in the world of Black Clover. Though Yuno was given a brief insight into his true royal identity, that didn’t lead to any direct connections to Asta’s history. Now, in Chapter #268, with the help of Nacht, the Black Bulls Vice Captain, Asta participates in a Devil Binding Ritual with the devil residing within him, and that encounter begins to shine a light on his past. The devil’s name is Liebe, and he was saved and briefly raised by a woman named Licita, who has a striking resemblance to Asta.
The Fate of a Devil and Mother
The ritual causes the devil within Asta to manifest. Immediately after the devil emerges, Asta sincerely thanks Liebe for allowing him to borrow some strength. Nacht warns Asta that he must fight back, but Asta notices that the devil doesn’t have the intention to kill him based on his Ki. That is when Asta says the triggering words, “Just because you’re a devil… doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a bad guy.” Those words cause the devil to stop, sparking an interesting flashback.
The devil first reveals he was born without any magical powers, and how he was always a punching bag for other devils in the Under World. He wound up in the Human World after a devil hurled him at the barrier separating the two worlds. Since he didn’t possess any magic, he slipped right through. After regaining unconsciousness, he discovered he was saved by a woman named Licita.
He was fazed by the fact she wasn’t scared by his appearance, but she called it "fate" that they met. Licita’s body steals the magic and life force from anything near her, but the demon has neither, meaning that they are a compatible pair. Licita also revealed that she happened to come across the Five Leaf Clover Grimoire before meeting the devil.
After their Faithful encounter, Licita raised Liebe as her own child. It’s unclear if she named him, but the bond between them changed Liebe’s perception of life. More importantly, Licita claims that Liebe saved her from a life of being alone, a callback to a vision of her abandoning a hidden baby in front of a building. Based on Licita’s unique powers, and her connection to the Five Leaf Clover Grimoire, it’s safe to assume that the baby is little Asta. The reason for her abandoning the baby is still not clear, but the truth will soon be revealed.
Brothers Bonded By Magic
At the end of Chapter #268, Liebe reveals that his goal is to kill all the devils in the Under World. His malice is directed to Lucifero, since he was the one who killed Licita. Asta, unaware of their connection, still doesn’t understand where the malice and hate are coming from but seems calm in the whole situation. It will be interesting to see how they interact with one another after they discover their connection.
In Chapter #242, Gauche was impaled by Dante’s magic, triggering a partial devil transformation andthe image of a woman suffering a similar wound in Asta’s mind and. Now we know this was Liebe’s memory. Mixing Liebe's memory with Asta’s feelings of seeing a comrade suffer a fatal wound probably caused them to resonate and sync up to achieve the devil form.
The two children of Licita are bonded by their mother's dying magic. It’s still unclear on how they are able to use the powers of the Five Leaf Clover Grimoire, but it seems like Liebe is able to wield the Demon Slayer sword with the demonic arm acquire from Asta. Maybe there is a secret to the Five Leaf Clover Grimoire, and only the combination of Devil and Human can prove to be the requirements needed to use the legendary power.
