"Whew. That was a close one. Almost dirtied my clothes with a tomato!" Shun commented, brushing imaginary dust from his sleeve as he surveyed the now-empty space where the thugs had been.
"W-What did you just do?!" Mirajane stammered, her mind reeling from the consecutive shocks of the day. "Did you kill them?"
"Huh? What kind of devil do you think I am?" Shun replied, raising an eyebrow. "I just sent them on a three-day trip through the air, free of charge. They'll fly around and eventually land right back where they started."
He turned his gaze to Mirajane, his expression softening yet holding a note of admonishment. "Worrying about idiots who harassed your family… you are too kind, Miss Mirajane." It sounded like a compliment, but she understood the gentle scolding beneath the words.
"You need strength to be kind," he continued, and before she could react, he reached out and removed the coat she was using to hide her demonic arm. "This," he said, gesturing to the transformed limb, "is a magic called 'Take Over.' I'm guessing you encountered a demon, defeated it, and your magic instinctively absorbed its soul."
Mirajane's eyes widened as the pieces finally clicked into place.
"You should be able to assume a complete demon form, but you're subconsciously holding back. Don't. Let it go and embrace your talent. There are countless people in this world who would give anything for the power you possess."
As Shun finished speaking, a brilliant light erupted from Mirajane. When it faded, she stood transformed into her famed 'Satan Soul: Sitri' form. Her appearance was sleek and demonic, with bat-like wings, sharp claws, and hair turned stark white. On her current, younger body, however, the intimidating form looked more like an impressive, if slightly terrifying, cosplay.
The transformation lasted only half a minute before she reverted to her normal self, her arm also returning to normal.
"That was impressive!" Shun clapped, his praise genuine. "A complete novice maintaining that form for thirty seconds is no small feat." He knew all too well the risks of Take Over magic, having seen others like Elfman struggle for years with far less control.
"You've gotten stronger," Ultear remarked as she and the others approached. They had watched the entire scene unfold from the window.
"Of course," Shun replied with a calm smile. "I train every day. It would be a problem if I didn't get stronger."
Ultear nodded, recalling the relentless dedication she had witnessed during her time with him.
Just as the moment settled, Sorano made her entrance, dragging a bewildered Lisanna by the hand. "Shun! I want to bring my new little sister with us."
"Who's your sister?!" Mirajane snapped, her protective instincts flaring despite her magical exhaustion.
'Ah, she's still in her wild phase,' Shun realized, remembering her legendary clashes with Erza.
"Sorano is out of line, but she's right," Shun stated calmly.
"Huh?" the three Strauss siblings chorused in surprise.
"What do you mean, 'huh?'" Shun asked. "Do you really think you can stay in this village after that commotion?" His words were a cold splash of reality. "How about this? Come with me to Fairy Tail. You can learn magic there and live with us. I'll protect you." He reached out and patted Mirajane's head.
A blush spread across Mirajane's cheeks, and to Shun's immense surprise, a familiar chime sounded in his mind.
Ding!
[The title 'Predator' has been triggered. A heart has been stolen! Health and Magic Power Regeneration rate increased to 15%.]
'Huh? Are head pats really that effective?' Shun was momentarily stunned but quickly regained his composure.
"I agree! I want to become a magician too!" Lisanna chirped, deploying her signature puppy-dog eyes on her older sister.
Mirajane, finally relenting, smiled and nodded.
"Good. We still have some time. Gather your belongings and take whatever food you need from the village. Then we'll leave," Shun instructed.
"Is that… okay?" Lisanna asked hesitantly.
"Of course," Shun said, his logic unassailable. "If they committed sins worthy of death but were spared, it's only right to take their belongings as compensation."
He spread his arms before the five children. "With my magic, I can store anything. Take whatever you like." He knew, of course, that they were too kind-hearted to take more than the bare necessities.
Two hours later, they were ready to depart.
"I could teleport you directly to the guild," Shun mused, "but arriving instantly in a place you've never been might be disorienting. We're currently on a mission to deal with a small monster. Let's finish that, and then we can all return to Fairy Tail together."
'Small… huh?' Ultear thought to herself with a wry smile, the image of the colossal Deliora flashing in her mind.
"Yes! You can focus on your mission!" Lisanna agreed eagerly before her sister could respond. "Now… can I ride in that paw-bubble thing? Is it magic?"
"Yes, it's a form of transportation I created with my magic," Shun explained. He raised his palm, and with a soft POP!, a small, compressed paw-pad of air appeared and began to expand. To accommodate the three new passengers, he made it twice as large as before.
"You can walk right in," he told the excited Lisanna.
"Lisanna, follow me. I'll show you the basics," Sorano said, puffing out her modest chest and taking the younger girl's hand.
"Yes!" The two marched inside, completely ignoring a flustered Mirajane.
Shun, Ultear, and Elfman simply watched, already accustomed to their antics.
Once everyone was inside, the bubble lifted into the air, this time heading straight for Brago.
"Woah, it's floating!" The Strauss siblings were captivated. Even Mirajane, trying to maintain her composure, couldn't hide her wonder.
"Sorano, you're their senior now. Look after them," Shun said. "I need to focus on my training. I'm close to fully comprehending this book, so try not to interrupt me." He moved to a quieter spot within the bubble, Ultear joining him to navigate.
As Ultear took his hand to guide their flight, she found herself gently tracing the lines of the unique paw-pad on his palm.
Surprisingly, Sorano didn't protest their closeness. She had come to understand that Shun's palm was, in fact, the steering wheel for their vessel. The owner of the most efficient transportation in the world was, ironically, a terrible navigator.
'I guess everything has a balance,' both Ultear and Sorano had concluded after traveling with him.
---
Twelve hours later, they arrived at their destination. The journey had been filled with card games, board games, and naps, while Shun spent every moment immersed in the Arc of Embodiment. The magic's limitless potential captivated him, so much so that he hadn't even glanced at the Fire God Slayer book yet. He was a man of focus, commitment, and sheer will.
His unwavering dedication left a profound impression on the three girls and the young boy. Mirajane thought, 'No wonder his power is so monstrous.' Beside her, Elfman clenched his fist in admiration, thinking, 'Now that's a real man!'
"Everyone! We're here. This is Brago… or rather, what's left of it," Ultear announced, pointing toward the vast field of ruins below.
The city of Brago was a graveyard of shattered stone, a stark testament to Deliora's destructive power. And at its center stood the source of that destruction—a gigantic monster, frozen in a tomb of ice.
"What is that?! Why isn't it moving?" Elfman and Lisanna asked in unison.
"That's the target of our mission," Shun explained. "He was frozen by a powerful mage about three years ago. The seal is slowly destroying him."
The siblings visibly relaxed. If it was sealed and already dying, surely it was no threat.
Their calm was short-lived. "Our mission," Shun continued, his voice steady, "is to unseal him and kill him completely."
"W-What?!" Mirajane cried. "He's already sealed! Why would you unseal him?"
"There are two reasons. First, the mage who sealed him is Ultear's mother. Second, Deliora is an immortal demon. He will eventually revive. If some fool undoes the seal in the future, it would be a catastrophe. It's better I deal with it now." He wove truth and lie together seamlessly.
Even Ultear was hearing about Deliora's immortality for the first time.
"An immortal demon?!" The term alone was terrifying; the prospect of fighting one was unimaginable.
"Calm down. I have a plan," Shun assured them. "His immortality is imperfect. It only activates upon his death, reviving him in a laboratory belonging to the dark guild, Tartarus. The key to our plan… is you." He pointed at a stunned Mirajane.
"M-Me?!"
"Yes. Remember what I explained about your 'Take Over' magic?"
Understanding dawned on Mirajane's face.
Shun nodded. "Exactly. The plan is simple: I'll beat him to the brink of death, and then you will consume his soul. We kill two birds with one stone—complete the mission, and you gain a powerful new form."
His original plan had been to repel the concept of immortality from Deliora, a magically exhausting endeavor. Mirajane's presence was a welcome boon.
The plan sounded perfect, save for one detail.
"B-Big brother…" Lisanna asked, her voice small with worry as she stared at the terrifying frozen behemoth. "Will you really be able to defeat that monster?"
To a child who had never left her village, size equated to strength.
Hearing her fear, Shun chuckled and patted her head. "Don't worry. I'm the strongest."
No one argued. In their young eyes, he had never struggled with anything. They naively believed he might just be the most powerful person in the world.
Huff! Shun leaped from the still-floating paw-bubble. The coming battle would make the ground a dangerous place. Ultear followed him, two small paw-pads forming under her feet, allowing her to walk on air.
"When I unseal the Iced Shell, take your mother and get back to the bubble," Shun instructed, his confidence in repelling Ur from the ice absolute.
Ultear could only manage a fervent nod, her emotions laid bare.
"Wait!"
Just as Shun was about to approach the glacial prison, Ultear called out. He turned his head, and a soft, warm pressure touched his cheek.
Chu~.
"When this is all over," she whispered, her face burning crimson, "let's go on a real date." She then quickly retreated a few steps.
Shun had never once doubted his victory against Deliora.
Until now.
"…"
'What was that… a huge death flag?! Am I going to die today…?'