"Take him out!!"
The leader of the Black Magic Order gave the command without hesitation. Whoever saw them had to die—no exceptions.
"Kill!!!"
Dozens of Black Magic Order members raised their weapons and charged at Kaien.
"Hey hey hey! You didn't even say hi before swinging? That's a bit rude, don't you think?"
"But since you already started, if I don't fight back, wouldn't that be disrespectful?"
"Fire Fist!"
Kaien pulled back his arm into a punch stance. His fist morphed into a blazing inferno and slammed directly into the approaching Black Magic Order members.
"Uwaaaaaaah!!"
"Arghhhhhhh!!" …
Terrifying flames engulfed a massive wave of enemies. Those swallowed by the fire shrieked in agony.
"Fire Gun!"
Kaien brought both hands up, fusing his index and middle fingers together like twin pistols. Streams of small fire bullets shot out from his fingertips.
"Gyahhh!" …
Each one struck its target like a bullet. In the blink of an eye, bodies from the Black Magic Order began dropping in droves.
"Damn it! Die!!"
One of them tried to ambush Kaien from behind, slashing down with a longsword. It cut straight through his body—only to ripple like water.
It was the Logia-type elemental body effect—common to those with Devil Fruit powers.
"W-What?!"
Before the attacker could even recover from his shock, Kaien's fingertip tapped gently against his forehead.
Bang!
The man didn't even have time to scream before being consumed by fire.
"You bastard! How dare you interfere with our sacrifice to the great Zeref!! Get lost!!"
Another cultist gathered a surge of dark magic in both hands and fired a black shockwave at Kaien.
"Solar Flare!"
Kaien's arm turned to fire, shooting a blazing pillar straight from his palm to meet the attack head-on.
BOOOOOM!!!
The two energies collided with a deafening explosion.
"Still a bit slow!"
"Full Take Over: Toji Fushiguro!!"
Kaien switched his form. His bare upper body was suddenly clothed in a black T-shirt. His shorts extended into black slacks, and his boots turned into flat-soled shoes.
"Turn into minced meat!!"
Suddenly, a massive brute came up from behind, raising a steel hammer overhead and bringing it down toward Kaien's skull.
BOOM!!
Kaien didn't even flinch. The giant hammer bounced clean off him, sent flying across the battlefield.
"What the hell?!"
The brute stood dumbfounded. He had clearly seen the hammer make contact. Why was it the one that flew off?
Kaien gave him a sideways glance.
"Hey, standing this close is a bit rude. I don't like people getting in my space. So... get lost."
He calmly placed his palm against the man's abdomen and gave a light push.
The brute instantly felt an irresistible force slam into his gut, sending him flying backward.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
His body crashed through wall after wall like a wrecking ball.
"Lord Quill!!"
Kaien turned to look at the remaining Black Magic Order members.
A sinister smirk curled on his lips.
"Three seconds. That's all I need."
Whoosh—!
Kaien vanished from sight.
BANG BANG BANG BANG!!
"Uwaaaaah!"
"Arghhhhh!" …
All the cultists were sent flying, crashing into walls like rag dolls.
A moment later, Kaien strolled out of the Black Magic Order's hideout.
The military captain waiting outside immediately rushed forward.
"Mr. Kaien, how did it go?"
Kaien made an OK sign with his fingers and smiled. "All done."
"W-What?!"
"There were over a thousand members in there!"
The soldiers couldn't believe it. He'd only gone in six, maybe seven minutes ago—certainly no more than ten. And he took down over a thousand mages in that short a time?
But to Kaien, this was completely normal. Sure, there were a lot of them, but they were all cannon fodder. For high-tier mages, they'd be a pain—but to him? No different than weeds.
"You can go verify the job before paying. Also, there are a few hundred kidnapped villagers inside—might wanna rescue them too."
"Move in!"
With the captain's command, the troops braced themselves and charged inside.
What they found left them stunned.
All around were fallen members of the Black Magic Order—burned, broken, some crushed like they'd been hit by trains. Walls were shattered and scorched.
"It's… it's real…"
"He really wiped out over a thousand dark mages in just minutes!"
The captain quickly took control.
"Team One, rescue the villagers! Team Two, arrest every last cultist!"
"Yes, sir!!"
Soon, the villagers were freed, and the cultists dragged away.
"Mr. Kaien, thank you so much for your help."
The captain looked at him with complete respect. At first, he'd thought Kaien looked far too young—how could one person face off against over a thousand?
Now he was completely convinced. This man was just as powerful as the legends said.
Kaien waved it off.
"I was paid to get rid of a problem. I did the job."
The captain immediately had the reward brought out.
"Mr. Kaien, here's your payment—10 million J. Please confirm."
Kaien glanced at it and grinned, accepting the case.
"No need to count. I trust you. If you get another job like this, give me a call—I'll give you a 20% discount."
The captain smiled bitterly.
"If I can help it, I'd rather never deal with something like this again."
Kaien laughed.
"Haha! Who knows what the future holds? Anyway, job's done—I'm heading out."
"I won't hold you up then. I need to go report this anyway. Safe travels."
Kaien waved as he walked off, another S-Class Mission complete. He was in a great mood.
"Captain, who exactly is that guy?!"
"Yeah! Taking down a thousand mages alone—that's crazy!"
The captain stared at Kaien's back, eyes serious.
"You all remember what happened in the Kingdom of Sobea half a year ago?"
"Half a year ago... wait, you mean—?"
"Yes. It's him."
Harujion Port
The nearest port town to Magnolia, Harujion was where Fairy Tail members came and went for any overseas missions.
A cargo ship slowly docked. A young man stepped off—black hair, black eyes, wearing a gray half-sleeved mandarin collar shirt and black pants. His skin was fair, his features sharp and handsome.
It was Kaien—now six months into his time in the Fairy Tail world.
"Whew! Finally back!"
This mission had taken him far. The round trip took nearly twenty days.
He'd rest for the night here, then catch the morning train to Magnolia.
Gurgle~
His stomach rumbled. All that time on a rocking ship had killed his appetite, but now on land, hunger hit him like a truck.
He remembered a cheap but delicious hole-in-the-wall joint nearby. He'd grab some food, check into an inn, get a good night's sleep, and return to the guild tomorrow.
Just then, a commotion broke out ahead.
Kaien looked up to see a group of young girls rushing past, clutching autograph boards.
"I heard a famous mage is in town!"
"It's Salamander!!"
Kaien blinked.
"Salamander?! Natsu's here?! Since when is he this popular?"
Curious, he walked over. If it was Natsu, maybe they could return to the guild together.
But when he got close, he saw a middle-aged man swarmed by excited girls.
"Wrong guy?"
Kaien turned to leave, but then—a familiar voice reached his ears.
"Igneel!!"