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The Legendary Saiyan in a Fairy's World Chapter 48
🕑 Added 2025-03-06 16:34:40 +0000 UTCBeta read by Shigiya and Darklord331
Next update is Nanoha followed by Hound.
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-Magnolia-
Familiarity.
That was the only emotion swirling within the redhead's mind as she sat at the table surrounded by Lucy and Cana on each side. On the other hand, the Saiyan happily eats his meal and a slice of strawberry shortcake without a care in the world.
The strange woman, who brought out such feelings from within Erza, on the other hand had not touched anything on the table. Leading Broly to not so secretly take her portion which she did not seem to care. His overall appearance made it look like he came out of a burning building with all the soot covering him… yet his hair remained untouched.
Or maybe a bit, the twitch of her eyes showed some level of annoyance.
‘I saw her before, but where? Even Cana and Lucy seem unfamiliar with her and she is definitely not a member of the guild.’ The last point especially, a new face like that would have drawn the attention of many of their members and her sheer presence alone was hard to forget. ‘Maybe I am overthinking it, she probably looks like someone else and I am mixing both of them up.’
So she believed, but her guts on the other hand just kept saying otherwise. “You have been staring at me for quite a while, child.”
The woman who she learned was called Irene mentioned, her dark eyes gazing back with practically no emotions behind them. No matter how she looked at it, this person felt very odd and almost hostile towards them.
What the hell kind of connection did Broly even have with this woman? And why was he trying so hard to be friendly, only to get completely brushed off like he was invisible?
“I was just curious about you. It’s not every day Broly has us meet a friend of his.” She ended up answering neutrally. Regardless of her true thoughts, judging this person who she just met never led to a good place and it was best for her to reign in those negative thoughts first.
“It's even more rare for him to invite someone to eat,” Lucy added with a soft voice, still looking somewhat intimidated by the woman.
To that, Irene let out a loud scoff, “Invite? Humph, had it only been that. I was dragged here against my will. Like I said to the Celestial Wizard over here, you all will forget about me.”
At that moment, Erza shared the same thought as Lucy had, those words sounded more like a command than anything else. She did not feel any trace of spells altering her mind… then again, the girl realized she wouldn't have known how that would have felt to begin with given she had no experience being on the receiving end of memory altering magic.
In any case, this woman was definitely suspicious.
Suspicious enough for her to believe there to be an underlying reason why she was around him — even if she mentioned being dragged along.
‘Wait, I can just ask him.’ It took her a few minutes to realize how much time she was wasting by going down the rabbit hole on this woman when she could easily just ask the man himself. “Can you tell us more about her, Broly?”
He stopped eating his meal as soon as she asked that question, looking back and forth between her and Irene. The latter narrowed her eyes at him for a brief moment, some sort of silent message being communicated between them. The more she looked at them, the more strange all of this became.
Broly for all intents and purposes, was not one who went out of his way to meet people from what she knew about him along with the stories told by Lucy. The saying preferred his privacy, cherishing interacting with those who were already around him instead of seeking other people out of the blue. Even the few times they went out on quests, she was pretty sure this woman never came up.
“Um, honestly I don't know that much about Irene,” He said truthfully, that answer catching everyone on the table a bit by surprise. “I met her a couple of days ago, we had a long conversation on the way back to Magnolia and today I went to visit her to have her look around the town and get to know other people. So far she only told me bits and pieces of her life.”
On his way back to Magnolia? So he met her after getting arrested by the Magic Council?
As far as she could tell, he wasn’t lying. Then again, he never had in the past, at least as far as she could remember. In fact, he almost seemed incapable of deception to begin with.
The Saiyan continued, "Actually, she was in the same jail cell, we talked and came to an understanding of sorts. After we got back, I proposed to have her go to the guild and meet others.”
"And I distinctly recall never agreeing to such a thing. I have no interest in going to that place or meddling with any of them," she interjected coldly, that particular comment not sitting well with Erza.
"Do you perhaps have a problem with us?" Her voice came out sharper than she intended. But rather than looking angered or offended, the woman in front of her simply smiled in amusement.
"A problem? Why would I have any issues with your guild? A bunch of random mages gathered in one place, doing chores around the city, holds no interest for me. I’d rather not waste my time."
Arrogant. That was the first word that came to mind as Erza listened to the woman speak.
"We are more than just a bunch of small-time mages doing chores," Cana interjected, sounding defensive. "Believe it or not, but Fairy Tail is known across the continent for a reason — we're the strongest guild. We don’t just operate in Magnolia, you know? Some of the strongest wizards in history were once members of our guild. Heck, this is Titania—Erza Scarlet. She could take on an entire dark guild by herself if she wanted to. Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of her?"
Though Cana’s praise was a bit much, there was truth in her words in Erza’s opinion. Yet, the other woman remained unfazed, merely staring at her with an unimpressed gaze.
"Is that so? How interesting," she mused. "One of Fairy Tail’s strongest wizards, you say? You can’t be serious. Or maybe you are not and expected too much."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Erza challenged, leaning backward and crossing her arms.
"Do you really want me to spell it out for you, child?" the woman scoffed, acting as if the answer is right in front of them. "Very well. Simply put, you are too weak to be considered worth my while. Perhaps there is potential somewhere inside you, but it has and will remain untapped given the people that surround you."
Simple words, spoken with such confidence that they bordered on pure arrogance.
“You know nothing about me. We just met.” The redhead did not back down, feeling angered not at the insult towards her, but at the comment insinuating that Fairy Tail was holding her back. “While I won't call myself the strongest by any means, I can still hold up my own and handle my fair share of challenges in combat.”
"I heard from sources that your recent quest against a Dark Guild did not go as anticipated. With every involved party coming back injured and barely holding on — if this is what an S-Class mage is capable of, then the entirety of Ishgar is doomed to fail," she added nonchalantly, Broly flinching when he heard that.
The more she spoke, the more confusion and irritation stirred within Erza. But when she heard that last remark, a spark of anger flared inside her. With clenched fists, Erza stood up, her hands slamming onto the table with enough force to shatter the surface and cause everyone in the area to go completely silent.
"If you have something to say, then say it clearly instead of insulting my guild!" she snapped. “You may be an acquaintance of Broly, but I will not hesitate to teach you a les—
"—All right, this is where we stop the conversation," the Saiyan cut in quickly, making sure things wouldn’t escalate further. "Please, don’t let her words get to you. She’ll only try to provoke you more. Just ignore her."
"I have much better ways to do that if I truly wanted to," the woman retorted. "I just find it amusing how this child thinks she’s strong with that meaningless rank. A title that holds no real weight and is just used to gloat."
“Irene…”
"Fine," the woman replied with a smirk. "Let’s just say I didn’t even mention your guild, but that still makes everything I said about you that much worse. If you were truly an S-Class warrior, then… ah! Let me you, brute!"
Her words trailed off, yet the condescension in her tone lingered like a blade poised to strike. But her words were brought to a complete stop when the next moment, she was ultimately dragged away by Broly. The latter having a resigned expression followed by an awkward smile directed at the girls. “best to not continue this conversation any longer, I'll take her somewhere to calm down and you two handle Erza.”
His figure quickly disappeared into the distance as the person he was holding struggled at first, actually managing to nearly escape his grasp at first.
03 girls watched him with differing emotions between them, relief flooding Lucy's body, awkwardness for Cana and residual anger with Erza. This being one of the few times she ever felt the desire to actually punch someone in the face to this extent. Not even Mirajane reached that level, there was just something very unsettling about that person.
“Have either of you ever met that woman?” She asked the two behind her, getting a similar response from their head shakes.
“I'll admit, it feels like we met before but I can put my finger on it.” Lucy's answer had been very similar to the sensation she felt as well, all of this felt very strange and the woman started to suspect that there was something going on there.
She feared that perhaps this person was taking advantage of Broly's kind nature, as the reason behind it, remained to be seen.
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A few streets away, the Saiyan made sure to create as much distance between them and Erza, having felt Irene’s Ki fluctuating as if she was about to use her magic. Regardless of how powerful Erza had become, in front of the human, she remained helpless against even the weakest attacks he faced so far. Not to mention, from what he learned of this world and how dragon-slaying magic worked, the only other one who could affect her was probably Natsu and other dragon slayers.
Worst of all, Even that was not a guarantee. In his rampaging state, she managed to endure for a little while, that alone put her endurance above everyone in this world he met so far except for the black dragon.
Still, it was a shame things did not go down as smoothly as he would have hoped. Even if a part of him knew that it was unlikely and even a naive gesture on his side, Broly hoped that just like him she would enjoy speaking with others from Fairy Tail.
“Take your hands off me.” As he came to a stop, the woman immediately slapped his hands away with her appearance changing back to her original self. Delicious black hair brightened up until it became vibrant red and even the shape of her face turned sharper.
“You could have been a bit nicer with them. They are part of the reason why I managed to regain control back then, or else you and this entire planet would have been long gone.” He reminded her, of and argument which the woman did not immediately argue on.
“That may be so, yet in my eyes, the reason you regained control was not just them but also pure luck. Or rather, something else did it.”
He supposed she was right, his memory of that time was still a bit fuzzy, yet he recalled seeing that mysterious girl. He was not sure what kind of magic she used or if it was his imagination, but it helped him in the end and for that he was grateful. For the possibility of him waking up to a destroyed world where all those he cherished and met throughout all these years having been killed by his own hands.
It would’ve have broken him
“You can't be sure if they did not play a part.” He continued to insist, getting an annoyed reaction from Irene.
“... Why is it that out of all people in existence, whether it be in this world or yours, this well of untapped power was instead given to you? Someone who is not willing to use it as he pleases, someone who fears it, and also someone who is willing to blend in with weaklings. No matter how much I tried to understand, it was inconceivable. I would even call it insanity.” some frustration leaked out of her voice, for those words were truly her real feelings at the moment.
Yet he felt like that question was already something he answered in the past. “I cannot say why I was born with it. It's true that I saw it doesn't curse, part of me still does. But there is nothing I can do about it then just continue my training in hopes to one day fully control it.”
“You are a naive fool.”
As if he hadn't heard that at least a dozen times by now.
“I am done for today,” Irene started to walk away, giving him one last look. “I have agreed to meet these people you call friends from Fairy Tail, I have kept my end of the agreement.”
“I was hoping for you to visit the guild.”
“Then be more specific next time,” the light around her flashed a bright white light before her presence disappeared completely. Making even some onlookers surprised by the feat of magic.
He supposed things did not go as badly as he believed at first, sure, Irene and Erza's first meeting did not go smoothly and even reached a point of nearly ending up in a fight — at least they got to talk to one another. Their interaction alone made it clear to him that there was something between them and Irene was just keeping it a secret from him.
The fact that she was a dragon made any of his past beliefs of them being related fall completely flat. Erza was definitely fully human without an ounce of dragon blood within her veins, her talent with magic and strength were above the average mage but nothing to make her a special case. Lucy alone held talent and so did Natsu.
“She did say next time, so I can always try again.”
He knew saying that would probably earn him a dragon breath to the face or a barrage of spells thrown at him. He was fully aware of how she could get irritated with his efforts, but as long as there was a chance then he was willing to try.
“I guess I should be going back to the guild, Lucy will definitely want to start another quest for helping Cana with rent.” Plus he grew to enjoy going on quests, the smaller ones where they did not need to take on dangerous enemies. Even the most mundane task of painting a wall brought a smile to his face.
A different form of relaxation.
Also, training, since some of these quests required him to lift heavy objects over long distances.
As he walked down the road, walking for a couple of minutes while swimming with his thoughts, the man suddenly came to a halt. “Hm?” having not noticed this at first, he now just realized how quiet his surroundings became. From a boisterous road surrounded by countless shops and street vendors to the place, it was now becoming less populated with just a handful of people around. Having ended up in a completely separate area he rarely visited. “Hm? I'm pretty sure I took the path to the guild, so why am I here?”
Perhaps he got too deep within his thoughts and managed to absent-mindedly make his way towards the edge of the town near the outskirts. While he continued to walk forwards, someone ended up bumping into him. “Oh sorry,” He wasted no time apologizing go the passerby and hoped to continue to find his way back until the person behind him started to speak.
“Is that it? You really are not as dangerous as what she kept saying all this time. Here I arrived in hopes of a grand battle, the person of my interest does not feel me with excitement.” The man whispered quietly that no one except for Broly managed to hear it. Weird, he did not sense any hostile intent from him, But the way the other party was looking at him clearly suggested he was not someone with any good intentions.
“Who are you?” Broly wasted no time and asked with a stern voice, getting the man to chuckle at first.
“You may not know me, but I definitely know who you are. In fact, someone else I work for has gained a keen interest in you,” was the answer he got, this only creates more questions than anything else. “Confused? I can't blame you, but you will know soon enough. So for your own good, I highly suggest you to shut up and follow me unless you want to end up as a stain on the side of the road.”
“...” The Saiyans body became tense, at that moment he did feel some hostile intent emanating from the man. Faint as it was, it was still there. “I asked you a question and you still haven’t told me what you wanted from me?”
“Tch, stubborn I see. Nothing a few hits won't resolve. But unfortunately, I was tasked to bring you back. But then again, it was not specified where you needed to be wounded or not.” Light shone around his palm, demanding a limb turning into a jet-black claw-like sword that had some resemblance to Gajeel's weapon. Pointing that thing straight at his face without much care, even the people around him had not noticed this yet. “The name is Rustyrose, remember that. I'll give you some leeway for your ignorance this one time but in the future, you better pray for me to be in a good mood.”
Rustyrose?
A name he did not recognize, certainly not a person from the Tower of Heaven. “I am not interested. Tell whoever it is who wants to see me that they can come themselves. I have more important things to handle first and I am busy.”
Though he spoke calmly, those words were intended to be his first warning to the bespectacled man. Yet once again, the one who called himself Rustyrose did not seem to care and even showed dissatisfaction at his response. “So we will be doing this the hard way, fine by me. It would have been truly boring otherwise. But I warn you, regardless of how powerful you think you are, against my magic all of it means nothing for my Arc of Embodiments allows me to conquer anythi—mmffff!” His speech was cut short as a large palm grabbed onto the entirety of his head in a flash.
“You talk too much. But I better take you to the authorities.” Whoever this person was that wanted to meet him was definitely not an ally. To have his subordinate blatantly threaten him in the middle of town without care just showcased that. Extending the conversation proved fruitless if that were the case, best to just end this right now and have others deal with him.
With a single move, he forced the man's head to the ground, making sure to not accidentally crush it and just knock him out for a bit.
Crack!
Yet the next moment, lines spread around the head like a fractured vase and from within his grasp the figure crumbled apart like a broken vase. This caught him off guard, for but a brief moment, he genuinely started to fear that his action led to the person's death.
“What a violent creature you are.”
Thankfully, he was relieved upon hearing Rustyrose’s voice come from behind, the body that it was holding broke apart into particles of light and dissipated into the air. A form of cloning magic? He could not tell, Arc of Embodiment was not something he heard before.
“We don't have to fight, like I said, I won't be going with you. But if that person really wants to meet me, then he can just come over to Fairy Tail. I'll be sure to welcome him.” He said calmly, passing away some of the dust on his clothes.
“You don't seem to understand, do you? Lord Hades is not someone who can just order around like that. The fact that he hasn't turned this city into a burning pile of ash isn't itself a mercy, truthfully, I am tempted to do it myself.” The man said without hesitation, gazing at the surrounding people with no emotions, for in his eyes they matted little. “In fact, why don't I just teach you a lesson for not heeding my words first?”
With a snap of his fingers, the ground all around him started to glow with several figures emerging from them. “If you don't want to see this place getting turned upside down with all its inhabitants crushed, then this is your last chance.”
So that was how this was going to be.
At one point he even started asking himself why even bothered trying to reason with them, such people just never learned. “Hah… I am sorry then.”
“Hm, now you finally decided to listen to reaso—!?” Just like before, Broly went straight for him. His figure flickering till in less than a second the distance between them had already been crossed. His speed shocked the young mage who swiftly summoned a giant golden shield between them. “Fools like you never learn, I'll show you just why you can never defeat me let alone break past my unbreakable shield!”
Without hesitation, the Saiyan delivered a powerful punch straight into the center of the shield. A deafening impact echoed through the air as his fist collided with the metal surface. To Rustyrose’s credit, the shield held firm, unbroken, and more durable than even the sturdiest of Erza’s armors.
But Broly did not stop. He reeled back and struck again, this time with a thin, translucent layer of Ki coating his fist. The sheer force of the impact sent out a violent shockwave—yet to his surprise, the strange shield remained intact.
“What is this made of?” He couldn't help but ask, this being the first time something like a shield manager to block his attack. Even if it was outside his wrath transformation and beyond.
“Heh, now it's my turn.”
Whatever Rustyrose was about to do, Broly had no intention of letting it happen. If this shield alone was so formidable, then he didn’t even want to imagine the destruction these summoned monsters could unleash upon Magnolia if left unchecked. His eyes flashed green for an instant as an emerald sphere of Ki formed in the center of his palm before he launched it straight at Rustyrose.
“Hmph! Have you not learned? My shield cannot be destroyed!” the mage boasted, smirking with confidence. He didn’t even attempt to dodge, merely raising the shield again while his summoned beasts lunged toward Broly.
“I’m not trying to destroy it.”
If he wanted, he could simply use a stronger Ki blast and obliterate the shield entirely. But doing so in the middle of the city carried too much risk. This, however, was a better alternative. The energy sphere was never meant as a direct attack—it expanded rapidly upon impact, engulfing Rustyrose entirely.
“What!?”
Rustyrose panicked. He transformed his hand into a sword, slashing desperately at the sphere’s walls in an attempt to break free. But Broly continued pouring more Ki into the barrier, closing every cut as quickly as they appeared. His palm tightened, and the sphere followed, compressing with each passing second, shrinking the space inside and increasing the pressure.
“No, you won’t!”
Desperation took hold as Rustyrose summoned additional shields and dark pillars, attempting to push back against the collapsing sphere. For a brief moment, he managed to hold it open—but the more time passed, the smaller the space became, and the denser the energy within grew.
A scream tore from his throat, though Broly barely registered it over the high-pitched hum of his own Ki.
With a flick of his wrist, the sphere came crashing down. A deafening explosion erupted, sending a thick cloud of dust into the air as chunks of debris flew in all directions. Several of Rustyrose’s summoned monsters were caught in the blast, their bodies torn apart by the shockwave. Those that survived lunged at Broly, only to be instantly incinerated by a barrage of Ki blasts. They proved far more fragile than the shield itself.
As he observed the creatures, Broly grew curious about these things. This magic—it resembled Requip at first, but there were elements of Celestial Spirit summoning as well. Yet the monsters lacked the strength of true summons, making them feel… incomplete.
“Cough—damn it…!”
From the smoking crater in the middle of the street, Rustyrose crawled out, his body covered in burns and deep bruises. His once-pristine attire was in tatters, his stylishly kept hair now wild and unkempt. His glasses had shattered, leaving his expression twisted in a mix of pain and frustration.
“Argh—!”
A heavy boot crashed down onto his chest, pinning him in place. Broly loomed over him, his emerald eyes burning with intensity.
“Sorry, but I gave you a chance,” he said coldly. “I don’t know who this Hades person is, but if he seeks to harm Magnolia or Fairy Tail, then I have no interest in meeting him at all.”
To drive his point home, he applied more force, lifting his foot before stomping down again. The impact sent Rustyrose deeper into the earth, a miserable cry ripping from his throat, feeling several of his ribs crack.
“If you don’t want to be crushed, crawl back to him and give him my answer.”
“Try to use your magic again and I will crush your rib cage instantly.”
But rather than heed his words, all he saw was stubbornness flash before the person's eyes along with anger. “F-For fuck’s sake, where the hell are you, Zancrow!? I need some help here!”
“—?”
Broly scanned his surroundings, expecting an ambush at any moment. Yet, nothing came. The area remained eerily silent, with the last of the civilians having fled long ago. Had Rustyrose’s allies abandoned him? Perhaps they never intended to assist him in the first place. He couldn’t sense any nearby energy signatures, making it unlikely that they were merely hiding.
“Looks like you're not willing to listen,” he stated, his voice devoid of emotion. “Then I’ll just get rid of you.”
Raising his palm, and in an instant, an ominous glow of emerald energy began to form, coalescing into a dense sphere. Its light cast eerie reflections over the cracked stone pavement, its sheer power making the very air around them tremble.
A flicker of sheer terror flashed through Rustyrose’s wide eyes. He gasped, struggling to lift his hands as if to activate his magic, but every time he attempted to conjure a spell, Broly’s boot pressed harder into his chest, forcing out another pained wheeze. A sickening crack echoed as another rib snapped beneath the pressure. The agony shattered his concentration, leaving him utterly helpless.
“N-No… don’t you dare think I'll go down so easily!” Rustyrose choked out, his voice trembling yet still laced with defiance. “I won’t go down so easily! This terror… yes, I will use it to further advance my magic!”
Broly narrowed his eyes slightly. Was this man insane? Despite staring death in the face, despite the undeniable fear shaking his body, he still clung to the belief that his magic would grant him a way to get out of this situation. The man had seen arrogance before, but this level of self-assurance bordered on madness. He did not understand it, nor did he care. Letting such a person live would only invite further problems. He tightened his fingers, preparing to erase Rustyrose from existence.
But then—
‘You don’t need to go this far.’
“—!”
The words struck him like a physical blow. His eyes widened, and the ki sphere in his hand flickered, then vanished entirely. That voice… he recognized it instantly.
Swiftly, Broly turned his head, scanning his surroundings. But there was no one. The battlefield remained as empty as before. And yet, he was certain—absolutely certain—that someone had just spoken right behind him. It was the woman from before. The one who had appeared before him recently. He wasn’t imagining it.
Woosh!
His instincts flared, but before he could react, a massive magic circle surged into existence beneath him, pulsating with an eerie violet glow. The arcane symbols spiraled outward in an intricate design, its power undeniable. The energy engulfed both him and Rustyrose, and before Broly could stop it or move out of the way, the world around him shifted.
The next moment, they were elsewhere.
A dimly lit chamber surrounded them, the walls made of cold, unwelcoming steel. The air was thick with an oppressive presence, one that reeked of something unnatural. The only source of light came from flickering torches lining the room, their weak flames casting distorted shadows.
Broly quickly scanned the area. He didn’t recognize this place, but Rustyrose did. The defeated mage immediately turned his attention to the figure sitting in the shadows.
“L-Lord Hades… I tried—”
“It is unfortunate you were taken down so quickly.” The voice that interrupted was deep, authoritative, yet laced with disappointment. “For someone who possesses such a powerful form of Lost Magic, it is rather disappointing that you failed to utilize it to its full extent immediately. It seems you are in need of further training, but I shall personally rectify that later.”
Broly shifted his gaze toward the voice’s source. Sitting atop a throne shrouded in darkness was an elderly man. As he slowly descended the stairs, the flickering light finally revealed his features. Long white hair cascaded like a waterfall down his back, and his beard stretched to his stomach. His face was aged, marked by deep lines and experience, yet his eyes held a sharpness similar to that of Makarov.
But what truly caught his attention was the power radiating from him. It was different from anything he had encountered before. Unlike Makarov, who exuded raw strength and authority, this man’s energy felt… unnatural. Multiple sources of power swirled within the old man, struggling to remain stable, barely holding together. It was as if they were stitched into his very being, creating an unnerving presence.
It felt unnatural.
Not in the same way as Irene’s suffocating might—hers was overwhelming, tyrannical, an iron-fisted dominion. No, his presence was more insidious, more corrupting, like an ancient darkness lingering beneath the surface, waiting to consume everything in its grasp.
“So you are Hades?” Broly asked, his voice as steady as ever. While the person remained a dangerous individual, there was no reason to fear for his life but instead, his mind still worried about these people coming to Magnolia instead.
“Indeed, I am,” the old man replied calmly, his steps deliberate as he approached. When he finally stopped, he smiled. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Broly.”
The latter's brows furrowed.
“I have long searched for an answer to a mystery that has eluded me for years,” Hades continued, his arms slowly spreading as his voice took on a grand, almost theatrical tone. “That search has brought me all the way here, to this very moment. Though I must apologize for the rather… unceremonious method of our first meeting.” His gaze flickered toward Rustyrose briefly before returning to Broly. “I had only advised him to bring you to me—not cause a commotion in the middle of town. Now, Fairy Tail will undoubtedly take notice. It will be a nuisance to face them here of all places.”
“...”
“You are tense,” Hades observed, his smirk widening slightly. “I can understand. But rest assured, my intentions are not to destroy this town, nor do I have any interest in Fairy Tail’s affairs.”
The room fell into a brief silence before the old man’s next words rang through the chamber.
“I am willing to leave Magnolia peacefully—on one condition.”
Broly’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
Hades’ smirk deepened. His voice carried a weight that sent an ominous chill through the air as he finally uttered his request.
“Tell me, young lad, have you ever heard about the essence of magic?”
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On the outskirts of Magnolia, deep within the woods, what was once a lush, green landscape had now become a nightmarish hellscape. Black flames consumed everything in sight, twisting the air with heat and filling the surroundings with an eerie glow. The once-thriving fauna had been reduced to charred remnants, the earth itself scarred beyond recognition.
In the midst of it all, a lone figure hunched over, his blonde hair disheveled and swaying weakly in the scorching wind. His face was deathly pale, smeared with blood and bruises, his breaths shallow and ragged. Every step he took was an immense struggle, his body barely able to move—yet it wasn’t pain or exhaustion that fueled his desperation. It was fear.
He tried to walk away, to escape, but then—
“Where do you think you’re going?”
His entire body locked up. Not from fear, but from something far more terrifying. An invisible force seized him, gripping every fiber of his being with unimaginable pressure. It was as if thousands of unseen strings had coiled around his limbs, tightening like iron chains, rendering him utterly immobile. Even his eyes could barely move, but as he strained, they finally settled upon the source of his terror.
Irene's figure emerged from the sea of black flames, stepping forward with an eerie calmness. Yet, while the fires devoured everything in their path, they did not touch her. Not a single ember dared to lick at her skin, nor did the oppressive heat seem to faze her in the slightest. She moved effortlessly through the devastation, her eyes gleaming with something between amusement and intrigue.
“God Slaying Magic… how interesting,” she murmured, her voice carrying a chilling edge.
A slow, creeping smile stretched across her lips, one that sent ice through his veins.
“Dimaria would be very interested in your magic,” she continued, tilting her head slightly as if pondering something. “But for now… I have some uses for you, boy.”
