— — — — — — —
"Ahhh—!!"
Erigor let out a bloodcurdling scream as his body plummeted to the ground like a falling meteor.
BOOM!!!
The impact left a massive crater on the ground where Erigor landed.
"Run for your lives!"
The townspeople below had been watching the aerial battle between Uchiha Kitaro and Erigor unfold.
As soon as Erigor crashed to the ground, panic set in, and everyone scattered in fear, not wanting to get caught in the chaos caused by these wizards.
Even though Erigor's Storm Magic had protected him, the crushing blow still left him feeling like his organs were on the verge of rupture.
Uchiha Kitaro slowly descended, a smirk playing on his lips. "Not bad. You actually survived one of my attacks."
Erigor struggled to his feet, gritting his teeth. "Damn brat! Don't think you've won yet! I haven't used my strongest magic. The fight isn't over until it's over!"
"Oh? Now you've got my attention!" Kitaro replied casually, his expression betraying no concern.
Got him.
Erigor thought triumphantly. His taunts were meant to provoke this cocky kid into standing still. If Kitaro didn't dodge, his ultimate magic would surely take him down.
Erigor pressed his middle and index fingers from both hands together, drawing in magic energy at an alarming rate. The air around him began to crackle with power, and green leaves swirled around his fingers as the energy condensed.
"Take this!"
"The wind magic that tears everything to shreds—Emera Baram!"
"Die, you arrogant brat!"
Erigor thrust his hands forward, unleashing razor-sharp spiraling wind blades that tore through the surroundings.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
The ground, rocks, and everything in the path of his magic were reduced to rubble.
"Hahahaha! Got you now, you cocky little punk!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't jinx someone to death so easily—it's bad luck, y'know."
A voice emerged from the dissipating dust, calm and mocking. As the haze cleared, Uchiha Kitaro stood there, completely unscathed. His clothes weren't even ruffled, and the ground behind him remained intact, proving he hadn't dodged.
"Impossible!! There's no way! That was my strongest spell! How can you just stand there like nothing happened?!" Erigor yelled in disbelief.
Kitaro chuckled. "What's so impossible about it? The reason's simple—you and I are worlds apart in power."
He casually cracked his knuckles. "If that's your strongest move, then this boring fight is over."
"Shave!"
Whoosh!
Kitaro vanished in an instant, reappearing right in front of Erigor.
"Wha—?!"
Erigor didn't even see him move.
BAM!
Kitaro's fist connected squarely with Erigor's nose.
"Ughhh!!"
Erigor's nose caved in from the force, and his body flew backward like a ragdoll.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
One building after another was reduced to rubble as Erigor's body tore through them. He finally came to a stop, his eyes rolling back as he passed out cold.
At that moment, Erza and the others arrived, just in time to see Kitaro land the finishing blow.
"Kitaro!!"
"Oh, hey, you're here. No need to worry; it's all taken care of," Kitaro said casually.
"Amazing!!"
Natsu, who had been sulking after his loss to Kitaro, now fully understood why he had been defeated. Kitaro's power was on an entirely different level.
But rather than being discouraged, Natsu felt a surge of excitement. The stronger Kitaro was, the more he wanted to challenge him again.
Lucy, however, couldn't stop staring at the destroyed buildings, the shattered streets, and the barely standing Oshibana train station. 'Yep… definitely a perfect fit for Fairy Tail. No wonder he doesn't go on missions often. His first one, and he almost wiped out an entire town.'
"So… why did we even bother coming here?" Gray muttered, clearly annoyed. Erza had roped him into this mission to take down the dark guild Eisenwald, but Kitaro had already taken care of everything.
Erza was stunned. The Reaper Erigor was Eisenwald's trump card, a mage whose reputation wasn't just for show. Even she couldn't guarantee an easy victory against him.
But Kitaro had defeated him effortlessly, without even breaking a sweat. His strength was truly overwhelming.
Suddenly, a chilling voice broke the moment.
"Hehehe… What a useless bunch of trash. I've seen enough. Time for me to step in."
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice. Green mist seeped from the three-eyed skull flute clutched in Erigor's limp arms.
"The flute… it's talking!"
"Aye!" Happy exclaimed in shock.
The green mist began to take shape, solidifying into a massive, monstrous creature that looked like it was made of twisted tree roots.
"Let me devour your souls…"
"What?!"
"A monster!!"
Natsu and the others screamed in terror.
"A monster has appeared!!"
The curious onlookers who had stayed at a safe distance now fled in panic.
Lucy trembled as she stared at the hulking beast. "What… what is that thing?! Why is there a monster coming out of a flute?!"
"I'm so hungry… Let me feast on your souls," the creature growled.
"What—?! Souls?! You can eat souls?!" Natsu turned to Gray, his eyes wide with curiosity. "Are they tasty?!"
"How would I know?! And stop asking me!!" Gray snapped.
The monster chuckled darkly. "I've decided—I'll devour everyone in this town!"
Happy's face turned pale. "This is bad! It's the Cursed Song!"
"Ahhh!!" Lucy screamed, covering her ears in fear.
But Erza didn't hesitate. She summoned her magic and charged forward.
Swish!
Her blade flashed, slicing through the monster's leg with precision.
"Armor?!" Lucy gasped.
Happy nodded. "Magic knights usually fight by switching weapons, but Erza's different. She enhances her abilities by equipping magical armor. That's her Requip—The Knight!"
.
.
.