The newcomer was none other than Ur.
At his current level, he had already met the basic requirements to become a full-fledged "brute-force type." As the saying went, learning magic might not solve every problem—but it could solve, with absolute certainty, the people who created those problems.
Since brute force worked, why bother wasting energy thinking things through?
…Hmm?
Why did that logic feel slightly off somehow?
"D-don't… don't kill me! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"
The only remaining mage from Raven Tail had already wet himself—literally. His pants were soaked, and the sharp stench of urine hung in the air.
"Our guild members are scattered throughout the mountains under the guild master's orders. Even I don't know where the others are!" Afraid Ur would cut him down on the spot, the man blurted everything out in panic.
"Is that so?" Ur said indifferently, lightly gesturing with the dark blade in his hand. "Then that means you're useless."
The blade was called Dark Dragon Fang, the name Ur had chosen for his new weapon. It symbolized the materials used in its forging—those from the Dark Gate and dragon blood alike. He had planned to name it Black Dragon Blade, but it sounded terrible, so he changed it.
The lone Raven Tail survivor was so terrified by Ur's words that he nearly pissed himself again, almost fainting on the spot. He hurriedly cried out, "W-wait! Even if I can't find the others, I have a crystal ball! It can directly contact our guild master!"
As he spoke, the Raven Tail mage desperately handed over a transparent crystal ball.
Ur took it, examined it briefly, then put it away before continuing, "What is your guild's purpose in coming here?"
"To search for treasure."
"What treasure?"
"I don't know. The guild master only said it was the inheritance of some powerful mage—a massive fortune…" The man spoke vaguely; he clearly didn't know much himself.
Ur asked a few more questions. Then Ur sent him on his way.
One clean strike. No pain.
So clean, in fact, that even the Raven Tail mage himself hadn't expected it. Even in death, his eyes still carried a strange sense of "satisfaction" at having provided answers.
After killing the Raven Tail member, the dull ache in Ur's head worsened just a little.
He waited in place for several dozen seconds before Natsu and Happy finally caught up.
Seeing the three corpses on the ground, neither Happy nor Natsu showed much reaction. Although Natsu usually favored a "no-killing" style, that didn't mean he had never killed before.
After all, in the world of mages, you couldn't survive on trash talk alone.
"Natsu, let's go."
The moment Natsu arrived, before he could even say a word, Ur suddenly dashed off in a direction, once again leaving Natsu and Happy staring blankly after him.
At first, Ur had assumed Ivan had only brought a few key guild executives. But now it seemed Ivan had mobilized almost the entire guild.
Not only that, but there were also mages from other guilds, along with mercenaries, hunters, and all sorts of people gathered here.
It was lively. Far too lively.
Still, Ur hadn't forgotten the real reason he'd come out to "clear his head." After extracting information from that Raven Tail mage, he moved immediately.
"Ur, where exactly are we going?" Natsu asked.
"To find someone."
"Who?"
"A dead man," Ur replied calmly.
"Found them."
Suddenly, Ur's eyes flashed. Through gaps in the dense forest, he spotted a group of figures ahead.
The group was divided into several different factions. One of them belonged to Raven Tail. At its head stood a short, squat mage with bizarre features, slicked-back hair, and a body shaped like an oval ball.
At the sight of him, a sharp chill flashed through Ur's eyes.
"Nullpudding… I've finally found you."
The various factions within the forest were already locked in a standoff. Because of the treasure, everyone present knew their position well, and by now the crowd had roughly split into two major camps.
One consisted of dark guilds. The other, regular guilds.
The tension between the two sides was steadily climbing toward a breaking point. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, as though a battle could erupt at any moment.
Then, a massive magic circle appeared on the ground within the dark guild camp. Violent magical power surged out, radiating an overwhelming pressure.
The unexpected development instantly turned the faces of the dark guild mages pale. Before they could react, a terrifying giant claw, black and crimson intertwined, rose violently from the magic circle—sweeping countless dark mages away in an instant.
At the same time, the members of the regular guilds saw a blur flash before their eyes. A figure shot into the dark guild ranks like a hunting leopard, blade drawn. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen arcs of blood erupted into the air, and another pile of corpses scattered across the ground.
Only after a small area had been completely cleared out in the center of the dark guild formation did the black-clad figure finally stop.
His cold, murderous gaze swept across the surroundings as his voice rang out slowly.
"Fairy Tail mage, here to settle a personal score. I hope everyone present will do me a favor—and stay out of this."
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Next Chapter: I'll Take That as Your Answer
Next Next Chapter: A Somewhat Unjust Death
Next Next Next Chapter: "Man!"