As Aria of the Heavens finished his incantation, a golden radiance flashed, engulfing Chen Fan in a blinding halo.
"Haha! Hahaha! 'God's Hand,' you're finally finished!" Jose Porla laughed manically as the light consumed Chen Fan. It seemed the display Chen Fan had put on earlier had truly terrified him. "I already heard that Makarov, that old bastard, is at his limit. It sounds like you were the one who pushed his health over the edge! Hahahaha!"
Suddenly, a calm voice rang out from within the light. "I wonder why Master Jose is so happy? Has something good happened? Why don't you tell me so we can all celebrate together?"
"Gah!" Jose's laughter came to a screeching halt, the muscles in his face twitching.
As the light gradually dissipated, Chen Fan was revealed standing in his original spot, completely unharmed, a professional smile still playing on his lips.
"Aria, what is the meaning of this?" Jose screamed at his subordinate.
"I... I don't know," Aria stammered, looking distressed. "It felt like he had no magic power at all, as if he were just an ordinary person."
"How is that possible? I saw him reflect the magic from our Jupiter cannon with my own eyes!" Jose roared.
Ignoring the furious Jose, Chen Fan turned slightly, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Aria. "So, you are Aria of the Heavens?"
Swoosh!
Seeing Chen Fan turn, Aria instinctively jumped back several paces. When he realized Chen Fan was merely looking at him with an amused expression rather than attacking, Aria's face flushed with embarrassment. But seeing that mocking glint in Chen Fan's eyes, Aria snapped. It had been years since anyone had looked at him with such utter contempt.
Rip!
Aria tore the white blindfold from his eyes, revealing pale purple irises marked with a white "X." As his eyes opened, a surge of immense magic power erupted. A massive whirlwind coiled around Aria, the howling gale filling the entire chamber.
"Haha! God's Hand, you are doomed! I only wore that blindfold to seal my overwhelming magic power. Now, feel my true terror! Come! Airspace of Death: Zero, activate! This airspace will devour every trace of life until nothing remains! Enjoy your end! Hahahaha!" Aria laughed like a madman.
Raging gusts of wind wrapped around Chen Fan.
"Ignorance is truly a tragedy," Chen Fan said softly. He simply reached out his right hand toward the storm.
"...!"
The entire storm was reflected back instantly. "How... how is this possible?! Aaaaagh!" Aria's screams echoed as his body was distorted by his own magic. As the vortex shrank smaller and smaller, Aria vanished from this world entirely.
Lucy and Jose stood frozen, staring at the empty air.
Swoosh...
Chen Fan appeared beside Lucy in an instant. With a swift kick, he sent the man guarding her flying.
Boom!
The sound of the guard smashing through the wall finally snapped Lucy and Jose out of their daze. Lucy was pleasantly surprised to find that the ropes binding her had already been undone by Chen Fan.
"You should get going," Chen Fan told her.
"None of you are going anywhere! Do you think you can just walk away after destroying my life's work? Shades!" Dark purple magic power surged around Jose, radiating the stench of death.
Two dark magic circles appeared in his hands, and countless Shades poured out, swarming toward the Fairy Tail members outside. Within moments, the sounds of shouting and magic explosions erupted from the distance.
Chen Fan turned back, looking at Jose with disdain. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin. Just as he raised his hand toward Jose, a hand came down on his arm.
Chen Fan looked to his side in confusion. It was none other than the Master of Fairy Tail, Makarov Dreyar, who had secretly followed him.
"Kid, leave him to me," Makarov said. "I have a few things to ask him myself. Take Lucy back to the guild and help the others."
Chen Fan looked at Makarov with concern, but the Master wasn't looking at him. Makarov's eyes were locked onto Jose, the veins on his forehead bulging. He had clearly been holding back his rage for a long time.
"Alright, old man," Chen Fan replied. He walked over to Lucy. "Ah!" Lucy shrieked as he scooped her up in his arms.
"Quiet! Don't scream. I'm not harassing you; I'm just taking you back. Otherwise, you can walk yourself," Chen Fan shouted at her.
Perhaps intimidated by Chen Fan's commanding presence, Lucy fell silent and nestled into his embrace, her face flushed red. In truth, Chen Fan was incredibly nervous; this was his first time holding a girl like this.
Swoosh!
Two small whirlwinds appeared beneath his feet, and Chen Fan carried Lucy through the air toward the Fairy Tail guild.
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/kleinmoretti to access 100+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).