— — — — — —
After the brief commotion caused by the First Master's return, life gradually settled back into its usual rhythm. That peace didn't last long before a new problem cropped up.
...
The Next Day
"Ugh... The rain's getting heavier and heavier," Lucy groaned. "What awful luck. I was planning to go out and take a job today."
"Ahhh, if this keeps up, I won't even be able to pay this month's rent!"
The once-proud Heartfilia clawed at her hair in panic before clinging to Kazuma, on the verge of tears.
"Kazuma, wuuuh… please introduce me to some easy, relaxing, high-paying jobs."
She practically sobbed the words out.
"Aren't the jobs on the request board all like that?" Kazuma replied. "There's even a job upstairs. Destroy a dark guild."
"If you want it, I can make an exception and let you take it."
"No, no, no!" Lucy shook her head violently. "I'll stick to simple, low-pay, zero-danger jobs."
Destroy a dark guild? Are you kidding me? I'd totally die if I took that one. And probably in a really horrible way. I'll just keep accepting 'find the lost cat' requests, thank you very much.
"Oh right, lately you and…"
Lucy looked at Kazuma, wanting to ask how things were going between him and Juvia.
But before she could finish the question, Kazuma stood up and walked out.
"H-Hey, Kazuma! It's raining outside! Where are you going?"
Lucy called after him.
"There's something I need to take care of," Kazuma said as he shut the guild doors behind him. "You guys keep having fun. I'll be back soon."
He walked down the street, and before long, he spotted Mystogan.
Mystogan looked utterly exhausted, barely managing to drag himself forward as he crawled toward the guild.
"Guildmaster… I failed," he rasped. "A massive disaster is about to strike. Cough… please warn everyone in the guild to run."
"Get out of this town!!!"
Mystogan was desperately trying to suppress the activation of Anima, but this spell was far too large. He couldn't stop it.
"Relax, Mystogan," Kazuma said calmly. "It's just a small problem. I'll handle it. Or rather, I've been waiting for this."
He reached out and pulled Mystogan to his feet. This magic affected the entire town. There was no time to run.
Even if the guild members escaped, the town itself, along with its people and everything in it, would still be dragged away. Running was pointless.
"Guild Master! This isn't something one person can stop!" Mystogan shouted anxiously. "This attack is even more terrifying than Etherion!"
Seeing how unconcerned Kazuma looked, Mystogan grew frantic. He felt Kazuma was underestimating the danger of Anima.
This wasn't something that could be solved casually. This was extremely dangerous.
As he spoke, the Anima descended from the sky, a spell capable of breaking everything down into pure magic power.
"So it just absorbs magic," Kazuma said with a dismissive smile. "Then let it absorb as much as it wants. I'm curious how much it can actually take."
He released his natural energy without restraint, allowing Anima to absorb it freely. He wanted to see whether his energy would run out first, or whether the spell would burst from overeating.
With his perpetual energy supply, the concept of running out of magic didn't even exist for him anymore. Especially after his recent upgrade.
Mystogan watched Kazuma pour out magic. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. A full minute passed.
Then the Anima in the sky began to slow… and finally stopped.
"S-So strong…"
Mystogan stared at Kazuma in shock. He knew Kazuma had immense magic, but he never imagined it would be this absurd.
That Anima was meant to absorb the combined magic of an entire town, all matter and all people within it.
Yet Kazuma alone had filled it to the brim with just his own magic.
That meant Kazuma's magic power rivaled the entire town and everyone in it combined.
"No… it's not just that."
Mystogan looked at Kazuma again. Kazuma showed no sign of fatigue at all. He even yawned, looking bored.
After having so much magic drained from him, he wasn't tired in the slightest. If anything, he seemed uninterested.
Just how much magic was contained within this man's body?
"Is it done?" Kazuma said. "Then it's my turn."
"Phantasm: Celestial Star Map. By the contract between you and me, heed my call. Come forth, Spirit King!"
[Celestial Star Map: The stars have watched over endless ages, witnessing history and miracles.Yet through an unprecedented event, a treasure that should never exist in this world was born. Whoever possesses it gains the recognition of the stars themselves, along with their power.]
[Effect 1: Summon all celestial spirits, including the Spirit King.]
[Effect 2: Directly channel and absorb starlight to attack foes.]
[Effect 3: Create a Reality Marble, a small Celestial Spirit World where starlight is infinitely amplified.]
[Note: All effects work in any world with stars.]
[Another Note: Effects vary depending on the world.]
...
Kazuma moved. And the eighty-eight constellations lit up around him.
The summoning of the Spirit King began.
As starlight flooded the sky, the Spirit King appeared before Kazuma almost instantly.
"My friend," the Spirit King said, looking at him. "You have summoned me. What do you need?"
The moment he appeared, time slowed and space began to solidify. In that instant, spacetime itself froze.
"Spirit King, I need a favor," Kazuma said. "Locate where the magic I released just now went. Then open a gate and send me there."
He was heading to Edolas. After all, there was still a guild member abandoned in that other world, waiting to be brought home.
.
.
.