— — — — — —
"Mm. So you wanna die?"
Kazuma calmly looked at the gigantic beast charging straight at him and spoke in an even, almost bored tone.
But the beast froze.
From the human in front of it, it smelled something unimaginably terrifying. This wasn't just the presence of a top-tier predator.
No… it was something even worse.
Something that stood beneath the apex predators, the dragons themselves, yet was somehow more dreadful than they were.
In an instant, driven purely by instinct, the beast made its decision. It dropped flat to the ground, rolled onto its back, exposed its belly, and stuck out its tongue.
"Awwooo… awwooo."
The massive creature started acting cute. It was begging. Submitting completely.
"Good boy. You made the right choice."
Kazuma smiled faintly at the beast, then turned his gaze to Erza Knightwalker, who had been shaken loose from its back.
"Erza, right? Since you look exactly like one of my companions from another world, I'll give you a chance."
"Lay down your arms and surrender. Nothing will happen. But if you refuse… there's only one road left, and it ends in death. I never show mercy to an enemy."
Kazuma looked at her thoughtfully. He remembered his Erza. Same name, different surname.
"Another world? Then you're from a world of magic?"
"That means that starlight just now was magic too!"
"Heh. You're not a god at all. You're just a mage! And no matter how powerful a mage is, they're still human. Against the royal army, you'll lose for sure!"
Erza pulled out her weapon, a long spear that could freely change forms, each one imbued with a different type of magic.
She shouted loudly, as if addressing others, but it sounded more like she was shouting at herself, trying desperately to erase the fear clawing at her heart.
"Go ahead and try," Kazuma said calmly. "I won't move. You can attack."
"If you're strong enough, I die. But if I don't…"
"I won't forgive anyone who raises a weapon against me."
"So choose. Attack, or give up."
Without the slightest ripple in his gaze, Kazuma stepped forward and stood directly in front of her spear tip.
"That's Erza the Fairy Hunter!"
The members of Fairy Tail still didn't fully understand what was happening, but one thing was painfully clear.
This man was absurdly strong. That enormous beast hadn't even dared to move. Just one look had scared it into complete submission.
"Master Kazuma, she's not like our Erza!" Lisanna shouted. "She's an enemy!"
"And magic can't be used in this world!"
Lisanna couldn't help but speak up. Over in their world, Erza was kind, upright, and gen… well, maybe not exactly gentle.
But this Erza?
In Fairy Tail's eyes, she was the cruel Fairy Hunter.
"Huh? Are you reminding me," Kazuma asked, turning to look at Lisanna, "or are you reminding her?"
He stared at her for a second, genuinely wondering if this kid was okay. Sure, he wouldn't be affected by that information, but was this really the time to say something like that?
Erza was already scared stiff, and Lisanna just casually blurted out that magic couldn't be used here.
Was she helping him, or tipping off the enemy?
Team up with her and you'd get sold out in seconds.
"Ah! S-sorry!"
Lisanna clapped a hand over her mouth. She'd been too anxious and hadn't thought it through. She'd really meant well, but somehow managed to make things worse.
"Yes. She's right!" Erza shouted.
"In another world, you might be an incredibly powerful mage!"
"You crossed between worlds with your own strength! You cowed my mount with nothing but your presence and froze me in place!"
"But all of that is fake!"
"In this world, you can't use magic! You don't have it!"
"You're not strong here!"
Her voice rang out, loud and desperate. Just moments ago, Erza Knightwalker had been drowning in fear and self-doubt. Now she'd grabbed onto a lifeline and refused to let go.
She clutched it tightly, praying it would pull her out of the whirlpool of terror.
"Maybe," Kazuma said lightly. "Then go ahead and try."
"If you succeed, you'll walk away unharmed."
"If you fail, you'll die. Everyone beside you will die. This country will be destroyed."
"Come on. Try it. Maybe I'm just bluffing."
Kazuma looked at her calmly. He was already certain of one thing.
This Erza wouldn't attack.
The tougher she acted on the outside, the softer and more fragile her heart was on the inside.
The Erza standing before him, and the Erza he knew from his own world, were exactly the same in that regard.
"I… I have to do it! For my country! For this world! To regain magic, I can't give up!"
Erza kept repeating those words, trying to convince herself. She forced her head up and tightened her grip on the spear.
But then their eyes met.
In that instant, the fear of her death, of everyone losing their future, exploded inside her.
Kazuma's Conqueror's Haki surged forth, amplifying every shred of fear in her heart. Her strength vanished instantly, and she collapsed to her knees with a dull thud.
"Those who carry fear in their hearts have already lost before the battle begins," Kazuma said calmly.
"If you're not prepared to face death, then don't step onto the battlefield."
He walked over and gently patted Erza on the head.
His Conqueror's Haki wasn't the same as others'. His could stir and magnify the fear buried deep within a person's heart, until they lost the will to fight him altogether.
"And Erza, don't look so hopeless," he added casually. "So what if magic disappeared? That's really not a big deal."
"Magic disappearing isn't a big deal…?"
Erza snapped her head up, her eyes lighting up with hope.
"You… you have a way to fix it?!"
Maybe this terrifying man really could help them regain magic.
After all, he was someone who had crossed the barrier between worlds with sheer power alone, walking a road paved with starlight to reach this place.
.
.
.