The Rainbow Cherry Blossom Festival was just over twenty days away.
Ultear, Erza, and Kagura had taken several quests in nearby towns.
They also promised to help Grandma Hilda buy supplies in a neighboring city, so they were absent from the guild.
Raizel felt no need to tag along for shopping trips, so he stayed behind to train.
However, without Erza and Kagura to spar with, he shifted his focus to physical training and meditation.
For the first time in a while, he went to the waterfall cliff.
He practiced swinging his sword underwater in the pool beneath the cascade, letting the resistance temper his muscles.
Laxus had left early with Cana.
Raizel noticed that Laxus had grabbed a stack of S-Class quests so they likely wouldn't return until Christmas.
It wasn't that Cana didn't want to go with her father, Gildarts.
But at her current level, she couldn't be of much help on an SS-Class quest (which was all Gildarts took).
Going with Laxus offered her real training opportunities, and Laxus was strong enough to watch her back.
Laxus had chosen Cana over Gray for a reason.
During their fishing trip, Laxus explained that he and Cana had known each other for years and had better synergy.
Plus, Cana actually listened to his advice.
Raizel suspected Laxus was mostly saying that to calm Gildarts down, since he had essentially kidnapped the man's daughter for a month.
Gildarts had simply smiled and told Laxus to protect her.
He trusted the Lightning Dragon Slayer deeply.
If Gildarts wasn't the one watching Laxus grow up, it was the other way around.
Natsu and Gray had also left for quests to pay their rent.
Ur remained at the Guild.
She spent her days with Wendy, teaching the little girl reading and meditation.
Wendy often pestered Ur to visit Raizel.
This led to a new routine: Ur would bring Wendy and a packed lunch to the East Forest, and they would spend the afternoon meditating with Raizel.
...
Fifteen days before the festival, after nearly ten days of solitude, a carrier pigeon arrived in the forest.
It was a letter from Makarov.
Raizel hadn't planned on taking any more quests, but the Magic Council had suddenly located the hideout of a notorious Dark Guild.
The mission was assigned directly to Fairy Tail, bypassing all other guilds. This was a clear recognition of the strength Fairy Tail had displayed during the Harvest Festival.
Typically, the Council ignored Dark Guilds unless they were a major dark guild like Grimoire heart or caused major chaos.
However, this particular guild had recently attacked a legal guild and killed several Mages.
They had crossed the line and Raizel had no choice but to accept it.
He took the quest paper and immediately took off from the Guild's entrance.
The target was in Haslan Town, located north of Magnolia.
It was about 400 kilometers away in a straight line, but the terrain was blocked by mountains and sea, usually requiring a long detour.
Luckiky for Raizel, terrain didn't matter to him.
"Take Over: UlforceVeedramon."
He transformed into the fastest Royal Knight, the Blue V-Dragon and tore through the sky.
He arrived in minutes.
A spy from the Council had infiltrated the Dark Guild and marked the location.
Intel:
Location: Underground bunker.
Targets: Three brothers who served as leaders. Together, they could withstand an S-Class Mage.
Plus, a swarm of grunt mages.
"Take Over: Omegamon."
Raizel switched forms at the entrance.
He didn't want to be ambushed.
He donned the white armor, the Grey Sword on his left arm, and the Garuru Cannon on his right.
He descended the spiral stairs. The ceiling was high enough for Omegamon's two-meter frame to move freely.
"Who's there?" A guard heard heavy metal footsteps echoing on the stairs.
Raizel didn't bother to answer as he raised his right arm.
"Garuru Cannon."
BOOM.
Missiles of absolute zero energy fired from the cannon, freezing and blasting the guards before they could raise the alarm.
Honor? Raizel had none of that for murderers. If he could ambush, he would ambush.
"Huh? He blocked it?"
When Raizel raised his cannon earlier, the leader sitting at the top reacted instantly.
He leaped forward, equipping a massive black shield and activating a magic circle to block the blast.
His two brothers—one raised a staff, while the other wielded a magic spear.
"Die!"
The youngest brother charged, his spear crackling with lightning.
Raizel didn't flinch. He extended his left arm.
"Grey Sword."
Clang.
With a casual swing, he knocked the magic spear aside.
Before the spearman could recover, Raizel pressed his right cannon against the man's stomach.
BLAM.
A point-blank energy shot sent the youngest brother crashing into the wall, unconscious.
"You bastard!"
The second brother waved his staff.
"Ice Geyser!"
A massive pillar of ice erupted from the floor beneath Raizel.
Raizel jumped backward.
'Pure Ice Magic? No, maybe Water too.'
Grom, the eldest, stepped in front of the mage.
He was wearing full heavy armor—black, thick, and intimidating. It looked even bulkier than Erza's Adamantine Armor.
"I love beating up tanks," Raizel muttered.
He raised the Garuru Cannon and fired.
BOOM.
Grom crouched low, bracing his shield.
The impact made him slide backward, his boots carving grooves in the stone, but he didn't fall.
"Brother, attack now!"
The Mage behind Grom finished his chant. Another massive Ice Geyser erupted, catching Raizel mid-air.
The grunt mages behind them unleashed a volley of fireballs and lightning.
Swish.
Raizel flared Omegamon's cape. The absolute defense of the cloak brushed the magic aside like dust.
"Not bad. Similar to Gray's magic, but stronger." Raizel stood on top of the ice pillar.
"Enough playing around. It's over."
Raizel vanished.
He used pure speed to flash forward.
CRASH.
He shattered the defensive magic circle with his shoulder. Before Grom could react, Raizel was already behind him.
"Brother! Behind you!"
"Too late."
Grey Sword.
Raizel struck Grom's back. Grom desperately tried to turn, but his heavy armor slowed him down.
SHING.
The sword sliced through the heavy plate like butter, leaving a massive gash and shattering the armor.
Grom collapsed.
Raizel spun around and backhanded the Staff Mage, sending him flying into a pile of crates.
He raised the Garuru Cannon one last time to sweep the room of the remaining soldiers.
Mission Complete.
...
Raizel froze the three brothers in blocks of ice to prevent escape, walked back to the surface, and fired a signal flare.
The Council's army, waiting nearby, moved in with Magic Prison Carriages to detain the criminals.
Grom's defense had been decent—slightly weaker than Erza's Adamantine, but bulkier. However, his requip speed was too slow.
Raizel accepted the reward from the captain.
He didn't plan to stay.
'What could be better than going home to sleep?'
He had accepted the mission in the afternoon and returned to Magnolia by evening, even stopping for dinner in between.
...
Makarov was sitting at the bar, enjoying a drink.
"Hey, Grandpa. Had dinner yet?"
Raizel walked through the open doors. He scanned the room; Ur and Wendy weren't there, likely out getting food.
"PFFT!"
Makarov spat his beer all over the counter. The spray extinguished Wakaba's cigar.
"I... I have," Makarov stammered, wiping his mouth.
He looked at the clock.
It hadn't been long since he received the news that the Dark Guild was subdued.
And Raizel was already back?
'400 kilometers in minutes?' Makarov sighed deeply.
'If I could fly or teleport back in my prime... imagine how many more missions I could have done.'
He clutched his chest, doing the mental math.
'I missed out on so much money!!!'