The Dark Night Poison Scorpions knew Weston fairly well.
At the very least they knew what he looked like, so they wouldn't fail to bolt when he was standing right in front of them.
"The Fairy Commander?!"
"Weston Lagrange?!"
The instant they recognized the gate-crasher, wordless dread surged through their hearts.
Every Mage broke into a cold sweat.
"I heard the Queen made him a duke—why is he in the City of Lawlessness?!"
"Don't tell me he's here to wipe us out?!"
We're doomed!
On instinct the Mages squeezed their eyes shut, as if that could let them escape reality—or that when they opened them again it would turn out to be a drunken dream.
Footsteps entered the tavern, closer and clearer with every stride.
They had to open their eyes.
Keeping them closed was suicide; opening them might let them beg for their lives—or at least find a chance to run.
At worst, they could look for an opening to escape.
"You think… he's here for us?"
Isn't that obvious?!
The guild gate's been blasted off—if not for us, then who?
Weston strode into the tavern, fearless.
With every step he advanced, the Mages inside retreated.
Until… a death-defying hothead stepped forward.
"Hey, hey, hey!!"
"No matter how famous he is, he's still just one guy, right?"
"Cowering like this—you're a disgrace to the Dark Night Poison Scorpions!"
"It's Lord Luther!!"
Hearing that voice, the Mages felt a backbone return; they crowded around him, shielding him at the front.
The man called Luther was a pineapple-haired fellow nearing thirty, his face gloomy and brimming with arrogance.
He stepped up to Weston, chin lifted high in contempt. "So you're the so-called Fairy Commander?"
"I am indeed Weston Lagrange—any problem?"
The man sneered. "Just curious about the rumors. A teenage kid really became the kingdom's supreme commander?"
"I bet someone else directed the war and you're just the scapegoat they pushed out!"
Hmm??
Eh??
Weston froze; even the other Mages were stunned.
They'd never considered that possibility!
Seeing Weston's surprise, Luther thought he'd hit the mark and boasted even louder, showing off his 'brilliance'.
"Think about it—how could a kid this age have deep battlefield command skills?"
"That kind of skill can't be learned without real experience!"
So the guy's an idiot!
Weston suddenly understood.
Luther kept shouting, "Even if he can command armies, that's no proof of personal strength!"
"He's alone while our guild has three hundred!"
"In the City of Lawlessness thousands who lost to the Fairy Commander hate his guts—every one of them is his enemy!"
"If we swarm him, can he really handle this many?"
Gasps swept the tavern.
"Ah…"
"Lord Luther's right!"
"How stupid we were!"
"Military genius needs an army—without it he's just a brat, nothing to fear!!"
Encouraged, the Mages rose and ringed Weston with ill intent.
In a few sentences Luther had the Dark Night Poison Scorpions raring to go.
Seeing the crowd close in, Weston set his stance, ready to fight.
Bang—!!
The blast sounded the charge.
A hundred Mages roared and lunged—fists, feet, spells of every kind.
Surrounded, Weston showed no fear, only wild joy and blazing battle-lust.
"Hahaha… bring it on!!"
Instantly he sidestepped, fists flying, kicks merciless.
Thud-thud-thud… "Aargh—!!"
Smack-smack-smack… "Go easy—!!"
Thump-thump-thump… "It hurts—!!"
These were Dark Guild scum; Weston held nothing back, unleashing Fairy Tail's trademark close-quarters combat!
Wherever his fists landed Mages were sent flying like snapped kites—none could resist.
"Damn you… die!!"
From the crowd a Mage raised a huge magic sword high and slashed down at Weston.
Voom—
The blade gathered mana, forming a razor arc.
Weston's eyes sharpened; he stepped in without retreat and threw a heavy punch straight at the slash.
As his fist shot out, a magic circle flashed, condensing into the character "burst"!
Boom—!!
A titanic explosion erupted!
Fist-force wrapped in Word Magic "Explosion" ploughed forward, scattering the airborne sword-strike and blasting everything nearby.
The swordsman was first to be hit; the blast hurled him and his weapon through the ceiling, turning him into a twinkling star!
The other Mages couldn't even withstand the aftershock, sent sprawling along with tables, plates, and drinks.
But the punch did more than that!
The floor cracked, walls collapsed!
The whole tavern crashed down, shaking half the street!
Bystanders who'd come to watch lost their footing from the tremor and sat hard on the ground.
After a long moment… the quake stilled and the dust settled.
Gulp… the surviving Mages panicked; facing the figure standing tall amid the ruins, none dared advance.
"Cough… he's… so strong!"
"Isn't he just a battlefield commander? How can he be this powerful?"
"This isn't what Lord Luther said!"
"Things look bad! Lord Luther, help—"
The extras looked around for their backbone—only to find the spot where Luther had stood now completely empty!