"What?!"
Makarov's eyes bugged out, disbelief written across his wrinkled face.
"Kid, you've got guts for a newcomer, I'll give you that. But this mission? Absolutely not. Pick another one."
Cian looked the Master in the eye, his expression earnest. "Master, please! I am confident I can complete this mission!"
He wasn't just boasting. He had drawn Ulquiorra Cifer. Even though his own Magic Power was currently only one-star—meaning he couldn't yet tap into the full, devastating potential of the Espada—even a fraction of that power should be enough to handle a group of bandit mages.
Makarov shook his head firmly. "This isn't a matter of confidence, boy. It's a matter of strength."
"But I have the strength!"
"You stubborn brat! Why are you so pigheaded?!"
Makarov slammed his fist onto the table, the sound echoing through the hall. The chatter died instantly.
"What's going on? How did the newbie manage to tick off the Master already?"
"Sounds like he wants a specific job and the Master is refusing."
"What kind of job would Master refuse?"
"It's the extermination request for the Phantom Bandit Gang."
"What?!"
A ripple of shock went through the guild.
The Phantom Bandit Gang was a notorious group of rogue Mages that had risen to prominence recently. They pillaged, burned, and committed atrocities that even some Dark Guilds turned their noses up at.
While Dark Guilds were illegal, they often still operated on a system of contracts and payments. The Phantom Bandit Gang, however, used their magic solely to slaughter and rob innocent civilians. They had no code, no rules.
The Magic Council had placed a bounty on their heads, but the gang was elusive. They struck fast, vanished without a trace, and left no witnesses.
According to survivor reports, the gang consisted of thirteen members—all Mages. That was effectively the size of a small guild.
To take down a group like that solo, you'd need to be an S-Class Mage. Even for someone as destructive as Natsu, you'd want a partner. For average guild members? You'd need a squad of at least five, and even then, casualties would be likely.
That was why the request had been gathering dust on the board for days.
And Cian—a rookie who had joined literally ten minutes ago—wanted to solo it? It was suicide. A classic case of a newborn calf not fearing the tiger.
"Master, I'm not being stubborn," Cian insisted, his voice steady. "I truly believe I can do this."
He couldn't back down. His goal was the B-Rank rewards. If he caved now, Makarov might restrict him to C-Rank grunt work for months.
Makarov peered at Cian, gauging the steel in the young man's eyes. He sighed. If he just said 'no', the kid might sneak out and try it anyway.
"Fine. If you can prove you possess the necessary strength, I'll sign off on it."
"How do I prove it?"
"I'll choose an opponent from the guild. If you can defeat him, the job is yours."
"Deal!" Cian agreed without hesitation.
Makarov scanned the room. Ideally, he would have chosen Erza to discipline the boy, but she was out on a job. He'd have to settle for the next best option.
"Natsu!"
"I'm all fired up!"
Natsu Dragneel didn't just respond; he launched himself onto a table, grinning maniacally. He'd been itching for a fight since the moment Makarov mentioned a duel.
"Master picked Natsu?!"
"Oh, the poor newbie is toast."
Cian turned to look at his opponent. Natsu Dragneel. The protagonist. The Salmon-haired chaos engine of Fairy Tail.
He hadn't expected Makarov to throw him into the deep end immediately. Natsu was easily one of the top fighters in the guild. While he usually lost to Erza, that was mostly because he held back against friends. Serious Natsu was S-Class material through and through.
A thrill of excitement shot through Cian's veins. He wanted this. He wanted to know how his system-granted power stacked up against the main character.
"Place your bets! Place your bets!"
Cana Alberona was already in business mode. She slapped a sign onto a table with Cian and Natsu written on it.
"Newcomer Cian VS The Salamander!"
"Odds are 1 to 2 for the Newcomer! 1 to 1 for Natsu! Come and get 'em!"
The guild swarmed the table.
"2,000 Jewels on Natsu!" "3,000 on Natsu!" "Put me down for 3,000 on the Fire Idiot!"
The pile of cash on Natsu's side grew rapidly. Cana started sweating. If Natsu actually won—which was highly likely—she was going to lose a month's worth of booze money paying out these meager returns.
"Hey! Why is everyone betting on Natsu?! Live a little! Bet on the underdog! Double payout!" she pleaded.
Macao laughed. "Hah! Why would we throw money away? Natsu's a wrecking ball!"
"Exactly!" Wakaba chimed in, puffing on his pipe.
Everyone knew the score. Betting on the rookie was throwing money into the ocean.
"I'll bet on the newcomer. 3,000 Jewels."
A purple-haired girl pushed her glasses up her nose and placed her money on Cian's side.
"Hey, Laki!" Droy called out. "You know his opponent is Natsu, right?"
Laki Olietta shrugged. "It's fine. It's just a day's meal money. Besides, it's too pitiful if the new guy has zero supporters."
Cian glanced over at her. He recognized Laki. She was a minor character who didn't get much screen time, but he remembered her loyalty. During the seven-year time skip when the core members were frozen on Tenrou Island, Laki was one of the few who stuck with the guild through its darkest, poorest days.
That kind of loyalty stuck with you.
Laki caught his eye and offered a small, encouraging smile.
"I'm also betting on the newcomer!"
"Mira?!"
Everyone turned to see the barmaid placing her bet.
"I think if Cian is brave enough to demand that mission, he must have a trick up his sleeve," Mira said cheerfully. "He might even win."
Her logic gave the others pause. Mira wasn't just a pretty face; she was a retired S-Class Mage. If she saw potential...
Slowly, a few more people started drifting toward Cian's side of the betting pool, though Natsu remained the overwhelming favorite.
Minutes later, the entire guild had relocated to the open training grounds behind the guild hall. The area was a vast dirt clearing bordering the endless expanse of Lake Scillia.
This was hallowed ground for Fairy Tail brawls. Natsu and Gray, Erza and Mira—countless rivalries had been settled in this dirt.
"Go, Natsu! Show him the flames of Fairy Tail!"
"Go, Newbie! My drinking tab depends on you!"
The crowd roared with anticipation.
In the center of the ring, the two combatants faced off.
"Yo! I'm Natsu. Nice to meet ya!" Natsu grinned, cracking his knuckles.
"I'm Cian. Likewise."
"So," Natsu asked, tilting his head, "what kind of magic do you use?"
"Take Over Magic."
Natsu's eyes lit up. "Oho! Take Over? Like Mira and Elfman!"
"Both sides, ready?!" Makarov shouted from the sidelines.
Cian took a deep breath. He focused on the card in his mind's eye.
"Take Over: Ulquiorra Cifer!"
Dark energy swirled around him.
Cian's body began to morph. His casual clothes dissolved, replaced by a white jacket with a high collar and long coattails. His legs were clad in a white hakama with a wide black sash. A katana materialized at his hip.
His skin bleached into a deathly pale white. His eyes turned a piercing emerald green with vertical slit pupils. Dark green lines, like tear tracks, etched themselves down his cheeks. Finally, a fragment of a white bone helmet with a horn formed over the left side of his head.
Anyone who had watched Bleach would recognize the terrifying visage of the Fourth Espada instantly.
At the same time, memories that weren't his flooded Cian's mind.
The endless white sands of Hueco Mundo. The cold emptiness. The servitude to Aizen. The final duel with Ichigo Kurosaki above the dome of Las Noches.
For a moment, Cian and Ulquiorra became one.
The transformation settled. Cian stood perfectly still, his hands in his pockets.
He didn't scream or flare his aura. He simply existed. And yet, a heavy, suffocating pressure—a Reiatsu—began to radiate from him, chilling the air around the arena.