As the clouds shattered with a deafening roar, a meteor engulfed in red flames hurtled toward Jose's head.
"Are you kidding? That's a meteor?!"
"How can something that ridiculous exist?!"
Jose's pupils dilated as he stared at the enormous meteor. In a flash, he recalled what the Magic Council had once told him: Evan Belserion, one of the Ten Wizard Saints from Fairy Tail, nicknamed 'Star Destruction,' was not best known for close combat but for his True Celestial Magic—Star Destruction!
"Damn it!!"
Jose tried to flee, but standing on the mountaintop left him no room to retreat. All around were sheer cliffs that dropped into bottomless abysses.
"Full magic release! It's just a meteor, I'll block it!!"
Jose unleashed all his magic power, pushing himself to the limit. They say a person's true potential is revealed in life-and-death situations, and at this moment, Jose understood the meaning of this phrase. His eyes grew clearer, indicating a breakthrough.
"Boom!!"
Then, the meteor struck, accompanied by an endless wave of impact. Jose was smashed into the mountain, revealing the gap between him and Evan could not be bridged by sheer willpower alone.
A faint wail echoed through the cliffs in the mountain forest's depths: "Evan! I'll remember this! You wait, I'll be back..."
"There are explicit regulations by the Magic Council prohibiting conflicts between the Ten Wizard Saints! Just wait for the Council's punishment!!"
Meanwhile, back at the villa where the guild masters of Fiore were gathered:
"Jose is gone?!"
"Even Jura's guild member Aria disappeared in an instant. What just happened?"
"Yeah, what happened?"
"Did Jose use some kind of teleportation magic?"
"It didn't look like it! Rather than Jose using teleportation magic, it seemed like that mysterious red-haired youth did something to Jose..."
The guild masters of Fiore's magical guilds gathered in a circle, discussing and speculating. They had witnessed the sudden disappearance of Jose Porla, a fellow Ten Wizard Saint and guild master of Phantom Lord, after a brief exchange with the youthful-looking redhead holding a drink.
Although they didn't understand how Jose vanished, they realized it had something to do with this red-haired youth and some conflict between them.
"Makarov, who is that red-haired kid from your guild?"
Goldmine, filled with curiosity, asked Makarov directly.
"Well, that's..."
Cold sweat dripped from Makarov's forehead. He stammered, unable to reveal Evan's identity.
"Makarov, there's no point hiding it!"
Goldmine frowned at Makarov's evasiveness. It seemed like Makarov was intentionally keeping this powerful kid a secret.
"This is..."
Makarov's face turned red. He wanted to explain, but the truth was Evan really had attacked Jose. Unlike the planned show of strength, Evan truly struck Jose, who was a Ten Wizard Saint. The Magic Council explicitly forbade conflicts between the Ten Wizard Saints, and even though a quick takedown might not count, it wasn't something to boast about. It would give others the impression that Fairy Tail was bullying the weak.
Despite initially bringing Ul and Evan, both Ten Wizard Saints, to overpower the others, Makarov hadn't expected Evan to actually attack. Fortunately, due to Evan's speed, the other guild masters hadn't noticed what had happened.
"But Evan's speed is truly remarkable. Even I could only see a faint black shadow. It's no wonder the others didn't see anything..."
"Perhaps even if it were me instead of Jose, facing Evan, I wouldn't fare much better!"
Makarov looked at Evan with a mixture of surprise and pride. Evan being this strong was a great boon for Fairy Tail.
"Oh? You don't know?"
"Don't you know the identity of little Evan?"
As Makarov marveled at Evan's strength, Bob from Blue Pegasus approached Goldmine with a smile.
"Oh? Do you know that kid's identity?"
"Stop teasing and tell me!"
Goldmine, excited that Bob knew, urged him to spill the information.
"Damn it! I forgot Bob knows about Evan..."
"And the worst part is, I'm the one who told Bob about Evan!"
Makarov, seeing Bob's triumphant expression, felt a chill. He knew trouble was coming, all because of his loose lips.
"Of course, I know~"
"But if you want me to tell you, you'll have to kiss me~"
Bob, smiling at Goldmine, gestured to his cheek.
"Bob, you..."
Goldmine's eyes narrowed under his sunglasses. If it weren't for the fact they were at a gathering of Fiore's guild masters, he would've punched Bob by now.
"Boom!!"
Meanwhile, Evan ignored the guild masters' speculations. Holding his drink, he stood by the window, seemingly enjoying the view.
When Evan saw a meteor burning fiercely and trailing a red tail descending from the sky, he turned and smiled at the guild masters.
Shortly after the meteor struck the mountain...
The entire villa began to shake irregularly.
The villa swayed as if on the verge of collapse, and the guild masters struggled to stay on their feet amid the sudden tremors.
"An earthquake?!"
"This is bad! Isn't this dangerous?"
"Quick, someone help me!"
The guild masters of Fiore's magical guilds were in a state of panic. Though they were mages, their power levels varied, and not all could handle the earthquake as easily as Goldmine or Bob.
"Don't worry, guild masters! I'm here!"
"Rock Wall!"
Jura, standing by Ooba Babasaama, clasped his hands together and shouted. Instantly, numerous rock pillars rose from all sides of the villa, stabilizing the shaking structure.
As the tremors subsided, the unexpected earthquake came to an end without causing any real damage.
"Phew! It's over, everyone…"
Jura, eyes closed, exhaled deeply after using his rock magic to confirm that the tremors had ceased. Initially, due to sudden tectonic shifts, Jura thought it was a major earthquake, but it turned out to be a false alarm.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled warmly at the other guild masters.
"Truly impressive, Jura of Iron Rock!"
"Indeed! His magic power is on par with the current Ten Wizard Saints!"
"Jura, would you consider joining our guild? We'd make you the guild master immediately!"
"Ooba, how about you let us have Jura? Name your price, we'll pay any amount!"
As soon as Jura finished speaking, the guild masters expressed their admiration and extended offers, surrounding Jura with praise and proposals.
For now, they set aside the mysterious disappearance of Jose and Aria, focusing on seizing the opportunity to recruit Jura for their own guilds.
"Stop it, all of you!"
"Jura is the treasure of Lamia Scale. I won't trade him for anything!"
"And for those of you thinking of taking him by force, you'll be spinning circles!"
Ooba Babasaama protected Jura, casting a spell that caused several annoying guild masters to spin uncontrollably.
"Ugh, we're already spinning…"
"Please, stop!"
"I'm going to be sick…"
The guild masters targeted by Ooba had no resistance against her magic, begging her to stop as they spun in place, not knowing which way to turn.
"Ooba, please let them go. No matter what they do, I won't leave Lamia Scale…"
Jura, seeing the guild masters on the verge of collapse, gently pleaded with Ooba to stop her magic.
"Hmph~" Ooba snorted, initially displeased. But hearing Jura's loyalty, she smiled and released her magic. "You heard Jura. He won't leave our guild, so your efforts are in vain. Now, while I'm in a good mood, get lost before I change my mind!"
"Setting aside your age…"
"Your actions just now were anything but ladylike!"
The surrounding guild masters grumbled at Ooba's words.
"Hehe, did you see my Jura's power?"
"Do you still want to send your young wizards to get beaten up?"
Ignoring the complaints, Ooba smirked at Makarov, Goldmine, and Bob, her words filled with pride in Jura's strength.
"This guy is amazing! Given time, he might surpass me. Should I bring him into our guild? Maybe get Evan to knock him out and carry him back?"
Makarov, rubbing his chin, considered Jura. He admired Jura's steady personality, something rare in Fairy Tail.
However, seeing Ooba's protective stance, Makarov laughed it off: "Haha, if I did that, Ooba would kill me! Besides, our guild is already full of troublemakers. One more and the continent might not contain them all…"
"Jura, huh? A troublesome guy…"
"Damn, Ooba, you've hidden a monster like this."
Goldmine adjusted his cowboy hat, feeling the pressure even as the leader of Quatro Cerberus.
"Brother, you're a bit too wild!"
Bacchus, feeling uneasy, didn't believe he could compete with Jura.
"Though you're young, you have a strong aura~"
"But my strength isn't far behind, men!"
Ichiya, older than Jura by two years, struck a pose, trying to look cool.
Both Bacchus and Ichiya acknowledged Jura's formidable strength, realizing even their best efforts might not be enough to defeat him.
"Hahaha…"
Ooba reveled in Bacchus and Ichiya's nervousness. Her purpose was clear: to showcase Jura's future dominance in Ishgar's magic world, a shining star on top of the hierarchy.
As Ooba and Jura became the center of attention...
Makarov remained silent for various reasons...
Evan, holding his drink, headed to the buffet. After dealing with Jose, he lost interest in the others. To play with him, one had to be a Ten Wizard Saint. Those like Jura held no appeal; they weren't worth his time...