Hargeon Harbor.
The sea breeze carried a salty, fishy scent.
Three pirate ships flying black skull flags blocked the shipping lane.
The decks were crowded with outlaws armed with muskets and cutlasses.
This was the A-rank criminal group “Venomous Fang,” which occupied the southern seas.
Aether stood atop the highest bell tower in the harbor.
The sea breeze whipped his long golden hair.
He looked down at the dense swarm of enemies below.
“There are over two hundred of them,” Paimon said, floating in mid-air with her arms crossed.
“Fighting them one by one will take too long.” Aether didn’t speak.
He raised his right hand, a wisp of azure airflow swirling around his fingertips.
After obtaining the “Kaedehara Kazuha” template, this was his first time testing the Anemo element in a large-scale actual combat situation.
Aether leaped down from the bell tower.
He drew his short sword in mid-air.
Azure Anemo energy instantly coated the blade.
“Enemy attack!” a pirate sentry shouted.
Countless muskets aimed at Aether in mid-air.
Muzzles spat tongues of fire.
Lead bullets wove into a net.
Aether tumbled in the air, his left hand forming a seal.
“Hydro.” A curtain of water unfolded before him, blocking the first wave of lead bullets.
The water flow exploded, turning into a sky full of droplets that showered the pirate ships’ decks.
The pirates were drenched in water.
Aether landed on the top of a pirate ship’s mast.
He sheathed his sword, crouched down, and gripped the hilt with his right hand.
The airflow around him began to surge frantically.
“Chihayaburu.” Aether gave a low shout.
A gale rose from the ground.
A massive azure eye of the storm instantly formed with him as the center.
A powerful suction pulled everything nearby.
The pirates on the deck, scattered barrels, and even the enemies on the other two ships were all dragged into the air by this unreasonable gravitational pull.
Over two hundred pirates were squeezed together in the eye of the storm, letting out terrified screams.
Aether drew his sword.
The moment the blade left its scabbard, he injected a trace of Electro magic into the eye of the storm.
The eye of the storm contacted the Electro element and mixed with the water on the pirates.
“Swirl.” Boom!
The azure wind tornado instantly turned into a violent purple-blue.
Lightning followed the wind and water, conducting frantically among the two hundred-plus people.
The electro-charged reaction was forcibly amplified tenfold by the Anemo element.
The screams stopped abruptly.
The eye of the storm dissipated.
Over two hundred pirates smashed onto the deck in unison, their bodies charred black and foaming at the mouth, all having lost their ability to fight.
The three pirate ships were intact.
Not a single brick had fallen from the harbor buildings.
Aether sheathed his sword and landed steadily on the deck.
The entire subjugation process took less than ten seconds.
When the Council’s reception unit arrived, the captain leading the team looked at the pirates unconscious all over the ground and the unharmed harbor, then swallowed hard.
“This…
Fairy Tail did this?” Aether handed over the request form.
The captain took it with both hands and stamped it, his eyes full of awe.
Over the next six months, Aether’s footsteps spanned the Kingdom of Fiore.
He was no longer limited to the area around Magnolia.
Whether it was the jurisdictions of Blue Pegasus, Four Hound Dogs, or Lamia Scale, as long as there was a cross-regional joint request, he would take it.
The Vaporize of Hydro and Pyro, the Frozen of Hydro and Cryo, plus the grouping and Swirl of the Anemo element.
Aether’s fighting style became an art form.
No redundant destruction, no meaningless consumption.
A mission completion rate of 100%.
A building damage rate of zero.
Gradually, several titles began to circulate in the magic world.
Ichiya of Blue Pegasus called him the “Miraculous Elemental Mage emanating a scent of logic.” Godman of Four Hound Dogs called him the “Traveler.” And in the Council’s internal reports, the annotation given to him was: “The only Order Fairy in Fairy Tail.” Time passed.
Magnolia welcomed Fairy Tail’s grand annual celebration—the Harvest Festival.
The guild hall was decorated with lanterns and streamers.
Makarov sat at the bar, holding a huge wooden beer mug, his face flushed red.
“Drink!
Everyone drink to your heart’s content today!” Makarov laughed.
Aether sat in a corner booth, drinking juice.
These six months of high-intensity missions had allowed him to accumulate a large amount of Primogems.
Although he hadn’t performed his next ten-pull yet, his total magic power had significantly improved through repeated cycles of elemental depletion and recovery.
“Aether!” Paimon popped out from under the table, holding a half-eaten piece of grilled meat.
“What are you planning to perform for the Fantasia parade tonight?” Aether put down his cup.
“The parade is a guild tradition; just going through the motions is fine.” “That won’t do!” Paimon said with her hands on her hips, stomping in the air.
“You’re a big celebrity now!
So many tourists from out of town have come specifically to see you.
If you just phone it in, you’ll lose fans!” Paimon leaned into Aether’s ear and lowered her voice.
“I have a great suggestion.
Use the Cryo element and dance that Ritual Dance of the Lawrence Clan!
The one Eula does!
You’re so good-looking; it’ll definitely be eye-catching!” Aether glanced at Paimon.
“I refuse.” Asking him to dance a Ritual Dance in front of the whole city was worse than asking him to fight the Black Dragon solo.
“Tch, no sense of fun,” Paimon said, taking a bite of grilled meat.
Night fell.
The main streets of Magnolia were packed with people.
Fireworks Bloom in the sky.
The Fairy Tail Fantasia parade officially began.
Massive floats moved slowly down the street.
Makarov used Giant Magic to turn into a giant, drawing gasps of amazement from the children.
Although young Laxus had looked reluctant when talking about it during the day, he was happier than anyone at night, delivering a brilliant performance using the Electro element to match a rock rhythm.
The atmosphere was pushed to a climax.
Finally, it was Aether’s float’s turn.
Deafening cheers erupted from the crowd.
“It’s Aether!” “Order Fairy!” “Look at his magic!” Aether stood atop the float.
He was dressed in a simple white shirt and black trousers.
No flashy clothes, no exaggerated movements.
He looked up at the deep night sky.
“Since you want to see, I’ll show you something different.” Aether drew the short sword at his waist.
He didn’t swing the sword but pointed the tip directly at the night sky.
Azure Anemo energy gathered at the sword’s tip.
An extremely thin tornado soared into the sky, reaching a height of a hundred meters.
Next, Aether’s left hand quickly formed seals.
Four magic orbs of different colors formed in his palm.
Red for Pyro, blue for Hydro, purple for Electro, and white for Cryo.
Aether tossed the four orbs into the air.
The orbs were precisely sucked into the eye of the storm.
“Kazuha Slash: Modified.” Aether whispered.
The eye of the storm high in the sky contracted sharply, then exploded with a roar.
There was no deafening explosion sound.
The Anemo element forcibly crushed, diffused, and reorganized the four elements.
An aurora spanning the entirety of Magnolia appeared in the night sky.
Red Pyro and blue Hydro intertwined; the mist from the Vaporize was Frozen by the Cryo element, turning into tiny falling ice crystals.
Purple lightning darted between the ice crystals, reflecting light like a kaleidoscope.
The entire city was illuminated as if it were day.
Ice crystals slowly drifted down, landing on tourists’ shoulders and in their palms, then dissipating into pure magic in the air.
Not a single spark, not a single drop of water.
Extreme splendor, extreme control.
The entire city was dead silent for three seconds.
Then, the cheers that erupted nearly blew the roofs off.
Makarov stood on the float ahead, looking at the aurora in the sky, stroking his beard and grinning from ear to ear.
“This kid is truly a monster.” The parade ended.
The noisy city gradually returned to peace.
Aether avoided the reveling crowds and walked into a secluded alley, planning to take a shortcut back to the dormitory.
To his surprise, Laxus was blocking the road, waiting for him.
“Your name has been very loud across the continent these past six months.” Laxus stared into Aether’s eyes.
“You were weak when you first arrived, but you’re getting stronger and stronger.
I want to know what you think of the guild as it is now.” Aether understood that although the current Laxus was nowhere near as extreme as he would be when he later started the civil war, the current guild was also not as strong as it would be when the story began.
Natsu, Erza, Gray, and the others hadn’t joined yet; among the existing members, only Gildarts could really hold things up.
“Hey, don’t just stay silent.
Tell me what you’re thinking,” Laxus said, appearing very irritable.
“I know you’re anxious, but don’t be anxious yet.
Besides, do you really want to talk about these things out here?
Let’s get back to the dormitory first.” Aether walked directly toward the dormitory.
Although Laxus was annoyed, he followed.
Maybe it’s not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”