Several days had passed since the cult’s massacre.
The horses that had fled the canyon during Caelan’s attack were eventually tracked down by Rune Knights in the surrounding forest.
When the Magic Council forces finally ventured into the canyon and discovered the wagons piled high with corpses and the ruins of the underground laboratory, the atmosphere turned deadly serious.
To think that a massacre of this unprecedented scale, involving tens of thousands of civilians and a massive cult operation, had taken place completely under their radar…
The sheer incompetence displayed effectively nailed the Magic Council to a pillar of shame.
News of the massacre and the horrific truth behind the vanished villages spread like wildfire across the entire Kingdom of Fiore.
Public trust in the Council plummeted to an all-time low.
Conversely, Fairy Tail—the guild that had successfully uncovered and eliminated the threat—soared in reputation.
However, no one in the guild was celebrating.
Caelan had completely shed his usual lazy, carefree demeanor.
Driven by a quiet, simmering rage, he spent the next month relentlessly hunting down Dark Guilds and underground cults across the continent.
In just a few short weeks, he single-handedly annihilated dozens of mid-sized Dark Guilds and countless smaller criminal organizations.
His absolute ruthlessness sent shockwaves through the entire underworld.
The dark Mages didn’t call him the Golden Flash anymore; to them, he was known only by a much more terrifying title: Asura.
And the two loyal enforcers who always followed him were dubbed the Twin Rakshasas.
Desperate and terrified, dozens of Dark Guilds eventually formed an unprecedented alliance, joining forces with one of the largest underground syndicates in Fiore to launch a massive, coordinated ambush against him.
Thousands of dark Mages surrounded Caelan in a remote wasteland.
And Caelan annihilated every single one of them.
The battle was an absolute massacre that shook the very foundations of the magical underworld.
The sheer scale of destruction forced Makarov to intervene personally.
The guild master brought Gildarts and Warrod Sequen—one of the founding members of Fairy Tail and a Wizard Saint—to forcefully bring Caelan back.
When Caelan finally walked through the guild doors, he was completely drenched in blood.
The suffocating killing intent and the heavy stench of gore rolling off him terrified everyone in the hall.
Ultimately, Makarov asked Warrod to take Caelan away to cool off.
One month later.
“Alright, little guy, it’s time for you to go home,” Warrod smiled kindly.
“Really?
Come on, old man, your place is actually pretty comfortable.
I kinda don’t want to leave,” Caelan replied, lounging lazily under the shade of a massive tree.
“Ohoho, the plants here have grown very fond of you as well.” “Hmm…
yeah, they’re pretty delicious.” Warrod’s smile twitched slightly.
“Hey, old man,” Caelan sat up, a familiar, greedy glint returning to his eyes.
“Are you absolutely sure you can’t use your Green Magic to grow villas?
Tell you what—I’ll buy a massive plot of land in the suburbs.
You grow me a couple hundred luxury wooden mansions, and we’ll split the profits 70/30!
No, wait, I’ll take 70, you take 30.
I guarantee they’ll sell like hotcakes!” Without a single word, Warrod waved his hand.
Thick, glowing vines instantly erupted from the earth, tightly binding Caelan like a mummy before violently launching him through the air, sending him flying straight back toward Fairy Tail.
“This annoying little brat is finally gone,” Warrod sighed, gently petting a nearby shrub.
“Oh, my precious plants, no one is going to eat your fruit anymore.” A short while later, the vines delivered Caelan roughly to the front steps of the Fairy Tail guildhall.
“Tch.
That crazy old tree hugger,” Caelan grumbled, dusting off his jacket.
“Turning down free money.
His fruit really was top-tier, though.
I could’ve made a fortune selling it.” He looked up at the familiar wooden doors of the guildhall and slowly pushed them open.
The guild was as noisy as ever, but the moment Caelan stepped inside, every single person froze.
The chatter died instantly, and all eyes locked onto him.
Seeing the intense stares, Caelan reached into his pocket, pulled out a small hand mirror, and checked his reflection.
“Yep, still looking incredibly handsome,” he muttered, putting the mirror away.
He glanced up at the crowd.
“What are you all looking at?
Even if you stare, I’m not giving you any money.” With that, Caelan casually strolled over to his favorite rocking chair by the window and collapsed into it, seamlessly resuming his lazy lifestyle.
Finn and Rook watched their boss settle in, letting out a massive sigh of relief.
Over the past month, they had been worried sick that Caelan would never recover from his trauma.
Seeing him act like his usual greedy, lazy self put their minds completely at ease.
The rest of the guild quickly followed suit.
Seeing that Caelan was unharmed and back to normal, the heavy tension vanished, and the hall quickly returned to its usual chaotic volume.
Time flew by.
Several months passed peacefully.
One evening at the Fairy Tail bar.
“Brat,” Makarov said, taking a sip from his mug.
“You’re proctoring the S-Class trial again this year.” Caelan instantly sat up, his lazy expression vanishing.
“What?!
Me again?!
Where the hell is Gildarts?!” “Ah, Gildarts?
He took a Century Quest and left the continent.” Makarov chuckled.
“He said he felt completely at ease leaving the guild in your capable hands.” “That bastard!” Caelan cursed.
“What about Laxus?!
Make him do it!” “I don’t trust that brat with something this important.” Realizing there was absolutely no getting out of it, Caelan sighed in defeat.
“Fine.
So, who’s on the roster this year?” Makarov stroked his chin.
“Erza and Mirajane.” Caelan groaned, massaging his temples.
“Great.
If one of them wins, the other is going to throw an absolute fit.
You know what, fine.
I’m taking Finn and Rook with me.
It’s about time they got some real combat experience against high-level fighters anyway.” Early the next morning.
The guild was buzzing with excitement as everyone gathered to hear the official announcement for the S-Class Promotional Trial.
“According to my expert analysis,” Macao bragged to the crowd, “the only ones left in the younger generation who qualify are Erza and Mirajane.” “Yeah, that makes sense,” Wakaba nodded around his cigar.
“We all know how strong those two are.
But who’s gonna take the win?” He nudged Macao.
“How are you setting the odds this year?” “Hmm…
same as Caelan’s year.
1:2 odds, with a strict 20,000 Jewel betting cap,” Macao said wisely.
“It’s genuinely a toss-up between those two.” As the chatter continued, Caelan’s voice cut clearly through the noise.
“Quiet down!” The guild immediately hushed as Makarov stepped up to the counter.
“Ahem!
After observing the guild over the past year, I have selected the candidates for this year’s S-Class Promotional Trial.” Makarov unrolled a scroll.
“Erza Scarlet!” “Mirajane Strauss!” “It’s finally my turn!” Mirajane cheered, pumping her fists.
“I’m definitely becoming S-Class this year!” “Those whose names were called will gather here tomorrow morning,” Makarov continued.
“This year’s trial will be held on an uncharted island.
However, there is a slight change to the rules.
Participants are absolutely forbidden from bringing a partner.
You must complete the trial entirely on your own.” A collective groan echoed through the hall.
Natsu, Gray, and the other younger members who had been desperately hoping to tag along were completely devastated.
“No way!” Natsu whined.
“I’ve been looking forward to this all year!” “Even if the rules hadn’t changed, no one would’ve picked you anyway, flame brain,” Gray scoffed.
“What did you just say, you naked pervert?!” Natsu roared.
Gray looked down.
“Ah!
When did I take my pants off?!” Naturally, a brawl ensued.
Meanwhile, on a remote, uncharted island.
Caelan, Finn, and Rook were currently standing in the middle of a dense jungle.
“Boss, are you serious about this?” Finn asked nervously.
“You’re really making us participate in the S-Class exam?
We can’t beat Erza or Mirajane!” Caelan picked his nose lazily.
“I know that.
I obviously don’t expect you to win.
With your current mastery of Rokushiki, beating an S-Class candidate is basically impossible.
I brought you here so you could experience what fighting a true powerhouse feels like.
You need to understand exactly how massive the gap in strength is.” He pointed up toward the island’s single large mountain.
“I’ve already scouted this whole island.
There aren’t any dangerous beasts or monsters here.
During the exam, I’ll be waiting at the summit.
You two will be stationed halfway up the mountain.” Caelan smirked.
“The girls will have to get past you before they can face me.” Rook scratched his head.
“Boss, isn’t this exam format a little…
thrown together?” “Thrown together?” Caelan scoffed.
“The old man dumped this massive responsibility on me and didn’t even approve a budget!
You’re lucky I even put this much thought into it!” Caelan turned around and waved dismissively as he started walking up the trail.
“Anyway, if you two don’t want to get beaten too badly tomorrow, you’d better start setting up some traps and obstacles.
I’m going to take a nap at the summit.”