"These demons, who've been fighting the Aisisnu tribe for years, are all ice-based, and so are the magical beasts they create. As a fire mage, you're at a disadvantage in a place like this!"
After some thought, Puru decided it was best to warn Natsu. He couldn't let a young guy like him throw his life away. "Plus, those demons are incredibly strong. Our tribe has only held them off for so long because of Ice Devil-Slaying Magic. I'm not looking down on you, but if you think you're not up to the task, you should head back."
Natsu clenched his fist, grinning confidently. "No way I'm turning back! We're Fairy Tail mages, old man. Just leave those beasts to me!"
Happy raised a paw. "I've got a question. If your tribe has such powerful magic, why do you need us to deal with the beasts?"
Puru's face fell, as if Happy had hit a sore spot. "The truth is, the Aisisnu tribe no longer has that magic. Ice Devil-Slaying Magic has been passed down from generation to generation without fail. My brother was the inheritor of my generation, and the next was supposed to be his daughter, my niece, Winter."
His eyes filled with sorrow. "But a few years ago, a man came here and stole the magic that was meant to be passed down. My brother died because of it."
"Stole the magic?" Natsu asked.
"Yes. Ice Devil-Slaying Magic is different from other kinds. It's passed from one person to the next, generation to generation, with no other way to learn it. After that man stole it, our tribe lost the magic entirely. That's why we can't fend off the beasts anymore."
…
"Ice God-Slaying Magic?" Erza blurted out after hearing Kira's intel. "Sounds a lot like Natsu's Dragon-Slaying Magic. Could it be magic meant to defeat gods?"
Gray's expression shifted. "An ice-based slaying magic? That's a first for me."
"Yeah," Kiraਸ. "Unlike Dragon-Slaying Magic, which is taught by dragons, God-Slaying Magic is recorded in books and can be learned by humans. I heard one of the Magic Council's scholars has a book on God-Slaying Magic, but no one's ever managed to master it."
"Ice God-Slaying Magic," Cana mused. "No wonder this place turned into a snowy mountain."
"The Black Celestial Maiden uses God-Slaying Magic," Loke said. "Does that mean the White Celestial Maiden could be a god?"
"But the White Maiden won the fight," Elfman pointed out.
"What's so weird about that? Natsu doesn't always beat dragons!" Gray retorted.
The group erupted into a flurry of theories and guesses.
Cana suddenly frowned. "Wait a sec. Wasn't our original goal to find out about that man the Celestial Maidens were fighting over? Didn't you find anything about him?"
Kira closed his eyes and shook his head regretfully. "Nothing at all. I checked every book I could find and even got in touch with Hibiki from Blue Pegasus—his Archive Magic is top-notch for gathering intel. But even he couldn't find any record of this guy. It's like he was deliberately erased."
Erza blinked. "You did all that in the short time you were gone?"
"Of course! Speed is key when it comes to intel!" Kira said proudly. "One thing worth noting is that there are tons of versions of the Celestial Maiden legend, but none of them mention this man. Some even have weird reasons for the maidens' fight."
"But!" he added with a grin. "One version caught my attention."
"What's that?" Gray asked.
"Another version of the legend?" Cana said. "I've never heard of any others."
"Yup, it's the only one that's completely different." Kira chuckled. "In this story, the Black and White Celestial Maidens are long-lost sisters, raised by opposing factions. When those factions went to war, the maidens became enemies. During their battle here in Zonia, they sensed their blood connection but couldn't stop fighting, and both ended up gravely wounded. No mysterious man, and even the outcome's different."
"Uh… that story…" Gray muttered.
Kira's tone turned gleeful. "So? How's it feel to have a romantic love story turn into a cliché family drama?"
Gray: "Boring as hell."
Cana: "Zero interest."
Erza: "Total letdown."
Elfman: "Not manly at all!"
Loke: "Sisters, huh? Now I'm even more excited!"
Kira wrinkled his nose. "Loke, you're gross…"
"Wait a minute," Gray interrupted. "If that's the story, what are we even arguing about?"
"Yeah, what about our bet?" Cana added.
They'd made a wager: the winner would get a full day of eating, drinking, and fun in Magnolia, all expenses paid by the losers.
No way they were passing up that chance!
Kira thought for a moment. "It's tricky, but since I'm the one who brought the info, how about I just win?"
"Dream on!"
"No way!"
"That's gotta be fake!"
The group descended on Kira, playfully throwing punches as he dodged left and right.
Erza watched the chaos, then suddenly froze, a chill running through her. "Hold on—do you hear that?"
The air fell silent…
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
Gray's voice was slow and grim. "That sounds like… an avalanche."
"No 'sounds like' about it," Kira said, pointing behind them. "Take a look."
The sky darkened as a massive wall of snow roared down the mountain toward them.
"Pretty epic, huh?" Kira remarked.
"Idiot! This kind of disaster can kill people!" Gray, who'd grown up in snowy mountains, knew the danger all too well.
"No big deal. There aren't any civilians around here, so no major casualties," Kira said casually.
Gray relaxed. "True."
Kira glanced at the others. "Think this has anything to do with Natsu?"
"What? Even Natsu wouldn't…" Gray paused. "Actually, yeah, it's possible."
Loke adjusted his glasses. "So, what's the plan? My magic's no good for this."
"My Requip Magic won't help much either, though I can probably defend myself," Erza said.
"Can't you freeze it with your ice, Gray?" Cana asked.
Gray shook his head. "Too big. I can't freeze it. But I probably won't freeze to death."
"Leave it to me!" Kira stepped forward, grabbing the airship's controls. "This is the Fairy Airship, after all."
He slid into the pilot's seat, spinning the control stick a few times. A platform that screamed "airship controls" rose up. Kira's hands flew over the keyboard, tapping away with the expertise of a seasoned magical craftsman, dazzling the others.
"What's he even doing?" Cana whispered.
"No clue. Looks random," Elfman muttered.
"Is he actually flying this thing, or just showing off?" Loke wondered.
They weren't wrong—Kira's frantic typing didn't seem to change anything on the control panel. It was like a kid waving a stick around pretending it's a sword.
Feeling he'd "pressed" enough, Kira dramatically slammed a button on the console.
"Hold on tight!"
Gray, Cana, and Loke felt a familiar sinking feeling, but before they could react, the Fairy Airship's tail engine roared with blazing heat. The ship shot forward at ten times the speed, leaving the avalanche far behind.
Crash!
The sudden acceleration sent the unprepared crew tumbling across the deck.
"You jerk! Give us a heads-up before you do that!" Cana yelled.
"If you weren't flying this thing, I'd pound you right now!" Gray growled.
"I'm gonna smash your shop when we get back!" Loke shouted.
Kira, humming a tune, ignored the barrage of complaints, clearly enjoying himself.
The avalanche grew distant, unable to catch up. Kira landed the airship on the snowy ground and stepped out of the pilot's seat.
After dodging a few more punches from the crew, he asked, "Alright, time for a carpet-style search and adventure. Any suggestions? Split up or stick together?"
"Let's split up. It's more efficient," Erza said after a moment. "And if you run into Natsu or Lucy, don't let them do anything until either Kira or I get there."
She was probably the only one still hung up on Natsu's unauthorized S-Class mission.
Makarov was right to trust her.
Kira laughed. "Come on, Erza, you think we can rein Natsu in? Let's just do our thing and stay safe."
That's why Kira was so well-liked in the guild. He was the easygoing balance to Erza's iron-fisted discipline.
Erza's face stayed stern. "If Natsu's recklessness damages Fairy Tail's reputation, I won't let him off easy!"
Kira snickered. "Relax. Our guild's rep with the Council is already a mess."
"Kira!" Erza snapped, annoyed at his flippant attitude. Ugh, he's been hanging around the Master too much.
"Alright, alright," Kira said, waving her off. "I'm heading out. You guys team up however you want!"
With that, he stowed the airship and picked a random direction to start walking.
The others paired up: Erza with Gray, and Cana with Loke and Elfman. They headed off in different directions.
The grand snowy mountain adventure had begun!
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