The slash left a cut so clean it was like a sheet of paper torn perfectly in half. The upper part of the building, succumbing to gravity, slid down along the angled slice, crashing with a deafening rumble.
"What the—?!" ×N
Everyone was stunned by the spectacle. Even Jose, with decades of experience, had never witnessed swordsmanship of this caliber. He couldn't comprehend what was happening.
How could someone use a single slash to deflect the intangible Jupiter Cannon? How could one swing of a blade cleave his mechanical fortress in two? Was this kind of power even humanly possible?
"What the hell is going on?!"
Jose was livid. The person standing before him was clearly Kira, whom he'd just seen, but how could the difference be so vast?
"You bastard! Who are you?!"
"Asking the same question three times—are you senile or something? I'm pretty sure I made it clear already!"
Kira stepped forward, standing face-to-face with Jose. He ran a hand through his red hair, striking a dramatic pose, and sighed, "Alright, since you're asking so earnestly, I'll be kind enough to tell you one more time!"
"Listen up, old man. I'm the guy who does good deeds without leaving a name, the heartthrob of countless teens, the world's greatest swordsman—Kira Dispel!"
The Fairy Tail members who had gathered nearby exchanged confused glances.
"Dispel…? I thought Kira's last name was Hoplite?"
"He's also called Kira? What's going on? Are they not twins?"
Kira Dispel sheathed his sword with a flourish, then stomped the ground, launching himself toward Jose in a blur.
"One-Sword Style: Infinity!"
"What—?! Argh!"
Jose didn't have time to react. A flash of light dazzled his eyes as a blade seemed to slice through him. His body flew backward, a diagonal spray of blood marking the air. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, unconscious.
The onlookers were speechless, jaws dropped, unable to process what they'd just seen.
"That's incredible! To take down a Wizard Saint like Jose with a single strike," Mirajane gasped, covering her mouth. "No, even beyond swordsmanship—defeating a Wizard Saint-level mage in one move? Even for Kira, that's almost impossible!"
Hearing Mirajane's words, Lucy recalled Kira's battle against the Ice Demon King Ace in Zonia. She thought Mirajane might be underestimating Kira's true strength.
"Anyway, with Jose defeated, the crisis should be over, right?" Lucy asked softly.
Mirajane thought for a moment before nodding. "Probably… but this 'Kira Dispel' guy gives me a weird vibe."
"It should be fine, right? I mean, he looks exactly like Kira and saved us. He's probably on our side," Lucy reasoned.
"I hope so…" Mirajane murmured.
Mistgun, watching the fallen Jose, let out a relieved sigh. "Dispel… what are you doing here?"
"What, I can't drop by to visit this world's Kira? The 'Sage' title is so famous, I hear it everywhere I go!"
Dispel sheathed his sword, his face alight with excitement, his tone almost giddy, as if he couldn't wait to meet Kira and have an epic showdown.
"Being mistaken for someone else all the time? Yeah, that gets old fast," he added.
Mistgun, exhausted, plopped onto the ground. "So, you're here to challenge him? Taking out Jose in one hit—you're strong, no doubt. But Kira's no slouch either. If you two fight, it's anyone's guess who'd win."
"Hey, hey, hey, don't make it sound so crude!" Dispel protested. "A 'challenge' is what you call it when you're weaker than your opponent. I'm just here for a friendly spar!"
"Magic versus swordsmanship—who's stronger? Don't you want to find out?"
"Not interested," Mistgun replied flatly.
"You're so boring!"
"And that ridiculous mask of yours—how long are you gonna keep that up? Don't you ever want to be yourself?"
Mistgun shifted uncomfortably. "That's none of your business…"
"Tch! You waste your time on pointless stuff like that, no wonder your strength's plateaued!"
Dispel turned toward Mirajane and Lucy. As he did, Mistgun noticed two swords at his waist, suggesting he was a dual-wielder. Yet, against Jose, he'd only used one.
Mistgun: So he wasn't even going all out? That strong?
"You guys are Hoplite's friends, right?" Dispel asked.
Mirajane stepped forward, cautiously. "If you mean Kira, then yes."
"Oh, looks like he's more popular than I thought!"
'Uh… not really,' some of the minor guild members thought, but they didn't dare say it aloud. This guy had just taken down Jose with one swing—best not to provoke him. He'd saved the guild, after all. Still, their curiosity got the better of them, and they started whispering.
"Is he really not Kira's twin? They look identical!"
"Their personalities seem kinda similar too…"
"Since he saved Mistgun, he's probably a friend, right?"
"What's his deal with Mistgun?"
"Where's the real Kira, anyway?"
Mirajane studied Dispel and asked, "This might be a bit forward, but what's your relationship with Kira?"
Even though he'd saved their guild and friends, caution was warranted. His face was too familiar, and his words carried a hint of mischief. From his exchange with Mistgun, it sounded like he was here to challenge Kira.
Dispel grinned, unfazed by her wariness. "I'm his long-lost, half-brother from a different mother and father."
He leaned in closer to Mirajane. "You're pretty concerned about him, huh? What, you his girl or something?" He wiggled his pinky finger suggestively. "Didn't think he'd be the type to fall for a pretty face…"
"That's low! Is this guy really like Kira?"
Mirajane felt a strange sense of déjà vu—Dispel's attitude was eerily similar to Kira's.
"Uh… Kira and I are just guildmates," she clarified.
"If you're not his girl, then I'm not telling you anything!" Dispel declared, strolling into the guildhall like he owned the place. "I'll just wait here for him to show up!"
That carefree, cheeky attitude—were they really not brothers? And what was that about a "half-brother from a different mother and father"?
The others didn't dare stop him, turning to Mistgun for answers instead.
Mistgun, after a long pause, only said, "Don't worry, he's not a bad guy."
---
Thirty minutes after the battle ended, the airship finally arrived at the guild.
What would've taken half a day by cart was covered in under an hour, thanks to Kira pushing the airship to its maximum speed.
"I'm gonna pound that Jose guy into the ground!" Natsu declared.
"If you hadn't flown off on your own, Natsu, we'd have gotten here sooner!" Gray snapped.
"Is the guild okay? Is everyone safe?" Lucy asked.
On the airship, the Fairy Tail members were unusually quiet, their chatter subdued compared to their usual lively banter.
Suddenly, someone at the front shouted, "Look! That's Phantom Lord's headquarters!"
Following their pointed finger, the group saw it: a massive, six-legged fortress looming near Magnolia, twice the size of Fairy Tail's guildhall, blocking their view of their home.
"Is Jose in there?" someone asked.
"Wait, something's off!" Erza's voice cut through, silencing the group.
As they looked closer, they realized the fortress had been sliced clean in half. Even Jose's prized Jupiter Cannon was in ruins.
"That cut… it looks like a sword mark," Erza said.
"How could anyone pull off swordsmanship like that?!" Gray exclaimed.
"Could you do it, Erza?" someone asked.
"I don't know… maybe if I went all out," she replied.
As the airship landed, they spotted unconscious figures on the ground.
"Hey, that's Juvia and Sol from Phantom Lord's Four Elements! They really came to attack our guild!" someone shouted.
"They've already been taken down. Who did this?"
"Look over there! That's Jose, Phantom Lord's master!"
Kira was the first to disembark, rushing to inspect the scene. To his shock, he found that Jose's injuries were also caused by a sword strike.