The stench of corruption filled the air.
A reeking, suffocating wind swept through the cavern, carrying the faint metallic tang of blood and something far fouler — the scent of decay.
"This guy... he's no longer human."
Gildarts' voice had sunk to a low, dangerous rumble. Every word that escaped his lips felt like a shard of ice forced through his teeth. The usual laziness and nonchalance that colored his tone were gone; in their place, an overwhelming killing intent thick enough to make the air itself heavy and stagnant.
Erza's fingers clenched tightly around the hilt of her sword, her knuckles pale from the pressure.
Her crimson eyes were no longer burning with simple rage — they had turned into sharpened blades of light, refined to the very limit, capable of cutting through any evil.
Sacrificing his own companion.
Using his comrade's life and soul to gain strength.
This act wasn't merely vile — it was blasphemy.
A sin that defiled everything Fairy Tail stood for.
For Erza, this was the kind of crime that clawed straight into her soul, into the deepest place where mercy could not reach.
They both understood now — this wasn't some simple mission to wipe out a dark guild.
This was a confrontation with something far beyond that.
A battle against a demon.
A direct clash with the deepest, most forbidden form of darkness.
And yet, even after devouring the life and magic of his most powerful subordinate, the guildmaster's twisted face still carried a trace of trembling fear — a fear that came not from weakness, but from instinct.
That fear was directed entirely at Hoshino Arashi.
He could feel it — the vast, boundless ocean of power flowing within the boy.
It wasn't a difference in level. It was a difference in nature.
A stream facing the sea.
A flickering spark facing the full moon.
Even with the strength he had stolen, his power now seemed pathetically small, almost laughable.
"Not enough…" he muttered, his eyes widening with desperation.
"Not enough!!"
His voice cracked into a manic roar.
Despair and madness completely devoured the last remnants of reason within him.
To obtain a power strong enough to fight the monster before him…
To keep himself from being erased…
He was willing to pay any price.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
The scream that followed no longer belonged to a human throat. He tore at his own chest with his clawlike hands, ripping his garments apart with savage force.
Beneath the shredded fabric, a hideous mark was revealed — not a tattoo, not a scar, but a living thing.
A twisted demonic totem of writhing, overlapping faces — countless souls fused into a single, grotesque symbol. Their distorted mouths opened in silent screams, pressing and squeezing together under his flesh, radiating waves of hatred and corruption.
"With my soul as the sacrifice!" the guildmaster howled. His voice cracked and tore, drenched in blood.
He brought two fingers together like a blade and slashed them across his chest.
Shhhhrrrk!
His flesh split open.
Blood spurted out in thick, steaming streams.
But he didn't even flinch.
He dipped his trembling, blood-soaked hand into the open wound, smearing it across the moving totem beneath his skin.
"Respond to my call! You who dwell in the shadows—
Lord of the Abyss! Come forth!"
The instant his blood covered the mark—
BOOOOOOOM!
The ground quaked violently.
A force beyond comprehension erupted from his body — not like an aura, but like a black star imploding into existence.
A torrent of thick, pitch-black energy gushed outward, carrying the stench of death, devouring light, bending the very air. The shockwave howled through the cavern, shaking it to its core.
In moments, the man's body disappeared entirely within a massive cocoon of living darkness.
The cocoon pulsed and writhed like an enormous heart.
Each contraction released a wet, sickening glooping sound.
And within —
Crack! Crack-crack-crack!
The sound of bones breaking, shattering, being stretched, rebuilt.
A grotesque rhythm, like a creature being reborn through pain.
Then came the scream —
A scream that stripped the air bare.
It no longer belonged to a man, but to something far more ancient and terrible.
The cocoon swelled until it could hold no more.
With a thunderous bang, it burst apart.
The thing that stepped forth was massive — over five meters tall — a being of solid shadow, dripping and reshaping itself with every movement. Its form was fluid, like living tar.
And on that quivering mass of darkness… eyes began to open.
One. Two. Then dozens. Then hundreds.
Eyes of varying size, each glowing a deep, blood-red.
Eyes that saw nothing, yet seemed to stare into everything.
From those countless orbs radiated a madness so pure it gnawed at the mind.
"ROOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!"
The creature opened a gaping maw made entirely of shadow, unleashing a roar that wasn't just sound — it was psychic destruction.
The air screamed. The stone trembled. The world itself seemed to recoil.
"That's no longer the guildmaster," Gildarts said grimly.
"He sacrificed his soul completely — he's become one with the demon he once served."
He expanded his magic, creating a glowing invisible barrier in front of Erza to block the wave of dark energy.
"Be careful," he warned. "This thing's lost all reason. It's nothing but a weapon of destruction now."
The beast's countless eyes spun madly, rolling without direction, before all of them abruptly froze — and focused.
Every single eye locked onto the same figure.
Hoshino Arashi.
To this creature born of shadows, the boy's body was a beacon of pure radiance — the blazing sun that threatened to burn it away.
"Erza. Gildarts-san."
Arashi's calm voice cut through the chaos like a steady current.
"Step back."
Unbothered by the demonic aura pressing down upon him, he walked forward slowly.
With each step, silver-white scales bloomed across his skin once more, flowing and spreading like streams of light.
From within his body, faint starlight poured outward, encasing him in a soft, divine glow.
It wasn't blinding — it was cleansing.
The air hissed as the light touched the darkness, burning through it like acid.
"This kind of impurity…" he said quietly, raising his gaze toward the writhing monster, his dark pupils reflecting its form.
"…does not deserve to exist in this world."
His voice deepened, resonating with the tone of something beyond mortal.
"I will be the one to purify this darkness."
(End of Chapter)
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