"What?!"
Makarov's eyes widened when he saw it.
"Kid, you're a new guy with too much guts. How dare you take on this mission? No, you should pick another one."
Takeshi said seriously, "Master, I am confident I can complete this mission."
He had, after all, drawn Ulquiorra. Although his magic power was relatively low and he couldn't unleash Ulquiorra's full strength, even that was enough to deal with these small fry.
Makarov still shook his head. "This isn't a matter of confidence, it's a matter of strength."
"I have the strength to complete this mission."
"You stubborn brat, why are you so pig-headed?" Makarov slammed his hand on the table, fuming.
"What's wrong? How did the new guy anger Master?"
"It seems the new guy wants to take on a mission, and Master won't agree."
"What mission would Master not agree to?"
"It's the mission to eliminate the Phantom Bandit Gang."
"What?!"
Everyone in the Guild was taken aback.
The Phantom Bandit Gang was a recently emerging bandit group. All members of the bandit group were Mages, and they engaged in all sorts of evil, from looting homes to committing robberies. Their actions were so despicable that even Dark Guilds looked down on them.
Although Dark Guilds often took on illicit mission requests, they would still diligently complete the client's requests and collect their rewards.
However, the bandit group used their power to slaughter and rob innocent ordinary citizens, completely breaking the rules.
The Magic Council had been pursuing the Phantom Bandit Gang, but the bandit group was elusive, appearing and disappearing without a trace, always escaping after each robbery, which made them famous.
According to information provided by victims, Phantom Bandit Gang consisted of thirteen people, meaning thirteen Mages. This scale was comparable to a small Mage Guild.
To deal with such a bandit group, if acting alone, one would need to be at least at the level of an S-Class Mage. If it were an elite Mage of top strength like Natsu, at least two would be required.
If it were the average level of the Guild, at least five people would be needed, and there would still be some danger, as the opponents were more than ten Mages.
Thus, this mission had been sitting there for several days, and no one had taken it.
And Takeshi, merely a new guy, actually wanted to challenge such a mission. This was virtually no different from committing suicide.
"Master, I'm not being stubborn. I truly am confident I can complete this job."
Takeshi did not back down. His goal was a B-rank mission worth over 500,000 J, and even if he were to switch to another, Makarov might not agree.
"If you can prove you have such strength, I can let you go."
Seeing Takeshi's persistence, Makarov wanted to make him retreat in the face of difficulty.
"How do I prove it?"
"I'll find someone in the Guild. If you can defeat him, I'll allow you to take on this job."
"Okay."
Takeshi immediately agreed upon hearing this.
Makarov scanned the Guild. He wanted Erza to step forward, but Erza was out on a mission and not in the Guild, so he could only settle for the next best option.
"Natsu!"
"Here!"
When he heard Makarov say he would find someone in the Guild to duel Takeshi, Natsu was already eager to try. Hearing Makarov actually call his name, he couldn't contain his excitement and jumped onto the table.
"Master actually sent Natsu to fight."
"The new guy is in trouble."
Takeshi looked at Natsu. Natsu, the male protagonist of the Fairy Tail anime. He had noticed him since entering the Guild, after all, Natsu's pink hair was very eye-catching.
He hadn't expected Makarov to pit Natsu against him. As the protagonist, Natsu's strength was definitely top-tier. He usually wasn't Erza's match because he couldn't get serious against Guildmates. If he got serious, his strength would definitely be S-Class.
However, Takeshi was also a little excited at this moment. He didn't know whether his current strength was superior to Natsu's, and he also wanted to have a decisive battle with Natsu, the protagonist.
Cana immediately took out a sign, wrote Takeshi's and Natsu's names on it, and shouted, "Place your bets!"
"Newcomer Takeshi VS Natsu!"
"Bet on the newcomer to win, 1 to 2 odds! Bet on Natsu to win, 1 to 1 odds!"
Everyone in the Guild heard Cana's words and rushed over to join the fun.
"I'm betting on Natsu! 2000 J!"
"I'm betting on Natsu! 3000 J!"
"I'm betting on Natsu! 3000 J!"
...
Almost everyone bet on Natsu to win, which made Cana a little anxious. Although the amount each person bet was not large, there were many people. If Natsu really won, her drinking money for the month might be lost.
"Hey! Why are you all betting on Natsu? You should bet on the newcomer too. If the newcomer wins, you'll get double."
Macao laughed. "Haha! Of course, we're betting on Natsu. Why would we bet on the newcomer?"
Wakaba, standing nearby, also joined in the laughter. "Exactly!"
Everyone knew how to choose: betting on the newcomer was too risky, while betting on Natsu was a sure profit.
"I'm betting on the newcomer to win! 3000 J!" A purple-haired girl wearing glasses chose to bet on Takeshi to win.
Laki pushed up her glasses and said, "It's fine. It's just a day's worth of food money anyway. It's too pitiful for the newcomer to have no one supporting him."
Takeshi glanced at Laki. He had a slight impression of Laki. She didn't appear much in the anime and was originally an overlooked background character, but when Fairy Tail was in trouble, she was one of the few who still insisted on staying in the Guild until everyone returned from Tenrou Island.
Being able to stay in the Guild under those circumstances was enough to prove her deep affection for Fairy Tail, and it was from that moment that Takeshi remembered the girl's name.
Laki saw Takeshi looking at her and smiled at him.
"I'm also betting on the rookie to win."
"Mira?!"
It was Mirajane who had bet on Takeshi to win.
"I think since he dared to take on such a mission, his strength certainly won't be low. He might not necessarily be unable to defeat Natsu."
The others heard Mirajane say this and thought the same. Although they weren't familiar with Takeshi, since he dared to take on that mission, it meant his strength must be good.
Subsequently, more people started betting on Takeshi to win, but there were still more people betting on Natsu to win.
Soon, everyone arrived at the open space behind the Guild. There was a large open area behind the Guild, and beyond that was an endless lake.
This place was often used to settle personal grudges. Natsu and Gray, Mirajane and Erza, had often fought here when they were little.
"Go, Natsu! Show the rookie what you're made of!"
"Go, rookie! My drinking money tonight depends on you!"
The spectators were all cheering for both of them.
"Hello, I'm Natsu. Nice to meet you."
"My name is Takeshi. Nice to meet you."
Takeshi and Natsu greeted each other.
Natsu asked curiously, "What kind of magic do you use?"
Takeshi replied, "I use Take Over Magic."
Natsu's eyes lit up. "Oh! So it's Take Over Magic."
The ones who used Take Over Magic in the Fairy Tail Guild were Mirajane and her younger brother Elfman. Both of them were very strong, especially Mirajane, who was as strong as a monster. It's a pity she can't use magic now.
"Both sides, prepare!"
"Full Body Take Over! Ulquiorra Cifer!"
Takeshi's body began to change. His original black clothes transformed into a white-faced, black-backed, high-collared long-sleeved jacket. His lower body was covered with a white hakama, cinched with a wide black sash. A blade was tucked into the sash, and he wore black socks and white shoes.
His skin became slightly pale, his eyes turned green, with green tear-like markings beneath them. The left side of his head was covered by a white, horned helmet.
Anyone who had watched Bleach would immediately recognize this as Ulquiorra's attire.
At the same time, Ulquiorra's memories began to surface in Takeshi's mind.
From his birth to his final battle and death against Hollow Ichigo, this life flashed quickly, making Takeshi and Ulquiorra seem to merge into one.
As Takeshi's transformation was complete, simply standing there, he exuded a powerful sense of oppression.