Time ticked by, and as night drew near, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. The Rune Knights expanded their patrols—nothing, not even the slightest disturbance, would escape their watchful eyes.
At that moment, atop a distant building, thirteen figures stood silently. They were none other than the Thirteen Phantom Thieves of the Phantom Thief Guild.
"Oooh! So many people! Boss, why didn't we just attack straight away? What was the point of sending a threat letter?"
An afro-haired member shielded his eyes with his hand, staring toward the heavily guarded mayor's mansion.
"Idiot! That's part of the boss's plan! Right, Boss?"
Another spiky-haired blond looked up in admiration at the man in the center—a tall figure clad in a black cloak and wearing a silver mask. This man was the leader of the Phantom Thief Guild, known as the King of Assassins, Camille.
"This world needs a taste of terror to announce our return. The mayor is the perfect example. I want everyone to understand—once the Phantom Thief Guild has marked you, not even the Magic Council can protect you!"
"Anyone who dares provoke us—once they receive our death sentence—the only outcome is death!"
"Go! Tonight, the name of the Phantom Thief Guild will echo across the world, becoming a nightmare to all!"
"YEAHHHHHHHH!!"
BOOM—!!
An explosion echoed through the courtyard.
"Enemy attack—!!"
The Rune Knights shouted, immediately moving into action.
The mayor jumped in shock.
Elfman tensed up. "They're here?!"
Kaien nodded calmly. "Looks like it."
The mayor panicked. "Mr. Kaien, what should I do?!"
"You don't need to do anything—just don't make trouble. This entire place is protected by a spell barrier deployed by the Rune Knights. As long as you don't stupidly run outside, you'll be fine… for now."
Kaien looked outside through the window. The Rune Knights were already engaging the enemy.
Contrary to their portrayal in anime as useless, the Rune Knights actually possessed magical strength rivaling that of regular mages—and with their elite gear, they were stronger than most.
But even they were being overwhelmed. Within moments, the entire Rune Knight force was down.
The mayor was shaking. "K-Kaien… sir…"
"Elfman, guard the mayor."
"And you, Kaien?"
"I'll handle them."
Outside, the Thirteen Phantom Thieves had gathered in front of the mansion gate.
"Hahaha~! These Magic Council guys are way too weak! That wasn't even fun! Totally boring!"
"Of course they're weak! That's why they joined the Magic Council. No mage with real ambition would ever go there."
"So now we just kill the mayor and finish the mission, right? Let's wrap this up quick!"
They stepped forward.
Bang!
An invisible wall blocked their path.
"Heh! A magic seal? Interesting. Let me break it!"
One of them stepped up to crack the spell.
Creak.
The front door opened. Kaien stepped out—and walked calmly forward, crossing the boundary of the barrier.
"Huh? Someone actually came out to die?"
Camille's eyes landed on the guild emblem on Kaien's right hand. "Fairy Tail… I see. So the mayor requested help from the Mage Guilds."
"Fairy Tail? That's that really active guild recently, right?"
"Yeah, that's the one!"
"Heh! You're pretty gutsy, kid. Taking on a mission with us involved, knowing we're the Phantom Thief Guild!"
"Phantom Thief Guild? Sorry, never heard of you."
Kaien had heard of the Phantom Troupe—from Hunter x Hunter. But this "Phantom Thief Guild"? Nah, that wasn't even in the Fairy Tail anime. According to the timeline, the plot hadn't even started yet.
Camille looked at him and said, "Kid, since you clearly have no idea what you're dealing with, I'll give you a chance. Drop the mission now, and I'll let you go."
The spiky blond gawked. "Huh?! Kid, you're lucky! Boss never shows mercy like this!"
Kaien shook his head. "I already accepted this request. No way I'm backing out. You've targeted my client—that makes you Fairy Tail's enemy."
"Tch… If that's your choice, then there's nothing more to say. Get him."
To Camille, Kaien was just a passing ant. No need to step on every single one.
"Full Body Take Over — Ulquiorra Cifer!"
Kaien's body began to transform. His plain black outfit turned into a high-collared, long-sleeved coat—white over black. His lower half was a hakama-style white skirt bound by a black sash, with a Zanpakutō sheathed at the waist. Black socks and white shoes completed the look.
His skin turned pale, eyes became green, with green tear streaks running down his cheeks. A white horned helmet covered the left side of his head.
"Heheh! Die!"
The blond punk threw a stone at Kaien.
Kaien caught it midair.
BOOM—!!
The stone exploded like a bomb, engulfing Kaien in a violent blast.
"WAHAHAHA!! What a moron! Catching something someone else threw?! You deserve to blow up! Wahahaha!"
He held his stomach, laughing.
"Kaien!!"
Elfman, watching from upstairs, panicked and rushed to run down—
Suddenly—
BOOM!
A surge of spiritual pressure burst out, blowing away the smoke.
Kaien reappeared—completely unharmed.
"What?!"
The thieves were shocked. They'd seen the explosion with their own eyes. How was he untouched?
"H-How are you still alive?!"
Hierro. The body of an Arrancar was covered in skin harder than steel, tougher than any blade. Most attacks couldn't even scratch them. Ulquiorra's Hierro could withstand Ichigo Kurosaki's Getsuga Tenshō in his Hollow form—and that only left a minor wound, one that healed instantly.
A cheap explosion like that couldn't even break Kaien's defense.
"You bastard! I don't believe that didn't hurt!"
The blond threw more stones—one after another.
"Sonído."
FWIP—!
Kaien vanished.
Next instant—
Shlkkk—!
A blade pierced through the blond's back.
"Wha… What…?"
The blond looked down in disbelief at the sword running through him.
"Sorry," Kaien said flatly. "I'm kinda in a hurry."
His Magic Power was far too low. Even in Ulquiorra's base state, he could only sustain it for about ten minutes. If he didn't eliminate all of them by then, he'd be the one to fall.
It had to end fast.