'Damn it, why did it have to be him? If it had been anyone else, even Makarov himself, I wouldn't be this worried.'
Brain thought to himself, several bead sized drops of sweat already forming on his dark, weathered face. Even Midnight, who'd been fast asleep this whole time, vaguely sensed the enormous threat and cracked his eyes open from his slumber. The next thing he saw was Kabe looking straight at him with an easy smile.
[Thud]
'Who am I? Where am I? Why is the God of Destruction standing right in front of me the moment I wake up?'
Midnight's whole mind went blank, his brain nearly short circuiting on the spot. But obviously, no one had the time or the mood to fill him in right now.
The two groups simply stood there beneath the pillar of light, staring each other down without a word. Seeing that Kabe wasn't shouting for their heads nor moving to stop Nirvana's emergence, Brain found he genuinely couldn't figure out what the man was playing at.
"God of Destruction... Kabe. You're the most talented young man I've ever come across. To hold power that even I have to be wary of at such a young age. The world outside practically worships you, hailing you as the strongest in Ishgar."
Kabe tilted his head, not quite following why this man had suddenly launched into all this rambling. Seeing him look utterly unmoved, Brain, cold sweat streaming down his back despite himself, still forced an air of confidence and pressed on:
"A young man as exceptional as you shouldn't be bound by the world's petty morals and rules. You could accomplish so much more. For instance, the two of us could join forces and rule this continent together."
With that, Brain fixed his eyes on Kabe's expression, watching closely for his reaction. Kabe, for his part, just gave a small, indifferent shake of his head.
"Not interested in an alliance? Want to build something even greater entirely on your own strength? That's fine too. All you'd need to do is cut ties with those tedious, childish legal guilds always going on about bonds and unity. With your strength, you're more than capable of achieving whatever ambitions you set your mind to."
Perhaps it was because Kabe seemed so youthfully green, but Brain had mistaken him for one of those rebellious, hot headed types he'd encountered before, the kind of green kid who thought a bit of strength meant they could look down on the whole world, and he laid on the persuasion thick.
But after talking for so long that his mouth had gone dry, Kabe answered him with just one offhand line.
"Say, is that seal not undone yet? I've been standing here waiting for a while now."
"What?!"
Brain flinched in shock, and an instant later, wild delight took over.
"I see, so that's it. You're after Nirvana's power too, aren't you. Not a problem at all. I'd be more than happy to share Nirvana with you."
Convinced he'd figured out exactly what Kabe was after, Brain launched into an even more enthusiastic speech:
"Nirvana holds the great power to drag even the most light hearted souls into darkness. We could use it together to usher in a dark age where everyone turns to black magic. In that age, everyone would be equal, with fists and magic alone deciding who stands above whom. And someone with your kind of overwhelming power is destined to become the ruler of that new age."
Kabe clicked his tongue. This guy really had the gift of the gab, no doubt earned from years in the human trafficking business. The pitch was persuasive enough that even Kabe found himself almost tempted to give it a try. But it was only ever a fleeting thought. He wasn't foolish enough to actually go around corrupting people with Nirvana.
"Alright, alright, enough talk. Just hurry up and bring Nirvana out already so I can see it."
"Heh, I guarantee it'll open your eyes."
Giving him one last meaningful look, Brain turned away and set about accelerating the seal's release.
Beside him, Cobra and the others were utterly floored, jaws hanging open. What kind of absurd turn of events was this? The number one man in all of Ishgar, Fairy Tail's own ace, won over by their boss with just a few words and ready to abandon the light for darkness? They couldn't quite believe Kabe would be won over that easily, and yet he genuinely showed no sign of trying to stop their boss. The three of them could only exchange uneasy glances and keep their guard up around him.
This time Kabe didn't have to wait long. Amid Brain's excited cry of "Come forth, show this world your form once again!" the ground beneath their feet suddenly began to shake violently. Amid the earthshaking tremors, the cave began to collapse. In its place, a colossal being with six steel tentacles burst up from the earth, descending into the world at last.
[Rumble~~~]
The violent tremors forced Ultear and the others, still en route, to stop in their tracks, steadying themselves against one another to keep from falling.
"What's going on? Something's been off since just now. Don't tell me Kabe couldn't stop him and Brain actually pulled it off?"
Confusion spread through everyone present, none of them having any idea what had actually happened. But Natsu, Happy, Wendy, and Sharuru, a step ahead of the rest and flying through the sky unaffected by the shaking, had witnessed the entire process of Nirvana breaking free of its seal with perfect clarity.
"What in the world is that guy Kabe even doing!!"
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