Time ticked by. As night approached, the air grew tense. The Rune Knights expanded their patrol area, determined not to miss even the smallest sign of trouble.
On a distant building, thirteen figures stood watching the mayor's heavily guarded mansion. They were Phantom Lord's operatives—the elite team moving under Kamil's command.
"Whoa! So many people! Boss! Why didn't we just attack? Why send a letter?" a man with an afro said, shading his eyes as he stared at the mansion.
"Idiot! This is the boss's plan! Right, boss?" another man with yellow hair said, looking at the figure in the center with open admiration.
That man was slender and cloaked in black, his face hidden behind a silver mask. He was the leader directing this Phantom Lord team—the 'King of Assassins,' Kamil.
"This world needs terror to announce our return. This mayor is the perfect choice. I will make everyone understand that once Phantom Lord targets someone, not even the Magic Council can protect them!"
"Anyone who dares to cross us—once their death notice is sent—the only thing waiting for them is death!"
"Let's go. Tonight, the name of Phantom Lord will echo through the world. We will become this world's nightmare!"
"Ooooooooooh!!"
A violent explosion tore through the courtyard below, shaking the air and snapping every head toward the sound.
"Enemy attack—!" a Rune Knight yelled as the formation moved immediately.
The mayor jumped in fright.
Elfman tensed up. "Are they here?!"
Kael Vane nodded. "Looks like it."
The mayor started to panic. "Mr. Kael Vane, what should I do?"
"You don't need to do anything. Just don't cause trouble. The Rune Knights have set up a barrier. As long as you don't run outside, you'll be fine for a while."
Kael Vane looked out the window. The Magic Council's Rune Knights were already fighting the enemy.
The Rune Knights weren't as useless as they were sometimes portrayed. Their magic power was on par with an average mage, and with their equipment and coordination, they could be even more dangerous than most independent mages.
But even these Rune Knights were being pushed back. In only a short time, they were down—one after another—driven to the ground before they could stabilize their line.
The mayor panicked even more when he saw this. "Mr... Mr. Kael Vane..."
"Elfman, protect the mayor."
"Kael, you..."
"I'll take care of them."
In front of the house, the thirteen Phantom Lord operatives gathered at the main gate, their footsteps unhurried now that the Rune Knights were out of the way.
"Haha! These Magic Council guys are too weak! That wasn't fun at all! Not at all!"
"They join the Magic Council because they're weak! What mage with real ambition would want to join them?"
"Now we just have to kill that mayor and the mission is over, right? Let's end this quick!"
A few of them stepped forward confidently.
The barrier flared—an unseen surface turning solid—and their advance stopped as if they had struck a wall of glass.
"Hah! A barrier! Interesting. Watch me break it!"
One of them raised his hands, gathering magic to smash through.
The front door opened.
Kael Vane stepped out and walked straight toward them, crossing the boundary of the barrier's protection. In a few calm steps, he was standing outside its range.
"Huh! There's one coming out to die."
Just then, Kamil noticed the guild mark on the back of Kael's right hand. "Fairy Tail. I see. The mayor asked a mage guild for help."
"Fairy Tail? Is that the guild that's been so active lately?"
"Yeah! That's the one!"
"Hah! Kid, you knew about Phantom Lord and you still dared to take this mission. You've got guts!"
"Phantom Lord?" Kael's tone stayed flat. "I've heard the name. But you? Never."
He had heard of the Phantom Troupe—from the anime Hunter x Hunter. This situation, though, wasn't something he remembered from Fairy Tail at all. Based on the timeline, the main story hadn't properly started yet, and this felt like a dangerous deviation.
Kamil looked at Kael Vane. "Kid, since you don't know what you're stepping into, I'll let you go if you give up the mission now."
The yellow-haired man looked surprised. "Huh?! Kid, you're really lucky! The boss is rarely this merciful."
Kael shook his head. "I've already accepted the request, so I can't give up. You targeted my client, so you are an enemy of Fairy Tail."
"Kid, since this is the path you've chosen, there's nothing left to say. Get him!"
Kamil had just said it on a whim. It was like seeing an ant on the road—you don't need to step on every single one, but if it crawls into your way, you crush it.
"Full-Body Take Over! Ulquiorra Cifer!"
Kael Vane's body began to change. His black clothes turned into a white, high-collared jacket with a black lining. He wore a white hakama, tied with a wide black sash. A Zanpakutō was stuck in the sash. He had black socks and white shoes.
His skin turned paler, and his eyes turned green. Green tear-like markings appeared under his eyes. The left side of his head was covered by a white, horned helmet fragment.
"Hah!! Die!!"
The yellow-haired man threw a stone at Kael Vane. Kael raised his hand and caught it without even flinching.
The moment it hit his palm, the stone detonated—its surface flashing as a blast swallowed Kael in smoke and heat.
"Hahahaha!! What an idiot! How can you just catch something someone throws at you? Hahaha!" The yellow-haired man held his stomach, laughing.
"Kael!!"
Elfman, watching from the window, panicked and was about to charge downstairs.
Then the smoke split apart.
A dense surge of spiritual pressure rolled outward, blowing the haze away as if the air itself had been pushed back.
Kael Vane stood there again—completely unharmed.
"What?!"
The operatives froze. They had watched him catch the bomb. They had watched it explode.
"Y-You... you're not dead?!"
Steel Skin (Hierro). An Arrancar's body is covered in skin that a sword can't pierce. Normal attacks can't hurt him. Ulquiorra's Steel Skin could even withstand attacks that would shred ordinary bodies, and wounds that did slip through could be healed in an instant. An explosion of this level couldn't even crack his defense.
"Bastard! I'll just keep blowing you up until you die!"
The yellow-haired man pulled out several more stones and hurled them one after another.
"Sonído!"
Kael Vane's figure blurred—his outline smearing into an afterimage—and he was gone from where the bombs were about to land.
The next instant—
A long blade slid through the yellow-haired man's body from behind, clean and precise.
"Wh... What...?"
He looked down in disbelief at the weapon piercing him, his laughter dying in his throat.
"Sorry, I'm in a hurry."
Kael Vane spoke flatly. His magic power was too low. Even in Ulquiorra's most basic state, he could only hold it for ten minutes. If he didn't finish these guys in ten minutes, he would be the one who was finished. He had to end this fast.