Whoosh!
Evergreen's wings snapped open as she took flight, pushing herself to her absolute limit.
"Damn it! How did that monster find me so quickly?!"
The moment she confirmed it was Kael, her only instinct was to run. If it had been anyone else—even an S-Class mage like Erza—she might have stayed to fight. But Kael was different. Others were human; Kael was an anomaly, a force of nature.
She had seen the reports of his battle with Jose, one of the Ten Wizard Saints. No matter how much pride she took in her own magic, she wasn't delusional enough to think she stood a chance. Retreat was the only logical option.
Back on the ground, Elfman was barely clinging to consciousness, tears streaming down his face. "Kael... please... save... my sisters..."
Kael offered a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Elfman. Mira and the others will be back to normal before you know it."
Relieved by those words, Elfman finally let go and drifted into unconsciousness. Kael turned to the surrounding townspeople, his tone calm and polite. "Excuse me, everyone, could you do me a favor? Could someone help get Elfman to the clinic and get him patched up?"
"Kael, what's happening with Fairy Tail?" one resident asked, looking deeply concerned. "We've seen members fighting each other all over Magnolia." "Is the Fantasia Parade still going to happen?" another added.
The people of Magnolia knew Kael well. To them, he wasn't just a powerful mage; he was a local hero, and they were quite used to his various "Take Over" forms.
Kael chuckled softly. "Don't worry about it! It's just a small internal dispute. We'll have everything sorted out soon, and I promise the parade will go on as scheduled."
"Is that so? Well, that's a relief! But they're really causing a scene out there!" "My apologies," Kael said with a slight bow. "Once I get back, I'll make sure they all get a proper scolding."
"Come on, everyone! Let's give him a hand and get Elfman to the doctor!" The crowd gathered together to lift the large man.
"Thank you," Kael said.
In the next blink, he was gone.
Evergreen touched down in a remote, quiet alley, gasping for air. "Phew... There's no way he could have followed me here—"
Before she could finish her thought, she nearly jumped out of her skin. Kael was already standing a few yards away, watching her.
"Impossible! How did you track me down so fast?!"
"I saw you, obviously."
"You saw me?!"
"Mhm. Don't go thinking you're the only one with special eyes," Kael replied. "I can sense magic from miles away. I can see behind me, and I can see for miles."
At the mention of eyes, Evergreen remembered her own Stone Eyes. She snatched off her glasses and glared at Kael. However, Kael was currently wearing a black blindfold, his white hair spiked upward—a look unfamiliar to Evergreen.
"Now's my chance!" she thought.
Evergreen took to the air again, waving her fan to saturate the atmosphere with magic dust. "Fairy Bomb: Gremlins!!"
She laughed as the explosions engulfed the entire alley. "Haha! I don't care how strong you are; if you can't see, your magic power will plummet! I can win! I can actually win!"
Then, Kael's voice drifted calmly through the smoke. "You really shouldn't celebrate so early. You're starting to sound like a cliché villain."
"What?! How?!" Evergreen's eyes widened in horror. "How can you be completely unharmed?! That move took down Elfman!"
Her previous attack on Elfman had been rushed, but this time she had poured a massive amount of magic into the dust specifically for Kael. For him to be standing there without a single scratch was beyond absurd.
"It's quite simple. You never actually hit me."
"Liar! My attack covered every inch of space around you! There's no way it missed!"
"To be precise," Kael explained, "you only 'hit' the magic barrier between us. But honestly, I don't feel like explaining how my magic works to you."
Evergreen didn't understand the technicalities, but she could feel the blatant condescension in his tone. "You think you can defeat me with your eyes closed?!"
"Ah... I forgot to mention," Kael said, pointing to his blindfold. "My magic sensing allow me to see perfectly even when my vision is blocked. Whether I'm wearing this or not makes no difference. I can see you clearly."
"You monster!!"
Evergreen turned tail and fled once more. If his vision had been impaired, she might have had a sliver of hope. But against a man who could see through solid objects, she knew she was doomed.
Flash! Kael appeared instantly in front of her.
"That speed?!"
Now she understood why she couldn't outrun him, no matter the distance.
"Damn it! Just how many types of magic does this guy have?!" she screamed. "Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!!"
She thrust her arms forward, firing a barrage of needle-like magic bolts. Kael didn't even flinch.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Evergreen watched in horror. This time, she saw it clearly. The magic needles slowed down drastically as they approached him, eventually coming to a complete standstill. Even when they exploded, the force never reached his body. It was as if an invisible, absolute barrier protected him.
Magic.
Kael raised his hand, and a small, concentrated orb of blue magic manifested at his fingertips. He casually flicked it toward her. Evergreen dove to the side just in time.
Crack! Crunch!
The blue orb struck a nearby brick wall, and the masonry was instantly hollowed out, as if a giant beast had taken a massive bite out of the building. Evergreen's heart hammered against her ribs. If that hits me, I'm dead.
Kael mentally guided the orb to chase her, forcing her to weave through the air in a desperate game of survival.
"Is one not enough? Fine, let's have a few more."
With a wave of his hand, seven more blue orbs materialized. They zig-zagged through the air, devouring everything they touched.
"Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!" she fired a desperate volley, but her magic was simply swallowed by the blue spheres.
Within seconds, the eight orbs had cornered her against a wall. Evergreen stared at them, trembling, terrified that they would close in and tear her apart.
Kael walked toward her, his hands tucked casually in his pockets. "Turn everyone back to normal. I'm not going to ask a third time."
"Heh... hehe... You're far too naive," Evergreen managed a shaky smirk, trying to regain some leverage. "My Stone Eyes have another ability: long-range manipulation. Don't forget, I have hostages. You and Mira are a couple, right? If you don't want to see her shattered into dust, you'll get on your knees right now!!"
Kael stopped and sighed. "Is that so? Then I really did overestimate you. Since you've chosen this path, I'll respect your decision. I'll make you pay for the girls you've petrified."
Kael turned his back on her, sounding completely indifferent. The eight blue orbs began to close in.
Evergreen's face drained of color, cold sweat pouring down her neck. Wait, this isn't right! This isn't how the script is supposed to go!
Normally, shouldn't he be begging for mercy? Shouldn't he be desperate to save the girls? Why was he walking away? Why did he look like he didn't care at all?
The intense gravitational pull from the orbs began to shred her clothes. Evergreen felt the pressure tugging at her limbs, as if her body was about to be pulled in eight different directions at once.
"Aaaaaah!!! Stop! Stop it!! I give up! I surrender!!"
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