The entire guild fell silent. The tension in the air was palpable, thick enough to cut with a knife.
Natsu and Cian locked eyes. Natsu's instincts were screaming at him—warning him that the man standing opposite him was terrifyingly powerful. But for a dragon slayer, fear and excitement were two sides of the same coin. The stronger the opponent, the hotter his blood burned.
Whoosh!
Flames erupted from Natsu's fists, bathing the arena in an orange glow. He dropped into a combat stance, a feral grin spreading across his face.
"Awesome! Now I can go all out without holding anything back!"
"Begin!" Makarov shouted, his hand chopping down.
"Hraaaah!"
Natsu exploded off the starting line, the ground cracking under his boot. He charged straight at Cian, his clawed hands wreath in searing fire, swinging wildly.
Cian didn't seem to react. He stood perfectly still, his hands casually tucked into his pockets, watching the approaching fireball with an indifferent gaze.
Just as the crowd thought the first hit would land—
Zumm!
A strange, static-like sound cut through the air.
Cian's body vanished.
In the fraction of a second it took for Natsu's fist to hit empty air, Cian reappeared directly behind him. With a fluid, almost lazy motion, he delivered a sharp kick to Natsu's spine.
"Guah!"
Natsu lost his balance, tumbling forward into the dirt.
"So fast!"
"Was that Teleportation Magic?!"
To the onlookers, it looked as if Cian had simply ceased to exist in one spot and materialized in another.
Makarov shook his head, his eyes narrowed in focus. "No. That wasn't teleportation. It was a high-speed movement technique so sophisticated that the naked eye couldn't track it. Because the velocity is so extreme, it creates the illusion of teleportation."
Internally, the Master was shocked. He had barely managed to track the afterimage. True teleportation left no physical trajectory, but this... this was raw physical speed pushed to a supernatural limit.
"What the hell?!"
Jet, the guild's resident speedster, dropped his jaw. His Magic, High Speed, made him the fastest runner in Fairy Tail. But what he just saw? That was on a different level entirely. It made him feel like he was running in mud.
"Fire Dragon's... Iron Fist!"
Natsu didn't stay down. He rolled to his feet, spinning around with a fist engulfed in concentrated flames, driving it straight at Cian's chest.
Cian calmly pulled his left hand from his pocket and raised his palm.
Wham!
Fist met palm.
The guild expected Cian to be sent skidding backward. Instead, another impossible scene unfolded.
Cian stood rooted to the spot, immovable as a mountain. He had caught Natsu's destructive punch with a single open hand.
"He... he blocked it?!"
"No way! Natsu's Iron Fist can shatter boulders!"
"And he stopped it like it was nothing? Is this guy a monster?"
Cian's fingers clamped down on Natsu's fist. With a simple twist of his hips, he swung the Dragon Slayer like a ragdoll.
Whoosh—!
"Whoaaa!"
Crash!
Natsu was hurled through the air, smashing through a large rock formation at the edge of the training ground. Dust and debris filled the air.
But Dragon Slayers were durable. Natsu scrambled out of the rubble, shaking off the dust. He took a deep breath, his chest expanding as he gathered a massive amount of Magic Power in his throat. The air around him shimmered with heat.
Cian watched him dispassionately. He raised his right hand, pointing his index finger directly at Natsu.
Vibrant, emerald-green energy began to coalesce at his fingertip. The air began to hum with a high-pitched, vibrating drone. Reiatsu condensed rapidly, forming a high-density sphere of doom.
"Fire Dragon's... ROAR!!"
FWOOOSH—!
A colossal torrent of crimson fire erupted from Natsu's mouth, spiraling toward Cian like a natural disaster.
"Cero."
BZZZZZT—!
A beam of concentrated green light fired from Cian's finger.
BOOM—!!
The Hollow Flash met the Dragon's Roar dead center.
Crimson fire and emerald energy clashed, fighting for dominance for a split second before detonating. A terrifying shockwave rippled outward, tearing up the ground and flattening the grass.
"Whoa!"
"Watch out!"
Spectators shielded their faces as the blast wind hit them, some of the lighter members nearly getting blown off their feet.
Dust billowed over the lake, obscuring the view. Slowly, the cloud settled.
A massive crater now scarred the earth between the two combatants.
On one side, Cian stood tall, his white jacket spotless, his breathing even.
On the other side, Natsu lay on his back, bruised and groaning. He tried to push himself up, but his arms gave out. He had nothing left in the tank.
The clash of energy had been a decisive victory for the newcomer.
"The match is decided!" Makarov's voice boomed across the silence. "Winner: Cian!"
The Master couldn't hide his surprise. He hadn't expected Cian to be this strong. In his civilian form, the boy looked like an average human with minimal magic. But once he activated that Take Over, he transformed into a seasoned warrior with power that rivaled the guild's elite.
"The rookie actually won?!"
"He took down Natsu!"
"That strength... that's definitely S-Class level, right?"
"Has to be. Only the S-Class monsters can handle Natsu like that."
"What a beast!"
The initial shock broke, replaced by a wave of excitement. Although most of them had lost money, the thrill of discovering a new powerhouse in their ranks outweighed the loss. Fairy Tail had just gained another heavy hitter.
Cian exhaled slowly, letting the transformation dissipate.
"Release."
The white armor and bone helmet vanished, returning him to his standard shirt and pants. He felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. His Magic Power reserves were practically empty.
That was close, he thought. If I hadn't ended it quickly with the Cero, I would have run out of gas.
Still, a grin tugged at his lips. He had beaten Natsu—the protagonist of the world. He had lived up to the name of Ulquiorra Cifer. The victory surged through him, solidifying his confidence.
He walked over to the crater, extending a hand to the fallen Dragon Slayer.
Natsu blinked, then grinned, grabbing Cian's hand. Cian hauled him to his feet.
"You're strong!" Natsu laughed, wincing slightly as he rubbed his bruised ribs. "Just like Erza. You're a total monster! Next time, I'm definitely gonna beat you!"
Despite the loss, there wasn't a shred of bitterness in Natsu's voice. To him, a strong opponent just meant a new goal to chase.
"I'll be waiting," Cian nodded.
He kept his face calm, but internally, he vowed not to lose either. As a man—and as someone wielding the power of an Espada—he refused to be surpassed.
The crowd began to filter back into the guild hall, buzzing with chatter about the fight.
At the betting table, Cana was happily scooping piles of jewels into her bag.
"Hehe! Drinking money for the week secured!" She paused, a thought occurring to her. "Although... if I'd known Cian was that strong, I wouldn't have told the others to bet on him. I could have cleaned them out completely!"
Nearby, a large man with white hair groaned, clutching his head.
"What am I supposed to do? Another monster has arrived! When will a MAN like Elfman ever become an S-Class Mage?! Oh, the road to manliness is too rough!"
Elfman Strauss looked genuinely distressed. Fairy Tail was already full of monsters—Erza, his sister Mira (when she was active), Mystogan, Laxus. He had been training so hard to catch up, and now Cian had dropped out of the sky to add to the list.
"Stop whining," Gray scoffed, walking past him (miraculously clothed). "You talk as if you would have become S-Class if Cian hadn't shown up. Face it, Elfman, you haven't even qualified for the trials yet."
"What did you say?!"
"Besides," Gray muttered, glancing at Cian, "he's definitely S-Class material. As long as you don't have to fight him in the trial, it doesn't matter. Worst case, you just wait another year."
Hearing this, Cana froze. The joy of her gambling win evaporated instantly.
Her face went pale.
The S-Class Wizard Promotion Trial...
She had qualified for the trial three years in a row. In the first year, she ran into the monster known as Erza Scarlet and was crushed. In the second year, she faced the demon Mirajane and lost. In the third year, she didn't even see her opponent—Mystogan put her to sleep before the fight even started.
And now, this year... Cian was here.
She replayed the image of that green energy beam in her mind. If she had to face him? It would be a repeat of the last three years.
Do I really have to wait another year?
Cana slumped onto the bench, her victory booze suddenly tasting like defeat.