Chapter 15: The Direction of Awakening
Several people stood frozen. Seeing how clueless they were, Dino Maxim frowned and lightly tapped his foot against the ground.
With a thunderous boom, a massive crater appeared in the pavement.
"Okay, okay! We'll give you the money right now!"
The thugs immediately pooled their cash together and handed everything to Dino. Seeing the total in his hands was less than 5,000 jewels, Dino didn't complain about the amount and simply pocketed it.
"So… can we go?" The men looked at Dino nervously. They'd finally run into someone they shouldn't have messed with. They'd assumed their target was just some ordinary client, not a powerful mage.
Dino pointed at the one who'd been running his mouth the most. "You're guiding me. I'm heading to the Phoenix Dark Guild."
"Yes, sir!"
Dark guilds kept their locations well hidden. Without a local guide, Dino would've wasted hours searching.
"That's it, the Dark Guild Phoenix." The man pointed ahead.
"Are you sure this is right?" Dino stared at the surprisingly intact building in the city center. Weren't dark guilds supposed to hide in the shadows?
"Positive. It used to be a government office. After everyone evacuated, the Phoenix Guild took it over as their headquarters."
"Alright, you can leave." Dino walked toward the building.
"Stop right there! Who are you? Outsiders aren't allowed inside." Two guards stepped forward the moment Dino reached the entrance.
A shockwave burst outward and sent both men flying.
Dino clenched his fist. The air around it shimmered with a white spherical aura. He pulled back and struck forward in a knocking motion.
The space itself cracked like glass.
The Phoenix Guild's front doors exploded inward, and the wall behind them developed a gaping hole.
"What the hell?!"
"Someone's attacking!"
"Who dares attack the Phoenix Guild? Do they have a death wish?"
Dino kept his hands in his pockets as he walked through the destruction without breaking stride.
Once inside, he spoke calmly. "The Phoenix Guild, right? A few days ago, you hurt some Fairy Tail members. That was you, wasn't it?"
"Fairy Tail? Oh, you mean those weaklings who tried to protect people and interfere with our jobs? We only broke their arms and legs. They should be grateful we didn't kill them." A man who appeared to be the guild master, somewhere in his forties, spoke as if he'd shown mercy.
"Kid, you actually came here alone? Are you looking to die?"
"Boss! I recognize him! That's Dino Maxim, Fairy Tail's strongest S-Class mage. There's a 350 million jewel bounty on him in the underworld."
"What?!" Everyone stepped back in shock. Even though Dino kept a low profile, his reputation as the "Walking Disaster" was well known.
"Don't panic! That 'Walking Disaster' title is just propaganda from the legal guilds. Kill him and we split 350 million jewels!"
Most dark guild members had cruel personalities and would take any job for the right price. Seeing Dino's head as worth 350 million jewels, their eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Get him!"
"Phoenix Flame!"
"Ice Storm!"
"Flamingo Barrage!"
Everyone surrounded Dino and unleashed their magic simultaneously.
Dino shook his head. "Just as I thought. You're all beyond saving. Today, your guild ends."
His eyes narrowed. A pale white barrier of pressure expanded instantly from his body. Every spell bounced back toward its caster before the shockwave sent them all flying.
The Phoenix Guild's building collapsed.
Screams filled the air as bodies tumbled through debris.
Dino kicked off the ground and shot into the air, then began descending headfirst. His right arm pulled back as vibrations gathered around his fist, creating a visible aura of destructive force. He drove it downward with everything he had.
The space ahead of his fist fractured. Dense cracks spread through the air itself.
"What is that?!" The Phoenix Guild's master had enough strength to stay conscious after Dino's first attack, but now massive pressure fell from the sky.
"No, wait, stop!"
The ground within two hundred meters of the Phoenix Guild shattered completely. The entire city shook violently, terrifying the remaining residents into screaming panic. When the tremors finally stopped, a crater dozens of meters deep marked where the guild hall once stood.
"If anyone survived that, consider yourselves lucky." Dino turned and left. During his recent training, he'd received word from Guild Master Makarov that Fairy Tail members had been attacked and crippled. Makarov was furious.
So was Dino. After years in the guild, he considered every member family. Anyone who hurt his family needed to be prepared for complete annihilation. The moment he got Makarov's message, he came straight here.
"Half a year already? This training session ran longer than planned. At least the results made it worthwhile. I can take a real break once I'm back."
He'd originally planned to train for a month, but near the end, he'd experienced a breakthrough that extended his isolation to a full six months. When he finally emerged, the first news he heard was about the attack on his guildmates. His mood had been terrible until he dealt with Phoenix just now.
This marked his seventh year since arriving in this world. Thinking about those seven years of intense training, Dino couldn't help but smile. "Finally figured out the direction for awakening this Devil Fruit power."