"R-Run! It's the Shine-"
"Stop calling me by that stupid moniker."
A hammer construct made by Light Magic knocked that dark mage unconscious as I continued to rain arrows of light down on whoever is left. It wasn't long before I made my way out with my captured prisoners in tow.
Just another normal day.
Whatever happened next is pretty much routine. I handed over the captured prisoners to the nearest Rune Knight outpost, got my reward, and after seeing that I had completed all available job requests at this particular outpost I marked it with an 'X' on my map and decided to make my way to the next one.
But first, I will have to make a stop at Magnolia.
"Argus, you are back! Quick, come over! We are having a barbeque!"
"I'm back," I nodded as I let Nab lead me over to where everyone is participating in the barbeque taking place in the clearing right outside the guild tavern. I returned everyone's enthusiastic greetings as I passed by. Kinana handed me a plate of freshly barbequed ribs.
"Dig in while it's hot!"
"Thanks."
"Argus, Argus! What kind of bad guys did you beat up this time?"
"The bad ones," I replied to Asuka's question as I started to dig into the ribs, I am getting a little hungry after all the fighting.
"Hah! Haven't seen anybody stronger than Argus within fifty miles of here! Wouldn't be surprised if he is S Class!" Wakaba barked out a laugh, his preferred alcoholic beverage already in his hand.
"I doubt it," I replied, not really able to bring myself to compare my strength to the mages of Fiore because as far as I am concerned, as long as I am good enough to be able to complete my jobs then it's fine. I had never been overly competitive.
"If Argus joins us he would definitely be our Ace," Macao said with a laugh. "Did that change your mind yet, Argus?"
"Nope."
"I thought so."
"The corn is ready! Anybody want some corn?" Bisca called out and several hands immediately shot into the air.
"Me!"
Life has been good for everyone ever since I met Fairy Tail. I continued with my life as an independent mage without any troubles and so did the guild. Twilight Ogre no longer harasses Fairy Tail, not after the beating I gave them. The mages of Fairy Tail are always either laughing or smiling for as long as I can remember, clearly enjoying every single day of their lives. Life is still hard for them, of course, since they are small in number and the kind of jobs sent to their guild hardly pays enough to support their daily expenses, but they push on with their lives with smiles on their faces nevertheless.
It's that kind of mental fortitude and strength that I really admire about them.
It's been about a year since my first meeting with Fairy Tail. I return to Magnolia every few months once I am done with clearing out jobs at one outpost before moving onto the next. To be honest, I have no idea why I am so fixated on clearing the jobs posted on the request board in each Rune Knight outpost but I also see no reason in stopping. It's how I earn my income and it has served me well for years.
Of course, I do garner attention from the magical community. People are bound to take interest in an independent mage who goes on jobs solo and successfully clears every single job request in any outpost he visits no matter the difficulty. I have had invitations from numerous guilds to join them, each with an offer more tempting than the last, but none really convinced me to because I don't see a reason to trust them.
So, I continued with my nomadic way of life.
Fairy Tail is different. I guess a part of it is because of how I had met them and another part of it is because I know the kind of guild Fairy Tail is thanks to my foreknowledge. Still, I am hesitant, because I had decided long ago after finding out that this is the world of Fairy Tail that I will not interfere with what is to come. I don't want to get involved in the kind of events that the guild will inevitably tangle themselves with.
Long story short, I don't have much of a reason to not join Fairy Tail but at the same time, I don't have a reason to join them either.
What I do know is that I enjoy their company. They make me crave for human interaction even when I had long since gotten used to working as a lone wolf. They make me feel comfortable and at ease, that I can be myself when I am in their company. They don't pry about things that I am uncomfortable to talk about, something which I gladly appreciate, but would not hesitate to lend a listening ear to if I ever need it.
Compared to the places that I had been to and the people I had met, the mages of Fairy Tail are like angels.
"How long are you staying this time?"
"I don't know. Maybe a week," I answered as everyone sat around a big round table, digging into their meals and gulping down drinks. The sunlight is gentle and the breeze is cool, the perfect weather for a barbeque.
"Really? Hey! How about you stay and watch the Grand Magic Games with us then? It's starting tomorrow! It will be fun!" Vijeeter suggested as he slung an arm around me.
"It's already that time of the year?"
"Yeah. Dude, the GMG takes place every first week of July! This is common knowledge!"
"In case you haven't realised, I live under a rock," I replied dryly. "None of you are participating?"
"Let's… not go there," Vijeeter replied with a shudder. "We end up as last place every single time we enter the games."
"That bad?"
"Yeah. Why else do you think everyone mocks us as the weakest guild in Fiore?"
"We can watch the games on the guild's TV!" Asuka said excitedly, pointing towards the brand new lacrima TV that now sits in the guild. The financial situation of the guild had been slowly getting better ever since they got out of debt and they decided to get themselves a TV which everyone can use.
"You are watching with us, right?" Droy asked in between mouthfuls of food.
"Yeah, why not?" I answered. Truthfully, I am also curious about the strength of the supposed strongest guilds in Fiore. What I remembered from the series can hardly be called accurate when fiction is now reality because certain things can be starkly different when it is no longer fiction, so it is good to get myself a reality check from time to time.
If my memories serve me right, the title of the strongest guild should now be held by Sabertooth.
I am looking forward to their display.
"The wild mushrooms here are real good, I'm telling ya, you really have to try their mushroom stew-"
Right now, I am hitching a ride on a cart belonging to an old man that is being pulled along by his mule. He is a farmer from what I had gathered, and is on his way back home after selling his produce in the neighbouring town where I had met him.
I patiently listened on in silence as the old man continued to rattle on and on about the local delicacies of the town that we will be heading to next. Funnily enough, I only just realised that my next destination just so happens to be the one where Sabertooth is located.
I've stayed to watch the GMG with Fairy Tail for that one week and I can see why and how Sabertooth earned their spot as the strongest guild in Fiore. Still, if I have to be truthful, none of their individual capabilities really impressed me. Maybe it's because I have seen things and met people that are far stronger and more dangerous, maybe it's because I am watching the proceedings through a lacrima screen, but the fact is that I am still not really impressed.
Oh well, not like I care.
"See ya, kid, and remember to try the mushroom stew!"
"I will, thank you," I replied before we went our separate ways. I had now reached my destination and seeing as how the sun will be setting soon, I decided to find a place where I could stay the night, preferably somewhere which serves mushroom stew that the old man had been talking about.
It didn't take me long. I hadn't found a place to stay the night but I did find a place to eat which serves mushroom stew. The old man really wasn't exaggerating, the stew really is good. Everything is fine and dandy and it could be better if-
"We are number one~ Number one~"
If only that horrible singing could go away.
I can tell that the other customers are also irked by that horrible singing but for some reason, nobody is speaking up or interfering, instead choosing to finish their meals as soon as possible and then leave quietly. The waiters are also obviously vexed about the situation but it seems that they too, have elected to let things be.
If I have to guess, whoever is singing must be someone that nobody here dares to offend.
I am a little curious about the person whose singing is so bad that it could probably be classified as a form of offensive spell on its own, but I am also not curious enough to bother myself to check out who it is. I simply finished my meal and had only just finished footing my bill when a massive muscular man with light green hair stumbled out from the interior of the restaurant.
"NuMbEr ONEEE~~~"
I guess I found the owner of that horrible voice.
I recognise the person who had just appeared in front of me, I only just saw him on TV days ago. He is Orga Nanagear, a Sabertooth mage that uses God Slayer magic, a troublesome person that I would definitely avoid at all costs.
The large man swayed on his feet as he continued his horrible singing and it is obvious to all that he is drunk. He simply shoved me aside and slammed a fist on the counter, leaving a few cracks on the surface and scaring the cashier from the display.
"H-How -hic- much?"
"T-That would be t-three t-thousand jewels, sir."
"N-Nonsense!" Orga bellowed as he slammed his fist one more time, still swaying on his feet. "H-How can it -hic- b-be t-three thousand?"
"You ordered all the most expensive drinks, sir." The frightened lady squeaked out as she showed Orga the receipt. From where I am standing, I can easily see what is written on the bill and a quick mental calculation on my part summed the total to exactly three thousand jewels.
Just how much had Orga drank to rack up such a bill?
"Y-You… hic! Swindlers!" Orga accused with a flushed face, leaning onto the counter for support but the closer proximity had seemingly given the cashier a larger scare instead. "I-I know. Y-You m-must have want to s-scam me after s-seeing how Sabertooth won the games, r-right? Hic! Thinking that I -hic- won a lot of -hic- cash, right? I'm telling you, I -hic- will not condone such shady practices!"
Orga's body crackled with black lightning towards the end of his drunken speech, making everyone nearby shrieking with fright at the amount of power he was casually releasing. I don't want to get myself involved in such a troublesome situation, but if things were to continue to develop as it is, there is also a chance that Orga might hurt someone in his drunken stupor and as far as I can see, there are no other mages around us.
Well, there goes nothing.
"Hey, big guy, you are scaring everyone here. Rein your magic in."
"W-Who are you?" Orga turned to me and squinted his eyes a little. "You are- hic- not f-from around here."
"The bill says three thousand jewels," I gestured towards the bill with a slight jerk of my chin. "It's only right to pay what you have owed."
"N-Nonsense!" Orga bellowed as he took a few steps towards me, still swaying on his feet. "T-There's no way the bill could -hic- be three thousand jewels! I'm not paying! Oh, I know! Y-You are in cahoots with t-them, right?"
Orga pointed towards the counter as a grin sprouted across his face.
"Y-You think I wouldn't find out? Do you -hic- know who you are -hic- messing with here? We are Sabertooth! Strongest guild in Fiore! NUMBER ONE!"
"Not to be a downer, but I don't particularly care."
That pushed Orga off the tipping point.
"DIE!"
A swift punch packed with a lethal dose of black lightning came swinging my way and I leapt backwards to escape, bringing Orga with me out onto the streets where it is wider and the chances of passersby getting swept up in this farce are lower. Orga howled and swung another punch, still drunk, but that doesn't seem to inhibit his fighting capabilities in the slightest.
"KEEP, STILL!"
Orga came at me with wild punches, blowing craters on the cobbled road as I slowly lured him towards the edge of the town where I can fight with greater freedom without needing to worry about collateral damage. There's no way he can touch me with the way he is punching, not in a million years. I have fought faster.
Orga gave another yell of frustration before taking a stance that I had seen him take during the recent GMG. It is a stance he used to invoke a certain spell of his.
"120mm Black Lightning Cannon!"
Oh great.
"Aegis," I whispered as a shield of light manifested in front of me just right before the black lightning could come into contact, shielding me from harm in the nick of time.
"You know what? Kids gloves are off," I muttered before invoking my next spell, deciding to take things up a notch since we are now outside of town and hence, no need to worry about collateral damage on my end.
"Shackles."
Numerous chains of light wrapped themselves around Orga before I swung and crashed him into a nearby tree at high speed, stunning him for a moment. I raised a finger and pointed at him, already casting my next spell.
"Holy Beam."
A focused beam of light hit Orga, sending him flying. I reached his side at the speed of light while he was at the apex of his flight and casted my next spell.
"Holy Hammer."
A humongous hammer construct made from light smashed Orga down into the river below with a huge splash. Orga broke through the river surface seconds later, sputtering and gasping for breath.
"Sober now?" I asked, catching his full and undivided attention.
"Uh, yeah, think so," Orga groaned as he waded his way to the riverbank and a hand pressed against his head. He is still swaying a little but at least the influence of the alcohol had lessened somewhat after the dunking I gave him.
"Remember to pay your bill later, and the repair cost for the roads you had smashed."
Orga gave another groan as he flopped onto the ground with his eyes closed, clearly not wanting to get up.
"Gimme a goddamn break."
"Three thousand jewels."
"Fucking scam. It must be a fucking scam."
"Not my problem," I retorted and was about to make my leave when Orga called after me.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Not your problem," I replied, not bothering to pause my steps. I had interfered enough.
"Join Sabertooth!" Orga shouted after me from behind. "With your strength, you could easily be in the top ten, no, top five!"
"Not interested."
"Not interes- WE ARE THE STRONGEST GUILD!"
"Don't care."
"Argggh FIGHT ME!"
My instinct was the only thing that saved me from being fried as a powerful charge of lightning struck the position I was at a mere second ago. Orga descended upon me immediately with various spells, now a lot more refined and focused after having some of that alcohol flushed out of his system.
This is going to be a damn pain.
"What's your problem?" I asked, annoyed at the stupidity of the entire situation.
"If I win, you join Sabertooth!" Orga roared out before sucking in a breath.
Oh shit, I can already see where this is heading to. The amount of magic he is packing into that spell is also frankly, not a laughing matter.
"LIGHTNING GOD'S BELLOW!"
'A little help here, pal.'
'Kill him.'
'Will beating him within an inch of his life do?'
A surge of holy magic fluctuated within my body as I held out both my hands in front of me.
"Divine Protection."
A forcefield of light manifested in front of me, blocking Orga's attack in its entirety before shattering. It's to be expected, my magic is a really bad matchup against someone like Orga.
I clenched my fist and cocked it backwards, gathering a large amount of magic within it. Orga leapt at me, his own lightning coated fist cocked back as well.
"Clench your teeth, big guy, or I might just knock a few teeth loose for you."
Warning given, I punched, knowing that I will be faster than him. Nothing is faster than the speed of light.
Orga was rocketed backwards, crashing through countless trees and boulders before coming to a stop. However, I know that this is far from being able to keep him down, Orga is a God Slayer.
I held out my right hand as a condensed orb of light manifested on it, pointing my attack at the stubborn God Slayer.
"Sayonara," I greeted before unleashing my next spell. "Final Spark."
A laser with the colours of the rainbow was fired, obliterating everything in its way. When the light died down, a smoking Orga could be spotted lying in a crater, unconscious. I had made sure to tone down the power of the spell enough so that it would not kill him.
"Done and dusted," I spoke out loud to nobody in particular as I dusted my hands.
'All the trouble for a small little midget.'
'Little? Did you see how big he is?'
'Still a midget when compared to me. Are we moving onto the next one?'
'Yeah, like right now.'
I turned around to where I sensed people watching us from afar and called them out.
"Are you going to hide there all day?"
And immediately regretted doing so. This turned out to be an even bigger pain in the ass than I expected it to be.
"Orga actually lost. Not in the GMG, but right here."
"If he had lost then it simply means that there is someone more worthy of the title. I have already committed those lights into my memory."
Sting, Rogue, Rufus, Minerva. The core of Sabertooth's strength are all here.
A slow clap captured my attention, bringing my attention to Minerva.
"Splendid," She purred. "I never remembered seeing Orga lose a single battle. Who are you?"
"If you think I'm dumb enough to give you my name then you have another thing coming," I snarked back. "Are you letting me leave or what?"
"After an unknown mage defeated Orga like that? No, I'm afraid not," Minerva replied as she activated her magic with the other three mages doing the same. "State your name and affiliation, or we will treat you as a dark mage."
'Oooh, finally. Some killing'
'Shut up.'
"Fine by me, this is not my first time going through the whole song and dance," I replied as I activated my magic as well. The air grew thicker with tension as seconds passed, neither party making the first move.
Sting was the first to act.
"White Dragon's Claw!"
"Aegis."
My shield of light blocked Sting's attack with a loud gong. Sting attempted to eat my shield, only to find that he couldn't. I would be surprised if he could actually manage that.
"Fun fact, you being the White Dragon Slayer doesn't mean you can consume every single thing in white. Get that in your head."
I kicked Sting in the face, sending him crashing into Rufus who was about to conjure one of his troublesome spells. Rogue sneaked up from behind me like a wisp of shadow but I have already seen this coming from far away.
"Holy Burst."
The ground below me exploded in a fiery beam of white light that reached the skies. Rogue wouldn't be getting up for a while after getting hit by my spell at point blank.
Explosions were fired at me by Minerva which I blocked off with my shields. Minerva responded by warping my shields away with her Territory magic and I cannot help but curse at how quick witted she is.
"Territory Nihility."
"Holy Gauntlet."
Minerva engaged me in close combat, her hands coated in space-wave matter while a pair of gauntlets made of holy light now covers my hands. We exchanged a few blows before creating some distance between each other, Minerva already priming her magic for another attack as I do the same.
I had to duck to the side when lightning and hurricanes attempted to strike at me from out of nowhere. This is Rufus' work, no doubt.
"Rude."
"Allow me to see more of your brilliance," Rufus stated confidently with his fingers touching his temples, already in the process of conjuring his next spell.
"Well, sure. Blind."
I released a blinding light that had everyone covering their eyes from the sudden brightness and I decided to use this opportunity to make a run for it.
Obviously, things didn't go as planned.
Terrifying explosions were set off all around me, forcing me to go on the defensive. A muscular old man whose size does not dwarf Orga's in the slightest landed in front of me, his entire frame buzzing with highly condensed magic power.
"Guild Master Jiemma, I take it?"
The old man stared down at me, his magical aura pressing down at me with a pressure that would have suffocated anyone below a certain threshold of strength. I did not flinch but neither did I advance, simply irritated at how messy things had turned out.
"State your name and affiliation."
"Don't wanna."
Jiemma pointed a finger at the direction of the town.
"You damaged the town, beat up my mages, and you expect to get off the hook?"
"First of all, the damage to the town is entirely Orga's doing. Ask him if you don't believe me. Secondly, your mages were the ones who picked the fight with me, I never made the first move. And so, yes, I expect to be off the hook entirely because I've never been on it in the first place."
"How insolent," The pressure Jiemma is exuding got denser and denser with each passing second as he raised a hand. "Seems like I will have to teach you a lesson."
Jiemma and I made our moves at an unspoken signal when the tension in the air was about to snap, only to quickly realise that we were unable to lift even a single finger.
"This is an unsightly sight. Stand down, both of you."
My gaze shifted to the left where I heard the voice sounded out from. A gentleman dressed in a suit is pointing at us with his fingers, suppressing our movements with that alone.
"Draculos Hyberion," Jiemma spoke without a shift in tone of his voice. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I was just passing by, don't mind me," Draculos replied. "Now, would the both of you mind standing down, or do I have to repeat myself?"
Reluctantly, both Jiemma and I reined in our magic. No sane person would want to go against a direct order from a Wizard Saint, a member of the Four Gods of Ishgar no less.
"This impudent brat thrashed my town and my mages. I would request for you to hand him over to me."
"Oi, get your facts right you old fart," I snarled. "Your mages were the ones who picked a fight with me."
"I've never seen or heard someone of your calibre," Draculos interrupted. "If I may ask, which guild are you from?"
I wanted to snark back, but upon seeing that this is Draculos that I am talking to, I decided to answer truthfully.
"... Argus."
"No last name?"
"Discarded it a long time ago."
"Affiliation?"
"Independent mage."
That rose a few eyebrows from the mages around me.
"Interesting," Jiemma mused while stroking his beard. "If you join Sabertooth, I can overlook this issue entirely. Join, brat, you don't have a choice."
"Yeah, I do. My second choice is to beat your ass. Third choice is to shave your ugly beard and then beat your ass. Fourth choice is-"
"An attack by an independent mage on a legal mage would make you a dark mage by default in the eyes of the law," Jiemma pressured. "Are you sure you want to be labelled as a dark mage?"
"We cannot even plead for self-defense? Well, then all I can say is that this is a shitty law that is in dire need of an overhaul. Isn't that right, Wizard Saint?"
"As regrettable as it is, that is the current law," Draculos replied with a sigh. "You are indeed seen as a dark mage in the eyes of the law with how badly you beat up Orga Nanagear."
My gaze shifted from Draculos to Jiemma, and then to the mages surrounding me, who have been steadily increasing in numbers ever since the start of this entire mess. They are all Sabertooth mages as far as I can see.
'Kill. We can win.'
'I have to admit, your offer is getting more and more tempting.'
'Kill. KILL.'
"And if I say to hell with your shitty law?" I asked, flaring my magic as the pressure released swallowed Jiemma's entirely in an instant. Numerous mages whose skills are not up to the task have already collapsed onto their knees the moment I did so.
"Then I will make you submit," Jiemma growled as he increased the output of his own magic as well. "Stand back, Saint Draculos, this is between us now. Sabertooth will bring in the dark mage Argus."
"Fancy words from the guild master of a legal guild who acts more villainous than many other dark mages out there."
"You will pay for your impudence!"
A shockwave exploded between Jiemma and I as our magic clashed in a shower of light. I sensed Sting coming at me from behind together with Minerva and vanished in a ray of light, avoiding their attacks entirely. Some ninja mage tried to ambush me, only to receive a kick to his chest for his trouble.
"White Dragon's Roar!"
A laser beam flew straight at me but I simply redirected it away with a flick of my fingers. The space around me distorted as spells of various elements came charging my way.
"Divine Blessing."
I vanished in a burst of speed as a benevolent ray of light enveloped me, granting me several augmentations that temporarily boosted my strength. I headed straight towards Rufus, who has been a pain in my neck ever since his appearance.
"Sweet dreams."
Rufus had tried to avoid me, but my current state is too fast for him to even keep track using his eyes alone and I simply clotheslined him and sent him into slumber. The space around me warped again as explosion blasts started to rain down on me. In response, I conjured numerous orbs of light and sent them towards the explosion blasts, detonating them before they could get close.
"ENOUGH!"
A frighteningly powerful wave of pressure descended upon us all, halting our actions immediately. Draculos made his presence clear, his magic pulsing out in dangerous amounts.
"Stop. Immediately."
We have no choice but to do as ordered, knowing that we cannot go against the might of a God of Ishgar. I felt myself being paralysed the very moment I was forced to rein in my magic, no doubt Draculos' work.
'Release me. I can free us, we can kill them.'
'I'm not too sure about this buddy.'
'Release-'
I never remembered what came next, because someone deemed it necessary to hit my head and make me lose consciousness.
