70-71

Chapter 70: Kanna's Enhancement  

A fist wreathed in crimson magic roared like a scarlet dragon.  

It collided head-on with the descending beam of magical energy.  

The ground beneath Rayne’s massive form cratered violently from the recoil.  

Yet, the crimson fist didn’t just block the beam—it shattered it.  

A crack echoed through the air as fissures spiderwebbed across the emerald-green pillar of light.  

Crimson energy erupted from the fractures, surging upward with overwhelming force until it consumed the entire beam.  

The final attack, fueled by the remnants of the Toymaker Workshop’s mages, could no longer withstand the impact—one that seemed capable of splitting mountains.  

The unstable energy exploded uncontrollably.  

BOOM—  

A deafening blast shook the heavens, and the shockwave of the two opposing forces tore through the frozen earth like a storm, leaving the ground in ruins.  

The air thickened with the scent of upturned soil before being swept away by the raging winds.  

Within a radius of hundreds of meters, the snow vanished instantly.  

From a distance, Kanna and the others could clearly see a perfect circle of blackened earth amidst the white expanse—a scar left by the battle.  

At its center stood a giant clad in a savage gauntlet, his right arm encased in jagged armor.  

After a moment, Rayne confirmed that the Weeping Puppet’s magic had completely dissipated.  

He released his Giant Magic and the Boosted Gear’s power, shrinking back to his normal size within the crater.  

What had once been a towering figure now seemed small—like a single item placed in the center of a vast dish.  

"Haaah…"  

Rayne exhaled deeply, a plume of white mist escaping his lips.  

Even after continuous enhancements, his body—now far beyond human limits—still felt the strain.  

Using Giant Magic alongside multiple Boosts had drained him considerably.  

Still, it was manageable.  

"At full power, with Giant Magic and multiple Boosts, I might stand a chance against an S-Class opponent… but the backlash would be severe. It wouldn’t last long."  

"In my normal form, high-tier Boosts should be enough to handle A-Class enemies."  

As he walked back toward Kanna, Rayne silently assessed his limits based on the battle.  

"Rayne! Rayne!"  

Before he could reach her, a childish voice interrupted his thoughts.  

He looked up to see Kanna running toward him, her face expressionless but her arms raised high as she struggled to carry a massive sword nearly twice her size.  

The sight of a small child wielding such a weapon was absurd—enough to make the other children behind her stare in bewilderment.  

"You did well."  

Rayne took the sword from her and patted her head with a smile.  

"Though it’s about time we replaced this."  

He frowned slightly as he tested the weight of the blade.  

Back when he first started using it, the sword had been a perfect fit—its heft complemented his strength well.  

But now, as his physical abilities grew, the weapon no longer felt right.  

Without any special properties, it had become more of a burden than an asset.  

"My soul’s strength has improved enough… Hopefully, I’ll summon a better weapon soon."  

Thanks to the Dragon’s Origin, his soul had grown alongside his body, reaching a level where he could bond with a second magical item.  

Summoning an actual dragon, however, was still far beyond his reach.  

"Rayne got really, really big!"  

Kanna stretched her arms out wide, then placed them on her hips, tilting her head up proudly.  

"But still not as big as me!"  

For dragons, size didn’t always equate to strength—but those who could grow to monstrous proportions were usually among the strongest.  

"You can brag once you’re bigger than Quetzalcoatl."  

Rayne chuckled. Unlike Kanna, he didn’t share her obsession with size, even as his body grew more draconic.  

Quetzalcoatl—or "Lucoa," as Kanna called her—was an ancient dragon deity from her world, also known as the Feathered Serpent.  

Her true form stretched like a mountain range, vast beyond comprehension.  

Rayne’s Giant Magic might have been impressive by human standards, but compared to Lucoa, he wouldn’t even match the size of her pupil.  

That was a true dragon—one whose head and tail were never seen together.  

Once, after mastering Giant Magic, Kanna had returned to her world and used it at full power.  

Her draconic form had expanded to the size of a city, capable of reshaping landscapes with a single movement—a walking natural disaster.  

Recently, Rayne and Kanna had also discovered something unexpected:  

The magic of Dragon’s Origin wasn’t one-sided.  

When their bond deepened, the power flowed both ways, nourishing and purifying the other’s bloodline.  

For dragons, who revered strength above all else, this was an irresistible boon.  

The effects had been subtle at first, but since Kanna had been too preoccupied with enjoying this world, she only noticed after returning home.  

And when a certain unnamed "Empress" learned of this…  

Well, let’s just say she displayed an emotion unbecoming of her usual demeanor: envy.  

So surpassing Lucoa in size? Not impossible.  

"I will be bigger than Lucoa! When I go back, I’ll make sure Tohru is super shocked!"  

A rare, mischievous grin tugged at Kanna’s usually blank face.  

Rayne raised an eyebrow but said nothing.  

For all her cute and docile demeanor, this kid had a playful streak—one that had literally gotten her kicked out of her own home.  

"Let’s keep moving. Are you all from Northpeak Town?"  

Rayne turned to the shivering children, who had been waiting quietly.  

He didn’t have spare clothes, so the sooner they returned, the better.  

"Me and her are."  

A slightly older girl spoke softly, gesturing to the younger child beside her.  

Thanks to Kanna, they knew Rayne was a mage hired to rescue them.  

And now, seeing him at normal size—not much older than them—they weren’t as afraid.  

"Do you know what happened to the others?"  

Rayne scanned the group. Only five children—nowhere near the number the mayor had mentioned.  

According to him, kids from multiple villages and the town itself had been taken.  

This was far too few.  

"I-I heard something! They said some people came and took others away a couple days ago!"  

A boy quickly spoke up, relief flashing in his eyes.  

If he’d been taken earlier, who knew where he’d be now? Probably nothing good.  

"Did you hear anything else? Anything at all?"  

Rayne’s eyes sharpened.  

According to Ddraig, the Toymaker’s leader had his will distorted—meaning someone else was pulling the strings.  

But since his mind was warped, interrogating him would be pointless.  

As for the other mages… well, they’d charged in too fast.  

Rayne wasn’t great at holding back, so he’d had no choice but to eliminate them.  

He’d thought the trail would end there.  

Yet now, these kids might have the answers.  

To the Toymakers, these children were already doomed—why bother hiding information?  

"Something about a ‘society’...?"  

"A Magic Research Institute! One of those creeps said they’d throw me in as ‘material’!"  

"And something about a book! They said they found its location and would ‘activate the failsafe’ to steal it in two days!"  

"Oh! And something about trading with… a ‘Tower of Heaven’?"  

The children blurted out fragments of conversations they’d overheard—or threats they’d endured.  

Then, silence fell.  

"...Did something really bad just slip out?"  

One boy muttered uneasily.  

Rayne’s gaze locked onto the girl from Northpeak.  

"You said ‘two days ago’?"  

Chapter 71: The Shifting Worldline  

"They seemed to be confirming their final targets—what books to steal today. But now that you’ve wiped them out, it should be fine, right?"  

The little girl hesitated slightly, as if realizing something.  

The other children all turned their eyes to Rayne.  

Rayne didn’t respond, his eyes narrowing slightly.  

Ever since seeing the Toymaker’s workshop, there was one thing he hadn’t been able to figure out.  

How did those rookie wizards, the ones who first took on this request, manage to escape from the Dark Guild’s clutches?  

A Dark Guild with over thirty members—how could they not have been able to corner a mere five-man team?  

It wasn’t that Rayne looked down on them, but if they’d truly been that strong, they wouldn’t have advised the mayor to post the request down south in the first place.  

Not to mention, this place was a considerable distance from Northpeak Town.  

To make it back while severely injured, in freezing weather, clinging to life—that kind of willpower was something even Rayne had to respect.  

"Come to think of it, that guy’s magic was Puppet Mastery."  

"If he could remotely control others using his magic, then those two…"  

Rayne’s eyes sharpened as he recalled Marion’s magic—and the traces of his mana embedded in his subordinates.  

"I hope I’m wrong. Maybe those two really were just that tenacious."  

Even so, Rayne glanced at the children beside him.  

"We need to hurry back. You’ll have to bear with it for a while."  

If he was wrong, then they’d just be returning early.  

But if he was right… there might still be a sliver of hope that they wouldn’t find the town in ruins when they got back.  

Just a sliver.  

Because according to the girl, the Dark Guild had planned to strike today.  

When Rayne had left in the morning, everything had still been normal—it was still early then.  

But given the Dark Guild’s usual methods—loot first, slaughter after—he doubted they’d wait until nightfall for discretion’s sake.  

Unless, by sheer chance, his interference had disrupted their plans.  

That was the faint hope he clung to.  

"Mm!"  

Though they didn’t understand what Rayne was thinking, the children nodded seriously at his grave expression.  

Of course, Rayne’s "request" was merely a formality.  

Even if they hadn’t agreed, he wouldn’t have left them behind.  

Mana surged around him as his body expanded to roughly three meters tall.  

This size wasn’t too taxing for him—he could maintain it for a long time while still carrying everyone.  

Placing Conna on his shoulder, he gathered the other children in his arms before breaking into a sprint toward Northpeak Town.  

Between the harsh weather and the lingering scent of blood from the battle, countless monsters would already be drawn to the area.  

Even if the earlier fight had scared some off, they wouldn’t stay gone for long.  

Leaving the kids to return on their own would be like serving them up as a buffet.  

Rayne had no intention of failing his mission and letting the town get destroyed.  

True to his warning, the children clenched their teeth against the biting wind, enduring despite the difficulty breathing.  

Though Rayne wasn’t pushing himself to his limits—conserving stamina and mana—they still made it back to Northpeak Town faster than when they’d left.  

Even so, the sky had already begun to darken.  

But to their relief, the town stood intact under the setting sun.  

Conna, swinging her white-stockinged legs from Rayne’s shoulder, wrinkled her nose in disgust.  

"Rayne, there was a foul presence here earlier."  

Turning to her, Rayne saw clear revulsion on her face.  

Even when they’d encountered Dark Guild members before, she’d only been mildly annoyed.  

But this? This was outright hatred.  

"To be precise, it was similar to a Lost Demon—chaotic, impure, and steeped in malice," Draygo added.  

"A demon… Deliora, the Book Demon of Zeref."  

Rayne’s eyes flickered as he gazed at the town ahead, a thought striking him.  

"This couldn’t be… Gray’s hometown, the one destroyed by Deliora?"  

Though the original story hadn’t explored it deeply, this world undeniably had demons—like Mirajane’s "Satan Soul" takeover magic.  

But the ones that left the strongest impression were undoubtedly the demons of Tartaros.  

Even if Deliora was just a book demon created by Zeref, it still fell under the category of beings Conna despised.  

"If demonic energy was detected, something must’ve happened. But since the town’s unharmed, the damage must’ve been minimal."  

Quickening his pace, Rayne entered the town.  

"What got into those two? They just snapped out of nowhere!"  

"Who knows? Maybe they got hit in the head too hard?"  

"I heard they were under some kind of mind-control magic. That’s why they attacked the Silvas’ place."  

"Thank goodness Mr. Silva knew a bit of magic. Otherwise, things could’ve gotten ugly."  

"First the missing kids, now this… What’s the world coming to?"  

As Rayne made his way to the mayor’s house, snippets of conversation reached his ears—confirming his suspicions.  

When he arrived, the iron gate that had been tightly shut the night before now stood wide open.  

Without bothering to ring the bell, Rayne stepped inside, quickly spotting the young wife from yesterday, her face lined with worry.  

Hearing footsteps, Tia turned—and her expression brightened at the sight of Rayne and the children.  

"Rayne! You’re back! Did you save the children?"  

Her eyes landed on the kids trailing behind him, and the tension in her shoulders eased, relief washing over her.  

She didn’t recognize a few of them, but two of the girls looked familiar—she’d given them cookies once.  

"Mrs. Tia…"  

The two girls quickly greeted her.  

"Where’s the mayor? I heard something happened in town?"  

Before they could exchange more pleasantries, Rayne cut straight to the point.  

"Yes… Rick’s upstairs in his study. You can go straight up."  

His question seemed to touch on the very thing troubling her, and she answered hastily.  

"No need. I’m coming down now!"  

The commotion must’ve reached the second floor, as Rick’s voice rang out before his head popped over the railing.  

His eyes swept over the children, and a flicker of joy crossed his face before heavy footsteps signaled his descent.  

"Please take care of these children, Mrs. Tia."  

With that, Rayne led Conna inside.  

By the time they reached the living room, Rick had already made his way down, his footsteps heavy on the stairs.  

"Rayne, sir, about that request…"  

Rubbing his hands together, Rick looked at Rayne with even more enthusiasm than the day before.  

Which made sense.  

Missing children, an attack on a resident’s home—it was a disaster for his reputation.  

"Only five could be recovered. The others were taken two days ago."  

Rayne shook his head slightly, his tone tinged with regret.  

Two days was more than enough time in this bizarrely advanced world for them to be shipped to who-knows-where.  

Tracking them now would be next to impossible.  

The only place he might find leads was his next destination—the Magic Research Institute.  

"I see… Some children just aren’t destined for good fortune."  

Rick sighed softly.  

If only they’d been taken a couple of days later, they might’ve been saved.  

But "if only" was just that—a wishful thought.  

"And the Dark Guild wizards…?"  

Suddenly remembering something, Rick turned to Rayne, his voice tense.  

Those Dark Guild members weren’t the forgiving type.  

If Rayne had merely driven them off, they’d be back for revenge—and the first target would be the one who’d posted the request.  

"Don’t worry about that. I might get compRaynets for other things, but this is one area where no one’s ever had issues."  

Having handled plenty of requests, Rayne understood the mayor’s fear perfectly. He smiled reassuringly.  

"Hah… Is that so?"  

Though Rayne’s tone was light, Rick couldn’t help but laugh nervously.  

Having read the magazines, he knew exactly what lay beneath that casual demeanor.  

Many complaints about Rayne cited his brutality—but never his efficiency.  

Because when it came to Dark Guilds and bandits, he left no survivors.  

"Our request was to eliminate the Dark Guild, so your job is done—flawlessly, I might add."  

Changing the subject, Rick continued.  

"The reward will be prepared for you shortly."  

"By the way, did something happen in town after I left?"  

With the request settled, Rayne moved on to his next question.  

"Sigh… About three hours ago, those two injured wizards suddenly went berserk."  

"They attacked the Silva family. Thankfully, Mr. Silva was skilled enough to protect his wife and child, though he was badly hurt."  

Rick wasn’t surprised Rayne already knew—the incident had drawn quite a crowd.  

Taking a sip of tea, he went on.  

"Witnesses said the two were after a book bound in chains."  

"They tried to break the seals but suddenly stopped and ran out of town."  

"By the time they vanished, the townsfolk rushed the Silvas to the clinic."  

Finishing his report, Rick drained his cup.  

"That book must’ve been the Demon Book. Breaking the chains would’ve released the demon inside."  

"But why stop the summoning midway?"  

Rayne’s gaze lowered in thought.  

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Conna swinging her legs idly, her feet not quite reaching the floor.  

"Do you know when they found the book?"  

"Roughly three and a half hours ago."  

Though puzzled by the question, Rick answered promptly.  

"So it was during my fight with the Dark Guild. When Marion realized he was outmatched, he switched from unsealing the book to relocating it."  

Rayne quickly pieced it together.  

Marion hadn’t just been watching as Rayne slaughtered his men—he’d been remotely controlling the two injured wizards.  

That was why he’d ignored his subordinates’ pleas.  

And upon seeing Rayne’s strength, he’d opted to move the Demon Book instead.  

Their bodies were merely puppets—their minds hadn’t been overwritten.  

Which meant the book’s destination, or recipient, had to be nearby.  

The presence Conna had sensed…  

Could’ve been another demon searching for the book—or perhaps the "transfer" had been to hand it directly to one.  

The fact that Tartaros, Oración Seis, and Grimoire Heart would later form an alliance meant they already had connections.  

Perhaps even now—or earlier.  

"Mayor, what’s the full name of the Silva who was attacked?"  

Having mostly connected the dots, Rayne asked what seemed like an odd question to Rick.  

"Silva Fullbuster."  

"I see. Thank you, Mayor."  

Rayne nodded slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips.  

So his intervention had inadvertently altered Gray’s fate.  

This remote town had been spared destruction at Deliora’s hands today.  

"Sir Rayne, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go prepare your reward."  

Oblivious to how close he’d come to death, the mayor beamed.  

"Mm. I appreciate it."  

Seeing no further questions, Rayne agreed.  

"Then I’ll take my leave."  

Rick bowed slightly before heading back upstairs.  

Soon, he returned with a hefty bag—the clinking inside making Conna’s eyes light up.  

Her tail swished eagerly, her whole body tensing with barely restrained excitement.  

With the request officially completed and the reward in hand, Rayne prepared to leave.  

If they hurried, they could still reach the next town before nightfall.  

Any later, and they’d be traveling in the dark—with no carriages available.  

"Then I won’t keep you."  

Rick didn’t press him to stay—he had plenty to deal with himself.  

Like notifying the rescued children’s families and announcing the Dark Guild’s defeat.  

Escorted by Rick, Tia, and the children, Rayne soon reached the gate—where two figures happened to be arriving.  

The smaller one was the black-haired boy from the carriage and the streets earlier.  

But unlike before, his expression was solemn, his demeanor more mature.  

The other wasn’t the burly man from last night but a gentle-looking woman.  

Both bore minor injuries—nothing severe, but clearly painful.  

Noticing them, Rayne’s gaze lingered on the boy.  

The boy, in turn, stared straight at Rayne.  

Unlike their previous encounters, his eyes now held a quiet determination.  

His mother, spotting Rayne’s massive sword, quickly tried to pull her son aside to let them pass.  

Without a word, Rayne walked past them, Conna in tow.  

Though he’d altered the course of events, Rayne felt no unease.  

The moment he’d arrived in this world, the biggest change had already begun.  

As for the "original story"? He had no intention of shackling himself to it.  

Besides, even if Gray’s parents had survived, Rayne could tell—  

The boy would still become a wizard.  

His magic might differ, his guild might change, but his path was set.  

The fire in his eyes said it all.  

"Rayne, are we heading back now?"  

Keeping pace beside him, Conna looked up, blinking.  

"Not yet. We’re making a stop in Bragum Town first."  

"A stop?"  

"Yeah. To meet someone."  

"Who?"  

"A powerful Ice-Make wizard."  

"Stronger than Master?"  

"Hah, not that strong."  

Their voices faded as their figures disappeared down the street.  

"Mika, Gray, is Mr. Silva alright?"  

Back at the mayor’s house, Rick addressed the boy and his mother.  

"He’s fine. We just came to thank you, Mayor."  

Mika smiled warmly, bowing slightly.  

After the day’s events, she’d been making rounds with her son to express their gratitude.  

"Mayor, are these the children that boy rescued?"  

Her eyes shifted to the group of kids, curiosity sparking.  

"Young as he looks, that boy’s a rising star from a major southern guild. They call him 'The Crimson Oni of the Battlefield.' Quite the fearsome title, eh?"  

Rick chuckled, relieved he hadn’t underestimated Rayne based on age.  

That would’ve been embarrassing.  

"Which guild was it?"  

Gray, who’d been staring at the now-empty street, turned to the mayor, his voice firm.  

"Fairy Tail. A guild with a… peculiar name."