64-65

Chapter 64: His Bounty Was Quite Useful  

Shifting his gaze away from the crystal ball displaying Rayne's image, Marion's gray eyes remained cold and emotionless, untouched even by the flickering firelight.  

"Was Lyle also killed by him?"  

Though phrased as a question, Marion's tone left no room for doubt as his eyes settled on the guild member who had spoken Rayne's name.  

"...Yes!"  

The man broke into a cold sweat under Marion's doll-like, icy stare. After a brief struggle to recall, he hurriedly confirmed.  

Internally, he couldn’t help but pity Rayne and his companion.  

Lyle, the leader of the Rat Catchers, had always sold the children he captured to their organization—not just because the pay was good, but also because, as he vaguely remembered hearing, Lyle was one of the few people Marion considered a friend.  

Somehow, the two had gotten along surprisingly well.  

When news of Lyle’s death had reached them months ago, he remembered how Marion’s perpetually indifferent expression had darkened further. The suffocating pressure of his mana had been unbearable.  

If not for their ongoing mission to retrieve a certain book at the time, he was certain their leader would have rushed south for revenge immediately.  

Now that the killer stood before them, he could easily imagine what Marion would do.  

"Since that little girl is with him… make sure he watches as her skin is stitched together with a dog’s pelt."  

Marion’s voice remained flat, but the words sent chills down everyone’s spines.  

"Then I’ll make sure his eyes stay wide open—wouldn’t want him to miss a single second!"  

"Damn… Just thinking about the look of agony on his face as he begs for mercy is getting me hard!"  

One member clutched his face with both hands, rings digging into his skin, his manic grin barely hidden behind his fingers.  

"The girl’s screams of ‘Big Brother!’ as she suffers will be the sweetest sound—"  

Another member’s eyes glazed over as he voiced his own twisted fantasy.  

"You two really never change with your disgusting tastes, huh?"  

"Hahaha—!"  

This was a dark guild, after all. At first, they might’ve hesitated out of fear of Fairy Tail, but with Marion’s declaration, any restraint vanished.  

Their true natures were on full display.  

In the flickering firelight, their shadows stretched across the cavern walls, distorted and monstrous, like demons given form.  

In a corner of the cave, a group of children huddled together, trembling as they listened to the horrifying words spoken with such enthusiasm.  

Following Kanna’s guidance, Rayne soon arrived at the mouth of a cave. Knowing they’d already been detected, he made no effort to hide his approach.  

A group of twenty to thirty men stood waiting outside, their magical auras faint but unmistakable—each one a tRayned mage.  

Arms crossed or hands on hips, they watched Rayne and Kanna with amused smiles, as if welcoming an unexpected diversion.  

"No wonder those mages didn’t stand a chance," Rayne muttered under his breath.  

Last night, he’d heard that the team sent to investigate had been a standard five-man squad. Only two had returned, grievously wounded and still unconscious.  

At first, he’d wondered just how strong their enemies were.  

Now, he found it more surprising that any of them had escaped.  

His gaze settled on the leader—a gaunt man in a dark coat. Unlike the others, no mana visibly radiated from him, a testament to his control.  

Their eyes met, and a murderous intent surged from the man’s gray, lifeless stare.  

"......"  

Rayne frowned—not because of the killing intent, but because something about this man felt off.  

Yet, he couldn’t pinpoint what.  

"Kid, this guy’s mind has been warped by magic," Drayga’s voice echoed in his head, laced with amusement.  

"That explains it."  

Now it made sense. The dissonance Rayne had sensed was the mismatch between the man’s overwhelming bloodlust and his unnaturally flat emotional state.  

The sheer contrast was jarring.  

"How did you kill Lyle?"  

Marion’s voice was like grinding metal, coarse and hollow.  

"Lyle? Who’s that?"  

Rayne blinked before responding with genuine confusion. He’d taken on so many jobs lately—remembering every minor enemy he’d killed wasn’t a priority.  

"The Rat Catcher’s leader."  

"Ohhh, that guy." Rayne grinned. "Got eaten alive by his own summoned rats."  

"So the Rat Catchers were connected to the Toymaker’s Workshop?"  

"Both groups trafficked kids—guess it’s not that surprising."  

"I wonder if their suppliers overlap too..."  

While internally analyzing the implications, Rayne glanced at Kanna.  

"There are people inside," she whispered, barely audible.  

"By the way, his bounty was real useful—helped pay off some of my debt."  

Rayne tilted his head, flashing a cocky smirk at Marion.  

The provocation visibly unsettled the dark guild members. Some even glanced nervously at their leader, half-expecting him to vent his rage on them first.  

"I’ll return what you did to him… tenfold."  

Marion’s killing intent spiked, his voice finally cracking with emotion.  

"Capture them!"  

"Kid… Scream for me! Let me savor it—!!"  

The moment the order left Marion’s lips, a purple-haired mage lunged forward, his face twisted in perverse excitement. The ring on his finger glowed as he thrust his palm toward Rayne.  

BOOM—  

A deafening blast erupted.  

But before the smoke cleared, the mage’s eyes widened—Rayne had already closed the distance in a blur.  

Chapter 65: A Shocking Display!  

"Oh? You dare charge at me when you’re this outnumbered?"  

That was the first thought that crossed the purple-haired mage’s mind—disdain.  

"He’s fast!!!"  

The second thought? Shock.  

And then—  

A hand clamped over his face, plunging his vision into darkness.  

An unstoppable force slammed his skull downward.  

BAM!  

His back hit the ground with brutal force, knocking the breath from his lungs. His pupils dilated, his mind blank.  

"......"  

To the surrounding mages, it happened in an instant.  

Their comrade had barely begun casting when the boy—Rayne—blurred forward, grabbed his face, and smashed him into the earth.  

The crater left behind trembled, cracks spiderwebbing across the ground.  

The sheer force of the impact left them momentarily stunned.  

But hesitation didn’t last long.  

To them, a fallen ally was just an opening—a chance to strike.  

In the next breath, they moved.  

Magic surged as they lunged like beasts, swords blazing with fire, spears whirling with wind.  

From the rear, a wand-wielder fired magic bullets, their trajectory faster than the charging fighters.  

Another mage’s spell circle flared to life, power gathering for a follow-up strike.  

In that first clash, they realized one thing:  

This boy was no ordinary rookie.  

Even as a newcomer to Fairy Tail, he was not to be underestimated.  

"Heh~"  

Rayne smirked at the encircling attacks.  

With a single motion, he yanked the unconscious mage up by the arm and hurled him forward.  

The magic bullets slammed into the human shield.  

CRACK!  

Rayne could even hear the snap of bones as the man’s back contorted unnaturally.  

But thanks to his "helpful teammate," the bullets were blocked—and the rear attackers’ line of sight was obscured.  

Now, only the melee fighters remained.  

A flaming sword swung for his neck.  

A wind-wreathed spear thrust toward his heart.  

Every angle was sealed—a perfect kill box.  

"Even if you’re from Fairy Tail, you’re still going down easy!"  

The spear-wielding woman grinned viciously, already envisioning victory.  

But then—  

Rayne’s hand gripped the greatsword on his back.  

"He hadn’t even drawn his weapon yet…? Was that guy just unlucky earlier?"  

The fire-sword wielder relaxed slightly.  

But then—  

"Why’s he… still smiling?"  

Their eyes widened as Rayne lifted his head, that same wild grin stretching across his face.  

And then—  

The wind died.  

The very air itself seemed to suck inward, as if compressed by some immense force.  

WHOOSH!!!  

A deafening roar tore through the battlefield—the sound of atmosphere being split apart.  

The mage at the edge barely caught a glimpse of it—  

A gray blur.  

A streak of white, whipping like a serpent.  

Then—  

His vision spun.  

From above, he finally saw it:  

The greatsword, moving too fast to track.  

The white cloth tied to its hilt, fluttering like a ghost.  

And then—  

His severed torso, spinning through the air alongside his comrades’.  

Their weapons—shattered like glass.  

Their bodies—cleaved in half.  

THUD.  

The human shield hit the ground.  

The bisected mages collapsed, blood gushing onto the snow.  

Crimson melted white, spreading like blooming flowers of death.  

"......"  

Silence.  

The spellcasters froze.  

The wand-wielder’s fingers trembled.  

How?  

In the span of a breath—their frontline had been annihilated.  

Even Marion, the ever-stoic leader, lowered his crossed arms, his icy eyes flickering.  

"IMPOSSIBLE!!!"  

One mage finally found his voice.  

As a Dark Guild member, he’d faced countless foes—  

But never one who could butcher five men in a single swing.  

"M-Monster…!"  

Another’s voice shook as he stared at Rayne—still wiping blood from his face, still grinning.  

The rest hesitated, eyes darting, waiting for someone else to make the first move.  

The slain had been mid-tier fighters in their guild.  

If they fell so easily… what hope did the rest have?  

But with twenty mages still standing, not a single one dared step forward.  

Rayne’s gaze flicked to Marion.  

The man showed no rage, no grief—just cold calculation.  

"Tch."  

Rayne clicked his tongue.  

If Marion wasn’t reacting, he was either confident… or already broken.  

Given the twisted magic in his aura, Rayne guessed the former.  

Someone was pulling his strings.  

With that in mind, Rayne turned back to the cowering mages—  

And kicked the unconscious shield-mage toward them.  

BOOM!!!  

The body crashed into the crowd, sending snow flying.  

The bisected mages’ screams finally reached their brains.  

"AGHH—!!"  

"IT HURTS!!"  

"KILL ME!!"  

"I DON’T WANNA DIE YET!!"  

"WHY ME?!"  

Their agonized wails rose like a chorus, painting the winter forest in suffering.