Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 344: Air Domain Destruction

As expected... Natsu and Gray got wrecked.

The moment the two of them laid eyes on Aria, the mage representing the wind element, they didn't hesitate. They dove straight into battle.

Never mind that the plan had clearly stated: whoever encountered Aria should immediately call in the mobile team for backup. That was out the window the second they realized this was the guy who ambushed Master Makarov.

Their logic? They already beat the fire guy, so how tough could the wind one be?

Turns out... very.

Aria's overwhelming wind magic kept them pinned down, barely able to breathe. And he hadn't even removed his blindfold yet.

Natsu was hanging upside down against the wall. He gritted his teeth, planted his hands on the stone, and flipped himself back onto his feet.

"Damn it!" he growled.

Gray was slumped against the shattered window, using his elbows to hoist himself up. "He's way stronger than the fire guy," he admitted, panting. "They're not even in the same league."

Happy had taken cover to the side, watching with wide eyes. He knew it was time to quietly call for help.

Meanwhile, their opponent remained eerily composed.

"My name is Aria," he said, his voice ghostly and melodramatic. "Leader of the Element 4... I have come, presumptuously, to hunt fairies."

Though Aria's eyes were hidden beneath his blindfold, his palms were calmly aimed in their direction.

"Ahh... fairies, dancing so stubbornly with their broken wings. You will fall to the wind. Such a sad fate..."

Tears began trailing from beneath the blindfold as he spoke, as if he truly mourned the very people he was trying to kill.

That arrogant pity made Natsu snap.

He inhaled deeply, flames rising in his throat. "Fire Dragon's Roar!!"

But the second he unleashed the torrent of fire, Aria's body vanished like mist on the breeze.

The flames struck the back wall instead, blasting a hole through stone and staining it with soot.

Natsu darted forward two steps and looked around in frustration. "Where'd he go?!"

It was Air Domain Dispersion, Aria's signature technique. He could silently displace himself anywhere within a certain range, vanishing into the wind.

"Get down!!" Gray shouted. "Ice-Make: Knuckle Fist!"

Natsu instinctively dove forward and just as he did, a massive icy fist erupted from the floor behind him.

But Aria was faster.

"Aerial Art: Absolute Gale."

The invisible shockwave smashed through Gray's ice and caught Natsu full-on in the back mid-roll, slamming him straight into the wall he had just blown open.

At the same time, another gust hit Gray dead center, sending him crashing through the window and out of sight.

Aria stepped forward with cold resolve, both arms extended.

"Aerial Art: Absolute Gale. Disappear into the wind... little fairies."

A third shockwave, far stronger than the last, tore through the room.

"Gray!!" Happy screamed, his wings flapping anxiously.

Natsu, bruised but still burning, scrambled to his feet and charged straight at Aria, refusing to fall.

Gray's face twisted in pain, his body battered so badly that he could barely focus enough to cast. All he could do now was brace himself and endure.

Suddenly, something gripped his ankle, and the world flipped upside down.

A familiar voice rang out through the chaos:

"Demon Blast!"

Gray was now dangling in the air, being held up by the ankle. Blinking against the dizziness, he squinted toward the figure and exclaimed in surprise, "Mira?!"

Mirajane, her demon form blazing with dark magic, had caught Gray with one hand. With her other hand, she aimed a glowing palm toward the window and unleashed a torrent of black and violet energy.

Aria's shockwave met Mira's blast at the shattered window. The two magics collided in a blinding eruption of light and force.

The remaining shards of glass exploded outward, and the stone around the window peeled off layer by layer. In an instant, the wall was blown wide open, leaving behind a hole even larger than the doorway.

Poor Natsu, who had just gotten up and tried to charge again, got hit by the resulting shockwave and was flung back against the far wall. But instead of groaning, he lit up the moment he saw her.

"Mira!!"

"Waaahhh!" Happy was clinging to the edge of the hole Natsu had made earlier, flapping helplessly in the wind like a flag on a pole.

As the swirling energy settled, Mira descended gracefully to the ground on demon wings, then gently set Gray down beside her. She smiled sweetly at them, her tone light yet firm:

"You two~ You know it's not good to go off-plan and forget to report if you run into any of the Element 4~"

Natsu and Gray, who had been grinning seconds ago, immediately broke into cold sweat.

"W-We forgot... Sorry!"

Happy, hovering above them, looked pale. He had gone off to ask for help just now. 'Did that count as reporting or not?'

Mira's eyes narrowed as she turned toward Aria.

"But... since it's this guy, I suppose you're forgiven."

After all, this was the man who attacked Master Makarov. Even someone as gentle as Mira couldn't let that slide without getting angry.

Aria stood at the ready, still blindfolded, smiling faintly beneath his mask of sorrow.

"How tragic. Not just them, but even the infamous Demon Mirajane herself will fall before me. How deeply sorrowful..."

Despite his words dripping with grief, Aria was very clearly smiling.

Gray, rubbing his shoulder, warned in a low voice, "Mira, seriously, this guy's on a different level."

Mira nodded calmly. "Of course I know. They say he keeps his eyes shut just to suppress the overwhelming magic inside him."

"Whaaat?!" Happy squeaked, alarmed. "You mean... he hasn't even used his full strength yet?! But Natsu and Gray already got wrecked!"

"Who got wrecked?!" Natsu snapped indignantly, puffing his cheeks and clenching his fists. "I just didn't get a chance to go all out yet, that's all!"

Aria tore off his blindfold with dramatic flair, his voice full of dark confidence.

"In other words," he declared, "once I open my eyes... no one can defeat me. Not even a demon."

But just as he opened his eyes, he was greeted by an unexpected sight, Rhodes, soaring in on a Raptor, with Erza at his side.

The two landed on either side of Mirajane. Rhodes tilted his head and smiled.

"Oh? What was that about opening your eyes?"

Aria's expression twisted in delight, tears streaming down his cheeks as his magic surged to explosive levels.

"This is... far too tragic! The Fairy Queen and the Fairy Strategist will perish at my hands?! So very, very sad!" freewēbnoveℓ.com

Magic pressure burst from Aria like a gale, his sheer aura ruffling everyone's hair and coats. It was overwhelming.

"It's him..." Erza's eyes sharpened. Her body flashed with light, and in an instant, she re-equipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. With a swing of her arms, dozens of flying swords launched toward Aria.

"Airspace: Sever!"

Aria raised one hand skyward and pointed the other forward. The barrage of swords came to a sudden halt, suspended in midair like they'd struck an invisible wall.

He thrust his palm out.

The air itself compressed and pushed the suspended swords back, hurtling toward Erza, Mira, and Rhodes.

Mira stepped forward and punched through the current. Rhodes' left arm morphed into a gleaming dragon claw, which he drove forward, tearing through the force. Erza crossed her twin blades in a defensive X-slash and cleaved through.

The invisible pressure shattered like glass. Cracks rippled through the air, followed by a brief vacuum and then a light breeze. Nothing else seemed to move... but a fierce exchange had just taken place.

"You actually broke through my Airspace?" Aria blinked, genuinely surprised.

No one answered.

Mira and Erza shot forward at the same time, unleashing a synchronized assault. Behind them, Rhodes quietly summoned his Brambleback and Blue Sentinel, who immediately cast red and blue buffs onto their allies.

"Airspace: Shatter!"

Aria clapped his hands. A cyclone erupted around him, flinging dozens of crescent-shaped wind blades in every direction.

"Ice-Make: Shield!" Gray shouted, conjuring a dome of thick ice to protect himself, Natsu, and Happy.

But the blades shaved off the ice layer by layer, splintering the shield until it cracked apart like broken glass.

The Blue Sentinel stepped in front of them just in time, absorbing the impact. Deep cuts appeared all over its stone body, scattering rubble, but it held strong.

Rhodes ducked behind the Brambleback, watching calmly as the tree monster regenerated from the slashes like nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, Mira deflected the slicing wind with black magic spheres whirling from her hands like meteorites. Erza advanced through the onslaught, carving a path with her swords. Her skirt and wing plating were nicked, but she pressed on without hesitation.

The whirlwind died down.

Aria swiftly retreated and smirked.

"In that case... Air Domain: Scatter!"

His body blurred and vanished like mist.

Both Mira's punch and Erza's blade swept through empty air, Aria was gone.

Only to reappear a heartbeat later, behind Rhodes.

"Feel the same pain Makarov did!"

Aria extended both palms, and the wind around him screamed.

"Air Domain... Destroy!"

...

Bonus @2000

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