Chapter Summaries

Chiba and his companions escaped through an underground passage, where they learned the rescued girl was Seele, Labi’s daughter and a captive whose blood had been drawn daily. Their pursuers caught up before Hualun could finish unlocking the way farther down, and Yaro led a powerful attack against them.

• Chiba found the exit sealed by a formula, so Hualun opened a passage leading underground.
• The group rested in Hualun’s laboratory, where the girl introduced herself as Seele and said she was eleven.
• Seele told Lixi that her father was Labi and that people had drawn her blood every day, while she had feared being alone.
• Footsteps alerted the group that their pursuers had arrived as Hualun tried to unlock the passage farther down.
• Yaro and a crowd of mages attacked, breaking through Chiba’s Wood Locking Walls with a torrent of flames.
• Chiba countered Yaro’s assault with Water Release, Water Formation Wall.

Chiba and his allies fought Yaro and the Flames of Life and Death while trying to escape through an opening. After Ailong sacrificed himself to save Chiba, Chiba killed Yaro with a Water Release Rasengan, and Mira carried him to safety.

• Chiba held back Yaro and his mages with water magic while Hualun and the others escaped through the opened passage.
• Yaro's fiery serpent broke through Chiba's Water Dragon Bullet and struck Chiba, but Ailong took the attack and died protecting him.
• Grieving Ailong's death, Chiba formed a Rasengan and charged at Yaro, refusing Mira's plea to escape.
• Chiba covered himself with Chakra, infused his Rasengan with water, and smashed Yaro into the rock, killing him.
• Mira, in Satan Soul Form, drove back the attackers, picked up Chiba, and jumped through the opening.

After learning that Ailong died protecting them, Koi blamed Chiba and the two fought until Mira stopped them. Chiba then learned that a powerful water-attribute creature called the Water King was likely hiding in the volcano, and Feiyin revealed a way to control the magma: the Heart of Lava.

• Koi mourned Ailong and blamed Chiba, then repeatedly punched him while Chiba refused to fight back at first.
• Chiba and Koi traded blows until Mira knocked them both down and reminded them that Ailong had sacrificed himself so they could live.
• Chiba sat beside the magma and told Feiyin he was fine, explaining that Ailong had kept his promise rather than abandoned him.
• Feiyin told Chiba that Makarov was holding off the Thrones and Shadow Skull’s leaders, while a powerful water-attribute creature called the Water King remained inside the mountain.
• Chiba and Feiyin concluded that their pursuers feared the volcano’s Lava Monster and might wait for them to emerge or seek reinforcements.
• Feiyin told Chiba she could help him control the magma using the mountain’s core, the Heart of Lava.

Feiyin transferred the volcano’s essence into Chiba, strengthening his Chakra and understanding of Lava Release. Chiba led Mira, Lixi, Koi, and Seele out through a battle with the guild’s mages, but the chapter ended when a huge monster and a human rider descended before him.

• Feiyin extracted the volcano’s essence and sent it into Chiba, causing him to pass out.
• Chiba woke and reassured Lixi, reconciled with Koi, and promised Mira he would get them out.
• Chiba used his newly strengthened power to melt through steel and lead the group out of the underground magma layer.
• Chiba and the others fought the guild’s ambush, while Mira protected Seele and Lixi and Koi battled the weaker mages.
• Chiba unleashed magma and brought down part of the mountain, protecting his companions with Wood Locking Wall.
• A huge monster and a human rider descended in front of Chiba, who narrowed his eyes at the rider.

Labi revealed that he had used the conflict with Shadow Skull to obtain Seele’s core, then stabbed her and took it for himself. As Labi and the giant python attacked everyone, Chiba stopped the python from striking Seele and ordered Feiyin to carry her to safety.

• Labi appeared with a giant indigo python and demanded that Chiba return Seele to him.
• Seele walked toward Labi, who grabbed her, stabbed through her chest, and extracted a glowing red core.
• Labi put the core into his own chest, healed his wound, and declared that Seele was no longer useful to him.
• Labi and the python turned on the assembled wizards, killing several of them.
• Chiba stopped the python’s tail from striking Seele and told Feiyin to carry her to Mira and the others.

Chiba used underground magma to create a Lava Behemoth and devastated Wu Mountain while fighting the Water King and Labi. As he pressed his attack, Shadow Skull’s president arrived and demanded to know why Chiba was attacking one of his members.

• Mira led the group away from the collapsing mountain while Feiyin healed Seele and Lixi looked back at Wu Mountain.
• Chiba summoned the underground magma into a Lava Behemoth, then challenged the Water King and Labi as they tried to escape.
• The Water King grew to match the Lava Behemoth, but Chiba attacked it with fire and magma while Labi struggled to disperse the damage.
• Shadow Skull’s president appeared before Chiba and questioned his attack on a member of the guild.
• Chiba warned the president to stay out of the fight or be killed.

Chiba defeated Shadow Skull’s members and confronted Labi, who revealed that a crimson crystal was the only thing keeping Seele alive. As Labi died, he remembered how he had come to love the girl he called his daughter.

• Chiba smashed Xien into the mountain and trapped Labi and the Water King with lava as Shadow Skull’s members arrived.
• Makarov told the Throne members that Chiba belonged to Fairy Tail and had killed Rina.
• Chiba brought the wounded Labi before him, and Labi spoke of fate before handing him a crimson crystal that could keep someone alive.
• Labi remembered being forced into an experiment that led to Seele’s birth, then raising her and growing to love her as his daughter.
• As his body melted on the lava beast, Labi remembered Seele and died smiling.

Chiba defeated Labi, took the Water King as his subordinate, and recovered the core that saved Seele. After collapsing from the strain of his power, he was taken to the hospital, and a month later his friends had begun moving on while Seele joined Fairy Tail and started learning Chakra.

• Labi melted into the lava, and Chiba subdued the Water King and made him his servant.
• Chiba collected the condensed lava bead and returned with the Water King to Mira and the others, giving Feiyin the core to heal Seele.
• Makarov arrived to take the group back, and Chiba collapsed from the aftereffects of his power; Feiyin said he needed months to recover.
• One month later, Koi and Lixi returned to the Spirit Realm of Wind to search for Ailong's body, while Koi and Chiba became closer friends.
• Seele joined Fairy Tail, and Feiyin gave her a Chakra seed and taught her to refine Chakra.

After a blast destroyed their house, Chiba and Natsu recovered in the hospital, where friends visited and Feiyin struck Chiba for teasing her about her body. The chapter ended with Mira arriving just after Feiyin stormed out, leaving Chiba surprised to see her at last.

• Chiba recorded how Natsu accidentally detonated the Heart of Lava while sleepwalking, destroying their house and forest and sending them both back to the hospital.
• Erza visited Chiba and Natsu, and Natsu nervously obeyed her advice to rest.
• Lisanna, Elfman, and Gray came to see Natsu, who was fed chicken soup before Lisanna became angry and left.
• Feiyin visited the hospital to eat pastries, and Chiba teased her about creating a male body despite being a woman.
• Feiyin punched Chiba and stormed out, and Mira arrived as Chiba stared toward the door in surprise.

Mira followed Erza’s advice to visit Chiba in a cute, gentle style and feed him, while Chiba’s notes revealed that he had been waiting for her to come see him. The two shared a shy, delicate moment as Natsu watched in bewilderment.

• A few days earlier, Mira asked Erza how to get someone to confess, and Erza mistakenly decided she was helping Lisanna and Natsu.
• Erza advised Mira to dress and act cutely, and Mira took notes on how to be soft, adorable, and gentle.
• Mira visited Chiba in the hospital wearing a cute outfit and carefully fed him, leaving him flustered.
• Mira noticed Chiba’s notebook and read his note that she still had not come to see him.
• Chiba realized why Mira had visited, and the pair blushed as the atmosphere grew delicate while Natsu watched.

Hodrian visited Chiba in the hospital, explained that Mira’s demon Take Over might have changed her personality, and asked Chiba to help prepare for the Sword Mountain Contest. Chiba agreed to train for the contest, where he could compete for the spirit sword Futsu no Mitama, while Erza was also expected to participate.

• Hodrian burst into Chiba’s hospital room, and Mira left in a huff after punching him.
• Chiba told Hodrian what had happened since he left, and Hodrian guessed that demon Take Over might have influenced Mira’s personality.
• Chiba considered staying close to Mira and learning the Flying Thunder God Technique so he could reach her whenever he needed to.
• Hodrian introduced his disciples Nuolin Kaiweiya and Haiweier Kaiweiya, who explained the Sword Mountain Contest and its prize, Futsu no Mitama.
• Nuolin said Erza would compete in the contest, and Hodrian offered to train Chiba for the event in three years.
• Chiba agreed to Hodrian’s training plan.

Hodrian agreed to teach Chiba swordsmanship and explained the Sword Mountain Contest and its sacred prize. After returning home two days later, Chiba admired Seele's rapid progress with Wood Release and wondered about the mysterious core behind her abilities.

• Hodrian learned that Chiba had completed the first stage of the Heru Method and prompted him to consider further training.
• Hodrian explained that the Sword Mountain Contest's champion earned the right to see the Futsu no Mitama, which had never acknowledged a master.
• Hodrian gave Chiba a swordsmanship manual and proposed having Nuolin and Haiweier take jobs to fund a longer stay for his teaching.
• Mira complained about Hodrian interrupting her moment with Chiba and discussed Chiba's apparent reluctance with Lisanna.
• Chiba returned to the forest house two days later and praised Seele for building it with Wood Release.
• Chiba reflected on Seele's exceptional Wood Release talent and suspected that Shadow Skull might know the origin of her mysterious core.

Chiba returned home with Seele, then went shopping with her and Natsu before Mira took him to collect the sword she had commissioned as repayment. The swordsmith presented Heaven's Blazing Sun and warned that its sentience could injure anyone it did not recognize as its master.

• Chiba reassured Seele that she could visit the guild and checked her training progress, finding that she had learned three Ninjutsu in one month.
• Chiba explained that his Lava Behemoth was now an S-Class technique but that his current version could only match an A-Class wizard, and recalled that the Water King had been freed after forming a blood pact with him.
• Chiba took Seele and Natsu to buy household goods and clothes, spending most of his remaining 1.3 million J.
• Mira found Chiba and brought him to the magic goods shop to collect the sword she had commissioned for him.
• Master Kreis revealed the crimson sword Heaven's Blazing Sun, described its powerful fire-countering abilities, and warned that its backlash could harm an unrecognized wielder who used sword aura.

Chiba visited Kreis’s shop with Mira to collect Heaven’s Blazing Sun, but they lacked enough money to pay for it. Nuolin covered the shortfall and invited Chiba on a subjugation quest the next morning, while Mira made her feelings for him clear before leaving.

• Kreis teased Chiba about being a powerful swordsman and quoted a price of two million J for Heaven’s Blazing Sun, which Mira could not afford alone.
• Nuolin and Haiweier came to the shop, and Nuolin paid one million J toward Chiba and Mira’s bill.
• Nuolin told Chiba to meet her outside the guild at eight the next morning for a subjugation quest and said he did not need to repay her.
• Mira reproached Chiba for accepting Nuolin’s invitation, then told him, “You’re mine!” before leaving.
• A twin-tailed girl holding Seele’s hand appeared and teased Chiba for his innocent reaction.

Feiyin returned to Chiba after running out of money and urged him to take more subjugation missions, while a mysterious figure watched him from the snowy streets. The next day, Nuolin waited outside Fairy Tail, and she and Chiba set out together on a mission as Feiyin teased him about winning her over.

• Feiyin told Chiba she had sent Natsu ahead with their belongings and complained that she needed new clothes after an explosion destroyed hers.
• Chiba walked through Magnolia with Heaven's Blazing Sun as snow began to fall, and he sensed someone in the crowd watching him but found no one.
• A black-robed figure stood motionless in a shabby alley before vanishing into the shadows.
• The next day, Nuolin waited outside Fairy Tail in the blizzard, and Chiba arrived carrying an umbrella and speaking to Feiyin about taking her on a subjugation mission.
• Chiba followed Nuolin away from the guild while Feiyin teased him about trying to win Nuolin over, and they disappeared into the snow.

Chiba summoned the Water King to help clear the snow, but Nuolin mistook the giant snake for an enemy and attacked it with her sword and seven magic arrays. Chiba stopped them before either could strike again, and Nuolin learned the Water King was Chiba’s summoned beast.

• Chiba stopped melting the snow and summoned the Water King to avoid wasting more Chakra.
• Nuolin attacked the Water King, leaving a sword mark on his scales.
• The Water King lunged at Nuolin, who formed seven silver magic arrays beneath him and threatened him with their power.
• Chiba told Nuolin and the Water King to stop, then explained that the Water King was his summoned beast.
• The Water King introduced himself and praised Chiba until Chiba ordered him to shut up, and Nuolin sheathed her sword.

Chiba traveled through the snowy forest with Nuolin and the Water King while considering learning magic swordsmanship and building up his magic power. Their journey was interrupted by a blood-scented ambush, and after Nuolin deflected an arrow and struck at the attacker, a dark figure escaped into the woods.

• Chiba asked Nuolin about her Seven-Star Sword Formation and considered learning swordsmanship with magic power after Feiyin advised him to become a magic swordsman.
• Chiba began practicing how to increase his magic power while riding on the Water King's head.
• Nuolin sensed the smell of blood and readied her sword as an arrow suddenly shot toward them.
• Nuolin split the arrow in two, then sent sword qi through the trees toward the attacker.
• A dark figure flashed past and vanished after Nuolin's strike blasted up the snow and dirt.

Chiba and Nuolin encountered a young Magic Council mage and cleared up her mistaken belief that they belonged to a dark guild. They learned their mission to assist the Magic Council was an S-Class assignment, and the girl agreed to take them to her captain.

• Chiba and Nuolin attacked a fleeing figure, who turned out to be a young woman wielding wind magic.
• Nuolin defeated the girl and stopped her from fighting, while Chiba revealed Fairy Tail's guild mark to show they were not dark guild mages.
• The girl questioned why Fairy Tail had come and examined Nuolin's mission sheet, doubting that the Magic Council had posted the assignment.
• The girl offered to take Chiba and Nuolin to her captain, who would decide whether they could stay at the camp.
• Chiba realized Nuolin had accepted an S-Class Mission and worried about facing a powerful opponent, while Nuolin explained that Mr. Makarov had recognized her S-Class strength.

Chiba and Nuolin met Tianna Arpot, a vice-captain of the Magic Council, who recognized Chiba as the famed Flame Emperor and brought them to her unit’s camp. Tianna led them into a tent to meet a young blond man.

• Tianna Arpot introduced herself and invited Nuolin and Chiba to join the Magic Council, but both declined.
• Chiba sent the Water King back to its home before Tianna led them toward the Magic Council’s position.
• Tianna recognized Chiba as Fairy Tail’s Flame Emperor and explained that her unit had given him the nickname after witnessing his battle with Shadow Skull.
• Tianna led Chiba and Nuolin through the camp and into a large tent, where a young blond man looked up and addressed her as Tianna.

Chiba and Nuolin sought permission to join the fight against the Sword of Slaughter, but the captain doubted their abilities. Nuolin demonstrated her overwhelming strength, and the captain reluctantly acknowledged them while warning that war meant death.

• Tianna introduced Chiba and Nuolin to the captain as Fairy Tail mages who had accepted a quest to help fight the Sword of Slaughter.
• The captain dismissed them as children, but Tianna challenged him to let them prove themselves.
• Chiba tried to show his magic power, but it quickly ran out, and the captain ordered Tianna to take them away.
• Nuolin swiftly appeared with her blade at the captain’s neck, revealing her immense power.
• The captain acknowledged Nuolin’s strength but doubted Chiba, then reluctantly accepted them and warned them about the dangers of war.