Another Use for Healing Magic

In Magnolia in X774, the sun still poured down on the Fairy Tail guild in all its glory. A gentle breeze brought with it some of the early summer heat.

Riyao stood in the guild's backyard, on a patch of open ground that had been blasted by magic and repaired countless times. The golden guild emblem over his heart shimmered faintly in the sunlight.

It was more than just a symbol. Beneath it lay intricate, precise spell patterns—the heavily modified version of the Strength of a Hundred Seal he had finally completed after devoting two whole years to studying formula magic day and night and combining it with healing magic. He had also made a matching modified version of the Strength of a Hundred Technique.

As a die-hard anime fan who had crossed over into this magical world, nothing got his blood pumping more than recreating, or even improving upon, the powerful moves he remembered from his previous life.

After several days of buildup, Riyao could no longer contain his excitement. He grabbed Gildarts, who had just returned from a job, and forcibly dragged the strongest mage into the backyard.

"Old man, come on! Try the new move I developed! It's seriously awesome, and I guarantee it'll open your eyes!" The boy's clear voice brimmed with barely restrained excitement and anticipation.

Gildarts scratched his messy hair, a hearty grin spreading across his rugged face. His laughter made the surrounding leaves tremble.

"Hahaha! You little brat, what weird move have you come up with this time? It had better not be like last time, when you used that prank magic to give people the runs for three days and three nights. If it is, I'll beat the shit out of you today!"

Despite his harsh words, his eyes were full of affection for his junior and curiosity. Standing there so casually, he was like an insurmountable mountain.

Under the covered walkway not far away, Laxus leaned casually against a weathered wall, his arms folded.

Beneath his short, tousled blond hair, his unruly eyes flicked toward the yard, and he gave a contemptuous snort.

"Tch, what a boring trick."

Yet his slightly tensed muscles and the fact that he hadn't left betrayed his interest.

On the other side, Macao and Wakaba, two old chain-smokers, squatted on wooden crates, cheerfully puffing away.

Wakaba blew a smoke ring and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, Macao, how long do you think the kid can last against Gildarts? Ten seconds?"

Macao burst out laughing and slapped his thigh.

"Ten seconds? You're giving him too much credit. I say five at most! Gildarts doesn't know the meaning of holding back."

Young Cana hid behind a pillar, clutching a few cards tightly in her hand as she gazed at the towering figure in the yard with a complicated look.

That was her father, yet he always seemed so far out of reach. Her gaze wandered between Gildarts and Riyao, her lips pursed slightly.

For two years, Cana had remained hesitant.

She did not know that, after challenging Gildarts today, Riyao intended to make an impulsive decision.

Guild Master Makarov sat on a barrel nearby, leisurely stroking his graying beard.

Watching the two facing off in the yard, he sighed helplessly and grumbled, "I don't care how the fight turns out, but judging by this, I know the guild's backyard will need another complete renovation. Those wasteful brats, my poor heart and my poor wallet..."

At that moment, ten-year-old Riyao stood quietly in the yard.

He wore loose, casual clothes, their hems fluttering in the breeze.

Instead of cutting his brilliant blond hair short like other boys, he had tied it high in a neat ponytail with a black hair tie.

He had wanted to try growing his hair long back in his previous life, but he had been too self-conscious. Now that he had come to another world straight out of an anime, he had to give it a try.

It swayed gently with his movements.

His emerald-green eyes were crystal clear, but now they burned with fighting spirit.

As he gradually stirred his magic power, the golden emblem over his heart began to emit a faint, rapidly pulsing light. The intricate spell patterns seemed to come alive, flickering beneath his skin like golden serpents.

When Tsunade activated the Strength of a Hundred Technique, black markings spread across her body.

Riyao's markings, however, were golden. They extended from the guild emblem over his heart, tracing out distinctive patterns.

The golden markings flowed along the contours of his abs, forming a perfectly symmetrical geometric shape around his navel, like the central hub of some sealing array.

The markings were not mere lines. A closer look would reveal that inside each golden line, minuscule runes were racing along, appearing and vanishing.

Those runes radiated an oppressive pressure that made the heart tremble. Each flicker was accompanied by a pulse of energy within Riyao's body.

Most striking were the markings spreading down his arms. Liquid golden light cascaded over his shoulder muscles, spiraling and winding around the junctions of his biceps and triceps to form intricate patterns like rows of armbands.

When the markings finally reached the backs of his hands, they converged into miniature sun totems.

The totems gleamed brilliantly, growing brighter and dimmer with each breath, as though real hearts were beating.

Having passed around his eye sockets, the golden markings made their final sprint across his face.

They climbed along his brow bones, dyeing his sharp, swordlike eyebrows into burning golden flames.

Then the golden lines on either side crashed together in the center of his smooth forehead. There was no explosion, only an intensely brilliant light that drew inward.

Riyao grinned and said in his youthful voice, "Well? Do I look cool? I just don't know what to do with all this damn charm."

The backyard, which had fallen somewhat quiet because of the strange fluctuations of magic power coming from him, erupted like a lit powder keg the moment he finished speaking.

"Blech—"

Macao clutched his chest dramatically and made a face as though he were about to vomit, nearly dropping his pipe.

"Brat, is your skin thicker than a city wall? 'Don't know what to do with all this damn charm'? I'd say you don't know what to do with all that damn chuunibyou!"

Wakaba laughed beside him, slapping his thigh, tears nearly spurting from his eyes.

"Hahahaha! Macao's right! You've painted yourself up like a leopard. Are you planning to jump through flaming hoops at the circus? You're pretty dazzling, though. If you went out at night, we wouldn't even need streetlights!"

The two played off each other, and their talent for insults was famous throughout the guild.

Several young guild members nearby also burst out laughing, and the unexpected ribbing considerably eased the tense atmosphere of the standoff.

One of Fairy Tail's everyday "demolition" events was about to begin.