The Released Criminals

"Mr. Makarov, you came?!"

Tocchi Anderba looked at Makarov and the others descending from the sky as though he had seen the saviors who would rescue the prison.

No matter how vicious or powerful the Gojobashi Family was, they were bound to be in trouble when faced with Makarov, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, and Ywen, who was no weaker than a Wizard Saint...

It was not that the Gojobashi Family was weak—it was that Fairy Tail was too strong!

"Makarov?! That Makarov, one of the Ten Wizard Saints?!"

The burly man who had just been released—the Gojobashi Family's patriarch and leader, Doramu—was stunned upon hearing Tocchi Anderba's words.

"Damn it..."

Doramu frowned deeply, silently weighing his options.

Makarov, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, was a monstrous powerhouse who had been famous for decades, a senior who had traveled far down the path of magic!

Yes, even in the eyes of an utterly lawless Dark Guild wizard like Doramu, the Ten Wizard Saints could be called pioneers and great seniors on the path of magic.

"Makarov?!"

At the same time, the children behind Doramu began to waver upon hearing Makarov's name.

"One of the Ten Wizard Saints?!"

"We're saved!"

As for the prison guards, once they learned who had come, they instead showed relieved expressions.

And all it took to instantly reverse the situation between the two sides was Makarov's name! That was the weight carried by one of the Ten Wizard Saints!

"You think I'll surrender just because you're one of the Ten Wizard Saints?!"

"Don't be so naïve! I still have Tocchi Anderba as my trump card!"

Seeing the tide begin to turn, Doramu's face darkened with anger. He glared viciously at Makarov, his spear tightly aimed at Tocchi Anderba.

"If you dare make a move against me, then try it! Let's see whether you're faster, or my spear is!"

Doramu kept his eyes locked firmly on Makarov, not daring to let down his guard in the slightest. Against a powerhouse of the Ten Wizard Saints' level, even a single blink could be fatal.

I have to find a way to escape...

Doramu watched Makarov's every movement as he thought to himself.

Yes, he had already given up on taking over the prison. Against a powerhouse at the level of the Ten Wizard Saints, being able to retreat unscathed could already be considered a victory.

There was no shame in running from someone of that level.

No, more accurately, escaping from someone of that level would be a tremendous victory! Enough to brag about for a long time...

"Kid! Stop sinking deeper into depravity!"

Makarov floated in the sky, terrifying magic power rippling around him. He looked coldly at Doramu, who held a spear and threatened everyone, and lectured him.

"Hmph!"

"You think I'm some weakling who'll be so frightened by a few words from you that I can't even walk?!"

"Let me tell you this: even if you're one of the Ten Wizard Saints, I, Doramu, am not afraid of you!!"

Doramu roared angrily at Makarov, then let out a cold laugh. He was not like those cowards who would roll on the ground and beg for mercy at the sight of a Wizard Saint. He would never beg.

Boom!

Before Doramu could say anything else, a terrifying pressure descended from the sky, making his body freeze. At the same time, a powerful force of attraction pulled Tocchi Anderba, who had been taken hostage, directly away and deposited him beside the guards.

"Are you alright, sir...?"

Ywen landed before Tocchi Anderba and asked.

"Whew..."

"Thanks to your help, Ywen."

Tocchi Anderba looked at Ywen gratefully.

"As long as you're alright!"

Ywen shook his head, then turned to look at Doramu and the rest of the Gojobashi Family.

"Ywen?! The Ywen who destroyed the Gale Mountain Range, known as the Child of the Stars, and called Starfall, the Stars, and Polar Star?! I never thought even a wizard like you would come..."

Doramu's pupils trembled after hearing Tocchi Anderba's words.

"Am I really that famous?"

Ywen raised a brow. He remembered that he had only completed a few jobs in total. And what the hell were Starfall, the Stars, and Polar Star?!

"Your deeds have long since spread across the continent. You're far more famous than you think, kid!"

Makarov smiled at Ywen. Nothing made him happier than seeing a member of his guild become renowned across the continent.

"Brother Ywen is amazing!"

Gray and Lyon stared at Ywen with sparkling eyes, full of admiration. At the same time, they imagined that when they grew up and became as famous across the continent as Ywen, their enemies would call out their names and tremble in fear at the sight of them.

"Hahaha..."

"An elite of the Saint Ten, and another powerhouse who wielded Celestial Magic!"

"Even if I, Doramu, lost, it would still be worth it!"

As Ywen and the others chatted, Doramu suddenly burst into laughter. A criminal like him would usually only ever encounter S-Class Mages from Light Guilds. Yet now, he had run into a member of the Saint Ten—and a powerhouse who wielded Celestial Magic, someone no weaker than the Saint Ten and perhaps even above some of them.

He was... incredibly lucky!

Doramu, who had originally intended to flee, changed his mind. He knew he could no longer escape...

"As long as I beat all of you, my name will echo across the entire world, won't it?!"

With the hostages rescued and his enemies far too powerful, Doramu's mind began to unravel. He looked at Ywen and Makarov with a savage grin.

"No, you're overthinking it. I didn't come here for a small fry like you!"

Ywen mercilessly shook his head at the endlessly fantasizing Doramu. In Ywen and the others' eyes, Doramu did not even qualify as an appetizer. His strength would only be somewhat troublesome for Gray or Lyon.

"..."

The eager Doramu instantly lost all trace of excitement upon hearing Ywen's words. His body trembled slightly, and the passion that had flared up within him froze over in an instant.

"This feels really bad!"

Gray and Lyon felt their hearts tighten as they watched Doramu's expression.

"Eldest son, is that ready?"

Doramu did not continue his attack. Instead, he turned and asked behind him.

"It is ready, Father!"

The eldest son of the Gojobashi Family lightly nodded in reply.

"Then begin!"

Hearing that, Doramu's lips curled upward. He would make every one of these people who looked down on him pay the price! A price in blood!

"By your command!"

Having received the order, the eldest son of the Gojobashi Family immediately raised a translucent control panel marked with a key symbol.

"Oh no, that's the prison key..."

The guards stared blankly at the translucent control panel bearing the key symbol in the eldest son's hand, then their faces filled with shock.

At some point, one of the guards had already collapsed onto the ground. The key now in the eldest son's hand had been snatched by the Gojobashi Family from that guard.

"Unlock!"

At the eldest son of the Gojobashi Family's command, all the small cells used to imprison criminals opened at once, releasing every one of the evil convicts!

These criminals were all ruthless figures, each one a headache for the Magic Council. Among them were plenty of monsters classified as S-Class Criminals!

Thanks to reader Peak After Heavy Rain for the 100 reward~