"Who the hell is that guy?"
"That magical power..."
"But..."
"Why is the rain falling so much harder only around him?"
"No idea..."
"What a strange guy. I feel like every hair on my body is standing on end..."
"Get away from me, you tomcat!"
"Who is he?"
"I don't know. Could he be Zeref?"
"!!"
"Cana, don't just say things like that! You scared me!"
"..."
Seeing the newcomer's bizarre appearance and sensing the terrifying waves of magical power radiating from him, the weaker members of the Fairy Tail guild who weren't suited for battle—Happy, Carla, Wendy, Lucy, Cana, Lisanna, and the others—cried out in alarm.
"If it's Zeref, then all the better!"
"I can feel myself burning up!"
"Be careful!"
"Natsu, that guy won't be easy to deal with!"
"I know! That's exactly why I want to fight him! Erza, don't you dare steal my turn!"
"Hey!"
"Sis, can you still fight?"
"Don't worry, Elfman. I'm low on magic, but I can still cover you from the sidelines."
"Good!"
"Tch!"
"What an idiot. He dares to take on this many people from our guild all by himself? What does he think we are?"
Unlike the others who were crying out in alarm, the guild's S-Class and near-S-Class powerhouses—Natsu, Erza, Gray, Elfman, Mirajane, and the rest—walked to the edge of the canopy and stared across the curtain of rain at the man who had stopped some distance away. They were itching to rush over and fight him right then and there.
"Hmm..."
"Kids, watch out!"
"That guy..."
"He might be a bit tough to handle..."
Makarov spoke up from where he sat atop a large wooden crate, bandages wrapped around him.
Even so, he wasn't too worried. Almost all of Fairy Tail's elite were here, while their opponent was