Ifrit: Stopping Me Isn't a Wise Choice

Looks like he had stirred up trouble this time.

But Ifrit wasn't flustered.

He wandered about casually. Even in the enemy's headquarters, even after being discovered, his steps remained as relaxed as if he were taking a stroll.

The enemies couldn't find him and remained on high alert, turning their heads this way and that, carefully searching every corner like they were looking for a chameleon. Perhaps that method might reveal an enemy who had blended into the environment by changing color.

But there was no way Ifrit would be found like that!

Only Reed, the three-eyed man, kept Ifrit's position locked on.

"Wait a moment, Wade." Reed first calmed his younger brother, then looked at Ifrit and asked, "Fairy Tail's Elegant Magician?"

"That's me." Ifrit gave a slight nod. "So, can you let me leave?"

"No." Reed grinned. "Who told you to go looking for trouble?"

"Once we start fighting, people will die. Maybe your little brother," Ifrit paused, "or maybe you."

"If you're not strong enough, then being killed is only natural." Reed's smile slowly vanished as he said coldly, "Twelve o'clock."

Boom!

The attack came suddenly. Those mages clearly had experience working with Reed; the instant they received the direction, they attacked without hesitation.

Ifrit dodged to the side, avoiding the first wave of attacks.

"Nine o'clock." Reed stood with his hands behind his back.

"Mr. Liar, let me eat you! People from big guilds are delicious!" The crazed child Wade charged toward Ifrit's position. His hands made Ifrit sense danger.

Ifrit was fragile. He had no intention of letting something that dangerous-looking leave wounds on him.

So he drew his revolver.

Since they were enemies, he couldn't hesitate!

Otherwise, he would be the one to die!

Ifrit aimed at Wade and fired!

Bang!

Wade couldn't see him, yet at the instant the shot rang out, Reed didn't even need to warn him. Wade tilted his head, and the bullet grazed past his ear.

Ifrit continued retreating as the magical attacks of the many mages pursued him relentlessly.

Wade was close, while magical bombardment came from afar.

"What a pain."

Ifrit flicked the cylinder of his gun with a finger.

Black with golden trim, six chambers—the revolver was named Till by Ifrit.

Till was a magic tool, and each of its six chambers had a different function—

Single Shot, Rapid Fire, Bombardment, Void Flash, Wind Blast, Self-Destruct.

He spun the cylinder, switching to the "Wind Blast" chamber.

A fierce gust burst from the muzzle, kicking up sand and dust and leaving everyone unable to open their eyes.

Ifrit then switched to "Bombardment."

After firing a shot, he immediately darted behind a device that looked particularly sturdy.

"Spread out!" Reed, the three-eyed man, shouted at once as he ducked toward the rest area behind him.

No one doubted him. Everyone scattered.

Boom!

It was as though a massive missile had struck, detonating where everyone had been standing moments before.

Terrifying heat and shockwaves spread outward, throwing the magic power in the air into chaos. Enormous flames filled the entire cave!

Wade was small and light, and the powerful shockwave swept him up before slamming him viciously into the wall.

Some were dead, and some were wounded.

Only a few suffered minor injuries.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Ifrit switched to "Void Flash" and pulled the trigger at the wall behind him.

Three seconds of charging.

Bzzzz.

A black beam three meters in diameter blasted from the muzzle, punching through the wall and the mountain behind it!

It wasn't truly a Void Flash, of course. But when creating this beam of devastating power, it had been hard for Ifrit not to think of that famous and fitting name.

At the end of the passage was a blinding white light.

Ifrit switched to "Single Shot" and fired at Reed, the three-eyed man. Reed had just raised his head from behind cover when the shot forced him to duck back down.

Switching to "Wind Blast."

He held Till behind and below himself at an angle, then pulled the trigger.

Whoosh—

A gale erupted from the muzzle. A tremendous force propelled Ifrit like a rocket, breaking free of the earth's pull and sending him flying outside.

Once outside, he switched to "Bombardment," fired a shot behind him, and collapsed the passage.

Time to get out of here.

Ifrit intended to retreat.

But—

Bzzzz.

Dozens of Magic Circles suddenly appeared in the sky, linked together into a ring. Then an enormous translucent blue dome descended.

A Magic Barrier!

Ifrit was trapped inside the barrier.

He stopped and fired at it.

Bang!

The bullets fired from the Single Shot chamber had the greatest penetrating power, yet they still failed to pierce the barrier. Forget damaging it—they only caused a few ripples to spread across its surface.

"Heh heh." A hunched old man emerged from behind a tree not far away.

"It is a great honor to meet you again, Mr. Magician." The hunched old man was quite polite as he gave Ifrit a slight bow.

Ifrit returned the bow politely, then said, "Didn't you say you didn't want trouble back then? Why are you stopping me now?"

This was the hunched old man who had urged Reed not to cause trouble in the street before.

"Stopping me isn't a wise choice." Ifrit raised his gun and aimed it at him.

"But I have no choice, sir." The hunched old man slowly rolled up his sleeve, revealing a withered arm. His skin was gray with a hint of red, his bulging veins dark blue, making his arm resemble the exposed roots of an old tree about to wither away.

The hunched old man said regretfully, "If you must blame someone, blame yourself for having the misfortune of coming here."

"Fine." Ifrit nodded helplessly. "Then—"

Bang!

A gunshot rang out.

With surprise on half his face, the hunched old man slowly fell. A small hole had appeared in the back of his head, while a disgusting, bloody crater had exploded open in his forehead.

"Let's begin." Ifrit didn't look at him, instead turning his gaze toward the mages chasing after him in the distance.

"Yes, the game has begun, Mr. Magician." There was admiration and excitement in the hunched old man's voice. "I lost this round. I look forward to our next match."

Hearing that, Ifrit raised his hand and fired a Void Flash, blasting a crater three meters wide and obliterating him so thoroughly that not even scraps remained!

The old man was dead, but the Magic Circles and barrier remained.

He could only fight.

Ifrit habitually pushed up his glasses with the ring finger of his left hand. Half his face was covered by his palm, while light reflected the scenery outside and flowed through the gaps between his fingers into his calm, unruffled eyes.

"There's a barrier! He can't escape!"

Reed and the other enemies had circled around from the cave entrance and finally caught up.

One person was missing.

The red-haired mage, the one with immense strength.

But Ifrit didn't believe the other man had been injured badly enough to be unable to fight.

He needed to stay wary of enemies lurking out of sight, lest he capsize in a ditch.

Ifrit's magic power spread out, completely covering the entire area within the barrier!

Bringing everyone under the influence of his magic!

He had to deal with the fodder first.

Ifrit took a step back, and his figure vanished.

Deception Magic.

One Deception, Two Frauds!

Deception relied on false information to fool a person's perception.

Fraud exploited flaws in the human heart, guiding emotions to ultimately achieve its purpose.

The former targeted the five senses.

The latter targeted emotions.

Ifrit's deception of the five senses had reached an extraordinary level, but he was still not proficient with the second stage.

At present, fear was what he was best at guiding.

Then...