The Demon of the Church

Time passed in the blink of an eye, and in the blink of an eye, a year had already passed since Lu Chongwei was promoted to an S-Class Mage.

During this year, the Fairy Tail guild remained as boisterous as ever, yet some subtle changes had taken place.

The most significant of these was Lu Chongwei.

As the youngest S-Class Mage in the guild's history, he had fully adapted to his status. Now, not only could he independently undertake those highly difficult and perilous S-Class missions, but he had also become a benchmark for the younger generation in the guild.

Of course, besides executing missions alone, he would occasionally mentor newcomers.

For instance, Erza.

Although Erza had not yet been promoted to S-Class, her strength had already been acknowledged by everyone. To help her accumulate more experience, Makarov often arranged for Lu Chongwei to team up with her.

Lu Chongwei originally had no objections to this.

After all, having a powerful and beautiful swordswoman as a teammate was, by any measure, a pleasing sight.

However—

"Erza, we are going to subjugate a magical beast, not moving house, okay?"

On the train platform, Lu Chongwei watched the mountain of luggage before him, his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

Three trunks, each three and a half feet high, plus two massive bundles, completely obscured Erza from view.

"These are all necessities."

Erza poked her head out from behind the pile of luggage, explaining with a serious expression.

"This trunk is for spare armor, this one is for sword oil and whetstones, that one is for emergency ingredients and cooking tools... and this one is a dessert box prepared especially for you."

Lu Chongwei sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"You're going on a picnic, aren't you? You definitely are."

Though he complained, Lu Chongwei resigned himself to his fate and helped her carry the two largest trunks. After all, he was an S-Class Mage, and a man at that.

Besides Erza, the guild had welcomed quite a few new faces.

Levy, Jet, and Droy.

These three newcomers with vastly different personalities formed a team called "Shadow Gear." Although their strength was still green, their coordination was unexpectedly in sync.

Especially Levy.

That little girl with short blue hair and a headband was practically a bookworm.

Unlike the others who were keen on brawling or taking missions, she buried herself in the guild's basement library, spending her days immersed in ancient texts.

Makarov, for his part, was full of praise.

"Knowledge is power."

Makarov would often pat Levy on the head and say earnestly to that group of idiots who only thought with their muscles (specifically Natsu and Gray).

"If you lot could be half as studious as Levy, I'd have a lot less to worry about."

And during this year, another person who had to be mentioned was Laxus.

That once-arrogant Dragon Slayer of Lightning, who had been defeated by Lu Chongwei, seemed like a different person after experiencing that setback.

He became more silent and more diligent.

Finally, in another assessment half a year ago, he relied on his overwhelming strength to successfully promote to an S-Class Mage.

Today's Fairy Tail possessed multiple top-tier combatants like Gildarts, Lu Chongwei, and Laxus, and its reputation was at its zenith.

On the guild's request board, there were so many mission slips that there was barely room to post them.

This day.

Lu Chongwei stood before the S-Class mission board on the second floor, his gaze sweeping over the yellowed parchment sheets.

"Subjugate an Ice Dragon in the frozen lands... too far, don't want to go."

"Search for lost ancient ruins... too much trouble, no interest."

"Escort members of the royal family... too many rules, not going."

Lu Chongwei picked and chose until, finally, his gaze settled on a mission slip tucked away in a corner.

[Mission: Subjugate the demon inside the church]

[Location: Border of the Kingdom of Fiore, an abandoned town deep in the mountains]

[Reward: 2,000,000 J]

[Description: It is said that a terrifying demon is sealed within that ancient church. Recently, the seal has loosened, and the demon's aura has leaked out, causing panic among the surrounding villagers. Requesting an S-Class Mage to go and subjugate it.]

"A church... a demon..."

Lu Chongwei rubbed his chin, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

"This sounds somewhat interesting."

He tore off the mission slip, turned, and walked down the stairs.

In front of the bar counter.

Makarov was sipping his morning drink when he saw the mission request in Lu Chongwei's hand, his brows knitting together slightly.

"You intend to take this?"

Makarov set down his glass, his expression turning grave.

"Lu Chongwei, this mission is no simple matter."

"Oh? How so?"

Lu Chongwei pulled out a chair and sat down.

"I heard some rumors about that church back when I was young."

Makarov pondered for a moment before speaking slowly.

"It is said that what is sealed there is not merely an ordinary demon, but quite possibly a lingering fragment of the soul of the legendary Satan."

"Satan?"

Lu Chongwei raised an eyebrow.

In this world of magic, that name represented the pinnacle of darkness and evil.

"That is correct."

At that moment, a crisp voice came from nearby.

Levy walked over carrying a thick, ancient tome, pushing up the reading glasses on the bridge of her nose.

"I found relevant records in the Ancient Demon Compendium."

She opened the book and pointed to an illustration on one of the pages.

"That church was originally a holy site built to suppress demons, but during a great war several hundred years ago, all the clergy were sacrificed, leaving only the seal struggling to hold on."

"The book says that this type of demon excels at bewitching the human heart and can control people through possession; it is extremely dangerous."

Levy looked at Lu Chongwei, her eyes filled with worry.

"Big Brother Lu Chongwei, you must be careful."

Lu Chongwei smiled and ruffled Levy's hair, leaving it a tangled mess.

"Don't worry, little bookworm."

"Whether it's Satan or anything else, before my Ryujin Jakka, they will only be reduced to ash."

Lu Chongwei said with full confidence.

However, despite his lighthearted words, he did not take the matter lightly in his heart.

Since it involved a demon of Satan's caliber, it would be safer to find an assistant.

"Where is Erza?"

Lu Chongwei turned his head to look at Cana.

"I was thinking of asking her to come along; it would be a good chance for her to witness such a high-level demon."

Cana was wiping a glass and offered an apologetic smile upon hearing this.

"Bad timing, Erza left just yesterday."

"Where did she go?"

"To the royal capital."

Cana explained, "I heard that famous armor shop just released a 'Purgatory Armor' with incredible defensive capabilities. As soon as Erza heard the news, she took the train overnight, saying she had to buy it no matter what."

"..."

The corner of Lu Chongwei's mouth twitched.

That armor fanatic was truly beyond saving.

"Forget it, I'll go alone then."

Lu Chongwei finished the milk in his glass in one gulp, stood up, and tightened the strap of his Zanpakuto.

"It's just as well; I haven't stretched my limbs in a long time."

After bidding farewell to everyone, Lu Chongwei boarded the train heading toward the border.

The train wove through towering mountains and ridges, the scenery outside the window shifting from bustling plains to desolate mountain ranges.

After half a day of bumping along, the sky was already approaching dusk when Lu Chongwei stepped off the train.

The setting sun was like blood, staining the sky a deep, dark red.

A biting mountain wind whistled past, whipping up dead leaves and giving the surroundings a bleak, desolate feeling.

"Is this the station near the mission site?"

Lu Chongwei tightened his trench coat and glanced at the silhouette of the small town hidden in the shadows of the mountains in the distance.

That was the place mentioned in the mission request.

For some reason, as he looked in that direction, a strange feeling stirred in the depths of Lu Chongwei's heart.

It felt as if something were watching him from the darkness.

"It seems this mission is indeed going to be interesting."

Lu Chongwei narrowed his eyes and, without the slightest hesitation, set off, his figure moving like lightning as he sped toward the shadow-shrouded town.

No matter what was there, he intended to see it with his own eyes.