He could only watch helplessly as his energy neared depletion.
The energy inside him was draining away at a frantic rate.
Lu Chongwei's normally ruddy complexion had turned deathly pale.
It felt like a dam had burst, unleashing a flood that raced onward beyond his control.
And the source of it all was the Asauchi clenched in his hand—or, more precisely, the Zanpakuto on the verge of awakening.
"What in the world is happening..."
Lu Chongwei gritted his teeth. Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, trickled down his cheeks, and dripped onto the dry ground.
He could feel the special energy that had only just settled inside him being greedily siphoned away by the blade in his hand.
At the same time, it seemed that energy was continuously pouring into his body from the outside, trying to replenish what he was losing.
But it couldn't keep up with the rate at which his energy was draining.
It was like a bottomless pit.
After only a short while, Lu Chongwei felt a wave of panic. It was a sign that his life force was being overdrawn.
His vision began to blur.
His legs weakened, and he nearly fell to his knees.
"Am I really going to be drained dry by a sword?"
An absurd, despairing thought rose in Lu Chongwei's mind, but his fingers had stiffened and wouldn't let go of the hilt.
Just as he felt the energy in his body was about to run out completely, and even his consciousness was about to sink into darkness,
the terrifying suction abruptly stopped without warning.
Thump.
His heart gave a heavy beat.
For an instant, the world seemed to fall silent.
Then, an indescribable, scorching heat flowed back through the hilt and into his body, surging straight into his mind.
An ancient, majestic chant, as though it contained the fundamental laws of heaven and earth, erupted deep within his soul.
"Reduce all creation to ashes—"
The voice paused, then spoke the final four words with an authority that seemed capable of burning everything to nothing.
"—Ryujin Jakka!"
Lu Chongwei's eyes flew open.
Deep within his normally black pupils, a glimmer of dark red fire seemed to flash and vanish.
He looked down at the long sword in his hand again.
Its appearance hadn't changed dramatically, but he could clearly sense that the sword was alive.
A feeling of kinship, as if they shared the same blood, welled up inside him.
It was no longer a cold piece of iron, but an extension of his body—a manifestation of his will.
Lu Chongwei tentatively summoned the remaining special energy inside him and poured it into the blade.
Vmmm!
The air trembled faintly.
A visible wave of heat rippled outward from him, instantly curling and withering the grass at his feet.
"I see..."
Lu Chongwei let out a long breath, his expression one of relief.
He didn't understand why the energy of an outsider like him could take the place of a Soul Reaper's spiritual pressure.
Nor did he understand why this Zanpakuto, reputed to be the strongest of the fire type, had chosen him.
But the facts were right in front of him.
He could wield it.
That was enough.
In this unfamiliar world, there wasn't much point in digging into the reasons behind everything. Mastering power was the key to survival.
Lu Chongwei sheathed the sword and smoothly fastened it at his waist.
Grrr—
Just then, an awkward rumbling came from his stomach.
That harrowing tug-of-war over energy had completely drained his strength.
Hunger surged over him like a tide, burning in his stomach.
"I'm starving."
Lu Chongwei rubbed his stomach with a miserable expression and glanced at the ground nearby.
A few pieces of flying fish meat, left over from when he'd cut some up earlier, were still there.
The things looked bizarre and even had wings, but at least they were meat.
Whatever.
Lu Chongwei picked up some dry branches and skillfully started a campfire.
He haphazardly cut the flying fish meat into chunks, skewered them on sticks, and set them over the fire to roast.
Before long, the surface of the meat had turned golden brown, and the fat sizzled.
He didn't have any seasoning, but to Lu Chongwei, this was still a rare delicacy.
"Time to eat!"
He eagerly grabbed a skewer and took a huge bite, not even caring that it was hot.
The next second,
Lu Chongwei froze.
His entire face quickly scrunched up in agony.
"Urgh—"
An indescribable taste exploded in his mouth.
It was fishy and bitter, with a strange flavor like rotting seaweed mixed in.
Lu Chongwei fought the urge to spit it out, his eyes nearly watering.
"How can this be so disgusting?!"
He struggled to swallow the chewed-up meat, feeling as if even his throat was protesting.
Was this the price of surviving in this forest?
Lu Chongwei stared at the half-skewer of roasted meat in his hand, overcome with deep conflict and despair.
At the same time.
Far away, in the Fiore Kingdom.
Magnolia City.
The country's most famous and rowdiest Mage guild, Fairy Tail, was located here.
The guild hall was packed with noise.
The clinking of glasses, loud chatter, and even the sounds of tables and chairs being smashed in a brawl all mingled together.
Amid the racket, a tall figure stood before the job board on the second floor.
He was a middle-aged man with orange hair slicked back and a dark green cloak draped over his shoulders.
His face was covered in stubble, and he looked like a down-on-his-luck uncle, but his eyes were deep and sharp.
Gildarts Clive.
Fairy Tail's strongest Mage—and the only monster capable of taking on a Century Quest.
At that moment, his gaze rested on a job request with a slightly yellowed edge.
"Hm?"
Gildarts reached out with his rough hand and pulled the request off the board.
He read the details aloud, his voice low and rich.
"S-Class job: A massive fire has broken out for unknown reasons deep in the West Wild Forest. No evidence of arson has been found. An unknown demon or high-level beast may be responsible. Investigate and eliminate the threat."
"The West Wild Forest, huh..."
Gildarts rubbed the stubble on his chin, a playful smile spreading across his face.
It was a famous uninhabited region, where even beasts were rarely seen. And now there had been a fire on this scale?
Sounds interesting.
"Master, I'll take this one."
Holding the request, Gildarts turned and waved to the short old man downstairs, who was drinking heavily.
Master Makarov set down his enormous mug of beer and looked up, his eyes bleary with drink.
When he saw Gildarts, the old man burped and shouted, "Oh! Gildarts! Go ahead, then! Just make sure you come back soon—and don't destroy the forest!"
Gildarts laughed and tucked the request into his clothes.
"Don't worry. I'm just going to investigate, not start a war."
With that, he strode toward the guild's doors, pushed them open, and walked out.
Sunlight fell across his back, stretching his shadow long behind him.
Before you continue