Lingering Flame Blade Power, Figure Appears in the Deep Pit

Time slipped away in a blur.

In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.

Deep within the West Wild Forest.

Lu Chongwei leaned against a large tree, his face etched with despair as he stared with hollow eyes at the sky obscured by the canopy above.

These ten days had been nothing short of a nightmare for him.

This forest was like a colossal labyrinth; no matter how he walked or circled, he always seemed to end up right back where he started.

"Is anyone there—"

Lu Chongwei cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted with every ounce of his strength.

His voice startled a few birds into flight, echoing through the empty forest, but there was no response.

Only the rustling of leaves in the wind remained, as if mocking his helplessness.

Could it be... that I am the only one left in this world?

Lu Chongwei let his hands drop weakly, the sense of panic in his heart growing ever more intense.

This isolation from the rest of the world was harder to endure than hunger or danger.

He sighed, drew the short blade from his waist, and carved a deep mark into the tree trunk.

How many marks was this now?

He could no longer remember.

Since he couldn't find a way out, he had no choice but to return to his previous shelter; at least that cave could shield him from the wind and rain.

Lu Chongwei dragged his heavy feet, retracing the path he had marked.

After walking for about two hours.

The scenery before him suddenly underwent a drastic change.

The lush, verdant forest came to an abrupt end.

In its place lay a shocking expanse of scorched earth.

The trees here were no longer green, but had become bare, blackened stalks, resembling severed fingers pointing toward the sky.

The air was still thick with the lingering scent of sulfur and charred wood.

And at the center of this devastation was a massive crater, as if struck by a meteorite.

The bottom of the pit was not soil, but dark red, solidified magma-like crystals.

This was glass formed from rock melted by extreme heat.

Lu Chongwei stood at the edge of the crater, his throat dry as he gazed at the scene before him.

This was the very spot where he had tested the Shikai of Ryujin Jakka ten days ago.

That day, having just mastered the incantation for the Shikai, he had swung his blade at a small hill on a whim.

Just one swing.

A temperature of six thousand degrees had erupted in an instant.

In that moment, Lu Chongwei felt as if he were holding a sun in his hand.

The small hill had been vaporized, leaving not even a speck of dust behind.

The surrounding forest had ignited instantly, the fire spreading at an astonishing speed.

If not for the sudden torrential rain that day, which had extinguished the terrifying blaze.

Lu Chongwei suspected he might have burned the entire West Wild Forest to ash.

"Too terrifying..."

Even though ten days had passed, seeing this sight again still left Lu Chongwei with lingering fear.

He subconsciously touched the Zanpakuto at his waist.

That power was so immense it frightened even him.

It was also from that day on that he gained a clear understanding of his own strength.

Until he could fully control this power, he absolutely must not use his Shikai at will in the forest.

Otherwise, it wouldn't just be his enemies who died; he might be caught in the crossfire himself.

Lu Chongwei took a deep breath, skirted the edge of the crater, and prepared to continue toward the cave.

Just then.

His gaze swept casually across the bottom of the pit, and his body suddenly froze.

At the center of the crater.

On top of that expanse of solidified volcanic rock.

There was a figure standing there!

Lu Chongwei thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, so he rubbed them hard and looked again.

That was right.

It was a person.

A middle-aged man wearing a dark green cloak with orange hair.

He was crouching on the ground, seemingly examining something.

A living person!

Lu Chongwei's heart began to pound wildly; it was excitement, thrill, and also a massive shock.

For the past ten days, he hadn't even seen a ghost.

Now, a living person suddenly popping up was even more surprising than winning the lottery.

At the same time.

Gildarts at the bottom of the pit seemed to have sensed something.

He slowly stood up, turned his head, and his gaze locked precisely onto Lu Chongwei standing at the edge of the pit.

Their eyes met in the air.

Gildarts was slightly stunned.

He had originally assumed that whatever caused this destruction would be a ferocious fire demon or some rampaging high-level magical beast.

But the person before him...

No matter how he looked at it, he was just a boy of eleven or twelve.

Black hair, black eyes, tattered clothes, looking rather disheveled.

However.

Gildarts's expression turned solemn in an instant.

As a mage standing at the pinnacle of this world, his perception of magic power was extremely keen.

Deep within this boy's body, though well-hidden, he could still sense a magic power so vast it was startling.

That magic power was scorching and volatile, like a live volcano ready to erupt at any moment.

How could this child's magic power... be so strong?

Gildarts speculated inwardly.

Could the massive fire in this forest and the exaggerated crater before him both have been caused by this child?

But how was that possible?

This level of destructive power was something even that fire-playing brat Natsu from the guild might not be able to achieve, even going all out.

What's more, this child looked even younger than Natsu.

Gildarts suppressed the doubts in his heart and decided to observe for a moment.

He didn't speak immediately, just watched Lu Chongwei quietly.

Lu Chongwei couldn't care about any of that right now.

Seeing that the other person was human, he was so moved he nearly shed tears.

"Hey--!"

Lu Chongwei waved his hands, shouting with all his might.

"Mister over there! Did you come from outside the forest?!"

His voice cracked from excitement.

Gildarts's eye twitched at being called "Mister," but he still responded loudly.

"Yeah, that's right! I came from the city outside!"

His voice was booming, reaching Lu Chongwei's ears clearly despite the distance.

"I am Gildarts, a mage from the Fairy Tail guild in Magnolia City, Fiore Kingdom!"

Having said that, Gildarts tapped his foot.

He leaped out of the pit with ease.

In a few bounds, he crossed hundreds of meters and landed steadily in front of Lu Chongwei.

Lu Chongwei was startled by the sudden speed and instinctively took half a step back.

So fast.

This man was definitely no ordinary person.

However, there were a few terms in what he had just said that felt very unfamiliar to Lu Chongwei.

"Um... Mister..."

Lu Chongwei tilted his head, looking up at the tall man before him, his eyes filled with confusion.

"A mage... what is that?"

Gildarts had been preparing to strike a cool pose, but upon hearing this, he nearly tripped over his own feet.

He widened his eyes, staring at Lu Chongwei as if he were looking at an alien.

"Huh?"

Gildarts pointed at his own nose in disbelief.

"You don't know what a mage is? And you don't know about magic either?"