That's Him, All Right

"Take him out!!"

The leader of the Black Magic Cult immediately gave the order. No matter who the other party was, anyone who saw them had to die.

"Kill!!!"

The many Black Magic Cult members all raised their weapons and charged at Qi Yan.

"Hey, hey, hey! Attacking without even saying hello first isn't very polite, is it?"

"But since you've already made your move, wouldn't it be disrespectful of me not to fight back?"

"Fire Fist!!!"

Qi Yan assumed a punching stance, his arm transforming into a gigantic arm of superheated flames that slammed directly into the Black Magic Cult members.

"Uwaaaahhh!!"

"Waaahhh!!"...

Terrifying flames swallowed a large number of Black Magic Cult members, and those engulfed by them all let out agonized screams.

"Fire Gun!"

Qi Yan held his index and middle fingers together on both hands, aiming them like guns at the crowd. Small flames continuously shot from before his fingertips.

"Uwaaaahhh!"...

Those hit fell as if they had been struck by bullets. In the blink of an eye, swathes of Black Magic Cult members collapsed.

"Damn it! Die!!"

A Black Magic Cult member launched a sneak attack from behind Qi Yan. His longsword slashed through Qi Yan's body, but it only stirred faint ripples—the elementalization ability shared by Logia-type Devil Fruits.

"What?!"

Before he could recover from his shock, Qi Yan's finger was already pressed against his forehead.

"Bang!"

The man was hit by flames before he could even scream.

"You damned bastard! How dare you disrupt the ritual we're holding as a sacrifice for the great Zeref!! Disappear!!"

One man gathered magic power in both hands and unleashed a dark shockwave at Qi Yan.

"Sunflare!!"

Qi Yan's arm turned to fire, and a pillar of flames shot from his palm to meet the attack head-on.

Boom-----!!

The two energies collided, erupting in a violent explosion.

"Still a little too slow!"

"Full Takeover—Toji Fushiguro!!"

Qi Yan switched his Takeover form, and his body changed. His bare upper body became covered by a black T-shirt, his black shorts turned into black trousers, and his boots became flat old-man shoes.

"Turn into minced meat!!"

At that moment, an exceptionally burly man suddenly appeared behind Qi Yan. Raising a massive steel hammer with both hands, he smashed it down at Qi Yan's head.

Boom----!!

Qi Yan did not move from where he stood. The giant hammer in the man's hands was sent flying and landed on the ground some distance away.

"What?!!"

The big man was completely dumbfounded. What had just happened? He had clearly seen the hammer strike Qi Yan's head, so why had it flown away?

Qi Yan glanced at the big man. "Hey, hey, standing this close to me is a little rude, isn't it? I don't like people getting too close. You should get the hell away from me."

Qi Yan placed his palm against the big man's abdomen, then gave him a light push.

The big man immediately felt an irresistible force surge from his abdomen, sending his entire body flying backward.

Boom boom boom boom boom!!!

The big man's body smashed through wall after wall.

"Lord Quill!!"

Qi Yan looked at the remaining Black Magic Cult members.

A sinister smile curled at his lips. "Three seconds. That's all I need to deal with you!"

Whoosh----!

Qi Yan's figure vanished in an instant. The next moment—

Bang bang bang bang!!!

"Uwaaaahhh!"

"Waaahhh!!"...

All the Black Magic Cult members were sent flying, crashing into the surrounding walls.

Not long after, Qi Yan walked out of the Black Magic Cult's hideout.

The army captain, who had long been waiting outside, immediately came forward.

"Mr. Qi Yan, how did it go?"

Qi Yan made an OK gesture with his fingers and smiled. "It's already taken care of."

"What?!"

"There were over a thousand Black Magic Cult members in there!"

The soldiers could hardly believe it. How long had Qi Yan been inside? Six minutes? Seven minutes? In any case, certainly no more than ten. They simply could not believe that he had wiped out over a thousand Black Magic Cult members in such a short time.

But this was perfectly normal for Qi Yan. There had indeed been many enemies, but they were all just fodder. Powerful wizards might find it difficult to deal with them, but to him, fodder was still fodder no matter how much of it there was.

"You can go in, inspect the goods, and then pay me. Oh, and there are several hundred kidnapped villagers inside. You might as well rescue them too."

"Move in!"

At the captain's command, the entire army braced themselves and rushed inside.

Once they entered, everyone in the army was stunned.

Black Magic Cult members lay everywhere. Of course, they were no longer standing—they had all fallen. Some had burns, while others looked as though they had been hit by trains, their arms and legs twisted out of shape. The surrounding walls were also in ruins.

"It... it's actually true..."

"He really wiped out over a thousand Black Magic Cult members in such a short time! They were all wizards!"

The captain immediately commanded, "First squad, rescue all the villagers. Second squad, arrest every member of the Black Magic Cult."

"Yes!!"

Very soon, all the villagers were rescued, and the Black Magic Cult members were carried away as well.

"Mr. Qi Yan, thank you very much for your help this time."

The captain looked at Qi Yan with a face full of respect. When he had first seen Qi Yan, he had thought he was far too young. After all, his opponents were over a thousand Black Magic Cult members.

How could one person possibly deal with over a thousand enemies? But now, he was completely convinced. This man truly was as powerful as the legends said.

Qi Yan waved his hand. "I take people's money and solve their troubles. This was the mission I accepted, so I merely completed it."

The captain immediately had someone bring over the payment.

"Mr. Qi Yan, this is your reward—ten million J. Please count it."

Qi Yan merely glanced at it and knew the amount was correct. A smile immediately appeared on his face as he took the case. "No need to count it. I trust your character, Captain. If you have work like this again next time, come find me. I'll give you a twenty percent discount."

The captain gave a bitter smile. "If possible, I never want to encounter something like this again in my life."

Qi Yan laughed. "Haha! Who knows what the future holds? The mission is over, so I'll be leaving first."

"Then I won't keep you any longer. I still need to report back on what happened here. Have a safe journey."

Qi Yan waved, turned, and left. Having completed another S-Rank Mission, he was in an excellent mood.

"Captain, who exactly is that young man?!"

"Yeah! He took down over a thousand people by himself. That's incredible."

The captain watched Qi Yan's retreating back with a profound gaze. "You should remember the major incident that happened in the Sobeia Kingdom half a year ago, right?"

"Half a year ago, in the Sobeia Kingdom... Could it be him?!"

"That's right! It was him!"

*****

Hargeon Harbor

This was the closest port to Magnolia Town. Whenever Fairy Tail had work that required going out to sea, they would depart from here and return here as well.

At that moment, a cargo ship slowly docked, and a young man stepped off the vessel. He had black hair and black eyes, wore a gray stand-collar short-sleeved shirt and black trousers, and possessed fair skin and a handsome face.

It was Qi Yan, who had crossed into Fairy Tail half a year ago.

"Whew! I'm finally back!"

This mission had taken him rather far away. The round trip had taken roughly twenty days in total.

Now, as long as he rested here for one night, he could take the train tomorrow morning and head to Magnolia.

Grrr!

Qi Yan's stomach began to rumble. He had been on a ship for too long, and all the swaying had left him with little appetite. Now that he was back on solid ground, hunger hit him all at once.

He happened to remember a delicious, inexpensive hole-in-the-wall restaurant on the street ahead. After eating, he could find a hotel, get a good night's sleep, and return to the guild the next morning.

Just then, a burst of commotion came from ahead. Qi Yan looked up to see many young girls hurrying past with autograph boards in their hands.

"I heard a very famous wizard has come to town."

"Lord Fire Dragon!!"

Qi Yan froze slightly. "Fire Dragon?! Natsu is here?! Is he that popular?!"

Qi Yan walked over curiously. If Natsu was there, they could return to the guild together. But when he got closer, he saw a middle-aged man surrounded by girls. It was clearly not Natsu.

"Did I get the wrong person?"

Qi Yan immediately prepared to turn and leave when a familiar voice entered his ears.

"Igneel!!"