Black Heaven Guild

"Something felt off." The two of them had gone fairly deep into the forest over the past two days, but the farther they went, the fewer animals they encountered. It was not because the environment had become harsher, either.

"Maybe there's a powerful magical beast around?" Mirajane had noticed it too. Hunting at night had become increasingly difficult these past two days—they had to travel a long way just to find prey.

"Shh, people!" Qian Guang detected several people approaching not far ahead. The vegetation was too dense for either side to see the other with the naked eye.

The two hid themselves. Better to be careful—who would wander into the depths of the forest for no reason? Well, aside from that idiot rich kid.

They were getting close!

Qian Guang and Mirajane finally saw them. Two men, both with villainous faces. More importantly, Qian Guang spotted the emblem on one of them—a black sun symbol!

Qian Guang's aura instantly became unstable. If Mirajane had not noticed and grabbed him, he would have already charged out.

"What's wrong?" Mirajane asked worriedly. She had never seen Qian Guang lose control like this. Right now, he was like a little leopard whose home had been destroyed, desperate for revenge.

Qian Guang's face was as dark as water, the veins on his forehead showing just how furious he was.

He remembered. The firelight that night, the blood covering the ground, and that man's arrogant laughter. That man had borne the exact same emblem!

Qian Guang felt like he could no longer control himself. He wanted to rush out and interrogate them. He had never forgotten his promise to avenge everyone. He had desperately searched for information about them at Fairy Tail, but every time, he had arrived a step too late. They were too difficult to catch, and he had no idea where their base was.

"Calm down. Let's listen to what they have to say first." Mirajane had heard the guild master mention Qian Guang's past before, and she could guess part of what was happening. But she was not sure whether the enemy had reinforcements, so she could not let him act rashly.

"Fine. Let me go. I promise I won't attack. But what a coincidence, running into them here." Qian Guang's usual laziness and unseriousness had vanished. His Sharingan activated on its own, bloodthirsty light flickering in his scarlet eyes.

"Qian Guang..." Mirajane looked at him anxiously and silently released the arms she had wrapped around him.

"Say, why does the guild master still have us patrolling? We've been hiding here all this time, and nothing's ever happened." The blond thug impatiently scraped a knife against a tree.

"Didn't we catch a wealthy merchant's son a while ago? We were planning to demand ransom, but we accidentally killed him. The guild master is afraid mages might come after us, so he told us to patrol carefully." The blue-haired man seemed fairly responsible. Perhaps he had once thought the same way, until the scar running vertically across his entire face taught him a lesson.

"Why does it suddenly feel cold?"

"Stop dawdling and hurry up. Ever since Lord Banna died, the guild master's temper has gotten worse and worse. Be careful, or you'll get punished!"

Neither of them noticed the "monster" staring at them from the shadows. Worse still, they were walking straight toward where that "monster" was hiding.

"Mira, deal with the blond one. Don't let him alert his companions." Qian Guang was calm now. He did not just want these two small fry—he wanted the entire Black Heaven Guild!

"Understood."

This time, Mirajane did not throw a tantrum. When it came to serious matters, she always listened to Qian Guang.

Whoosh!

Demonic wings burst from Mirajane's back. She transformed into a demon and grabbed for the blond man's face with her right hand!

The blond man could not react at all. By the time he understood what was happening, his head was already intimately acquainted with the ground!

The blue-haired man immediately tried to take out a signal flare, but then he met a pair of scarlet eyes. His body trembled uncontrollably, his expression froze, and cold sweat streamed down his face.

Qian Guang did not care what he had seen. He simply snatched the signal flare away.

The fight on Mirajane's side was over as well. A small fry was not worth mentioning to begin with, much less when ambushed by Demon Mira. Still, Mira had merely knocked him unconscious and had not injured him too badly.

The blue-haired man recovered, but the psychological pressure from those eyes was far too great. His body was still trembling.

"I ask, you answer. Say one unnecessary word or one lie, and you can go apologize to that idiot rich kid." From their earlier conversation, Qian Guang already knew that the poor rich kid was dead.

Mirajane looked at him with some concern. She had never seen anything like this before. No, she had never even seen a dead person. She had not yet stepped into this real world.

The blue-haired man nodded. He could read the situation clearly. His signal gun had been taken, and he could not beat them, so he could only cooperate. As for his companion? No one truly risked their lives for the guild master when he used such brutal methods.

"Where is your guild?"

"In the forest, about five kilometers from here."

"Very good. You're quite cooperative. How many people are in your guild?"

"The guild master, the vice guild master, and more than twenty guild members. Wait, let me count. Gou Dan, Tu Gou..." Seeing Qian Guang's grim expression, the blue-haired man wanted to spill everything he knew.

"Enough! What magic do the guild master and vice guild master use?" Qian Guang had neither the time nor the desire to hear their names. All he wanted was to wipe them out.

"The guild master... h-he uses space magic." The blue-haired man showed fear at the mention of the guild master. The shadow he cast was too great, making him stutter even as he spoke.

Qian Guang frowned deeply. Space magic... He had never encountered anyone who could use space magic before. This would probably be difficult.

In the end, Qian Guang asked for a few more details and came to one conclusion: one strong fighter carrying a bunch of useless ones.

The Black Heaven Guild had originally been a large dark guild. But because they committed every kind of atrocity—murder, arson, robbery, and worse—they had been suppressed by various guilds early on. Many of their officers had died during that conflict. However, Guild Master Or Skelan's space magic was too flexible, and he escaped every time.

Vice Guild Master Rogrand had zero combat ability. He handled logistics and managed the guild's funds. He was also the guild master's younger brother. The third-in-command Qian Guang had dealt with was the same.

The Black Heaven Guild had originally had even more members, but after the third-in-command's death, Or became even more violent. He got rid of many people he disliked, leaving only twenty-eight people in the entire guild.

Qian Guang's eyes could clearly see whether someone was lying, so he knew all the information the man had given him was true.

A vicious glint appeared in Qian Guang's eyes. "That's great. So I only need to watch out for Or, right?" As he spoke, he grabbed the blue-haired man by the throat, intending to end his life.

"Wait, Qian Guang. How about handing them over to the Magic Council instead?" Mirajane had ultimately never witnessed such a scene before, and she could not bear it.

Qian Guang turned his fierce gaze on Mirajane, but what he saw was a Mira completely unlike usual. Her face was pale and weak, her eyes full of worry. His gaze gradually softened.

"Sorry, Mira. Let me be selfish this time, okay? This is my promise to everyone. Besides, this world isn't a fairy tale. They aren't the kind of charming villains who merely seek to defeat their opponents. They're a band of robbers with blood on their hands."

"This time, I can't listen to you. If you can't accept it, go wait nearby for a while. It'll be over soon."

Qian Guang understood Mira. She had never come into contact with people like this. Though her own experiences had also been tragic, they were ultimately different. Besides, everyone at Fairy Tail had protected her well.

Mirajane's gaze was conflicted. It was not that she disagreed with what Qian Guang had said. She knew about his past. Just now, she had only wanted to try, because watching a life disappear before her eyes was different from knowing someone would be imprisoned and executed later.

What she struggled with was whether she had the courage to remain here. Then she let out a breath, her gaze turning resolute. "If I feel sick or anything later, you're not allowed to laugh at me!" As she spoke, she tossed the blond man in her hands over to him as well.

Qian Guang looked at her in surprise. This kindhearted girl had endured slander and bullying even after gaining power, yet she was staying here with him. Really... how could that not make someone's heart race?

Crack! ×2

After dealing with them cleanly and efficiently, he looked at Mira. Mira blinked and looked back at Qian Guang.

"Done?"

"Done."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Mira felt something was wrong with herself. She had thought she would be afraid, but her heart was completely calm. There was even a voice urging her to do it herself.

Seeing magic power continuously rising from Mirajane's body, Qian Guang shouted, "Mira!"

Mirajane seemed to wake with a start. The magic power around her instantly vanished, and she looked at Qian Guang with confused eyes.

He asked with a serious expression, "What happened?"

"I don't know. It felt like there was a voice talking to me just now." Mirajane felt uneasy. She had nearly lost control of herself.

"Phew, that must be the demon's power. Looks like you haven't practiced enough." Qian Guang let out a breath. Take Over Magic was not without drawbacks. If one was not proficient enough, it could alter a person's personality or even take control of them instead.

"Sorry." Mirajane's expression darkened slightly. She had not yet recovered from her previous state.

"Mira, go back. The mission here is over. Tell that merchant his son isn't coming back."

Mirajane suddenly raised her head. Qian Guang's face was serious. He was not joking, and from his tone, she understood that "go back" meant he intended for her alone to leave!

"What kind of joke is that! What about you? You're going to charge over there and find them? Then you want me to go back alone!" Mirajane no longer held back her emotions. She roared at Qian Guang as black-purple magic power drifted from her body again.

"Calm down, Mira. This isn't your mission anymore. This is my personal grudge. It's too dangerous. I can't drag you into it." Qian Guang was not intimidated. He spoke while looking straight into Mirajane's eyes.

But all he saw was anger. Mirajane grabbed Qian Guang by the collar. "Huh? What do you take me for? Why are you acting all cool here? What do you mean, your personal grudge? No matter what your grudge is, I'm involved in all of it! And do you really think I can't beat twenty-odd pieces of trash?"

Mirajane stared at Qian Guang without the slightest fear. In her eyes, Qian Guang saw determination, worry, and anger—but not a trace of cowardice.

Only then did he realize that he had worried too much. For a long time now, he had not wanted Mira and the other two to take missions or fight. He had been afraid they would get hurt.

Then Qian Guang remembered who they were. If he had never come to this world, they would have become Demon Mira and Beast King Elfman. Had his arrival somehow made them weaker?

He smiled. Really, he had practically belittled this proud girl into being worthless.

"Sorry, I was wrong. Our Mira is so strong—how could you possibly lose to them? Then I'll leave the remaining half of this grudge to you, my girl." Having figured it out, Qian Guang smiled and rubbed her head.

But what he received was a headbutt. Mirajane's face reddened. "What are you laughing at? Did I say I forgave you? Hurry up and move!"

"Rest for a while and suppress your magic power."

"No need! I'm in great condition. I haven't slacked off at all, and I've practiced very well! Hmph!" Mirajane turned her head away. She had not forgotten him saying her practice was lacking!

"Yes, yes. Let's go." Qian Guang had become experienced at being headbutted. He healed his reddened nose bridge, got up from the ground, and dusted off his backside.

Qian Guang looked once more at the girl's back. "It's good to have you, Mira."