Black Heaven Guild

"This feels a little off." They 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 was harsh, either.

"Maybe there's a powerful magical beast?" Mirajane sensed that something was wrong 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 from not far ahead. The surrounding vegetation was too dense for either side to see the other with the naked eye.

The two hid themselves. They had to be careful—who would run into the depths of a forest for no reason? Other than that idiotic rich second-generation kid, of course.

They were getting closer!

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

Qian Guang's breath instantly became ragged. If Mirajane had not noticed something was wrong and grabbed him, he would have charged out already.

"What's wrong?" Mirajane asked worriedly. She had never seen Qian Guang lose control like this. Right now, he was like a little leopard that had lost its home and wanted revenge.

Qian Guang's expression was as dark as water, the veins on his forehead standing out as proof of his overwhelming fury.

He remembered. The blaze in the night, the blood covering the ground, and that man's wild 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 the two of them. He had never forgotten his promise to avenge everyone. He had searched frantically for news of them at the guild, but every time, he had been one step too late. They were too hard 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 talk about Qian Guang's past before, and she could guess some of it now. But she was not sure whether the enemy had backup, so she could not let him act rashly.

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

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

"Why does the guild master have us patrol anyway? We've been hiding here all this time, and nothing's ever happened." The yellow-haired thug impatiently scraped a knife against a tree.

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

"Why does it suddenly feel a little 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 be punished!"

The two of them had no idea that a "monster" was staring at them intently. At the same time, they were foolishly heading toward where that "monster" was hiding.

"Mira, take care of the yellow-haired one. Don't let him alert his companions." Qian Guang was very calm now. He did not just want these two minor thugs—he wanted the entire Black Heaven Guild!

"Understood."

Mirajane did not throw one of her little tantrums this time. When it came to important matters, she always listened to Qian Guang.

"Whoosh!"

Demonic wings burst forth. Mirajane transformed directly into a Demon, her right hand reaching for the yellow-haired man's face!

The yellow-haired man could not react at all. By the time he understood what was happening, his head had already come into intimate contact 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 involuntarily, his features went slack, and cold sweat poured down his face.

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

The fight on Mirajane's side had ended as well. A minor thug was not worth mentioning in the first place, much less when caught in an ambush by Demon Mira. Mira had only knocked him unconscious, however; he was not badly injured.

The blue-haired man had recovered somewhat, but those eyes had put far too much pressure on him. His body was still trembling.

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

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 understood 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 they knew how brutal he was.

"Where is your guild?"

"In the forest about five kilometers from here."

"Very good. You've got a high level of awareness. 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 dark expression, the blue-haired man desperately wanted to reveal 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. He only wanted to flatten the place.

"The guild master... H-he uses spatial magic." At the mention of the guild master, fear appeared on the blue-haired man's face. The shadow he cast was too great; he even stuttered when speaking of him.

Qian Guang furrowed his brow. Spatial magic? He had never encountered anyone who used spatial magic before. They were probably not easy to deal with.

In the end, Qian Guang asked a few more questions and came to a conclusion: one strong member carrying a group of useless ones.

The Black Heaven Guild had originally been a large dark guild. However, because they committed every evil imaginable—murder, arson, robbery, and rape—they had been punished by various guilds early on. Many of their officers had died in that conflict. But Guild Master Or Sklan's spatial magic was far too flexible, and he escaped every time.

Vice Guild Master Rogrand had zero combat ability. He was a logistics officer responsible for managing the guild's funds, and he was also the guild master's biological 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 brutal. He got rid of many people he disliked, leaving only twenty-eight members in the entire guild.

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

A fierce light appeared in Qian Guang's eyes. "That's great. So we only need to watch out for Or, right?" With that, he grabbed the blue-haired man by the throat, intending to end his life.

"Wait, Qian Guang. Why not hand them over to the Magic Council?" Mirajane had never seen such a scene before, and she could not bear it.

Qian Guang turned a fierce gaze on Mirajane. But what he saw was a Mira completely unlike usual: pale and weak, her eyes filled with concern. His gaze slowly softened.

"Sorry, Mira. Can you let me be selfish this time? This is my promise to everyone. And this world is not a fairy tale. They are not the kind of charming villains who only seek to defeat their opponents. They are bandits with the blood of countless people on their hands."

"I can't listen to you this time. If you can't accept it, go wait somewhere nearby. It'll be over soon."

Qian Guang understood Mira. She had never encountered people like this. Though her own experiences had been tragic as well, they were ultimately different. Besides, everyone at the guild had protected her well.

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

What she struggled with was whether she had the courage to stay here. Then she let out a breath, her gaze becoming firm. "If I feel sick or anything later, you're not allowed to laugh at me!" With that, she tossed the yellow-haired man over to him as well.

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

"Crack!" ×2

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

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

Mira felt that something was wrong with her. 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 spill from Mirajane's body, Qian Guang shouted, "Mira!"

Mirajane seemed to snap awake. The magic power around her instantly vanished, and she looked at Qian Guang with dazed eyes.

He asked sternly, "What happened?"

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

"Whew, that should 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 the user was not proficient enough, it could alter their personality or even take control of them.

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

"Mira, let's go back. The mission here is over. Tell that merchant his son won't be coming home."

Mirajane abruptly raised her head. Qian Guang wore a serious expression. He was not joking, and from his tone, she heard that "go back" meant only she would return!

"What kind of joke is this?! What about you? You're going to charge over there and find them, then send me back alone?!" Mirajane no longer restrained 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 showed no fear as he looked directly into Mirajane's eyes.

But all he saw was anger. Mirajane grabbed Qian Guang by the collar. "Huh? What kind of person do you take me for?! Why are you trying to act cool here?! What do you mean, your personal grudge? No matter what your grudge is, I have to be part of it! And do you really think I can't beat twenty-something small fry?!"

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

Only then did he realize that he had worried too much. For a long time, 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 not come to this world, they would have been Demon Mira and Beast King Elfman. Had his arrival actually made them weaker?

He smiled. Really, I've demeaned 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 other 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 flushed. "What are you smiling for?! Did I say I forgave you?! Hurry up and go!"

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

"No need! I'm in great condition. I haven't been slacking off. I've practiced very well! Hmph!" Mirajane turned her head away. She had not forgotten that he had said her training was lacking!

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

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