Encirclement

Black Heaven Guild Headquarters

"Rogrand, two little rats have entered our territory." A short man with a distinctive hooked nose and gloomy eyes spoke savagely.

He was Or, the president of the Black Heaven Guild. Judging by his height alone, it was hard to imagine that someone barely taller than Makarov could be the notoriously brutal president of Black Heaven.

He sat on his lavish "throne," savoring a fine glass of wine. The space behind the throne was piled high with jewels and gold coins.

Or sensed two people rapidly approaching within his territory. They occasionally stopped to look around, and that speed was anything but ordinary. Whether they were his own men or not, they would be dealt with as rats.

"Oh ho ho ho ho, my dear brother, there's no need to worry. If the enemy is too strong, we can just run away. I've hidden treasures elsewhere too."

Or's younger brother, Rogrand, was the vice president of the Black Heaven Guild. He wore extravagant clothes and had a huge belly. Judging by his appearance alone, he looked like a simple-minded nouveau riche, but anyone who truly believed that would be finished.

"It would be best not to abandon them if we can help it. These treasures weren't easy to come by," Or said darkly. He did not care about the strength of the intruders. In recent years, powerful wizards had tried to capture him, but he had always escaped. He had come to believe that no one could catch him.

"Don't worry. I've already informed my little darlings. They'll help us test the waters."

Crows flew out of the guild one after another.

"Wait, Mira."

Qian Guang and Mirajane had already caught sight of the guild, but there was no one at the entrance. Qian Guang felt that something was wrong. If there were patrols, how could the guild entrance be completely unguarded? Did they think this was some respectable guild?

"We should just charge in. It's only a guild where the president is the only strong one. Once I win, I'll come help you... Ow! That hurts!"

Before Mirajane could finish, Qian Guang chopped her on the head. "Be more careful, Mira. Don't be so arrogant. They're not decent people. Poison, traps—there's nothing they won't do if they can think of it."

"Huh, then you're pretty similar to them too. Ow, I said that hurt!" Mira wanted nothing more than to jump up and bite him!

Qian Guang was speechless. This was not the time for sarcastic remarks. He took out two finished products from years of experimentation: tiny antidote pills!

The Mana-Recovery Potion had yet to be developed, but he had made plenty of other bizarre things, including, but not limited to, pig noses and tails. This was one of the few potions with a positive effect.

"Th-this doesn't have any side effects, does it?" Mirajane had already been traumatized by Qian Guang's creations. Who knew what it felt like to wake up one morning with a pig nose?

Qian Guang glared at her helplessly, but Mira's deliberate joking had eased his heavy mood. At least he would not lose his head now.

"Caw—caw—"

Several crows circled overhead.

"Hmph, it really is a dark guild. There are crows everywhere!" Mirajane was unhappy, mainly because she thought those black things were completely un-cute.

Qian Guang felt that something was off, but he could not put his finger on it. After all, crows suited a dim, gloomy place well enough.

Deep within the Black Heaven Guild, an image was projected. Two brats around fifteen years old, one dressed in black and the other in white, were crouching in the grass.

"Oh ho ho ho ho, two little rabbits. Such young wizards—what geniuses." Rogrand smiled at the information the crows had brought back as he spoke to his older brother, though his eyes were filled with nothing but gloom.

"Hmph, they really are looking down on us." Feeling insulted, Or smashed his wineglass onto the floor with a crack. His face was full of cruelty. "Let our little rabbits see some color. Don't kill them. They might fetch a good price."

"Oh ho ho ho ho, of course, my dear brother."

"Let's go. If we can't detect anything, we'll have to force our way in." Qian Guang could not probe the situation inside the guild, but he did not want to alert the enemy.

The two of them cautiously approached. The entire guild did not even have a single window. It was awful.

Qian Guang chose a more concealed section of the guild wall, preparing to slowly make an entrance with earth magic. He now understood how important the Magic Council was.

Unbeknownst to them, a crow perched in a tree was watching them.

Qian Guang made an opening large enough for one person to pass through. He first took out a bottle of potion and tossed it inside. Smoke instantly filled the area, and he handed Mirajane another pill. "Remember, if a fight breaks out, fight here in the smoke."

Mirajane was speechless at how cautious Qian Guang was, but she obediently swallowed the pill.

They had chosen a spot beside the main hall. More than ten people were waiting nearby, but the moment the smoke rose, Rogrand ordered them to retreat.

Standing on the second floor and watching the smoke spread, Rogrand still wore an expression of absolute confidence. "It seems our little rabbits are quite experienced. Still, this doesn't look like a respectable guild. I thought you would charge right in, but it makes no difference. I saw you."

One of Rogrand's eyes had turned completely black, just like a crow's eye. Clearly, the rumors that Rogrand had no strength at all were not to be trusted.

He summoned an animal shaped like a pig, though it was blue-green with a round belly. It inhaled and sucked all the smoke into its stomach, but the instant it finished, it collapsed and began snoring.

"The potion is really potent. I'll ask those brats where they got it later." Seeing how nearly instantaneous the effect was, Rogrand narrowed his eyes.

Qian Guang and Mirajane entered shortly afterward, but Qian Guang's eyes narrowed when he saw the situation inside.

More than a dozen thuggish-looking men wielding weapons closed in around them. Then magic circles lit up behind them, and around ten more thugs appeared at their backs.

"We walked into a trap. It seems we were exposed from the start, and the sleeping gas is gone too." Qian Guang looked at the unconscious pig and Rogrand's strange eye.

"I told you, we should've charged in from the start and wiped them all out." Mirajane instantly transformed into her demon form. Her powerful magic power made the sneering thugs take a step back.

Satan Soul Take Over! Mira's demeanor changed in an instant, her face full of disdain. Unfortunately, she had not fully developed yet, and her unremarkable figure lacked some of its allure.

Cold sweat ran down Bad Guy A's forehead. This had to be fake. How could she possibly look like a fifteen-year-old brat?

"Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho, so you're wizards from Fairy Tail. How impressive. As expected of a large guild—even its brats are this strong. And the moment you see a small guild like ours, you want to bully us." Rogrand was somewhat stunned by the powerful magic power, but he still forced himself to keep acting. After all, this level was still inferior to his older brother's.

"You're bandits at best, and to be precise, this is a private grudge!"

The crimson Sharingan lit up instantly. By the time Rogrand realized something was wrong, he had already fallen deep into an illusion.

"Hmph!"

A massive Wind Blade was about to slice off his head when a cold snort rang out. A black hole appeared before Rogrand and transferred the attack away.

A short man with a hooked nose appeared beside Rogrand, and Rogrand woke from the illusion as well. "Bastard!"

"The real target has appeared. Mira, I'm counting on you."

"Leave it to me."

Mira flew into the air and looked down at everyone with disdain.

Qian Guang let out a breath and fixed his eyes on the president of the Black Heaven Guild—Or!

Provided by Qian Wei, author of Fairy Tail: Dual Kamui at the Start