As the whirlwind swept toward him, Nickel spread his hands, instantly forming a barrier.
Boom!!! Another deafening crash rang out!
The lackeys watching the fight were stunned. This was simply not a battle they could interfere in. They wanted to help their guild master, but they were powerless to do so.
The longer the fight went on, the more alarmed Nickel became. Neither the strength nor the composure Xi Feng displayed belonged to an ordinary teenager. His combat instincts were exceptional, too; every time Nickel struck to kill, he managed to dodge.
I can't let someone like him live! With that thought, Nickel unleashed a powerful surge of magic, blasting Xi Feng away.
"Ugh!"
The sudden impact caught Xi Feng off guard and sent him crashing straight into the wall.
"You little brat, die! Thunderclap Bomb!"
Nickel gathered an enormous amount of magic into a gigantic sphere and hurled it at Xi Feng.
"!!!" Xi Feng's eyes widened at the lightning sphere hurtling toward him!
"Bring it on!"
The Blade of Gale vanished from his hands. Xi Feng raised both hands high, and the King's Sword appeared.
"Excalibur!!!"
He swung Excalibur down!
"This...!" Disbelief filled Nickel's eyes as he stared at the sword of light brimming with tremendous magic.
The collision between the sword of light and the lightning sphere unleashed a massive surge of magic, devastating their surroundings. Some lackeys who could not withstand it were blasted away.
"Die, you little brat!"
"We'll see who dies!"
Under Nickel's stunned gaze, the sword effortlessly broke through his spell and slashed down at him.
"No, no, don't!" Nickel stared in terror at the descending sword of light. He tried to defend himself, but it was all in vain.
Boom!!!
A deafening crash brought the battle to an end.
Chapter 9: Mirajane and Her Siblings
After dealing with Nickel, Xi Feng cleared out the remaining lackeys. He stayed another day to make sure none remained before leaving.
He needed to hurry back and turn in the job so someone could inspect the site and approve his reward. But as Xi Feng passed through a village, he heard a commotion.
"Get out!"
"Get out of our village!"
"How long are you demon-possessed freaks planning to stay in our village?"
"You cursed family!"
"As long as you're here, our village's bad luck will never end!"
"Huh? A demon? What's going on?" Intrigued by the shouting, Xi Feng followed the voices and found a crowd holding hoes and other tools, surrounding a house and yelling.
"Say, what are you all doing?"
Watching them throw stones into the house, Xi Feng tapped someone on the shoulder and asked.
The man turned around and saw a teenager. He sighed, seeming disappointed about something, but still answered Xi Feng's question.
"Young man, you'd better leave right away. There's a girl possessed by a demon in this house. We're driving them out."
"A girl possessed by a demon? Could it be..." The villager's words piqued Xi Feng's interest. He stepped forward and said, "Everyone, quiet down. Please quiet down."
The villagers looked puzzled at the teenager who had suddenly appeared before them and called out to him.
"What are you doing here, young man? Leave!"
"There's a demon here! Get going, young man!"
"Ahem!" Xi Feng coughed to get them to settle down, then said, "I'm a Mage. I heard there was a demon in your village, so I came to take a look."
As he spoke, Xi Feng showed them the guild emblem on his arm.
"A Mage?"
"What kind of Mage is just a kid?"
"Even if he is one, he can't be very strong."
The villagers sounded doubtful. Xi Feng felt rather helpless and could only prove himself. Before their astonished eyes, a longsword suddenly appeared in his hand. With a light swing, he cut down a large tree behind them.
The villagers stared blankly at the fallen tree, then immediately grew excited.
"He really is a Mage!"
"Sir Mage, please hurry and drive the demon out of that house!"
"Quiet down. I'll go inside and take a look." Xi Feng gestured for them to settle down, then turned and walked to the door.
"Be careful, Sir Mage!"
"Watch yourself, Sir Mage!"
Inside the house, a little girl heard what the villagers were saying outside. She hurried over to a girl in a black robe sitting on the floor.
"Mira, what do we do? A Mage's here! He's coming to capture us!"
"What? What do we do? We're going to be captured!" Before the girl called Mira could answer, the boy beside her spoke up.
"It's all right. It's all right. I'll protect you both. No one can separate us," Mira said, shaking her head. But a closer look would have revealed that she was trembling nonstop.
"Open the door."
Just then, a voice came from outside.
"Mira, what do we do? We..." Hearing Xi Feng's voice, the little girl hurried to Mira's side and spoke fearfully.
"It's all right. They can't get in," Mira reassured her.
"Hm?" When no one opened the door after a long wait, Xi Feng frowned slightly. It seemed he would have to use magic.
Channeling his magic, Xi Feng pushed the door open.
The door's sudden opening frightened the little girl and the boy, who ran to Mira's side.
After stepping inside, Xi Feng first looked around, then spotted two girls and a boy hiding in a corner.
His gaze swept over the three before settling on the arm of the girl in the middle. That confirmed his guess: these had to be Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman as children.
At the sight of Xi Feng, Mirajane and her siblings huddled together in fear. When Mirajane noticed him staring at her demonic arm, she quickly hid it.
"Please don't kill my sister! My sister isn't a demon! Sob..." Before Xi Feng could speak, Lisanna ran up to him and pleaded.
"Lisanna!" Mirajane and Elfman tensed when they saw Lisanna suddenly run in front of Xi Feng.
"Huh?" Xi Feng was puzzled by Lisanna's sudden approach, but smiled after hearing her words. What a good little girl. He reached out to pat her head.
Seeing Xi Feng reach toward her, Lisanna shut her eyes in fear. Mirajane and Elfman also stood up, tense with worry.
"No, I'm not here to kill your sister."
Lisanna suddenly felt a hand patting her head, while a gentle voice sounded beside her ear.
When Lisanna opened her eyes, she saw a bright, sunny smile. Mirajane and Elfman were stunned as well.
"Then... then why are you..."
Relieved to hear that Xi Feng had not come to kill her sister, Lisanna continued her question.
"To take you away."
Mirajane and her siblings had just relaxed, but Xi Feng's answer put them on guard again.
"Where are you taking us?" Mirajane demanded, her gaze sharp.
"Hmm." At Mirajane's question, Xi Feng looked up at her and said, "Somewhere people won't discriminate against us."
"Does a place like that exist?" Mirajane's eyes dimmed as she lowered her head to look at her arm.
Seeing Mirajane stare at her arm, Xi Feng spoke again. "What you have is Take Over, a type of magic. You've simply taken over a demon's power. You're not cursed."
"Mira, did you hear that? You're not cursed! It's magic!" Lisanna and Elfman were overjoyed by Xi Feng's explanation.
"Magic..." Mirajane gazed at her hand dejectedly. I'd rather not have this kind of power at all.
Looking at Mirajane, Xi Feng knew exactly what she was thinking. He continued, "Your arm is only like this because you haven't fully mastered your power yet. Once you do, your arm can return to normal. Besides, wouldn't it help you protect your little brother and sister?"
"!!!" Xi Feng's words snapped Mirajane out of her daze. She raised her head and saw Elfman and Lisanna looking at her happily. That's right. If I master this power, I'll be able to protect Lisanna and Elfman.
With that thought, Mirajane looked up at Xi Feng and said, "We'll go with you."
"That's more like it."
"Get out of our village!"
"Demon!"
Before you continue