"Damn it… how can this brat's magical power suddenly be this terrifying?" The cloaked figure frowned, staring at the environment around him—winds howling, the ground split, magical energy surging violently—all caused simply by the leakage of Kael's power. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead in a dense pattern.
The cloaked figure started mobilizing his magic. Just as he raised his hand to cast…
"Too slow." Kael's cold voice rang beside him.
"When—what?" The cloaked figure's pupils contracted as he looked up toward where Kael had been standing. But Kael was gone.
Still wandering your eyes around? Kael's right foot, glowing with golden light, struck the cloaked figure square in the stomach.
"Boom—thud—crash!" The cloaked figure cried out in pain, flying backward into the church walls and causing part of it to collapse.
Cough… cough… cough…
"Ridiculously strong… kid." The cloaked figure forced himself to stand, wiping blood from his mouth.
"Tell me. The name of your guild… and the address." Kael raised his hand, his voice low and commanding.
"Cough… impossible…"
"Puppet Magic: Puppet Repair." The cloaked figure coughed up the last of the blood in his throat, then pulled out a paper puppet. Activating it instantly, his wounds healed in a flash.
"I can't… I need to find a way to escape." He thought to himself, but his body didn't slow. Magic surged from him.
"Puppet Magic: Puppet Summon & Puppet Magic: Puppet Possession—double magic!"
He didn't dare hesitate. His magical energy gathered fully, forming a dark purple-black magic circle beneath his feet. Behind him, a shadowy figure with twin horns, jagged teeth, and black eyes appeared. As another magic circle activated, the two forms merged.
The cloaked figure had now taken on a full demonic form. Kael could feel his power spike considerably—but he remained completely calm, confident in his own strength.
"This all you've got? A little disappointing," Kael said, expression unmoved, voice flat.
"Don't underestimate me… ah!" The cloaked figure funneled all his magical power into his hands. A terrifying aura swirled around a dark energy sphere.
"Ultra Cruel Flash!" The sphere shot forward at Kael.
Kael didn't flinch. Just as the sphere was about to strike, his hand shot out, covering it in purple-black Armament Haki-like energy that shimmered with gold. With a single motion, he batted the sphere away.
The energy sphere slammed into the empty ground nearby with a thunderous crash, smoke rising—but Kael remained perfectly unaffected.
The cloaked figure instantly lost the will to fight. His eyes went blank, devoid of expression, as he slowly slumped to the ground. That attack—his most powerful—was what had secured his guild one of the top five seats. And it had just been effortlessly neutralized.
No escape. His speed was no match. His attacks were useless.
"No need to talk. The guild insignia alone will reveal everything. Better go apologize now," Kael said, pointing a finger. Light gathered at his fingertip, and whoosh—a smoking hollow appeared above the cloaked figure's head. He fell silently to the ground.
Next, it was time to deal with Miraje and the priest.
"No reaction yet?" Kael approached the magic circle, observing Miraje. Her eyes were still clouded with darkness and confusion.
"There was a reaction… when Elfman and I called out that we were scared, her body trembled. Please help my sister! Big brother, can you do something?" Lisana's small voice trembled with concern as she looked at Kael, who had just effortlessly handled their enemy.
So cute… Kael's eyes softened. Lisana's round face, the serious look she tried to wear despite being a child, struck his heart. He clasped a hand over it, smiling.
A figure suddenly appeared in front of Lisana, arms outstretched, speaking with a slight hesitation but firm tone:
"P-please… help my sister, respected mage big brother!"
"All right, all right. Let's see what we can do," Kael said, placing his hands gently on Lisana's and Elfman's heads.
He briefly wondered if he looked like a weird uncle—but before he could dwell on it, Kanna pointed and laughed:
"Pfft! Hahaha, even you get treated like a weird uncle sometimes, Kael!"
Kael gave her an exasperated look. Standing, he surveyed the situation and formulated a plan. He decided on a more drastic approach to accelerate things.
"Here's a plan… come closer, I'll tell you quietly," Kael whispered to the three children.
The plan was simple: he would tell Lisana and Elfman about all the terrible fates that could befall them if their sister were lost—being bullied, deceived, abducted into the mountains, living a tragic life, or even dying horrifically. The more tragic, the better.
The children played along, crying and lamenting. At the climax, they would cry out together: "Sister, save me!"
Kanna watched Kael, whose expression shifted from ruthless against enemies to gentle and responsible with children. His calculated warmth made her heart race.
Kael narrated the potential tragedies. Miraje's mind, hearing the sobbing cries of her siblings, began to strengthen, her struggle against the demon intensifying. As Lisana and Elfman screamed, "Sister, save me!", Miraje let out a mighty shout. The demonic energy being pulled on her was rapidly absorbed, her control returning.
From the outside, Kael and the children watched as magical energy was sucked into Miraje, her eyes regaining their spark. As the magic circle vanished, Miraje in her "Full Body Absorption: Satan Soul" form appeared within Kael's protective holy shield.
"Sister?" Lisana and Elfman looked on, bewildered at her demonic form.
"Lisana…" Miraje reached out to hug her, but found herself trapped in a hexagonal shield. She attempted to break free, but a voice stopped her.
"Miraje, try to deactivate the absorption magic. In this state, you won't be able to control your power," Kael instructed.
"Absorption magic?"
"Yes. It lets you absorb monster or animal power. There's full-body and partial. Yours is full-body absorption." Kael explained to the children and Miraje.
"Calm yourself, find the balance point, and sever the supply instantly." Kael's voice was steady, guiding her.
Following his instructions, Miraje stabilized her magic and instantly severed the flow, returning to her normal form. Kael withdrew his holy shield. The three siblings embraced, crying with joy, shoulders trembling, hands tightly clasped, silently vowing to face any challenge together.
"Want to join our Fairy Tail guild? There's fire breathers, ice makers, smoke users, artists… kids your age, and a powerful guildmaster, too. How about it?" Kael crouched, speaking to Lisana, now calm.
"I… I want to… Sister, brother…" Lisana looked to Miraje and Elfman for confirmation.
"Yes, we'll join," Miraje decided after consideration.
"Welcome! I'm Kael.""Hehe, welcome, I'm Kanna."
The five introduced themselves, laughing and playing.
"Kael, aren't you coming back to the guild with us?" Kanna asked, worried.
"No, there are still some trash to deal with. Don't worry—I'll report to the council branch and return once it's resolved." Kael smiled, crouching to ruffle Lisana and Elfman's hair gently. "Listen to your sisters on the way. I'll bring gifts when I return."
"All right, be careful on the way. I'm off," Kael said. Hovering with the cloaked figure's corpse below him, he nodded, then vanished in a flash of light into the distance.