— — — — — — — —
"H-How... How is this possible..."
Bluenote clutched his wound in disbelief.
Splash!
He tumbled headfirst into the sea.
"Bl... Bluenote ..."
"He's... dead?!"
"Waaahhh!!"
The remaining members of the Seven Kin of Purgatory were utterly terrified. Bluenote wasn't just anyone—he was the vice commander of Grimoire Heart.
A mage with immense power, yet he was taken down so easily.
Even Hades, their leader, felt a chill run down his spine. He knew Bluenote's strength well. Other than himself, no one in Grimoire Heart could rival him.
Yet such a formidable mage had been slain effortlessly—like a chicken being butchered.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Hades immediately removed the eyepatch covering his left eye, unleashing his full power. A terrifying surge of magic burst forth from his body.
Woom!
A seven-layered magic seal surrounded Uchiha Kitaro.
"Amaterasu: Formula 100!!"
BOOM!!
A massive explosion engulfed the battlefield.
"Did we... get him?"
As the smoke cleared, an orange skeletal figure stood tall—completely unharmed. Uchiha Kitaro remained perfectly intact within the protective aura.
"H-How can this be?!"
Seeing Kitaro emerge unscathed from Hades' attack, the remaining members of Grimoire Heart were on the verge of breaking down.
Ultear's expression changed dramatically. That orange skeletal form—it was becoming more and more like the thousand-meter-tall giant she had once seen at the Tower of Heaven.
"Meredy! Run! Now!"
Ultear used Ice Make magic to create a boat, grabbing Meredy and fleeing. As for the others, she didn't even spare them a second thought.
She could find Zeref later, but if she lost her life now, nothing else would matter.
Uchiha Kitaro didn't bother chasing Ultear. He wasn't some righteous hero who had to wipe out every last villain. He simply wanted to eliminate those who had come to hunt Fairy Tail.
Woom!
A massive Rasenshuriken formed in Kitaro's hand.
Hades immediately braced himself.
"Wind Style: Super Great Ball Rasenshuriken!"
Whoosh!
The Rasenshuriken in Kitaro's hand suddenly disappeared. In the next instant, it reappeared above Grimoire Heart's airship.
BOOM!!
The massive Rasenshuriken exploded, unleashing countless chakra blades that shredded everything in their path.
"Aaaaahhhhhh!!"
Hades let out an agonizing scream.
Moments later, when the energy dissipated, Grimoire Heart's airship—and Hades himself—had been completely erased from existence.
The Rasenshuriken's chakra blades spared no one. If they couldn't withstand the assault, they were reduced to nothing.
"T-The... The Guild Master..."
"Waaahhh!!"
Rustyrose and Zancrow were trembling uncontrollably.
They had already wanted to flee when they saw Bluenote get killed and Ultear escape with Meredy.
But their years of fearing Hades, combined with their belief in his overwhelming strength, made them hesitate. They thought that, surely, their guild master wouldn't lose.
That moment of hesitation cost them their only chance to escape.
They could never have imagined that the all-powerful Hades would be obliterated so effortlessly.
Kitaro took a deep breath, then unleashed a violent lightning strike upon them.
"Aaaahhh!!"
"Gyaaahhh!!"
With that final attack, every remaining member of Grimoire Heart was wiped out—except for Ultear and Meredy, who had escaped in time.
Having finished his task, Kitaro flew back toward Tenrou Island.
Even Mavis, Fairy Tail's First Guild Master, was completely stunned. She had created Fairy Tail's three legendary spells, so she could easily sense the immense magic power of Grimoire Heart.
In fact, she suspected that their strength might have even surpassed Fairy Tail's.
And yet, this seemingly unstoppable dark guild had been wiped out in an instant by a single person.
The powerful magical fluctuations naturally caught the attention of many people on the island.
Though most were busy with the S-Class Exam, those not participating soon gathered at the scene.
"Kitaro? What's going on?! Were you just fighting someone?"
Makarov questioned him.
"Yeah. When I arrived on the island, I sensed intruders. So, I took care of them. They also mentioned that their main forces were coming, so to avoid disturbing the exam, I went ahead and dealt with them too."
"..."
Everyone was left speechless. They understood Kitaro's words, yet they somehow felt like they didn't.
"Wait, Kitaro, are you saying someone infiltrated Tenrou Island? How's that possible?"
"Who were they? Who did you defeat?"
"Grimoire Heart."
"GRIMOIRE HEART?!"
Everyone gasped in shock. Grimoire Heart was part of the Balam Alliance—one of the most feared dark guilds in existence.
"You... You destroyed Grimoire Heart?!"
"Yeah. They said they came to hunt Fairy Tail, so I figured I'd eliminate them. I didn't want their interference to disrupt the exam."
"..."
Just like that, one of the most powerful dark guilds was wiped out, as if it had never even existed.
No one knew how to react.
If it had been anyone else making this claim, they wouldn't have believed it.
Erza furrowed her brows. "Kitaro, aren't you also taking the exam?"
After all, what he had just done must have taken up quite a bit of time.
"Me? Nah, I'm fine. I already completed my trial two hours ago."
Lisanna blinked in surprise. "Two hours ago? But two hours ago, the second phase had just begun, right?"
She and Juvia had lost to Erza two hours ago. Based on that timeline, the second exam phase had only just started back then.
The others were equally astonished. "So you're saying that as soon as the second phase began, you passed it?"
Even Makarov looked shocked. Although he knew Kitaro wouldn't struggle with the exam, this was beyond his expectations.
He hadn't even reached the grave site yet, and Kitaro had already cleared the trial.
And in the meantime, he had casually erased an entire dark guild from existence.
.
.
.