It was a creature similar to a centipede, its body over a meter long. Dark purple carapace layered across its back, and faint violet light leaked through the gaps. Its head lacked the eyes and pincers of a normal centipede—only a pair of constantly vibrating antennae and a vortex-shaped mouthpart remained.
Perhaps because it had arrived in a strange place, the creature was flustered. Dozens of jointed limbs trembled beneath its abdomen, clicking sharply against the bluestone slabs.
"Rift Worms?"
Seeing the ejected creatures, Mystogan felt both relieved and troubled. He was glad no innocent people had appeared, but the arrival of these magical beasts was a headache in itself.
Rift Worms—magical beasts that lived underground. They relied on ground vibrations to locate prey. Their mouthparts could fire highly corrosive liquid, and since they had no eyes, they were extremely sensitive to magic. If he attempted to unfold a sealing magic circle for Anima again, it would undoubtedly draw their attention.
Their acid could damage the circle, and their carapace had considerable magic resistance. They were, in short, troublesome creatures.
Under normal circumstances, Mystogan could take time to dispose of them. But with Anima still active, there was no time to waste. Worse, the earlier disturbance had already drawn attention. Mystogan even saw a door open nearby, a resident peeking out to watch.
"Fairy Tail is on a mission! A magical beast has appeared! Return to your homes and take shelter!" a loud voice shouted from above.
Whoosh!
A heavy object sliced through the air, spinning like a black windmill as it dropped from the sky. The vibration triggered a reaction from the Rift Worm before Mystogan could even move—its limbs scurried at blinding speed.
Boom!
The moment the Rift Worm dodged, the "windmill" struck the ground with a thunderous crash. The bluestone shattered, debris scattering in all directions. Even so, the stones striking the Worm's carapace did not leave a single mark. Mystogan felt the vibration through the earth beneath his feet.
"A greatsword…?"
It was a massive blade, wrapped at the hilt with white cloth strips fluttering in the wind. Two figures landed immediately after it. One of them, smaller than the sword, grasped the hilt and pulled it free with a casual motion, hoisting it onto his shoulder. Mystogan caught sight of a strange black emblem on the back of the boy's hand.
"Tsk. Its reaction is pretty fast," Rayn muttered, annoyed. "I wanted to cut their numbers first, but I guess that won't work."
"They live underground and react to changes in the air—and be careful of their mouthparts," Mystogan warned quickly. "They can spray a deadly corrosive liquid."
Rayn nodded. "I know. Then I'll leave that thing to you," he said, gesturing toward the distorted space of Anima. "I'll handle these."
"Kanna, get back for now."
He reached out and patted Kanna's head. His lips curled into a confident smile as his magic flared.
"Oh! Go, Rayn!" Kanna cheered, raising her little hand before scampering away on her short legs.
Her movement instantly caught the Rift Worm's attention. Its antennae snapped toward her direction.
Buzz…
Rayn lowered the greatsword from his shoulder, the blade humming as a wild aura surged outward. The killing intent made the Rift Worm's antennae tremble violently, its focus shifting back to Rayn. A sinister purple glow lit the gaps in its carapace.
A flash of purple built in its vortex mouth.
Boom!
Rayn bent his knees and launched forward. The ground cracked beneath the force, and he shot out like an arrow. A stream of purple fluid sprayed from the Worm, reeking with a fishy stench. Where droplets landed, the stone hissed and smoked, corroding into pitted holes.
Rayn narrowed his eyes. He could block it—but his brand-new greatsword would melt before its first real battle.
Then I'll just dodge.
He kicked off the ground and leaped. The liquid roared beneath him, splashing across the square. Smoke billowed like black fog, choking the air with a dizzying stench and hiding the ground from sight.
Rayn rose high into the air, smiling fiercely. With both hands on the hilt, he raised the blade overhead, magic swirling around it. His target was the Rift Worm that had dodged his sword throw earlier.
At long range, it could react. At this distance, even if it sensed the air shift—it was too late.
By the time its antennae trembled in warning, Rayn was already in front of it. The descending greatsword howled, compressing the air as it fell.
The obsidian-like shell didn't last even a heartbeat.
Crack!
The blade split the carapace and tore through flesh. The Worm's body lifted from the ground, spraying foul green blood like rain.
Boom!
The blade slammed into the earth, detonating on impact. Cracks spiderwebbed across the square.
Rayn didn't pause. His gaze snapped to the remaining beasts just as purple light gathered in their mouths again.
"Five."
He snatched up a severed limb that had landed near him and hurled it like a spear at the nearest Worm. In the same motion, he spun and kicked the other half of the corpse, booting it through the air like a flying ball.
865
Words
----------------------------------------------------------
Hello 👋 everyone! Hope you enjoy the Chapters! Just a reminder. My upload schedule is 5 chapters every week. If you want to read ahead of schedule. Here is how you can do it:
Power Stones - For every 100 Power Stones, I'll release an extra chapter!
Patreon - Join my Patreon for an instant access to all available chapters right now.
Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations