"I'll handle these ones."
All eyes turned to Kaien as he spoke.
"Mr. Kaien... you..."
The king looked at Kaien in disbelief. There was very little information on him, and from what he had seen, Kaien was likely just an S-Class Mage—about on par with a Nine-Star Swordsman.
In this mission, it was Erza who had been taking the lead.
Now Kaien was claiming he could take on five Nine-Star Beasts? That was hard to believe.
"I can handle five of them. But after that, I won't be able to keep fighting. Not only won't I be able to protect you... I might even need you to protect me. By then, my combat power might not be better than a foot soldier's."
Kaien looked the king in the eye as he spoke.
Seeing that Kaien wasn't joking, the king immediately patted his chest and declared, "You have my word, Mr. Kaien! Once you defeat the Nine-Star Beasts, I'll protect you with my life!"
The other beasts already had swordsmen assigned to them. These five were the real problem. The king had no idea what trump card Kaien had to defeat them—but it clearly came at a steep cost.
Even if Kaien couldn't kill all five, just eliminating two or three would give the Kingdom of Sobea a real shot at victory.
Kaien gave a nod and walked toward the edge of the city wall.
"Full Take Over — Ulquiorra Cifer!!"
As Kaien shouted, his body began to change.
His black outfit turned into a white-on-black high-collared coat, and his lower half became a white hakama skirt, cinched at the waist with a wide black sash. A Zanpakutō hung from the sash. He now wore black socks and white shoes.
His skin paled, his eyes turned green, and green tear streaks formed under them. A white horned helmet appeared on the left side of his head.
As Kaien transformed, the king immediately felt a powerful wave of pressure radiate from him.
"So strong..."
Seeing this form, the king finally understood why Kaien had been trusted with an SS-Rank Mission alongside Erza.
He knew Kaien used Take Over Magic, but he had never expected such a drastic change between his normal and transformed states.
Normally, Kaien looked like nothing more than a handsome young man.
But now? The pressure he gave off wasn't any less than that of the Nine-Star Beasts themselves.
Still... could this really defeat five of them?
Kaien wasn't done transforming. He knew he could handle one or two Nine-Star Beasts like this, but five was pushing it.
If even one of those beasts broke through, the devastation would be unimaginable.
Kaien slowly drew his sword and whispered:
"Enclose... Black-Winged Demon."
BWUUMMMMM—!!
A surge of black Reiatsu burst from Kaien and shot into the sky.
The once clear, cloudless skies darkened with storm clouds, plunging the entire world into gloom.
Then—black rain began to fall from the heavens.
Everyone—human and monster alike—turned their attention to the strange weather.
"Black rain?!"
People stared in confusion. The black rain struck their faces and bodies, but it didn't hurt—it simply vanished on contact.
"No... that's not real rain... it's liquified magic power!!"
Before long, the phenomenon ended. The skies cleared—but Kaien's form had changed again.
His clothes had turned into a white full-body cloak. He now wore a horned white helmet, his black hair had grown longer, and the tear streaks on his face were even deeper. Most notably—a pair of massive, demonic black bat wings spread from his back.
This was Ulquiorra's First Resurrección.
The pressure radiating from Kaien was terrifying.
Everyone nearby—even the king himself—felt an unbearable sense of dread. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably, as though they were facing a nightmarish monster.
"Is that... Kaien?!"
Even Erza wasn't sure. It was her first time seeing Kaien use Take Over Magic to transform.
Kaien didn't waste time. He could only maintain this form for a short while. For the sake of his reward—and the mission—he had to wipe out the five Nine-Star Beasts now.
"Kreeeeeeeee!!"
The Triple-Headed Frostbird let out a shriek and spread its wings, soaring toward the wall. As it flew, it unleashed freezing breath that turned everything it touched into solid ice.
"Aaaaahhh!"
"Ruuuun!!"
Panic spread among the swordsmen. Many tried to flee, but the freezing mist overtook them, turning them into statues of ice.
Kaien watched the Frostbird draw near.
"You'll be first."
"Luz de la Luna."
SWISH—!
He extended his right hand, and a glowing green spear materialized.
Kaien stepped forward with his left foot and took a throwing stance.
"Go."
In the next instant, he hurled the Spear directly at the bird.
FWOOSH—!!
The spear flew at blinding speed.
With three heads and six eyes, the Triple-Headed Frostbird had incredible perception—it easily saw the attack coming.
It opened its mouths and spewed freezing breath to stop the spear.
But it had underestimated the spear's power.
BOOM—!
The Spear punched straight through the freezing breath—
SHLUNK—!!
—and impaled the Frostbird right through its body.
"KREEEEEEE—!!"
All three of its heads shrieked in agony, sending chills down everyone's spine.
Kaien whispered, "Detonate."
KABOOOOOOOM—!!!
The spear exploded.
A massive blue spherical shockwave spread through the air.
"Uaaaghhhh!!"
"Wh-what is that?!"...
Everyone—swordsmen and monsters alike—were blown back. Even those on the city wall had to brace with all their strength just to stay standing.
When the explosion finally died down, the sky was empty.
The Frostbird was gone.
On the ground below, only three charred, half-intact heads remained.
"The Triple-Headed Frostbird... is dead?!"