Bang!
A bullet tore through the air, striking Chen Fan square in the shoulder. But Chen Fan didn't even flinch. Before the projectile could penetrate, it suddenly reversed its trajectory and was sent whistling back toward its source.
A figure scrambled to leap out of the way. It was Alzack Connell, a mage who specialized in Gun Magic.
"Alzack, are you here to stop me too?" Chen Fan asked.
"Orders from the Master. I don't have much of a choice," Alzack said, raising his hands and dropping his guns to the ground. "You know I'm usually in your corner, but..." He used his words to distract Chen Fan.
"There's an opening!" A female figure leaped out from a corner. Bisca Connell had positioned herself in Chen Fan's blind spot and began firing rapidly. If sniping didn't work, maybe a relentless barrage would.
But while their dreams were grandiose, the reality was bone-dry. Every bullet shot at Chen Fan came to a dead stop the moment it touched his skin, suspended in the air.
"Don't think that's all! Burst!"
As it turned out, one of the bullets was actually a smoke bomb. Alzack and Bisca had worked together countless times and shared a perfect, intuitive bond. They hadn't underestimated Chen Fan; in fact, they were being as cautious as possible.
The two of them were determined to work together to seize the title of S-Class Mage.
They continued to pour fire into the smoke, never pausing for a second. After three minutes of continuous shooting, Alzack finally signaled Bisca to stop.
The smoke began to swirl, condensing into a single, spherical mass. The sheer volume of magic ammunition they had expended over three minutes had been compressed into a ball no larger than a fist. The pair didn't even want to imagine what would happen if that thing exploded.
Looking at Chen Fan's calm smile, they felt as if they were staring at a devil. They immediately threw their weapons to the ground and threw their hands up. "We surrender!"
Clap, clap! Chen Fan dusted off his hands.
"Mmph! Mmmph!"
Moments later, the two were tied back-to-back by Chen Fan, their mouths sealed shut with tape. Wait, do I look like a kidnapper doing this? Chen Fan wondered briefly, but he quickly pushed the thought aside.
He continued his trek forward. While no one in Fairy Tail could truly stop him, they were still proving to be a minor nuisance. Even Chen Fan had his limits; using his psychic powers was a heavy drain on his physical stamina.
"Iron Dragon's Club!"
A long iron staff lunged at him from ahead. Troubles really did come one after another. Chen Fan simply extended his right hand and tapped the staff lightly with one finger.
The iron club instantly buckled.
The tip performed a full 180-degree turn and went flying back the way it came.
Thud! Gajeel Redfox hit himself with his own weapon, though the impact did little to hurt him.
"Gajeel! Get out of my way," Chen Fan commanded.
"I've always wanted to know just how strong the 'strongest' in Fairy Tail really is! Iron Dragon's Roar!" A storm of grayish-black wind blasted directly toward Chen Fan.
Chen Fan merely waved his hand, casually swatting the high-tier magic aside as if shooing a fly. Boom! The blast shattered a nearby boulder into rubble.
Sweat broke out on Gajeel's forehead. Seeing it for himself was far different than hearing the rumors; Chen Fan's strength was even more terrifying than he had imagined.
While Gajeel was momentarily stunned, Chen Fan lunged forward. Forced into a defensive stance, Gajeel's body instantly turned to steel. "Iron Dragon's Steel Fist!"
Snap.
The punch landed right in Chen Fan's palm without causing a single ripple. Gajeel's eyes widened in disbelief. Chen Fan reached out and tapped his chest with a single finger.
His power surged. Gajeel was sent hurtling backward, smashing through another rock. Another one down.
Meanwhile, back with Makarov, everyone was huddled around a Lacrima crystal. The perspective no longer needed to switch; they only had eyes for Chen Fan.
"What now, Master? More than half of our people have already been defeated by Chen Fan!" Mira said with a gentle smile.
"Why are you so happy about it? Don't tell me you"
Whiz!
A fork suddenly embedded itself into the promotional board right behind Makarov's head. The Master broke into a cold sweat, his legs trembling.
"Sorry, Master. My hand slipped. I didn't catch what you were saying. Could you repeat that?" Mira's smile grew even more radiant.
"I... I was just saying these brats are such disappointments," Makarov whispered.
"He's chickening out!"
"The Fairy Tail Master just chickened out!" the nearby townspeople whispered among themselves.
However, the chatter didn't last long. Everyone turned back to the Lacrima as a new battle began. Standing before Chen Fan were two "unscrupulous" old-timers: Wakaba and Macao.
"Hey now, brothers. Are you two after the S-Class title as well?" Chen Fan asked, waving a hand.
"Little brother Chen Fan, it's not that we want to. We're a bit past our prime for the S-Class title anyway," Macao said, clenching his fist. "But for the honor of the guild, we have to stop you. We can't have you thinking Fairy Tail is a pushover!"
Chen Fan felt a headache coming on. He had been cast as the ultimate villain, the Big Boss. Usually, a group of people teaming up to take down the Big Boss was an inspiring story, but now that he was the boss, he finally understood the plight of anime villains. They didn't always choose this life.
"Come on, Brother Macao, let's be reasonable. It's me! Don't you even recognize me?" Chen Fan pointed to his own nose.
"Of course we recognize you! You're that shameless scoundrel. We'd know you even if you turned to ash," Wakaba spat.
Chen Fan wiped some metaphorical sweat from his brow. So, I'm recognized by my shamelessness? "I'm a member of Fairy Tail too! Don't treat me like this. And Wakaba, don't act like you'd know my ashes just because you use Smoke Magic. At most, you'd recognize a cigarette butt!"
"We obviously..." Macao started to say.
Chen Fan suddenly snapped to attention. Wait! These two old foxes are faking it. They were just trying to stall for time. His expression shifted.
Macao and Wakaba looked at each other and grinned. He noticed? Well, no choice then. Let's do this the hard way!
"Smoke Raid!" Wakaba roared. Billowing clouds of smoke erupted around Chen Fan, blocking his vision as fists made of concentrated soot hammered at him.
"Purple Rain!" Simultaneously, Macao unleashed his ultimate move, raining down a barrage of purple fireballs at Chen Fan.
"With all these attacks coming at once, let's see you react to them all!" Wakaba shouted.
As Chen Fan's power activated, the very air began to distort.
"What? What's happening!" Macao and Wakaba gasped. Was it possible for Chen Fan to defend against such a chaotic, multi-angled assault?
The smoke and purple flames in front of Chen Fan began to shrink, eventually forming a small orb made of fire and soot. The sphere continued to compress, leaving the two veterans trembling with fear. If that thing hit a mountain, it would probably bore a hole straight through it! Imagining that thing hitting them, the two immediately crouched on the ground with their hands up.
"We surrender! We surrender!"
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