"What… did you just say?!" Winter stared at Kira, exasperated, clenching her fists. "You're supposed to be the strongest among you guys! How can you talk about being afraid of dying?!"
Oh, I like the sound of that—especially the 'strongest' part! Kira thought.
"Who says the strongest can't be afraid of death?" he replied, strolling toward the rightmost passage, which was shrouded in darkness. Good thing he'd brought a lighting magic crystal, unlike Natsu, who could just use fire. Glancing back, he saw Winter following close behind.
"The more you have, the more you fear losing," Kira said, spouting some recycled wisdom he'd heard somewhere. "The stronger someone is, the more they fear death. Fear's just a normal human emotion—there's no shame in being afraid."
"The truly impressive people are the ones who face their fears head-on. Facing fear means facing your weaknesses. Conquering fear means overcoming those weaknesses. That's how you keep improving and getting stronger!"
Was that something the guild master or Gildarts said? Kira couldn't quite match their gravitas—it lacked that soul-shaking impact—but the point came across.
"If you're fearless like you claim, you'll end up dying faster than anyone," he added.
Winter tilted her head, half-understanding. "Face my fears, huh?"
Feeling like he'd set the mood just right, Kira asked again, "So, tell me now—are you afraid?"
"Nope!" Winter answered without hesitation.
Hey, come on, kid! You're making this hard to follow up! Kira thought, thrown off by her bluntness.
After an awkward two-second silence, he cleared his throat. "Ahem… nice! Looks like you've already mastered facing and conquering fear. You're a quick learner!"
"Really?" Winter squinted, tilting her head again, studying Kira until he started wondering if he had something on his face. Then she lit up. "Wait, those things you said… were they supposed to sound cool?"
You asking that means I didn't sound cool at all! Kira grumbled internally. This girl has zero social skills. Hmph!
Whatever. She's just a kid, raised in the mountains. It's normal for her to be clueless.
Kira took a deep breath, forcing a stiff smile. "Nah, nothing cool about it. I'm a magic teacher at an orphanage in town. I give lessons to the kids sometimes. Those were just lines from a textbook."
"You're a wizard and a teacher?" Winter asked. "Did you come up with those words yourself?"
"Nope. Some old guy said them first, and a cool teacher wrote them down in a book."
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The passage led to a massive ice chamber, its walls coated in frost, the air bone-chillingly cold. Even Winter, who'd grown up in the snowy mountains and was used to the cold, shivered slightly.
"This place is freezing!" she said.
Kira rubbed his hands over his expensive coat, trying to generate some warmth, looking anything but the dignified S-Class wizard. Winter, though trembling, held herself together with gritted teeth.
"Is this the demons' hideout?" she asked.
"Probably…" Kira replied, scanning the chamber. It was empty except for a massive ice sculpture.
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The sculpture was menacing—bulging muscles, veins popping, sharp fangs, and claws. Big, ugly, ferocious, evil. A string of unflattering words flashed through Kira's mind.
This had to be the Sea Demon King they wanted to revive. It was larger than Deliora from Galuna Island, but in terms of aura, it felt similar. No, that wasn't right. Deliora had been sealed for only a decade, while this Sea Demon King had been locked in Absolute Freeze for decades—centuries, even, if you counted the Ice God's seal before that.
The two weren't even in the same league. Compared to the sinister aura radiating from this demon king, Deliora's magic power was like a flickering candle.
As they explored the chamber, the ice beneath their feet crunched under the weight.
Didn't Natsu say there were people in every passage? Did his nose fail him, or…
A sudden sense of danger hit Kira.
"Watch out!"
Without thinking, Kira reacted as if he had foresight, pulling back quickly and grabbing Winter to keep her safe.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
A series of ice spikes erupted from the ground, filling the chamber like Gray's Ice Geyser.
"I knew it! Do all you demons use the same tricks?" Kira taunted, slipping into mockery mode. "Too scared for a fair fight, so you resort to sneak attacks? Lame!"
From the ice, a figure emerged—a middle-aged man, formed from the frozen surface. Judging by his appearance, he was the type who maxed out magic but skipped strength and stamina, just like Kira.
Kira eyed his opponent cautiously. The demon looked about Gildarts' age, but being a demon, he could be as old as the second guild master for all Kira knew.
"I'm Kira. You the boss of these demons?"
"My name is Ace," the figure replied. "You're the wizard from Fairy Tail? The one who defeated Chloe?"
Ace? Sounds more like a fire or light user than ice, Kira thought.
"Yup, that was me," Kira said, smirking. "What, here to avenge her?"
Maybe it was Kira's cocky attitude, but Ace's aura surged, exuding terrifying pressure. Winter broke into a cold sweat, nearly collapsing. In that moment, she started to grasp what Kira meant about facing and overcoming fear.
Kira, meanwhile, was relieved he was the one facing Ace. This demon's magic power was about half as strong as Gildarts'. If Natsu, Lucy, or Happy had run into him, they'd have no chance without some serious plot armor. Even all three together might only manage a draw.
Knowing he was up against a tough foe, Kira channeled his magic into his hands, pushing his Word Magic to its limit. He stepped forward, shielding Winter behind him.
How do I fight this guy? An ice demon with high magic power and elementalization was like fighting a navy admiral. Think, when did Kuzan take a hit? Oh, right, he fought the magma guy for ten days and nights.
Magma wouldn't work here, though. It wasn't lethal enough—some random kingdom knight could probably soak in it like a hot tub. No way it'd take down this guy.
What else, then? Gravity magic? Rock magic?
Those were Kira's go-to spells, but they weren't effective against ice. Earth might counter water in theory, but not like this. Fire, then? Fire and ice would just cancel each other out, and with the enemy's terrain advantage, turning ice to water would only help Ace.
Kira's mind raced, searching for a strategy. Elemental counters weren't enough, so he'd need rule-based magic.
His first thought was Arc of Time. On Galuna Island, Ultear had used it to completely dominate Gray. Kira couldn't pull off something that advanced, but he could manage basic time magic. Aging magic combined with acceleration magic might do the trick.
"Ice Cannon!" "Ice Spear!" "Ice Falcon!" "Ice Monster!"
Ace unleashed four ice spells in rapid succession, each one more precise and stable than anything Gray or Lyon could manage.
No surprise there. A century-old demon's mastery of ice magic far outstripped Gray's.
But Kira wasn't a pushover. He countered with fire.
"Burn!" "Oxygen!" "Petrol!" "Dry!"
Four spells in return!
With his magic power amplifying Word Magic, Kira's spells outclassed ordinary magic, especially when combined. Flames roared, fueled by oxygen and petrol, melting the incoming ice at a visible rate. He topped it off with drying magic to sap the moisture from the air, shifting the terrain advantage in his favor.
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