Rumble…
Chunks of stone crashed down from above with a deafening roar. In the blink of an eye, the wealthy tycoons who had moments ago been dripping with arrogance and opulence were now dead or screaming in agony.
"Aaah!"
"Someone's dead!"
"Help! Somebody save me. I'll pay, I swear!"
In an instant, the grand auction hall was drowned in a chorus of wails. Panic and shrill screams filled every corner. At this moment, money, power, status—all of it became meaningless.
Those things held sway only when human strength had limits. But when an individual's strength is great enough to wipe out an entire nation, or even destroy the world, those so-called treasures are nothing but illusions in a mirage.
With a flicker of movement, Ur dodged several falling stones from overhead. He glanced at the terrified elite, huddled and shrieking, and shook his head almost imperceptibly.
What went on in the minds of these rich fools?
They could have stayed safe in the territories of the Light Faction or the Neutral Faction. But no, they had to court death by wandering into Dark Faction lands.
Do they think this is a vacation spot?
In Light or Neutral territories, mages bound by law and human decency wouldn't threaten their lives.
But here? In the Dark Faction's domain? They were practically begging to be killed.
The rich really do play a dangerous game.
In the world of Fairy Tail, the lives of mages and ordinary people might seem neatly separated on the surface. But in truth, the world was in the hands of mages.
Legitimate guilds had the Magic Council watching over them, so they wouldn't use magic to threaten commoners.
Dark guilds, however, had no such restraints.
To dark mages, today's crowd of high-rolling aristocrats was nothing more than walking treasure chests.
When things were calm, they could let these people wine and dine to their hearts' content. But the moment they needed them, those same rich folk would lose all control over their own fate.
Rumble…
The first tremor had barely subsided when the entire auction hall was struck again.
This time, the impact was even more ferocious. Half the building collapsed outright. Huge slabs of stone and shattered chandeliers rained from above, claiming yet another wave of lives in mere seconds.
Ur's eye twitched involuntarily.
As expected, the anime had lied. There's no such thing as a war without casualties.
It wasn't even the main battlefield, just the aftershocks, and already the casualties piled high.
If this were the center of the fight? The slaughter would be unimaginable.
Even for Ur, the sudden sight of so many corpses was a jolt.
But he didn't forget his mission.
The arrival of Angel's Wing had come sooner than expected, but the chaos was working in his favor; no need to worry about the auction house's rules now.
The organizers hadn't seen this coming either.
They had sent people to calm the situation, but before those men could utter more than two sentences, one was crushed instantly by a boulder from above.
The hall descended into even greater pandemonium.
In the confusion, Ur slipped toward the backstage area. He had barely arrived when he spotted a figure swathed head-to-toe in a black cloak, its hem bulging oddly. The person was slinking toward the back exit.
The hood concealed their face, leaving Ur unable to confirm their identity at first glance. Just as the cloaked figure was about to slip out, Ur's eyes gleamed, and he suddenly called out, "Jeris!"
"Hm?" The shadow froze mid-step and glanced back, puzzled.
One glance at Ur's unfamiliar face, and his expression twisted. Without a word, he spun and bolted.
Ur's lips curved into a cold smile.
Even from that single glimpse, he'd seen the deformed face under the hood—an exact match to the Jericho from his mission request.
"So I've finally found you, you bastard."
The thought of how this man had dragged him into a deadly war made Ur's blood boil.
If I don't beat the crap out of you today, I'm not Ur.
He lunged forward, giving chase.
The moment they burst out of the auction house, the city of Moya stretched before them in chaos. The battle's epicenter was the Devil's Fang guild, and anyone living nearby was fleeing in every direction.
The main battle raged at the Devil's Fang guild hall, and every resident near it was desperately fleeing in all directions.
Ur's gaze swept the panicked crowd. And there he was. Jericho's figure flitted through the chaos.
Without hesitation, Ur gave chase.
As a thief, Jericho had clearly survived this long for a reason. His speed wasn't remarkable to Ur, but he was skilled at hiding his tracks. Every time he moved, he instinctively used cover to conceal himself.
Once or twice, that might've been enough. But over time, most pursuers would lose sight of him completely.
Unfortunately for Jericho, this time his pursuer was Ur.
Even without counting his nearly double running speed, Ur's combat training in Kuga Combat Technique allowed him to counter every one of Jericho's tricks with ease.
Perhaps it was the pressure Ur gave off, but Jericho's movements began to grow sloppy as panic set in.
Without realizing it, both men had broken away from the fleeing crowds and were running in the exact opposite direction.