The Terror's Proclamation
Time bled slowly toward midnight. As the sun vanished, the atmosphere around the Mayor's mansion grew heavy and dense. The Ancient Knight Order patrols expanded, their nervousness palpable, every shadow a potential threat.
Meanwhile, on a distant, darkened rooftop, thirteen figures stood silhouetted against the pale glow of the moon. They were the Thirteen Bandits of the Phantom Bandit Gang.
"Oh, oh! So many people!" exclaimed a member with a large afro, shielding his eyes as he peered at the fortress-like mansion. "Couldn't we have just acted directly, Leader? Why bother with a notice?"
"Idiot! This is the Leader's plan!" A short, blonde-haired member said, looking at the man in the center with fervent admiration.
The man stood tall and slender, draped in a black cloak, his face concealed by a cold silver mask. This was the notorious Spatial Mage, Camille, the self-proclaimed 'King of Assassins.'
Camille's voice was a low, chilling rasp. "This world needs a terror to announce our return. This mayor is the perfect target. I want everyone to understand that anyone targeted by our Phantom Bandit Gang, even if protected by the Magic Council, cannot be saved!"
His hand swept outward. "Anyone who dares to provoke us, once given a death ultimatum, will face only one outcome: death! Go! Tonight, the name of our Phantom Bandit Gang will resound throughout the world! We will become this world's nightmare!"
"Oh, oh, oh!" the bandits roared in dark excitement.
The Knight's Fall
Boom—!
An explosion tore through the courtyard, signaling the attack.
"Enemy attack—!" The Ancient Knight Order members shouted, scrambling into formation.
Inside the house, the Mayor gasped, his body trembling.
Elfman's muscles coiled. "Have they arrived?!"
Qi Yan nodded, his gaze fixed on the window. "It seems so."
"Mr. Qi Yan, what should I do?" the Mayor pleaded, near hysterics.
"You don't need to do anything. Just don't cause trouble," Qi Yan ordered calmly. "The perimeter is protected by the Order's magical barrier. You'll be safe for a while."
He watched the grim scene unfold outside. The Ancient Knight Order, though composed of formidable Mages, were no match for the thirteen dark mages. The Council's force was beaten back, step by step, until one by one, all the Knights fell, defeated and scattered across the lawn.
"Qi... Mr. Qi Yan..." the Mayor stammered, his last hope fading.
"Elfman, protect the Mayor."
"Qi Yan, you..."
"I'll take care of them," Qi Yan affirmed, turning toward the door.
The King's Contempt
The thirteen members of the Phantom Bandit Gang swaggered to the mansion's front door.
"Haha! These guys from the Magic Council are too weak! Not satisfying at all!"
"Now, all that's left is to kill that mayor!"
They stepped forward, only to run into an invisible resistance.
Bang!
"Hee-haw! A magical formula! Interesting. Watch me break it!" one bandit sneered, preparing his magic.
Creak!
The front door opened. Qi Yan stepped out, walking deliberately past the threshold, putting himself beyond the protection of the barrier. He walked straight toward the thirteen villains.
"Oh! There's even one who came out to die." Camille noted the Fairy Tail emblem on Qi Yan's hand. "I see, the mayor sought help from a Mage guild."
"Fairy Tail? Is that the active guild?" "That's the one!"
The short, blonde-haired member chuckled. "Hee-haw! Kid, knowing about our Phantom Bandit Gang and still daring to take on this mission, you've got a lot of guts!"
Qi Yan's green eyes were cold. "Phantom Bandit Gang? Sorry, never heard of them."
Camille sized up the boy, noting the lack of fear. "Kid, seeing as you're ignorant, if you give up the mission now, I can let you go."
Qi Yan shook his head. "I've already accepted the commission. Abandoning a job is impossible. You've targeted my client, which makes you enemies of Fairy Tail."
"Kid, since this is the path you've chosen, there's nothing more to say. Make your move!" Camille conceded, his offer merely a momentary whim.
Qi Yan closed his eyes.
"Resurrection! Ulquiorra Cifer!"
His body was consumed by a burst of brilliant white spiritual energy. The black coat, the white hakama, the pale skin, the green tear marks, and the fractured white horn materialized instantly.
A heavy, predatory spiritual pressure—Reiatsu—slammed the air around them.
"Hee-haw!! Die!!" The short, blonde-haired bandit reacted first, raising his hand and hurling a seemingly innocent stone at Qi Yan.
Qi Yan casually caught the projectile.
Boom—!
The stone exploded like a magical bomb, the flash and shrapnel engulfing the newly transformed mage.
"Hee-hahaha!! What an idiot! How can you just catch something someone throws at you! Hee-hahaha~!" The bandit cackled, clutching his stomach.
"Qi Yan!!" Elfman, watching from the window, panicked, ready to smash the barrier and rush out.
The First Kill
Bang!
A wave of ferocious spiritual pressure erupted, violently tearing the explosion smoke apart.
Qi Yan stood in the center, perfectly still, completely unharmed.
"What?!" The bandits gasped. The power of the explosion was enough to shatter a thick stone wall, yet the mage who had caught it was untouched.
Hierro, Qi Yan thought, feeling the strength of the Arrancar skin. The defense was absolute; minor attacks couldn't even scratch his surface.
"You… you bastard, you're not dead?! I don't believe you can't be blown to death!" The blonde-haired bandit frantically summoned and threw a rapid volley of explosive stones.
"Sonído!"
Whoosh—!
Qi Yan's figure vanished entirely. It wasn't a blur, but a complete, instantaneous erasure from space.
The next moment, the air behind the frantic bandit cracked, and Qi Yan reappeared.
Pfft—!
The tip of a long, pristine blade—Ulquiorra's Zanpakutō—pierced straight through the bandit's back and jutted out of his chest, barely making a sound.
The bandit stared down at the blade protruding from his heart in disbelief. "Wh-what...?"
Qi Yan, his face emotionless, twisted the blade slightly. "Sorry, I'm in a bit of a hurry."
His magic power was too limited. He could only maintain this form for a matter of minutes. He couldn't afford a prolonged battle. The thirteen members of the Phantom Bandit Gang had just become twelve.
The time for games was over. The hunt had begun.