Fairy Tail: Igneel's eldest son in Anime Multiverse

In Orario, magic—especially wide-area annihilation magic—was an undeniably decisive force.

And when unleashed at full power by Riveria, the "Nine Hell Princess," there was no exception. The monsters that had previously overwhelmed even Loki Familia's elite were instantly frozen solid.

But Charles didn't relax in the slightest. He raised his voice and warned, "Careful! Something big is coming!"

After everything that had just happened, everyone trusted Charles's ability to sense new species of monsters. They immediately entered high alert.

Within two seconds, the ground beneath them began to tremble.

With a massive rumble, a colossal entity burst forth from the ground.

It, too, had the form of a man-eating flower—but it was over ten times the size of the previous ones. Compared to this behemoth, the earlier flowers were as slender as chopsticks.

Even more terrifying was that, along with this giant bloom, a swarm of regular man-eating flowers also emerged, and even several worm-like creatures climbed out from the holes in the earth.

Strangely, however, none of the monsters launched an attack. Instead, they simply surrounded the group.

Monsters born of the Fallen Fairy's corrupted power and ordinary Dungeon beasts alike usually showed only pure malice toward adventurers.

But now they were suppressing their killing instinct. This was clearly unnatural.

Charles looked toward Finn, who had also retreated and now wore a deeply confused expression.

Then Riveria suddenly said, "Look over there… is that an adventurer?"

Everyone turned their gaze. Beneath the giant flower, a figure had appeared without anyone noticing.

He was shirtless, revealing a muscular torso. But his face was concealed behind a ram skull mask, and only his stark white hair could be seen above it.

"An adventurer?" Finn bit his thumb, his expression grim.

But in truth, Finn had already ruled out the idea that this was a regular adventurer.

This was the Deep Floors. Who could possibly be wandering around alone down here? Finn could only think of one: the "Braver."

And more than that, this man wasn't just accompanied by monsters—he was clearly commanding them, directing the previously-unseen new species that had somehow emerged.

What was most frightening of all was that these monsters obeyed his every command without hesitation.

Even Orario's best beast tamers couldn't fully control monsters—they could only give basic commands. And certainly not in such terrifying numbers.

Finn raised his voice and demanded, "Who are you!?"

The man gave no response. He simply scanned the group with his eyes. Finally, his gaze stopped on Ais.

Locking onto his target, he muttered, "You've got to be kidding me… how could she be Aria?"

Charles could feel it—just hearing that name changed Ais's expression completely.

"Wind!"

Before anyone could react, Ais had already activated her Wind Spirit Acceleration and shot forward.

But the masked man didn't move. It was as though Orario's top-tier adventurer, the "Sword Princess," wasn't even worth his attention.

Ais didn't make it far. A swarm of man-eating flowers leapt at her mid-charge and forced her back.

"You… where did you hear that name!?"

Gone was the calm, aloof Ais. Even her own familia had never seen her so emotional.

The masked man looked up at them all, speaking with mocking indifference. "Well, I don't believe you're really Aria, but if she wants you, then I'll be taking you back with me."

Before he could finish his sentence, a blast of searing flames engulfed him.

Finn gaped at Charles, who stood silently holding a broken magic sword.

He hadn't expected Charles to launch an attack without saying a word. Puzzled, he looked to him, waiting for an explanation.

Charles tossed aside the shattered hilt and said, "That guy might look human, but inside, he's no different from the monsters."

Everyone stared at Charles with disbelief. Clearly, none of them were ready to accept that assessment.

But Charles simply tilted his chin and said, "If you don't believe me, then look for yourselves."

They turned toward where the man had stood. As the flames faded, the scene came into focus.

Ashes from burned monsters floated in the air. All that remained upright was the giant flower—what was left of it. Carbonized chunks fell from its frame.

With a loud crash, its remnants dissolved into black mist, revealing a large, dark-green magic stone.

And behind it stood the masked man, his body scorched and half-destroyed.

Much of his flesh had been incinerated, exposing blackened bone.

But all eyes were fixed on the glowing magic stone embedded in his chest.

Then, shockingly, his body began to rapidly regenerate. Even his missing limbs began to regrow.

Not just the magic stone, but that regeneration alone proved he was no ordinary human.

"What a shame… You almost killed me. But a body blessed by Her won't burn up from a little spark like that."

He said it lightly, but inwardly he was relieved. Fortunately, he'd had the giant flower swallow him whole at the last second. The flower had taken the brunt of the magic sword's fire. Otherwise, he might really have died.

As he spoke, his charred ram skull mask finally cracked apart and fell away.

Riveria gasped. "That face… You're the White-Haired Demon!? Impossible—you were confirmed dead six years ago!"

The name "White-Haired Demon" had already begun to fade from memory in Orario. After all, only heroes and their comrades are truly remembered after death.

But for veteran adventurers like Finn, it was a name tied to deep wounds and tragedy.

"The White-Haired Demon," Olivas Act, once a member of a Dark Faction. When last seen six years ago, he was only LV3.

Why would Riveria remember a mere LV3 from a dark faction? Because he was the mastermind behind the "Nightmare of the 27th Floor."

Six years ago, the Dark Factions had spread rumors of strange monster activity on the 27th floor, drawing many mid-tier adventurers there.

Then, using themselves as bait, those lunatics triggered a massive "monster parade."

Countless adventurers perished that day. Only Filvis of the Dionysus Familia was known to survive.

The White-Haired Demon had also been presumed killed by the swarm. The Guild had deemed it confirmed—only the lower half of his body had been found on the battlefield.

Yet here he stood, whole and alive. And with a regenerative ability so grotesque…

Had he really become a monster, just as Charles said?

But how could a human become a monster?

Everyone was more confused than ever.

But confusion or not, some didn't hesitate to act.

Though Charles's magic sword hadn't killed the White-Haired Demon, it had annihilated all the monsters around him.

Ais wouldn't let the opportunity go to waste. She reignited her Wind Spirit Acceleration and charged.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Shockingly, her "Desperate Sword" was blocked—by his arm. His body was so tough it could go toe-to-toe with top-tier gear. And the fact that he could match Ais's speed and reflexes was terrifying.

Of course, no one would just let Ais fight alone. And considering she was his target, no one held back.

"Damn it… I'm definitely lecturing her after this!"

Finn sighed. His junior had rushed ahead, and there was nothing he could do now except back her up.

The group sprang into action. Finn and Gareth intercepted monsters trying to aid the White-Haired Demon, while Bete and the Amazon twins joined Ais in attacking him.

Charles, staying in character, stood ready with another magic sword to provide support at any moment.

In the original story, it had been mentioned that the Fallen Fairy could sense Ais's wind power, inherited from the great wind spirit Aria. That the White-Haired Demon had appeared now wasn't surprising.

What was odd was that he hadn't withdrawn. Where did his confidence come from—enough to try and abduct Ais from a squad full of Loki Familia elites?

Charles grew wary. If something unexpected happened, he might have no choice but to reveal some of his true power.

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