Fairy Tail: Igneel's eldest son in Anime Multiverse

Jura, though nominally a Level 4, wasn't particularly strong in combat. Still, he was a notorious and dangerous figure within the Dark Faction.

He'd made a name for himself years ago as a beastmaster, and with the Dark Faction's enchanted slave collars, he could command terrifying armies of monsters—as long as he had time to raise them.

At the time, Rudra Familia and Astraea Familia were mortal enemies. Five years ago, Jura and other Rudra Familia members set a trap using Flame Stones—dangerous drop materials from Flame Magma Rock, the same material Charles had used to forge his weapon—intending to blow up the Astraea Familia.

Despite the danger, they failed to deal any serious damage to the Astraea girls.

Instead, their actions caused massive structural damage to the Dungeon, resulting in the birth of the monster known as "Calamity"—Zagnat.

Astraea Familia was annihilated, save for one survivor: Ryuu Lion. Rudra Familia also suffered catastrophic losses, but unfortunately, Jura managed to escape with his life.

After that, Ryuu went berserk, unleashing vengeance on anyone connected to the incident.

Of course, Rudra Familia, being the main culprits, were completely wiped out by Ryuu. In the process, even four gods were forcibly "returned" to the heavens.

But the true mastermind, Jura, though Ryuu severed his right arm and one of his ears, managed to cling to life, surviving in obscurity.

Charles knew better than anyone that the Dark Faction could never be truly eradicated. The source of the rot wasn't divine—it was human.

Mortal greed was the root of the Dark Faction's existence. Gods, with their power sealed in the Lower World, could do nothing on their own. It was the "evil" in humanity that created these atrocities.

The trafficking of monsters as commodities, the circulation of contraband in Orario, the underground slave trade—none of these would function if not for the cooperation of those in the shadows.

Not just shady merchants or mercenaries—even some legitimate Familia likely had their toes on that red line.

When did the man-made labyrinth built by the Daedalus bloodline become a hiding place for the Dark Faction? What role did the Icarus Familia—the descendants of Daedalus—play?

Where did the prostitutes of the Ishtar Familia come from? How many shared a story like that of the "Fox of Pleasure"?

This was the dark underside of DanMachi's world, hidden beneath the surface of passionate adventures and heroic legends.

Charles had never intended to purge that darkness. Not just Charles—even the gods were powerless to do so.

If it were just about brute force, Ottar of the Freya Familia could wipe out the remaining scraps of the Dark Faction by himself. Yet Freya had never given the order.

Because Freya knew that darkness could never be fully destroyed.

Of course, it was also possible she simply didn't care. Perhaps, to her, even the Dark Faction was just a tool for tempering her "heroes."

But that didn't mean Charles would turn a blind eye when filth like this appeared before him.

Especially not when Jura's malice was practically pouring off of him.

What puzzled Charles, though, was the intensity of it. The Dark Faction was full of lunatics, sure, but there was no reason for Jura to harbor such personal hatred—Charles had no recollection of ever crossing paths with him.

Jura then performed the perfect villain monologue, face twisting into a hideous expression of madness.

"I saw that whole fight just now—amazing! You actually took down the Labyrinth King all by yourself.

But those moves of yours… they reminded me of that dead bitch. It's been five years, and I almost forgot her damn face—don't bring back memories I'd rather forget!"

And then Charles understood. Jura's overflowing hatred wasn't because of him—but because of who he reminded him of.

His fighting style had triggered memories of someone else: Alise, the leader of Astraea Familia who'd died in the Dungeon five years ago.

Alise—known as the "Crimson Flower of Justice"—would no doubt be a First-Class adventurer now had she lived.

She held an unwavering belief in justice and led the girls of Astraea Familia in upholding light and order in Orario.

Naturally, she was the Rudra Familia's most hated thorn.

But Alise was powerful—blessed with flame-imbued magic and rare skills, no one in Rudra Familia could defeat her in a straight fight.

Until five years ago, when the unforeseen emergence of Zagnat caused the flower of justice to wither.

What Charles didn't know was that the technique he used to kill Amphisbaena was exactly the same one Alise had used to repel Zagnat.

To Jura, the two had overlapped entirely—reawakening his deepest trauma.

And so, here he was, baring his malice without restraint.

"As thanks, I'll have my pets tear you apart piece by piece!"

With that, a whip appeared in Jura's hand, snapping crisply through the air.

The ceiling above Charles cracked, and a horde of monsters fell through—all wearing slave collars.

There were lower-floor creatures like Gillmen, Blue Crabs, and Floating Crystals, along with mid-to-upper level monsters like Beastmen, Goblins, Silverbacks, and Lizardmen.

Even the mid-tier monsters had been modified—Jura had fed them magic stones to forcibly evolve them into enhanced variants, boosting them to roughly Level 2 or 3.

This was a full-on "Monster Feast," the kind that usually only happened during Dungeon anomalies. Even parties with multiple Level 4s would be overwhelmed.

Charles raised [Martial Saint], driving the blade through the chest of a charging Gillman.

With a bang, the monster burst into black mist. Charles stepped forward, slashing coldly through a Silverback and a Beastman, cutting both clean in half.

He cut down the creatures Jura had painstakingly gathered like vegetables, yet the beastmaster showed no sign of distress.

Clearly, he was willing to pay any price as long as Charles died.

He'd also spotted what he believed was a weakness.

Jura had been observing since Charles arrived on the 27th floor. He had seen the moment Charles drank that potion before fighting.

Naturally, he assumed it was a booster—something to force an explosive surge of power.

He didn't know much about potions, but he understood this type had a time limit and often left a period of exhaustion afterward.

So, once the effect wore off, Charles would fall back to Level 4—plus he'd be injured from the Amphisbaena battle—making him ripe for the kill.

And yet… his monster numbers kept dwindling, and Charles showed no sign of weakening.

Charles sidestepped a light beam from a Floating Crystal, then flung his longsword.

It struck the crystal cleanly, shattering it. [Martial Saint] then vanished into points of light in midair.

Next, gauntlets appeared on his arms. A flame-covered knife-hand strike pierced straight through a Gargoyle's chest, yanking out its magic stone.

Jura roared, "Impossible! What the hell kind of potion did you take?! How can it still be working?!"

Charles kicked a Lizardman into the wall, turned to Jura, and said, "So that's what you were waiting for—my potion to wear off? What a coincidence. That's exactly what I was waiting for too."

And just then, as if on cue, Charles felt his magical flow clear and the weakness in his muscles fade.

The weakening potion had been fully metabolized—his full power returned.

A torrent of flames exploded from his body as he stepped forward and unleashed fire at the incoming monsters.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

This time, it wasn't a concentrated blast—it was a spreading inferno that became a sea of fire, engulfing everything in its path.

"No… no way!"

Jura realized his mistake. This man wasn't the Crimson Flower—he was far more terrifying. He possessed overwhelming power.

Charles walked out of the fire, and to Jura, it looked like a giant, winged beast was roaring behind him.

In the next moment, the beast lunged and bit down.

Crack! The sound of a neck snapping.

As Jura collapsed, the last thing he saw was Charles's cold, indifferent eyes.

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