Fairy Tail: My Magic is the Sun

The Life Prohibited Zone lay ahead like a wound upon the earth—twisted, corrupted, and shrouded in perpetual darkness. Escanor's senses strained against the choking miasma that clawed at the air, thick with toxins and ancient magic gone awry. The skeletal remains of once-vibrant plants lay scattered, corroded by the unholy presence of demonic creatures. The sky itself was swallowed by an unending black curtain, blotting out even a hint of sunlight.

But for Escanor, sight was secondary. His sensory magic peeled back the shroud of darkness, revealing a far more sinister truth. Magical creatures—no, demons—had vanished from the periphery and were instead amassed deeper within, clustered around something significant. The magical energy was wild, chaotic, but unmistakably concentrated.

Over a dozen powerful magical signatures stirred the oppressive air, but none bore the aura of the Black Dragon himself.

"That's… Gildarts."

Escanor's heart clenched as he identified the familiar signature among the monsters. Captured? Imprisoned by these demons? His grip tightened instinctively as he concealed his aura and darted silently toward the gathering.

The demons' gathering place was a bleak, open plain encircled by towering stone steles. Blue flames flickered at the center, cold and quiet, casting eerie light on the grotesque forms surrounding it.

Demons of all shapes and sizes loomed: some humanoid, others fully monstrous. At the center, seated atop a throne beneath the largest stele, was a young human youth—cold, calculating, indifferent. In one hand, he held an ancient tome; with the other, he propped his chin thoughtfully.

"Pluto, why is that monster here?!" hissed a demon.

"Our great ritual must not be disturbed!"

"Perhaps we should delay the plan until he leaves," another suggested nervously.

But Pluto only sneered, voice laced with fanaticism.

"That Black Dragon flaunts his strength now, but once we resurrect END, the world will burn."

He waved off the distractions. The ritual must proceed.

A demon asked about the captured human Magus. Pluto's gaze turned cold.

"He's of some strength, but useless to me. Dispose of him."

Escanor dropped his cover. The demons sensed the intrusion instantly. A beast-like male demon, wild-eyed and snarling, charged, hurling a violent explosion of magic.

Escanor's palm ignited with sunfire; a hurricane of blazing magic swept the explosive energy aside and sent the beast flying.

"Jackal down in one blow?"

"Step aside!" snarled another demon, a towering warrior wielding a blazing sword—Dojikiri Yasutsuna.

He unleashed a dazzling barrage of demonic blade magic, but Escanor crushed each strike with ease.

"Impossible!"

Yasutsuna unleashed his ultimate: Demonic Blade: Mikazuki. Massive slashes rained down, but Escanor, the colossal sun incarnate, simply radiated an unstoppable force.

"Merciless Sun!"

A fiery explosion blasted the demons away, shattering their ranks.

A female demon, Kyoka, tried to command a magical binding, invading Escanor's mind. But the blazing sun within him repelled the assault; she coughed blood and staggered.

Seilah, another demoness, rushed to support her.

"Kyoka, retreat! This human is no ordinary foe!"

Yet Kyoka, burning with fury and desperation, charged again, unleashing cruel spells of sensory deprivation and pain amplification, followed by a claw strike infused with lethal magic.

Escanor smirked, invoking divine power.

"Divine Might."

The claws froze inches from his skin, Kyoka's body locked in place before she was thrown back like a ragdoll. Seilah caught her, wounded but alive.

Pluto rose from his throne, bowing stiffly.

"Forgive my subordinates' insolence, honored guest."

His tone was smooth but strained.

Ignoring the words, Escanor strode to Gildarts and dispelled the bindings.

Gildarts' eyes widened, stunned to see Escanor stronger than ever.

"Escanor? So you've grown that powerful?"

Escanor chuckled warmly.

"Uncle, don't make a habit of getting captured."

Gildarts laughed off the embarrassment but admitted the mission had proven far more perilous than expected.

Pluto's eyes flickered as he weighed his dwindling options. He gave a subtle sign; an armored, corpulent demon growled, and the surrounding magical creatures—mindless abominations created by Tartaros—surged forward with bloodlust.

Gildarts readied himself; Escanor frowned.

"Lifeless creatures chasing death."

Raising his hands, Escanor's eyes blazed with pure sunlight.

"Sun Magic: God: All Creation! Rise!"

Countless miniature suns blossomed around him, drifting upward to merge into a colossal halo. His hands clasped in a sacred seal, and with a roar of power, a radiant explosion erupted, engulfing everything.

Darkness was consumed by blazing light. The abominations dissolved into ash. Demons near the blast shrieked in agony.

Pluto's ancient tome crackled with energy before shattering. He transformed into his demonic form to protect what remained.

Only a handful of demons survived: Kyoka, Seilah, and Pluto himself—wounded, desperate.

The distant town trembled as the light bathed the forsaken zone.

For the first time in centuries, sunlight touched the land of the Life Prohibited Zone.

Gildarts, Escanor, and the battered demons stood amidst the scorched ruins.

Pluto knelt in fury.

"Damn it! Our centuries-long ambition ends today!"

Rhitta, Escanor's divine axe, materialized in his hand. He took a slow step forward, resolute.

A thunderous roar shattered the sky. A massive shadow blotted out the sun as a colossal Black Dragon descended—Acnologia.

Gildarts screamed, terror-stricken:

"Bl-Black... Dragon!"

The dragon's eyes burned with icy malice as it fixed its gaze on the mortals below.

Escanor's fighting spirit soared to its zenith.

"Acnologia! Finally, a worthy opponent! Let me show you how I slay a dragon today!"

To be continued...