Fairy Tail: The Phantom Dragon Slayer

Chapter 9: S-Class Wizard Promotion Trial (1)

December, X779

In the far north of the Kingdom of Fiore lies the mining town of Ciclaremen, known for its breathtaking snow-covered mountains.

For the past five years, this town had been under the control of the dark guild Gloxinia.

The Magic Council had dispatched forces to reclaim it, but the guild had used the town's narrow layout and the constant snowfall to their advantage, preventing large armies from entering effectively.

Even elite units sent in smaller numbers were wiped out.

The people of Ciclaremen, forced into slavery under the dark guild, had all but given up hope… until one day, a ray of light appeared.

...

"W-What is this?! This fog…?!"

"R-Run… we have to run…!"

"Hey! What's going on?!"

"He's coming… hidden in the mist, that… that monster…"

"Hey!!"

Fog had suddenly crept across the entire town—something unheard of in a place where snow fell constantly and fog was never seen.

Startled, the villagers stopped what they were doing and rushed into their homes.

Only the dark wizards of Gloxinia, who ruled over the town, remained outside.

Screams echoed from within the fog.

Those who ran toward the cries found their comrades collapsed, all saying the same strange, cryptic thing before falling silent—lifeless.

Their hearts were still beating. Their breathing was normal.

Their eyes were wide open.

But they didn't move.

No consciousness. No reaction.

They simply lay there—silent, empty.

Alive… but no longer truly living.

Like dolls, stripped of their souls.

"What the hell is going on?! What happened to this town…?!"

[Kuhuhuhuhu...]

"W-Who's there…?!"

A twisted, eerie laughter echoed from deep within the fog.

It chilled them to the bone—a sound laced with madness and terror.

Yet they saw no one.

No matter how many spells they cast into the mist, nothing landed. Nothing struck.

They could hear buildings collapsing—but no screams followed.

"Come out! I said COME OUT! If you don't, I'll slaughter every last villager!!"

[Kuhuhuhuhu...]

"GYAAAAAAAHHH!!"

[I am everywhere—and nowhere.]

The moment the dark wizard released his spell,

he felt it—

A cold, bone-chilling touch pressing against the nape of his neck… from right behind him.

A coldness so intense it felt as though his entire body might freeze solid washed over the man.

"Ugh… h-h-hiiiiii…!"

[A lie hidden within truth… and truth hidden within a lie… I wonder, could you see through it?]

"N-No… please… don't…"

The man was too terrified to even turn around.

Whatever was lurking behind him—he didn't know what it would do, but he knew his life was in danger.

Desperately, he began to plead for his life.

"Please… please, don't kill me… I—I have a fox-like wife and a rabbit-like daughter! I'm just a salaryman! I only do what the master tells me and collect my pay… please, I beg you—spare me!"

But that was a lie.

He had no wife. No daughter.

He was just another power-drunk scum who joined a dark guild, murdered innocents, and even defiled corpses.

"Please… I have to get back to my family… let me go…"

[Is that so?]

The voice behind him responded, and the icy grip on his neck vanished.

The overwhelming fear that had frozen him to the core began to lift.

Relieved, the man let out a shaky sigh.

He had survived.

Or so he thought.

Until he heard one final whisper…

[Then, I hope you enjoy your reunion… with your beloved wife and daughter. Kuhuhuhuhu…]

"…What…?"

And in the next instant—

the man's eyes widened in horror as the corpses of countless people began shambling toward him.

He panicked.

He had to run. If he didn't, he'd die.

But his body wouldn't move.

No—he couldn't move.

Because he was already nailed to a cross, fastened to the ground beneath him.

"Kuuuwaaaaahhhh…"

"S-Stay away…!"

"Let us show you our love…"

"D-Don't come near me…! Please—don't… NOOOOO!!"

[Kuhuhuhuhuhu… kuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu…]

As the dead began to bite into his flesh, gnawing on his crucified body—

the man could only scream, as that sinister laughter echoed endlessly through the fog, driving him mad.

...

"…Looks like that's the last of the grunts in this town."

With no hesitation, Ciel flung the limp, mindless body in front of him aside like discarded meat. Then, he took a slow breath, inhaling the mist that blanketed the entire village.

The fog vanished as it entered his mouth.

Once it cleared, the streets revealed what remained—bodies sprawled everywhere. Former dark wizards of the guild Gloxinia, now nothing more than living husks, scattered lifelessly on the ground.

As Ciel surveyed the grotesque scene, he muttered to himself—

"Just as the rumors say… quite the talent you have."

A man stepped forward.

He had shoulder-length, purplish hair with blunt bangs. A sharp chin, crow's feet near his eyes, and silver-rimmed glasses that gave him a refined, almost intellectual appearance.

He wore a white ceremonial uniform adorned with lavish feathers and a matching white cloak that swayed with his movements.

In every way, he was the visual opposite of Ciel.

"Oh? Only coming out after all your subordinates are dead? Now that's classic villain behavior."

"Hah. Look around you—who's the villain here, and who's the hero?"

The man gripped the riding crop in his hand and gave it a sharp snap.

"Over the past year, whispers about you have spread throughout the dark guilds. A ghost cloaked in mist, leaving destruction in his wake. A master of illusions who lets a few survivors live, sending them ahead to seed terror in his next targets. A top-class illusionist known as the 'Phantom King,' Ciel Illusian."

"Kuhuhuhu… I've never cared for that title, but everyone insists on using it, so… who am I to argue? A pleasure to meet you. You must be the leader of Gloxinia—Glo Kisinia."

"That's right. And frankly, you're a man unworthy of a title like 'Phantom King.' All this wide-range illusion magic, yet you only wipe out weaklings. Just proof that you're a frail wizard who preys on amateurs."

As he spoke, the snow beneath Glo Kisinia's feet burst with a loud pop—

and a monstrous squid-like creature emerged from beneath, towering over them.

Ten enormous tentacles, each swirling with roaring whirlpools of water.

"Illusions are nothing but phantoms! And this… is my ultimate magical creature weapon—Kroken! Let's see if your tricks can save you now!"

"My, my… quite the dramatic beast you've brought to the stage."

"Begone, pathetic 'wizard of light'!"

Ten massive tentacles, each wrapped in a raging whirlpool, surged toward Ciel.

With nowhere to run, the attacks closed in from every direction. Ciel didn't dodge.

He took the full brunt of the impact head-on.

A thunderous explosion rang out, snow bursting up like smoke, blanketing the area.

Seeing this, Glo Kisinia's face twisted with visible veins as he let out a mad cackle.

"GWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Pathetic little wretch! You thought you could face me with some lousy illusions?! How laughable!! I don't need underlings! As long as I have Kroken, I'll become the strongest dark guild master alive! 'Phantom King' my ass! You brat, trying to stand against me?! Let's see how torn up that smug face of yours—HUH?!"

Just as he stepped forward in arrogant triumph—

the impossible happened.

A massive pillar of flame erupted from beneath the snowy ground, engulfing both Glo Kisinia and his magical creature, Kroken, and soaring high into the sky.

Caught off guard by the sudden eruption, Glo Kisinia shrieked in agony as the fire consumed him.

"AAAAARRRGHHHH!!! No… no way! How… how is there a pillar of fire?! There's no magma around here… how…?!"

"Kuhuhuhuhu…"

As he writhed in torment, a swirl of purple mist gathered before him—slowly forming a figure.

Ciel emerged from the mist.

The same Ciel he had just watched die in flames.

"Y-You bastard!!"

"It was quite the amusing magical creature. But that's all it was. A brief performance. Dull, predictable."

Hot.

His body was melting.

Agony.

His clothes burned away. Kroken had already shriveled to nothing.

His legs were turning to ash, crumbling beneath him.

Was this… really an illusion?

Just an image? A fake reality?

No—it had to be.

This pain wasn't real.

This was an illusion.

If he just believed that—he could break free.

"D-Don't make me laugh! This is just an illusion! It's not real! As long as I can get out of this fire… I'll wake up from your damned trick!"

Confident in his reasoning, Glo Kisinia gritted his teeth through the pain and took a single step forward.

"…What?! M-My legs… my hands…?!"

His hands and feet, which had just escaped the flames, had turned black… and then crumbled to dust.

But this was supposed to be fake. Just a false illusion.

So why… why was his body disappearing?

As he thrashed in panic, consumed by pain, Ciel looked down at him with a faint, cold smile and spoke:

"You seem to be misunderstanding something…

"This is not an illusion."

"W-What… what do you mean…?"

"Kuhuhuhuhu… The way you clung to the belief that this was all just an illusion, thrashing around in denial to the bitter end… it was truly entertaining, Glo Kisinia."

The man's words no longer made any sense to him.

Engulfed in fire, his flesh cooking even to the scalp, Glo Kisinia struggled to keep his consciousness intact—but it was already beginning to slip away.

And just before it vanished entirely, he heard Ciel's final words, spoken with his back turned as he walked away—

"A lie hidden within truth… a truth hidden within a lie…

It seems you never saw the real truth.

Then may you suffer eternal torment… in the hellfire you refused to believe in."

...

Outskirts of the village of Ciclaremen.

Standing at the village gate was Lahat, commander of the Magic Council's elite forces. His expression was tense as he faced Ciel.

"Did you take care of them?"

"It's done. Please head in and assist the villagers."

"…Good work."

With only that brief exchange, Ciel turned his back to them all and began walking toward the train station—leaving the silence, the snow, and the scorched ruin behind him.

...

Since the village wasn't frequented by travelers, only one train passed through it each day.

I barely managed to catch it and finally sank into my seat, letting out a deep, tired sigh.

"Phew… Honestly, Master and Gildarts are just too much."

It had been a year since I joined Fairy Tail.

Rather than taking on normal jobs, most of my time had been consumed by completing assignments from the Magic Council—ones that Master and Gildarts conveniently dumped on me.

Technically, these were jobs Master should've handled himself… but he was always too busy cleaning up the messes caused by the guild members.

As for Gildarts, the moment they tried to give him a task, he vanished with a conveniently timed "I've got a mission!"

The other S-Class wizard, Laxus, was still a hot-blooded delinquent—reckless and impulsive.

And so, Master gave me the temporary title of S-Class Wizard and started piling all the council missions onto me.

The pay was generous, yes… but running around the country nonstop was exhausting.

"I wonder how Mira, Elfman, and Lisanna are doing…"

I looked out the snow-covered train window and thought of them.

Mira had really found her place in the guild. She mastered her own version of Take Over magic and created her original spell, Satan Soul.

But… whether it was because of that power or something else, she'd started acting a bit like Laxus—rebellious and wild.

These days, if I so much as approached her, she'd avoid me with a scowl. Her fashion had gone full punk, and she was constantly picking fights with Erza.

Elfman, on the other hand, had bulked up so much from overtraining that he was now nearly three times my size.

With his newfound strength, he developed his own version of transformation magic, Beast Soul.

He turned into a passionate young man who constantly shouted about "being a real man!"… but deep down, he was still soft-hearted and gentle.

Lisanna, still inexperienced, was following in her older siblings' footsteps, training in Take Over magic as well.

Out of the three, Lisanna was the most easygoing and cheerful. She often played the role of mediator between her siblings, keeping the balance in their trio.

Perhaps… they didn't need me anymore.

A year is more than enough time for people to change.

Even I had changed—now, people called me "Phantom King."

I didn't care for it, not one bit…

But the dark guilds I faced rarely called me by name anymore. They all feared the title. Eventually, I just gave up trying to correct them.

"All I want now is to take a normal job and enjoy a quiet life at the guild. Though, knowing Master… he's probably already accepted another council mission for me while I've been gone."

The moment I said that, the magic communicator in my pocket began to ring.

I let out a small sigh and pressed the call button.

[Ciel, did the mission go well?]

"...Master, your timing is impeccable, as always. You always seem to call the second a mission ends."

[That's a father's intuition for you.]

"Intuition aside, I'd really like to rest now."

[You're awfully whiny for a young guy!]

"Sorry to disappoint you, but mentally, I'm probably several decades older than you. So—what's the real reason for this call?"

[This time, I want you to come back to the guild.]

I was fully expecting him to hand me another mission, so when he suddenly told me to return to the guild, I couldn't hide my shock.

The old man who constantly worked me to the bone now wanted me to come back? Was the world ending?

"Did the apocalypse arrive while I was on the train? I'm honestly surprised you're telling me to return."

[Hey now! I may be a strict father, but I wouldn't go so far as to work my own kid to death!]

"I feel like that's exactly what you're doing right now."

[You've got a sharp tongue, you know that? Anyway, just get back to the guild.]

"Did something happen?"

At my question, Master's voice took on a rare, serious tone.

[I've nominated you for this year's Fairy Tail S-Class Wizard Promotion Exam. So I need you back before the trial begins.]

"You only named me a temporary S-Class half a year ago, and now you're pushing me into the promotion exam?"

[Exactly. That's why I put you on the roster for this year's trial. Nothing more to say. I'm hanging up.]

"Master—!"

I tried to respond, but the communication cut off.

Since the magic communicator only allows calls initiated from the guild, there was no way for me to call back. It was a one-sided declaration, followed by a click.

Sighing, I pressed a hand to my forehead and leaned my head against the cold window of the train.

"S-Class promotion exam, huh…"

Half a year after being appointed as a temporary S-Class Wizard, and only one year since joining Fairy Tail, I was now being thrown into the real S-Class Trial.

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