Fairy Tail: I Became Invincible With an Anime Gacha System

Natsu pressed both palms to the ground.

"Uwoooohhhhhh!!!"

Raging fire exploded outward in every direction. The golden, sun-like flames he had ingested surged from his core, transforming his body into a living conduit of absolute heat.

"Waaahhh!!"

Lucy yelped as flames sprang up all around her. A towering inferno of crimson and gold engulfed the entire area in a split second, towering high into the freezing sky.

"I'm going to be roasted alive!!"

She hopped about in panic, shielding her face with her arms. Then, she slowly blinked, realizing the fire was warm rather than burning; it didn't scorch her skin, nor did it so much as singe a single wooden building in the Village. It was a targeted, gentle warmth, guided entirely by Natsu's fierce will to protect.

Whoosh—!!

In an instant, the demonic ice vaporized into thick, billowing clouds of white steam. The suffocating chill that had plagued the valley shattered, and the once-frozen Village snapped back to normal under the radiant glow of the fire.

"Ooh?"

"Such warm flames."

"What's going on? Weren't we just fighting an intruder?"

The giants, finally freed from their icy prisons, scratched their massive heads in bewilderment. Their booming voices echoed like thunderclaps across the newly thawed valley, shaking the remaining droplets of melted ice from the giant flora.

"The ice… it's gone!!"

Lucy and Happy leapt for joy at the sight, hugging each other in immense relief. The suffocating, eerie silence of the frozen wasteland had been entirely broken.

The former iceberg in the center of the settlement now blazed like a mountain of pure, roaring fire. The majestic heat radiated outward, bringing vibrant life back to the giant trees and rivers.

"A mountain of flame? Could that be the eternal flame?!"

Everyone gazing at the blazing peak guessed it must be the legendary eternal flame. The sheer magical density of the fire was awe-inspiring, carrying an ancient, almost draconic presence within its core.

[Akarin's Note: The Eternal Flame of the Sun Village is actually the remnant soul and lingering will of the Hellfire Dragon, Atlas Flame, whom Natsu befriended during the Grand Magic Games.]

"Huh? Humans in the Village—lost, are we?"

A massive guard, wielding a halberd the size of a skyscraper, leaned down toward Ren's group. His singular, booming voice caused the ground to vibrate beneath their feet.

His colossal frame loomed over Lucy and Happy, casting a massive shadow that completely enveloped the Fairy Tail mages.

Ren looked up, his expression entirely calm despite the overwhelming size difference. He answered, "Not lost. We're Mages from Fairy Tail, commissioned by Warrod Sequen-san to save this frozen Village."

"Frozen?"

The giants looked blank for a moment, their slow minds struggling to process the gap in their memories. Then, looking at the puddles of water and the lingering steam, it clicked.

"Ah yes—we were frozen! So you tiny humans saved us! Thank you so much!"

"Our thanks! You're our saviors!"

The giants crowded round in deep gratitude. They dropped to their massive knees, bowing their heads respectfully toward the group of mages who barely reached their ankles.

"What exactly happened here? Why was everything encased in such bizarre ice?" Lucy asked, tilting her head up and cupping her hands around her mouth so her voice could reach them.

"Hmm… I recall a man walking into the valley. He was calling himself an Ice Devil Slayer Mage, claiming he'd come to wipe out a fire demon," the village elder rumbled, rubbing his thick beard.

"We took up arms to fight and protect our guardian deity, but…" another giant added, shivering at the memory. "His cold… it was absolute. It bypassed our magical defenses instantly."

"After that… nothing. Everything just went black and cold," the giants spoke over one another, the terror of that instant defeat still fresh in their minds.

Lucy mused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Sounds like someone mistook the eternal flame for a demon. Ice Devil Slayer magic… that's incredibly rare. Even rarer than Gray's Maker magic."

Happy tilted his head, his white wings fluttering as he hovered beside Ren. "Then why did those Tartaros guys show up later? The ones who were trying to steal the flame?"

Ren said calmly, his Six Eyes analyzing the residual traces of demonic ethernano lingering in the air. "Chances are, it was Tartaros who did it in the first place. Or at least, the Ice Devil Slayer is affiliated with them."

"Tartaros? But why? Why would a Dark Guild target a peaceful village of giants?" Lucy asked, a chill running down her spine that had nothing to do with the melted ice.

"No idea. Dark Guilds rarely need a logical reason to cause destruction," Ren replied, adjusting the collar of his coat. "Our mission was to free the Village; that's done, so we report back to the old man."

Ren disliked loose ends, but he knew the plot of Tartaros was only just beginning to unfold. The Village restored, his immediate task was finished, and he had no intention of babysitting a group of giants.

"Hold on! You saved our lives and our deity—we can't let you leave empty-handed!" the guard insisted, slamming his fist against his chest.

"Right! We giants always repay our debts! It is a matter of absolute pride!"

"Everyone—bring out the meat and barrels! It's feast time!!"

"Whoooooa!!!"

"A banquet!"

Natsu, Lucy, and Happy lit up instantly; they absolutely adored parties. All thoughts of Dark Guilds and impending doom were thrown out the window at the mention of free food.

Seeing their unbridled excitement and the genuine warmth of the giants, Ren could only sigh and shrug in agreement. A little downtime wouldn't hurt anyone.

That night, they gathered beside the roaring, fiery mountain and feasted. The giants brought out roasted beasts the size of houses and massive wooden barrels of sweet, intoxicating mead.

The giants, huge yet incredibly talkative and friendly, soon became fast friends with the Fairy Tail mages. After a few cups of the potent giant-brewed ale, even Ren relaxed his stoic facade, joining their boisterous songs and rhythmic, earth-shaking dances under the starlit sky.

Far away from the warmth of the Sun Village, the atmosphere was entirely different.

On a desolate, howling ice plain lay a ruined hamlet. Its buildings were completely shattered, with massive snow drifts burying what remained of a tragic, forgotten past. The sky above was choked with heavy, gray clouds.

A single man sat quietly before a lone, weathered grave. He wore a dark, armored coat, and his silver hair fluttered wildly in the freezing gale.

"Silver-sama, headquarters orders your immediate return."

A humanoid lizardman approached cautiously, his reptilian skin shivering violently. The messenger didn't dare step too close; the ambient temperature around the man was cold enough to freeze the blood in his veins.

Silver Fullbuster growled, his voice deep, raspy, and filled with a profound, terrifying sorrow. "Can't a man even mourn his family in peace?"

The lizardman trembled, dropping to his knees in the snow. "A… a summons for all Nine Demon Gates has been issued by Mard Geer-sama. Please comply, Ice Devil Slayer Silver…"

Silver slowly stood up, casting a chilling, empty glare over his shoulder. The air pressure plummeted.

"Quit shaking; I only consume demon souls, not lizards."

Miles away, within the hidden, jagged canyons of the continent, sat the Succubus Eye guildhall.

Minerva Orland returned to report her utter failure. Her clothes were torn, her pride was completely shattered, and she was still trembling from her encounter in the frozen village. Facing Ren, she knew deep in her soul that defeat was absolute and inevitable.

She pushed open the heavy iron doors of her new Dark Guild, expecting the usual raucous laughter and sinister plotting.

Yet the grand hall stood entirely empty. The walls were deeply scarred, tables were cleaved in half, and the scent of ozone and fresh blood hung heavily in the air. The guild looked as if it had been raided by a natural disaster.

"W-what happened? Everyone's gone…" Minerva stammered, her combat instincts screaming at her.

She took a cautious step forward, her boots crunching against the stone floor. As she looked down, her breath hitched in her throat. She noticed bizarre, paper-thin human silhouettes scattered across the floor, their faces twisted in permanent, silent screams of agony.

"What are—"

"People, of course," a smooth, sickeningly sweet voice said from the shadows directly behind her.

"People?!"

Minerva flinched, violently spinning around and raising her hands to cast her spatial magic.

"My Curse magic strengthens those who are worthy; the weak who cannot handle the enhancement become… that," the woman said, gesturing casually toward the flattened corpses on the floor.

"Who are you?!"

Minerva whirled defensively. Before her stood a terrifying demoness. She had avian features, wearing a revealing, feathered outfit and a strange headpiece that obscured the upper half of her face. Dark, malicious ethernano rolled off her body in suffocating waves.

"I am Kyoka of the Nine Demon Gates, Tartaros."

"Tartaros?!"

Minerva paled completely; the most secretive, mythical Dark Guild in history stood before her. The rulers of the Balam Alliance.

"We're your subordinate guild—why would you attack your own people?!" Minerva yelled, panic bleeding into her usually arrogant tone.

Kyoka smiled, a sharp, sadistic curve of her lips. She stepped forward, her heels clicking ominously against the stone.

"A grand campaign looms on the horizon. The underworld will rise, and the master bids me gather only the most worthy troops. I cull the useless trash."

"Slaughtering your own potential soldiers? That's foolish!" Minerva spat, trying to maintain her bravado.

"Oh? You have a sharp tongue for a human." Kyoka chuckled darkly, raising a single, clawed hand. "Let's see if your body is as resilient as your ego. Let's see if you're worth keeping."

Kyoka's Enhancement Curse flared, tearing through the space between them. The sheer, overwhelming surge of forced magical enhancement slammed into Minerva's nervous system.

Minerva screamed, a raw, agonizing sound of pure torture as her pain receptors were forcefully magnified a thousand times over.

"Stop—don't—!!"

The next noon, the bright sun shone warmly over the vibrant, green oasis hidden within the arid wastelands.

Ren's team finally reached Warrod Sequen's cottage. They walked up the garden path, looking much more relaxed and well-rested after the giant's banquet, and quickly debriefed the legendary Wizard Saint.

"Ah-hahaha! I knew I could count on you youngsters from Fairy Tail! Well done, well done!!"

Warrod clapped his hands together, his bark-like face splitting into a wide, genuinely joyful smile.

"Of course; the job was an absolute breeze!" Natsu boasted loudly, puffing out his chest, incredibly proud to have played a key role in melting the village.

"Yep, it was way easier than our last S-Class mission on Tenrou Island," Lucy agreed with a relieved sigh, crossing her arms. Though deep down, she knew full well that without Ren suppressing the Dark Guild members and feeding Natsu the miniature sun, they would have likely failed miserably.

"Aye! Even if I didn't do much!"

Happy raised a paw cheerfully, admitting his role as the team's designated flying mascot.

Ren ruffled his feathers gently, a rare, fond smile touching his lips. "Nothing this time, maybe next."

[Akarin Note:

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