Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master

Before the intruders had time to react, a wave of blue-purple void creatures surged toward them like a living tide. The dark wizards of Black Unicorn had no choice but to fight back.

Rhodes watched calmly from a distance, arms crossed as he observed their performance like a teacher assessing students during an exam. Some of them used magic staves to launch fireballs, while others fired off dark-elemental magic bullets. A few were ability-type casters, their spells hitting more accurately and with more punch than the rest.

Several among them were close-range fighters, magic swordsmen, who instinctively took up positions on the frontline, coordinating with their comrades to push back the relentless swarm.

All in all, they were more organized than your average outlaw gang. They had real combat training and could work as a unit.

Rhodes narrowed his eyes, noting the standout individuals, two wind mages and about half a dozen sword-users. He paid close attention to their movements, wondering if any of them were connected to the recent murder case near the village.

So far, he hadn’t sensed any powerful auras that screamed "elite" or "S-Class." Whoever was calling the shots didn’t seem like a top-tier mage.

The initial barrage of spells finally died down. Rhodes could tell they were running low on magical stamina, most wizards outside of major guilds couldn’t sustain combat-grade magic for long stretches.

Now came the melee phase.

The void creatures were no match for the frontline magic swordsmen in close combat. But even then, none of the sword users displayed the deadly finesse or advanced swordplay he was hoping to see.

Looks like it was time to switch tactics.

"If we can’t find the killer, we’ll just take those wind mages and whoever’s barking orders back for questioning," Rhodes muttered.