Chapter 58: Your magic is quite interesting but... that's it

Sawyer, also known as "Racer," was a member of the Dark Guild, Oración Seis.

With his Six Eyes, Nate quickly recognized the person behind him. Racer had spiky yellow hair, wore windproof goggles, and had a long, distinct nose. It was this unique feature that made Racer easy to identify.

Nate was surprised that a member of a Dark Guild would appear in Magnolia, especially since it seemed Racer was there specifically for him.

As expected, Racer spoke first, issuing an "invitation."

"Nate, mage of Fairy Tail, creator of Internet Magic, and a user of Tremor Magic, correct?"

Racer struck a cool pose, not attacking immediately but rather extending what seemed like a friendly invitation:

"Our leader would like to invite you as a guest."

"A guest?" Nate slowly turned around, smiling. "Sorry, but I hate trouble. If I can lie down, I won't stand, and if I can stay at home, I won't go out."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "Why don't you have your leader come to see me instead?"

Upon hearing this, Racer sighed. He knew it wouldn't be that simple.

If possible, he really didn't want to start a fight in Magnolia. After all, this was Fairy Tail's territory. Any commotion would quickly draw a swarm of mages. While he wasn't afraid of the regular members, the last thing he wanted was to attract Makarov.

"Three seconds!"

Racer held up three fingers, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished from his spot.

He was incredibly fast, far beyond the reaction speed of an ordinary person. But Nate's Six Eyes tracked his movements effortlessly.

To normal senses, it appeared as though Racer was moving at supersonic speed, yet no sonic boom accompanied his movements.

In less than a tenth of a second, Racer had circled behind Nate, aiming a kick at the back of his head.

Nate casually tilted his head forward, and Racer's kick missed by a hair's breadth.

"Hmm?" Racer was startled. After missing with his right leg, he smoothly transitioned into a spinning kick with his left leg.

But once again, Nate easily dodged, simply stepping forward and turning as he did, perfectly avoiding the attack.

"Your magic is interesting."

What's going on?

Racer, surprised that he had missed twice, quickly retreated, creating some distance between himself and Nate. As he observed Nate's calm expression, a suspicion began to form in his mind.

"Is it eye magic?"

With a gentle tone and a smile, Nate replied, "No need to rush, Racer. Why not sit down and chat? What does your leader want with me?"

"You'll find out if you come with me! Don't worry, no harm will come to you. At least, your safety is guaranteed," Racer grunted, charging forward again, still convinced no one could consistently react to his speed.

Nate wasn't interested in starting a fight in the city. One wrong move could lead to significant destruction, which he'd have to pay for.

With a thought, Nate rose into the air, hovering about ten meters above the ground, effortlessly dodging Racer's next attack.

"How about we change locations? Can you keep up?"

Nate laughed softly as he shot off into the sky, turning into a streak of golden light headed toward the outskirts of the city.

"He can fly!?"

Racer was shocked but immediately gave chase, unwilling to let his target escape.

Nate knew their leader, Brain, was a powerful mage with two distinct personalities. The "outer" personality loved magic knowledge and had once been the head of the Bureau of Magical Development, where he had invented numerous magics. He was also the one who had deceived Ur.

The "inner" personality, however, was the true leader of Oración Seis—a being who reveled in total destruction.

This inner personality was so dangerous that its magic power rivaled that of the Ten Wizard Saints. Because of its overwhelming strength, Brain used a magic called "Organic Link Magic," connecting his inner self to the six members of Oración Seis.

Only when all six members were defeated would the seal on Brain's inner personality be broken, allowing it to awaken.

As Nate recalled these details, he soared toward the eastern forest.

"Too slow!"

Racer had already arrived, standing on a branch of a tall tree, supporting himself with one hand on the trunk, level with Nate in the sky.

"Why don't you come down here!"

With a slight bend of his knees, Racer launched himself into the air, aiming a spinning kick at Nate.

Nate simply raised his hand.

Smack!

A dull thud echoed as Nate caught Racer's ankle with one hand, then yanked him downward with force.

As Racer fell, he quickly regained control of his body, landing on his feet with bent knees.

"Red Zone!"

A red magic circle appeared beneath him, instantly boosting his speed. He shot upward again, moving nearly twice as fast as before.

In a flash, he zipped behind Nate, preparing for another aerial kick.

But this time, Nate was surrounded by a white magic barrier.

The moment Racer's kick connected with the barrier, his expression shifted as he felt a wave of tremor force block his attack.

The next moment, the tremor exploded outward like the giant hand of a titan, slamming Racer into the ground with a deafening crash, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Why don't you learn your lesson? Your magic is interesting, but it's useless against these eyes."

Hovering in the air, Nate gazed down at Racer calmly, speaking without a trace of concern:

"Your magic lowers your opponent's perception of time, making you seem faster."

"But the weaknesses are glaringly obvious."

"First, it only affects perception; it can't dull your opponent's actual reflexes."

"Second, because you're not actually speeding yourself up, your attacks lack power."

"And third, my Six Eyes give me a full view of everything around me. To me, your magic is nothing more than a sideshow."

With that, Nate's expression became one of mild boredom.

"Honestly, I'm tired of watching."

How is this possible?

Cold sweat trickled down Racer's forehead, and a chill crept up his spine. He stared up at Nate, his confidence shaken to the core.

In just a short exchange, Nate had completely seen through his magic.

"Do you have anything else?"

Nate raised his right hand, conjuring a small white orb in his palm. As he poured more magic into it, the orb expanded into a pulsing sphere of tremor energy.

Reaching its critical point, Nate casually tossed it downward.

"Time to say goodbye!"

As the sphere of tremor energy descended, it continued to grow. When it was just a few meters above Racer's head, it exploded.

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion echoed across the eastern forest, illuminating the night with a blinding white light.

The shockwave from the explosion felt like a typhoon, ripping trees from their roots and shaking the earth with a deafening roar.