"Laxus, don't you dare run away! I'm gonna beat you! Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Hearing such a reckless battle cry, there was no need to guess who it belonged to.
Listen, Natsu, I completely understand your burning desire to challenge Laxus. But why the hell is your fist flying straight at my face?!
Watching the flaming fist rapidly expand in his vision, Night merely let out a resigned chuckle and thrust his hand forward. A dull thud echoed through the air as Night's fist buried itself unerringly into Natsu's stomach.
Natsu's body bowed like a taut string, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. The flaming fist, which had stopped mere inches from Night's face, instantly fizzled out with a quiet hiss, as if it had been doused with ice water. In the next second, smoke billowed from Natsu's ears, stars danced before his eyes, and he crumpled to the guild floor like a sack of potatoes.
"..."
In an instant, a dead silence fell over the previously boisterous guild. Both the children and the veterans stared at Night in absolute shock. Truth be told, with the exception of an observant few, the vast majority of those present hadn't even noticed the young man who had walked in right behind Makarov.
"Natsu... was knocked out in one hit..."
The one most shaken by this was Gray—Natsu's eternal rival. The two of them clashed over the slightest things almost every single day, and every time, their brawls ended in a draw. If Night could take Natsu down with a single strike, it meant he could just as easily do the same to him!
It's over! I'm doomed! Another "Erza" has appeared! How am I supposed to live now?! Gray clutched his head in sheer panic, looking as though the end of the world had just arrived. To him, and to the currently unconscious Natsu, the girl named Erza was the most terrifying creature on the planet! One Erza was already more than enough to turn his life in the guild into a living nightmare. And now, another monster of the same caliber had shown up! Gray felt all the color drain from his world. Life was nothing but pain...
Erza herself kept her piercing gaze fixed intently on Night. Sparks danced in her dark eyes—it was glaringly obvious that she was burning with the desire to challenge him.
"Master, who's the kid?" Wakaba asked in bewilderment, exhaling a cloud of smoke as he scrutinized Night.
"This is our new comrade, Night. Introduce yourself to everyone!" Makarov replied.
"My name is Night Vermillion. It's a pleasure to meet you all, and I hope we get along!" Night introduced himself in a perfectly standard manner. Having finished, his gaze slid over to Natsu's sprawled form on the floor. He blinked his eyelashes innocently and added with a smile, "If I said I knocked him out by accident, would you believe me?"
"..."
An awkward silence hung over the guild once again.
You little schemer... The corner of Makarov's mouth twitched nervously.
"Hahaha! Master, the new guy's got some fire in him!"
"No kidding! Master, where on earth did you dig him up?! I can already see a bright future for our guild!"
"Ah, youth... What a beautiful thing!"
The stupor finally broke, and the hall erupted into roaring laughter. Jokes and teasing remarks poured in from the guild's veterans. And no one, absolutely no one, paid a single lick of attention to Natsu lying on the floor. Poor guy...
At that moment, the most striking figure in the guild—the girl with the scarlet hair—marched straight up to Night.
"Hello. My name is Erza Scarlet. From now on, we are comrades!" she declared amicably, extending her small, pale hand toward him.
"Hi! It's great to meet you! My future... Queen!" Night smiled warmly and shook her outstretched hand. Her skin was cool and incredibly soft to the touch. Of course, he only uttered that last part in his mind.
"Excellent. And now, Night, fight me!"
Erza's tone shifted drastically, becoming dead serious. With a flash of magic, a sharp sword materialized in her grasp, its tip pointed directly at Night's chest. What a twist... One second they were having a pleasant chat, and the next, she was ready to throw down at the drop of a hat.
"Heh-heh, even though this is our first time meeting, I can already fully appreciate your fiery spirit..." Night glanced sideways at the cold, gleaming blade and added with a smile, "Let's skip the fighting. But if you want to treat me to lunch, I certainly won't say no!"
Hearing this, Erza's expression darkened. She tightened her grip on the sword's hilt and ground out, "Are you mocking me, sir?"
Well, there it was. She had even stopped using his name and jumped straight to "sir"! Night let out a defeated sigh and threw his hands up in surrender.
"Alright, if you insist, let's do it. It'll be over quickly anyway!"
Quickly?! Erza frowned slightly but remained silent. Her gaze, however, grew even sharper and more piercing.
"Alright, Erza, that's enough! Night just arrived, and he hasn't even had the chance to properly meet everyone yet. Save your duels for later! I have an important announcement to make!" Makarov suddenly interjected, cutting off the fight before it could even begin.
"See? I'm game, but the Master won't allow it!" Night said with a sly smirk, smoothly shifting the blame onto Makarov. The old man's face instantly darkened at such sheer audacity.
"Hmph!" Erza scoffed, turning on her heel and marching back to her seat. It was glaringly obvious that the canceled duel had thoroughly ruined our Queen's mood!
Night smiled carelessly and took a seat at the table across from Erza. By pure coincidence, the person sitting right next to him turned out to be Gray. By this point, Gray had managed to recover somewhat from his initial shock. Seeing Night sit down beside him, he immediately plastered his most welcoming smile onto his face, extended a hand, and said, "Hey! I'm Gray Fullbuster, an Ice-Make mage. From now on, we're comrades!"
"Hi," Night replied dryly. Not a single trace remained of the "fiery spirit" he had just shown while talking to Erza. He merely glanced at Gray's outstretched hand and added indifferently, "By the way, I don't make a habit of shaking hands with guys. So, sorry about that!"
"..."