The Aura of Nirvana

Riyao deactivated his Celestial Spirit form.

His long pink hair and shimmering patterns slowly faded away like the receding tide, replaced by his usual carefree and irresponsible demeanor.

He stretched out his foot and lightly stomped on the ground.

A verdant magic circle unfolded beneath his feet, its soft, warm light rippling outwards like the waters of a stirred Hisui lake.

The magic circle was just the right size to cover everyone, and the light of Healing Magic seeped into each person's body, repairing their injuries.

Seeing that the magic circle hadn't absorbed him, he cautiously entered the magic circle.

Carla flew down from the sky and pounced directly on Riyao's head, gripping his hair tightly with her two paws.

Carla's voice was sharp and urgent, each word seemingly squeezed out from between her teeth, carrying an uncontrollable anxiety.

"You cunning idiot, hurry and save Wendy! And that tomcat too!"

Riyao shook his head, somewhat helplessly.

"Hey, can't you use a nicer way of addressing me?"

Lucy squatted on the ground, covering her bottom with her hands, her eyes brimming with tears.

Her face was filled with grievance and anger, her lips were tightly pursed, and her voice was choked with sobs.

"Oh no, is there something wrong with Geminis? Why are they specifically targeting me, and why are their abilities so effective against me?"

The three of them rushed over and hurriedly helped Zhen Shiye up from the toilet.

After the cloth stuffed in his mouth was ripped out, he took a deep breath and then let out a deafening roar.

"Man~"

Jura scanned the entire area, confirming that everyone's injuries had been healed by Healing Magic.

He nodded slightly, his brows still furrowed, his gaze steady yet sharp.

Natsu tilted his head back, clenched his fists, and let out an angry shout.

"Ugh, this is so frustrating! I lost for no reason! I was buried underground before I even really touched my opponent, what kind of game is this!"

His voice echoed in the empty hall, carrying a strong sense of resentment.

Riyao spread his hands and sighed helplessly.

His tone carried a calmness reminiscent of analyzing the battle situation, a stark contrast to his usual carefree demeanor.

"The main problem is that we lacked coordination, while they had excellent teamwork. Also, among the Oración Seis, the one who's fast isn't using speed magic; he's using magic that misleads people's senses, and we were all affected."

Erza nodded, a sharp glint in her eyes.

Xiang then walked over, his expression much more serious than before.

He began sharing the information he had about the Oración Seis, including each member's magical attributes, fighting style, and weaknesses.

The group gathered together and began to discuss battle tactics.

Carla lay on Riyao's head, her two paws constantly pawing at his hair, like an anxious cat digging in the litter box.

Her eyes darted around, and the cat exuded a restless anxiety.

Riyao reached out to block Carla's claws, but after blocking one from the left, another came from the right; after blocking one from the right, another came from the left, like playing whack-a-mole.

Stop picking at it, you'll go bald!

"Let's split up and go our separate ways. Carla and I will go first."

Riyao gave up fighting with Carla's claws, put his hands in his pockets, and resumed his usual casual tone.

"By the way, there are a lot of enemies in the Worth Woodsea. I reckon all the dark guilds under the Oración Seis are here. Be careful, don't get exhausted and get caught."

After saying that, he walked out of the villa with Carla on his head without waiting for anyone's reply.

Erza rubbed her forehead and sighed.

With Mirajane gone, no one could control Riyao. She turned her head, her gaze sweeping across everyone's faces, her voice regaining its unquestionable decisiveness.

"We also discovered a problem in the recent battle: our teamwork wasn't good enough. So we split into smaller groups to avoid affecting our teammates as much as possible."

Deep within the Worth Woodsea, the dense canopy blocks out the sun, with only scattered rays of sunlight filtering through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows across the forest.

The air was filled with the smell of damp earth and some indescribable, musty odor.

The black and gold bracelet on Riyao's wrist transformed and extended in a faint light, turning into a black wooden stick with gold patterns, which he held in his hand as he moved through the forest.

He looked up at the sky and, through the gaps in the tree canopy, saw a huge magic-powered gunship flying low overhead.

The airship was enormous, and its hull was emblazoned with the guild's Blue Pegasus emblem, which stood out prominently in the moonlight.

Riyao tilted his head and looked at the airship, his lips twitching, his tone filled with undisguised disdain.

"Is the Blue Pegasus an idiot? Flying so low, it's just making itself a target."

Carla squatted on Riyao's head, holding onto his hair with both paws for balance. She looked up at the airship and curled her lip in disdain.

"That vain guild? They're really stupid."

The human and the cat were making fun of the Blue Pegasus, their tacit understanding like that of two longtime best friends.

As they were speaking, a dozen or so enemies suddenly appeared from the forest.

They emerged from behind trees, in bushes, and from holes in the ground, surrounding Riyao.

Each person held a variety of weapons; some held swords, some held wands, and some clenched their fists, exuding the fierce aura unique to members of the dark guild.

Riyao's tone was completely relaxed, as if he were casually reminding Carla to fasten her seatbelt.

"Carla, hold on tight, don't let me shake you off."

Upon hearing this, Carla tightened her grip on Riyao's hair with both paws, pressing her entire body against his head and arching her back slightly.

Riyao is too lazy to even activate its skills.

He suddenly accelerated.

His figure darted through the trees and crowds, moving as fast as a black lightning bolt.

The Fire Poker in his hand stretched and shortened unpredictably, like a living black python, leaving afterimages in the moonlight.

The Fire Poker quickly extended, its tip striking a henchman precisely in the chest with such force that it sent him flying, crashing into two trees as thick as bowls behind him like a cannonball.

With a flick of his wrist, Riyao swung his Fire Poker horizontally, the stick whistling through the air as it slammed two enemies into a tree. Their bodies created two human-shaped dents in the tree trunk before they slid limply down.

The Fire Poker shortened and retracted, but Riyao's steps did not falter in the slightest.

The remaining enemies reacted, and a dense barrage of magic rained down from all directions.

Fireballs, ice spikes, wind blades, and rocks—multicolored lights intertwined in the night sky, forming a deadly net that enveloped the Riyao.

Riyao slammed the Fire Poker into the ground, then twisted his wrist, Fire Poker to extend rapidly.

He was lifted high into the air by the Fire Poker, as if he were stepping on a bamboo pole shooting into the sky, instantly escaping the range of the magic attack.

The colorful magic spells clashed and collided beneath his feet, exploding into a dazzling display of fireworks.

Riyao flipped his body in the air, using the momentum of his descent to spin around, swinging the Fire Poker in a huge arc, bringing it down with terrifying centrifugal force and a whistling sound.

Boom!

The ground cracked open under the bombardment of the Fire Poker, scattering dirt and gravel everywhere, and the shockwave uprooted the surrounding bushes.

Several enemies standing at the edge of the blast radius were thrown to the ground by the blast wave, their ears ringing, and they couldn't get up for a long time.

Riyao jumped out of the pit, the Fire Poker in his hand rapidly extending and retracting, stabbing out several times in succession.

Each strike accurately hit a vital point of an enemy; some were stabbed in the abdomen and bent over like shrimp, some were hit on the back of the head and immediately passed out, and some were swept across the legs and tumbled several times in the air.

Before the remaining enemies could even announce their names, they were all defeated by Riyao and lay sprawled on the ground, each one quieter than the last.

Carla patted Riyao's head and gently tapped the top of his head with her paw, as if knocking on a door.

Her tone betrayed her dissatisfaction.

"These enemies are too weak; they couldn't even force you to use your magic."

Riyao slung the Fire Poker over his shoulder and continued walking, his tone as casual as if he were strolling through a market.

"Being weak is normal. If the minions of the Dark Guilds were all strong, what would be the point of the Magic Council?"

"But it's too weak."

"Is it possible that I'm too strong?"

Riyao tilted his head, a smug smile playing on his lips.

"It's not shameful to admire me; I can give you my autograph."

Carla rolled her eyes, her whole being radiating an aura of "I don't want to talk to this human," and she seemed rather unwilling to acknowledge this cunning male human.

"Hurry and find Wendy!"

Riyao's tone was slightly teasing, but his pace noticeably quickened.

"You're so heartless! Happy's been taken away too."

The two continued their journey through the forest, and the surrounding air began to change.

An indescribable scent wafted from the depths of the forest, like rotting flowers mixed with burnt syrup, sweet yet rotten, making one instinctively want to hold their breath.

"Ugh, what's that nauseating smell up ahead?"

Riyao slowed his pace and looked ahead.

Deep in the forest, a faint, almost transparent mist could be seen in the air, like a thin veil shrouding the treetops, shimmering eerily in the moonlight.

Riyao's voice lowered, and the playful smile on his face faded, replaced by an unusual seriousness.

"This must be the aura leaked from Nirvana."