Larcade Dragneel

Natsu and his group encountered enemies.

Erza of Edolas, holding the Ten Commandments Spear, stared at the group with a gloomy gaze; the tip of the spear gleamed coldly in the dim corridor.

Her posture was as straight as a pine tree, and she exuded a suffocating sense of oppression, completely different from the Erza that Natsu knew.

There was not a trace of warmth in Erza's eyes.

"I really underestimated you guys; you actually managed to escape."

A effeminate man stood beside Erza, his hands in his pockets, a playful smile on his lips. His eyes scanned them like a cat eyeing a mouse, and he exuded an unsettling aura.

"Tsk tsk, the little mouse has run out. It wouldn't be bad to play a game of cat and mouse."

"Hughes! This is a crucial moment."

Erza glanced at him sideways, her tone icy and carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"Okay, okay."

Hughes shrugged, grinned, and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, but the mockery in his eyes remained undiminished.

Natsu assumed a fighting stance, flames erupting from his fists, the orange-red light dancing in the corridor and illuminating his tense face.

"Wendy, Lucy, you two go find Riyao and the others first."

Lucy looked worried, clutching the hem of her skirt with both hands, her lips slightly pursed, her gaze shifting back and forth between Natsu and Erza.

"What will you do if we leave?"

Wendy was also worried, her little face full of conflict. On one hand, she was worried that Natsu would have to deal with Erza, and on the other hand, she was concerned about Carla's safety. Her two little hands waved anxiously in front of her chest.

Natsu grinned, the flames on his fist dancing even brighter, his smile bright and confident, like an inextinguishable fire.

"I can use magic now, so don't worry."

Lucy gritted her teeth, chose to believe Natsu, grabbed Wendy, turned and left, her steps hurried.

Erza snorted coldly, slammed the Ten Commandments Spear into the ground, and the butt of the spear struck the stone slab with a dull thud.

"Hughes."

Hughes immediately rushed towards Lucy and Wendy, his body moving like a slippery snake, darting along the ground at such speed that he left a trail of afterimages in the air.

Just as Natsu was about to stop him, Erza swept her gun across, the barrel carrying a sharp wind pressure that forced Natsu to take a half step back. The tip of the gun barely grazed his nose, creating a gust of wind.

"Your opponent is me!"

"You may be Erza, but you're really annoying!"

Natsu gritted his teeth and shouted, the flames on his fist suddenly leaping higher, but he clearly held back some of the force when he swung out.

For a moment, Natsu was actually suppressed. The Ten Commandments Spear was unpredictable, sometimes thrusting and sometimes sweeping, and each strike accurately hit the gaps in Natsu's defense. Natsu dodged left and right.

Natsu wasn't in the right frame of mind, and since his opponent was Erza, he was hesitant and restrained in the fight.

Lucy ran away in tears, regretting that she hadn't trained harder and was about to get beaten up again.

"When I get back, I must work hard to learn how to wear the Star Dress."

Wendy stopped and turned to face Hughes, her two little feet firmly planted on the ground. Although her knees were trembling slightly, her back was straight and her little hands were raised in front of her chest.

"Miss Lucy, you go first, I'll hold him off!"

"Wendy..."

Lucy paused and turned around.

"I can handle it!"

Wendy looked at Lucy with determined eyes, her small body brimming with fighting spirit.

"Okay, I'll find the key right away, just wait for me."

Lucy nodded vigorously, turned around and continued running, her pace even faster than before, until her figure disappeared around the corner of the corridor.

Inside the royal treasury, the dark figure behind Riyao approached and kicked him in the back of Riyao neck. The kick was swift and sharp, the sound of it cutting through the air was piercing and ear-piercing.

Riyao didn't even look, he just ducked his head and dodged the attack, the foot barely grazing his head.

"Oh dear, attacking from behind is so rude!"

He stood up, turned around, and looked at the dark figure. He patted the dust off his knees and tilted his head to examine the other person.

"Oh my, your Royal Army even recruits child laborers?"

"What are you doing here, sneaking around like that? State your name!"

Coco stood barefoot in the middle of a pile of magic props, hands on her hips, her little face puffed up with anger. Although she wasn't even as tall as the display stand next to her, she certainly had a lot of presence.

Riyao recognized the barefoot girl in front of him as Coco, the one who loved to run. He grinned, a dangerous smile playing on his lips.

[Life Mimicry - Celestial Spirit]

Magic erupted around him, and dazzling starlight surged from within him, its radiance flowing and shifting.

His demeanor suddenly changed, transforming him from a carefree scavenger into a chilling presence, making the air in the entire vault heavy.

"I am Luke Mystic, the Demon King from Earth-land."

"Naive Edolas, you have no idea what you are about to face!"

Coco, Coco involuntarily took two steps back, her back slamming into the display stand, causing several magical items to tumble down.

She swallowed hard, but still forced herself to call out back.

"Stop trying to scare me!"

Seeing that he had picked out most of the items, Riyao decided it was time to go find Mirajane.

He waved his hand, intending to tear the castle in two, his palm already gathering violent magic power, the air twisting and deforming in his palm, but the movement stopped, his fingers stiffening slightly.

Suddenly I remembered that Mystogan would inherit this castle later on.

With a stomp of his foot, magic flowed into his feet, causing the floor to collapse with a roar, sending rubble flying and creating a huge hole in the vault floor.

Riyao leaped down, the hem of his clothes drawing an arc in the air.

"Hey, I'm going to pick up my wife now, bye-bye."

Coco jumped up quickly, clinging to the wall with both hands and feet, like a startled gecko.

Mustering his courage, he peeked into the hole, only to find it pitch black below; Riyao's figure had long since vanished.

"You wicked person, you actually destroyed the castle!"

Riyao could no longer hear her voice; he had just heard a huge explosion outside, the booming sound causing the walls of the treasure vault to tremble slightly.

It's probably Gajeel's commotion about destroying the Magic Crystal that's causing this; Riyao wants to go check if Mirajane is there.

After the Magic Crystal in the plaza exploded, Erza and Gray appeared. Gajeel gave them the X-Balls and then briefly explained the situation.

Aslant Erza understood the situation, her gaze sharpened, and she exuded a chilling fighting spirit.

"I understand, Gajeel. You go find the Magic Crystal, Gray and I will go stop the Royal Army."

Gray casually tossed his clothes aside, stood shirtless in the center of the square, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, icy blue magic gathering in his palms, and the Peppa Pig tattoo on his back glowing slightly.

"It's all about fighting, right? I didn't even get to use my full strength when I fought Natsu last time, so this time I'm going to have a good fight."

Gajeel laughed as well, his mouthful of sharp teeth gleaming coldly in the sunlight. His iron fists clashed, producing a metallic clang.

"Fine, I'll do as you say. I'm very interested in destruction."

As Riyao emerged, it ran into Erza and Gray, causing it to brake suddenly, the large package behind it rattling loudly.

"Why are there only the two of you? Where's Mira? Never mind, I'll go find the Magic Crystal and rescue Mira to let her see the scenery here."

"Oh, right, Lucy's Celestial Spirit Key."

Riyao casually tossed the Celestial Spirit Key to Gray.

Erza sighed, about to reprimand him, but Riyao had already vanished. Erza words caught in her throat, and after a long while, she managed to squeeze out a single sentence through gritted teeth.

"This guy..."