The Dog-Man and the Chicken-Man

Mirajane stared at the dog and chicken with hostility, a slight smirk playing on his lips, but that smile was unsettling no matter how you looked at it.

Cana and Lisanna, standing behind her, saw the smile and simultaneously took a step back.

They knew that expression all too well; whenever Mirajane flashed that smile, it meant someone was about to suffer.

With Riyao absent, Mirajane became completely unrestrained.

"You bastard, you're really ugly."

The dog-headed man immediately lost his guard; the fur on his face stood on end, and his two ears stood straight up.

"Hey! You've gone too far, woman! You start swearing as soon as you arrive!"

Enraged, he drew his katana from his waist, the blade flashing in the sunlight. He waved it at his companion, spitting as he did so.

"Attack her together! Tear her mouth apart!"

The man and the chicken let out a strange cry, flapped their wings twice, and pushed off the ground with their toes, charging towards Mirajane at the same time.

The kobold's katana thrust straight at Mirajane's face, while the human-chicken's claws swooped in from the side; their coordination was quite impeccable.

Mirajane snorted coldly, not even lifting an eyelid.

She stood still, completely ignoring the two guys.

The dog-headed man was secretly delighted; this woman was too arrogant, not even bothering to dodge.

The tip of his knife was less than an inch from Mirajane's nose.

Then, Mirajane disappeared.

Buzz!

She vanished without a trace, leaving only a slight ripple in the air.

The human-chicken disappeared along with her.

The kobold's sword slashed at nothing, the blade striking the air, and the momentum carried him forward two steps.

He turned around abruptly, his pupils shrinking sharply.

Mirajane had already grabbed the chicken by the neck and lifted it into the air, its two chicken legs kicking wildly in mid-air, making hoarse clucking sounds from its throat.

The chicken's eyes were filled with terror, and its claws frantically clawed towards Mirajane, but it couldn't reach her at all.

"Giggle... Let go... giggle..."

Mirajane remained expressionless, her fingers tightening slightly.

The next second, a blazing pillar of black fire rose from the ground and engulfed the human-chicken completely.

Boom!

The pitch-black flames surged and churned, distorting and warping the surrounding air.

The pillar of fire lasted for about three seconds, then suddenly dissipated.

A delicious aroma of roasted chicken wafted through the air, filling everyone's nostrils.

"It smells quite nice."

Cana swallowed subconsciously, her stomach growled, and then she quickly shook her head and patted her face hard.

"No, no, that's the enemy, we can't be tempted. Cana, wake up, that's not roast chicken, that's human chicken."

"But it smells really good!"

Lisanna muttered to herself.

Mirajane casually tossed the human-chicken aside. The chicken fell to the ground with a thud, its body charred black, and it was completely still.

A few wisps of black smoke rose from its body and quickly dissipated in the wind.

She turned her head and looked at the kobold, her gaze eerily calm.

What is your purpose in coming to Tenrou Island?

The kobold's hand holding the sword trembled, the tip of the sword bobbing up and down, making a soft tinkling sound.

He staggered back two steps, his heel hitting a stone, and he almost fell again.

Mirajane walked slowly toward him, each step unhurried, yet the oppressive feeling was overwhelming, like an invisible hand pressing on his chest.

The air seemed to freeze; with each step forward, the kobold found it harder to breathe.

The kobold stumbled, lost his footing, and his knees buckled, causing him to kneel down.

The katana slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a clatter.

"I... I won't tell!"

He gritted his teeth, trying to make his voice sound firm, but the trembling at the end betrayed him.

It doesn't matter.

Mirajane spoke in a flat tone, as if he were asking what to have for dinner.

The kobold was taken aback, not understanding what she meant.

What do you mean "it doesn't matter"? Wasn't she asking for information?

Mirajane gave him no more time to think.

She grabbed the kobold by the collar, swung her arm, and tossed him into the air.

The kobold's body flipped in the air, its limbs flailing wildly, completely unable to find its balance.

Before he could react, Mirajane's fists had already launched an attack.

"Ora ora ora..."

Accelerated by the flames, both fists left afterimages as they swung, their movements so fast that the naked eye could only see a blurry trajectory.

Every punch landed squarely on the kobold's body—chest, abdomen, shoulder, cheek. The fists landed in random places, but covered every inch of the kobold's body.

The sound of bones cracking and the dull thud of fists colliding blended together, so dense that there were almost no gaps, forming a continuous, teeth-grinding cacophony.

The kobold was knocked into the air and floated up, each time it was about to fall, it was punched back up.

His body became like a suspended sandbag, swaying back and forth as Mirajane's fists pounded into him.

Cana and Lisanna huddled together, shivering behind a nearby tree.

"Thank you for being lenient during the assessment, sister."

Cana's voice was trembling.

"Yeah, yeah, if that fist landed on us, we'd be covered in bruises."

Lisanna nodded vigorously, her chin almost touching her chest.

I feel like we'll end up scattered here and there.

"Riyao always yells 'Ora Ora' when he hits people, and Mira picked it up too."

"That's called 'couple resemblance.' When two people are together for a long time, even their habit of hitting each other becomes contagious."

"Keep your voice down, or we're doomed if Mira hears us."

Cana quickly covered Lisanna's mouth, glancing guiltily at Mirajane.

Mirajane's final punch landed, and the kobold slammed heavily to the ground with a dull thud.

The kobold was beaten to the point of near death, lying on the ground, his body covered in wounds.

His face was so swollen that he was unrecognizable, his clothes were tattered, and blood was seeping from the corners of his mouth and nostrils.

After all, Mirajane has no cure; once he's beaten, it's over, and no one will heal him.

Mirajane stepped on the dog's head, grinding it with her toe and rubbing the sole of her shoe against his face.

"Is this all the Grimoire Heart?"

Blood and foam gushed from the kobold's mouth as he managed to squeeze out a few words, each one seemingly uttered with all his might.

"Don't be... smug... I'm just... the... vanguard, one of the Seven Kin... has already... arrived... on the island... When Lord Azuma... finds you... you'll..."

"Hehe, you mean that wooden man who can crawl into trees?"

Mirajane's tone was light and casual, as if she were saying the weather was nice today.

"?!"

The kobold's remaining consciousness was filled with shock.

Lord Azuma has been captured? How is that possible? He's the strongest of the Seven Kin! How could he be captured so easily...?

His eyes were wide open, and he made indistinct sounds as if he wanted to say something, but blood and foam blocked his throat, so he could only make gurgling noises.

Mirajane stopped talking nonsense, and a black flame ignited in her hand, dancing and leaping on her fingertips.

She flung the flames at the dog-headed man and the human-chicken, the dark flames landing on their bodies and instantly spreading out, enveloping them completely.

The two bodies were quickly reduced to ashes in the inky flames, leaving not even bones behind.

The ashes drifted in the wind, mixed into the air, and quickly disappeared without a trace.

If it weren't for the charred marks still visible on the ground, the battle would have seemed like it had never happened.

Mirajane dusted off his hands, then turned to look at Cana and Lisanna.

But she forgot to restrain her aura; the cold killing intent from the battle still lingered in her eyes, causing the two women to shudder and shrink back in fear.

"Look at you guys, I'm really not going to pass you next time."

Lisanna was the first to react, and she went over with a grin, hugging Mirajane's arm and starting to act coquettishly.

She shook Mirajane's arm in a sweet, coquettish voice.

"Sister, you're so powerful! We're just scared. When you hit the kobold, I felt the pain too."

"Exactly, Mira, the look you gave me just now... I felt like I was going to be burned to ashes. I almost knelt down."

Cana scratched her cheek, chuckled awkwardly, and quickly changed the subject.

So, what's the situation now?

Mirajane looked towards the sea, his gaze becoming serious, and the murderous aura he had shown earlier subsided considerably.

"The Grimoire Heart has attacked; their main force has arrived. The assessment is now over, and everyone must return to the assembly point. This is no joke."

Cana sighed, her shoulders slumped, and she looked completely dejected.

"I felt like I had a really good chance this year, but it all came to an end. I finally got this far, the second round had even started, and then it was all interrupted."

She became increasingly frustrated as she spoke, and took a swig from the bottle at her waist.

"You can take the exam anytime, but you only have one life. Only by staying alive can you have another chance to take it."

After Mirajane finished speaking, he turned and led the two men toward the camp.

Cana followed behind, looked around, and suddenly remembered something, slapping her forehead.

"By the way, I was saying something felt missing. Where's Riyao? Shouldn't he be sticking to you all the time? He's usually like a leech, impossible to shake off. Where has he disappeared to now?"

Mirajane mimicked Riyao's gesture, spreading his arms wide to draw a huge circle.

He said there was another troublesome guest who needed to be asked to leave.

"What kind of customer wants such a big circle drawn? A dragon?"

Cana looked at Mirajane's outstretched arms; the circle was about two meters in diameter.

"The president's face was really grim at the time. I'd never seen the old man look so serious. He wanted to go with him, but Riyao said it was more appropriate for him to go; he was Life Magic and wouldn't cause any trouble."

Lisanna frowned, her little face filled with worry.

"Even the president reacted like that, just how troublesome is this guest? There are probably only a handful of people on the entire continent who could make the president's expression change like that."

"I don't know. Riyao and the chairman are playing charades, both of them are being very secretive, and they won't reveal a single word."

Mirajane narrowed his eyes, his tone turning dangerous, and he clenched his fist.

"When we get home, I'll give Riyao a good beating. He's been hiding things from me; he's got some nerve. I wasn't done with my Ora Ora just now, beating up that kobold."

Cana and Lisanna exchanged a glance, and at the same time silently mourned for Riyao for a second.

Cana muttered to herself.

"Riyao, oh Riyao, may you have good fortune."

Lisanna nodded in agreement.

"My brother-in-law is really in trouble this time."

Somewhere in the forest, Riyao suddenly sneezed.

Achoo!

He rubbed his nose, looked around, and muttered something to himself.

"I guess Mira misses me."