Taurus, the Fastest to Bite the Dust
The Crack Between the Celestial Spirit World and the Human Realm – Astral Spiritas.
The sky here is not the sky, and the earth is not the earth; it is an endless, deep blue light curtain, on which countless constellation projections float, and the symbols of the twelve zodiac signs slowly rotate overhead.
Princess Hisui explained the Liberum Freedom Ritual to everyone, unfolding a yellowed ancient book and pointing to the text with her finger.
"This ritual allows the Celestial Spirit to break free from the bondage of their contract, but the price is only twelve days of lifespan. In other words, they trade twelve days of freedom for eternal liberation. Next, we will travel to the Celestial Spirit World to forcibly shut down the Celestial Spirit and interrupt their ritual. This is the key to forcibly shut down the gates."
After the Princess Hisui finished speaking, Arcadios opened a box.
Inside the box were twelve keys made of a special material, each engraved with a symbol corresponding to a zodiac sign, the symbols glowing faintly on the key's surface.
The ceremonial altar is surrounded by twelve gates, each corresponding to a constellation, with constellation totems carved on the door frames.
Natsu grabbed the Leo key and, without a second's hesitation, dashed through the door.
"Leo is mine!"
Lucy picked up the Aquarius key and ran her fingers along its surface.
The person she was closest to was Aquarius, even though that hot-tempered Aquarius woman would scold her all the time.
Elfman picked out the Taurus key, his thick fingers gripping the heavy, iron-gray key, weighing it in his palm.
This looks like a contest of strength, a duel between men, a clash of muscles.
Levy picked up the Capricorn key; the other person seemed to be an intellectual type, and she felt she could intellectually outmaneuver them.
Mirajane ultimately chose the Virgo key, which spun around on her fingertip, radiating a soft pink glow.
A half-smile curled at the corner of her lips; she was definitely the one vying to see who was more wicked.
Erza held the Sagittarius Key; the key felt heavy in her hand, and the bow-shaped symbol on its surface gleamed with a sharp light.
She squinted one eye, held it up to the light, and wanted to see how her archery skills compared to Sagittarius '.
Gajeel picked up the Gemini, thinking that he and Lily should be able to handle it.
Yukino chose Libra, the sign that had been with her the longest. The Libra symbol on the key swayed slightly from side to side, as if it were weighing something.
Cana scratched her head, making a mess of her hair, let out a burp, tapped her fingers over the remaining keys, and muttered something under her breath.
"Selecting soldiers and generals, whoever is chosen becomes whoever is chosen."
Her finger stopped on the Scorpio key, and she picked it up to look at it.
Wendy looked at the Pisces key.
Juvia originally wanted to follow Gray, but Gray expressionlessly picked up the Aries key and shoved it directly into her hand.
He took the Cancer key himself, his movements swift and decisive, giving Juvia no time to react.
Everyone selected a key and entered the corresponding door.
The twelve doors lit up simultaneously, and constellation symbols on the doorframes shone brightly, engulfing everyone's figures.
Princess Hisui waved her little fist, which wobbled twice in the air.
"Come on!"
Arcadios stood quietly to the side, arms crossed.
After they all entered the constellation gates, light screens were projected onto the corresponding gates. Twelve light screens floated in mid-air, each displaying a scene inside one of the twelve gates.
Princess Hisui discovered that some constellations were not directly battlegrounds; some doors led to chessboards, some to shooting ranges, and some to a fog.
She and Arcadios were drawn to the Taurus light screen.
Princess Hisui Arcadios. She stood with her hands on her hips, her chin slightly raised, and a confident smile on her lips.
"Is this the first Taurus to be forced into confinement? Want to take a gamble?"
"If not, Your Highness is not allowed to act recklessly for the next month."
Arcadios stated his terms without any expression.
"If I win, you'll have to keep it a secret from my father for a month!"
Princess Hisui's eyes lit up. The thought of being free from her father's control for a month, doing whatever she wanted, was so exciting it made her want to spin around.
Princess Hisui and Arcadios made a bet, and both looked at the light screen at the same time.
Inside the light screen, Elfman received the Beast King Soul throughout his body, his muscles swelled to twice their normal size, and reddish-brown fur extended from his shoulders to his arms.
His attacks were swift and fierce, each punch powerful and heavy, the wind from the punches exploding in the air.
Taurus simply deflected it with the book in his hand, a book that looked unremarkable, with the words "A Gentleman's Self-Cultivation" written in large characters on the cover.
With one hand behind his back and the other holding a book, he precisely blocked every punch from Elfman's path, barely even moving his feet.
This greatly boosted Arcadios's confidence. He nodded slightly, and the corners of his mouth lifted up a little.
Taurus's power far exceeds expectations; Your Highness is likely to lose the bet.
Princess Hisui's lips curled slightly as she noticed the change in Arcadios's expression.
But she said nothing, only turning her gaze back to the light screen.
Innocent!
Every punch Elfman threw was effortlessly blocked by Taurus, his fists striking the book without even leaving a crease.
Elfman's punches were getting faster and faster, and Taurus's blocks were getting faster and faster, the rhythm was as fast as drumming.
He was panting heavily, his hands supporting his knees, sweat pouring down his body, dripping onto the ground and forming a small puddle at his feet.
Arcadios wanted to do right now was open a bottle of champagne to celebrate.
He had already planned it out in his mind: once the Taurus was over, he would prepare a month-long schedule for His Highness, filled with reading, etiquette, and official duties, ensuring His Highness had a fulfilling and well-behaved month.
Princess Hisui frowned, tapping her chin lightly with her fingers.
Elfman's attacks couldn't penetrate Taurus's defenses at all; if this continued, he would be worn down and killed.
Elfman threw another punch, this time putting almost all the remaining strength in his body into it.
As he swung his fist, the sweat on his body flew out in the direction of the force, drawing a shimmering parabola in the air before landing on Taurus.
Taurus bounced up as if he'd been scalded by lava, almost dropping the book.
He frantically wiped away the sweat, desperately rubbing his hands on his clothes.
"Oh dear! How rude! This is an insult to Gentlemen."
A lightbulb popped into Elfman's not-so-bright head.
He looked down at his sweat-soaked body, then at Taurus's near-collapse, and a wide grin spread across his face.
He pounced on Taurus, wiping his sweat onto it and rolling around on it to make sure every inch of its skin was covered in his sweat.
"Let me go! This is extremely offensive to a Gentleman!"
Taurus's voice split, turning from a low moo into a sharp wail as it struggled desperately, its four hooves kicking wildly on the ground.
"Enjoy the allure of a man's 'sweat'!"
Elfman let out a triumphant roar, his sweat glistening in the starlight, making him seem to glow.
Taurus was utterly despondent; his eyes were unfocused, and his pupils had lost their focus.
It's not clean anymore.
The humiliation of a Gentleman being covered in sweat from head to toe is worse than being trampled underfoot by a hundred enemies.
Elfman pulled out the Taurus key, and the symbol of Taurus lit up instantly when the key touched Taurus's forehead.
Taurus Taurus successfully closed the door.
The light screen disappeared.
Arcadios was completely unprepared for this turn of events. His mouth was agape, his jaw nearly dislocated, and his body was as stiff as a statue.
He had just been planning out a schedule for His Highness, but now that schedule was shattered into dust in his mind.
"How could this be? A one in twelve chance."
"Hmph, Riyao once said that Taurus Taurus is always the one who gets the short end of the stick the fastest."
Princess Hisui laughed so hard she couldn't stop, clutching her stomach with both hands, bending over with laughter, and tears welling up in her eyes.
A month of happy times is finally here!
Arcadios silently tore the still-unfinished schedule in his mind into even smaller pieces, then took a deep breath.