The Spiral Passage

Just when everyone thought that was all, a new change occurred: the spiral channel began to contract.

The walls on both sides gradually squeezed towards the center, like an invisible giant hand slowly flattening the entire passage.

The sound of rocks rubbing together was close to my ears, a crunching, grinding sound that made my teeth ache.

The spikes hanging overhead were crushed and fell down with a crackling sound.

The path I had just walked on was closing in behind me.

Lucy screamed in terror at the sight.

"We're going to turn into dumpling filling! Invincible Erza, you'd better think of something!"

Her voice was high-pitched and rapid, echoing throughout the entire corridor.

Both legs were trembling, and his voice rose several decibels.

Natsu made Happy fly to the back of the group and pull himself close so that it would be easier for Happy to turn around.

Happy grabbed his scarf, Natsu turned around.

"I have a great idea! Get ready, everyone!"

Everyone immediately had a bad feeling.

When Natsu says he has a good solution, it usually means something bad is about to happen.

The more excited he gets, the bigger the mess he gets.

Sure enough, everyone's face turned green the next second.

[Fire Dragon's Roar]

A torrent of flames erupted from Natsu's mouth, creating a powerful propulsive force.

The entire team charged out like cannonballs loaded into a cannon barrel with a loud bang.

Natsu and Happy bumped into Gajeel and Lily in front of them, and then they bumped into other people one after another, all being pushed along by the flames.

Those in front wanted to stop, but those behind couldn't brake in time; the whole group resembled a train derailed.

Gajeel was furious from the collision, but before he could turn around and yell at the person in front of him, his forehead bumped into the back of the person in front of him.

With a loud thud, he saw stars.

They were stacked on top of each other, squeezed together like sardines in a can.

"Waaaaah, you idiot Natsu!"

"Stop pushing, I can't breathe!"

"Stupid Fire Dragon."

A group of people were cursing and swearing.

"Ha ha..."

Natsu laughed loudly while breathing fire.

The happier he laughed, the fiercer his curses became.

The walls continue to shrink, and the remaining space gradually diminishes.

Gajeel rummaged around for a moment, then turned around.

[Iron Dragon's Roar]

A torrent of iron filings erupted, intertwining with flames, the orange and gray hues clearly distinct.

The two torrents mingled together, and the group's speed increased once again.

The wind whistled past my ears, making my clothes flutter.

The pebbles underfoot were whipped up by the airflow and pelted against my calves with a crackling sound.

Nobody had anyone to care whose hair was smeared all over their face or whose coat had been blown away by the wind.

Lucy's face turned deathly pale.

She just took Aquarius on the roller coaster, pirate ship, pendulum ride, and drop tower...

Now I feel that none of those things are as exciting as what I'm experiencing now.

Roller coasters at least have safety harnesses, pirate ships at least have seats, and ice cream cones at least have soft-serve cones...

There isn't even a handrail now; I feel like I'm not far from death.

Erza was at the very front, shouted.

"Faster, Wendy!"

Wendy turned around, placing her hands on Natsu's shoulders, Carla gripped the back of her collar.

[The Sky Dragon's Roar]

A white, spiraling storm enveloped the flames and iron filings, and the fire, fueled by the wind, burned even more fiercely.

The sound of the wind rushed into my ears, buzzing.

The spiral airflow was like giving the entire team wings.

Judging from Lucy's expression, the speed had reached an astonishing level; she had lost control of her expression, and her mouth was even crooked from blowing.

"Ah..."

She couldn't even finish her shout; her voice was torn into fragments by the wind.

The spiral passage is still shrinking. If they can't get out in time, the Fairy Tail crew will be crushed to dust and left here forever.

The walls were closing in faster and faster, and the rock face overhead was almost brushing against my scalp.

The ground beneath our feet began to arch upwards, and the entire passage was being flattened from all sides.

Lucy bumped her bottom on a rock.

"Ouch... it hurts... I'm so unlucky."

They were just one step away from being squeezed into a pancake.

Bang.

The spiral passage was completely closed, though there was still a gap, less than a finger's width, through which a little stomach acid leaked out.

The acid dripped onto the ground, hissing and smoking.

They were just a hair's breadth away; if they had been a moment later, they would have become hot minced meat.

At the last moment before the passage closed, Fairy Tail and Mirajane teamed Erza to break through the wall and rushed out through the gap.

Erza's sword flashed across the stone wall, cutting several cracks.

Mirajane's ink flames blasted into the center of the crack, and the stone wall exploded open with a huge hole.

It was going too fast and couldn't stop after it went out, crashing head-on into the cave wall outside the passage.

They fell from the cave wall and piled up together.

Some people rubbed their lower backs, some touched their swollen foreheads, and some lay flat on the ground, refusing to get up no matter what.

"You're so heavy! Get off me, Lucy, you're too heavy!"

"It wasn't me! There are just too many people up there, okay?"

"Ugh (I'm dying, give me some air)."

The pile of people collapsed with a crash, and everyone collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

"That was so exciting! Let's do it again!"

Natsu jumped up and shouted.

Erza raised her hand expressionlessly and gave him a sharp rap on the head.

Natsu crouched on the ground, clutching his head and grimacing.

He was still muttering about how exciting it was, but Erza glared at him and shut him up.

Everyone involved in this fall was seriously injured, with marks from the corrosive effects of stomach acid on their bodies.

Lucy looked down at the hem of her skirt; the edge was charred black, where it had been burned by acid.

She sighed deeply.

"If only Riyao were here, I'd be completely unharmed after every battle, feeling so comfortable."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Without the healing mage, everyone ended up with injuries.

Mirajane patted Natsu on the shoulder.

"Smell around and see if there's any smell of 'Riyao' nearby."

Without thinking twice, Natsu immediately lay down on the ground with his big butt sticking out and began sniffing the surrounding scents.

"Natsu is being treated like a dog," Lucy complained.

Wendy was just about to try lying down herself when she heard this, and immediately straightened up her back.

Carla sighed, "The child has gone astray. It's all that Riyao's fault, that scheming bastard."

Natsu sniffed for a while, then looked up, his nose still covered in dust.

"There's no smell of Riyao here, but there is... how should I put it? It's the smell of snakes, that's right, the fishy smell of snakes!"

Levy realized what was happening.

"Are we still inside that creature? And which part is this?"

"This might be inside the Ophiuchus."

Princess Hisui offered her opinion, Yukino nodded in agreement, agreeing with her.

The Ophiuchus Key originally belonged to Yukino, and after being reminded by Princess Hisui, she realized it.

Looking at that spiral passage now, it seems to be inside a snake's body; what they just crawled through was probably the snake's intestines.

Natsu thought about it seriously for a moment, then shook his head.

"No, this doesn't smell like we were before. We should be out by now."

After saying that, he leaned down again and took a couple more sniffs before he was sure he wasn't mistaken.