Warning

At a street corner on Caracole Island, in front of a pile of wood chips, the sea breeze carried a burnt smell.

Brandish squatted on the ground, her short, emerald-green hair swaying gently in the sea breeze. She sniffed, her lips drooping like a salted fish that had suffered a great injustice.

After a while, she patted the sticky jam off her hands and slowly stood up.

She turned around in her fluffy slippers, her listless, world-weary eyes sweeping over the Fairy Tail members, her tone as indifferent as a stray cat hurrying along the roadside.

"Have you made enough of a scene? Shouldn't you leave?"

The already intense magical pressure in the air suddenly dropped, causing the coconut palm leaves on both sides of the street to droop straight down instantly.

Mirajane's smile vanished completely, replaced by a serious expression, her pale fingers quietly tightening their clenched fists.

The others were all poised and ready to face the upcoming battle.

Riyao tilted his head, seemingly unconcerned.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a mint, and popped it into his mouth, chewing it with a loud crunch.

To be honest, it had been so long since he watched the anime that he had almost forgotten all the intricacies of the Spriggan 12 of the Western Continent.

But he still vaguely remembered the green-haired girl in front of him, who wore a cross headdress and always looked like she hadn't woken up yet.

More importantly, Riyao had actually met her before.

In the deathly silence where everyone was on edge, afraid to even swallow, Riyao, with his hands in his shorts pockets, took a half-step forward, raised his right hand in a greeting, and tried to make an appearance.

"Yo, Brandish!"

A casual voice drifted through the street.

Brandish paused for a moment, tilted his head, and stared at Riyao's handsome face for a long time with his dead fish eyes.

Huh? Who are you?

She frowned, clearly clueless about this overly familiar guy who called her by name.

The others stared at Riyao in bewilderment. Did the two know each other?

Wasn't this guy just lazing around and wasting his time in Ishgar? How did he get involved with the Empire's top combat force?!

Just as Riyao was about to speak, he suddenly felt the air beside his waist was so cold it felt like it was about to crumble.

Mirajane's eyes turned dangerous.

The once gentle and graceful demon lady now narrowed her eyes slightly, and although there was a smile on her lips, the black aura emanating from her body was more terrifying than the arrival of Satan.

When did you meet her? I didn't know that.

The gentle, soft tone of voice sent chills down one's spine.

Riyao felt a chill run down his spine, and his survival instincts kicked in instantly. He frantically waved his hands in front of him like a beckoning cat.

"No, no, how old was I back then? Ugh, it was around X777." A cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Mirajane moved so close to Riyao's face that it was almost touching his, his eyes wide open, staring into Riyao's eyes.

Their noses almost touched, Mirajane's hot breath hitting Riyao's face, his azure eyes filled with scrutiny.

Seeing this young couple being so affectionate in front of him, Brandish's face flashed with annoyance.

However, when she heard the year "X777", her world-weary green eyes flickered.

Brandish his hands, as if he had thought of something.

"Oh! Could it be that you are Lady Layla's son?!"

She pointed at the Riyao and exclaimed in sudden realization.

"Ha?!"

Everyone gasped in astonishment.

The entire street was so quiet that even the sound of the waves seemed to have stopped for a moment.

Lucy reacted the most, suddenly hearing her mother's name, and then Brandish suddenly saying that Riyao was her mother's son.

It was already outrageous enough that his mother's name came out of the mouth of a high-ranking official in the empire, but what was even more outrageous was that this cunning bastard who took pleasure in tampering with him every day was actually his half-brother?!

Lucy grabbed her hair, her mind a complete mess, and screamed on the spot.

"What?! Riyao is actually my brother?!"

Riyao rolled his eyes, then impatiently flicked Lucy's forehead with a loud thud.

"Dream on, I don't have a stupid sister like you."

The crisp sound made Lucy cry out in pain, and she squatted down on the ground, clutching her reddened forehead.

After Riyao's outburst, everyone came to their senses, and the tense atmosphere dissipated considerably.

Erza remained vigilant, her hand still resting on the hilt of her sword.

Ultimately, the opponent is the Spriggan 12; we cannot afford to be careless in the slightest.

Riyao casually patted Lucy's head, ruffling the blonde girl's hair into a mess.

"This is Layla's child. Heartfilia and I are not related by blood."

Brandish took two steps forward in her slippers, looked down at Lucy who was crouching with her head in her hands, her eyes full of disgust and confusion.

"Huh? Oh, I remember now, Lady Layla's child is indeed a girl. Why does she look so silly?"

Brandish closer, scrutinizing Lucy.

His gaze was like someone picking out a wilted, rotten cabbage at a market.

Lucy watched as the two of them took turns calling her stupid, veins bulging on her forehead, her face full of displeasure.

She slapped Riyao's hand away and jumped up. "You two, that's enough! Is it any sense to make personal attacks to someone's face?!"

While Lucy was in a bad mood, Mirajane's two slender white fingers quietly reached down to Riyao's waist, pinched the soft flesh, and twisted it hard half a turn.

A pungent, tingling sensation shot straight to his head, and Riyao gasped in pain.

Riyao's mind raced, wondering if he had done something wrong.

Starting from my first time traveling through time as a child, to slacking off in the guild, and then buying a house...

He glanced at Mirajane's expression. Although the girl was trying hard to keep a straight face, the slightly downturned corners of her mouth clearly showed her displeasure.

It seemed like jealousy, and he instantly caught the blind spot.

Riyao quickly leaned close to Mirajane's ear.

"Oh dear, I only met her once, when I went to Lucy's house to treat Layla. We had no connection whatsoever."

Brandish and her daughter happened to be present at the time, so he simply glanced at them briefly, and that was all.

Mirajane pursed her lips; she would never admit to being jealous for no reason, keeping the corners of her mouth turned down.

Even though her initial awkwardness had dissipated, the haughty witch still turned her head to the side, looking as if she wasn't going to let him off easily.

Riyao pulled her into his arms, without exposing her true feelings.

He reached out and put his arm around Mirajane's slender waist, resting his chin on the top of her head.

Seeing the two people opposite him showing affection as if no one else was around, Brandish's face completely fell.

Losing my favorite star-shaped ice cream was bad enough, but now I have to be forced to eat dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection) – it's torture!

Brandish his tongue.

She scratched the back of her head in frustration.

"This is indeed troublesome. You should leave."

The moment she finished speaking, the green-haired woman's magical power surged dramatically!

It was a terrifying, almost law-like pressure that dimmed the light in the entire sky, and the ground groaned.

She snapped her fingers.

Snap!

The crisp sound was like a verdict.

The Caracole Island, its streets, stilt houses, and beaches stretching for miles beneath our feet were instantly crushed and collapsed by the invisible laws of space!

The raging waves surged skyward, obliterating the land, and the tourists, soldiers, and Fairy Tail crew members on the island all fell into the churning sea!

And right in the middle of the towering waves.

The entire Caracole Island has been compressed into a tiny artificial mountain, floating on the sea.

Brandish stood barefoot on the now tiny Caracole Island, looking down at the people in the waves.

This incredible skill sent chills down Erza and Gray's spines as they emerged from the sea.

No one expected Brandish suddenly change her expression.

To manipulate an entire island with ease—is this the true power of the Spriggan 12 of the Empire?!

Brandish stared expressionlessly at the disheveled Fairy Tail members, her green eyes filled with only cold calm.

"You have no chance. There are twelve mages like me in the empire. If you understand, then get lost."

If it were any other Spriggan 12, they would have already launched a powerful attack.

Natsu wiped the seawater off his face and his fists ignited, sending plumes of white steam rising from the water's surface!

A hand landed firmly on Natsu's shoulder.

Riyao held down that reckless idiot.

"Alright, didn't you see they were giving a friendly warning? Laxus should be almost done; we should prepare to leave too."

Their infiltration was intended to draw attention and create an opportunity for Laxus.

Now that the objective has been achieved and the other side is holding back, there's no point in fighting head-on.

Without any further disturbances, Riyao and his companions disappeared before Brandish.

The sea surface quickly calmed down, leaving only ripples.

Brandish stood on the palm-sized mud ball and raised an eyebrow.

"Never mind, it's too much trouble."

She was only slightly surprised, then turned and left.

Thousands of meters above the clouds, a huge emerald green airship hovered steadily.

The space twisted, and the soaking wet people fell onto the thick carpet on the deck.

"Let's go, we'll go meet up with Laxus and the others."

The power unit emitted a buzzing sound, Sun soared into the sky, heading towards the heart of the Western Continent.

Natsu immediately lay down, and Wendy also collapsed into Carla's arms.