Youth Gone By

When the four arrived at the town near the Beast King's territory, the setting sun was painting the sky orange-red.

The town was small, and the aroma of freshly baked bread filled the streets. Mirajane led Lisanna into the general store and picked out a few sturdy wristbands for Elfman.

Lisanna was holding a bag of strawberry candies, with one in her mouth, and she didn't forget to slip one to Riyao.

Riyao secretly slipped away to the dessert shop on the street corner, packed up a mango mousse that Mirajane loved, and hid it deep in his backpack.

After resting for a night, the four of them carried their packs and stepped into the deep forest.

The deeper you go, the stronger the wild magic in the air becomes, like an invisible hand gripping your heart.

Elfman's knuckles were clenched so tightly they turned white, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead; Lisanna's hair was blown about by the magical wind, and her steps slowed down.

Riyao and Mirajane were quite relaxed. Riyao held Fire Poker in his hand and poked at the roadside bushes from time to time.

"Ouch."

He suddenly stopped, his Fire Poker poking into the grass. Two little white rabbits, busy preparing for their next generation, were startled and froze instantly.

Riyao scratched his head awkwardly, quickly knocked them unconscious with Fire Poker, and muttered to himself.

"Sorry to bother you, just pretend it was a dream."

Mirajane walked over, reached out and grabbed him, pulling him away.

"Stop poking around, it'll be dark if you dawdle any longer. Hurry up and deal with the Beast King so we can go home early."

Riyao took her hand, turned the Fire Poker back into a bracelet, and put it away with a grin.

"Okay, darling, whatever you say."

Lisanna, who was following behind, deliberately dragged out her voice and imitated him in a high-pitched voice.

"Oh, dear!"

As he spoke, he shook his head and swayed his body, looking just like a little fox who had just stolen a bite of honey.

Elfman followed silently behind, scratching his head and smiling sheepishly, gripping the wristband in his hand even tighter.

The four of them, master and disciples, passed through the last thicket of bushes, Beast King finally appeared before them.

The open space was covered with claw marks, and the soil still smelled of blood.

The Beast King seemed to have just realized its territory had been invaded. It slowly got up from the ground, its body covered in fluffy white fur, the ends of which were stained with dirt and dried blood.

It has a pair of long, curved, sharp golden horns on its head, covered with signs of wear.

The sharp horns on his shoulders gleamed coldly, his thick, red-skinned arms were muscular and bulging, his yellow claws were as sharp as scimitars, and his amber eyes shone with a wild sharpness.

It suddenly stood on its hind legs, opened its mouth full of fangs, and let out a deafening roar.

"Roar~"

The sound waves impacted the surrounding trees, causing leaves to fall softly and the ground to tremble slightly.

Riyao patted Elfman on the back and grinned.

"Go! You yell too, let it experience the charm of Strauss man!"

Mirajane reached out and tapped him on the head, saying irritably.

"Don't cause trouble, Elfman is nervous."

Riyao rubbed his forehead, which had been tapped, and obediently activated his magic.

[Hundred Battles Spell Formula 2.0]

Golden patterns spread from his chest, no longer the rigid geometric designs of the past, but like flowing clouds wrapping around his limbs, the soft golden light exuding warmth.

Immediately after [Life Link - Hundred Battles] was cast, the same golden patterns appeared on Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna.

A warm power instantly surged through my body, as if I were filled with strength, and I could climb eighty-one floors without even panting.

Mirajane felt the magic surging within her body, and a smile appeared on her lips.

Bat wings unfurled behind her, black demonic energy swirling around her, and she charged towards the Beast King first.

"Riyao, you rest on the sidelines and watch me demonstrate the demeanor of the eldest sister of the Strauss family!"

She moved like lightning, her claws flashing with black light as she clawed at the Beast King's neck. The Beast King hurriedly swung his claws to defend, the two claws colliding with a piercing metallic clang, sparks flying everywhere.

Riyao climbed up a nearby tree, sat on a branch, took out some beef jerky, and started chewing, shouting as he ate, "Go for it, darling! Kick its ass hard!"

Elfman mustered his courage and charged forward, clenching his fist and smashing it into the Beast King's stomach.

"A real man's punch!" Unfortunately, the fist grazed the Beast King's stomach, causing him to stagger and almost fall, before he quickly regained his balance.

Lisanna yelled, "Brother-in-law's right! Let's beat it up!"

Riyao chewed on beef jerky, waving it excitedly like a conductor's baton.

"Elfman! Slap it on the head!"

"Good job, Lisanna! That was a great kick to its leg!"

The Beast King was forced to retreat repeatedly by the three men, and was finally enraged.

Its fur bristled, its eyes turned bloodshot, and its magical power surged violently. Cracks appeared on the ground, clearly indicating that it had entered the second stage of its berserk state.

"Roar~"

He was probably trying to bolster his courage; this was the second time he'd yelled like that.

The raging magic created an invisible shockwave, instantly sending Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna flying.

With Riyao -fast reflexes, Riyao caught Mirajane as she flew towards him, spun her around to steady her, and teased, "Hey, beauty, need some help?"

Mirajane jumped down from his arms, dusted herself off, and arrogantly raised her chin. "Hmph, no need, I was just ambushed by accident."

The battle intensified, forcing the two to retreat to the side and watch Mirajane's aerial combat with battling tension.

Riyao remained seated on the tree branch, looking completely calm and collected. He even took out some dried fruit and began to eat it slowly.

Lisanna gripped his arm, her voice filled with worry, "Will my sister be alright? The Beast King is so fierce!"

Riyao ruffled her hair and said with a smile, "Don't worry, with my Life Link, you can recover immediately even if you're knocked down."

Hearing this from mid-air, Mirajane turned and glared at him, her eyes clearly saying, "I'll deal with you when we get home."

Riyao whistled guiltily, then quickly looked away, pretending to look at the clouds in the sky.

Mirajane turned around, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and black demonic energy condensed into a huge circular magic circle.

Several thick beams of black energy shot out like Cobra, striking the Beast King's scales hard.

The clanging of metal was deafening, sending sparks flying. The Beast King, in pain, let out a deafening roar; the sound waves assaulted Mirajane's eardrums as if they were real, making her dizzy.

It swung its right claw violently, the sharp claw slashing towards Mirajane with a whistling sound as it tore through the air, at an astonishing speed.

Mirajane hastily spread her bat wings and retreated, her sharp claws grazing her side, leaving three deep, bone-revealing bloody gashes. Black demonic energy and bright red blood splattered together.

But the moment the bloodstain appeared, a bright light flashed across the golden patterns on her body, and the wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, leaving no scar, as if the injury just now was an illusion.

The Beast King's thick tail swept across like a steel whip. Mirajane barely managed to dodge it, and the boulder behind him was instantly shattered, with the fragments scattering like bullets.

She flapped her wings and soared into the sky, black demonic energy condensing into a gigantic claw as she swooped down. "Satan's Claw!"

Black claws tore through the air, gripping the Beast King's neck and leaving several deep, bone-revealing gashes. The Beast King's screams echoed throughout the forest.

Thanks to the continuous supply of magic power from [Life Link - Hundred Battles], Mirajane grew stronger with each battle, gradually suppressing the enraged Beast King.

She hovered in the air, a massive black magic circle appearing before her, condensing all the magic power within her into a jet-black energy sphere. "Soul Extinction!"

The black energy ball, carrying a devastating force, crashed into the Beast King and exploded.

The violent shockwave blew the surrounding trees away, sending dust flying everywhere.

When the dust settled, the Beast King had slowly collapsed to the ground, its golden horns broken, and its white fur stained with dirt and blood.

Its eyes gradually lost their luster, as if it remembered something—it was running across the vast grassland under the setting sun, the wind ruffling its fur, and in the distance, the mountains stretching into the distance.

That was its lost youth.

Mirajane landed on the ground, her bat wings and black demonic energy slowly dissipating, and the golden markings on her body gradually fading away.

She rubbed her aching shoulders and turned to walk towards Riyao.

Riyao immediately jumped down from the tree, quickly walked to her side, and handed her a bottle of water. "Thank you for your hard work, my great hero."

Mirajane took the water, took a sip, glared at him, but couldn't help laughing.

"If you dare to stand by and watch the show again, I'll throw you to feed the Beast King."

Elfman and Lisanna ran over too, Elfman scratched his head and laughed, "Sister is so amazing!"

Lisanna hugged Mirajane's arm and exclaimed excitedly, "Sister, you were so cool just now!"

Riyao picked up the Beast King by the tail and said with a smile, "Alright, alright, Elfman, hurry up and take over the Beast King. Let's go home quickly; I still want to eat your strawberry cake."