The Demons Are Summoned! Freya Resolves Her Heart's Burden
Amidst the swirling snow of the far north.
The biting wind whipped up waves of snow that crashed violently against the bare rock face.
A tombstone stands silently in the depths of the snowstorm, covered with a thick layer of snow, except for a small patch of soil directly in front of it that has been swept clean.
A robust middle-aged man sat cross-legged on a frozen stone next to a tombstone, wearing a dark overcoat, his black hair combed back, and a conspicuous scar on his forehead.
His facial features were deep and distinct, and the curves of his eyebrows and nose bore a striking resemblance to Gray lived far away in Sun Village.
A rough, large hand rested on his knee, its fingertips casually flicking away the ice crystals clinging to the hem of his clothes.
Behind the howling wind and snow, a sticky, grating sound suddenly arose from the snow.
A demonic lizardman, wearing a tattered hood and covered in gray-green scales, emerged from the snowstorm, scrambling up the rocks on all fours before collapsing to his knees a few meters behind the man.
The demonic lizardman pressed his head firmly into the snow and respectfully began to report.
"Lord Yin! The main base has just issued an emergency recall order for all personnel!"
The man sitting beside the tombstone didn't even lift his eyelids; he just pursed his lips in annoyance and exhaled a puff of white breath.
"Honestly, I finally managed to find some time to come and sweep the graves, and they won't even let me enjoy this little bit of peace."
The words, spoken calmly yet tinged with cold disdain, had barely escaped their lips.
The demonic lizardman kneeling behind him shuddered violently, his dark green scales tensing instantly, his claws digging deep into the frozen ground, and his teeth chattering uncontrollably.
Before this great man, even the most tyrannical and bloodthirsty demon would instinctively tremble.
The demonic lizardman, steeling himself, continued to add to the list, albeit shakily.
"This time... this time it's a top-level order issued directly to all the leaders of the 'Nine Demon Gates'!"
"This concerns Lord Hades' grand revival plan, so... so please, Lord Silver Ice Devil Slayer, return to the headquarters hall immediately!"
The man known as Silver slowly turned his head, glanced sideways at his subordinate who was lying on the snow shivering like a leaf, and casually patted the snow that had accumulated on his coat.
"Alright, I got it. Go back and let them know. I'll be there as soon as I'm done packing."
Standing up, brushing off his trousers, Yin calmly strode past the lizardman lying in the snow.
"Why are you trembling like that? I'm not going to eat you."
Before the words were even finished, Yin's figure had already stepped into the depths of the snowstorm, disappearing in the blink of an eye into the swirling snowflakes.
The demonic lizardman exhaled a long breath and collapsed in the snow, unable to get up for a long time.
On the other side, in the Sun Village, the sunlight shines brightly.
The thick, solid ice that covered the entire basin had long since vanished, and even the remaining damp, cold white mist in the air had been baked away by the high temperature overhead, leaving only large areas of warm, damp soil and gravel on the ground.
"Haha! So that's what happened!"
"So it was you Fairy Tail mages who came all the way here to save our village!"
"Thank you so much, little guests!"
In the wide, flat central square, a dozen enormous giants, each over fifteen meters tall, stood in a circle, their boisterous laughter booming like muffled thunder across the basin.
The giants pounded their thick chests, their massive feet stomping mud everywhere, their faces beaming with the ecstatic joy and exhilaration of surviving a catastrophe.
Standing on the edge of a huge stone platform, Natsu crossed his arms behind his head, his mouth pursed, and listlessly kicked at the pebbles beneath his feet.
"Tch, the guild leader is really going to unnecessary trouble, insisting on including me in the mission."
"After all that, they didn't even encounter a single opponent. Jiang Bai stole the show from start to finish!"
Originally, Natsu was looking forward to showing off his skills and fighting a fierce battle, but instead he just watched the show and shouted slogans from the back row. He couldn't find a place to use all his strength.
Hearing Natsu's complaints, Lucy couldn't help but roll her eyes and immediately put her hands on her hips to unleash her reverse attack.
"Wasn't it you who insisted on coming?"
Unlike Natsu, Lucy's face was beaming with joy.
"And if all S-Class commissions in the world could be like this today, wouldn't that be wonderful!"
"No need to fight tooth and nail, getting covered in mud and bruises, just stand back and watch the show while lying down and pocketing the huge bounties commissioned by the guild! Where else can you find such a windfall!"
The thought of not only being able to pay off several months' rent for her apartment in one go after returning home, but also having a lot of gold coins left to go on a shopping spree in the shopping district and buy new dresses made Lucy feel incredibly happy.
Floating in mid-air, Happy flapped its little wings repeatedly, rubbed its round belly vigorously with its two chubby paws, and joined in the cheerful cheering.
"Ah! Lucy is absolutely right!"
Happy twirled in the air and moved closer to Carla, who had her arms crossed, her big eyes narrowing into slits with laughter.
"When we get back this time, we'll have money to buy the latest premium dried fish from the shopping street!"
Happy approached Carla with a fawning expression.
"Carla, let's go buy the newest flavor of grilled dried fish together! It's on me!"
Carla haughtily turned her little face to the other side, her two snow-white little wings fluttered gently, and she let out a coquettish snort without any politeness.
"Hmph! I don't want to!"
Happy the cat instantly turned into a gray stone sculpture, sprawling out from mid-air and landing on Natsu's shoulder.
Wendy stood beside the stone platform, a slight smile playing on her lips.