Natsu, Drained Dry

"Whoosh."

"Hey, hey... you're cheating! Cheating!!!" (Golden Softie, her butt raised high and body pressed tightly to the ground)

Facing her protest, the giant red octopus gave a faint smile, and even more tentacles lashed toward her rear.

"Ahh... Open, any door will do!"

"Buzz!"

"Her Highness the Princess, are you going to punish me?"

"Punish your head!!!"

"Save me already!"

"Oh!"

Fortunately, Virgo dug quickly, and the two of them managed to hide in a foxhole before the tentacles swept down.

"Princess, what should we do next?"

"Let's move somewhere safe first!"

"Understood!"

"Whoosh."

"Pfft."

Just as the two underground workers prepared to dig onward, a thick white wind spear shot over and severed the octopus tentacle hanging above the foxhole at the waist.

"Aah~~"

Taking advantage of the giant octopus's pained cries, the Blue-Haired Little Loli appeared beside the foxhole.

"Miss Lucy, are you all right?"

"Thanks, Wendy!"

"Hey, hey... it's not right to gang up on us, you know."

As that flippant voice rang out, more than a dozen Hollow Knights surrounded the two of them.

"Hughes, teach them a good lesson for me!"

"At once!"

As he spoke, the blue-and-white-haired youth waved the baton in his hand, and the Hollow Knights lunged at Golden Softie and the Blue-Haired Little Loli in the center of the encirclement.

"Heavenly Dragon's Claw!"

"Spica's Hole!"

"Lucy's Iron Fist!"

Three metallic clashes rang out, yet only two Hollow Knights were sent flying.

"Hiss... That hurts! It hurts!"

Looking at Golden Softie, tears hanging from the corners of her eyes as she kept shaking her hand, Virgo and Wendy broke out in waterfall sweatdrops.

"Princess, try this!"

"Bang!"

Staring at the metal tube planted in front of her, Golden Softie asked in confusion, "What is this?"

"This is the freely extendable whip