Gray's Scream

'Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.'

Amid violent magical fluctuations, the entire station was enveloped by a high-speed rotating hurricane.

Erigor's magic—the Magic Wind Wall—had formed, continuously sucking the air out from within it!

Ifrit did not panic. After dealing with the stragglers one by one, he slowly made his way upstairs.

Erza and the others had already gathered on the top floor.

Natsu was covered in injuries.

He furiously ignited his flames and used his powerful body to charge head-on into the Magic Wind Wall.

But unfortunately, this nameless fire of rage was not his strongest state. He was violently knocked back.

"Enough, Natsu! Don't go again! You'll be torn apart!"

Lucy tightly hugged Natsu from behind, her heart aching for him.

"Damn it!" Natsu cried unwillingly.

At that moment, his brain—which was usually below zero but fully optimized in battle—suddenly came up with an idea.

"Huh?"

He turned to look at Lucy.

Lucy was clinging tightly to him. As Natsu turned around, her ample softness was heavily squeezed and pressed.

With the two standing so close, their faces were nearly touching.

The heat radiating from Natsu's body made Lucy's cheeks flush red.

"What is it?" Lucy's gaze shifted uneasily.

"That's it!"

The utterly unromantic Natsu tensed up and roughly broke free from Lucy's embrace!

"That's it, Celestial Spirits!"

Natsu excitedly explained his idea to everyone.

They could use a Celestial Spirit summoning to pull everyone into the Celestial Spirit World, then bring them back into reality.

"That won't work, Natsu." Lucy said, "The gate can only open where there's a Celestial Spirit Mage. In other words, there has to be a Celestial Spirit Mage outside!"

"Huh?" Natsu did not understand. "You're so long-winded. Just hurry up and do it."

"That's why I'm saying it won't work!"

Lucy began explaining it to Natsu, but it had little effect.

"Sigh." Natsu shook his head. "I don't get it at all."

'Gulp, gulp.'

Ifrit leaned against the doorway, drinking milk tea.

"You really don't have any sense of urgency, do you?" Gray said, black lines filling his face.

"Don't make trouble, Gray." Ifrit snapped his fingers.

'Click.'

The camera by his feet took a picture.

Ifrit said, "Crises breed feelings, and details fuel ships. Don't be such a buzzkill."

"You..." Gray was speechless. "You always care about such trivial little things."

"Are you sure it's okay to say that, Gray?"

"Hmph." Gray snorted coldly.

Ifrit glanced at him.

Trivial little things, huh.

Gray, I'll preserve this properly and play it at your wedding!

"Still..." Gray sighed. "Teaming up with you really leaves no sense of danger. This is clearly such a dangerous situation, but seeing how calm you are makes it feel like it's no big deal."

"You've got it backward, Gray." Ifrit smiled. "It's because you're all here that I feel safe."

"You sometimes say things that actually move people." Gray smiled. "But do you really mean it?"

"Of course!"

"You two over there!" Erza shouted. "Ifrit, if you have a solution, say it already! Stop wasting time!"

"I really don't have one." Ifrit shook his head. "You know my magic isn't very offensive. Besides, for a mere Erigor to challenge the Guild Masters... isn't that a little overestimating himself?"

"Cough, cough." Kageyama, severely injured and lying on the ground, smiled smugly. "But he has the Cursed Flute Lullaby. Once he plays Lullaby, those old men will lose their lives!"

"Gramps!"

The moment he heard that, Natsu became anxious and recklessly charged into the Magic Wind Wall again.

"Ah, I remember!"

Just then, Happy let out a shout.

"Balgor!" Happy said excitedly.

"What is it?" Erza asked.

Happy then explained.

After they defeated Ebar, Balgor had wanted to follow Lucy, so she gave her key to Happy.

Balgor had the ability to burrow underground.

After some commotion,

Balgor, who had transformed from a giant tank into a beauty, burrowed into the ground and opened a path out.

"Princess, please wait a moment." Balgor guarded against the four men. Lucy was wearing a skirt.

"..." Gray froze, then seemed to recall something. "Natsu, I'm going down first!"

With that, Gray leaped fiercely into the hole.

"Bastard, why do you get to go first?!" Natsu punched Gray away and went down ahead of him.

"Damn it!" Gray had no choice but to grab the injured Kageyama and say viciously, "You go down after me, got it?!"

As he spoke, Gray covered his butt with one hand and jumped down.

"What does that mean?" Lucy asked, utterly confused.

"It's better if you don't know." Erza held her forehead in distress.

Kageyama followed after them.

The three girls looked toward Ifrit.

"..." Ifrit's figure vanished.

"Aah—"

Gray's scream came from the underground passage.

"I'll kill you, Ifrit!"

Icy magic power erupted below.

"Princess, perhaps I should open another passage." Balgor said.

"Sorry to trouble you." Lucy's expression was complicated.

Outside the station.

Gray wore a dark expression, and no one dared look at him. Even Natsu...

"Wait, where's Natsu?" Lucy asked.

"As for Natsu, he has probably already caught up with them." Erza said.

Natsu and Happy were gone. Knowing them, they had definitely gone off to attack alone.

"Let's go." Erza got into the vehicle.

"Wait, we still haven't seen Ifrit—"

"Forget about that guy!"

Before Lucy could finish, Gray roared with a dark expression.

"..."

Erza started the vehicle and headed toward Clover Town.

At the town carriage station.

Ifrit found a staff member.

"Please get me the fastest carriage possible while still ensuring a smooth ride."

"Please wait a moment, honored guest!" The staff member accepted the money and became exceedingly respectful.

Not long after,

Ifrit also set off in a carriage.

Though the carriage was fast,

Happy's flying speed, along with the Magic Four-Wheeled Vehicle powered at full speed by Erza's magic, was faster.

He missed Natsu's duel with Erigor.

But he was not particularly interested in it to begin with.

In truth, the moment he first obtained Lullaby, the game had already been declared over.

But Natsu and the others still needed battles to temper themselves.

So he had not ended the match directly.

Besides, Erigor was only so-so for Natsu and could not be considered a powerful enemy.

Thus, Ifrit did not pay much attention to him.

By the time he arrived at his destination—Clover Town—

he saw the Guild Masters and the others talking Kageyama down.

Kageyama placed the flute against his lips. After a series of complicated inner struggles, he decided to play it.

"Nothing will change." Guild Master Makarov put away his playful smile, his face solemn.

"The weak will always be weak, no matter when."

"But weakness itself is not entirely a bad thing."

"Humans are weak creatures by nature. Because they fear loneliness and insecurity, guilds exist, and they have companions."

'Click.' 'Click.'

The quiet forest carried voices from afar, while the shadows accompanied them with the sound of branches and leaves being crushed underfoot.

Ifrit stepped through the forest shadows, quietly approaching his companions.

Makarov's gaze gradually shifted from Kageyama's face to the flute.

"Take a step forward while believing in tomorrow, and strength will naturally rise within you."

"Believe that you can live on strongly, and you can smile as you face the road ahead."

"Even those who live in the shadows can walk out and run toward tomorrow."

"Why rely on such a false flute?!"

"..." Kageyama remained silent.

"Put down the flute. Don't let things become irreparable." Makarov urged earnestly.

'Thud.'

Kageyama dropped the flute and knelt on the ground in shame. "I lost."

Makarov smiled. "Good. Ifrit, put down your gun."

Ifrit?

Everyone was confused.

'Thud.'

A sound came from beneath a tree to the left, and everyone turned toward it.

Ifrit emerged from the shadow beneath the tree. He slowly lowered the black-and-gold revolver in his hand and coldly said to Kageyama, "A wise choice."

Kageyama's heart trembled. At that moment, he was immensely glad he had not played the flute.

Otherwise, even if he had managed to play it, that man would have taken him out immediately!