Lucy's Shock

"We have five people, and they have over forty. On average, that means each of us has to fight about nine of them... Hmm... How are we supposed to win?" Lucy wailed as she compared their numbers.

"Don't be ridiculous. It's not five of us against forty-something people. It's Ed against all of them," Natsu said calmly. Gray added, "Don't blink. Ed's fights are pretty spectacular."

"Ed? Wait, I think I've heard that name before... Oh no, scatter! It's the Golden Flash!" Someone on the other side heard Ed's name from Natsu and Gray, thought for a moment, then cried out a warning in horror.

"Isn't it a little late for that?" Ed said as he threw several kunai into the crowd. Before he had even finished speaking, his figure vanished from where he stood. In the next instant, a streak of golden light had already cut into the center of their formation. "Watch closely. This is Ed's specialty: the spatial movement magic, Flying Thunder God!"

The battle erupted in an instant. More than a dozen quick-reacting mages lunged at that figure at once, but Ed moved. The Flying Thunder God Kunai in his hand turned into several flashes of cold light as he threw them out, and his figure flickered across the battlefield.

One enemy had just gathered magic power to attack when Ed appeared before him and sent him flying with a heavy punch. A second enemy heard his companion fall and whipped around, only to see an azure Rasengan expanding before his eyes. He was blasted away as well.

The Golden Flash kept flickering through the crowd. He appeared on the east side and threw a kunai, then caught it on the west side in the next instant, using the momentum to slice open the third man's chest. The magic attacks surrounding him were always a moment too slow, able to strike only the afterimages he left behind.

As the golden light continued to flash, the noisy battlefield returned to silence in less than a minute. Ed stood quietly in the center of the field, looking at the enemies all around him who had been knocked down. Then he asked calmly, "Now, can anyone tell me which way Erigor went?"

"So... so amazing... He knocked down so many people in such a short time..." Lucy was too shocked by the sight to speak properly. Looking at the unconscious enemies on the ground, Ed rubbed his head in annoyance. "Tch... I think I hit them a little too hard..."

After thinking for a moment, Erza said directly, "If he wants to play Lullaby, he'll definitely go to the broadcast room." The group hurried to the station's broadcast room, but it was completely empty.

"Damn it, he's not here! Where the hell did that bastard go?" Natsu burst into flames and shouted furiously.

Ed looked at the route map in the broadcast room and thought silently, They came from Onibus, passed through Kunugi Station along the railway, and arrived at Oshibana Station, where we are now. If they aren't in the broadcast room, they probably kept following the tracks. The next stop is the terminal, Clover Station. Wait? Clover? Oh no!

Ed's expression changed as he shouted, "Their target is the guild masters holding their regular meeting in Rokuba Town!" "What did you say?!" "Those bastards!" Erza and the others' expressions changed as well upon hearing Ed's deduction. They rushed toward the platform, planning to pursue Erigor along the railway.

The moment they got outside, they saw the entire station surrounded by a wall formed from concentrated gale-force winds. Erza tried to force her way through, only to be thrown back by the Wind Wall. "Tch... Looks like we can't get through..."

"This is Brother Erigor's Demonic Wind Wall. You can enter, but you can't leave. You lot can stay trapped here with us..." At that moment, a pineapple-headed man from the group Ed had beaten woke up. He came outside and spoke to them.

"Ah! That's right!" Happy suddenly remembered something. He pulled a golden key from the little bundle on his back and handed it to Lucy. "This is Virgo's key from last time. Since you and Natsu sent her previous owner to prison, her contract was dissolved. She wanted to make a contract with you."

"That's right! Virgo's Celestial Spirit, Virgo, can dig tunnels. We can go through underground!" Lucy remembered the gorilla maid as well and said excitedly.

When Lucy summoned Virgo, they were first startled by her new appearance. After a brief bout of chaos, they successfully escaped the Demonic Wind Wall. Erza also brought along the pineapple-headed man who had awakened, intending to interrogate him for information on the way.

Erza put on the magic supply ring for the magic vehicle again and called for everyone to depart. Suddenly, her vision went dark, and her body swayed uncontrollably. Tch... I've used up too much magic power...

Seeing Erza's reaction, Ed said directly, "No need to rush. I'll go on ahead and pursue Erigor first. Let Gray supply the vehicle with magic power."

"I'll leave it to you, Ed. I knew bringing you along was the right choice." After thinking it over, Erza did not force herself. She handed the ring to Gray and entered the carriage.

"Then, everyone, I'll be going on ahead. Catch up as soon as you can~" Ed waved, turned around, and after gathering strength, hurled a kunai into the distance with Monster Strength. At the same time, he took out another one and began charging it. When the first kunai was about to fly out of sight, a golden flash appeared, and Ed materialized beside it.

He then threw out the second charged kunai in his hand while holding the first one and charging it again. With golden light flashing repeatedly through the air, Ed's figure swiftly disappeared from Erza and the others' sight.

"Ah... No matter how many times I see it, Ed's fighting is always shocking. And his magic is incredibly convenient too." Gray, who was driving, could not help sighing as he watched Ed vanish.

Lucy, inside the carriage, hurriedly nodded when she heard Gray. "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. He flashed around, and then everyone got knocked down. He's really strong."

"Ed is indeed very reliable. I'm perfectly at ease leaving it to him." Erza nodded, then fixed a fierce stare on the pineapple-headed man named Kageyama and began questioning him.

"Now, tell me everything you know. Do you have any other accomplices? Are your targets the guild masters currently holding their regular meeting? And who gave you information about Lullaby? Confess honestly!"

Meanwhile, Erigor was flying along the railway toward Rokuba when a strange dart suddenly embedded itself in the tracks ahead of him. A flash of golden light appeared, and Ed's figure emerged.

"Yo, Erigor. You can really run. Now, could you please surrender quietly and hand Lullaby over to me?" Ed said expressionlessly as he looked at Erigor in midair.

"Tch... You got here fast, fly! Get out of my way! Storm Bringer!" Erigor summoned a tornado directly where Ed stood, attempting to blow him away. Ed's calm voice came from within the storm.

"Looks like you don't plan to cooperate. Then you'd better hope you can take a beating. Don't accidentally die on me!"