Before night fell, Ed prepared to set off for the forest again. Before leaving, he specifically instructed the mayor, "Although the Magic Council's main force definitely won't make it here in time, they still need to be informed about this. There might be a squad carrying out a mission nearby that can come provide temporary support."
"Alright, alright. Is there anything else I can do?" The mayor was sweating profusely. Though Ed had repeatedly said that he could handle both the beast tide and the Dark Guild, the man simply could not sit quietly and do nothing, given his duties and conscience as mayor.
"How about this?" Ed thought for a moment, then took out a kunai and handed it to the mayor. "Does the town have signal flares or fireworks? Put this near the town entrance, then send people out to patrol and keep watch. The moment you find any signs of a beast tide attack, fire the signal. I'll rush back."
"Alright, I understand." The mayor took the kunai and sprinted outside. Then he suddenly stopped, turned around, and gave Ed a deep bow. "We're counting on you..." With that, he hurried away.
"They're really making this feel tragic." Ed smiled, but his expression soon turned serious as he headed beyond the town. "First, I need to determine the number of Dark Guild members. I can't let any slip away."
Accompanied by a signature flash, Ed appeared at the edge of the forest once more. "Three trips in one day. I guess this counts as paying three visits to a thatched cottage. Hopefully, they'll show me some respect later." Without pausing, Ed headed straight into the depths of the forest, searching for traces of the Dark Guild members.
"They should be to the west." Ed checked his bearings, took a kunai from his ninja tool pouch, and threw it westward.
As golden flashes flickered continuously, Ed's figure gradually penetrated deeper into the forest.
Night had completely fallen by the time Ed reached the heart of the forest. Looking at the identical scenery all around him, he said with a headache, "Tsk. Looks like I haven't mastered any tracking abilities yet. How am I supposed to find them... Hm? Wait, I think I hear something over there..."
Ed bent his knees, gathered strength, and leaped straight onto the tallest nearby tree. Standing on an outstretched branch, he looked ahead and saw faint cyan and purple glows in the distance, along with barely audible explosions.
"Found them~" Ed placed a hand over his chest. "For some reason, my blood's pumping. Maybe I'm the kind of guy who gets a kick out of fighting." After calming the impulse in his heart, Ed began to sneak forward carefully and swiftly.
A few minutes later, Ed arrived at the edge of the battlefield. Concealed by the trees, he looked inside. Aside from the two standard villain types he had seen during the day, who looked like they would be good at card games, there were more than a dozen others dressed similarly. They had surrounded a gigantic wolf and were continuously attacking it.
"This should be the Wolf King. He's pretty handsome." Ed looked at the surrounded Wolf King. It appeared imposing, standing roughly two to three meters tall. Ice crystals and frigid winds coiled around its body like ribbons. Its fur was mainly icy blue and white, and its eyes emitted a deep blue glow.
"Humans! What exactly are you trying to do?!" The Wolf King let out a roar. With its roar, freezing air and howling gales swept through the area, making the entire battlefield seem like the Arctic in the middle of a typhoon.
"Shut up! You're just a beast, yet you dare resist Smile Coffin? If you keep resisting, I can't guarantee what'll happen to those wolf pups over there." A tall figure holding a purple greatsword pointed to one side as he spoke mercilessly.
"As expected of our guild master, Lord Shuka, the Assassination Star! He actually thought of capturing the Wolf King's pups to threaten him. He really was born evil! How shameless!" The skinnier of the two men Ed had seen that morning spoke with apparent admiration.
"If you don't know how to talk, then don't talk!" Shuka, the man called the Assassination Star, grabbed the skinny man by the throat and said viciously.
"So Shuka is their leader. Looks like everyone's here, too. They even took hostages... Pah... wolf hostages. Disgusting." Following the direction Shuka had pointed, Ed saw three tied-up wolf pups. They looked no different from three young huskies, equally dazed and adorable. Honestly, Ed really wanted to raise one, but when he thought about his debts, he gave up on the idea.
"Still, this Wolf King seems capable of communicating, and he looks pretty strong. I'll see if I can make him an ally. After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Having made up his mind, Ed took out a Flying Thunder God Kunai and threw it before the three wolf pups.
With a golden flash, Ed appeared in front of the three pups. Instantly, everyone's eyes focused on him.
"Who the hell are you?!" "You damn bastard, stay away from those wolf pups!" "Touch them and I'll kill you!" Listening to the taunts from the Dark Wizards around him, Ed raised his right hand, stuck out his pinky, and picked at his ear. Looking at the group as if they were idiots, he said, "Can't you see the emblem on the back of my hand? I'm a wizard from Fairy Tail, here to deal with you bastards trying to destroy a town by creating a beast tide!"
"Fairy Tail? That Light Guild!" "I heard that guild's master is one of the Ten Wizard Saints!" "Really? I don't believe it." "Shut up, Big Head. I've seen that emblem before. He really is a wizard from Fairy Tail!" A commotion broke out among the people around them after hearing Ed's words.
"Quiet! Calm down, all of you!!" Shuka shouted. Once everyone had quieted down, he said to Ed, "What Light Guild scum. You actually dared to appear before us alone. There are sixteen of us, while you're only one person. You were foolish enough to walk into being surrounded. Once we deal with you, our plan can still succeed. I really don't know why you came out here."
"Ah, no. First, I've already informed the Magic Council." After picking his ear, Ed started picking his nose, looking completely relaxed. He blew on his finger before speaking again.
"Second, not to brag, but I'm pretty strong. It's still unclear who'll be dealing with whom, and besides..."
Ed reached both hands into his ninja tool pouch and began pulling out kunai. "Most importantly! I'm not the one surrounded by you. You're the ones already surrounded by me! Surrender now, you trash!" With that, Ed held three kunai in each hand, slightly drew back his arms, and hurled the kunai at the Dark Wizards around him!
Before you continue