"You filthy lecherous monkey, your opponent is me."
Noel charged into the cave, immediately declaring war on the Vulcan.
"Open, Gate of Taurus—Taurus!"
A Zodiac Gate flew open, and a bizarre creature appeared: wearing only black briefs speckled with dark spots, gloves, bandages wrapped around his forearms, knee-high boots, a collar with a tag, and a bull ring in his nose.
Most striking was the giant double-bladed axe strapped to his back with leather belts.
So this was one of the Celestial Spirits of the Zodiac?
By the look of it, this one was a power type.
Having fought a Vulcan before, Noel was sure that this Celestial Spirit's strength was no less than that of the Vulcan.
"Noel, why are you here?"
Lucy looked at Noel, clearly surprised that help had arrived.
"I came here to gather alchemy materials, and I heard you all came looking for Macao, so I decided to check it out too."
"Wasn't Natsu with you?" Noel glanced around, noting that Lucy was alone. Had Natsu gotten lost?
That shouldn't have been possible, given how sharp Natsu's nose was—he should have been able to track Lucy down.
"He got distracted during the fight and was knocked off by that stinking monkey," Lucy said, worried.
"He'll be fine. He'll definitely climb back up." Noel said with certainty.
"Let's take care of this monkey first!"
Noel unleashed two reinforced Wind Blades.
The enhanced Wind Blades were powerful enough to make the Vulcan howl in pain.
Seeing Noel launch his offensive, Lucy knew she couldn't just stand idly by.
"Taurus, attack!" Lucy commanded immediately.
"Lucy, your figure is so beautiful," Taurus said, eyeing her lecherously.
Uh… so the Taurus Celestial Spirit was a pervert. Who would have thought there'd be a pervert among the Celestial Spirits?
"Moo!"
Taurus swung his massive axe down on the icy ground, causing a fog of ice mist due to the sheer force.
But the Vulcan was fast and easily dodged the heavy blow.
Suddenly, Natsu burst out of nowhere, landing a flying kick that knocked Taurus to the ground.
"That's my Celestial Spirit!" Lucy shouted.
"How was I supposed to know? All I saw was another weird monster appear, right, Noel?"
"This monkey is pretty weird-looking, huh?" Natsu muttered.
"That's not a monkey, that's a bull." Noel was speechless. Did he really get the species wrong?
"How would I know…" Natsu looked innocent.
"By the way, how did you get back up here?" Lucy was curious. Just moments ago, Natsu had fallen off the cliff.
"It's all thanks to Happy." Natsu pointed to Happy, who was flying overhead.
"Aye~"
Natsu was chatting away without a care, completely ignoring the Vulcan. It was the first time the Vulcan had been so blatantly disregarded by humans, and it was fuming with rage.
"I want the woman," it growled, lunging at Lucy.
Though Wind Blades were effective, it would take time to bring down this lecherous monkey. Noel needed a stronger strike and decided to use Storm Cannon.
The cave structure was stable, so even a heavy blast wouldn't collapse it. Plus, he had recently discovered a way to "overclock" his spell, which might increase its power significantly.
"Gale Art: Annihilation Storm," Noel whispered.
"You two, step back. You don't want to get caught in this," Noel reminded the two as he began casting.
A storm swept up countless shards of ice, the air ahead turning into a misty blur as the wind elements converged into a massive vortex.
Suddenly, the air currents reversed under the vortex's pull.
"Why is it so windy all of a sudden?" Lucy complained.
"Haha! I'm flying!" Natsu shouted joyfully, floating in midair.
In this situation, Happy knew what to do, swooping down to grab Lucy safely.
The currents, like serpentine snakes, tore into the Vulcan. No matter how tough the Vulcan's hide was, it couldn't withstand the onslaught.
With a loud bang, "Aaaah!"
The Vulcan screamed in pain.
The impact of the Annihilation Storm pinned the Vulcan against the cave wall.
Finally, it was over. Noel let out a sigh of relief. As the storm's residual winds faded, Natsu suddenly dropped from the air.
Lucy, however, was gently lowered to the ground thanks to Happy's help.
The Vulcan, pinned to the icy wall, transformed back into Macao.
"Why is it Macao?" Noel suddenly felt he might have hit too hard just now.
Thankfully, Macao was still conscious, so it seemed nothing was seriously wrong.
"So he really was possessed by the Vulcan," Noel realized.
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked, confused.
"Vulcans are beasts that survive by taking over human bodies. The type of magic they use is called Possession Magic." Noel explained simply.
Lucy immediately understood. She hadn't expected that these monsters were so terrifying, capable of taking over human bodies.
Noel walked over to Macao, carefully prying him out of the wall. He then pulled some bandages from his backpack and performed a quick treatment; the wounds were quite serious.
Macao must have fought the Vulcan for a long time, as some of the wounds looked horrifying. Fortunately, the cold temperatures of the mountains meant the wounds wouldn't easily get infected.
"You're really skilled at treating injuries, huh?" Lucy remarked curiously.
"Of course. I've always been the one to handle injuries, big and small." Noel replied casually.
After resting for a while in the cave, Macao gradually regained consciousness. Seeing the three of them gathered around him, he felt a little embarrassed.
He hadn't been able to complete the mission properly and had made everyone worry about him. It was pathetic.
"I'm sorry… I was taken over while fighting the twentieth Vulcan…" Macao said weakly.
"Someone like me has no right to return and face Romeo…"
Macao was deeply regretful.
"That's not true. Taking down nineteen Vulcans is already impressive, and there's no need to push yourself to fight monsters with injuries this severe." Noel said, feeling pained for him.
It was reckless to disregard his own safety, especially since he was already a father.
"Yeah! Romeo would definitely be proud of you!" Natsu added.
Lucy was the most shocked. She hadn't realized there were so many of these Vulcans, and that someone would tackle such a dangerous mission alone.
She wasn't at that level yet, and compared to these experienced mages, she still had a long way to go.
Noel used Wind Magic to levitate Macao, making him float so that they didn't have to carry him manually, making the return much easier.
The four of them and Happy reached the cave entrance, where they were met by an enormous head.
"Another monster…" Natsu said excitedly, immediately getting into a battle stance, ready to fight.
Lucy, however, could see what it was at a glance. This was a silver wolf, a creature far more terrifying than the Vulcan.
"Stop. Do not attack. This is a friend," Noel quickly stopped him.
"A friend? This huge monster?" Natsu was stunned.
"A silver wolf this size… and it's a friend? Just who is Noel, to know someone who can tame a beast like this?"
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