"Eep!"
Evergreen's eyes showed clear, unadulterated fear.
She scrambled backward on her hands and knees, trying to get away from the smiling woman in front of her.
Elfman also swallowed hard, trembling.
He wished he could shrink his large, Beast body into a ball and roll away!
In their eyes, Mirajane, radiating intense, lingering killing intent despite her smile, stood before Ankh like a dormant volcano.
Ankh glanced curiously at the two terrified mages nearby and asked, "Evergreen is one thing but why did you even hit Elfman? He's your brother."
Mirajane held her cheeks, swaying slightly. She explained somewhat sheepishly:
"Not really. Earlier, Elfman and Evergreen were sparring. I just saw him getting beaten up and... I got a little emotional. So I lent a hand."
"Guh..."
Elfman felt a breath catch in his chest, not daring to roar out his usual "Man!" slogan.
Sister—was that really helping?
A Darkness Stream that didn't distinguish friend from foe came crashing down, nearly clearing out the entire street!
If he hadn't blocked it, he would be dust right now!
Evergreen trembled, her gaze fixed on Mirajane with terror.
'She's not a human... she's a demon!'
"Hmm?"
Seeming to sense the intense stare, Mirajane tilted her head slightly.
Her gentle blue eyes turned to Evergreen, and she gave her a friendly, barmaid smile.
"Are you okay, Ever?"
Gulp—
Seeing Mirajane's "gentle" expression, Evergreen felt her heart tighten.
Her already congested head, filled with fear of the "She-Devil," seemed to have been struck by a final blow.
"I surrender..."
Evergreen's eyes rolled back, and she decisively lost consciousness.
THUD.
Elfman stared in panic at Evergreen collapsed in his arms.
He raised his hands helplessly, looking at Ankh, utterly at a loss.
"Ankh! What do I do?!"
Ankh shook his head with some amusement.
To faint from fear just like that... her mental fortitude is truly lacking...
Erza, who had remained silent until now, trying to process the family drama, looked up at the sky.
Her eyes widened.
"What is that?"
In the sky above the town not far away, magic formula text spread across the area like ink wash painting.
The runes twisted and turned, slowly revealing a massive image made of light.
It vaguely revealed the silhouettes of a man and a woman.
Gajeel was wearing a pristine white tuxedo that completely mismatched his usual punk-rock style.
He was holding a shy and delicate-looking Levy in her "wedding dress form" beside him.
This scene was imprinted in the sky like a painting—one couldn't say the entire Magnolia could see it... but it was certainly large enough for half the town to witness.
...
Meanwhile, in the Northern Park.
Directly beneath that "wedding photo" in the sky...
Bickslow lay unconscious on the grass, his totem dolls shattered around him.
Nearby stood a slightly disheveled Gajeel with somewhat torn clothing. He froze, staring petrified at the sky.
The iron nail he was chewing fell out of his mouth.
Not far behind him, Levy, who had just regained consciousness from being a hostage, gazed dazedly at the image.
Her face suddenly turned bright red, steam practically rising from her ears as she realized what the image implied.
"Eh?! M-Me and Gajeel?!"
After an unnervingly long silence, Gajeel—who should have been celebrating his recent victory over the Thunder God Tribe—instead roared furiously at the sky, his face flushing a rare shade of red.
"WHICH DAMN BASTARD PUT THIS THING UP THERE?! COME DOWN HERE AND FIGHT ME!!"
...
Back on the street.
"Oh, this is a Magic Formula I had Freed design earlier," Ankh explained to everyone with a mischievous grin as he looked skyward, admiring the artwork.
"If the sole winner who rescues the girls also defeats the Thunder God Tribe members, this automatically plays as a 'reward' for their bravery. It's a victory announcement."
'What a pity though,' Ankh thought. 'Evergreen was defeated by the 'hostages' (Mirajane), so the reward for her sector couldn't be triggered. Otherwise, we might have seen Elfman in a tuxedo.'
"You had Freed design this?"
Erza scrutinized Ankh with a suspicious gaze, clearly confused.
"Brother... you're not teaming up with Laxus to cause trouble, are you? This seems pre-meditated."
Ankh shook his head innocently. "It's not really causing trouble—mainly for fun... uh, to wake Laxus up."
Ankh's expression turned slightly more serious.
"If the proud Laxus can be defeated by comrades he usually looks down on, it should help him regain his senses. He needs to realize he can't carry the guild alone."
"But..." Mirajane hesitated, looking at her hands. "In the guild, besides you, me, and the Master, who else could possibly be a match for Laxus? He is incredibly strong."
Ankh shook his head and turned his gaze in another direction toward the city center.
"That's why we need two people working together."
The two women followed Ankh's gaze.
They saw that portion of the sky was also gradually being enveloped by magic formulas.
buzz...
Slowly, another image revealed itself, quite similar to Gajeel's.
The same wedding photo style, the same young couple aesthetic. Though this time, the subjects had become a pink-and-blond-haired duo.
Natsu in a suit, grinning wildly, and Lucy in a bridal gown, looking shocked.
"Natsu and Lucy?" Erza stared at the image in surprise, murmuring thoughtfully. "All three Thunder God Tribe members were defeated... Wait... you're not thinking of having Natsu and Gajeel challenge Laxus together, are you?"
Ankh smiled faintly, silently confirming Erza's speculation.
Erza fell silent.
If she and Mirajane teamed up, they'd have some confidence in defeating Laxus.
But Natsu and Gajeel joining forces...
Not to underestimate their abilities—after all, as A+ rank combatants in the Fairy Tail guild, essentially almost S class mages, they might even be stronger than ordinary guild masters elsewhere.
However, their opponent was Laxus Dreyar.
He was likely among the top three most talented and powerful individuals in the entire world's younger generation.
One could never be too cautious when facing him.
Ankh looked at the two girls' hesitant expressions and smiled knowingly.
"Don't worry," Ankh reassured them. "I understand the limits of those two guys. That's why I specially left them a little... surprise."
How did Natsu defeat Laxus in the original story? Ankh pondered internally.
The whole thing was quite absurd. Setting aside the protagonist's plot armor, it essentially boiled down to a matter of shifting advantages.
In the original storyline, after Laxus fought Erza and Mystogan consecutively in the church, though he had consumed some magic power, he could still suppress the twin Dragon Slayer duo.
Later, upon hearing the news of the Master's critical condition and failing to enforce the Fairy Law, Laxus's mental state and magic power were both significantly diminished.
Even in that state, he managed to take Gajeel out of the fight before finally being defeated by Natsu.
With Laxus constantly accumulating negative buffs, it'd be strange if he didn't lose.
But in the current situation Ankh had orchestrated, Laxus wouldn't suffer unnecessary blows to his mentality and magic power.
He was fresh, motivated, and waiting at the church.
This made him even more troublesome.
So, Ankh concluded, since we can't weaken Laxus, the only option is to boost Natsu and the others' strength.
...
On the streets of Magnolia in the distance.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
The white pavement was scorched black, with numerous explosive craters pockmarking the roadside.
Freed lay unconscious in one of these pits, his rapier broken.
Natsu stood over him, wiping soot from his face.
He scratched his head helplessly, looking up.
"Hey Lucy, did you make that thing in the sky?"
Lucy, her cheeks flushed red and steam practically rising from her head as she stared at the "Natsu x Lucy" wedding projection, exclaimed urgently.
"I would never do something like that! It's embarrassing!"
Suddenly appearing, Happy covered his mouth and snickered mischievously.
"Aye! Something's going on between you two~ You look good in a dress, Lucy!" Click-tongue.
Then... Happy immediately got a head full of bumps from Lucy's iron fist.
"Shut up, cat!"
"Hey, Lucy," Natsu interrupted, sniffing the air. "What are you holding in your hand?"
Natsu watched Lucy and Happy roughhousing and looked curiously at the small, ornate wooden box Lucy was clutching tightly.
Lucy blinked in confusion.
She looked down. "Eh?"
She casually handed over the box. "I don't know. It was in my hand when I woke up from being a stone statue?"
Natsu scratched his head. He took the box and immediately opened the lid.
Click.
The contents of the box were revealed.
It emitted a faint, pulsating white glow and carried a warm current that washed over Natsu's confused face.
Natsu's eyes widened. He sniffed deeply.
"This thing..." Natsu muttered, drooling slightly. "It smells really good? Like... incredibly powerful fire?"
Lucy peered inside.
"It looks like... a gemstone?"
---------
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