"Oh! Ace is back!"
"Hey, kid! Heard you went out on your own for a few days?"
"How was it? Was the S-Class quest exciting?"
A few members he was familiar with gathered around to greet him.
Ace gave a simple nod in response, his gaze sweeping across the hall.
He didn't see the familiar figures he was looking for—Erza in her silver armor, the prideful Mirajane, the pink-haired Natsu, Gray's... clothed figure, or Lisanna's face.
He walked straight to the bar, where Master Makarov was standing on his tiptoes, wiping a glass.
His small eyes caught sight of Ace and he raised an eyebrow.
"You brat, you still know how to come back? Is the quest complete?" The Master put down the glass, his tone seemingly casual, but his eyes held a hint of concern.
"Yeah, the investigation in the Black Forest is done. It was just a residual spatial rift from an ancient altar. I've already dealt with it." Ace sat down at the bar, took a glass of water from Macao, and gulped it down to soothe his parched throat.
"Also, on the way back, I took care of three Dark Guild bases."
"Pfft!" Macao, who was eavesdropping nearby, spat out a mouthful of his drink, his eyes wide.
"Th-three?! Kid, you've only been gone for three or four days, right?!"
Even Master Makarov's hand, which was wiping the glass, paused.
A look of astonishment appeared on his small face. "You just went on your first S-Class quest to get familiar with the process... and you, in just three or four days, took down three Dark Guilds? Which three?"
"The 'Phoenix Guild,' the 'Bone-Cracker Society,' and the 'Silent Kill Guild' I just finished off last night," Ace reported calmly, as if he were commenting on the nice weather.
Master Makarov's brow furrowed slightly as he pondered.
"You're not hurt, are you? Did you run into any strange characters?"
'Strange characters?'
An image flashed through Ace's mind: the self-proclaimed "King" who wore a crown, controlled a domain of darkness, and ultimately fled in a pathetic state—the "Shadow King."
That was definitely no ordinary Dark Guild leader.
"I ran into one who was a bit of a hassle. Called himself the 'Shadow King.' His ability was very strange, but nothing i couldn't handled," Ace said nonchalantly.
"Shadow King?" A glint flashed in Master Makarov's eyes, as if he recalled something, but he didn't press further.
He just gave Ace a deep look. "Good work, but don't be so reckless in the future. S-Class quests are no joke, and Dark Guilds run deep."
"I'll be careful, Master," Ace nodded, then asked, "Master, where are Erza and Mirajane? And Natsu and Gray, why aren't they here?"
"Oh, Erza, Natsu, and Gray took a subjugation quest up north. They'll probably be back in a few days. Mirajane took Elfman and Lisanna out on a new quest as well. They left yesterday morning," the Master replied casually.
'Yesterday morning?' Ace's heart skipped a beat.
"What quest did they take?"
Master Makarov walked over to the request board (for quests below S-Class) behind him, rummaged through it, and pulled out a piece of parchment.
"Here, this one—'Subjugate the Beast King entrenched in the eastern Kardia Mountains.' Mirajane felt Elfman needed a tough battle like this to temper himself, and Lisanna's Animal Soul might be useful for reconnaissance and communication, so she took it."
'The Beast King subjugation quest.'
'The Kardia Mountains.'
Ace's heart sank violently, as if seized by a cold hand.
'How could it be at this time?!'
'In the original story, it was this very quest that led to Lisanna being sucked into Edolas.'
He didn't have time to ask for details or listen to the Master's subsequent words like, "Mirajane's strength has recovered and with Elfman and Lisanna there, it should be fine."
Ace shot to his feet, his expression instantly turning ghastly.
"Master! Where is their exact location? What are the mission details?!" His voice was laced with an urgency he himself didn't realize.
Master Makarov was taken aback by his intense reaction.
"The eastern Kardia Mountains. Mirajane has the detailed intel. What's wrong with you? Brat, you look terrible."
"I have to go there immediately!" Ace grabbed his backpack from the side and bolted for the main door without even taking the time to explain.
Rest, debriefing—all of it was thrown to the back of his mind.
All he knew was that he was a day late in setting out, and the tragedy could very well happen within that one-day gap.
"Hey! Ace! You just got back! At least rest for a bit!" Master Makarov shouted from behind him.
"There's no time!" Ace's voice came from outside the door, his figure already vanishing at the end of the street.
Everyone in the hall looked at each other, not understanding why he had suddenly lost his composure like that.
"Subjugating the Beast King... Although it's dangerous, with the strength of Mirajane's team, they should be able to handle it, right?" Wakaba muttered.
"That kid seems particularly worried about Lisanna, doesn't he?" Macao mused, stroking his chin.
Master Makarov stared at the empty doorway as a trace of gravity appearing on his small face.
He understood Ace; the kid was usually calm and would never act without reason.
To be this anxious... could it be that the Beast King quest had some hidden element that even the guild's intelligence hadn't uncovered?
...
The Kardia Mountains.
In a ravaged mountain hollow, trees were toppled, the ground was covered in giant claw marks and craters, and shattered rocks and monster carcasses were scattered everywhere.
In the center of the hollow stood a massive black shadow, as large as a small hill.
Its muscles were knotted like granite, and a pair of giant crimson eyes burned with insane fury.
Viscous saliva and blood dripped from the corners of its mouth.
It had multiple wounds, but they only served to fuel its ferocity.
It was currently throwing its head back and letting out a deafening roar, the sound waves causing rocks to tumble down the mountainside.
Not far across from it, a slender figure was half-kneeling on the ground, panting heavily.
It was Mirajane.
At this moment, she had deactivated her "Satan Soul" and returned to her human form, but she was in terrible condition.
Her iconic purple tube top and short skirt were torn in many places, revealing snowy white skin underneath that was covered in bruises and bloody gashes.
Her long silver hair was messy, stained with dirt and blood.
Her beautiful face was as pale as paper, blood constantly trickling from the corner of her mouth.
Her blue eyes were filled with exhaustion, pain, and despair.
"Elfman... pull yourself together..." Mirajane struggled to lift her head, her eyes filled with heart-wrenching agony as she looked in another direction.
On the other side of the hollow, the situation was even more critical.
Elfman let out a ferocious, inhuman roar.
He had performed a Full-Body Take Over of the "Beast King's" soul, transforming into a three-meter-tall monster with muscles bulging to their limits, skin covered in coarse beast hide, fingernails turned into sharp claws, and a savage, contorted face.
However, Elfman's eyes were completely consumed by a crimson light.
Saliva dripped from his mouth, and his body radiated a chaotic, violent, and uncontrollable aura.
He had lost his mind.