"Roarrr!"
A bestial roar shattered the silence of the underground.
"An intruder!"
"Looks like we've been discovered…" Noel muttered.
What had seemed like a flawless infiltration… had still been exposed?
In the next instant, a horde of guards came pouring in. Before anyone realized it, the group was already surrounded on all sides.
"Who are you people?!" the leading guard shouted.
"Prepare for battle," Noel whispered.
A crimson magic circle suddenly lit up in Natsu's hands, and blazing flames erupted outward, filling the area with smoke.
Taking advantage of the cover, the group charged out of the haze.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"Ice-Make: Lancer!"
And because Lucy was still in her swimsuit, some of the guards were actually stunned by the sight.
"A swimsuit?!"
"So pretty…"
Lucy pulled out the Virgo key.
"Open, Gate of the Maiden—Virgo!"
Virgo appeared in a flash of light.
"Water Slicer!"
"Alchemy—Stone Spikes!"
…
"Most of them are dealt with already," Juvia said expressionlessly.
"Seems like it," Noel replied.
"But… isn't making this much noise going to cause problems?" Lucy glanced around nervously at the wreckage.
"It's fine. Things end up like this at the guild all the time—just treat it the same," Noel reassured her.
"Where's that pointy-headed guy?!" Natsu grabbed one of the half-conscious guards and demanded.
As expected, Natsu still held a grudge—he just couldn't let go of that spiky-haired man.
But under Natsu's intimidation, the guard promptly fainted. Natsu shook his head furiously, but it was no use.
Suddenly, the sound of grinding gears echoed through the chamber, followed by a heavy rumble.
"What's happening? Did someone trigger a mechanism?" Noel asked.
Everyone shook their heads—they hadn't touched anything. Maybe he was just being too paranoid?
The grinding grew louder, and soon a large gate leading to the upper levels of the Tower of Heaven slowly opened.
So that was it—the noise came from here. Noel let out a quiet breath. He'd just been too cautious—an occupational hazard.
The group exchanged uncertain looks. Should they really go up?
"In that case, the only choice is to move forward," Natsu declared.
"All our targets are above. We have no option but to go," Noel agreed.
"Pointy-head!!" Natsu shouted.
It was still a mystery how deep his grudge ran, but he had been muttering about that man ever since Akane Resort.
"Don't be so loud," Lucy whispered nervously. "If the enemy hears us—"
"After the mess we just made downstairs, there's no way they haven't noticed already," Gray said flatly.
After climbing up, they found themselves in what looked like a dining hall. Tables were laid out with prepared meals and bowls of fruit.
"What are you even eating here?!" Lucy snapped.
"This appears to be the mess hall, Princess. Please, have some," Virgo offered politely.
Lucy's face went pale. How can anyone eat food the enemy left on the table? What if it's poisoned?!
"It's fine," Noel said after checking. He sat down and began eating heartily. "No poison—I can guarantee it."
Even so, Lucy didn't touch it. She just couldn't relax enough to eat.
"As for the door earlier, it seems to have been magically triggered remotely. Which means we've been fully discovered," Virgo observed.
"Yeah. It's being powered by enchanted gears. This tower itself is a finely crafted magical device," Noel deduced.
"Are they trying to provoke us?" Gray muttered irritably.
"Provoke us…" Lucy echoed under her breath.
"By the way, Princess, wearing something like that in a cafeteria—it's disgraceful," Virgo said blankly.
"Please change." Virgo's hand reached out toward Lucy like a claw.
Lucy recoiled, resisting desperately, while Gray's eyes locked squarely on her.
Suddenly, a flash of white light enveloped her, and a green dress appeared in place of her swimsuit—it was something from the Celestial Spirit World.
"So cute," Gray commented.
"Juvia can't accept this!!" Juvia immediately panicked upon hearing him praise Lucy.
"They're having an affair," Virgo added flatly.
"…That's Happy's line, isn't it?" Noel muttered.
"Princess, may your battle be victorious," Virgo said before dissolving into light—her time was up.
"You're all still wearing soaking clothes—how are you even putting up with it?" Lucy sighed.
Flames burst across Natsu's body, turning him into a walking dryer. It actually worked—soon everyone's clothes were dry.
"Seriously, are these people gluttons? How can they eat so much food—"
"Damn it, the intruders ate all our food! They're monsters!"
"We're supposed to be the villains, so why are they the cruel ones?!"
The guards' hatred grew immense upon finding their lunch devoured.
Two blades of light swept through, and the soldiers were instantly cut down.
"El—Erza! You're safe!" Relief washed over the group at the sight of her.
"He's so cool…" Juvia's heart clenched in turmoil. He really is cool… but my heart belongs to Gray-sama!
Erza stared in shock. Everyone was here.
"Why are you all here?" she demanded.
"Well…" Lucy faltered, unable to explain.
"A comrade was taken. Isn't it only natural we'd come to get you back?" Noel said firmly.
"That… Juvia…" As a former Phantom member, Juvia didn't even know what to say.
"Go back," Erza said sharply. "This is not where you should be."
"Don't talk nonsense, Erza!" Natsu shot back, fire in his voice. "If we just swallow our pride after being attacked, it'll disgrace Fairy Tail's name! That pointy-head especially—I won't forgive him!"
After being ambushed, Natsu's grudge burned hotter than ever—he had to settle the score.
"I told you—leave," Erza said coldly.
"Happy's been captured—are you telling us to just walk away?!" Natsu refused to back down.
"Happy? Could it be… Millianna?" Erza murmured.
Millianna did love cats… Erza never imagined she would take Happy.
"Where is she?!" Natsu demanded.
"I don't know," Erza replied.
"Alright, I get it," Natsu said with sudden determination.
"What exactly do you 'get'?!" Noel shot back. It was the first time he'd ever seen Natsu look like he was thinking.
But in the next moment, Natsu dashed off, yelling—
"Happy's waiting for me!"
"…That's just like Natsu," Lucy said with an awkward smile.
"That idiot," Gray muttered.
"Let's go after him," Noel said, concerned.
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