Natsu took a deep breath, calming himself down.
After a period of intensive training within the guild, everyone's progress was evident, and Natsu was no longer as impulsive as before.
This was clearly seen in how he controlled the force of his blow just now.
If it had been before, his punch would have certainly first created a large crater in the ground, and the railway would have inevitably been affected, before the lizard monsters and Gray Rats suffered.
"What should we do?" Natsu asked, his voice less impatient than usual, with a hint of composure.
Ezreal's figure flickered, appearing instantly like a ghost beside a lizard corpse that was still emitting black smoke and the aroma of roasted meat.
He stretched out his hand and gently pressed it on the top of the corpse's head.
A strange green light glowed from his palm, and this green light, like a nimble spirit, seemed to possess life as it quickly burrowed into the lizard's skull through its mouth, nose, and ears.
Cana, riding her Cloud Steed, walked over with Natsu.
Hooves clattered on the ground, making a crisp sound.
Happy, meanwhile, flapped his wings, flying in circles twice above Ezreal's head, watching everything curiously.
Ezreal's consciousness immersed itself into the soul within the corpse, beginning to examine the lizard's memories.
Ezreal's consciousness instantly dimmed, and a vast cave appeared before him.
The walls of the cave were covered with damp moss and sharp stalactites, exuding a decaying odor.
Around him were many black lizards, almost as tall as a person.
This group of lizards was gathered together, frantically tearing apart and devouring several Gray Rats.
Their claws were brutally ripped off and stuffed whole into their mouths.
Some lizards dug into the rats' bellies, grabbing intestines and hearts and running off to the side, emitting low growls.
Others tore off heads, gnawing on them with their claws, as eyeballs mixed with black blood flowed down the lizards' ferocious jaws, dripping onto the damp ground, forming pools of nauseating bloodstains.
Immediately after, the scene abruptly changed, and his perspective was of running wildly.
Stones and sharp objects on the ground scraped against his footpads, causing sharp pains.
Around him were other lizards running just as wildly, their eyes filled with terror.
And behind them were thousands of Gray Rats, surging like a gray tide, chasing after them.
Their dense, countless forms made one's scalp tingle, and they emitted shrill cries, like the trumpets of death.
Some slower lizards were caught by the rat swarm.
In just the blink of an eye, they were completely devoured by the frenzied rats.
Black blood splattered, raining down like black droplets.
Bloody skeletons fell to the ground, covered with clear teeth marks, appearing particularly horrifying in the dim light.
The scene changed once more; within the cave, a two-person-tall, oval-shaped white energy vortex suddenly appeared.
The vortex emitted a soft and mysterious glow, appearing exceptionally dazzling in the dim cave.
The lizards and Gray Rats wandering nearby, seeing such bright light for the first time in this dim cave, were all stunned.
They instinctively walked towards the white vortex.
When the first lizard touched the portal, its figure instantly vanished.
Seeing this, the other lizards and Gray Rats showed no fear; instead, their eyes gleamed with greed and curiosity as they successively approached, one after another disappearing into the white vortex.
Ezreal, following the memory fragments, carefully stared at the white vortex for a moment, his heart sinking, "A Spatial Node?"
...Outside, Cana and the others were patiently waiting.
Ezreal slowly opened his eyes, withdrew his hand, and a flash of white light passed through his palm, instantly turning the black blood and charred skin into a puff of smoke, leaving his hand clean.
Natsu and the others immediately looked over, and Happy asked expectantly, "How was it?"
Ezreal clapped his hands, his brow tightly furrowed, his face full of worry, "The situation isn't good. These magical beasts have very low intelligence. From their memories, I saw that they live in a dim cave; it's a huge underground cavern."
"There are only lizards and Gray Rats in the cave; they feed on each other. But a while ago, a Spatial Node appeared in the cave, and they all came to the surface through this Spatial Node."
Ezreal paused, then continued, "From the memory fragments, I saw at least a thousand of them, and more magical beasts are continuously escaping to the outside world through the Spatial Node."
Cana's expression changed slightly as she looked at the distant railway, saying worriedly, "This is not good news."
Natsu clenched his fists and asked, "Can you pinpoint the location of the rift? We'll go destroy it first."
Ezreal thought for a moment, then looked at the two of them and suggested, "Let's split up. I specialize in Summoning Magic, so I'll find the spatial rift. Natsu, Happy, and Cana, you go deal with the wandering magical beasts."
"These magical beasts are very aggressive; if they break into human settlements, ordinary people will find it difficult to resist them."
Natsu clenched his fist, "No problem, leave it to us."
Cana nodded, "You be careful yourself."
Happy flew over and hugged Ezreal, "Be careful, EZ."
"Don't worry."
Ezreal smiled slightly, and the white light on his body suddenly flared, and in the next second, he was gone.
Seeing Ezreal leave, Cana took a deep breath, "It's time for us to get to work too."
Before she finished speaking, a card was held between Cana's fingertips, and a flash of colorful light passed, transforming the card into a fist-sized red-eyed ghost that appeared in Cana's palm.
The ghost's overall appearance resembled a white cloth with a pair of red eyes, and it had no limbs.
After the little ghost appeared, it headed straight for the charred lizard corpses, its spiritual body passing through the lizard's body, and then it found a rat's corpse and passed through it as well, after which it quickly returned to Cana's side.
Natsu glanced curiously at the little ghost and asked, "How is it?"
The little ghost in Cana's palm flew up, its gaze directed westward.
Cana gripped the Cloud Steed's mane tightly, "The Tracking Ghost has recorded the life information of these magical beasts. This time, we definitely won't miss any. Let's go, Natsu!"
Natsu clapped his fists together, and flames flashed across them, "Ah, we definitely won't! Happy!"
"Aye!"
Happy flapped his wings, flew behind Natsu, grabbed Natsu's scarf with his claws, and effortlessly lifted him into the air.
The three moved quickly towards the west.
Traveling west along the railway, the area near the tracks was open, with an unobstructed view.
The sun shone on this vast land, yet it brought little warmth, instead reflecting a desolate atmosphere.
The Tracking Ghost floated ahead, leading the way for Natsu, Cana, and Happy.
Soon, they caught up with the fleeing rat swarm.
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