Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
----------
Natsu and Gray's combination was unstoppable, crushing everything in their path.
Although the two were "dead rivals" in the guild, competing and arguing for years, when they cooperated, their synchronized teamwork was like a skilled band.
"Fire" and "Ice" with vastly different styles played their own solos, yet they could also complement each other and blend into each other's rhythm, achieving an unparalleled synergy.
Wherever the Ice and Fire duo passed, all intercepting guards fell.
Of course, Gray and Natsu's attacks were merely a warning—after all, the guards were ordinary people, and even the usually reckless Natsu knew to be careful.
After dealing with the vast majority of guards, there was still no sign of Erza, which made Gray a bit confused. Erza was only a little faster than them, so how did she disappear so quickly that they couldn't even catch her exhaust?
Natsu, on the other hand, simply yelled into the empty surroundings:
"Erza! Where did you run off to!"
The echo reverberated through the tower with great force, but there was no response.
Suddenly, a burst of intense guitar music emanated from a dark corner, and a figure slowly appeared.
Gray looked on guard. It was a long-haired man with heavy makeup, holding a guitar, dressed in rock attire, with impressive, slick black hair.
"YO HO!"
"Welcome to the Tower of Heaven, Fairy Tail!"
"I am Vidaldus Taka, the 'Hawk' of Trinity Raven. Please stay and enjoy my music!"
Trinity Raven, affiliated with the Dark Guild Death's Head Caucus, is an assassination squad specializing in assassination missions, composed of three powerful Mages codenamed "Hawk," "Owl," and "Ikaruga."
In a certain war, Trinity Raven was once hired by one side to assassinate all the officers of the other side, thereby influencing the course of the war. They are a powerful magical assassination unit.
But clearly, Gray, being from an orthodox guild, had never heard of the famous "Trinity Raven."
Natsu, on the other hand, didn't care what kind of bird it was—he just started fighting.
Battle instantly erupted.
Vidaldus dodged Natsu's reckless attack and took the opportunity to whip his long hair at Natsu, but Natsu didn't dodge or evade, activating his Armament Haki.
The flaming, pitch-black fist instantly pulverized the attacking magical long hair into ashes. Natsu charged forward, intending to take advantage of the situation to eliminate the obstructing enemy.
Vidaldus, who was skilled in long-range combat, quickly retreated upon seeing this, continuously strumming his guitar. Natsu, unwilling to let his enemy go, charged at full speed.
Seeing that he was about to be caught, Vidaldus, who was not skilled in close combat, not only showed no fear but instead laughed aloud.
"YA HO!"
"You fell for it, Dragon Slayer!"
As the last note sounded, Natsu's fist froze before Vidaldus's eyes, unable to advance further.
Gray sensed something was wrong and loudly called out to Natsu.
However, what responded to Gray was a pair of swift, fiery fists!
The Magic "Rock of Succubus" is an enslavement Magic that manipulates targets through sound using a magical instrument. Vidaldus had perfectly completed numerous assassination missions using this Magic.
Trinity Raven had previously collected information on Fairy Tail, so Vidaldus chose to control the highly aggressive Dragon Slayer—this was an excellent puppet.
It is well known that Fairy Tail is a guild that values camaraderie. When a comrade is controlled and turned into an enemy, what else can they do besides passively defend?
"HO HO!"
"What an incredibly exciting melody."
"I'm completely hyped!"
Watching Gray struggle under the fierce attacks of the controlled Natsu, Vidaldus excitedly strummed his guitar.
However, facing Natsu's wild assault, Gray, who appeared to be "retreating steadily," was secretly doing his utmost to suppress his laughter.
The reason Gray didn't retaliate immediately was to test how much of Natsu's original strength the controlled Natsu, under Vidaldus's manipulation, could unleash.
After a round of probing, Gray had gotten what he wanted.
Only sixty percent—Natsu's personal fighting style is, after all, not something everyone can adapt to.
Since that was the case... Suddenly, Gray, who Vidaldus thought was losing, easily caught Natsu's fist, then kicked Natsu away.
Clasping his hands together, he instantly formed a large Ice Hammer. Gray leaped high and mercilessly smashed Natsu down, with such force that the Ice Hammer shattered.
His fierce demeanor made Vidaldus's eyes widen in shock, as if Gray wasn't smashing a comrade but an enemy.
"Isn't he your comrade?"
"To try and kill your own comrade, are you really from Fairy Tail!"
Facing Vidaldus's questioning, Gray smiled cryptically and said, "Don't slander me—I am a pure, unadulterated member of 'Fairy Tail.'"
What Vidaldus didn't know was that if he had controlled any other member of Fairy Tail, Gray would surely have fought cautiously for the sake of his comrade's safety.
But of all people, the one he controlled was Natsu.
And he could only unleash sixty percent of Natsu's normal strength.
Gray looked at his comrade, who was climbing up from under the shattered Ice Hammer, and couldn't help but smile.
"Don't worry, Natsu, I'm here to save you."
"Heh!"
He smiled, didn't he? He actually smiled!
Vidaldus watched Gray punch Natsu's face with all his might, the ice suppressing the flames, creating an instantly one-sided battle. A sense of absurdity and terror involuntarily arose in Vidaldus's heart.
Not far away, Noah, who had been watching the show for a while, didn't know what expression to make as he saw Gray finally get a chance to openly beat Natsu.
Never mind, let's check on the Celestial Spirit Mage in another battlefield.
Lucy and the two cats' enemy was "Owl," one of Trinity Raven, a burly figure equipped with magical feathers and winged magical rockets, resembling an owl.
As a Celestial Spirit Mage, facing a muscular "owl" who looked very capable in a fight, Lucy unhesitatingly summoned her Celestial Spirit.
As Lucy chanted, the golden key in her hand cut a straight line through the air.
A golden gate of starlight immediately appeared, and amidst the shining symbol of Taurus, the figure of a muscular minotaur carrying a giant axe appeared with imposing presence.
The one who arrived was none other than one of the Zodiac twelve Celestial Spirits, the legendary Taurus the Bull, said to possess immense strength.
However, the minotaur with cow-like coloring, upon seeing Lucy, instantly lost all his initial imposing presence and shamelessly approached Lucy.
"Miss Lucy's figure is as hot as ever, moo~"
Lucy was speechless—black and white coloring indeed never meant seriousness!
Although Taurus is an out-and-out perverted bull, his appreciation for beauty is limited to admiration. As Lucy's contracted Celestial Spirit, he always puts loyalty first.
Except when the enemy is also a great beauty...
Facing Taurus, rumored to be the strongest of the Zodiac twelve, Fukuro was unwilling to engage in a direct confrontation. So he swiftly flew around Taurus's giant axe and charged directly at Lucy.
The weakness of a Celestial Spirit Mage is the Mage themself.
However, Lucy was not alone—and Fukuro was not the only one who could fly.
Detecting Fukuro's intent in advance through Malice Perception, Cheese firmly grabbed Lucy's shoulder, carried her into the air, and easily dodged Fukuro's attack.
And Happy also instinctively flew toward Taurus.
Although the bull was a bit heavy, fortunately, the blue cat was also very strong.
Because of Cheese's special ability, he always dodged Fukuro's pursuit through Malice Perception. However, Fukuro did not have Malice Perception, and facing the continuous attacks of Taurus's giant axe, he immediately fell into a disadvantage.
Amidst the back-and-forth, Fukuro accidentally got hit by Taurus's giant axe, and the monstrous force that permeated his body instantly slammed him into the ground.
Looking at the fallen Fukuro, Taurus let Happy release him, landed heavily, and went to confirm if the enemy had lost his combat ability.
However, just as Taurus approached, Fukuro, who had been lying motionless, suddenly erupted. His bird-like mouth impossibly wide, he tried to swallow Taurus.
As an elite assassin, Fukuro naturally also possessed Magic. He could swallow enemies and steal their abilities.
Taurus was caught off guard. Just as Fukuro was about to acquire the Celestial Spirit's immense strength, a figure had already appeared silently beside him, and a dense magical fire gathered in that person's right fist.
"Extreme Fire Blast Fist!"