Ankh raised an eyebrow.
Back so soon?
Was the thief making his move already?
Seeing the door handle turn, Ankh didn't panic.
He rolled off the bed and "fell" upward, using Titan Gravity to anchor himself firmly to the ceiling.
At the same time, he cast an invisibility spell, vanishing from sight just as the door creaked open.
He watched the scene unfold from above like a spider.
A rather ordinary-looking man—the thief—peeked sneakily into the room before ushering two others inside.
The guests were an odd pair.
One was a stern man in a uniform and glasses, radiating an arrogant, scholarly vibe that screamed 'difficult to work with.'
The other was a stunningly beautiful woman.
Her face was as radiant as a peach blossom, but her smile carried a hint of mockery.
'Ah', Ankh realized. 'Just like Mira and me, these two are posing as a couple to blend into the love hotel.'
The woman, wearing an exaggeratedly heavy gown, covered her nose in disgust.
"Ugh, this place is filthy. Let's just grab the thing and get out."
The bespectacled man snorted coldly.
He shot a displeased glance at her before turning to the thief.
"No one noticed you, right?"
The thief hesitated.
He shook his head and stammering, "There was... a slight mishap..."
Behind his lenses, the scholar's hawk-like pupils narrowed.
A flash of killing intent filled the room.
Terrified, the thief dropped to his knees, pleading urgently.
"Even though someone noticed my tracks, they wouldn't dare come in here! As long as you two take the blueprint discreetly, I swear I won't implicate the cult!"
Ankh, hanging from the ceiling, narrowed his eyes.
'The cult.'
'The White Devil Cult again perhaps?'
The beautiful woman sighed dramatically.
"Honestly. If the Cult's treasured 'Satan Soul' hadn't gone missing and driven the Leader mad with rage, a trivial mission like this wouldn't have fallen to executives like us."
The scholar glared at her. "How dare you criticize the Leader's decisions?"
The woman chuckled coldly, ignoring him.
Ankh nearly laughed aloud.
Their dynamic was amusing.
When they entered, Ankh had noticed the scholar silently holding up the hem of the woman's gown to keep it off the floor.
And despite her cold attitude, she seemed to enjoy the attention.
'They act like they hate each other, but there's definitely some tension there,' Ankh mused, indulging in a bit of gossip from his perch.
'The red string of fate works in mysterious ways.'
Seeing that his superiors had stopped arguing, the thief quickly interjected.
"Sirs, please, let me hand over the item now."
The woman turned away, bored while the scholar nodded impatiently.
The thief scrambled to the bed, reached into the hidden compartment, and... froze.
He fumbled around. He stuck his head under the bed. He frantically tore open the drawers.
Nothing.
As the seconds ticked by, the thief began to sweat bullets.
The beautiful woman sensed something was wrong.
Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Kid... you wouldn't be playing us for fools, would you?"
The thief's face went pale. He dropped to his knees again. "I wouldn't dare, ma'am! It was here!"
Just as the two executives prepared to punish him, a calm, mocking voice drifted down from the air.
"You two must be from the White Devil Cult, right?"
The scholar jolted.
He turn around, shielding the woman behind him as he stared at Ankh, who had materialized behind them out of thin air.
"Who are you?!"
Ankh gave them a hollow smile, raising his arm to flash the black guild mark.
"A Mage from Fairy Tail. I don't think this is our first encounter."
The scholar's eyes widened in horror. "You! You're the Mage who destroyed our operation at the church!"
Ankh cracked his neck and stretched his arms, a sinister grin spreading across his face.
"Enough talk."
Magic circles flared around Ankh's hands.
The scholar panicked.
"Run!" he shouted to his companions. "This guy's Magic Power is insane!"
The woman narrowed her eyes and nodded.
The thief reacted fastest, scrambling on all fours toward the door and flinging it open to flee into the hallway.
BAM!
Before he could take a single step outside, a massive demonic hand—looking like it comes straight out of hell—slammed into his chest.
The thief was launched backward, flying past Ankh and crashing into the far wall.
Standing in the doorway was Mirajane.
Gone was the disheveled girl from the morning.
She was now dressed in a sleek, form-fitting combat outfit that accentuated her curves, looking equal parts alluring and terrifying.
She had woken up, found Ankh's note, and arrived just in time to see the rat trying to escape.
Mirajane lowered her arm, looking disdainfully at the groaning thief.
"Trash."
The beautiful woman frowned, while the scholar looked visibly troubled.
'Fairy Tail has us completely surrounded.'
Ankh glanced at the thief who had landed at his feet and laughed.
"Well done, Mira."
Hearing Ankh's voice, Mirajane flinched. The memories of the previous night—and the morning—came rushing back to her.
Her face turned a shade of pink, but her eyes went cold.
"Hmph."
She let out a sharp snort, turned her head away, and completely ignored him.
Ankh scratched his head awkwardly.
'Yep. She's definitely still mad.'
There was no helping it—he was the one at fault.
He wisely decided to keep his mouth shut.
The awkward silence left the two cult executives confused.
The beautiful woman, ever observant, noticed the strange tension. Her eyes drifted teasingly toward the flushed skin on Mirajane's neck.
She smirked. "My, my. What's wrong? Trouble in paradise? Did you two have a lovers' quarrel?"
Snap.
Mirajane's heart skipped a beat.
Her face flushed bright red—not from shyness, but from pure, explosive rage.
"SHUT UP!"
Her demon arm clenched into a fist.
A surge of immense dark energy erupted from her body, shaking the room.
She didn't hesitate. She launched herself forward, bringing her fist crashing down on the woman like a meteor.
The cultist woman's eyes went wide.
She barely managed to raise her hand, the ring on her finger glowing to summon a defensive shield.
CRASH!
The shield shattered instantly.
The beautiful woman coughed up a mouthful of blood as she was blasted backward.
She smashed through the hotel wall, tumbling out into the street below in a cloud of dust and debris.
Mirajane stood amidst the rubble, her gaze consumed by darkness.
She slowly stepped through the hole in the wall, intent on finishing the job.
Ankh watched her go, his eyelid twitching.
'Okay... Mira in this state is actually terrifying.'
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I upload more chapter per day once my addiction to where winds meet end!