"Hahahaha! I've been waiting for you, Fairy Tail!"
An arrogant laugh came from outside the wind wall.
In the direction of the station exit, a group of mages in dark green uniforms and bird-beak masks appeared.
Their leader was a man with sinister eyes, holding a strange, scythe-like weapon.
It was the leader of "Eisenwald"—Erigor!
"I didn't expect the famous 'Titania' Erza to be here, along with the renowned 'Digital Summoner' Ace." Erigor licked his lips, his eyes glinting with greed and cruelty.
"What an unexpected prize. But for now, you can all have fun playing inside this Magic Wind Wall!"
After speaking, Erigor ignored the trapped group, his body transforming into a wisp of wind as he sped off toward the ruins outside of town.
"Bastard! Don't run!" Natsu roared, slamming a fist into the wind wall.
Flames exploded, but they only caused the wall to ripple slightly, while he himself was knocked back.
"Calm down, Natsu!" Ace shouted, watching as Erza tried to slash at it with her sword, only for her sword qi to be similarly churned up and deflected by the spinning wind wall.
"This wind wall contains powerful laws of wind. Brute force won't break through it quickly!"
Ace stood his ground, sizing up the "Magic Wind Wall" around them.
Suddenly, he looked at Lucy.
"Lucy?"
"Huh? Y-Yes!" Lucy was taken aback, not knowing why Ace suddenly asked this.
"I seem to... vaguely recall some records about the Zodiac Celestial Spirits," Ace said thoughtfully.
"The Celestial Spirit of Virgo, besides possessing great power, also seems to be proficient in... earth-related magic, especially digging and moving through the earth? Perhaps we can try going underground?"
"Digging?" Everyone was stunned.
"That's right! The wind wall only blocks the area above ground; it might not completely cover what's below! Besides, there are usually pipes and foundational structures under a station, so the soil might be relatively loose!" Gray was the quickest to react.
"Let's try it! Lucy!" Erza made a swift decision.
"O-Okay!" Lucy no longer hesitated.
Although she was still a bit traumatized by Virgo's "appearance" and their violent first meeting, she raised the Virgo key and concentrated.
"Open, Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"
A golden Magic Circle spread across the ground. However, the one who emerged from the light this time was not the tall, heavyset, and "uniquely" featured maid.
Instead, it was a cute girl with soft pink hair in a well-fitting maid outfit.
"Eh?!" Lucy, Natsu, Happy, and even Gatomon were stunned.
Was this the same fat maid from before?
The pink-haired Virgo gave Lucy an elegant curtsy, her voice soft and pleasant.
"Princess, what are your orders?"
"P-Princess?" Lucy's face flushed, and she immediately pointed at the ground.
"Um... c-could you dig a tunnel from here to the outside of the wind wall? As fast as possible!"
Virgo glanced at the spinning "Magic Wind Wall," a look of understanding in her eyes, and nodded.
"Understood, Princess. Please step back a little."
She raised her hands, palms facing the ground.
A soft, earthy-yellow light emanated from her hands and seeped into the floor.
The hard station ground, as if manipulated by an invisible hand, began to silently part and sink, forming a smooth, neat, circular tunnel two meters in diameter that sloped downwards.
"S-So amazing!" Lucy exclaimed in awe.
"As expected, a Celestial Spirit's form and abilities are related to the contractor's magic power, compatibility, and state during the summoning," Ace nodded.
It seemed Lucy and Virgo's compatibility was excellent, and the summoned form was closer to her "ideal" state, even though she can change it depending on her contractor preference.
In less than a minute, a tunnel dozens of meters long, passing under the foundation of the "Magic Wind Wall," was dug.
The exit was in a small grove of trees not far from the outside of the wall.
"Let's go!" Erza was the first to leap into the tunnel, with the others close behind.
As the last one crawled out, the tunnel entrance behind them swiftly closed under Virgo's control, leaving no trace.
"Well done, Lucy! Virgo!" Erza praised.
Lucy smiled, a little embarrassed, and recalled Virgo.
Not daring to delay, the group immediately gave chase in the direction Erigor had fled.
However, when they reached the entrance to the ancient ruins outside of town, which had been designated a restricted area, they only found the messy traces of a battle and a few knocked-out "Eisenwald" grunts.
Erigor was nowhere to be seen.
"Look at the sky!" Happy suddenly shouted, pointing upwards.
Everyone looked up and saw a figure enveloped in a whirlwind, flying southeast at extreme speed!
It was Erigor, holding a strangely shaped flute that emanated an ominous, dark purple light.
"We can't let him get away with that cursed flute!" Erza said urgently.
"Leave it to me."
Ace took a step forward, and Gatomon leaped from his shoulder in understanding.
His eyes focused, and the fiery Warrior Spirit within him instantly ignited.
"Armor Digivolution—Agunimon!"
Amidst the flames, his figure grew taller, and streamlined crimson armor covered his entire body.
Beneath a majestic dragon-head helmet, eyes burning with scorching golden flames locked onto the cyan figure in the sky.
"I'll stop him! You guys follow on the ground as fast as you can!"
Before his words faded, Agunimon (Ace) created a deafening sonic boom, tearing through the air and leaving a long-lasting, scorching trail in his wake.
"S-So fast!" Natsu's eyes widened.
"Ace's transformation... is outstanding," Gray murmured.
Erza watched the crimson figure, a strange light flashing in her eyes before she composed herself and said in a low voice, "We can't fall behind either! Full speed ahead!"
...
In the air, Erigor suddenly felt a heart-pounding heat and terrifying pressure from behind.
He looked back in horror to see a crimson figure, approaching him at an unbelievable speed.
"What?! How did someone catch up so fast?!" Erigor was aghast, but he was a battle-hardened Dark Mage.
He reacted instantly, gripping Lullaby tightly in his left hand while brandishing his scythe with his right, the cyan whirlwind around him surging violently.
"I don't care who you are! If you dare to stop me, then die! Storm Scythe: Rend!"
Several massive, illusory cyan scythes formed from highly compressed, violent wind blades tore through the clouds, slashing towards the pursuing Agunimon in a crisscross pattern.
Each wind blade was powerful enough to slice a steel warship in half.
Faced with an attack that would have pushed an ordinary S-Class Mage into a desperate corner, Agunimon's (Ace's) burning eyes held only an icy calm.
He didn't even slow down.
He simply raised his crimson-armored right arm and threw a simple punch at the incoming wind blades.
At the tip of his fist, highly compressed crimson-gold flames erupted, forming a spiral fire drill several meters in diameter that brazenly crashed into the first wind blade.
Boom! Crack!
A piercing explosion and the sound of shattering.
The seemingly indestructible storm scythe blade, under the force of a punch containing the ultimate power of the Warrior Spirit of Fire and the explosive properties of dragon flames, shattered inch by inch like fragile glass.
The fire drill's momentum didn't wane, and it successively smashed the following wind blades.
The aftershock even caused the protective whirlwind around Erigor to shake violently.
"Impossible!" Erigor's pupils shrank, and for the first time, a look of utter disbelief appeared on his face.
His full-power wind blades were shattered so easily?!
"This path is closed, Erigor," Agunimon's (Ace's) voice came through his helmet, carrying a metallic clang and scorching authority.
"Hand over 'Lullaby,' and I might spare your life."
"Spare my life? Hahahaha!" Erigor snapped out of his shock and burst into crazed laughter, his eyes filled with ferocity and hysteria.
"With just you? You have no idea what 'Lullaby's' true power is! Since you're seeking death, I'll let you, and those Fairy Tail scum below, become the first sacrifices for 'Lullaby's' revival!"
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