The small boat pushed through the waves, the sea reflecting the black tower.
A small fishing boat moved slowly across the vast ocean, carrying a few people who looked completely out of place together.
Riyao sat at the bow, legs crossed, cracking melon seeds, while Mirajane leaned on his shoulder, resting her eyes.
Gray stood by the gunwale with his arms crossed, Juvia sat next to him with a look of pure bliss, and Lucy scanned the surroundings with binoculars.
The luxurious lineup for this raid on the Tower of Paradise: Riyao, Mirajane, Gray, Juvia, Lucy, and Natsu.
Thinking about this lineup, Riyao couldn't help but chuckle, his shoulders shaking so much he nearly spilled his seeds.
Mirajane opened her eyes, leaning against Riyao's shoulder, tilting her head to look at his profile with a playful tone.
"What are you laughing at? Tell me so I can have a laugh too."
Riyao lied through his teeth without changing his expression, looking completely serious.
"I just find it funny thinking about Erza getting kidnapped. A dignified S-Class Mage getting snatched by a bunch of brats—it's hilarious."
Mirajane reached out and pinched his cheek.
"You're full of it."
Riyao chuckled and didn't deny it.
Lucy lowered her binoculars, looking out at the endless sea with a frown, then turned to look at Natsu, who was sprawled at the stern.
"Natsu, are you sure this is the right direction?"
Everyone turned back to see that Natsu was already seasick.
He was slumped over the side of the boat, his face pale, groaning in agony; every gust of sea breeze made him want to retch again.
Natsu had already developed a tolerance to Riyao's anti-motion sickness transport magic, so he had to rely on his own willpower to endure it.
But clearly, Natsu couldn't resist it.
He lay over the edge of the boat, weakly raising a hand to point forward.
"Over there... I can smell Erza."
Then he collapsed back down and dry-heaved a few times.
Seeing Natsu in this state, Gray voiced his dissatisfaction and kicked Natsu's butt.
"We only came here because we trusted your nose! Get it together!"
Juvia immediately chimed in, hands on her hips, looking indignant.
"To betray Gray-sama's trust like this, I simply can't believe it."
Natsu didn't even have the strength to retort, so he just rolled his eyes.
Just then, Riyao sensed something unusual in the distance and stood up, dropping the melon seeds in his hand.
He squinted toward the southeast and clicked his tongue.
"Oh ho, wreckage from the Fiore Kingdom's military ships."
The others followed Riyao's gaze and saw broken planks, charred sails, and capsized hulls floating on the sea.
The wreckage was scattered over hundreds of meters, with some parts still emitting black smoke.
Lucy gasped and covered her mouth.
"My god, what happened here?"
Mirajane pondered for a moment, her expression turning grave.
"It seems the organization behind the Tower of Paradise is quite significant, even the kingdom's regular army came to raid it."
Natsu also sensed the danger and forced himself to pull it together, climbing up from the side of the boat; though his face was still deathly pale, his fists were clenched.
As the boat continued forward, everyone could now see the Tower of Paradise.
It was a gigantic, pitch-black tower-like structure, standing on the sea like a black nail driven into the sky, exuding an unsettling aura.
Juvia stood up, pushed her hands forward, and manipulated the water to form a hemispherical shield covering the boat, the water curtain refracting the sunlight.
Concealing the entire boat behind the shimmering water curtain, it looked like just ordinary waves from the outside.
Riyao gave her a thumbs up, looking appreciative.
"Oh, not bad. I'll reward you with a photo of Gray fresh out of the bath."
Juvia's eyes lit up instantly like two glowing lightbulbs, her hands clenched in front of her chest, full of anticipation.
Gray, embarrassed and angry, his face flushing deep red, grabbed Riyao by the collar.
"Hey! When did you take that?!"
He lunged forward, trying to snatch the item from Riyao.
Riyao reached out and pressed his hand against Gray's head, while Gray's arms flailed in the air.
But he just couldn't reach Riyao; the height difference between the two made all of Gray's attacks miss.
"Don't be so impatient, I don't have the photo on me. I'll show you the original when we get back."
Gray's face turned even redder, whether from anger or embarrassment, it was hard to tell.
As the boat approached the safe zone Riyao had sensed, he stood at the bow, his magic power beginning to surge.
[Life Mimicry: Demon]
Black magic power erupted from within Riyao, demon wings unfurled from his back, and sharp horns sprouted from the sides of his forehead.
In his demon form, Riyao lifted the entire boat, his demon wings flapping violently as he carried the boat across the final stretch of water and landed steadily on the shore.
Mirajane hopped off the boat, looked around, and asked skeptically, "Is it really okay for us to just walk in like this?"
Though she was doubtful, she still used Take Over to enter Satan Soul, her demon wings unfurling.
The two stood together, looking like they were wearing a couple's outfit, only Mirajane's color scheme was purple, while Riyao's was black—one purple, one black, radiating a murderous aura.
Riyao gestured, his tone relaxed.
"I just sensed it; there isn't a single place on this island without enemies. I can even faintly feel someone watching us. Sneaking around is pointless, so we might as well just barge in."
Natsu circled Riyao, tilting his head to look him up and down.
"Why is this different from the form you used to fight me last time? That form was scarier. Also, I can smell myself on you again."
Gray spoke up, arms crossed, with an expression like he was looking at an idiot.
"Idiot, if he wore the same outfit as Mira, everyone would know exactly what was going on immediately."
Riyao patted Natsu on the head.
"Don't worry about that. You take Lucy and the others to find Erza and Happy, while Mira and I clear the ground floor."
Natsu nodded; although he was still a bit dizzy, the thought of Erza and Happy being kidnapped overwhelmed his discomfort with rage.
"Let's go!"
Natsu led Gray, Juvia, and Lucy into the tower, running up the stairs.
Riyao and Mirajane remained in the tower's ground floor hall.
The hall was packed with dense crowds of grunts, at least a hundred of them, wearing matching black uniforms and holding weapons. Seeing the two demons walk in, they all nervously raised their weapons.
Riyao scanned the room and grinned, revealing two rows of stark white teeth.
"Hehe, so many grunts."
Mirajane also revealed a wicked smile, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly, the little tuft of hair on her forehead swaying gently.
"Then let's begin."
The two demons charged into the crowd, like wolves among sheep.
Riyao gathered pitch-black flames in both hands, the black fire dancing in his palms and emitting a scorching heat.
He pushed his hands forward, firing consecutive terrifying energy waves; each wave carried destructive power, and wherever they passed, the grunts fell like wheat being harvested.
"Ink Flame Burning Heaven, kill, kill, kill, kill..."
The pitch-black flames spread throughout the hall, devouring everything. The grunts screamed and scattered in flight, but they couldn't outrun the speed of the energy waves.
Mirajane stood back-to-back with Riyao, her demon wings unfurled, gathering purple dark magic in her hands and firing rapid energy waves, each one hitting its target with precision.
"Demon Blast!"
The purple energy waves and the black flames intertwined, forming a storm of destruction in the hall.
The number of grunts dwindled at a visible rate, the entire Tower of Paradise shook incessantly, and rubble from the ceiling rained down.
The two demons wove through the crowd, their coordination so seamless they acted as one.
Riyao was responsible for frontal breakthroughs, while Mirajane handled the flanks; the two stood back-to-back, like two ruthless harvesters, leaving nothing in their wake.
In less than five minutes, the grunts in the hall were cleared out.
Riyao brushed the dust off his hands and looked around; the ground was littered with fallen grunts, the walls were covered in charred marks, and the air was filled with the smell of burning.
"Warm-up complete."
Mirajane still wore a demonic smile: "Next floor?"
Riyao took Mirajane's hand and walked toward the stairs: "Next floor."
Meanwhile, upstairs, Lucy looked through the gap in the stairwell and saw the battle between Riyao and Mirajane at the bottom of the tower; she couldn't help but click her tongue, her expression so shocked her jaw nearly hit the floor.
"Th-this pair's destructive power is just too strong. I won't dare speak ill of Riyao next time."
Juvia also spoke up, her tone full of admiration?
"The two masters are very strong, much stronger than Juvia."
Natsu urged them on from the front.
"Stop looking! Let's go! Erza is still upstairs!"
The group quickly headed upstairs, following Natsu's nose to find Erza and Happy.