The road ahead grew darker and more sinister, with the surrounding vegetation becoming increasingly withered and dry. After passing through a mountain cave, Noel and the others arrived at the suspicious area they had noted earlier.
Ahead of them yawned a deep chasm—its depths invisible, swallowed in darkness. Strangely, faint red shadows swayed within, fluttering with the wind.
There was definitely something off about this place. Noel could feel it in his gut—this place held some kind of secret.
"No more road? Did we take the wrong path?" Ichiya asked, puzzled.
Just then, Hibiki raised his hand and pointed. "Look over there!"
The group turned to see a broken bridge. They didn't necessarily need to cross it, since Noel could use Wind Magic to fly across. Ichiya, too, might be able to leap it with his strong legs. But the others weren't so lucky—they likely wouldn't make it across the abyss.
In that moment, as Hibiki raised his arm, a wind blade laced with a sonic boom suddenly tore through the air.
"Flash Shield!"
Just in time, a barrier of light appeared, intercepting the wind blade.
"Hibiki, are you alright?" Ichiya quickly pulled him back as the others recoiled in shock.
Had Hibiki reacted even a second slower, he could've lost his hand.
"That was a magic formula trap—a type of enchantment," Noel explained calmly. "It's a kind of barrier that enforces rules on those who enter. If someone breaks the rules, they can't leave. The rules can also be used to eliminate the target. It's an extremely troublesome kind of magic."
Noel had only just realized it. He hadn't noticed the trap at first—but sure enough, they were inside an enchantment-based barrier. While Noel wasn't an expert in formulas, someone like Laxus was. And within Fairy Tail, Fried was a true master of this kind of magic.
"If we keep going, it'll be dangerous. How about heading back to the apothecary and regrouping for now?" Ichiya looked at Noel.
"I don't mind," Noel replied casually.
"I agree," Hibiki added quickly. That wind blade had rattled him. He'd been just one second from losing a limb.
"I agree as well," Eve said.
"Everyone—look behind us!" Ren suddenly shouted.
They turned—and were stunned.
The path they had entered through had vanished.
It was as if this was the starting point all along.
"We've walked right into a trap," Noel muttered.
"What do you mean?" Ichiya asked, frowning.
"Someone lured us here on purpose," Noel said gravely. "Then activated this formula barrier to ambush us. We need to be extremely careful."
Everyone tensed immediately.
Noel moved ahead cautiously. The further he walked, the stronger the magical energy around them became.
They needed to leave—fast.
"Alchemy: Restoration."
The shattered bridge began to reform—stretching across the chasm to the opposite side.
"I'm going to speed up," Noel told the others. "Keep up. The longer we stay here, the more dangerous it gets."
He broke into a run.
The Blue Pegasus members assumed they'd have trouble keeping up. But thanks to their regular training, it wasn't too bad—at least at first.
After all, Noel was still just a kid. How fast could he really be?
That illusion quickly broke—Noel suddenly accelerated, surging ahead.
Something up ahead had caught his attention—something important. He had to be the first to reach it.
"Is he seriously that fast?!" Eve shouted.
"I'm still keeping pace," Ichiya replied.
"Just stay behind him for now. He'll probably wait for us soon," Ren predicted.
"Stop talking while running! You're wasting energy!" Hibiki shouted.
"You're the loudest one here…"
Suddenly, Noel stopped.
In front of him stood a massive stone pillar, splitting the path in two—this seemed to be a crossroads of some kind.
Then—a figure came sprinting from the opposite direction.
Both sides froze. Neither had expected to encounter anyone here.
Without hesitation, Noel activated his magic.
"Alchemy: Earth Fortress!"
The ground trembled. Walls of stone rose up, encasing the figure in a tight prison.
"Child's play," the man scoffed. His voice was full of disdain.
"Stone Shatter Field."
The stone walls Noel had conjured began to tremble—then cracked. As if under someone else's control, they broke apart into countless fragments.
"Wind Style: Thousand Blade Scatter!"
Noel unleashed a flurry of wind blades, slicing through the falling stones and reducing them to dust. A cloud of debris rose into the air.
At that moment, the Blue Pegasus team caught up, surrounding the figure.
Seeing them, the stranger grew wary. Noel didn't move either—waiting.
But something about this man… he looked oddly familiar.
He was bald. A muscular, imposing man.
"Have we met before?" Noel asked.
"I thought the same thing," the man replied coolly. "Though launching an attack the moment you see someone isn't very polite."
"Who is this guy?" Ichiya tugged on Noel's sleeve, curious.
"You don't know?" Noel replied. "He's Jura Neekis. Ace of Lamia Scale."
"Saint Wizard Jura," Noel clarified.
Everyone's jaws dropped.
The man before them was one of the Ten Wizard Saints—a real legend.
"Enough talk," Jura said sharply. "This place is collapsing. If we waste any more time, none of us will make it out."
The group turned—and were stunned once again.
The path behind them was vanishing.
The stone trail they'd followed was crumbling, bit by bit, and the collapse was accelerating.
Soon, they'd be swallowed by it entirely.
Noel had no idea what was causing it. And worse—he couldn't guarantee that they wouldn't vanish with it.
"Is the path behind you disappearing too?" he asked Jura.
Jura nodded. "Yes, it is."
"Don't you have any tricks up your sleeve?" Ichiya asked, desperate.
Noel shrugged. "Nope."
"Which way did you come from?" Noel asked Jura again.
"The path on your right," Jura answered quickly.
"Then let's gamble," Noel said, looking at everyone.
They understood immediately.
If the right path was a dead end, then they'd take the left.
Without hesitation, they ran—toward the left path.
There was no time left to argue or hesitate.
The road behind them had completely disappeared.
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