"Thank you, Lady Lucy! Thank you, mages!" the old woman cried, her voice trembling with gratitude. She looked ready to drop to her knees again, but Lucy hurriedly stopped her.
The woman's frail hands stubbornly tried to shove a jingling bag of coins into Lucy's grasp. "Please, you have to take this reward money!"
"No, no, really, it's okay!" Lucy waved her hands frantically. "We're from a legitimate guild! When a dark guild causes trouble, protecting people is just what we do. No reward needed!"
The old woman's eyes welled up with tears, her voice desperate. "But there's that terrifying 'Lullaby' in there! It's too dangerous—you have to take the reward!"
Roger stepped forward, gently but firmly holding the woman's arm to stop her from pushing the money again. His warm smile somehow put her at ease. "Ma'am, we really don't need it. Those guys in there? They're no match for us. Right now, the most important thing is getting in there and making sure your grandson's safe."
"Yes, yes, you're right!" The old woman snapped out of it, her face etched with worry. She stopped insisting and stepped back, bowing so deeply her frail frame nearly bent in half. Her voice quavered. "Please, I'm begging you, save him!"
Roger gave her a reassuring nod and turned toward the station entrance, the others quickly following.
Not far off, a small crowd of curious onlookers whispered among themselves.
"How long has the army been in there?"
"Like, twenty minutes? They haven't come out yet. Think they got wiped out?"
At the station entrance, a cordon was set up, guarded by three nervous crew members. One of them raised a megaphone as the group approached. "There's been a train derailment! It's extremely dangerous! No entry! For your safety, please leave immediately!"
Roger stepped forward, rolling up his sleeve to reveal the Fairy Tail guild mark on his arm. "We're mages from Fairy Tail, here on an urgent civilian request to take down the dark guild inside."
The three crew members exchanged glances, then huddled together, whispering.
"That's definitely the Fairy Tail mark, but the stationmaster said no one's allowed in, or we'll lose our pay. Should we let them through?"
"Are you crazy? Of course we let them in! Haven't you heard the rumors? It's not just a derailment—there's a dark guild in there! They've got some flute that can wipe out a whole town with one note! If I didn't just splurge on that new magic tool, I'd have bailed with the others already!"
"But what if the stationmaster blames us?"
"They said it's a civilian request. We'll just say the crowd demanded we let them in—we couldn't stop them! Besides, Fairy Tail's got a reputation for being crazy strong. If they pull this off, the stationmaster might even thank us!"
The lead crew member turned back, forcing a smile. "W-Well, since you're legitimate mages with a request… go right ahead. Just, uh, watch out for the derailment." He stepped aside, clearing the way.
"Thanks," Roger said with a slight smile, leading the group into the station.
They hadn't gone far when Lucy gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. The station's corridor was littered with motionless soldiers in uniform, sprawled across the floor.
"T-The army… they're all down?!" Lucy's voice shook. "Is Erigor that strong?"
Roger shook his head. "It's not just Erigor. The entire Eisenwald guild is in there, and every one of them's a mage."
He gestured to the fallen soldiers. "These guys had magic tools, but most of them aren't real mages. Against a whole guild's assault, they didn't stand a chance."
Natsu slammed his fist into his palm, his eyes blazing with excitement as the air around him grew hotter. "Perfect! The more enemies, the more magic power we'll get to split after we take 'em down!"
Gray cracked his knuckles, a faint chill swirling around his fingertips. "Can't wait to see how much my magic power jumps after this."
Lucy's jaw dropped. "You're facing an entire dark guild! At least fifty people, right? And they've got that forbidden flute that can kill with a single note! And your first thought is how much magic power you'll get?!"
"There's only six of us! Shouldn't we, like, make a plan first?!"
Happy floated beside her, spreading his paws with a smug "you're such a rookie" look on his cat face. "Oh, Lucy, you're so new. You have no idea how terrifying Erza and Mirajane are."
"Just Erza alone could take on all of Eisenwald without a scratch! Erigor wouldn't even have time to pull out that flute before she'd cut him down. And with Mirajane, Roger, Natsu, and Gray here too?"
He grinned. "These five could destroy a whole country in an hour, easy!"
Happy tilted his head, reconsidering. "Hmm, maybe one's a bit low. Two countries sounds about right."
Lucy's jaw practically hit the floor. "Five people… destroying two countries?! That's insane!"
Happy sighed dramatically, wagging his tail. "You joined the guild late, so you're still clueless."
Lucy's mouth twitched. "…A cat is calling me clueless?!"
Soon, they reached the massive central waiting hall. A derailed train sat crookedly by the platform, and a large group of oddly dressed figures stood in front of it.
Atop a broadcast speaker, a man with bandaged hands, blue tattoos across his torso, and a massive scythe slung over his back sneered down at them. His eyes locked onto the pink Fairy Tail mark on Lucy's hand, and he grinned maliciously. "Hmph! Look who's here to die—Fairy Tail's little flies!"
Before he could finish, two overwhelming surges of magic power erupted, so intense they nearly choked the air.
[Requip: Flight Armor!]
Erza's body flashed with white light, instantly transforming into a sleek, leopard-patterned combat outfit. Fluffy leopard ears sprouted from her head, and her dual swords gleamed with dangerous green light.
[Take Over: Satan Soul!]
A massive purple magic circle flared beneath Mirajane's feet. Blinding violet light engulfed her as her hair defied gravity, rising wildly. Two pairs of massive bat wings unfurled behind her, and a thick, black demonic tail whipped through the air.
In a blink, both women vanished from their spots. The next instant, they reappeared right in front of Erigor on the speaker!
"What?!" Erigor's heart lurched. He barely raised his arms to block—
Slash!!
A sharp green blade light and a crackling dark energy orb struck him simultaneously!
[Dual Blades: Rising Dragon!]
[Dark Spark!]
---
"Author needs votes to survive. Send help (and motivation) 🆘
belamy20 only for 5$