Statiw set up his easel and quickly sketched the landscape before him onto the paper. As his Pict Magic activated, a live image of the Beast King's lair soon appeared on the drawing paper for everyone to see.
"Alright," Statiw said, manipulating the magical image to zoom in on the Beast King itself. "Now what we need to do is carefully observe the Beast King's condition and assess its exact strength."
"What's there to see?" Natsu was so bored he was squatting on the ground, poking at the dirt. Hearing Statiw's words, he immediately retorted with an indifferent expression. "Why don't we just charge in and defeat it? Don't you agree, Happy?"
"Aye!" Happy chimed in, fluttering his wings. "I also think it would be simpler to just charge in and beat it up!"
"That won't do, Natsu, Happy," Lisanna said, shaking a finger at them. "Didn't Big Brother Statiw explain? This is our first official S-rank mission, and we're facing a notoriously dangerous monster. We should first gather intelligence, then formulate a proper battle plan. That's the only way to ensure the mission's successful completion and everyone's safety. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, it won't just be a mission failure; someone could get seriously hurt. You two must take this seriously."
"Yes," Natsu and Happy replied listlessly, chastised by Lisanna's lecture. They then tugged on Statiw's clothes. "But how long do we have to sit here and watch?"
"How long to observe?" Statiw, focused on the Beast King on the paper, felt the tug on his clothes. He thought for a moment before answering. "Logically, the longer we observe, the more advantageous it is. But…"
At this point, he glanced at Mirajane, who also seemed somewhat impatient with the passive observation, and said, "The risk of waiting is that we might miss a crucial, fleeting opportunity. However, for now, let's observe a bit more and wait for a truly favorable moment to act."
After Statiw finished speaking, Mirajane's expression improved slightly; at least there was an end in sight. To be honest, her original plan was far more direct: go and test the Beast King's strength herself. If she could handle it, they would attack directly; if not, they would retreat and think of another method.
However, her idea had been strongly opposed by Statiw.
He had pointed out that if Mirajane went to test it first, it would be akin to 'beating the grass to startle the snake.' The Beast King, once provoked, would surely enter a state of high alert. This would make it much harder, or even impossible, to find and exploit its weaknesses later. After all, any creature would hide its vulnerabilities once it knew it was being hunted.
Statiw's reasoning was sound. Plus, it was indeed her first S-rank mission as the team leader, so a measure of caution was warranted. Therefore, Mirajane had reluctantly agreed to follow Statiw's plan: observe from a distance first, then launch a coordinated attack once they had a clear understanding.
Time passed slowly as Statiw observed, and soon night began to fall.
"Huh?" As dusk deepened into proper night, Statiw noticed a subtle change in the Beast King's movements on his paper.
"What's wrong?" Hearing his intrigued sound, Mirajane quickly leaned closer to look.
Not just her; Natsu also jumped up from the ground, his boredom instantly replaced by excitement. "Can we start now? Is it time?"
"No," Statiw shook his head, his eyes still fixed on the image. "I just noticed the Beast King's movements seem… hesitant. Slightly clumsy, like it's making errors it wasn't making during the day."
"Why is that?" At this moment, Elfman, who was tending to a pot of stew for everyone, paused and asked with a curious expression.
"I can't be sure yet," Statiw admitted, shaking his head. He then voiced his hypothesis with some hesitation. "I'm guessing the Beast King might not see very well at night; it likely has some degree of night-vision impairment."
"So, that's why it can't accurately handle objects?" Mirajane interjected thoughtfully. "Does that mean if we're going to attack, it's best to do it under the cover of night, taking advantage of its weakness?"
"Not necessarily," Statiw immediately countered, hearing her tactical mind already working. "Its impairment might not be as severe as we imagine. It could be a minor hindrance, not a critical weakness. Rushing in based on an assumption could be a fatal mistake. For now, let's just continue to observe the situation."
"What? We still have to observe?!" Before Mirajane could respond, Natsu interjected, his face a mask of profound disappointment.
Looking at Natsu's sulking expression, Statiw simply rolled his eyes and ignored him, turning his attention back to the magical scrying image.
The truth was, Statiw's primary reason for vetoing a night attack was not just tactical caution. In his memory, this was the very night that Lisanna would be pulled into Edolas by the massive Super Magic 'Anima'. If Mirajane launched an attack tonight, the chaos could intertwine with that event, leading to unpredictable and potentially disastrous consequences.
Therefore, Statiw, who was determined to prevent any accidents, naturally wouldn't allow an attack tonight. He had to stall until the 'Anima' event had safely passed.
Thus, under Statiw's various delaying tactics and logical arguments, the group ultimately abandoned the idea of attacking the Beast King that night. They decided to rest and carry out the mission at first light. Everyone agreed to the plan, though Natsu, despite his reluctant agreement, grumbled loudly that he would never go on another mission with "slowpoke Statiw" again.
That night, Statiw and Elfman took the first watch together. Statiw periodically checked his drawing paper for any unusual movements from the Beast King, but more frequently, he found himself glancing up at the night sky, searching for any changes.
Once or twice might not have been noticeable, but as Statiw checked the sky more often, it caught Elfman's attention. He looked up at the starry expanse, puzzled. "Statiw, is there something interesting in the sky tonight?"
"Nothing. I was just… thinking about the constellations," Statiw said, trying to sound casual. Just as the words left his mouth, the sky above their heads began to change.
Before their very eyes, the stars seemed to warp and swirl, quickly transforming into a vast, constantly rotating magical vortex. It seemed to be pulling at the very air, absorbing something from the ground itself.
"What's going on? Is that…?!" Elfman was stunned, his jaw dropping. Then, his sharp eyes caught sight of a small, dark shape tumbling out of the edge of the terrifying vortex.
Elfman's shocked words snapped Statiw's attention into razor focus. Looking closely, he too saw the object falling from the vortex. His expression changed to one of urgent alarm.
"Elfman, quickly!" Statiw shouted, pointing. "Catch that thing! Now!"
Upon hearing the urgency in his friend's voice, Elfman didn't hesitate for a second. He immediately activated his Take Over magic, his body transforming in a flash of power. He became a blur of motion, shooting into the vast night like a black arrow, racing to intercept the falling object before it could hit the ground.