They didn't stay long in Blue Iris Village.
The scenery was boring and the inn was average—far worse than the view from the top of Casablanca Mountain.
Plus, the quest deadline wouldn't wait for them.
Their next destination took them further away from Magnolia, heading toward the northeastern part of Fiore.
It was a standard Extermination Quest.
The target was a Dark Guild called Evil Beast.
It was a decent-sized group led by a man named Tob Brian.
He was formerly an S-Class Mage from a legal guild who used Take Over: Beast Soul (similar to Elfman Strauss).
Rumor had it that Tob hated the rules of legal guilds, so he defected.
Impressed by his strength, many thugs followed him, forming this Dark Guild.
Since the local guilds couldn't handle an S-Class threat, the request was passed to Fairy Tail.
With Laxus and Gildarts away, Makarov tossed the job to Raizel.
...
Verlet Town
"According to the Council's intel, the Dark Guild is hiding in the forest outside town," Ultear explained, laying out the documents.
"The forest isn't large, but we don't know exactly how many members they have. We only have solid info on the Guild Master."
She slid the papers toward Erza and Kagura.
Raizel glanced at the dossier. He was only interested in the boss.
Target: Tob Brian (29)
Magic: Take Over (Beast Soul)
Known Forms: Wyvern, Power Bear, Saber-Toothed Tiger, Black Arrow Hawk.
Note: He achieved S-Class by defeating and Taking Over a Wyvern using his Bear form.
'He's smart about his choices,' Raizel thought. 'Flight, raw power, and speed. A balanced loadout.'
Raizel had fought a Wyvern two or three years ago.
They had tough green scales and could fly, though they weren't particularly fast. They couldn't use magic, relying entirely on claws, teeth, and brute force charges.
Back then, Raizel had used Gankoomon.
When the Wyvern tried to ram him, he simply smashed it into the dirt with a single Iron Fist Judgment and pummeled it until it stopped moving.
'Ultear probably can't hurt a Wyvern with her ice,' Raizel analyzed. 'But Erza and Kagura can cut it, especially if Kagura draws Archenemy.'
"However," Raizel spoke up, "Wyverns are heavy. If Kagura uses her gravity field, that thing will struggle to stay in the air."
The team discussed tactics.
The main variable was the grunt members. If it was just a 3-on-1 boss fight, it would be easy.
"The Black Arrow Hawk shoots feathers like projectiles, and they are very fast," Ultear warned. "Be careful of that."
"The Power Bear isn't a threat," Erza added confidently. "Those types are strong but slow. We just dodge it."
They trained together daily.
If they couldn't dodge a slow bear swipe, they had no business being on this mission!
"Be careful with the Wyvern," Raizel reminded them. "Its scales are magic-resistant. Ultear, stay back and provide support. Kagura, keep your gravity field tight until he gets close, then unleash it fully to crush him."
"Should we flank him?" Ultear asked.
"No, let's stick together," Erza decided. "The forest is dense, and their defenses seem sloppy. They are overconfident because of their Master."
"Agreed," Kagura said. "I won't activate my gravity until I face Tob Brian."
"Good," Ultear finalized the plan. "We attack at dawn."
...
As the sky turned gray with the morning light, the four mages arrived at the forest edge.
Raizel took the rear, letting Erza and Kagura lead with swords drawn.
When they reached the coordinates, they paused.
They had expected a fortress or a camp.
Instead, the base of Evil Beast was... a luxury villa.
'A villa of all things?' Raizel raised an eyebrow.
'There can't be many people inside. Maybe a dozen.'
The plan to separate into vanguard and rear guard was scrapped.
They decided to breach room by room.
"Go."
The trio shared a nod and quietly circled the building.
They picked their targets. There were four bedrooms on the first floor.
Smash!
They broke through the windows simultaneously.
The dark guild members were jolted awake in their beds.
Erza was the fastest.
Before they could even grab their weapons, four swords from her Heaven's Wheel Armor had already pinned them to the walls by their clothes.
"Ice Make: Lance!"
Ultear didn't hesitate.
Ice spears shot from her hands, knocking three men into the wall, knocking them out cold.
Kagura didn't even draw Archenemy.
She moved like a blur, striking three members on the back of the head with her sheath as they scrambled to get up.
However, the noise woke the upstairs crew.
Panic erupted.
Members of the Dark Guild scrambled out of the villa, jumping from the second-floor windows.
The moment they landed, they saw Raizel standing outside with hands in his pockets.
"Get him!"
Without a word, they summoned guns and swords, while mages fired fireballs and lightning at him.
Raizel sighed. "Why bother me? Can't you just let me watch the show?"
"Take Over: Jesmon."
Raizel didn't move.
The Three Sword Spirits (At, René, and Pol) materialized and flew forward, intercepting the attacks and knocking the thugs unconscious in seconds.
Raizel looked up. On the second-floor balcony, a man was preparing to jump.
Tob Brian.
He saw his guild being decimated in seconds. Realizing he was outmatched, his body began to glow.
"Take Over: Wyvern!"
His skin turned into green scales, and wings sprouted from his back.
He launched himself into the air, intending to abandon his subordinates and flee.
"Not so fast!"
Kagura had already fought her way up the stairs.
She leaped off the balcony.
"Archenemy: Soaring Form!"
She delivered a cross-slash in mid-air, striking the Wyvern's wing.
Tob stumbled in the air and was forced to land in the garden.
"Ultear, Erza, get out here!" Kagura shouted.
Erza leaped through a window, flanking Tob while Kagura landed heavily.
"Archenemy: Strong Form!" She slashed downward.
Tob reacted fast. His form shifted instantly, shrinking down.
"Take Over: Black Arrow Hawk!"
He became a sleek, black bird, trying to zip away with speed.
"Gravity Change!"
Kagura unleashed her gravity field.
The air suddenly became heavy. The hawk screeched as its speed plummeted, dragged down by the weight.
"Heaven's Wheel: Trinity Sword!"
Erza accelerated past the slowed bird, delivering three rapid slashes in a delta formation.
Tob shrieked, firing a volley of feather-arrows to block Erza and stop Kagura's follow-up attack.
Realizing he couldn't outrun them, Tob landed and shifted again.
His body expanded massively.
"Take Over: Power Bear!"
A giant roar shook the trees. He swung a massive claw, tearing through a nearby oak tree like it was paper, trying to hit Erza.
"He's huge!" Kagura yelled. "The gravity affects him more now! Attack!"
"Archenemy: Slashing Form!"
"Heaven's Wheel: Pentagram Sword!"
"Flash Forward!"
Ultear, standing on the roof, unleashed a barrage of crystal orbs. Erza and Kagura struck from both sides.
BOOM.
Dust billowed from the impact.
"He's not dead yet! Keep attacking!" Erza shouted.
As the dust settled, they saw Tob had shifted back to Wyvern form at the last second.
The hard scales had protected him from the worst of the damage, but he was bleeding and breathing heavily.
He unleashed a desperate roared.
But.... It didn't matter.
"Heaven's Wheel: Circle Sword!"
"Archenemy: Void Form!"
"Ice Make: Saucer!"
Ultear abandoned support and joined the offense.
Ice buzzsaws, magic swords, and a gravity-enhanced blade struck him simultaneously.
Tob Brian's eyes rolled back.
He released his Take Over and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.