In the snowy wasteland, ruins stretched across the landscape, faint traces of a village barely visible.
Cana surveyed the scattered, broken timbers around them. "Hard to believe a village once stood in a place like this. It's almost unreal."
Loke's attention, however, was drawn to the thickening mist creeping over the snow. "Speaking of unreal, isn't it weirder to see fog in a snowy place like this?"
"Could it be some kind of magic?" Cana wondered aloud.
"Think it's tied to Natsu and the others' mission?" Loke asked.
In a place like this, strange occurrences were practically expected. Cana thought for a moment before replying, "According to the guild records, their mission was to take down some kind of magical beast."
Loke glanced at Elfman, who'd been quiet the whole time. "A magical beast, huh? Well, we've got a guy here who can take on the Beast King himself."
"Something's coming—lots of them," Elfman suddenly said. The three instinctively moved back-to-back, ready for whatever was approaching.
A pack of wolves burst through the snow, their paws making soft rustling sounds as they charged.
Elfman frowned. "Snow wolves? I didn't hear any howling just now."
A smooth, magnetic voice echoed from the mist. "That's because there's no alpha leading this pack. No wolf king, no howls."
The white mist began to shift, forming the delicate features of a human face. It was an unsettling sight, one none of the three had experienced before.
"Allow me to introduce myself," the voice continued. "I'm Fogue. If you insist on staying here, I'll have no choice but to consider you enemies."
"Enemies, huh?" Elfman stepped forward, shielding Cana and Loke.
Loke spun the ring on his finger, his eyes narrowing. "Looks like the guild master was right. There's something hidden in these mountains. Could it be connected to that celestial maiden legend Kira mentioned?"
"This guy doesn't seem like a pushover," Cana said, pulling out her tarot cards. She quickly performed a reading, and the result was survival against all odds. This fight was going to be tough.
The snow wolves closed in, their numbers growing—hundreds of them, each as large as a person. Their ferocious glares locked onto the trio, low growls rumbling from their throats. Their hot breath added to the thickening fog, making the air feel heavier, and the three couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease.
Normally, a pack this size wouldn't be a problem for them. But the wolves weren't their only enemy—there was still the mysterious figure hiding in the mist. They couldn't afford to focus solely on the wolves and leave themselves open to an unknown attack.
Seeing that the trio had no intention of leaving, Fogue's tone grew cold, his eyes sharpening through the mist. "So, you've chosen to be my enemies."
He raised a hand to command the wolves. "Kill—"
Before he could finish, Cana, Loke, and Elfman sprang into action.
Cana swiftly drew five cards, each imbued with a different elemental power. When combined, they formed an extraordinary synergy, unleashing unimaginable strength.
[Fire Blast] erupted with towering flames. [Frostbite] unleashed a wave of chilling frost. [Hurricane] sliced through with razor-sharp wind blades. [Thunderstorm] roared with crackling lightning. [Stone Strike] crushed with earth-shattering force.
The five cards, drawn from the same source, held immense power on their own. But their elemental synergy—fire fueling wind, water nurturing wood, earth grounding metal—created a mystical magic circle when Cana unleashed them. The wolves caught in its radius suffered devastating damage.
The snowy battlefield became a scene of chaos. Wolves were scorched, frozen, sliced, electrocuted, or crushed, their bodies torn apart in a gruesome display.
"Whew…" Cana wiped the sweat from her brow. "These cards were worth every jewel!"
Though each card stored its own magic and didn't require Cana to channel her own power during use, controlling five such powerful cards at once was no small feat. The magic circle continued to hum with energy—Kira' craftsmanship was anything but ordinary.
It had been nearly seven days since Cana acquired this deck. She'd only infused magic into them during her spare time, but bit by bit, they'd become fully charged. Even though she'd only tapped into half their power just now, the elemental synergy ensured the magic circle would last for a solid half-hour.
Normally, cards like these would expend their magic in a single burst, requiring a recharge before they could be used again—and they certainly didn't form magic circles. Whatever other countries might have, in the Kingdom of Fiore, Kira' deck was a game-changer.
Fogue's shocked voice rang out from the mist. "You took out that many snow wolves in one strike?! What kind of magic is this?!"
Few in this world understood the concept of the five elements, and Cana wasn't exactly an expert either. But she remembered Kira' words: when all five cards were used together, their power was beyond imagination.
Hearing Fogue's astonishment, Cana replied with a mix of pride and pain. "It's the magic of money, you jerk!"
As a demon—and an old one hiding deep in the mountains—Fogue clearly had no concept of "money magic." He assumed it was some literal spell fueled by wealth.
"Money magic, huh? You must be quite wealthy in the outside world," he said, his tone calm but earnest.
His words stabbed at Cana's heart like a dagger, reminding her of how Kira had fleeced her and the mountain of debt she still owed.
"Unfortunately for you," she growled, "that comment just pissed me off."
Fogue: "??"
In less than a minute, the entire wolf pack was wiped out. Cana's elemental magic circle did most of the heavy lifting, but Loke and Elfman played their parts too.
Golden light streaked through the pack as Loke moved with blinding speed. Even the fastest wolf couldn't keep up. He targeted their vulnerable underbellies, each strike leaving a gaping hole. The snow was soon littered with bodies as his golden flashes left only the sound of collapsing wolves in their wake.
Elfman's fighting style wasn't as flashy as Cana's or as graceful as Loke's. He couldn't match their magical power or speed, but his magic had its own strength—raw, unyielding force.
His Beast Soul takeover magic transformed his body to rival the might of wild creatures. Though his past trauma prevented him from achieving a full takeover, his partial transformation was more than enough to handle a few wolves. His right arm, now imbued with the Beast King's Wrist, was massive and covered in tough scales, amplifying his punches with devastating power.
A single swing sent wolves his size flying ten meters back, their bodies crumpling effortlessly. Whatever beast this power came from, its strength was undeniable.
The trio's teamwork was seamless, honed by years of brawling together in the guild. They knew each other's magic and fighting styles inside out, allowing them to form a natural strategy in the heat of battle. Elfman used his brute strength to herd the wolves and cover his teammates. Cana's magic circle trapped and decimated the pack. Loke, the fastest, cleaned up any stragglers.
Their coordinated assault ended the opening skirmish before their opponent could even react.
"The wolves are gone," Cana called out. "Now it's just you. Still hiding in the mist, huh?"
Fogue's voice echoed back, as if speaking to himself as much as to them. "The power of money is impressive… but can you see through the veil of life itself?"
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