ira blinked at the question, her crimson eyes sweeping the room.
Every Edolas guild member who met her gaze shivered involuntarily and took half a step back.
The eerie purple glow around her faded. The demon horns and bat wings vanished. Those blood-red pupils shifted back to their usual clear blue.
In the blink of an eye, the gentle, approachable Mira was back.
She cupped her cheek with her left hand, flashing an apologetic yet playful smile. "Sorry, sorry! Whenever I see a face just like Erza's, I can't help but wanna tease her a little."
Erza: "(—'—) Hey! Watch it!!"
Bad-girl Lucy asked cautiously, "That just now… was that magic?"
"Your whole vibe totally changed—kinda… dangerous and evil?"
"Yep~" Mira nodded with a smile, explaining patiently. "My magic is 'Take Over.' I can absorb a demon's power and make it my own."
"D-Demon?!" Gray's lips trembled. "Y-your world actually has demons?!"
That puzzled Lisa. "Wait, your world doesn't have demons?"
"Didn't Nightwalker just ride that beast called a Legion?"
"Beast?" Every Edolas member sprouted a synchronized question mark over their heads.
Macao pushed up his glasses. "You mean animals born with magic inside them? Legions aren't beasts. In Edolas, except for the Exceeds who're born with magic, no living thing naturally has magic in its body."
"At least not that we've ever seen. We've never even read about the kind of super-powered magic beasts you're describing in any old records."
"Ah, got it," Erza said, realization dawning. "I was wondering why that Legion didn't drop any magic when we beat it."
"Turns out, like Nightwalker, it had no internal magic—just external tools or raw physical strength."
Levy glanced at the unconscious Nightwalker, worry in her voice. "So you guys… you're heading straight to fight the Royal Army next?"
"You're all crazy strong, but taking on the entire kingdom's military with just a handful of you? That's… probably still pretty tough, right?"
"Piece of cake~" Lisa stepped forward with a grin.
"You guys probably don't have a solid grasp of magic power from the other world yet."
"Forget the rest—just Roger-bro alone could steamroll the whole kingdom. I can't picture anyone here stopping him."
"And that's plus Erza, Mira-sis, and the others."
The guild members' first reaction? Pure disbelief.
One guy wiping out a nation? No way!
But Erza one-shotting Nightwalker and Mira's demon descent had just happened right in front of them—they couldn't deny it.
As Roger's group prepped to leave, Bad-girl Lucy hesitated, then jogged up to Roger. She looked up at him, eyes firm. "I'm coming too! I can give you the capital's layout, guard rotations, and any intel I've got on the Royal Army!"
Roger glanced at her, thought for a few seconds, then nodded lightly.
(We don't need the intel with our strength, but a local guide's not a bad idea.)
(Plus, I might learn more about Edolas's history, culture, and magic systems from her on the way.)
They stepped out of the guild. Bad-girl Lucy pointed into the distance, explaining the capital's rough direction and route. Suddenly, a soft breeze wrapped around her.
Next second—the solid ground under her feet vanished!
She looked down in shock—her feet were off the ground!
Swirling air currents held her aloft. The forest below shrank and raced away at blinding speed!
An invisible giant hand lifted her, rocketing toward the horizon faster than any magic four-wheeler!
"I-I'm flying?!"
"This is magic from another world—insane!!!"
Less than ten minutes later, they hovered at a city entrance.
"So… fast!" Bad-girl Lucy smoothed her wind-tossed hair, staring at the familiar capital walls in disbelief, voice cracking. "Faster than the fastest magic airship by miles!!"
"We're already at the capital?!"
As a seasoned resistance fighter, she sensed something off. Frowning, she scanned the area warily. "Weird—no one's here—"
"Normally there'd be guards, merchants, caravans—"
"It's too quiet. Way too quiet. My gut's screaming."
She warned gravely, "Ambush. Bet on it."
The second the words left her mouth, the clear sky filled with thick black clouds out of nowhere, swallowing the sunlight and dimming everything.
Plip.
A cold drop hit her cheek.
She blinked, held out her palms, and looked up at the sudden storm clouds.
"Raining?"
"No—!" She whipped her gaze forward. Inside the city walls, a torrential downpour was already raging!
But the clouds over them only rumbled with thunder and dripped a few stray drops!
"T-this has to be magic too, right?!"
"Yep." Blue light swirled in Roger's eyes.
"I tweaked water magic a bit and gave it a 'scout' function."
"Everything under this rain curtain is crystal clear in my senses."
"The whole capital—it's an empty shell. All civilians evacuated. Replaced by Royal soldiers hiding in every corner."
Bad-girl Lucy's jaw dropped, speechless.
(Turned water magic into a city-wide detection spell?!)
(This shatters everything I thought 'magic' could be! Other-world magic can do this?!)
Erza looked up at the sharply divided clouds, thinking. "Localized rain and scouting—is this the water element control you got from contracting Juvia?"
"Mm," Roger nodded, eyes fixed on the rain-soaked city. "This magic's potential is even stronger than I expected."
"With enough magic power and deep enough understanding of the principles, you can pretty much simulate any effect you can imagine."
He snapped his fingers casually.
The falling raindrops shifted color—from clear to a creepy violet-red, same as poisonous violets.
"Combine that with the poison Dragon Slayer magic from contracting Cobra, and these drops carry a special neurotoxin."
"Skin contact? Dizziness, weakness, total collapse in under ten minutes. Pass out cold."
"No treatment? Respiratory paralysis kills in about five hours."
Bad-girl Lucy's pupils shrank. She sucked in a sharp breath. "That combo is nuts! Other-world magic has this many variations and effects?! Way too strong!!"
She looked at the Earth Land crew, realization hitting. "No wonder you just waltzed into the capital!"
"Wait—does everyone from your side have terrifying power like him?!"
"No, no, no! Absolutely not!" Lucy waved her hands frantically, head shaking like a bobblehead. "Roger's the absolute top-tier, super-special case even in our guild!"
"He's not representative at all! The rest of us are totally normal mages!"
"Huh? Really?" Bad-girl Lucy scratched the back of her head, chuckling lightly. "I thought you were all that strong."
Roger dismissed the rain curtain. The storm over the city stopped dead, leaving only purple-red puddles.
They stepped into the silent capital.
Not far in, a teeth-grinding metallic screech came from behind, followed by a deafening BOOM!
Everyone spun around—the gate they'd entered through was now sealed by a massive, seamless steel barricade!
Lucy stared at the airtight wall, black lines dripping down her forehead. "They… wanna trap us in here and catch us like turtles in a jar?"
"(=_=) Cute plan. Next time, though—"
"Hey!" Happy raised a paw. "They're the ones who can't escape now."
Bad-girl Lucy sprouted a giant question mark, totally lost. They're trapped, right? Why's it suddenly the soldiers who can't get out?
Before she could ask, a blinding white flash erupted in front of her!
At the same time, a wet squelch like thick goo being sliced came from behind.
She whipped around—and locked eyes with a crowd of equally stunned Royal soldiers.
Leading them was a guy in pink armor, sporting an over-the-top airplane haircut and a butt-chin, blonde hair gleaming.
He gawked at the ground—snow-white, cotton-candy-like globs of sticky goo, neatly sliced in half, totally inert.
"The Magic Restraint Gum… got cut?!" he muttered in disbelief.
His eyes darted over the intruders, locking on Erza—sword already drawn in her hand.
"So… fast! I only saw a flash—"
"Weapons are supposed to get stuck instantly in the gum—this woman's dangerous!"
"Everyone watch out!" Bad-girl Lucy shouted. "That's Hughes Boyd, Captain of the Royal Army's 4th Magic Warfare Squad! His Rose Sword turns anything it touches soft as cotton!"
"Hmm~?" Hughes noticed Bad-girl Lucy, stroking his pink blade with his left hand, tone teasing. "Lucy Ashley?"
"Didn't expect you to team up with the other-world Fairy Tail."
He flipped his perfectly styled airplane hair, smirking. "Perfect. I'll wipe you all out in one go! That cleans up every thorn in the kingdom's side!"
"Who's wiping who is still up in the air!" Lucy stepped forward fearlessly, pulling a golden key from her belt.
She spun it in front of her—a dazzling golden magic circle swirled around her!
[Celestial Spirit Clothes: Aquarius Form!]
The light faded. Her hair was now in twin tails, outfit swapped for a vibrant yellow-and-blue crop top and skirt combo, faint water vapor swirling around her.
"Turn stuff soft?" Lucy clenched her fists.
"But water's already soft and flowing—good luck making it softer!"
She crossed her arms over her chest, magic surging.
A massive blue magic circle flared under the soldiers' feet!
Hughes saw the glowing pattern and his pupils shrank—alarm bells screaming!
He instinctively leapt back two steps, but his boots were already soaked.
(Too big—can't dodge! And it cast fast!)
He jammed his Rose Sword into the ground, pink light flaring to soften the incoming attack.
The instant the tip touched—Lucy's clear shout rang out:
[Hydro Vortex!]
BOOM!!!
A colossal blue whirlpool—pure high-speed spinning water—erupted from the ground like a geyser, swallowing Hughes and his entire squad!
"What the—?!"
"Why's a vortex coming out of the ground?!"
"It's that twin-tail girl's magic—glub glub—blegh!"
Cold sweat beaded on Hughes's forehead. He gripped his submerged sword with both hands, pink light pulsing to soften and deflect the vortex's ferocious impact.
Even so, the leftover force was monstrous. He barely held his ground at the center, fighting not to get swept away.
"So… strong! This is other-world magic?!"
A girl who looks barely grown can instantly annihilate my entire 4th Squad?!
"This guy's actually tanking my vortex?" Lucy's brain raced as she watched Hughes struggle at the core.
Her eyes flicked to the purple-red puddles on the ground—then lit up, a sly grin curling her lips.
"Got it! If raw impact isn't enough, let's spice it up!"
She kept her left hand controlling the vortex, right hand glowing faint blue as she reached toward the puddles and clenched.
Whoosh!
The toxic water lifted into the air like an invisible hand grabbed it. Then Lucy flung her right hand open!
POP!
The purple-red water exploded into thick mist, which she guided straight into the massive blue vortex.
The eerie color spread like wildfire—the entire whirlpool turned the same poisonous hue in seconds.
Hughes watched the vortex shift, panic sirens blaring in his head!
He tried to escape the range, but just staying upright was draining every ounce of strength.
"Hmm~" His signature cocky grin finally cracked, lips twitching.
"This… might actually be bad—"
Thirty seconds later, his eyelids drooped uncontrollably. His grip on the sword loosened.
He fought the crushing drowsiness with everything he had, but his consciousness sank like quicksand—
Finally, his sword hand went limp. His body slumped, and the purple-red maelstrom swallowed him whole, vanishing into the churning waves.
"Yes! One down!" Lucy pumped a fist, dispelling the magic. The toxic vortex collapsed with a roar, leaving a street full of soaked, unconscious soldiers.
"Skin absorption's slow, but mist it up and hit their skin and lungs? Poison spreads way faster!"
"(≧▽≦) I'm a genius!!"
She looked down at her outfit and sighed happily. "Celestial Spirit Clothes are the best! I couldn't summon Aquarius today, but in her form I can use her magic directly!!"
"Not as strong as hers, but still awesome!"
Just as Lucy basked in victory—
WHOOSH—BOOM!!!
A shrill screech and crushing wind pressure slammed down from above!
Lucy looked up—eyes bulging, voice pitching into a scream:
". _ . This—what the heck is that?!"
"It's way too huge!!"