Erza, Mira, and Kana encountered a large number of Demon Heart soldiers after leaving the healing spring.
The three fought as they moved, aiming to return to the camp as quickly as possible.
The Demon Heart soldiers didn't expect their luck to be so good, running into three beauties at once.
Nor did they expect their luck to be so bad, running into these three beauties.
In the distance, the flames soared into the sky, easily visible to the three.
Kana's first reaction was: "Fire? Is it Natsu?"
Mira, however, denied it: "No, this sensation, it's Rhode."
Erza said, "This level of magic, it seems they've encountered quite a troublesome enemy... Seven Dependents, perhaps?"
They had just caught some enemies and interrogated them; today, Demon Heart was mobilizing in full force, and the Seven Dependents were already on the island.
Only the President and Vice President had not yet moved.
Mira tensed slightly but quickly relaxed.
Because a group of purple insects hopped over to help in the battle.
Rhode still had the energy to maintain the Void Nest Insects, which indicated there wasn't a significant problem.
"We can't waste time here any longer," said Erza. "If these are all small fry, the Seven Dependents have a high chance of being encountered by others, especially in the camp."
"I'll go back and check first." Mira's Devil Wings emerged from her back. "Can I leave this to you two?"
"No problem."
Erza donned the Celestial Wheel Armor, and Kana pulled out a bunch of cards. The two of them were quite experienced in dealing with such minions.
Mira nodded, flapped her wings, and flew up into the sky, heading toward the camp.
...
Meanwhile, in the camp, Reby was unconscious, and Li Li had just forced herself into combat mode to help but was seriously injured by Azuma.
Now only Fried and Biguslo were left fighting Azuma in the woods near the camp.
But both of them were already battered and bruised.
The woods contained many broken trees, but more were bent at strange angles, with protruding roots and bare branches.
Additionally, there were many signs of explosions, as if someone had planted landmines in the woods.
"Is that all? Whose personal guard did you say you were? Where is that person? Could it be they left you to cover the rear and then ran away?" Azuma seemed to know quite a lot about Fairy Tail, especially the strong ones in the guild.
Whether inadvertently or intentionally trying to provoke his opponents, his words always managed to anger people.
Just like how Gajeel was provoked to unleash the Dragon Slayer's Secret Art, Fried and Biguslo were now equally furious.
"Don't you dare insult Laxus!"
Fried wrote words in the air with his sword, aiming them at Azuma: "Dark Ecriture: Destruction!"
Azuma lightly raised his hand, and a large tree bent over to shield him.
The character 'Destruction' written in ancient script imprinted on the trunk, causing the tree to explode with a roar, followed by the withering of its leaves and roots.
This magic was theoretically lethal and was definitely not something used lightly under normal circumstances.
"Heavy Particle Formation!" Biguslo waved his fingers, and five dolls formed a circle, spinning rapidly, shooting green beams from the center towards Azuma.
Azuma clapped his hands together, causing a thick tree root to burst from the ground to intercept the beams, followed by a thunderous explosion that completely nullified the attack.
"Damn it, another round!"
Biguslo was about to command the dolls when roots sprang up nearby, entangling all five of them.
"What?"
Flames burst from the roots entangling the dolls, producing a series of explosions, sending them plummeting to the ground, trailing black smoke.
"Leaf Sword!" Azuma swung his left hand horizontally, gathering countless leaves nearby to form a long serpent that flew towards Biguslo and Fried.
The edges of the leaves, honed by their process, became incredibly sharp, slashing at their bodies like blades.
Biguslo fell to the ground, an exaggerated wound across his chest, blood gushing out.
Fried struggled to defend himself with his samurai sword but ultimately couldn't outmatch the leaves' agility, receiving cuts all over his arms and thighs.
"Biguslo…" More than his own injuries, Fried was concerned for his comrade.
Seeing Biguslo already unable to stand, red light shone in Fried's eyes: "Those who harm my comrades, those who insult Laxus, are beyond the 'rules'!"
He waved his hand, writing on himself: "Forbidden Magic, Dark Ecriture: Dark!"
His body swelled, turning black from front to back, a pair of long horns growing from his head, resembling a demon.
Bam!
The ground cracked beneath Fried's feet as he shot forward like an arrow, a punch imbued with dark energy hitting Azuma squarely in the chest.
Azuma was knocked backward, crashing into a large tree, his chest visibly bruised and his clothes in tatters.
Yet he was more thrilled than angry, immediately engaging Fried in close combat again as Fried pounced once more.
They exchanged blows at a rapid pace, almost reaching the limit of what the eye could follow.
Perhaps even faster than Azuma had fought Gajeel earlier.
"This feeling! Amazing!" Azuma grew more excited as they fought.
He punched Fried's cheek while Fried kicked his side.
Both sustained damage; Fried was heavy-hearted, while Azuma, though pained, was excited: "Yes, give me more of that exhilaration!"
Fried gathered a massive amount of dark magic power between his hands, pushing it forward, as Azuma confronted it with roots.
Explosion sounds echoed as black shock waves and red flames erupted together, stirring a wild wind in the forest.
Fried was blasted away, forced out of his dark form, and crashed to the ground.
Azuma's shirt was gone, his body bearing some minor wounds.
Watching Fried struggling to rise, Azuma felt uninspired: "Is this all there is?"
The thrill of battle that had just been stirred had already ended, dampening his spirits.
He ought to seek out those renowned figures instead.
"Damn it…" Fried clawed at the ground, regretting not having set up Techniques while defending the camp...
The same in the exam, and now in real combat, he never had time to set up his best techniques...
For someone like him, failing the S-Class Exam was perhaps inevitable...
Dark clouds gathered, and the long-anticipated rain finally began to fall, dripping on Fried's face, gradually soaking his entire body.
"Then, let me give you a grand exit." Azuma spread his fingers, and several roots burst from the ground to entwine Fried's body.
"Hmm?"
He suddenly looked up to see a white-haired, red-clad woman descending from the sky.
Then, Azuma felt pain on his cheek and was embedded into the ground.
"Mirajane!" Fried called out Mira's name with some excitement.
The last time he saw her in this form up close, it was when she was beating him; this time, she was here to save him.
"You've done well, Fried." Mira held her right arm out, a stern expression on her face, "Leave the rest to me."