Chapter 221

The Hungry Wolf Knights

I began my search by scanning the area, skimming over the many stalagmites and the human remains. But I couldn't see any sign of Mira and the others, much less any signs of life.

"Mira! Lisanna! Natsu! Lucy! Can anyone hear me?!"

But the only sound I could hear was the echo of my voice.

"Where could they be? They couldn't have gone far. Maybe I can track them down using my Aqua Sense."

I then placed my hand on the ground and focused on using it. However, everything in my mind was very dark, with only a few specks of blue light here and here. I couldn't sense any magic or any water.

"Damn it. I can't sense a thing down here. This cavern must not have much moisture. Otherwise, I would have at least been able to detect some sign of water, much less any magic power."

I opened my eyes.

"I could try to locate them using my nose, but then again, my sense of smell isn't as keen as Natsu's. Plus, I've never even bothered using my nose to find people. Just my other senses. But in situations like these, I can't afford to be picky. Especially since I got to conserve my magic just in case of a fight."

I got to the ground on my knees and sniffed a few times, hoping to catch a scent while crawling slowly. At first, I couldn't smell much, but then a strange, sweet aroma filled my nostrils.

"What is that?" I couldn't help but wonder. "Some kind of perfume or something?"

At first, I believed the scent belonged to Lucy or Mira, but I didn't think either would be the kind to use that. Which led me to believe that there was someone else here.

"Could it be another prisoner that was dropped into this place? Or could it be an enemy?"

I then jumped up on top of a tall stalagmite and scanned the area again, keeping an eye out for anyone below.

Then, as I looked up to check the ceiling, I saw two familiar objects from above. Those two turned out to be Happy and Carla.

"Happy! Carla!" I called out.

The two felines looked down, and when they saw me, their faces brightened as they flew over to me.

"Willy! There you are! We were worried about you!" said Happy with relief.

"Glad to see you guys, too," I said. "Where's everyone else?"

"They're just a bit further beside some rocks," replied Carla. "We were trying to see if there was any exit before we ran into you. Speaking of which, how did you end up down here? Last I checked, you managed to avoid the trap and got cut off from us."

"It's a bit of a story, but right now, I'm more concerned with everyone else," I said. "For now, let's regroup with the others. You think you two can lead the way?"

"Yeah!" said Happy. "Follow us!"

I then followed the two, jogging close behind them. Before long, I could see everyone else ahead of me.

"We're back!" Happy called out to the others.

"Any luck, Happy?" I heard Natsu ask.

"No. The ceiling's completely blocked, too," replied Happy.

"There doesn't seem to be any way out of here," said Carla. "But there is some sort of a silver lining. Look who we found."

"Hey, you guys!" I called out as I approached them. "Fancy meeting you here!"

"Willy!" Lucy and Lisanna exclaimed with relieved smiles.

Mira also rushed over to me and gave me a hug. "Thank goodness you're OK!"

"So it looks like you ended up here, too," said Wendy. "But I thought that you managed to avoid HIsui's trap."

"I did, but things took a bit of a turn after that," I said. "I ended up talking to that princess. I tried getting her to let us go, but she tried to make me choose only one of you guys to go free while the rest of you stayed down here. Either that or get thrown in here with you guys."

"Are you serious?!" exclaimed Lucy indignantly. "Just when I couldn't hate that chick anymore!"

"So if you're down here, I take it that means you chose the former rather than the latter?" asked Yukino.

"Of course," I confirmed. "I mean, come on. There was no way I was going to just leave you guys. Especially after that stubborn princess wouldn't listen to reason."

"But now that you're here, maybe we'll finally be able to find a way out of here," said Natsu.

"Hey, that's right! You can use your Aqua Sense to find a way out!" observed Lucy. "We're saved!"

But I couldn't help but frown. "Unfortunately, it won't be that simple, Lucy," I said. "My Aqua Sense can cover some distance, but it's limited here. I may be able to sense something a few feet away, but without any water, I won't be able to extend my range."

"Didn't you find an exit when you got down here?" asked Lisanna.

I shook my head. "When I got here, I was any less clueless than you guys are," I replied. "Nothing but rocks and bones all around me. I was lucky to run into Happy and Carla before they led me here."

"Man! This sucks!" complained Natsu crossly. "And after we made it so far to get here!"

"Well, this certainly feels like the mummy-hunters becoming the mummies themselves," Mira spoke wryly. "Or, in this case, we came in as jailbirds, and now we're inmates."

"It's kind of pathetic," sighed Wendy.

"And my feet are killing me," complained Lucy. "How big is this place anyway?"

"Well, I've only heard rumors from the guards," said Yukino. "I believe this place is centered below the castle and is roughly ten times larger than Crocus."

"Are you serious?!" exclaimed Lisanna with wide eyes.

"I just had to ask," moaned Lucy.

"I just wish we had the foresight to draw a map of the place while we walked around," said Lily.

"That would be good to have," I said. "But sadly, life has a funny way of throwing curveballs."

"By the way, Natsu, that reminds me," said Lucy. "Weren't you supposed to be in the Grand Magic Games today?"

"Juvia took my place," he responded. "I just… had to come and rescue you, OK?"

Lissanna and Happy cheekily grinned.

"He was so gung-ho about saving you; he wouldn't listen to reason," Happy teased.

"I heard that the Master had to tie him to a pole while he kept screaming, "I got to save, Lucy," over and over again," said Lisanna.

Natsu couldn't help but advert his eyes huffily, pretending not to hear.

"Aww, I didn't know you cared so much about me," Lucy smiled, joining in the teasing. "You're making me blush over here."

"Well, it wasn't just Natsu," I said. "All of us wanted to rescue you. I mean, we weren't just going to leave you to rot in a cell. Especially since there was a strong chance you would stay in one."

"You know, it's strange," Yukino spoke up. "I can't help but feel at ease around you all, even in this situation."

"Well, that's what happens when you're among friends," smiled Mira. "Pretty neat, huh?"

"And it's not entirely hopeless," I said. "We just need to find a way out even though there isn't one. But then again, it's easier said than done."

Natsu then spoke to Yukino. "Oh, just so you know, I didn't forget you or anything," he said. "And not your name either."

"Oh, no. You needn't worry about me, Sir Natsu," Yukino said politely. "But there is something I would like to thank you for, Sir Natsu. While imprisoned, Lucy told me how you stood up for me. She said you stormed Crocus Gardens and took on the guild alone when you heard about how I was kicked out of Sabertooth."

Natsu adverted his eyes, appearing nervous. "Well, uh, it was nothing really," he stammered. "No biggie."

"That's Natsu speak for "I don't remember diddly squat," said Happy.

"Really? Because I remember it plain as day," I said snidely. "And I should know because I was the one that had to stop this guy from getting us disqualified. Not to mention, his carelessness caused Happy to end up as a hostage.

Natsu glared huffily at me. "Hey, get off my case, Willy!" he snapped.

"Well, someone's got to fact-check," shrugged Lucy.

"Plus, he does forget a lot," chuckled Mira. "But that's our Natsu for you," giggled Mira.

"A-Anyway, sorry for dragging you and your pal into this mess," Natsu continued. "That big shot guy Arm-Crazy-Oh."

"Um, Natsu, I think his name is Arcadios," Lisanna corrected. "That aside, have you known him for very long?"

"No. In fact, until now, my whole life revolved around being a member of Sabertooth," replied Yukino somberly. "I had nothing after being kicked out, and it's still a big shock. Even now, I'm only working for the Royal Army temporarily."

"She's also told me that she doesn't have anywhere to go, not even a place to call home," added Lucy. "Her parents are gone, and her sister went missing when she was little, too."

The part about her family made Mira, Lisanna, and me look at each other.

"That's pretty rough," Natsu spoke with empathy.

"Yes, but when I heard you fought for me, that made me the happiest as I've ever been," Yukino continued as she turned to face Natsu. "It really meant the world to me. And it wasn't just you either." She looked at Mira and me. "I've never forgotten how kind you two were to me, too, Sir Willy. Ms. Mirajane." She then slightly bowed. "Thank you all so much."

I couldn't help but smile. "Oh, come on. No need to be so formal," I said while playing with my bang. "We just did what we thought was right."

"Y-Yeah. We don't need your thanks," Natsu spoke with a stutter.

"He's already forgotten about it until now," Lucy bantered.

"Aw, Yukino's such a sweet person," Lisanna couldn't help but coo.

"She's also loyal and has lots of gratitude," Lily complimented. "Traits like that are tough to come by in a person."

Mira then approached Yukino. "Say, you guys. Is it just me, or does Yukino look just like Lisanna?"

Lucy couldn't help but squint. "Now that you mention it, she kind of does," she said thoughtfully.

"A little too much like me," Lisanna spoke wryly. "It's almost kind of scary."

"Well, you're both little sister characters with silver hair," I said with a teasing chuckle. "Maybe we should do a swap and see if anyone can tell the difference."

"Hey! Don't even joke about that, Willy!" Lisanna huffed indignantly. "There's only room for one Lisanna around here! And that's me!"

"You sure? Because Yukino could make a pretty good stand-in for you whenever you need to take a break," I continued teasing her. "And I think I could use a break from all your teasing."

Lisanna puffed her cheeks as she stomped up to me. "Hey! You can't tease me like that! I'm the one who does the teasing around here!"

"What's the matter? You can dish it out but can't take it?" I taunted. "Sorry, but it looks like the shoe's on the other foot now."

Lisanna could only pound at my shoulder in annoyance ineffectively while everyone else laughed.

Then, suddenly, there was a loud explosion followed by a rumbling noise that came from somewhere far away, causing some rocks to fall from the ceiling. It lasted around a few seconds or so before finally stopping.

Natsu then sniffed a bit. "What was that?" he asked Wendy and me.

Wendy then held up her hand. "It feels like there's a new flow of air in here," she noted.

"It could mean that there's an exit!" Lily cried as he spread his wings and took off toward the rumbling.

"We'll go and take a look!" Carla spoke while flying after him.

"Do you think shaking caused a cave-in somewhere?" asked Lucy.

"One can only hope," I said.

Then, I noticed that Natsu was sniffing the air.

"What's up? Do you smell something?" I asked him.

"Yeah, something familiar," Natsu told me. "But I don't get why it feels that way."

Carla and Lily soon returned.

"Everyone! We found an opening that should be big enough for all of us to squeeze through!" said Carla.

"All right! Good going, you guys!" cheered Happy. "Freedom, here we come!"

The two then led our party to the passageway they found. But when I saw it, I couldn't help but blink.

It was narrow but just enough for us to pass through. However, the walls on the sides looked pretty melted, like something had cut right through the rock. I couldn't help but start thinking.

"That's strange. What could be strong enough to melt rock like this? And from the looks of it, it wasn't from natural causes."

Then, Mira's voice caught my attention.

"Hey! Willy? You coming?"

She and the others were already going through the passageway while I seemed to be the only one standing, twiddling my thumbs.

"H-Hey! Wait for me!"

Realizing it was too late to stop them, I followed close behind, carefully stepping through the passage.

"Can you manage, Willy?" asked Mira. "It's pretty cramped in here."

"Don't worry. I'm all right," I replied. "This is a piece of cake."

But just as Mira was about to squeeze through the opening ahead, she suddenly stopped while letting out a squeak, causing me to also stop.

"Hey, you OK, Mira?" I asked her.

But when I looked at her, I couldn't help but freeze and felt my face heat up. No thanks to her curves, Mira was firmly wedged between a part of the passage.

Mira then looked at me. "Well, it would appear that I've gotten myself stuck," she said with a sheepish smile. "Do you think you can help push me out, Willy?"

"S-Sure thing," I said, trying not to stammer.

So I placed a hand on Mira's back, being careful, and gave her a push. At first, she didn't budge, but she soon popped free after I used more force. However, in haste, I lost my balance and fell on her back. When I looked down to check if Mira was hurt, I quickly realized we were in a compromising position. And to make things worse, as I looked up, everyone could see, too.

Yukino and Lucy were bright red with her hands covering their mouths, Natsu simply looked puzzled, and Lisanna had a wide grin.

"It's not what it looks like!" I automatically snapped flusteredly. "It was an accident!"

Then, Wendy cried out in alarm. "Hey, you guys! I see someone! And it looks like they're hurt!"

Everyone then looked up, and sure enough, a familiar male with a square nose was lying on the ground on his back a few feet away, unconscious. He was no longer wearing his armor, having switched to ordinary clothes, but they were torn and ragged, and he was littered with bruises, welts, and scorch marks.

"Colonel Arcadios!" cried Yukino upon recognizing him.

"Ah ha! So the smell was coming from him!" said Natsu. "I thought I recognized his scent!"

We all then quickly rushed over to the man.

"Hey! You doing all right there, old man?" Natsu tried rousing while being casual. "Hello? Say something."

"He sure picked a strange place to take a cat nap," said Happy.

"He was most likely thrown down here with us," said Lucy. "But how did he get all of those injuries?"

"I doubt he would have gotten them from a fall," said Yukino.

I then inspected the wounds on Arcadios' body. As I did, a sweet smell wafted into my nose, the same one I smelled not too long ago when I arrived, which was coming from his clothing, and it wasn't anything that came from his body like sweat.

"Wait a second, guys. Something's not right here," I said. "Based on these wounds, something or rather someone did this to him."

"You mean someone else is down here with us?" Lisanna questioned tentatively.

"Without a doubt," I said while looking up. "This might be a hunch, but Arcadios's clothing is giving off a sweet smell, and just before I met up with you guys, I smelled it before when I was trying to track you."

"Wait a minute. Why didn't you mention this before?" asked Natsu.

"Because I'm just now remembering," I replied. "And that's not all. That passageway we just went through. I also have reason to believe that someone made it, meaning there could be more than one. Which means…"

But before I could finish, Arcadios stirred in his sleep and opened his eyes, wincing in pain.

"Colonel Arcadios! Are you all right?" Yukino spoke to thim. "What happened to you?!"

But then, horror filled the man's face as he spoke in an urgent groan. "R-Run away! Y-You have to get out of here!"

A shadow loomed over us no sooner than his warning came as a male's voice boomed out.

"Pop, go the criminals!"

Everyone immediately scattered just in time for a large and burly man to punch the ground where we once stood.

He had blonde hair in a spiked pompadour style with arrow-shaped sideburns and narrow eyes. His clothing consisted of a light-colored blue shirt with a fur collar under a black vest and covered a sleeveless jacket that had "ACID RULE" on the back, dark gray-colored trousers, and black shoes.

When his fist hit, an ominous liquid gushed and splashed about, immediately corroding and melting the rock.

"What the heck is that?!" exclaimed Lucy.

"It's acid!" confirmed Lily.

"That had to have been what made the opening for us!" cried Wendy.

Then, another male suddenly appeared from behind Wendy.

He had a massive, slightly squared head with just a long, wild, and spiky mane of black hair on top of it, reaching down to his middle back, wide-open round dark eyes with long eyelashes, and big lips curled in a smile. He was also well-fit, had large hands and forearms, and tattoos that looked like fish scales on his left bicep. He wore a short-sleeved red and green shirt left open, loose blue pants with white designs, and a white towel tied around his head that was twisted.

"Well, well! My first catch of the day!" the male spoke with a strange twang. "And she's a beaut! What a hau!"

He then reached down and whipped out a large flag. Just as he did, a vast mass of water erupted from the ground and hurled straight at us while tossing us around.

Reacting quickly, I stood my ground and sucked in deeply, and in seconds sucked up all the water that came at us.

"Nice one, Willy!" complimented Lisanna.

But upon tasting it, I couldn't help but make a face, as a strange bitter saltiness.

"Eck! What the heck was up with that water?" I complained. "Even the water in Edolas didn't taste that strange!"

Then, I happened to look in Natsu's direction. He had carried Arcadios safety out of danger, but I noticed flowers growing behind him, and they were getting ominously bigger by the second.

"Natsu! Watch it!" I yelled out. "Behind you!"

Natsu jumped out of the way while carrying Arcadios just in time for a giant flower to emerge from the ground. It then opened up, revealing a young woman inside of it.

She had long, unkempt pink hair, dark eyes matching it, and a curvy figure. She wore a big puffy cap on her head with dots arranged in a "V" shape with a rose on the left side. A long strapless coat with petal-like edges on the tails with dots along the edges and held with a ribbon belt with a dark top and a mini-skirt underneath. She also had arm sleeves, long green boots, and a flower bracelet on her right wrist. The sweet scent came back no sooner than she emerged.

Close to where Mira and Yukino were, a massive storm of purple paper erupted from the ground, catching the two off guard.

"What is that stuff? Confetti?" Mira couldn't help but question.

The purple pieces of paper swirled around, forming a humanoid shape. Then, while briefly shining violet, a fourth person appeared.

She was a tall and thin female with fair skin and long black hair tied in two ways: two in pigtails that almost touched the ground and two braided hoops resting close to her neck.

Her outfit was a violet sleeveless dress with an open front exposing her legs and two long points in the back with an obi wrapped around her midsection with its bow on her back and plain sandals. It was something similar to what a kunoichi would wear.

Then, a fifth member of the group stepped out from the shadows.

He appeared to be a male of average height, wearing armor on his upper body with dark gray pants with black stripes and brown boots with an amber cloth tied around his waist bearing the symbol of Fiore. He also wore a black hooded cape and a metal mask that hid most of his lower face and had two giant scythes strapped to his back.

"Who the heck are these guys?!" Natsu cried out.

"I think they're the ones who attacked Arcadios!" said Yukino.

Arcadios then weakly spoke out. "You all need to get out of here! You're in danger!"

"So I take it you know who they are?" I asked him.

"They're an independent squad that serves the Fiore kingdom from the shadows," Arcadios explained. "They're the kingdom's mightiest, ruthless, and bloody-thirstiest executioners known as the Hungry Wolf Knights."

"Executioners?" repeated Lucy.

"I've heard of them!" Yukino spoke now with a nervous tone. "I thought that they were just a legend. They relentlessly hunt down criminals and execute them on the spot. They're basically execution machines!"

"And they're the reason it's impossible to leave the Palace of Perdition alive," added Arcadios with a cough. "They're known as Kama, Cosmos, Kamika, Uosuke, and Neppa."

"By the authority granted to us by the Kingdom of Fiore," Kama addressed us. "We, the Hungry Wolf Knights, will now carry out your sentence."

At first, there was silence. Then, Natsu burst out in laughter while everyone stared at him in bafflement.

"Nastu, this isn't the time to be going nuts on us!" barked Lucy.

"Sorry, my bad. But can you really blame me?" chortled Natsu. "I mean, look at them! They don't even look like knights!"

"That's where you're drawing the line?" Lucy sighed. "Then again, I guess I can't say you're wrong in that department."

"Their outfits do seem a bit weird," Lisanna pointed out.

"I hate to say it, but you're right, especially him," I said while gesturing at Uosuke, the male with the beefy lips carrying the flag. "He looks like some kind of fisherman rather than a knight."

"That is a good point," Mira also spoke. "Normally, when you hear that word, you'd expect a group of them to be wearing suits of armor and in the same style."

"If you don't mind me asking," Wendy said to the Hungry Wolf Knights. "Where are your suits of armor and helmets?"

"Haulin' armor ain't our style," replied Uosuke. "We're a secret squad, after all, and we gotta stay undercover. If we went around in armor, we wouldn't be so secret."

Natsu then cut in, wearing that same cocky grin while cracking his knuckles. "This is a pretty interesting lesson about fashion," he said. "But I've got the itch to bash your teeth in."

Uosuke's expression didn't change, but I could sense that his demeanor took a turn. "If you're fishing for trouble," he said ominously. "Then you just hooked up a heaping helping."

"Don't underestimate them!" Arcadios warned. "And be very cautious with their magic! Make one wrong move, and you're as good as dead!"

"There's no need to worry about us," I told him as I took a stance. "We're used to dealing with life-threatening challenges. And besides, even though they were the ones that lured us in by using you as bait, they've also given us an opportunity."

Natsu, catching on, punched his fist into his palm, bubbling with excitement. "Hey! Yeah! Good thinking, Willy!" he said. "If we beat these guys, our ticket out of here's secure!"

Mira smirked. "Lucky us, but let's make sure we leave one of them conscious so they can tell us the way out."

"Count me in, too!" said Lisanna. "I want to fight, too!"

Lily also transformed into his battle form, wearing a smirk. "It's been a while since I've last fought. Even I'm getting excited.

"Lucy. Yukino. You two take Arcadios and get back," Wendy warned. "The two of you don't have your keys, so you won't be able to defend yourselves."

"Happy and Carla, you too," added Lily.

"Can't say I'm a fan of this, but I guess we don't have a choice," said Lucy.

"Please be careful, everyone," said Yukino.

And the two celestial wizards, while carrying Arcadios and with Happy and Carla, got a safe distance away while the rest of us got ready.

"Plenty of miscreants underestimated the Hungry Wolf Knights," Kama, the male with two scythes, said. "But they're all dead. All of your bones will join them soon enough."

"How about you save that kind of talk until after you've killed us?" I countered. "That is if you can."

Kamika, the woman dressed like a kunoichi, and Cosmo, the woman dressed in pink, stepped forward.

"If you don't mind, we'll start things off," Kamika said. "Ready, Cosmos?"

"We'll dazzle them with our beautiful dance, Kamika," Cosmos spoke with a smirk.

Nippa, the burly male with the bottle in his mouth, chuckled. "Darn. Guess they beat us to the punch."

"You got to be kidding! Just the two of you?!" Natsu barked indignantly. "In that case, I can take the two of you myself!"

Before I could try and tell Natsu to stop being cocky, Kamika had already begun her attack by taking out a piece of red paper and blowing it out of her hand and into the wind.

"PAPER BLIZZARD: RED DANCE!"

At her command, that single paper transformed into a barrage of them in our direction.

Natsu quickly met the attack, igniting his fists with his fire magic. "Sorry, sweetheart, but Paper Magic ain't gonna work on me! Not when I can burn them to ashes!"

He swung his arms and unleashed a Wing Attack spell, but much to his surprise, the bits of paper didn't burn, capturing his attack and sending it swirling back toward his direction.

"My red paper is infused with fire spirits," Kamika explained smugly. "Let's see if you'll burn to ash when your magic is used against you."

The torrents of fire and paper then changed into several giant fists as they shot toward Natsu again.

"Fine with me!" Natsu smirked as he stayed where he was. "If you're gonna use fire magic, I'll just eat them!"

But the fiery fists ended up pummeling him to the ground before changing into a giant pillar, making Natsu scream as his body was bathed in the flames.

Wendy then jumped into the fray. "Hold on, I'm coming!" she yelled as she took a deep breath. "SKY DRAGON ROAR!"

While releasing a torrent of wind from her mouth, she blew all the paper and the flames out, setting Natsu free.

"Nice one, Wendy!" cheered Happy. "Way to huff and puff!"

Natsu was all right, but he was a bit more cautious. "All right then! I guess we're going two-on-two," he told Wendy.

"I'll follow your lead," Wendy said back to him. "Let's take them down!"

"Let's give them a hand!" Lily said while brandishing his blade.

"Yeah! I'm with you, Lily!" agreed Lisanna.

"Hold on a minute, you guys," I interjected. "Let's let the two of them handle this for now."

"I agree with Willy," said Mira. "We should keep our eyes on the enemy for now. The moment they jump in, we will, too."

Lisanna and Lily were reluctant, but they listened.

Natsu and Wendy then dashed at their opponents together. Natsu went in first, using another Wing Attack, forcing the girls to jump and avoid the torrents of flames separating them. Wendy then attacked Kamika with a wind-infused swipe of her hand, which she called Crushing Fang. But Kamika, seeing the attack coming, spun around, and with a hand raised, she erected a barrier made of gray paper and blocked it.

Cosmos didn't appear to be fazed or worried about her teammate, but that didn't stop Natsu from trying to catch her by surprise. He slugged at her with an Iron Fist, but while raising her hand, Cosmos summoned a few strange-looking plants with pumpkin-sized bulbs, blocking his flames with ease.

The two dragon slayers regrouped, unleashing their respective breath attacks simultaneously.

"FIRE DRAGON...!"

"SKY DRAGON...!"

"ROOOOOAAAAAARRR!"

The combined strength of their attacks seemed to strike their targets, a powerful explosion of wind and fire imploding through their area. For a brief moment, I couldn't sense them. However, when the smoke cleared, a large flower bud with red paper on it stood in its place. The flower then opened up, revealing the two girls inside, completely unscathed, much to Natsu and Wendy's shock.

"No way! I didn't know paper magic could do that!" exclaimed Happy. "And that girl with the puffy hat is using plant magic!"

"Not only that, but they're concealing their magic powers, too," I said grimly. "That explains why I couldn't sense them before."

"But I don't understand why they're giving Natsu and Wendy so much trouble?" Carla wondered impatiently. "Shouldn't this be a breeze for them?"

Hearing that, Cosmos laughed. "Sorry, Pretty Kitty. It doesn't work like that when it comes to us," she taunted. "But if you want to put that theory to the test, then be my guest. Shall we continue, Kamika?"

"Glady," smiled Kamika. "I still have plenty of colors to show them."

She flipped her red paper and turned it yellow. Then, as it became a flurry, they released a mass of blinding bright light, forcing me to shield my eyes.

"Damn it! I can't see!" I cried out.

"I didn't know paper magic could be used like this!" Lily also shouted.

Then, there was a powerful gust of wind, and the light went away, but just as it did, I heard Wendy scream in surprise. I opened my eyes and saw that Wendy was now suspended in the air by multiple vines belonging to Cosmo.

Natsu tried to intervene and help, but Kamika, the yellow papers of her magic turning white, attacked him from behind and made them swirl around his form. As they did, his body was slowly being encased in ice.

"My white paper is infused with ice spirits," she told him. "Why don't you take this chance to cool off? You'll feel much better."

Using all his strength, Natsu broke free from the ice just as he was about to be frozen solid, his body exploding with fire. "I've dealt with ice even colder than that!" he barked.

But as soon as he broke free, he was entangled with the same vines that trapped Wendy. He struggled against his bindings, but they held him tight.

"Damn it! I can't move a muscle!" he yelled in complaint.

"And these thorns are starting to prick me!" Wendy wailed.

"Two lawbreakers captured," Cosmos said with a chuckle. "Guess all that's left now is to execute them."

With a snap of her fingers, multiple large globes sprouted from the ground with gaping maws lined with sharp teeth and long green tongues. I couldn't help but cringe the moment I saw them.

"What the heck are those things?!" exclaimed Lucy.

"Carnivorous plants!" gasped Yukino.

"Ew! That's gross!" Lisanna said with disgust.

"Damn it! They'll be killed!" I yelled as I got ready to jump in.

"Hang on, you two! We're coming to help!" Mira shouted.

But then Natsu yelled back at her. "The hell you will!" he snapped defiantly. "Things are starting to get good! Stay back and wait your turn!"

I couldn't help but be indignant after that response. "Natsu, are you kidding me right now?!" I yelled. "You're about to be plant food!"

"Yeah, this isn't the time for stubbornness, so get over it!" Lily also admonished.

But Natsu glared at us. "Don't test me! I'll thrash the both of you!" he snarled. "Just let us handle this!"

Knowing that there was no talking to him, I stayed put.

"He sure puts on the tough guy act pretty thick," sneered Kamika.

"Wonder if he'll be able to keep it up when he's eaten alive," Cosmos also jested.

The long tongues from the plants extended, wrapping around Natsu and Wendy and pulling them towards them. However, Natsu and Wendy remained defiant.

"Wendy! Get ready to dodge!" the fire dragon slayer yelled.

"I'm ready when you are!" Wendy shouted back at him.

Natsu then puffed his cheeks and unleashed another breath attack, sweeping while aiming for the tongues and vines, incinerating them, and setting Wendy free. As soon as she was, Wendy followed up with a Wing Attack, cutting through Natsu's bindings and setting him loose. As soon as they landed back on the ground, while Cosmos and Kamika were surprised, the two resumed their attack.

I couldn't help but be amazed. "Geez. Can they be any less dramatic?" I sighed with a relieved grin.

"Aw, yeah!" cheered Lucy. "Dragon Slayer teams are unstoppable!"

"No kidding," agreed Lily. "And here I thought Natsu and Gajeel were unstoppable together."

"It just shows how close the two are," said Mira. "They're in perfect sync."

"I don't believe it," I heard Arcadios murmur. "They're pushing the Hungry Wolf Knights back? Just how powerful are they?"

"It should come as no surprise," Lisanna said to him. "Those two have always had their fair share of battles together and have grown super strong. I wouldn't be surprised if they aren't reading each other's minds."

"He trusts her, and she trusts him," marveled Yukino. "Such a powerful bond must be why Fairy Tail is so strong."

But Arcadios was still wary. "Even so, we can't relax yet," he warned. "The true terror the Hungry Wolf Knights possess is still to come."

Then, I noticed that Neppa and Uosuke were heading towards the battle. "Mira! Look!"

"I see them!" acknowledged Mira. "It's our turn, Willy!"

"I was waiting for you to say that!" I said as I punched my fists together.

The two of us charged forward, but just as we did, Uosuke raised his flag, and a powerful gust of wind blasted through the area, sending the two of us blowing backward while Natsu and Wendy suspended in the air.

During that, Neppa came straight toward me with a fist of acid and swung. To block the attack, I summoned a water sword and sliced at his fist to divert the acid as it splashed onto the rocky ground below, instantly turning it into slush and creating a large crevasse.

"You cheaters!" Lucy called out. "Where's your sense of honor?! I thought this was supposed to be a two-on-two battle!"

"We never accepted any formal challenge," countered Kamika.

"Our only objective is to execute you lawbreakers," said Cosmos. "There's no such thing as playing fair."

"We were just testing the waters, is all," added Uosuke. "Figured that we have a bit of fun."

"Damn it," I cursed as I looked at the damage. "I have to admit, that's some strong magic."

"We have to be careful around chubby over here," Mira told me. "Make sure you stay away from him."

Neppa chuckled. "Bring it on, hot stuff, if you can take the heat!" he challenged. "I'll dissolve every last speck of you and your little water boy!"

"Just you try it!" I snarled. "And for the record, only one person's allowed to call me that!"

Cosmos then returned her attention to Natsu and Wendy. "Even though it was briefly, you two have managed to ruin my beautiful teamwork with Kamika. You'll suffer the consequences for that, and I can promise it won't be pleasant. Especially the loud and ugly one over there."

She made a vine slam square into Natsu, sending him straight to the ground. Uosuke also canceled his previous spell, allowing Wendy to fall. But before Wendy could try to help Natsu, Kamika turned her paper white and encased Wendy in the dome of them, trapping her. The sky dragon slayer released another breath attack to break out, but she didn't see that there was now a carnivorous flower underneath her. Before Wendy could react, the flower closed up with a snap, trapping her inside.

"Wendy! No!" Natsu and I screamed in alarm.

Cosmos could only smile with slight malice. "Simply beautiful," she said. "Soon, you'll dance with the grim reaper as my Corpse Flower blooms from your blood."

Natsu tried getting to the flower, but Cosmos commanded some vines to wrap around Natsu's feet, tripping him up.

"How ungraceful," mocked Cosmos. "Besides, it's too late. The digestion process has already begun, and her sweet life is ending. Besides, there's no need to worry. She will soon be reincarnated. Her remains will become dazzling blooms."

Hearing that, I quickly made for their location. "Hang on, Wendy! I'm coming!" I shouted.

But Neppa was quick to cut me off, slugging at me with another acid-powered fist, forcing me to jump back to avoid it.

"What's the matter, Water Boy?" Neppa mocked. "Your friend's in trouble, you know. Unless you're going to stand there and watch her die."

I growled in anger while glaring, but Mira touched my shoulder.

"Willy, you have to calm down!" she said. "He's just trying to get under your skin."

"I know, but we have to hurry," I said impatiently. "If we don't do something quick, Wendy will-."

"I'm aware," cut in Mira. "That's why I'm going to go help her. You think you can handle Chubby?"

I briefly looked at her before answering with a nod. "Leave it to me. I got this. I'm counting on you."

Mira nodded, and we both took a stance before dashing toward Neppa. The big, burly man got ready to attack with more of his acid magic. But just as he was about to swing, I stopped, jumped onto my back, and pulled my legs up as I rolled back. Mira then jumped up on top, planting her feet.

"WATER DRAGON: AQUA JET LAUNCH!"

While shooting water at the bottoms of my feet, I kicked up my legs and launched Mira with all my strength. As I landed back on my feet, I watched Mira shoot through the air with incredible speed as she used her magic to change into her Satan Soul: Sitri form. She then unleashed a shower of magic bullets, destroying all Cosmos' plants before finally getting to the flower and slicing it open with her claws. Wendy was covered in slime, but she was unharmed.

But while I was relieved to see that she was all right, I didn't have time to celebrate as Neppa came charging in with another punch. I ducked out of the way and answered with a few blows to his gut and a hard elbow, causing him to stagger. As he did, I got in close and slapped a hand to where I stuck.

"RIPPLE PALM THRUST!"

With a thrust, I sent the male flying back until he skidded to a stop just in front of Cosmo and Kamika, the two of whom were surprised.

"Well, this is unexpected," commented Kamika. "I've never seen such unusual magic."

"Indeed. Take Over Magic is quite unusual," said Cosmos. "And that boy is also a Dragon Slayer, and he utilizes the power of water."

"If that's the case, how about I freeze them all?!" Kamika snarled as she sent a blizzard of her white paper toward us.

"That's what you think!" Natsu shouted as he rejoined the fight, unleashing a breath attack to incinerate the assault.

Then, some vines erupted from the ground and headed toward Lucy's party's direction.

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled.

"Lisanna!" I also yelled.

"Don't worry! We got this!" Lisanna shouted back. "Let's cut them down, Lily!"

"You got it!" acknowledged the exceed.

Lily then made his sword grow in size while Lisanna used her magic to change into a humanoid feline. With precise and rapid slices, the two cut the vines into ribbons.

"Nice one, you guys!" I complimented. "Keep it up!"

Then, Neppa caught my attention as he drank from his bottle. "Hey, Water Boy. That was a pretty good attack, but you should focus on me! Just one sploosh and even your water won't be able to save you from being melted!"

"A pretty bold claim!" I said while cracking my knuckles. "Then I'll just have to wash away whatever you throw at me!"

But just as our battle was about to resume, a storm of purple paper came flying at us, and before I could dodge them, some of them managed to stick to my body. When that happened, my body immediately stopped where it stood, and I couldn't move.

"Wait! What the heck?!" I exclaimed. "I can't move!"

And it wasn't just me. The others were covered with purple paper also and frozen where they stood.

"What is this?!" struggled Lucy. "These papers are all over me!"

"I feel like I'm paralyzed!" winced Mira.

"It's some kind of status aliment spell!" said Wendy.

"That is my Paper Blizzard: Purple Dance," I heard Kamika say. "Every single piece contains the spirit of confinement."

Then Cosmos shouted out a spell name.

"GROW FLOW."

At her call, a giant flower rose from the ground, towering over us.

"Now, feast my pet as you take these lawbreakers' lives as they nourish you."

The flower's center then opened up, revealing a hole, and started sucking in powerfully, pulling us straight towards it.

"Damn it! It's sucking us in!" shouted Lily.

Neppa continued to taunt me as I was lifted into the air. "You running away, Water Boy? Your loss! Probably would have killed you a lot quicker!"

"Curse you, bastard!" I snarled with hate. "This isn't over!"

"Wendy! Hurry!" Mira shouted.

"Don't worry!" I heard Wendy say. "I got you guys!" She then started reciting a spell. "O SKY, CLEANSE US OF OUR AILMENTS! RESTORE OUR BODIES WITH YOUR SHINGING LIGHT! RAYS!"

I also began chanting a support spell as my body glowed blue. "O, MIGHTY OVERFLOWING RIVER! CLEANSE ME WITH YOUR WATERS AND REJECT THE IMPURITIES! DAMONA'S BLESSING!"

The purple papers that bound us vanished in seconds, along with their effect.

"All right! We can move again!" cheered Lucy. "But what do we do now?!"

"Isn't it obvious?! Destroy that flower!" answered Lily.

"All right! Now we're talking!" Natsu roared. "You guys ready?!"

"Yeah!" we all answered him.

Natsu held up his hands and conjured up a giant ball of flame. "FIRE DRAGON: BRILLIANT FLAME!" he bellowed as he chucked it at his target.

Mira held her hands together, creating an orb of dark magic. "EVIL EXPLOSION!" she roared, throwing her hands out as the globe exploded into a powerful beam.

I clenched my fists, focusing my magic on them as they were shrouded with water. "WATER DRAGON: FLOWING FIST! SHOOT STYLE!" I then rapidly punched, firing multiple fist-shaped bullets of water.

While wielding his sword, Lily made it giant and gave it a mighty slice.

Our attacks combined were enough to stop the flower from sucking us in as it began to fall apart. But just as it was being destroyed, it began to glow ominously, and before I knew it, my vision became white as it exploded with a mighty kaboom.

When I next opened my eyes, I found myself lying on the ground, covered in dirt. I coughed as I wiped the grime from my face as I sat up.

"Ugh. Geez, it figures that plant that Cosmos lady made would end up exploding when we attacked it," I complained.

I then glanced at my surroundings, wondering where I was, and saw that I was in a hallway lined with strange statues with the ceiling caved in. I also noticed that I was once again alone as I stood up.

"Hello! Is anyone out there?!" I called out. "If you're there, please respond!"

But I could only hear my voice echoing throughout.

"Damn it. Not again," I muttered. "That last explosion must have separated me from everyone. Man, It was already hard enough before, but now what? I must have gone down a few floors already. But still, I have to find them before those Hungry Wolf Knights do."

I glanced around, trying to see if there was any direction I could go towards. Then, just as I was about to start searching, I stopped as a chill settled into my spine. Then, just ahead of me, I saw a figure in the distance walking towards me. Whoever the stranger was, they wore a dark cloak hiding their form.

"I finally found you, Willy Falconer," the figure spoke in a woman's voice. "You know, you're a hard guy to track down, but given the circumstances, I should have expected as much."

As I stared at her, I remembered seeing someone else wearing the same attire, the other cloaked girl I saw on Day One. And just like when I met her, I again felt deja vu, recognizing her voice as familiar.

"You seem to know who I am, but I don't know who you are," I said. "Tell me. Are you a friend, or are you an enemy? State your business."

The female stopped, standing a few feet away from me. "Sorry, but I'm not at liberty to say for most of that," she coldly replied. "But I can tell you this for certain."

She whipped her cloak to the side, revealing a giant black claw that released a strange and ominous magic power. And as she brandished her sharp nails, she spoke out again, her voice filled with intent and spite.

"I'm here to fulfill one single objective. And that's to kill you."

Happy 2024, everyone!

May your new year be good, and remember to keep smiling and be happy!

If you liked what you read and are new, F,F,R!

Until then, see you in the next chapter!

Dragomaster, signing off!