Shoving a skewer of meat into his mouth, Natsu began to tremble with joy, as an explosion of flavors was felt in his mouth.

"Wow, this is so good! Another one like this! And I'll have a burger too! And half a dozen steaks."

Seeing him fill his belly, Gajeel sighed.

"Oye! We're supposed to be doing something other than eating."

"Huh?" Natsu said, as he swallowed what was in his mouth. "No need to be so serious! Relax! Since we arrived in this world, this is the first time we've been in a city other than the capital! Here, everything smells different and foreign food has always interested me."

Sniffing again, he eventually made his way to another booth while declaring.

"Yum, it smells like kebab."

Seeing him do it, Gajeel affirmed.

"Next time I'll put a leash around his neck."

Snickering, Chelsea took off the large hat she had put on her head, while affirming.

"Honestly, his unconsciousness is what makes him so charming."

"He's not unconscious! He's just stupid." Gajeel growled, making sure not to lose sight of Natsu.

Chuckling again, Chelsea eventually sat down on a wooden crate, affirming.

"Too bad Happy and Lily didn't come! I love cuddling them."

"They stayed at the base to watch Bols." Gajeel said. "There was no way we were leaving him alone or taking him with us! If he doesn't have his teigu, Lily can easily beat him, if Bols tries to escape! As for Happy, ... he stayed to keep Lily company."

Hearing this, Chelsea noticed.

"You're the one who wanted Lily to stay there, aren't you? Why is that?"

This time, Gajeel remained silent.

"Spear's death still haunts you, doesn't it? And now you're afraid the same thing will happen to Lily, right?"

" Mind your own business. "

Chuckling again, Chelsea realized she had understood the situation perfectly. About to say more, she ended up falling silent, the moment she felt herself being observed.

"From my experience, I doubt it's just the Jaegers here! We better stay vigilant."

" Huh ? "

Later

"What?" Gajeel said. "Wait, why did you get to fight and we didn't?"

"I hope you're kidding." Lubbock roared, as Susanoo tended to a wound on his arm. "It's a miracle I'm alive after fighting those two monsters and that's all you have to say? Those guys were super powerful! I really thought they were going to kill me."

"That's why I'm grumbling! I would have enjoyed fighting them."

"Yeah! Next time, let us know." Natsu said, cracking his knuckles.

"I'm gonna kick your ass, assholes." Lubbock roared.

"Everyone calm down." Najenda ordered. "Thanks to Akame and Lubbock's work, the Rakshasa demons are almost all dead! As a result, we can continue our spying and find the right moment to attack! For tonight's teams, Tatsumi will patrol with Mine... and Gajeel will be with Chelsea! Lubbock, you will stay here, and Akame, you will come with me! Leone and Susanoo, I will ask you to dig tunnels under the temple again tonight."

"What? Why am I still with this brat?" Gajeel roared.

"Hey, that's not very nice," Chelsea said, winking at him. "Am I to understand that even your primate brain has trouble staying focused because of my beauty?"

"Who are you calling a primate?"

"What did I say about teamwork?" Najenda roared.

" Sorry, boss. "

"Damn it." Mine said, taking off the disguise she was wearing. "Why do I always have to dress up? It's so annoying."

"We have no choice! Either we hide our identity, or we become the next target of our enemies." Tatsumi remarked. "Our spies are dying one by one! So we are forced to replace them."

Then relaxing his legs, he let out a sigh of relief, while looking at the ruins all around them.

"At least here we will have peace for a little while."

But that was without taking into account numerous noises worthy of a bombing.

" JUSTICE VOLLEY FIRE ! "

" Huh ? " Said the duo.

Exploding, numerous warheads pulverized their hiding place in an instant.

" INCURSIO! "

Immediately summoning his armor, gaining strength and power, Tatsumi then grabbed Mine and fled out of their shelter as the landscape crumbled all around them.

"DAMN IT! What's going on?" Mine wanted to know.

"That attack… It's Seryu."

" Se … Seryu ? " Repeated Mine.

Finally gaining some height, Tatsumi set Mine down next to him, as Seryu's voice began to roar in the distance.

"Members of Night Raid, in the name of Justice, I will personally ensure your death."

"It's really Seryu." Mine spat, putting her portable device to her eye.

"Is Wendy with her?"

"No, I don't see her! On the other hand..."

Suddenly turning her gaze, she affirmed.

"I see the last Rakshasa demon fleeing over there! Probably to call for reinforcements."

"What? In that case, we have to leave this place too! We'll never have time to beat that girl and chase the second one before she finds help."

"We can do this… if we split up." Mine assured. "I'll take care of Seryu."

"What? But…?"

"If Scheele is still in a coma, it's because of her." Mine said. "Every day I hold out hope that she'll open her eyes again and I'll see her smile, but it's becoming more and more certain that that moment will never come."

Gritting her teeth, she turned her weapon towards where Seryu was, stating.

"I will avenge Scheele, be sure of that."

Seeing her do it, Tatsumi ended up nodding, before jumping into the void.

"Okay! But you better stay alive! Otherwise, I'll never forgive you."

"Don't worry! I have no intention of dying."

Heading towards her, a huge missile threatened to destroy her, along with the cliff she was on. Immediately firing at the projectile, Mine was able to destroy it, creating a powerful explosion that blurred her vision for a few moments.

Taking advantage of this, Seryu used a grappling hook and let herself be pulled until she found herself in front of the pink-haired girl.

"Who do we have here? Isn't this an old acquaintance? Isn't your girlfriend with glasses here to help you this time? Oh, I forgot she's dead."

Hearing her chuckle at her own remark, Mine felt her rage boil inside her. Yet, instead of foolishly letting herself get carried away by her anger, she managed to calm down, still declaring.

"Sorry to break it to you, but Scheele is still alive."

"What?" Seryu shouted, losing her smile.

"You just knocked him out, you idiot." Mine informed her, aiming her gun at her. "And where is your precious partner?"

"Huh? Wendy? Oh, you mean the one who worked for Night Raid, as a spy?"

Unable to hide her surprise, Mine finally asked

"Where is she?"

"Who knows?" Seryu said with a grim smile. "Maybe she's in a graveyard."

"Bitch! I'm gonna kill you for good."

Perceiving different noises, thanks to his overdeveloped hearing, Gajeel turned his gaze in a particular direction, before affirming.

"There's a fight not far from here."

"This is the area where Mine and Tatsumi went." Chelsea remarked.

"Tsss!" Gajeel said. "Those idiots have been spotted! I'll help them! You go warn the others."

Growing her nails, Suzuka amused herself by trying to pierce Tatsumi, while the boy jumped repeatedly to avoid her attacks. And even while carrying Incursio, the demon's repeated attacks managed to damage his defenses, forcing him to retreat frequently.

"Hey, what's wrong with you? Didn't you come to stop me from going to get reinforcements? If this continues, it's your body that I'll bring back to Esdeath-sama."

"If you want some good advice, don't do this after you kill me! Esdeath might kill you if you tell her you're the one who killed me."

"Really?" Suzuka said, blushing. "Oh? That's quite tempting."

Then making her body lie down, she aimed her right arm at Tatsumi. Tilting his body to the side, the boy then aimed his spear at the lying limb. Yet, hitting it with all his might, he didn't make a single scratch on the arm.

" What ? "

"Idiot! Not only can I lengthen my arms and legs, but I can also harden my skin! If you don't use more power than that, I'll have no trouble killing."

Running towards Tatsumi, she eventually charged, using her body as a cannonball. Feeling her head hit his torso, Tatsumi vomited blood, through his armor, while Suzuka began to bombard him with punches.

"So? Is it painful? Truth be told, I want to experience that pain too! But no one is powerful enough to give it to me! In the end, if I mess you up properly, Esdeath-sama might punish me by torturing me personally."

Yet, she stepped back the instant Tatsumi's spear passed by her face.

"Never..." the boy roared. "I will never give up again! Up until now, I haven't done much for my group."

Pointing his weapon at Suzuka, he roared.

"I may still not be able to compete with a Jaeger! However, a second-rate fighter like you will never be able to defeat me."

This time, feeling annoyed by this remark, Suzuka took on a serious air, while affirming.

"All right, if you have any last words, it's now or never."

"Stop your bullshit and come here so I can kill you."

Without being asked twice, Suzuka charged at him again, in order to hit the most damaged part of his armor. However, compared to earlier, Tatsumi was ready.

"I've already seen your attack!"

Spinning around, he placed the tip of his spear in the path of Suzuka's run to disembowel her.

Chuckling at this, the woman then only needed to duck to dodge his gesture, before passing between his legs. Once done, she turned to Tatsumi's back, ready to hit him.

" I've got you. "

" IRON DRAGON'S SWORD ! "

Jumping back in time, Suzuka managed to dodge Gajeel's attack as he had just caught the scent of the two fighters.

"What's going on here? You dare to have fun without me?"

" Gajeel ? "

"Huh?" Suzuka wondered. "Who are you? I guess you must be a member of Night Raid! In that case, be nice and wait your turn! As soon as I'm done with your friend, I'll take care of you."

Getting back into an attack position, Tatsumi however saw Gajeel advancing towards Suzuka, all the while affirming.

"No way! Right now, I really need to let off steam! And you'll make the perfect punching bag."

" Interesting ! "

Suddenly running towards the man, she found herself in front of him and grabbed the coat he was wearing.

" I got you. "

Immediately tightening her grip, she finally opened her mouth to reveal her elongated teeth. And before Gajeel could harden his skin, she managed to bite him on the neck.

Surprised by her speed, Gajeel could only scream in pain, while a jet of blood flowed from his wound.

"Gajeel!" Tatsumi shouted, running to help him.

"Stay where you are." The man ordered him. "I don't need your help! I'll beat her by myself! IRON DRAGON'S CLUB !"

Transforming his arm into a metal column, Gajeel slammed into Suzuka's stomach with force. Feeling a sudden wave of pain, Suzuka let out a whimper due to the pain, without letting go.

Seeing this, Gajeel let out a real war cry before extending his arm. Feeling herself moving backwards, Suzuka grabbed Gajeel's coat with more force. However, after a few seconds, tearing noises were heard.

Ripping apart, the garment remained in the demon's hands, while her teeth were removed from Gajeel's neck. Then propelled against a wall, Suzuka violently smashed against it and passed through it completely before crashing further away.

"It's over." Gajeel chuckled, having to push one knee to the ground, while holding his still bleeding wound.

An explosion sent Mine flying down, and she crashed violently against the ground. Injured like this, the poor girl saw Seryu descending towards her, using a grappling hook.

"I'm gonna get you, you murderer."

However, shooting several times, Mine managed to hit her abdomen twice, causing hze to cough up blood.

"Your bloodlust leaves too many openings, you fool."

"Bitch!" Seryu roared, leaning against the cliff face.

Jumping like that, she was followed by Koro, in Berserk mode, while both of them rushed straight towards Mine. Taking firearms, Seryu began to aim at her, while affirming.

"Now you're going to die! That'll teach you to underestimate the power of justice."

"You're the one who underestimates the strength of our group." Mine retorted, pointing Pumpkin at them.

" What? "

Seeing Mine's weapon loading, Seryu immediately emptied the magazines of her weapons in order to shoot her down. However, her bullets were completely destroyed by Pumpkin's beam when the weapon was fully loaded.

Continuing on its way, the beam had no trouble cutting through Koro, hitting his vital core head on.

"KORO!" Seryu was horrified, as her teigu, now split into two parts, fell backwards.

"And it's not over yet!" Mine roared, performing a magnificent hip rotation.

Acting like the blade of a saber, Pumpkin's beam moved in turn, heading straight towards Seryu.

" Impossible. " The young woman thought, as she desperately tried to shoot Mine with her empty weapons. "I lost? I'm going to die?"

" Wendy! From now on, you will be in charge of getting me new weapons! "

" Wendy. " Seryu thought, thinking back to a detail.

"It's over." Mine assured.

Yet, his eyes could only widen in the next second. Indeed, suddenly appearing under Seryu's feet, two air currents propelled his body higher into the sky. Thus performing a real somersault, Seryu managed to pass in extremis above Mine's attack, to dodge it.

"She avoided it?" Mine wondered, as her attack ceased.

Stopping, too, the two air currents that had saved Seryu disappeared, leaving the girl's body falling to the ground. Slamming herself against the hard surface, Seryu screamed in pain, while her abdominal injuries worsened. But, at least she was alive.

"Ho … How?" Mine wanted to know. "What weapon did she use to escape my attack?

"I finally used them." Seryu remarked, trying to straighten up. "Wendy's magic thrusters."

Seeing her start to get back up, Mine pointed Pumpkin at her. However, no shot came out.

"Pumpkin is overheating."

"Koro is damaged and I have no more bullets." Seryu remarked. "I have no choice! I'll have to finish her off with my bare hands."

But as she took a step towards Mine, a violent gust of wind was felt. At first, it was only a light breeze. But, as time went on, it became more and more powerful. At first, surprised, Seryu ended up arching her eyebrows, while recognizing this mysterious wind.

Then, moments later, a figure fell from the sky, gracefully, using the wind to slow her fall.

"So you couldn't help but come... Wendy."

Suddenly appearing in front of Mine, Wendy was now facing Seryu with a very serious look.

"Wendy?" Mine wondered.

Seeing the state the two girls were in, Wendy affirmed.

"It seems I made it just in time! A little more and someone would have died."

Then staring at Seryu, she ordered her.

"Seryu, stop this fight right now! This doesn't make sense."

"What do you mean?" The girl wanted to know. "Do you still not understand? I am fighting for justice."

Seeing Wendy continue to stare at her, she declared.

"Listen to me, Wendy! In the team, no one but me knows that you are a member of Night Raid! And even if I regret to have to say it, it could be that you have some interesting skills! Therefore, if you help me to defeat this girl, I will do my best so that you can reintegrate the ranks of the Jaegers."

Then reaching out her hand towards Wendy, she questioned her.

"Do you understand? If you join me, I will forgive you immediately and tomorrow we will reform our duo and..."

" In your dreams. "

This simple sentence stopped Seryu as Wendy.

"Seryu, I would give anything to continue being with you... to continue with the Jaegers... However, other than Esdeath, none of you understand that you are fighting for a cause that will only bring suffering and misfortune to the empire! Seryu, it is up to you to come to me, and join me! If you want to follow true justice and not the one that disgusting Ogre taught you, we can create an empire where everyone will be happy."

"Tsss!" Seryu said immediately. "How dare you insult Captain Ogre again? He was one of the few people who knew what justice was."

"Really? Because taking bribes and convicting innocent people is justice, to you? Because it's time you knew he was doing it."

"Shut up, it's lies."

"Another thing, do you remember the mutants we killed by the dozen in the forests surrounding the capital? You probably don't know it but they were all men that Stylish had modified! He had no qualms about transforming these people into monsters."

"SHUT UP! This is bullshit!"

"Seryu, there are many things you don't know about the capital and you've been so influenced that you're unable to see them! You've gone crazy because of this trash."

"But will you shut up?" Seryu roared. "I wanted to forgive you... but now you've pissed me off! I'm going to kill you, too."

Knowing full well that their 'discussion' would lead to this, Wendy ordered.

" Mine, get off. "

"What? But…?"

"Leave her to me, please! This is a personal matter."

Letting the wind surround her, she affirmed.

"A matter I should have settled from the start."

Coughing up blood, Suzuka cleared her airway to breathe again.

"This guy...how dare he?"

Then, suddenly, starting to smile, she placed her hand delicately on her stomach, where Gajeel had hit her hard.

"That asshole made me suffer! He hurt me! Oh yeah! He hurt me like crazy! It was heaven!

Still holding Gajeel's torn coat, she eventually curled up into a ball before sniffing it.

" Gajeel ! Gajeel ! GAJEEL-SAMA ! " She shouted.

Surrounding her fist with wind, Wendy then punched Seryu right in the jaw. Unable to do anything but grit her teeth, her opponent took her attack, before hitting her in turn with a mechanical fist.

Having to step back, Wendy then ran her hand over to wipe the trickle of blood from her mouth, before asking:

"That's good! Did that calm you down?"

"Shut up!" Seryu roared, throwing a multitude of punches at her. "You're nothing but a dirty traitor! A rebel! A criminal! How could I have even thought of forgiving you for a single moment?

Taking another punch, Wendy counterattacked in turn, and managed to hit her in the chin.

"You're the one who's blind! The army that did nothing to stop Kalgon from killing those children... the poor neighborhoods are ignored... the soldiers take advantage of their positions to torment people... you've seen all this with your own eyes! What more do you need to understand that the empire is rotten from the inside?

"Really! And what does your group do?" Seryu questioned, punching her in the nose. "You too, you only kill people! If you call me a murderer, you too are no better than me! You're just a hypocrite."

"Wait, is it the queen of this field who dares to tell me that?"

Continuing to hit each other like this, the two girls each punched each other in the face without thinking for a moment about protecting themselves. The only goal of the fight was to hit the other harder than what she had just received. It didn't take long for both girls' faces to be ravaged. Nevertheless, neither of them intended to give up.

"You are nothing but obstacles to the ultimate justice." Seryu roared, swinging her fist at Wendy! "I hate Night Raid for that alone."

Suddenly placing her palm in front of Seryu's fist, Wendy managed to stop her. Then, suddenly, her hair changed color, as it had happened in her fight against Kalgon.

"It's not a question of being in the Jaegers or Night Raid camp anymore! Your madness has taken over, you do whatever you want and you mix everything up... that's why I'm going to arrest you."

"Never! I will never lose." Seryu assured, brandishing her second fist.

Faster than hers, Wendy's fist slamming into her right in the middle of the face. Feeling herself getting hit, Seryu fell backwards. Immediately jumping above her, Wendy punched her in the stomach, all the while affirming.

"Our ideology is not the same, but what I want is good for all, without having to kill anyone."

Coughing up blood again, while crashing to the ground, Seryu felt Wendy sit astride her, while affirming.

"I won! Give up, Seryu!"

Gritting her teeth, Seryu then just started laughing hysterically, while stating.

"Poor fool! Justice will never lose against evil! Have you forgotten that I have one last weapon?"

Then wrapping her tongue around the pin she had deep in her mouth, Seryu chuckled.

"You're going to die! A criminal like you deserves nothing but death! You'll go to hell for your crimes and I..."

Suddenly, she fell silent, feeling two drops of water fall on her face. Then stopping smiling, she saw Wendy start to sob.

"What should I do? What should I do to make you understand?"

Looking at Seryu, she assured.

" Seryu, all I want is to be your friend. "

" My … friend ? "

"I never lied to you about it and even if I was about to kill you, I would still say it, I consider you my friend, just like Natsu and Gajeel! I don't want us to be enemies and even less for you to die! I want to be with you! I want to continue helping people! I want to continue visiting the children at the church! I want to continue enjoying the joys of life by staying with you. "

Then clenching her fists, she pleaded.

"So please! Please! Just once! Just once! Open your eyes and understand that you are on the wrong track! Understand that I only want what is best for you. "

Listening to her while still having her tongue around the pin, Seryu felt her brain being flooded with different voices again. Some were telling her to pull the pin, while others were telling her otherwise. In the end, she affirmed.

"You're just saying that so you don't die! You don't care about me."

Yet she fell silent again, feeling Wendy's arms wrap around her.

"In that case, blow everything up! No matter where we go next, I'll make sure to follow you! Yes, even in the afterlife, I won't give up, until the day you understand the true meaning of justice."

"S… Shut up." Seryu ordered her. "I… I know what… justice is! I… I… don't need you! I… "

Still hearing the voices in her head, she gritted her teeth, before finally opening her mouth. Finally sticking her tongue out, she showed Wendy that she hadn't touched the pin.

" I'm giving up. "

Hearing this, Wendy stared at her for a few seconds, unsure of what Seryu had just said. Then, finally, sobbing even harder, she finally said her.

" I'm so happy. "

"Happy about what?"

"Living your life with a smile is the key to ensuring justice." Wendy said. "Never forget, Seryu, that dying in an assassination attempt will never be considered heroic."

Suddenly dizzy, Wendy placed a hand on her forehead, showing that Seryu's punches had done several damages. However, instead of lying down in turn, she placed her hands on Seryu's body, in order to heal her, while affirming.

"No matter what happens to me..."

Feeling her last strength leaving her, she continued.

"I'm so glad I made you understand true justice."

Collapsing then, she closed her eyes, as she let herself fall to the ground.

" WENDY ! "