"Stop! Thieves!!"
Natsu shouted from behind.
"We aren't thieves!"
"We're Treasure Hunters!!"
BOOM—!
The three being chased by Natsu's group felt extremely annoyed: "This is no good. We can't look for the Eternal Flame if we're being chased like this."
"That's right! We are the prestigious Sylph Labyrinth. How can we be chased around by two brats? Let's take them down."
BOOM———!
The three reached an agreement. Two immediately stopped to block Natsu and Lucy, while the other ran to higher ground to prepare a snipe.
"If we're looked down on by mages or whatever, it's a total disaster for us!"
"Obstacles must be cleared. Treasure hunting is a dangerous job!"
Seeing them stop, Natsu and Lucy prepared for battle.
"A mage's job isn't easy either!"
"Exactly!"
BOOM——!
Lala, the hammer-wielder holding a fist-shaped hammer, quickly swung down at Natsu. The massive force caused the ground to shatter.
"A hand-shaped weapon?!"
"The power of my Type Alpha Hammer goes... BOOM! It's amazing!"
"Tch! I'll show you what I've got!"
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Natsu swung his fist to strike the opponent.
The giant hammer opened into a palm, blocking Natsu's fist directly. Then it grabbed Natsu and threw him far away.
"Aaaaagh!!"
"Natsu!"
Happy shouted in worry.
Hiro, the swordsman holding a long blade, looked at Lucy: "I don't like hitting women, but you're the ones in our way."
"Don't look down on me!"
Lucy pulled out a Zodiac key: "Open! Gate of the Goat! Capricorn!"
A celestial spirit with a goat head, wearing a suit and sunglasses, appeared before Lucy.
Capricorn was the celestial spirit Lucy received during the Tenrou Island battle. He originally belonged to Lucy's mother, Layla.
Later, Capricorn merged with Zoldeo and became one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory in Grimoire Heart.
"A goat? Then try to stop me!"
Hiro quickly rushed at Capricorn. Capricorn moved forward and raised a hand to block the long blade.
"What?!"
Hiro was shocked. He didn't expect the opponent to block his attack so easily.
"Capricorn's martial arts are incredibly strong!"
Lucy said proudly.
Capricorn kicked Hiro. Hiro quickly used his sword to block.
BANG!
Hiro was struck, his feet sliding backward across the ground.
"Take this! This is my Transforming Piercing Sword!"
Hiro pulled a switch. The blade suddenly lengthened, piercing toward Capricorn.
Capricorn grabbed Lucy and quickly dodged.
BOOM———!
The large tree behind Lucy shattered.
"Watch out!!"
Capricorn noticed something and immediately pushed Lucy away.
BANG——!
A bullet hit the ground.
"A gun?!"
Lucy was startled. If she had been hit, she might have been killed.
"Where did that come from?!"
Happy looked around warily. A sniper hiding in the shadows was too dangerous.
Drake the sniper licked his lips: "Oh, you actually dodged it. But the next shot will definitely pierce your heads. My Type 74 Long-Range Cannon is thirsting for blood..."
"Milady, the sniper is over there."
Capricorn pointed in a direction. He needed to protect Lucy and couldn't leave, so someone else had to deal with the sniper.
"I know!"
"Open! Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!!"
A man in a horse costume appeared: "Leave the sniping to me!"
Sagittarius scanned the area and found Drake's position. He quickly drew his bow and fired an arrow.
WHIZ!
The arrow shot rapidly toward Drake.
BANG!
Drake pulled the trigger.
The bullet and arrow collided in mid-air. The arrow exploded.
"How can that be?!"
"He hit the arrow?!"
Happy and Lucy were both shocked.
"This guy..."
Sagittarius's expression changed as well.
Drake grinned and laughed: "Don't look down on a genius sniper!"
"These guys are stronger than I expected!"
Natsu stood up and spoke in surprise.
On the other side, Kael walked into the village. He soon arrived in front of an iceberg.
"It looks like this is the Eternal Flame."
Kael could sense that this iceberg was the Eternal Flame, but it was frozen in ice.
"Come out! You've been following me this entire time."
Kael said calmly.
Then, a man stepped out from behind a building behind Kael.
"Who are you?"
"Doriate, of Succubus Eye, under the command of Tartaros."
"Tartaros? Has the Tartaros arc already begun?"
Kael was stunned for a moment when he heard "Tartaros." He naturally knew about Tartaros. Besides the original plot, he had heard about Tartaros several times in this world.
The Balam Alliance was formed by the three major dark guilds: Oración Seis, Grimoire Heart, and Tartaros.
Oración Seis was the weakest, Grimoire Heart was the strongest, and Tartaros was the most mysterious.
Kael knew that Tartaros was composed of demons from the Books of Zeref. He didn't expect to reach the Tartaros arc so soon.
"Come! Go back! Go back! Return to the memories of the distant past!"
While Kael was thinking about what happened in the Tartaros arc, Doriate had already activated his magic.
Kael's body began to shrink. Soon, Kael turned into a young child.
"Huh?! What is this?!"
Kael couldn't help but be startled when he saw himself shrink.
"Dealing with you is much easier after you become a brat."
"I'll finish you off right now!"
Doriate quickly rushed toward Kael. Kael dodged quickly.
Doriate continued to attack, and Kael dodged again.
"I'm much slower."
Kael could clearly feel that his movements had become much more sluggish.
"This is the Law of Retrogression. It is magic that lowers human abilities. The physical appearance is just a side effect. The Law of Retrogression isn't magic to make you younger. It is magic that reduces strength, speed, endurance, and magic power. In other words, you are now like a rabbit waiting to be caught. Just stay right where you are and wait for me to kill you. That way, you'll feel less pain."
"The Law of Retrogression. That's a truly amazing magic. I didn't expect such a special magic to exist. It really gave me a surprise. However, it's impossible for me not to fight back."
"Full Body Take Over: Ulquiorra Cifer!!"