Chapter 86.2 : New Enemies!!

Natsu shrugged and said, "That kind of thing doesn't matter."

Gray responded, "If all my friends and family were dead, and I was the only one left, living forever would be too painful. I don't need that kind of eternal youth."

Laxus grunted in annoyance, "Boring."

John shook his head and replied, "You're all still young. You don't know how to cherish time." Then he turned to Everit and said, "Mr. Everit, I think you understand what I'm saying. You're quite similar to me."

"Don't be gross," Everit retorted instantly. "Don't say stuff like that again, or I might just end this show early by killing you myself."

"Show?" John raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"It's almost time," Everit said as he pulled out a pocket watch to check the time.

"Almost time for what?" John asked, clearly puzzled.

"It's good to have someone like you die," Everit replied coldly.

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

A sickening sound echoed as John coughed up blood and collapsed, shock and disbelief etched on his face.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

Frank and his companions, who were in the midst of escaping, suddenly stopped. An overwhelming sense of dread washed over them, making their hearts race with fear. 

They all fell to the ground, without even a moment to process what was happening or the strength to fight back.

Wade had emptied the vault.

Though it was only a small part of John's fortune, it was enough to make Wade believe the risk had been worth it.

"What's this? Ikaruga?" Wade's expression darkened as he saw someone approaching from a distance. That damned woman was still alive!

In the yard of a private manor, outside the main building.

Because there had been a battle here, the residents who lived nearby had already fled to stay with friends. This left the place mostly empty, allowing Lucy and her companions to take refuge.

They found some water and food.

It wasn't ideal to take things without permission, but everyone was exhausted and thirsty. Of course, they weren't thieves. They would make sure to compensate the owners later. They weren't about to let innocent people suffer losses because of them.

Lucy and her companions rested here for a while.

"Miss Lucy, Miss Juvia," Ikaruga greeted them with a shy smile.

This was their second encounter in circumstances like these.

The first time, Ikaruga had been lying in a cabin, covered in bandages, draped in one of Everit's mage cloaks. That's where Lucy and Juvia found her.

This time, she was leaning against a wall, still bandaged, still wrapped in Everit's cloak. Coincidentally, Lucy and Juvia were the ones who found her again.

"Miss Ikaruga, are your injuries okay?" Lucy asked, her voice filled with concern.

They'd already talked a bit during their previous meeting—if Everit had saved this woman, it meant she was someone they could trust, at least on some level.

"It's nothing serious. I'm not going to die," Ikaruga replied with a pained smile, which tugged at her wounds and made her wince. She took a deep breath to steady herself.

"You should really rest," Lucy said, a hint of urgency in her voice.

"Rest easy, Ikaruga. Your peace will come soon," a sudden, unfamiliar voice rang out.

Ikaruga's expression shifted dramatically as she tried to move, but found she was completely immobilized.

"Who?!" Juvia quickly spun around, unleashing a burst of magic toward the source of the voice.

"Water Lock!"

"Ah, that's quite a dangerous spell," a man named Wade commented, casually dodging the attack as he strolled into the courtyard.

"Miss Lucy, Miss Juvia, be careful!" Ikaruga called out in warning. "This man is Wade, the leader of the Death's Head Caucus Guild—a ruthless killer!"

"I thought you were dead, Ikaruga. But no matter—you won't escape me this time," Wade said with a sinister smile.

Thunder and lightning crackled across Wade's hands, lighting up the area.

Meanwhile, underground:

"No!" Everit shouted in a panic.

"What's wrong?" Everyone turned to him, alarmed by his sudden outburst.

"Natsu, Gray, break through the tunnel! We need to get back—now!" Everit urged, his voice full of urgency.

"Got it!"

Natsu ignited his flames, and Gray released his ice magic.

"Ice-Make: Cannon!" Huge icicles burst through several layers of the underground structure, creating a path upward.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu's flaming fist punched through more layers, blasting open additional passages to the surface.

"Thunder Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"

The ground trembled as the powerful magic was unleashed.

"Ugh!"

Just as Wade took a step forward, his expression shifted dramatically. He tried to dodge to the side, but it was too late.

"Aargh!"

A gigantic head suddenly lunged from behind and bit off Wade's head, swallowing it whole!

Thud.

His headless body fell to the ground, twitching in its final moments.

The children around screamed in horror.

Lucy and Juvia both turned pale at the gruesome sight.

However, the real cause for their fear wasn't just the horrific scene in front of them—it was the seven ominous figures standing outside the yard. One of them had just devoured Wade's head.

He was a peculiar man, dressed in a gentleman's suit and tie on his upper body, but his lower half was nearly naked, sporting only a pair of tight shorts that revealed his hairy legs.

His neck retracted, allowing his head to return to its normal position.

The man pulled out a handkerchief and elegantly wiped his mouth, as if he'd just finished a fine meal. "Shadow Thunder Magic, huh? Quite tasty," he remarked with a sinister smile.

Then, without warning, the seven figures stepped back in unison.

A low hum filled the air.

A massive beam of black light, about six meters in diameter, struck the ground where the seven figures had just stood, leaving a deep, smoldering crater in its wake.

"Natsu!" 

Natsu turned into a blazing fireball and roared as he charged toward the scene.

Laxus, transformed into a flash of lightning, arrived first, positioning himself in front of Lucy and Juvia, shielding them from harm.

Suddenly, ice shards rained down like a hail of bullets, piercing through the air with a harsh cracking sound.

"Enough!" A voice rang out, and the ice shards froze in mid-air, suspended as if by an invisible force.

A swift blur indicated the disappearance of Everit. Erza and other guild members showed up, each looking more serious than usual. Even Erza's usual stoic demeanor reflected the gravity of the situation.

These opponents were nothing like the ordinary henchmen from the Death's Head Caucus Guild. They carried an air of deadly purpose. Even Wade, notorious for his strength, seemed insignificant in comparison.

The voice of an unseen enemy filled the air: "A companion of Patrick? A follower of Anza?"

"Yes." A group of people replied in unison, though each voice had its own distinct tone. "We are the believers in the Great God Anza."

"By the will of the Great Anza," they proclaimed, "we are the Eight Knights who maintain peace in this world!"

One of them, stepping forward with an air of righteousness, declared, "Everit de la Valliere, you killed the knight of mercy who preserved peace—Patrick. You are the reincarnation of a devil from hell. For the sake of peace in this world, you must face judgment!"

"Our judgment will be severe, making you understand your crimes!" he continued.

"But even death will not erase your sins," another added with chilling certainty. "You will never reach heaven. You will suffer eternally in hell, repenting for all eternity!"

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