Chapter 18
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On the Way Back
Nothing stirred that night—dawn broke soon.
Weiss and his crew resumed their trek to the guild.
Crossing riverbank mangroves, they hit a mountain forest with wide vistas.
But then—rustling from nearby bushes.
Weiss, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy sharpened their gazes toward the sound.
"Who's there?!"
Natsu ditched his backpack and blanket, diving into the brush!
Combat clashed within.
A familiar figure emerged with him.
"Gray?!"
It was Gray—down to shorts and underwear.
After grilling him, they learned he'd been hunting a handy spot to relieve himself on his way back.
Weiss, Lucy, Natsu, and Happy stared, dumbfounded.
A toilet in this backwater?
Post-pit-stop, Gray rejoined them.
Weiss pulled food from his Pocket Dimension, divvying it up.
No hunger with him around.
Over grub, Gray dropped a bombshell that rocked Natsu and Happy.
Erza was returning!
Natsu paled—Lucy and Weiss perked up.
After eating and chilling, they pressed on.
A few hours to the guild.
Boom!
A magic blast erupted nearby, kicking up sand and dust—vision buried.
A figure darted, aiming to snatch Happy.
Weiss flashed forward, seizing the short goblin's wrist.
"What're you planning with our buddy?!"
Dust settled—Weiss's grip was cold, unyielding.
"You—how?!"
The squat, blue-skinned goblin gawked, horrified.
His dust spell—Flying Sand Bomb—did zilch!
This guy shrugged it off—no scratch?
"Weiss!"
Happy, nearly nabbed, teared up, flying to Weiss's shoulder for a grateful hug.
"You jerk—why hit us?!"
Natsu and Gray clawed from the sand, roaring at the goblin.
"Let him go!"
More figures burst from the shadows, lunging to free their pal.
"Scram!"
"Thunderstorm Grid!"
Dark Guild grunts—Weiss recalled them.
They'd planned to nab Happy for a snack—no mercy then.
Wind and lightning wove a massive electric curtain, engulfing the attackers!
"You too!"
Bang!
Weiss kicked the fat, cyan goblin skyward.
"Arghhh!"
The Dark Guild crew shrieked.
Gulp!
Gray eyed the wind-and-lightning carnage, then Weiss—throat tight.
Brutal guy!
Maybe Erza-tier!
Seconds later, the charred foes collapsed, out cold.
"That Kageyama creep's due soon, right?"
Weiss smirked, intrigued.
Sure enough—
As Natsu and Gray bickered pointlessly—
A giant shadow loomed on the ground, racing toward them!
"Danger!"
Happy dive-bombed Natsu and Gray, knocking them clear.
Weiss yanked Lucy back, dodging.
The shadow's true target: the tied-up Iron Forest grunts.
A massive arm swelled from it, grasping the guilders, swallowing them into darkness.
It clenched downward—the towering tree they were bound to bent under the pull!
Iron Forest goons—snatched in a blink!
"What's that?"
"Who did it?!"
"Gone?!"
Natsu and crew gaped—magic they'd never seen!
"Hmph! Easy escape?"
"Smash Varudo!!" (Note: Likely "Smash World"—possibly a typo for "Stop World," riffing on "The World" from JoJo.)
Weiss sneered at a white figure bolting through distant trees.
He flashed forward—hundreds of meters in a heartbeat.
Hand raised, clenched—
Time froze.
Leaves hung midair, winds stilled, branches locked—everything stalled.
Kageyama, mid-rescue, cursed inwardly—"Damn it!"—before his mind blanked, control lost.
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I want to give a huge thanks to the Dragon king card holder : Andrew Morale
More chapters in here :
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