Natsu's eyes locked onto a peculiar frog hopping through the underbrush. He crept forward, then lunged.
"Gotcha—! Oh, c'mon!" The frog slipped away, leaving Natsu facedown in the dirt.
Carla groaned. "Must he *always* act like a child?"
Lisanna giggled. "Some things never change!"
Wendy tugged Su Yan's sleeve. "How much longer to the capital?"
"Five days," Lisanna answered, eyeing the horizon.
"Happy! Help me corner this thing!" Natsu scrambled after the frog, which suddenly ballooned to the size of a cart.
"Aye—! Wait, *that's* the 'little' frog?!" Happy backpedaled as the creature lunged.
"**CROAK!**"
The frog's tongue snapped like a whip, sending Natsu flying.
"Fire Dragon's—! Uh… Fire Dragon's…?" Natsu stared at his smoke-less fists. "**My magic's gone?!**"
Edolas Lucy rolled her eyes. "Pathetic. This is why you need tools!"
---
**[System Notification]**
*Ding! Auto-sign-in complete!*
*Location: Fairy Tail (Edolas)*
*Reward: 100 Free Attribute Points.*
Su Yan smirked inwardly. *Another 100 points. Time to invest.*
**[Status Panel]**
**Armament Haki**: 600
**Special Physique**: 52%
*Allocate to Armament Haki.*
*Ding! Allocation successful!*
---
"**Om—!**"
Su Yan's Conqueror's Haki rippled outward. The frog stiffened, eyes rolling back, and collapsed with a ground-shaking *thud*.
Natsu kicked its limp form. "Who's scary now, huh?!"
"Leave it," Su Yan said, hauling him back. "You started this."
Edolas Lucy gaped. "How'd you do that? No tool, no chant—!"
"Earthland's magic comes from within," Lisanna explained. "No gadgets needed."
"Then why can't *they* use it?" Lucy jabbed a thumb at Natsu and Wendy.
"Dunno!" Natsu grumbled. "Feels… blocked."
Wendy nodded. "Like something's *siphoning* our power."
"The capital's crystal," Su Yan said. "It's draining your magic. But I don't rely on *magic*."
Lucy scoffed. "Arrogant fool. The Royal Army's Mechadrakes will shred you."
"Let them try." Su Yan's scales flickered. "But first—weapons."
"Weapons?" Wendy blinked.
Edolas Lucy sighed. "Fine. There's an underground dealer nearby. But if you die, I'm taking Lisanna and running."
"Deal."