"Here."
In the underground of the Mercurius Palace, Ishu walked ahead, leading the group into a worn-down passage, with the Fairy Tail members following behind him.
Natsu, watching Ishu navigate the path as if he were very familiar with the area, remarked, "I'm surprised you even know about a route like this."
"I carefully studied the structure of this city before coming here, including the layout of the Mercurius Palace," Ishu replied softly while leading the way.
"That also includes some of the more hidden or abandoned passages. After all, if I accidentally exposed my location, it would attract pursuers, so I had to prepare an escape route in advance."
"I see."
"You even investigated the underground passages?" Mira muttered softly.
"I hope we can get back to the surface soon and send up a signal flare."
Hearing this, Wendy, who was walking beside Mira, nodded. "Everyone must be really worried."
Just then, the sound of clanking armor and synchronized footsteps echoed from ahead in the passage.
Moments later, a large group of royal soldiers appeared before them.
"There they are! The fugitives!"
"Capture them!"
"This is... the royal army?" Ed said in surprise.
Noel muttered in surprise, "They even have guards in a place like this..."
After a brief moment of shock, Natsu quickly regained his composure.
Clenching his fists, he wore an eager expression and said, "No problem, we just have to fight our way through. Time to settle the score for capturing me."
"Yeah, let's break through with full force," Ed agreed with Natsu's plan.
The two of them charged toward the royal soldiers, and in an instant, the raging flames and swift white light threw the unprepared soldiers into complete chaos.
..............
Somewhere in Crocus—
"Ugh... ahhh!" Rogue clutched his head tightly, letting out unconscious groans of pain.
Seeing Rogue suddenly acting strangely, Gajeel frowned in confusion and asked, "Hey, what's wrong with you all of a sudden?"
(Kill Gajeel! That is your destiny!)
The eerie, malicious voice echoed relentlessly in Rogue's ears, sending sharp, unbearable pain through his head.
"Get a hold of yourself!"
(I will lend you my power!)
The phantom voice roared furiously.
"Ahhhhh!!!"
Rogue suddenly threw his head back and let out a strange, guttural roar.
Then—BANG!
Without warning, he swung his arm, and a surge of black magic burst forth, sending Gajeel flying.
"Gajeel!"
From the Fairy Tail stands, Levy screamed in shock at the sight.
"W-What's going on?! Rogue suddenly seems like a completely different person!"
In the commentator's booth, Chapati exclaimed in disbelief.
Meanwhile, the pumpkin-headed announcer had already started cheering and dancing excitedly at Rogue's unexpected counterattack.
"This guy..."
After being sent flying, Gajeel forcefully stabilized himself mid-air and landed firmly on the ground.
His gaze locked onto Rogue, whose entire body was now shrouded in black magic, dark markings spreading across his skin.
Gajeel's expression gradually turned serious.
"Who... are you?"
"Shadow," Rogue replied coldly, his voice devoid of emotion.
"The shadow that governs fate."
"What are you talking abo—"
Before Gajeel could finish his sentence, the transformed Rogue suddenly appeared right in front of him and delivered a powerful kick, sending Gajeel flying.
After landing again, Gajeel wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, looking at Rogue with a somewhat irritated smirk.
"Interesting. I don't know what's going on, but it looks like you just want to fight me to the end, huh?"
"[Iron Dragon Sword]!"
In an instant, Gajeel's right arm transformed into a sharp iron blade, thrusting straight toward Rogue.
However, instead of being struck, Rogue's body eerily dissolved into a mass of black shadows, slithering up Gajeel's transformed arm.
"[Shadow Dragon's Flashing Strike]!"
The black magic spread out like a flock of birds, forming shapes resembling wings, and struck Gajeel with overwhelming force, blasting him away.
Standing in the Sabertooth viewing area, Frosch stared at the cold, indifferent look in Rogue's eyes and muttered softly, "Who... is that?"
By the time the airborne Gajeel crashed to the ground, Rogue had already disappeared once again.
Gajeel scanned his surroundings, his expression tense.
"Where the hell did he go?"
"Right here—[Shadow Dragon's Slash]."
A voice echoed from the shadow behind Gajeel.
He barely had time to turn his head before Rogue emerged from the darkness, his slash striking Gajeel head-on.
The sudden shift in battle caught everyone off guard.
The Rogue who previously couldn't even scratch Gajeel had now completely turned the tables, overwhelming him with relentless attacks.
The assault was so fierce that Gajeel had no chance to counterattack—he could only endure Rogue's onslaught.
"You're definitely not as strong as Natsu Dragneel."
After finishing his barrage of attacks, Rogue stared emotionlessly at the bruised and battered Gajeel.
"Damn it," Gajeel muttered under his breath, cursing his predicament.
The dark aura around Rogue grew even denser.
With a cold smirk, he added, "But even that Natsu Dragneel wouldn't stand a chance against me now."
.................
Inside the Underground Passage of Mercurius Palace.
The fierce battle between Fairy Tail and the royal soldiers continued.
However, as time went on, the situation became increasingly clear—the overwhelming difference in strength made it so that, despite their superior numbers, the royal soldiers could barely hold off Noel and the others' attacks.
They couldn't even manage a proper counterattack.
"These guys… they're just a bunch of brats, but they're unbelievably strong!"
"Quick! Call for reinforcements from the Anti-Magic Division! We can't let them advance any further!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa—take this!"
Natsu grabbed a royal soldier by the collar, exerting a bit of strength before hurling the soldier like a ball straight into the ranks of the royal army.
The impact sent the soldiers tumbling over each other in complete disarray.
Boom!
Just then, a sudden surge of magical energy erupted from behind, striking Natsu square in the back.
"Natsu!" Happy cried out in alarm.
Carla, noticing the group that had just appeared behind them, exclaimed in surprise, "The kingdom has a magic division too?!"
"That caught me off guard."
After being struck by the magic attack on his back, Natsu acted as if nothing had happened. He casually wiped the spot where he was hit, then turned his head with a slight smirk on his lips, sneering, "Using this kind of magic against a professional? You've got to be kidding me."
--------------
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