The chaos on the ruins' upper floor escalated quickly.
Leon commanded, "Kill them!" and numerous masked men charged toward Su Yan and his companions, their weapons gleaming in the moonlight.
Natsu and Gray tensed, ready to fight, but Su Yan raised a hand. "I'll handle this."
"Om—!!"
A wave of Conqueror's Haki surged from Su Yan, sweeping through the attackers like an invisible storm. The masked men, along with Yuka, Toby, and Sherry, immediately felt its oppressive weight.
Unlike before, this time, Su Yan's Haki focused on overwhelming their spirits rather than physical damage. Fear crept into their minds; their faces turned pale, and Yuka, Toby, and Sherry fell to their knees, trembling.
"Bang bang bang!"
The masked men who had been rushing at Su Yan collapsed to the ground, motionless.
"You… you killed them?!" Toby stammered, staring at Su Yan in horror.
Su Yan shook his head. "No, they're just unconscious."
Leon's frustration boiled over. He raised his hand, forming countless icy eagles. "ICEMAKE · Big Eagle!!"
The birds of ice surged toward Su Yan like a flock of deadly projectiles.
Gray leapt forward, blocking the attack with his own spell. "ICEMAKE · Shield!" The clash of ice shattered the eagles into harmless fragments.
"Leon, your opponent is me," Gray said, standing firmly between Su Yan and his former senior. "Su Yan, Natsu—leave Leon to me. Go handle the others."
Su Yan studied Gray for a moment before nodding. "Fine. But don't lose. If you do, you won't just lose your own pride—you'll disgrace Fairy Tail."
Gray gave a determined nod. "I won't lose."
Natsu immediately turned his attention to Toby, rushing forward with blinding speed. His head collided with Toby's in a loud crack.
"Oooh~!" Toby groaned, collapsing to the ground.
Natsu barely stopped to gloat before he blew flames toward Yuka. The flames surged like a tidal wave, but Yuka batted them aside with a wave of his hand.
"So violent. You're the legendary Fire Dragon of Fairy Tail, aren't you?" Yuka said with a smirk.
Toby, rubbing his head, stood back up. "We're no pushovers! We were part of a famous guild, you know—Lamia Scale!"
"Lamia Scale, huh?" Natsu snorted as fire began to swirl around his arms. "I don't care which guild you're from. If you target our clients, you're an enemy of Fairy Tail. That's all that matters!"
"Boom!!"
Natsu's fists exploded with flames, sending Yuka stumbling back.
"Ugh! What a b*****d, you didn't even let me finish talking!" Yuka growled.
"Talk all you want later!" Natsu growled back, stepping forward to strike again.
Meanwhile, Sherry, who had been watching with growing agitation, suddenly shouted, "I won't let you ruin Lord Zero's plans! Angelica, come out!!"
"Boom!!"
The ground trembled as the massive mouse Angelica emerged, its ferocious eyes scanning the battlefield.
"Angelica! Attack them!" Sherry commanded.
Angelica hesitated, its gaze falling on Su Yan. The moment their eyes met; the mouse's expression shifted from rage to terror.
"Jijiji~~!!"
With a high-pitched squeal, Angelica turned tail and bolted back into the hole it had emerged from, not daring to look back.
"Angelica…" Sherry whispered in disbelief, her face frozen in shock. The pet she so proudly relied on had fled without a fight.
Before anyone could react further, the ground beneath Su Yan, Natsu, Lucy, and their adversaries cracked and gave way.
"Again?!" Lucy screamed as they all fell through the collapsing floor, tumbling into the dark depths below.
The ruins echoed with the sound of falling debris and startled cries. Where they would land—and what awaited them there—was a mystery.