One of them was dead, the other crippled. The crippled one, with such a massive amount of blood loss, wouldn't last much longer.
However, Cana and Marcus's expressions didn't change.
As members of the Fairy Tail Guild, having grown up in the Guild since childhood, they had undertaken many missions despite their young age, and most of these missions involved conflicts between people.
They had long since become accustomed to death.
Furthermore, Dark Guilds were inherently places where wicked people gathered.
It was a common understanding in the magic world that everyone who dared to join a Dark Guild had more or less committed sins, so killing them was not unjust.
At least nine out of ten people they encountered deserved to die.
"The Skull Gang seems to be an assassination guild, I vaguely remember them." Cana looked at Guitar Man, who had only one breath left, and frowned slightly.
"They seem to be specifically looking for me, but I don't know these two guys," Ikaruga said.
"Cough... kid, sneak attack... I won't say anything..." Guitar Man coughed up blood from his mouth and nose, his eyes filled with venom. Shadow Worgen hadn't held back when he grabbed him earlier.
Under the immense grip, many of his ribs had broken, piercing his internal organs.
Blood had entered his lungs; he choked on blood with every word he spoke, looking utterly miserable.
"As long as the fight is resolved, what do you care if it was a sneak attack?" Ezreal took a step back to avoid being splattered with blood, a carefree smile on his face.
"No need for interrogation. You won't talk, and I don't know how to torture people," Ezreal said.
A hint of relief appeared in Guitar Man's eyes.
With such injuries, he knew he was beyond saving. Now he only sought a quick death, hoping not to be tortured.
"However, I have a better method." Ezreal's tone shifted, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Shadow Worgen's claws tightened, and a series of bone-cracking sounds echoed, chilling to the bone. Guitar Man completely lost his life.
Footsteps sounded as the other three Worgen brought Owl Man's corpse over.
"Wait for me a moment, I have a way to get information." Ezreal turned to Cana and the other two, then waved his left hand, and a bright white light enveloped the corpses of Guitar Man and Owl Man.
When the white light dissipated, both corpses and Shadow Worgen were gone. Ezreal himself stood still, eyes closed, his consciousness having teleported into Summoner's Rift.
Ikaruga frowned slightly. She was a very pure swordswoman, highly sensitive to emotional fluctuations.
Before Ezreal closed his eyes, she saw his body tremble slightly, and his facial muscles twitched twice, as if he was suppressing his emotions.
"He... is smiling?" Ikaruga wondered... Summoner's Rift!
Ezreal stood beside the blue side's crystal, with the corpses of Guitar Man and Owl Man at his feet.
"What an unexpected surprise. I thought I'd have to put in some effort or wait for the main storyline to reach the Tower of Heaven Arc to catch you guys." Ezreal bent down, the joy in his eyes undisguised, a somewhat crazed smile even appearing on his face!
His gaze fell upon Owl Man's corpse, his smile growing even more maniacal!
Ezreal recognized these two guys; they were the teammates who appeared with Ikaruga in the original Tower of Heaven Arc.
If he hadn't appeared, Ikaruga, who had argued fiercely with her father and run away from home, would likely have been tricked into this obscure Skull Gang to become an assassin, ultimately meeting her end in the Tower of Paradise at Elsa's hands.
And these two teammates would also have died without value.
But now it was different; these two had fallen into his hands!
"Life Alchemy!"
Ezreal waved his hand, and a green light illuminated his palm, engulfing Guitar Man's corpse. In the blink of an eye, the corpse transformed into a mass of eerie green mist, within which distorted, howling human faces seemed to writhe.
"Indeed, it's pretty much as I guessed." Through Life Alchemy, Ezreal sifted through Guitar Man's memories. Besides a truly deserving life of sin, there was information about the Skull Gang and their purpose in seeking Ikaruga.
The Skull Gang, a minor guild that only appeared once in the original story, was actually subordinate to Grimoire Heart of the Balam Alliance.
It was one of several Dark Guilds under Grimoire Heart's control, with seven or eight other Dark Guilds similarly controlled by Grimoire Heart.
The Balam Alliance was the alliance formed by the Nine Demon Gates, Grimoire Heart, and Oración Seis, along with a large number of Dark Guilds banding together for warmth, all of which were dealt with by the Fairy Tail protagonist group in the original story.
Grimoire Heart, in particular, was founded by Precht, the former Second Master of Fairy Tail.
Among the various Dark Guilds, the Skull Gang was known for assassination. Its members generally undertook mercenary combat or assassination missions.
Their membership was not large, numbering around thirty to forty people, with the top five strongest not exceeding five fingers.
These two guys who were taken down earlier were among the five strongest in their guild.
Above them were only the Guild Master and two Vice Masters.
The reason they appeared here was because they were tasked with recruiting talent for the guild. One of their subordinates accidentally discovered Ikaruga, who possessed extremely high swordsmanship.
After tracking and observing her for a year, and confirming she wasn't an undercover agent sent by the Council, they decided to send these two to approach Ikaruga.
However, Ikaruga's route at the time was directly eastward, heading straight for the Asgard Mountains. The subordinate who reported the situation was not strong enough and dared not follow her in.
After Guitar Man and his companion arrived, they also didn't want to venture deep into the Asgard Mountains, so they had to remain in the last place Ikaruga had passed through, El Town! Waiting for Ikaruga to come out on her own.
Although Guitar Man and Owl Man didn't even last a single move against Ezreal and Ikaruga, the sneak attack played a significant role.
These two guys were not weak; both had A-Class strength. When they appeared in the Tower of Heaven Arc two years later, they even made Gray and Natsu find them difficult to fight.
The reason they walked out so brazenly was that they truly didn't think much of the four of them. Based on their appearance, among the four-person team, only Ikaruga and Ezreal looked like adults, while Cana and Marcus looked completely like kids.
Before they made a move, they were indeed very deceptive.
After Ezreal learned what happened from Guitar Man's soul, he reviewed all the detailed information about their guild members and other Dark Guilds, including contact codes and such.
Fairy Tail's theme was fighting darkness from beginning to end. Remembering these details might prove useful later.
After confirming there was no missing information, Ezreal casually tossed Guitar Man, who had already been refined into an energy state, and completely absorbed him.
Strands of eerie green mist seeped into his body through his palm.
"My magic power and soul power have both increased slightly. Dark Guilds are truly excellent food..." Ezreal looked satisfied. An A-Class Mage's soul and part of his physical body were completely refined and absorbed. Although many conflicting parts needed to be removed, the remaining pure soul energy and magic energy provided a tangible boost to him.
Though not much, it was harmless.
"Next, it's you, my cute little owl. I remember your magic is very special. When you eat a Mage, their magic will be completely absorbed by you. That's a good ability, but on you, it's wasted..."