The Fairy Tail Guild was particularly lively on a rainy day, and Ikaruga stood in front of the request board, the water droplets on her white hair not yet dry.
Her slender fingers were about to take down the request for "Council-issued mission: Annihilate the Dark Guild Hei Ya," when a hand wearing a metal gauntlet suddenly pressed down on the parchment.
"What a coincidence? I was just about to take this one too." Ezreal leaned over with a smile, his golden hair shimmering in the sunlight.
Ikaruga raised an eyebrow: "I remember you saying yesterday that you were going to rest for a while."
"Ahem," Ezreal straightened his expression, "Fighting against dark forces is every Mage's responsibility; rewards are secondary."
"Oh?" Ikaruga crossed her arms, "Then who was it last week who chased a Black Wizard across half the kingdom for a three-million-Jewel bounty?"
Ezreal awkwardly rubbed his nose: "This time it's different! I'm genuinely trying to eliminate evil for the magic world… "
"You're collecting evolution materials for your Summoned Beast, aren't you?" Ikaruga pierced through his facade.
"Counting the Phantom Lord Guild you and Levy took down in March, you've eliminated two Dark Guilds recently, at least a hundred Black Wizard corpses, isn't that enough to evolve a Summoned Beast?"
Ezreal said with a smile, "Well, just a little bit more."
Ikaruga tapped Ezreal's head with the hilt of her tachi, "You, are you planning to evolve all your Summoned Beasts to S-rank?"
Ezreal still had a smiling expression: "I have that idea."
"Something's not right…" Ikaruga looked at Ezreal suspiciously, "In the recent practical combat lessons arranged by the Guild Master, you've only summoned those two A-rank poisonous toads and that pair of Stone Men. I haven't seen you summon the Blue Buff or the Fire Crown Treant. They haven't already reached S-rank, have they?"
Ezreal brushed it off, "Not important, not important, let's talk about the request."
"My main goal is to eliminate evil for the people and incidentally collect some materials for my Summoned Beasts. The corpses are all mine, and the reward is all yours."
"No thanks!" Ikaruga rolled her eyes, "The reward is split fifty-fifty."
"Thank you, kind person!" Ezreal's eyes lit up, "I knew Lady Ikaruga was the kindest, most generous, most…"
"Shut up." Ikaruga's tachi hilt tapped Ezreal's forehead again. She turned and walked towards the gate, her white hair tracing a graceful arc in the air. "Remember to bring enough sealing cards. I don't want to carry corpses back for you."
Ezreal quickly followed: "Don't worry, I've become quite skilled at disposing of corpses recently. I just throw them directly into Summoners Rift!"
"Also, I heard Cana's cards have been selling well recently. Everyone in the Guild doesn't go out to buy cards anymore…"
"Shut up." Ikaruga interrupted him without looking back, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly… On the muddy mountain road, Ezreal was trying to dry his soaked boots with Light Magic.
"So why did we have to leave today? Wouldn't it be better to wait for the rain to stop?" He looked resentfully at Ikaruga's back.
Ikaruga said without looking back: "I didn't stop you from flying with Light Magic."
Ezreal stomped his foot, shaking off the mud from his shoes, "I don't really feel like using Light Magic lately."
Ikaruga didn't bother to respond, quickening her pace: "If we delay any longer, they'll move their base. I don't want a failed mission on my record."
"Ha! So competitive?" Ezreal took two quick steps to walk beside her, tilting his head, "You're not trying to compete with Erza for the title of the Guild's strongest female Mage, are you?"
Ikaruga kicked him: "…Your incessant chatter lately is comparable to a combination of Happy and Mira."
"I guessed right, didn't I?" Ezreal hummed a tune triumphantly, then stepped into a puddle, splashing mud on both of them.
Ikaruga expressionlessly wiped the mud from her face: "…I now perfectly understand why Natsu always wants to burn you."
...In front of the abandoned mine, Ikaruga was checking her weapons. Ezreal was squatting on the ground, drawing strange patterns with a twig.
"What are you doing?"
"A battle plan!" Ezreal pointed at the graffiti on the ground, "Look, this is the entrance, these are possible ambush points, this is…"
Ikaruga stared at the crooked, dog-like pattern: "…Is this the leader of Hei Ya?"
"This is Evil Wolf!" Ezreal said, feeling wronged, "I drew it very clearly!"
Ikaruga sighed, drew her tachi, its red blade emanating a faint chill: "Let's do it my way."
"Wait!" Ezreal suddenly grabbed her wrist, "Let Evil Wolf scout ahead first."
Blood-red wolf eyes lit up in his shadow, followed by dense black smoke rising and swirling, condensing into a large wolf head that affectionately rubbed Ikaruga's shoulder.
Ikaruga raised an eyebrow: "Since when has it been so close to me?"
"Because last time you secretly fed it Droy's strawberry cake." Ezreal blinked, "Don't think I didn't see it."
"…Ezreal…" Ikaruga was about to say something, rolling her eyes, when she suddenly paused.
Ikaruga looked at the sketch on the ground and the somewhat grinning Ezreal, her brow furrowing slightly, "Has your personality recently been infected by Natsu and the others? You seem a bit unreliable."
Ezreal's expression remained unchanged, and he said with a grin, "Proximity to vermilion makes one red."
...In the dark mine shaft, the oil lamps on both sides of the wall flickered on and off.
"Ambush." Ikaruga's hand rested on the hilt of her tachi.
Five Black Robed Men emerged from the rock wall, their daggers glinting coldly, and pounced at the same time.
"Should we leave someone alive for questioning?" Ezreal asked.
Ikaruga sneered: "They don't look like they'll confess honestly."
"True." Ezreal snapped his fingers, "Then let's go!"
Dense black smoke erupted from his shadow, transforming into a massive black wolf head in the air, its blood-red eyes glaring as it pounced towards the Black Robed Men.
The battle erupted quickly and ended just as fast.
To avoid making too much noise and alerting the enemy.
Evil Wolf directly used Demon Eye on the five attackers. In an instant of eye contact, the five were pulled into terrifying illusions. Before they could even clearly perceive the illusions, they felt a sharp pain throughout their bodies.
Ikaruga's blade light traced a silver trajectory in the darkness.
The five Black Robed Men fell to the ground, decapitated.
"Beautiful!" Ezreal clapped, "Perfect coordination!"
Ikaruga flicked the blood from her blade: "Less flattery, keep moving."
The two quickly moved deeper into the mine, and soon they saw the final target of this mission.
Deep within the mine, a large amount of magic crystals and ancient runes formed a massive altar. A large group of Black Robed Men sat around the altar, hands raised high, releasing various magical energies into the altar.
And in the center of the altar, a bald man held a tachi emanating black energy, smirking as he looked at Ezreal and Ikaruga.
Thanks to the comprehensive information provided by the Council, Ezreal and Ikaruga recognized the bald man holding the black tachi as the leader of the Hei Ya Guild—Hei Ya the Swordsman.
A master proficient in Dark Magic and swordsmanship.
"You've finally arrived." Hei Ya smiled grimly, "Just in time to use your blood to complete…"
"Wait a minute!" Ezreal suddenly shouted, "Can I have these magic crystals?"
Hei Ya's smile froze on his face: "…What?"
Ikaruga covered her face: "…Can't you just fight seriously?"
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