On February 25th in Magnolia, the spring sun gently streamed into the Fairy Tail Guild hall.
Lucy sat at the bar, sipping juice specially made by Mira, and flipping through the latest magic magazine.
"Ah~ Guild juice is still the best!" Lucy sighed contentedly.
"That's because it's Sister Mira's special recipe," Levy whispered, pushing up her glasses as she leaned closer. "I heard it has a special magical syrup that makes people Happy."
Just as the two were chatting, the Guild doors suddenly burst open.
A City Hall employee rushed in, panting: "No, this is bad! A large number of ghosts have appeared around the town!"
The entire Guild fell silent instantly.
Natsu, who had been dozing, sprang up: "Ghosts? Where? Can I eat them?"
"Idiot, how can you eat ghosts!" Gray habitually retorted, completely oblivious to the fact that he had, once again, unconsciously stripped off his shirt.
Mira maintained her professional smile, but her tone became noticeably serious: "Please explain the situation in detail."
The employee wiped his sweat: "Since last night, translucent ghosts have been appearing around the town. They are enveloped in purple light and mainly active at night. While there have been no reported injuries yet, many residents have been frightened."
Erza immediately stood up, her casual clothes instantly transforming into Steel Armor: "How many are there? And in which specific areas are they distributed?"
"Currently, we've counted at least twenty, mainly concentrated around Central Plaza, Commercial Street, and the Residential Area," the employee said, handing over a map. "The City Hall hopes Fairy Tail can assist in handling this."
Cana took a big gulp of soda: "Ha! I've been bored lately, so a little excitement wouldn't hurt."
"The Master is not here, drinking at Blue Pegasus, so I will be in charge," Erza said, looking around at everyone. "We will act in groups. Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Happy will cover the central district; Cana and I will go to Commercial Street; Levy, Marcus, and Yukino will be responsible for the Residential Area. Everyone else stays here."
Natsu excitedly waved his fists: "Great! Finally, a fight! I'm all fired up!"
"Hey, hey, we're going to exorcise ghosts, not fight," Lucy said, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.
Gray had already put his clothes back on (for now): "Speaking of which, ghosts should be afraid of fire, right? In the city center, Natsu, don't you dare burn down the entire plaza."
"What did you say? Want to fight?" Natsu immediately burst into flames.
"Come on! Who's afraid of who!" Gray took a fighting stance.
"You two!" Erza roared, and they immediately stood at attention. "This is not the time for fooling around. Remember, if you encounter anything, contact us immediately using the communication lacrima."
Happy flew into the air: "Aye! Let's go!"
As the sun set, the three groups headed towards their respective assigned areas.
Lucy walked while flipping through "The Illustrated Guide to Undead Creatures" she had borrowed from the library.
"The book says that ordinary ghosts should be afraid of light and high temperatures… Natsu, you might actually be of great use this time."
Natsu grinned proudly: "Of course! My flames are the best!"
Gray snorted: "Don't get too cocky. If we encounter ice-type ghosts, you'll still need me."
In Central Plaza, tourists were already scarce.
A few streetlights flickered on and off, adding an eerie atmosphere to the entire plaza.
Happy suddenly perked up his ears: "Something's moving! Ten o'clock direction!"
Everyone immediately became alert. Sure enough, near the fountain, three translucent purple ghosts were wandering.
Their figures were blurry, maintaining a humanoid shape, emitting a faint purple glow, and indeed did not appear to be solid.
"Alright! Watch this!" Natsu charged forward without a word. "Fire Dragon's—"
"Wait! Natsu!" Lucy tried to stop him, but it was too late.
"—Iron Fist!"
The scorching flames struck directly at the ghost, but to everyone's surprise, the ghost nimbly dodged.
Not only that, they seemed startled and turned to flee.
"Huh? Aren't ghosts low-level undead? They can dodge?" Natsu was stunned.
Gray immediately activated his magic: "Ice Make—Floor!"
Ice instantly spread, attempting to freeze the ghosts' escape route. But the ghosts passed directly through the ice layer, continuing to float away.
"Physical attacks are ineffective?" Gray frowned.
Lucy quickly flipped through the guide: "Wait… The book says that ghosts can indeed pass through solid objects…"
Happy suddenly shouted: "They're getting away!"
The three ghosts dispersed, floating in different directions.
Natsu immediately chased after one of them: "Don't think you can escape!"
"Natsu! Don't go alone!" Lucy stamped her foot in frustration, but Natsu had already run far away.
Gray sighed: "I'll chase the other one. Lucy, you and Happy handle the remaining one. Keep in touch!"
Before Lucy could object, Gray had also run off.
She looked helplessly at Happy: "Alright, it's just the two of us left."
Happy patted his chest: "Don't worry, Lucy, I'll protect you!"
Lucy gave a wry smile and pulled out a key: "Then let's try this—Open, Gate of the Water Bearer! Aquarius!"
A giant golden magic circle opened, and with the sound of rushing water, the circle vanished in an instant.
Aquarius, in mermaid form, stood before Lucy, holding a large blue water bottle and looking up.
Aquarius stared at Lucy, about to say something, but her peripheral vision caught sight of the fleeing ghost. She swallowed her words, snorted, and turned to swing the water bottle in her hand.
Water surged from the bottle's mouth. This time, the ghost couldn't completely dodge and was shaken by the water column.
Happy seized the opportunity, flying over and striking with a claw. The sharp claw was enveloped in dazzling white light, revealing a considerable mastery of Light Magic: "Take this!"
The ghost let out a piercing shriek and suddenly accelerated, charging towards Happy.
"Happy, be careful!" Lucy exclaimed.
The whiskers around Happy's mouth twitched, and there was no hint of retreat in his eyes. Instead of extending his claws, he pulled them back, crossed his arms over his chest, completely undefended, and flapped his white wings without dodging.
The little guy's eyesight and magical perception were very keen; he had already sensed that reliable companions were coming.
Just as the ghost was about to pounce on Happy, a golden light flashed.
"gold sand Shield!" Marcus's voice rang out.
A golden sand wall appeared in front of Happy. The ghost crashed into it, letting out a painful screech.
"Marcus? Levy? What are you doing here?" Lucy asked, surprised to see her companions arrive.
Levy pushed up her glasses: "We haven't found any ghosts in the Residential Area yet, so we came to provide support. Yukino stayed there to continue patrolling."
Marcus controlled the gold sand to surround the ghost: "This guy is really agile. Watch this—gold sand Bind!"
Golden sand surged from the ground, forming a vortex that firmly trapped the ghost.
The ghost struggled a few times, then suddenly dissipated with a "pop."
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