The shattered canyon was like a battlefield ravaged by a giant beast.
Charred trees, solidified lava, bottomless fissures, pervasive poisonous mist, and lingering dark magic intertwined, creating a doomsday-like scene.
Lucy and Levy supported each other, painstakingly making their way along the edge of a riverbed torn apart by immense force.
The keychain at Lucy's waist jingled softly with her steps. The horologium key was clutched tightly in her hand, emitting a faint silver light that dispelled the residual dark aura attempting to erode them.
Levy, meanwhile, held the heavy, multicolored magic book. Its pages turned on their own, emitting a soft glow that guided her way.
"The direction of the magic flow... it's getting clearer," Levy pushed up her glasses, her eyes behind the lenses weary but resolute. "Ezreal's aura... it's near that huge energy source ahead. It's chaotic, very powerful... but there seems to be a faint life sign at its core."
"Mm! We must find him!" Lucy nodded. Despite her pale face and immense magic consumption, her eyes were filled with determination.
At the same time, on the other side of the canyon, on a scorched earth completely burned by flames.
"Hoo... hoo..." Natsu panted heavily, his crimson hair having lost its usual fiery luster, clinging to his scalp. His body was covered in wounds from thorns and corrosive mist, and traces of blood remained at the corners of his mouth.
"Where did that Ezreal guy hide himself...?" He wiped the blood from his mouth, forcing himself to stand upright. His beast-like intuition made him feel a vast and chaotic magical fluctuation coming from ahead.
"It's over there!" Without hesitation, he dragged his weary body and stumbled towards the direction of the sensation.
On the upper path of the canyon, in an area that looked as if it had been swept by a sandstorm.
Max's figure was faintly visible amidst the pervasive gold sand dust.
His emerald green eyes showed deep fatigue, his magic robe was torn in many places, and fine scars could be seen on his exposed skin.
"Ezreal..." He whispered his best friend's name, his gaze piercing through the dust towards the canyon's depths, to the magic source that stood out like a dark lighthouse.
"He's there... wait for me!"
He took a deep breath, forcibly extracting the last shred of magic from his body, and propelled the gold sand to lift him, shooting towards his target like an arrow from a bowstring.
And at the edge of the canyon's middle path, a desolate place ravaged by an elemental storm.
Cana leaned against a huge, charred black rock, coughing violently, a trickle of blood escaping the corner of her mouth.
The golden fairy card in her hand was dim, its surface even showing tiny cracks.
She raised her hand, looking at the card trembling slightly at her fingertips, then gazed towards the center of the canyon, towards the direction of the huge, abyss-like pit that swallowed light.
"...Ezreal's aura..." A hint of resolve flashed in her eyes. She struggled to her feet. "It's not over yet... I can't fall!"
Almost at the same time!
Lucy and Levy bypassed the last obstacle area filled with sharp ice splinters.
Natsu burst through a clump of charred thorns burning with embers.
Max, treading on surging gold sand, streaked across the broken canyon sky like a golden meteor.
Cana, dragging her heavy steps, passed through the sulfur-smelling smoke.
The five, from four different directions, almost simultaneously, rushed to the edge of the enormous, vitrified pit, hundreds of meters in diameter and bottomless!
As they stepped onto the smooth, mirror-like vitrified rock wall at the pit's edge, they all saw each other!
"Lucy! Levy!" Natsu was the first to cry out, his voice hoarse but filled with surprise.
"Natsu!" Lucy and Levy responded simultaneously, smiles of relief after their ordeal on their faces.
"Max! Cana!" Levy then saw the figures arriving from the other two directions.
"Everyone... is here!" Cana looked at her scarred but determined companions, a hint of relief appearing on her tired face.
Max nodded slightly, his emerald green eyes sweeping over everyone, finally resting on the center of the pit. The entity suspended there instantly made his gaze serious.
The center of the pit was not empty.
A pure black crystal ball, over ten meters in diameter, deep, viscous, and seemingly capable of swallowing all light, hung silently in the air a few meters above the ground.
Inside the crystal ball, it was not calm.
The viscous darkness slowly writhed and churned like a living thing, with distorted vengeful spirit faces occasionally appearing on its surface, emitting silent screams.
A chilling dark will, filled with endless resentment, curses, and desires for destruction, emanated from within like a tangible entity, pressing upon everyone's nerves.
And at the core of that dark crystal ball, a curled-up figure was vaguely visible.
His golden hair had lost its luster in the darkness, his eyes were tightly closed, his face as pale as paper, as if he had fallen into the deepest nightmare.
It was Ezreal!
His body was enveloped in the viscous darkness, like an insect in amber, fused with the crystal ball that radiated endless evil.
"Ezreal!" Lucy gasped, tears instantly welling up in her eyes.
"Ezreal!" Natsu's fists clenched, flames erupting uncontrollably.
"He sealed himself... with that thing..." Cana's voice trembled.
"This is the core of Nirvana... completely corrupted by Zero's darkness..." Max's face was grave. He could feel the terrifying corrosive power of that dark will.
Levy said nothing, only bit her lip fiercely, looking at her sleeping best friend within the crystal ball.
The five of them, without hesitation, simultaneously leaped into the pit, rushing towards the suspended dark crystal ball.
However, just as they approached within ten meters of the crystal ball!
Buzz—!!!
An invisible, bone-chilling dark fluctuation suddenly spread out from the crystal ball!
Like countless cold steel needles, it fiercely pierced into the minds of the five!
"Ugh!"
"Mm!"
"Damn it!"
The five simultaneously groaned, their figures suddenly halting!
In their minds, all sorts of dark, evil, twisted thoughts grew wildly like weeds!
Slaughter! Betrayal! Greed! Despair!
...Innumerable negative emotions surged like a tide, assaulting their sanity!
A hint of violent red light flashed in Natsu's eyes; he almost punched Max beside him!
The fairy card in Cana's hand almost lost control, pointing at Lucy!
The gold sand beneath Max's feet became chaotic for a moment, almost forming a quicksand trap!
Levy felt the magic book in her hand become heavy and cold!
Lucy even felt her heart gripped by a cold hand, almost unable to breathe!
"Back off! Quickly, back off!" Max roared, forcibly activating the gold sand to form a barrier, shielding everyone behind him, while pulling them back rapidly!
It wasn't until they retreated twenty meters away that the terrible mental erosion slightly weakened, but it still clung to them like a maggot on a bone, constantly provoking the dark side of their hearts.
"No... we'll be affected if we get close... we can't even touch Ezreal, let alone save him!" Cana's face was grim; she felt it was incredibly difficult to maintain her sanity.
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