The chains had already been broken, saving Raizel and the others the trouble of cutting through them themselves.
Erza carefully examined the marks left behind and concluded that the damage was recent.
"Someone may already be inside the labyrinth. Everyone, stay alert."
Immediately beyond the entrance, the Dogramag Labyrinth split into numerous branching passages.
Visibility was decent. Although the interior was dim, it was still brighter than Raizel had expected.
"We'll head in first."
Selene and Irene chose one of the passages and entered the labyrinth ahead of everyone else.
"Heh, this looks fun. We're going in too."
Gajeel found the labyrinth surprisingly exciting, almost like a proper adventure. He and Lily picked a random route and disappeared down it.
Wendy, Lucy, Natsu, Happy, and Carla formed one group.
Kagura partnered with Erza.
Ultear went with Mira.
Raizel and Laxus each explored alone.
Altogether, they divided into seven groups and began searching the Dogramag Labyrinth.
...
At the same time, the seven members of Diabolos had tracked Selene's scent to the labyrinth, though they arrived at the entrance on the opposite side.
Following a dragon's scent over long distances was one ability all Dragon Eaters possessed.
In that regard, Fifth Generation Dragon Slayers were considerably better than First Generation Dragon Slayers such as Natsu and Wendy.
"The Moon Dragon God's scent... and several Dragon Slayers. Why are there so many of them?"
The moment the Dragon Eaters arrived, they detected Selene along with numerous Dragon Slayer scents.
"It's Fairy Tail!"
Skullion and Kiria, who had smelled Natsu and Wendy before, recognized them immediately.
"But they only had two Dragon Slayers with them last time," Madmole added.
Kirin shook his head and bared his teeth in a grin.
"They may be separate groups. It doesn't matter. As long as Selene is here, that's all we need."
"Let's go. The hunt begins."
...
Raizel walked alone through one of the labyrinth's corridors.
Aside from the ancient stonework, countless plant roots covered the interior, spreading through the cracks between the bricks.
Sharp formations resembling stalactites hung from the ceiling, some extending so far downward that they touched the floor.
Raizel studied his surroundings while sensing the Magic Power in the area.
"This place really is unsettling. There's a strange kind of Magic here... It almost smells like death."
"The structure is incredibly complicated too."
"No wonder only a handful of the thousand people who entered ever made it back out. Everyone, be careful."
...
The moment Natsu entered the Dogramag Labyrinth, he shouted excitedly,
"WE'RE CLEARING A LABYRINTH!!! I'M ALL FIRED UP!"
Unfortunately, Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy soon ran into a problem.
After following their passage for a while, they reached a dead end blocked by a solid wall.
Happy raised his paws excitedly.
"It's only a wall! Natsu can just smash it with a big bang!"
Wendy looked worried.
"Maybe we shouldn't randomly break things inside a labyrinth. Wouldn't it be safer to go back and choose another passage?"
Natsu's hands moved faster than his brain.
"SOYAAAH!!!"
Shouting a word that meant absolutely nothing, he swung his arm, wrapped his fist in flames, and punched the wall.
"..."
The stone did not crack.
Nothing shattered.
The wall did not even tremble.
"SOYAAAAAAH!!!"
Refusing to accept defeat, Natsu furiously hammered the wall dozens of times.
In the end, all he managed to leave behind were a few blackened fist marks.
"Hah... hah..."
Natsu bent over, already panting.
"What the hell is this wall made of?!!!"
"Even Natsu can't break it?" Wendy asked in disbelief.
A small child in a tiger-fur hooded coat with pointed cat ears stood nearby, watching them as though he had been there all along.
"How fascinating. The walls of this labyrinth can't be destroyed, no matter how much power you use."
"I suppose that makes sense. It wouldn't be much of a labyrinth if you could simply smash through every wall."
"!!!"
Lucy and Wendy immediately went on guard.
However, they relaxed slightly when they saw Haku.
He was roughly the same height as Makarov.
"Hello. I'm Haku, the White Tiger Dragon, and one of Diabolos's Black Dragon Slayer Knights."
"I've found three targets."
Despite standing before Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy, Haku appeared completely at ease.
"Hey! Carla and I are here too!" Happy protested indignantly.
Natsu frowned and looked down at him with open disdain.
"You're from Diabolos? A little kid like you?"
Wendy's mouth fell open as well.
"Eh?! He's a child?!"
Haku puffed out his cheeks.
"You're calling me a child? Aren't you a child too?"
Lucy stared at his tiny body.
"You're obviously much younger than Wendy!"
Wendy awkwardly scratched her cheek with one finger.
"I can't really argue with that..."
"!!!"
Haku's eyes suddenly widened.
He grabbed his head with both hands and shook it wildly.
"S-So... so cute! P-Please... please tell me your name!"
"Eh?"
Wendy stared at him in complete confusion.
His mood had changed so suddenly that she could barely follow the conversation.
"Does he have a stutter?" Carla asked with a frown.
"Is this brat really from Diabolos?" Natsu asked, lowering his head toward Happy.
Happy stood on tiptoe and raised one paw.
"Aye! First Master Mavis and Master Makarov are both short, but they're really strong!"
Natsu nodded in sudden understanding.
"Oh!!! Now that you put it that way, I get it!"
Images of Makarov, Mavis, and Lily immediately appeared in his mind.
Meanwhile, Haku was already approaching Wendy with a lovestruck expression.
"Don't even think about it!"
Lucy swiftly cracked her whip and stepped between them.
Seeing how tense Lucy was, Wendy whispered,
"Don't worry. I absolutely, absolutely wouldn't be interested in him."
Lucy's mouth twitched.
"Wow. Two 'absolutelys.'"
"You're in the way, big sister," Haku said sadly. "But that's okay."
He smiled with narrowed eyes and aimed his palm toward Lucy.
Smoke instantly engulfed her.
"Eh? What is this—Ah!"
Lucy suddenly lost her balance and fell to the ground.
She lay there helplessly, unable to summon any strength.
"Wait... What happened to me? Why do I look like this...?"
Haku's Magic had transformed Lucy into a cloth doll barely thirty centimeters tall.
"LUCY TURNED INTO A DOLL?!!!"
Natsu and Happy clutched their faces in horror, once again becoming matching reaction images.
"What the heck is that?!"
"Isn't she adorable?"
Haku clasped his hands together and smiled with his eyes closed.
"Who cares if she's cute?! Turn Lucy back right now!!!"
Haku sounded genuinely disappointed.
"Eh? But she finally became this cute..."
Carla quickly realized that this little brat was unquestionably an enemy.
She activated Transformation Magic and assumed her human form before turning toward Wendy.
"Natsu and I will keep him occupied. Wendy, see whether you can dispel the transformation!"
Haku's eyes lit up again, exactly as they had when he first saw Wendy.
He looked Carla up and down in amazement.
"Eh?! A kitty can turn into a girl too? You're so cute! Although you were already adorable as a kitty!"
Carla immediately became certain of one thing.
'We absolutely cannot let this creep anywhere near Wendy!!!'
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