Only then did Natsu remember that Wendy was still beside him.
He did not care what happened to himself, but he could not drag Wendy, Carla, and Happy into danger.
Natsu might be able to endure Ignia's flames, but the others almost certainly could not.
"It seems you finally understand."
Ignia gave a faint smile.
"My principle is to wait until fruit ripens before harvesting it. Fighting you now wouldn't excite me in the slightest."
"I look forward to our next meeting—and to our final battle, Natsu."
Ignia transformed into a mass of flames and vanished from the corridor.
'Selene's assessment was completely accurate. Ignia is really obsessed with fighting.'
Raizel ended his Super Archive Magic and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
'But why did he come here? Is he after Elefseria's heart?'
The way Ignia spoke about a fight to the death made it clear he had not been joking.
Natsu had managed to restrain himself, but he still voiced his concern.
"We still don't know why Ignia came to the labyrinth. We need to find him quickly."
Wendy nodded.
"I agree."
...
Kiria and Lucy's battle had also briefly stopped when Ignia appeared.
Now Kiria stood with one hand on her hip, looking at Lucy with unbearable arrogance.
"Come to think of it, we've already met two or three times. Normally, I'm only interested in strong people—Kagura, Erza, Misaki-nee, people like that."
"I couldn't care less about some small fry like you."
"You should probably make sure I'm actually small fry before saying that!"
Lucy refused to back down. She had no intention of losing either the argument or the fight.
"Whatever. I don't mind bullying small fry!"
Kiria swung her hand like a blade and released a flying slash.
Lucy turned sideways and avoided it.
Kiria continued cutting through the air with rapid sweeps of her hands.
Fortunately, the area around them was relatively spacious, allowing Lucy to dart around the chamber and evade every Blade Dragon slash.
"Well?" Lucy asked with a triumphant smile. "I've completely seen through your attacks!"
"Have you really?"
Kiria bared her teeth with the grin of someone whose prank had worked perfectly.
"Ahhh!!!"
Only then did Lucy realize that Kiria's attacks had never been aimed at her body.
They had been aimed at her clothes.
Her outfit had been sliced to pieces.
Lucy hurriedly covered herself, thankful that no one else was currently there.
"Nice figure."
Kiria rubbed her chin and examined her appreciatively.
"You pervert!!!"
"Cancer Star Dress!"
Lucy quickly recovered and transformed into her Cancer Star Dress.
"If my opponent uses slashing attacks, then I'll fight her with slashes of my own!"
"You're a hundred years too early to cut me, little girl!!!"
Lucy held the twin blades of her Cancer Star Dress in reverse grips and clashed with Kiria's knife-hand strikes.
Their arms became a blur, blades and hands weaving into an impenetrable storm.
"Useless! Useless!!!" Kiria shouted proudly.
"Is that so?"
This time, Lucy wore the victorious smile.
"!!! AAAAAH!!!"
Kiria immediately covered her chest with one hand and her lower body with the other.
"Consider that payback." Lucy raised an eyebrow at her. "I can switch Star Dresses, but can you Requip?"
"You little brat..."
Kiria's face reddened from both embarrassment and anger.
"Pretty humiliating, isn't it?" Lucy spread her hands, enjoying the sight. "You can't fight like that, can you?"
She gave Kiria a teasing wink.
"Surrender, and I might lend you some clothes."
"Don't underestimate me..."
Kiria clenched her fists so hard that her body trembled.
A fierce internal struggle raged across her face, as though she were making a decision that would change her entire life.
"Being seen naked isn't going to kill me! Besides, we're both women, so there's nothing embarrassing about it!!!"
Kiria had finally stopped caring.
Only she and Lucy were present.
She bathed naked with Misaki all the time, so what was there to be ashamed of?
"She actually got over it!"
Lucy's jaw dropped.
"You little brat! No matter how many times you change clothes, I'll cut every outfit off you! You'll regret making me angry!"
Kiria was about to charge—when a certain coat-wearing Dragon Slayer happened to walk past!
Lucy, Kiria, and Laxus blinked at one another.
One second later, Kiria appeared to turn completely to stone.
Steam began pouring from the top of her head, rivaling even Juvia at her most overheated.
"AAAAAAAH!!!"
Her scream nearly split the heavens.
Kiria instantly lost all desire to fight.
She dropped to her knees, wrapped her arms around herself, and trembled uncontrollably.
A dark shadow fell across Laxus's face as he looked at Lucy.
"Lucy, why is that woman completely naked?"
"Ahahaha..."
Lucy laughed awkwardly.
"I didn't expect a man to show up..."
Seeing Kiria sitting on the floor looking close to tears made Lucy feel somewhat guilty.
"This is starting to look a little too cruel..."
"Here."
Laxus casually removed his coat and threw it over Kiria.
"She looks like an enemy, but leaving her like that isn't right."
The coat covered Kiria's attractive figure.
She finally recovered enough to raise her head and stare at Laxus, blinking with a crimson face.
"Sorry. I might've gone a little too far."
Lucy scratched the back of her head awkwardly.
Now wrapped in the coat, Kiria shouted furiously,
"Why are you apologizing to an enemy?!!!"
Cold sweat appeared on Lucy's forehead.
"Eh? You still want to fight?"
Kiria's expression immediately lit up with excitement.
"The battle is only just beginning!!!"
"Just so you know, now that Laxus is here, you don't even have a one-percent chance of winning."
Lucy hid behind Laxus, secure in the knowledge that victory was now entirely on her side.
"Is he that strong?" Kiria asked, pausing.
Lucy proudly introduced Laxus as though his strength belonged to her.
"He's insanely strong! He's one of the leading candidates for the strongest member of our guild!"
Then she quietly warned Laxus,
"She uses hypnosis, so be careful."
"Hypnosis?"
"She says things like she's cutting away your strength, but it's really just hypnosis."
"Understood."
Laxus nodded.
Kiria spoke with righteous conviction.
"He may be powerful, but this is a battle between women! You wouldn't interfere, would you, Laxus?"
Laxus shrugged.
"That depends. If both sides want a one-on-one fight, I won't stop them."
"I don't! I don't! I absolutely do not!"
Lucy waved both hands frantically, terror written all over her face.
"In that case, it's a different matter."
Laxus looked at Kiria.
"Miss, I had no intention of interfering in a fight between women. But when one of them is my companion, I won't forgive anyone who tries to hurt her."
"Two against one hardly seems fair. Especially when the one standing alone is my companion."
A familiar voice came from farther down the corridor.
"We meet again, Lightning Brother."
Having sensed Laxus's Magic Power, Kirin had tracked him down once more.
"Good to see you again, Coffin Brother."
Laxus greeted him as casually as though they were old friends.
Kiria blinked.
"Lightning Brother?"
Lucy stared back.
"Coffin Brother?"
The two women exchanged utterly baffled looks.