In the early morning, sunlight fell softly on the earth like strands of silk, and a rustling sound came from inside a sleeping bag.
Riyao had somehow slept with his head buried deep inside the sleeping bag while his two feet were stuck out carelessly; the sight was incredibly comical, like a strange turtle retracting its head into its shell.
Mirajane stood to the side, her forehead lined with exasperation. Frowning, she raised her foot and gave the sleeping bag a firm kick, shouting, "Hey, it's time to get up!"
A muddled, lazy mumble drifted from within the bag: "Don't bother me... the sun isn't even up yet... let me sleep a bit longer..." The voice sounded infinitely weary as it drifted slowly from the depths of the sleeping bag.
Unable to take it any longer, she grabbed the sleeping bag with both hands and gave it a violent shake, as if shaking out a bag of junk, and Riyao was dumped out just like that.
She said loudly, "Don't think that just because you bury your head it's still night! Get up quickly, we have to head out today to find the Stone Titan!"
Riyao sat up dizzily, rubbing his bleary eyes, his voice still thick with drowsiness: "Find the Stone Titan? Haven't we already found it?"
"Huh? Are you still dreaming?" Mirajane's eyes widened, and she reached out to poke his forehead hard.
Riyao stood up slowly and gave a long stretch, as if his body were being pulled into a rainbow curve.
Then, he casually cast water magic to summon a stream of clear water. The water, like a nimble ribbon, traced a graceful arc in the air and fell into the simple water bowl in his hand.
He used the water to wash up, and after finishing, he playfully splashed a handful of water onto Mirajane's face.
"Pfft... cough cough!" Mirajane was caught off guard and choked on the water. Her eyes widened with surprise and anger. Riyao, however, was happily patting her back with a smirk on his face.
"Riyao! You definitely did that on purpose!" Her face flushed red with anger, and she grabbed his cheeks, pulling them outward as if trying to deform his face.
"Mmph... I really didn't... my hand slipped." Riyao let her knead his face while speaking unclearly, wearing an innocent expression with wide eyes as if he were truly being wronged.
Mirajane let go only after she had vented enough, suddenly remembering his words from earlier: "Wait, say that again? You've already found the Stone Titan?"
"Yeah, we slept on top of it last night." Riyao said calmly, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
"Ah?!" Mirajane was completely stunned, her eyes bulging and her mouth hanging wide open in disbelief.
Riyao calmly pulled a seed from his pocket and tossed it onto the ground with a casual motion.
In the blink of an eye, the seed grew into a peach tree. Tender green leaves spread rapidly, delicate flowers bloomed, and then plump peaches ripened.
He plucked one and threw it to Mirajane, then took a bite of one himself. The sweet juice flowed down the corner of his mouth.
Mirajane took a bite of the peach, and seeing that he was still being mysterious, she couldn't help but kick his shin. The kick carried a hint of her anger: "Speak up!"
"Oh, this 'hill' under our feet is the Stone Titan itself." Riyao pointed down with a relaxed smile.
Despite having her suspicions, Mirajane still jumped up as if she had stepped on hot coals when she heard the confirmation. Her eyes wide, she climbed onto Riyao's back and gripped his shoulders tightly: "You're way too reckless! We slept on top of this thing all night?"
"Calm down, calm down." Riyao carried her on his back with a smile, his eyes curving into crescents. "It's dormant during this time. Sleeping here is great—it's flat and there are no bugs to bother us."
As he spoke, he pulled out a celestial spirit key for Virgo, which emitted a faint light.
"Come forth, Old Ba," Riyao shouted, his voice clear and resonant.
Virgo appeared in response. She was tall with a cold expression. Without a word, she picked up Mirajane in a princess carry and asked expressionlessly, "Master, what are your orders? Also, 'Old Ba' sounds terrible."
The Black-Gold Bracelet on Riyao's wrist instantly transformed into the firewood stick, which flickered with a strange light as if containing immense power.
He gripped the stick and slammed it into the ground. Dust flew as a shallow pit was smashed into the earth.
"Hold onto Mira for me first. I'm going to wake this big guy up," Riyao said to Virgo.
"Hey! What do you mean 'hold onto me'? I want to fight too!" Mirajane struggled in Virgo's arms, waving her hands with a face full of reluctance.
"Don't be in such a hurry; you'll have your turn to shine later." Riyao winked, his eyes flashing with a mischievous light.
"Understood." Virgo carried Mirajane and performed several backflips in succession. Her movements were light and agile, like a nimble bird, as she landed softly at the foot of a distant mountain.
Golden patterns lit up around Riyao's body, winding and coiling like flowing flames.
He leaped into the air, his body spinning rapidly. The firewood stick expanded abruptly, smashing heavily toward the "mountain" with the sound of whistling wind.
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion shook the ground. The Stone Titan awakened amidst the vibration and let out an ear-splitting roar that seemed to tear through the air, causing the surroundings to tremble.
Riyao took the opportunity while its mouth was open to strike again, thrusting the firewood stick deep into its throat with swift and decisive movements.
"Since you're awake, let's do a PCR test while we're at it," Riyao joked, his voice exceptionally clear amidst the booming noise.
The Titan was enraged and clapped its hands together. Its palms were like two small mountains, coming together with overwhelming force. Riyao gripped the stick and used the momentum to retract, shooting forward like an arrow from a bow. He narrowly avoided the strike and then retracted the stick as he dropped to the ground, landing steadily beside Mirajane and Virgo.
By now, the Stone Titan had fully stood up. Its body was like a moving mountain, and the shadow it cast completely enveloped the three of them, as if the entire world were being swallowed by this immense darkness.
Riyao looked up at it and introduced it casually: "This guy can't use magic, but the rock armor on its body is about ten meters thick. It's very tough."
Mirajane looked at the colossal entity, her small face scrunched up and her eyes filled with worry: "Are we really going to fight it? Can we win?"
Virgo replied calmly, "It's a guaranteed win." Her voice was steady and powerful, as if she had absolute confidence.
"Tsk, you stole my line!" Riyao laughed and leaned closer to Mirajane, blinking his eyes. "Big Sister Mira~ you'll protect me, right?"
Mirajane compared the Titan's giant palm to her own size. Her mouth twitched as she said helplessly, "I'm afraid I can only give it a pedicure."
Riyao laughed and took her hand. Golden patterns spread from his arm onto Mirajane, outlining complex light traces that looked like mysterious runes flickering with a strange glow.
[Life Magic · Life Link - Modified · Hundred Battles]
"Now try a Full Body Take Over," Riyao said, his voice carrying a hint of anticipation.
Mirajane felt an unfamiliar power surging within her, like a raging tide churning through her body.
She took a deep breath. The magic circle beneath her feet blazed with light, runes flickering. Soul of Satan, Take Over begin.