Riyao rolled up his sleeves, a mischievous grin hanging on his lips as he patted the Beast King's head. "To make you behave, I need to have a good 'heart-to-heart' with you. The kind where our bodies and souls intertwine..."
Before the Beast King could react, his fist already glowed with a rich green light. His arm became a blur of afterimages as he began to pummel the Beast King: "Ora ora ora ora!"
Every punch was heavy and powerful. When they slammed into the Beast King, the ground trembled along with them, and the soil cracked into fine patterns. Squirrels in the forest scurried down from trees with pine cones in their mouths, rabbits kicked their hind legs and ran toward the edge of the woods, and even the birds on the branches flapped their wings and flew far away—each looking as if they had encountered an earthquake.
In the guild, Makarov had just picked up his mug of ale when his heart suddenly tightened, causing half the drink to spill onto the table. He rubbed his forehead and sighed, "Which brat is causing trouble outside again?"
The poor Beast King had initially been roaring and baring its claws, its golden pupils full of ferocity, screaming in its heart, "Someone save me!" But with every punch that landed, green light bored into its body through the wounds. The pain was smoothed over as soon as it appeared, and even its broken bones and tendons healed instantly.
Before long, it collapsed onto the ground, whimpering with its paws covering its head. Its gaze shifted from violent to confused, and then from confused to exceptionally clear—purer and more innocent than a freshman who had just started university. Its eyes were watery, and it even tucked its tail between its legs. If it could speak, it would surely scream at the top of its lungs: "Stop saving me! Just give me a quick death!"
Elfman watched this scene and subconsciously shrank his neck, rubbing his own arm as he couldn't help but shudder.
Mirajane put her hands on her hips helplessly, reaching out to grab Riyao's back collar to pull him back. "Alright, alright. If you keep hitting it, the Beast King is going to kowtow and beg for mercy."
Riyao clapped his hands, looking like he hadn't had enough. "Fine, fine. For Mira's sake, I won't play around with it anymore."
The Beast King lying on the ground raised a paw and gently tugged at his pant leg, its gaze looking like a bullied elementary school student. In its heart, it cursed: "Pure bullying! I'm going to the Council to sue you for abusing a rare magic beast!"
Mirajane beckoned Elfman over. "Alright, Elfman, Take Over it now." Riyao crouched down and patted the Beast King's face, his tone nasty: "Cooperate obediently, or I'll beat you and Elfman together."
These words made Mirajane pinch his ear and pull it outward, her voice tinged with mock-anger. "Huh? You want to hit Elfman too? Are you looking for a lesson lately?"
Lisanna and Elfman looked at each other and simultaneously spread their hands helplessly. Their brother-in-law really felt uncomfortable all over if he didn't get a beating for a day.
Elfman took a deep breath, walked up to the Beast King, and silently recited an incantation.
A magic circle spread out from beneath his feet, enveloping the Beast King. It went unexpectedly smoothly; the Beast King didn't even struggle. It just gave Riyao a pitiful look before turning into a streak of white light and entering Elfman's body.
Elfman swayed slightly and touched his chest. "It seems... it worked? I felt no resistance at all..."
Just as they breathed a sigh of relief, a rift suddenly cracked open in the sky. Mirajane frowned, Lisanna hid back a bit, and Elfman immediately assumed a defensive stance.
Riyao stroked his chin, calculating in his mind: Mystogan must be nearby. This guy runs around every day just to stop Anima. The Edolas Lisanna should be about to die right now. Whether I can save her depends on this move.
He flipped his wrist, and that firewood stick suddenly glowed with an emerald green light. The body of the stick slowly curved, patterns flowing across its surface, gradually transforming into a half-person-tall giant bow. The bowstring was condensed from pure magical power.
He pulled the bowstring to its limit. Emerald magic gathered on the string into an arrow, its tail trailing a long stream of light, with its surface intentionally wrapped in a layer of aggressive magic as a disguise.
Mirajane watched his actions and asked in confusion, "What are you doing? What is that hole in the sky?"
Riyao had already made up an excuse and said solemnly, "I'm not sure. Maybe some powerful magic creature is about to crawl out. I'll fire an arrow first to settle my nerves, so we don't have trouble later."
As soon as he finished speaking, he released the bowstring. The emerald arrow streaked across the sky like a meteor, shooting straight into the pitch-black void.
At the same time, on the barren lands of Edolas, thousands of green streams of light suddenly fell from high above like a gentle meteor shower. Where they landed on the nearby ground, emerald green grass sprouts emerged from the parched soil, and withered shrubs put forth new branches.
Riyao retracted the giant bow, and the firewood stick returned to its original form.
He intentionally swayed his body and fell affectedly into Mirajane's arms, his arm draped over her shoulder as he rubbed against her neck. "Mira I have no strength left I used up all my magic shooting that arrow just now~"
Mirajane rolled her eyes but reached out to catch him steadily, holding him in her arms in a standard princess carry. "Fine, Big Sister will carry you back."
Riyao took the opportunity to lean in and give her a loud kiss. Mirajane's cheeks turned slightly red, and she slapped his back. "We're in public, stop messing around!"
Lisanna and Elfman watched this lovey-dovey scene from the side and sighed in unison.
Lisanna imitated Riyao's manner, swaying her body as she flopped onto Elfman's back. "I have no strength left either~"
Elfman helplessly bent over to let her settle properly, scratching his head with a wry smile. "Fine, fine, I'll carry you."
The two of them silently decided in their hearts that they must do requests alone in the future.
Even if it's their own sister and brother-in-law, eating dog food every day is more than they can take.
The four of them packed up their spoils and prepared to leave. After walking just a few steps, they ran into Mystogan, who was putting away his staves.
He was wrapped in a thick cloak with his hood pulled very low. When he saw Riyao's group of four, his footsteps paused.
Riyao, who still hadn't come down from Mirajane's arms, waved and shouted, "Oi, Mystogan! What are you doing here?"
Mystogan nervously pulled his cloak tighter, covering his face even more securely. He gave a polite cupped-hand salute, turned around, and walked away quickly.
Mirajane raised an eyebrow at his back, and Lisanna's eyes widened. "That was Mystogan? He's so mysterious. Why is he covered up so tightly?"
Elfman scratched his head. "Could it be because he's too ugly?"
Riyao jumped down from Mirajane's arms and said with a yawn, "He's just shy." As soon as he finished speaking, Mirajane jumped onto his back and patted his shoulder. "Now it's your turn to carry me. Little Yao, giddyup!"
Riyao caught her steadily and intentionally swayed his body. "You got it! Sit tight!"
Lisanna leaned on Elfman's back and made a face at Riyao. Elfman helped carry the backpacks for the four of them, following behind.
The four of them walked out of the forest, laughing and playing. The setting sun pulled their shadows very long, and their laughter mixed with the chirping of birds in the woods as they gradually faded into the distance.
This incident finally came to a peaceful conclusion without triggering the curse of fate. Mirajane was still that cool and badass, occasionally soft and cute big sister boss, and Lisanna wasn't sucked into Edolas. As for Elfman, he was just along for the ride.
Carrying Mirajane on his back, Riyao breathed eighty-one sighs of relief in his heart. As for the Edolas Lisanna, it was up to heaven now; this was the most he could do for now.