Chapter 75: Specially Prepared for Itachi (Request Subscription!)

Mirajane’s departure did not dampen everyone’s enthusiasm.

Elfman and Lisanna wanted to help their sister, but they simply didn’t have the qualification yet.

Forcing themselves to follow her would only make them a burden.

Elfman felt miserable—he had thought his magical talent was high, but in reality, his progress in learning “Takeover Magic” was slow, even slower than Lisanna’s.

Although it was true he only attempted to take over harder “Beast Souls,” Lisanna had already fully absorbed several “Animal Souls,” while he hadn’t fully absorbed even one—this gap still hurt him deeply.

If he could successfully absorb a “Beast Soul,” he could help out; “Beast Souls” still had decent combat power.

But Elfman didn’t lose heart—he would keep working hard, only blaming himself for being too stupid to help his sister.

“That Mirajane…”

Watching Mirajane leave, Erza clenched her teeth; the rivalry between them had grown intense. Though Mirajane was new, she had quickly caught up, and Erza was gradually feeling a sense of crisis.

Mostly because Mirajane specifically targeted her—making it impossible for Erza not to feel tense.

“Mo En, let the kids incubate the eggs—we’ll train together!”

Erza decisively asked Mo En for a sparring session; if Mirajane was diligently taking on missions, she couldn’t slack off.

“I must become stronger—I absolutely cannot let that skinny stick surpass me!”

“Sure.”

Mo En agreed immediately; the kids played and incubated eggs nearby, while he and Erza trained—neither task interfered with the other.

“Mo En, wasn’t our last fight a year ago?”

Looking at Mo En, Erza’s gaze burned with determination; she drew her sword, eager to spar with him.

“Yes, it’s been a while since our last battle—we’ve both grown. It’s time to test our progress.”

Mo En stretched his body and smiled as he spoke.

Watching Erza’s gleaming blade, Mo En silently anticipated how “Empty Hand Grasps the Blade” would perform in actual combat.

He usually trained by having Natsu and Gray attack him with weapons, but the results were mediocre—those two weren’t skilled at weapon-based attacks.

But Erza was a true swordmaster; whether “Empty Hand Grasps the Blade” could work reliably here was the real test—and Mo En still had confidence.

“Hum!”

Magic surged; Mo En had already donned his Saint Cloth—a white-and-purple Orion Bronze Saint Cloth, ribbons fluttering behind him.

During this time, Mo En had been trying to establish a connection with Orion, and had made some progress—he could occasionally stir Orion’s presence; true success was not far off.

“Click.”

Mo En clenched his fist; the gauntlets clicked, silver light flickered across his body, and distant stars in the heavens began to glow faintly.

“Come on, Erza—let me see your growth.”

Mo En smiled, signaling Erza to begin; he had no intention of attacking first—he wanted to test “Empty Hand Grasps the Blade.”

“Hum!”

Erza didn’t hesitate; she lunged forward, sword swinging.

“Ha!”

Erza shouted as she brought her blade down—fast, precise, brutal; magic surged forth. Though she was small in stature, the power of this strike was beyond what most could withstand.

“Click!”

Then something stunned Erza—Mo En extended both hands and clamped them onto her blade, forcibly halting her slash. She froze in shock.

In that instant, Mo En closed the distance, twisted his hands, and wrenched the sword sharply to the right; Erza lost her balance. His right hand slid down to seize the hilt, while his left elbow rose to strike her face.

Caught off-guard, Erza couldn’t defend both at once—she dodged Mo En’s “Magnolia Iron Elbow,” but her sword was ripped from her grasp.

Holding Erza’s sword, Mo En spun it in a flourish, laying the blade across her shoulder, his expression satisfied.

“This…”

Erza was stunned; she had never expected Mo En to pull off such a move.

And the fluidity with which he executed it clearly wasn’t a lucky fluke—it was a technique that could be replicated.

“A technique specially prepared for Itachi—looks like it works well?”

Mo En smiled, reversed the sword, and handed the hilt back to Erza.

“Specially prepared for me?”

Erza froze again, unsure how to react.

Her emotions were complex—she hadn’t expected to lose so quickly, so completely stunned.

“Whoa!”

A sudden commotion from the other side drew their attention; both turned to look.

The children gathered around the “Dragon Egg,” holding hands in concentric circles, hugging the egg together, seemingly trying to warm it.

But the “Dragon Egg” was ungrateful—it suddenly moved, leaping out of their circle and plunging straight into Natsu’s arms.

“Whoa!”

Natsu yelled in surprise.

Everyone was startled by the egg’s reaction; Mo En and Erza also turned toward it.

“I told Itachi this egg was mature—this little one should hatch in just a few days.”

Mo En smiled at Natsu; the egg had already chosen him—even before hatching, it favored Natsu. He wondered what kind of creature it would become.

“Since it likes Natsu, let him handle it himself.”

Since the egg had chosen, there was nothing else to do—Natsu had to do the work alone; everyone else could just watch.

“It can even do that!”

The children weren’t disappointed—only more intrigued.

Levy pulled out paper and pen and began recording; she would document the habits of this miraculous creature—it was a new discovery!

Natsu was delighted; the egg’s reaction confirmed it was truly a “Dragon Egg”—why else would it love him so much?

Natsu sat on the ground, wrapping his arms and legs around the egg, pressing his whole body against it. As a Fire Dragon Slayer, his body temperature was high—he radiated warmth, perhaps the very reason the egg favored him.

“Keep it up, Natsu!”

The children gathered around, cheering him on.

“I’m already curious what will hatch.”

Watching this, Erza smiled—but her smile was distracted; her mind still churned over Mo En’s technique—how could she counter it?

(End of Chapter)