CHAPTER 572: GRIMOIRE HEART

Rhodes had confirmed that he’d completed the exam and didn’t need to wait for the others, so he decided to head back to camp. As he prepared to head back, the master called out to stop him, only to casually help himself to one of the roasted legs they’d brought along.

Rhodes almost asked if it was inappropriate to barbecue right in front of the First Master’s tomb... but then thought better of it. This was Fairy Tail. In a guild this carefree, offering a piece to the First Master would probably be considered polite. She might even enjoy it.

Wendy accompanied him back, eager to check on Cana, Lily, and Levy after hearing they’d been injured.

"So slow..." Levy grumbled, sprawled across the table in boredom.

Lunch at camp had already finished. Erza, Mira, and Cana had gone off to soak in the hot spring.

Gildarts had wanted to stay with his daughter, but Cana quickly shooed him away, claiming he was being a nuisance. He’d been sent off fishing as a result.

Now, only Freed, Bickslow, Gajeel, Lily, and Levy remained at camp.

Mira had invited Levy to join them at the springs, but she’d refused. Her mind was on her good friend Lucy.

By now, the second exam should have been well underway. But no one knew who had won between Mest and Lucy’s team versus Gray and Loke’s team.

Whichever team had lost should have been back at camp already.

Had they gotten lost on the island? Or did they not know where camp was?

Levy hoped with all her heart that Lucy had won, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that Gray’s team was stronger. Now, worry gnawed at her, what if Lucy was in danger?

Gajeel crossed his arms and said flatly, "If you’re that worried, why don’t you just go look for them?"

Levy hesitated. "But the Master said there are all kinds of dangerous beasts on the island. It’s risky."

"Perfect," Gajeel replied with a toothy grin. "That idiotic rain woman wasn’t much of a fight. I could use the warm-up."

Levy blinked in surprise. "You actually want come with me?"

"I was planning to take Lily for a walk anyway. If you want to find someone, we’ll go together." He said it without a shred of hesitation, then turned and headed into the tent to fetch Lily.

"Hey!" Levy puffed out her cheeks. What exactly was that supposed to mean?

Still, she wasn’t about to pass up the offer. She definitely didn’t want to wander Tenrou Island alone.

Bickslow tilted his head. "So what about us? Can’t we go too?"

Freed shook his head with a small smile. "No. She asked us to watch camp. We can’t just leave it unattended."

He’d originally been planning to take Bickslow back to the guild early, but with Levy’s request, they were now the only ones left here. Better to stay put until the bath group returned or the losing team came back.

"So hot... and so tired..."

The second exam had been going for nearly two hours. Lisanna trudged through the jungle behind Juvia, over hills and through dense brush. They’d been chased by wild beasts more than once, and now Lisanna was tired, overheated, and a little hungry.

Juvia gave an apologetic look. "I’m sorry, Lisanna. Let’s take a short break."

Lisanna shook her head. "No need. I was just venting. If we don’t keep moving, someone else might find it first."

"Actually..." Juvia hesitated, glancing away before speaking. "Juvia has a question."

"Are you really not trying to get close to Master Gray?"

"..."

Lisanna let out a sigh. "Absolutely not! Are you still stuck on that?"

"No," Juvia shook her head quickly, then her eyes lit up with sudden excitement. "Juvia means, we should follow Master Gray!"

Lisanna raised a brow. "For something like this, I think it’d be more reliable to follow my brother-in-law."

Rustle... rustle...

The underbrush ahead shook violently, as though something large and fast was moving toward them.

Both women tensed immediately, preparing for another wild beast encounter.

But what came crashing through the foliage this time... was nothing like what they expected.

A giant white rooster wearing a martial arts gi, and a dog clad in ornate samurai armor.

Lisanna stared, dumbfounded, at the bizarre duo barreling toward them. "A... chicken and a dog?"

She’d seen far too many strange creatures on this island already. Her first instinct was to assume these were just another pair of rare island beasts, albeit oddly dressed ones.

The chicken and dog didn’t hesitate. With surprising agility, they leapt onto a thick tree branch above, then launched themselves down toward Lisanna.

"Look out!"

Juvia shoved Lisanna aside just in time.

The rooster’s wing lifted, revealing a humanoid arm, and it drove a punch straight into Juvia’s shoulder. At the same moment, the dog drew his curved katana and slashed at her waist.

Lisanna rolled across the ground, eyes wide in alarm. "Juvia!"

"Juvia is fine, Lisanna." The water mage straightened, her tone calm but firm. She flicked her hand, and two razor-sharp water blades flew toward the strange assailants.

The rooster and the samurai dog sprang backward in perfect sync. The dog slashed his sword in the air, carving a large glowing kanji character: "Defend!"

The luminous word solidified into a barrier, halting Juvia’s water blades mid-flight.

Juvia stepped protectively in front of Lisanna, her expression hard. "Lisanna, these aren’t ordinary animals. Look at the insignia on their outfits."

Lisanna squinted, and her stomach dropped. "That symbol... No way, Grimoire Heart?!"

"Grimoire Heart, one of the Balam Alliance," Juvia said, her voice now cold and steady. "This is our guild’s sacred ground. What are you doing here?"

The dog’s reply was a growl. "Purpose? Simple. To hunt fairies."

With a burst of speed, the canine warrior lunged, blade flashing.

"Juvia’s body is made of water, your attack..."

Her words were cut off as the dog carved another kanji in the air: "Boom!"

The instant the glowing character struck the ground, it exploded, not in flame, but in sound.

The deafening blast swallowed Lisanna’s voice entirely, the thunderous shockwaves rattling their bones. The sheer noise stabbed painfully into their ears, forcing both women to clutch their heads in instinctive defense.

And in that split second of distraction, the rooster leapt high above, its beak gaping wide.

Six perfectly round eggs shot from its mouth in rapid succession, whistling through the air straight toward Juvia and Lisanna.

The eggshells burst mid-flight, splattering into streams of thick golden yolk, only for the viscous liquid to warp and harden mid-air, morphing into six massive, gleaming fists.

Each one shot forward with crushing force, hammering down on Juvia and Lisanna from multiple angles.

The deafening sonic blast still reverberated through the air, making it impossible for either of them to hear the other’s movements. Their reactions slowed, their timing faltered...

And they were caught.

"Ah—!" Lisanna’s cry was lost to the cacophony as one of the yolk-fists slammed into her ribs, knocking her hard into the dirt.

Juvia staggered back a step, clutching her stomach with wide eyes. ’They actually... struck Juvia’s body?’ Her water form, breached?!

But her words, like Lisanna’s scream, were swallowed by the roar of the noise magic.

The samurai dog didn’t waste the opening. With a burst of speed, he darted around Lisanna’s flank, blade arcing downward in a clean killing stroke.

"Take Over: Animal Soul, Cat!"

Lisanna’s form blurred, her limbs narrowing, muscles coiling with feline agility. Even through the relentless noise, she managed to seize Juvia’s wrist, yanking her clear just as the blade carved a trench in the ground where they’d stood.

But the rooster was already in motion. With a single heavy stomp against a thick tree trunk, it launched itself high overhead, its shadow sweeping over them like a predator’s.

Its beak gaped.

And this time, dozens of eggs spewed forth in a single breath, raining down like golden meteors.

The yolk-fists reformed in mid-air, a dense storm of glittering strikes crashing toward the two mages.

Juvia’s eyes sharpened. She flung out both arms, water magic surging violently around her as she erected a shimmering dome.

"Water Arch!"

The liquid barrier curved protectively over them, waves swirling into a translucent shell. The first impacts came a heartbeat later, the fists hammering the shield and bursting into showers of spray. Each blow drained Juvia’s strength, her magic straining to hold against the constant barrage.

The dog samurai’s sword flared again as he slashed a single sharp kanji into the air, "Slash."

The glowing word clung to his blade, lengthening its arc as he swung. A blinding streak of white tore forward, a cutting wave nearly twenty meters long, screaming straight into their defenses.

Lisanna barely had time to whip her Rose Sword around to intercept. Steel rang, magic clashed, and though the weapon absorbed the brunt of the force, the sheer impact sent a shockwave through her arms.

"Ghh!" Blood spilled from her lips as the blow launched her bodily forward, her back arching in pain. She crashed into Juvia, the collision shattering the water barrier.

And in that instant of vulnerability.

The golden fists came down in a final, merciless wave.

BOOM!