A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Before he could launch an attack, a terrifying burst of energy suddenly erupted from beneath the mechanical nesting doll, propelling its heavy body straight into Natsu at such a speed that none of the three could react in time.

Bang! ! !

With a scream, Natsu flew backward with his limbs outstretched, crashing heavily into the wall and embedding himself in it.

"Natsu!!"

"Lucy, watch out!!"

"What?!"

The sudden turn of events distracted Lucy, and by the time Happy's warning came, the mechanical nesting doll had already been thrown at her.

The silver-black metal grew larger and larger in her field of vision. The approaching steel doll carried no murderous intent, yet it was enough to terrify Lucy. If she were hit, she would be seriously injured even if she wasn't disfigured.

At the critical moment, the door opened.

Ding-dong!

"Moo!!!"

A burly, robust male cow with an iron ring on its nose swung its giant axe with all its might, sending the incoming mechanical nesting doll flying several meters.

Bang! !

With the danger averted, Lucy exclaimed in delight, "Talos?!"

The one who saved Lucy was Talos, the celestial spirit who had followed her for a long time.

The cow stylishly slung the giant axe over its shoulder, pointed to itself with its right thumb, and proudly declared, "I will protect Miss Lucy's bosom!!"

This was a terrible comment... Oh well, I'm used to it anyway.

Lucy ignored Talos's words and instead asked, "How did you get out? I didn't summon you! Although I'm very grateful that you saved me..."

"I was able to get out, of course, because of you, Miss Lucy!"

It has to be said that without the heart-shaped eye gesture, Talos looks much more mature and composed, and even has a touch of inexplicable handsomeness.

"Because of me...?" Lucy was taken aback.

"Miss Lucy may not have noticed, but your strength is now vastly different from before! That's why I'm able to open the door on my own, just like Lord Leo did back then!"

The Celestial Spirits are the ones who can most directly sense whether a Celestial Spirit Mage has improved, because the amount of power they can unleash depends on the Celestial Spirit Mage's magical energy. Therefore, their words are definitely more convincing than any detector.

Previously, because Lucy's magical power was insufficient, only Horologium of the Clock constellation, Leo of the Leo constellation, and Valg of the Virgo constellation could actively open the Celestial Spirit Gate, as they were the three strongest among all of Lucy's Celestial Spirits.

But now, even Talos can take the initiative to open the door to save the day, which shows that Lucy's strength has greatly improved compared to before.

(Talos: What does 'even' mean? Does it mean you look down on Tauren?)

However, although Talos himself admitted that he had become stronger, Lucy still felt a sense of disbelief, her heart filled with a mixture of surprise and joy: "I... became stronger? Really?!"

Am I that awesome now?

"Of course! Miss Lucy is the most talented Celestial Spirit Mage I've ever seen!!"

Talos continued his undisguised praise, a pleased and expectant smile on his face. "And we've been watching your efforts all along!"

“You…” Lucy knew that Talos was referring to the other Protoss, and she was deeply moved.

"Since the opponent is a power-type enemy, then I, who am also a power-type, will deal with them!"

Gazing at the mechanical nesting dolls not far away, Talos felt a surge of pride, wanting nothing more than to demonstrate his formidable strength in front of his beloved Miss Lucy.

"Don't worry! I'll help you defeat the enemy in front of you!!"

Chapter 549 Suffers a Setback Upon First Appearance

sense of security!

This was the first time Lucy had ever felt such a strong sense of security with Talos!

His tall stature, his strong back muscles, and his biceps brimming with explosive power all looked so captivating at that moment.

"Hehe... What a reliable companion, Talos!!"

"Lady Lucy~"

After showing off for only two seconds, Talos reverted to his true colors after Lucy's compliment. His eyes turned into red hearts, his hands clenched into fists, and he wiggled his body in front of Lucy.

Lucy: "..."

I must have been blind just now, actually thinking Talos was handsome... It's all because of those people in the guild who keep asking me when I'm going to marry Natsu, making me so prone to overthinking! Wake up, Lucy! That's a minotaur, not Natsu!

Thinking of this, Lucy couldn't help but look back. She saw that Natsu, who had just been knocked away by the mechanical doll, had half of his body embedded in the wall, and was struggling in the room with only half of his body remaining.

"..."

"No...it's not much better here either..."

Meanwhile, the battle between Talos and the mechanical nesting dolls has already begun.

Thanks to Lucy's increased magic power, Talos's strength is now far greater than before. Intending to show off, he raised his voice and charged forward with his double-edged great axe.

"Moo!!"

The axe wind howled, its sound like thunder shattering dreams and deafening, its force as unstoppable as a tumbleweed. The powerful force swept up the metal parts scattered all around, and the invisible wind blades alone were enough to cut through ordinary iron blocks.

"Amazing!!"

"He really has gotten stronger!!"

Happy and Lucy exclaimed in unison, they had not expected that Talos could unleash such a powerful and imposing attack.

Just before the giant axe was about to strike, the mechanical nesting doll moved.

Instead of standing still like before, it burst into even greater speed, so fast that Lucy and Happy didn't even have time to react, and even Talos couldn't see it clearly.

"Gone?!" Talos was surprised when his attack missed, and felt even more troubled.

As the Taurus celestial spirit, representing power in the zodiac, he has focused almost all his strength on power. Consequently, his speed is naturally slower, so it's normal that he can't keep up with this hard and fast iron lump.

Snapped!

The evolved mechanical nesting dolls move without leaving any afterimages; they simply flash from one end to the other as if traversing space, leaving only a faint sound of air exploding.

"Damn it! Where is it?!"

Talos gripped his giant axe tightly, his gaze serious and vigilant as he surveyed his surroundings. However, the mechanical nesting dolls never stayed long after each appearance, disappearing almost instantly, making it impossible for him to pinpoint their location.

Whoosh—!

He swung his sword twice with force, but unsurprisingly, both attacks missed their mark, making Talos increasingly uneasy.

He'd spent so long in the Celestial Spirit Realm, finally grown stronger, and even opened the door to save Lucy—such a cool entrance, and now he's about to suffer a setback?

No! I, Talos, cannot let the honor of the Taurus Protoss be jeopardized like this…

Bang! ! !

Before Talos could finish his voiceover, he was rammed and sent flying by the mechanical nesting doll's thrust. The speed and weight combined to create a terrifying kinetic energy.

"Uhh—!!"

Taros felt his internal organs trembling violently, and he couldn't help but cough up two clumps of blood.

"Talos!!" Upon seeing this, Lucy panicked and rushed over to check on his injuries.

"I...I'm fine...Miss Lucy!"

Oh no, I've already gotten humiliated right from the start. My image is going to be severely damaged...

Talos, who had just gotten up from the ground, was filled with anxiety about how much he would be favored in the future (though it was almost zero), but he felt more powerless about Lucy's safety.

"Ahem... Its speed is too much of a disadvantage against me, Miss Lucy, please let Lord Leo come out..."

What are you even doing out here?!

Realizing that Talos was alright, Lucy inwardly roared, then silently sent him back: "I know, you go back and recover!"

"Then... come out, Leo!"

Ding-dong!

Wearing a black suit, with short orange hair and light-colored sunglasses, his handsome face, though not as striking as Kira's, is still one in a million. With the opening of the Celestial Spirit Gate, the strongest Celestial Spirit of the Zodiac, Leo Leo, makes a dazzling appearance!

"Princess, your knight has arrived!!"

As soon as he appeared, Leo approached Lucy and asked her to hold his hand, even boldly and secretly touching her (touching is a verb).

"Yes...yes...let's deal with the enemy in front of us first..."

Having long been accustomed to Leo's personality, Lucy suppressed her temper and slapped Leo's hand away, coaxing the lion like she was coaxing a cat.

Upon receiving Lucy's command, Leo's eyes turned into pink hearts, and he became incredibly energetic, his expression extremely servile: "Yes, sir!!"

Seemingly understanding their conversation, the mechanical nesting doll began to move again, its speed almost like a flash, which was dazzling. But Leo, as expected of the strongest celestial spirit among the twelve zodiac signs, took action after observing for a few seconds.

"Lion's Radiance!!"

With a soft shout, Leo clenched his fists, forming a cross with his seemingly slender yet powerful arms in front of him, while magic surged outwards, creating a golden magic circle beneath his feet.

Now, Leo's strength has greatly increased compared to before, and his use of [Lion's Glow] is also stronger. The most obvious manifestation of this is that the magic circle is larger and the golden flash is brighter.

This move can not only illuminate the area with the power of the Celestial Spirit, but it can also be used as an amplification spell. Leo, whose strength had already increased significantly, received another amplification, which boosted his confidence and made him more certain to defeat his enemies!

"Wait a minute, Lucy! I can take care of an enemy like this much faster!"

Huh?! That sounds familiar. Oh right, Talos said it a minute ago, and Natsu said it three minutes ago, and they didn't even last two moves! Can you do it?

Lucy looked at Leo with a hint of doubt in her eyes.

Leo, oblivious to Lucy's gaze, was lost in his fantasy of Lucy throwing herself into his arms after he defeated the enemy: "After this is over, how about we go on a proper date?"

"I don't want to!!"

Even if his request is rejected, Leo will still fight for his contractor; it's an agreement that a Protoss must uphold. Of course, Leo isn't the type to take advantage of others' misfortunes, and he wouldn't say to Lucy, "You wouldn't want anyone to know you lost to a mechanical doll, would you?"

To help Leo defeat the enemy before them, Lucy wasn't idle either; she activated her costume change mode: "Celestial Spirit Robe - Leo Form!"

The Leo Star Spirit Dress is a black off-shoulder strapless gown with a wavy hem that falls below the knee. It is tied with a gold belt in the middle, and the side slit is very high, revealing her rather voluptuous long legs. She wears a pair of black straight-leg high heels. Overall, she looks both noble and elegant, and she would definitely be called a princess.

Seeing this, Leo couldn't help but feel smug: "As expected... Lucy is most beautiful when she uses my power!!"