The Pict Magic Of Fairy Tail

Chapter 42: Erza and Cana's Side

While Silver and his group headed toward the bandits' hideout, Erza and Cana were approaching the lair of the Green Wyvern.

As they drew closer, the forest grew eerily silent, and the air became increasingly acidic.

"This is close enough. Any closer, and it will notice us," Erza said decisively, stopping in her tracks as she caught sight of the low cliff and the cave beneath it through a gap in the trees.

Cana glanced at the distant wyvern's lair, pulled out several cards from her pouch, and with a wave, a series of magic circles flickered into existence. "Strength, Constitution, Agility, Reflexes, Courage, Acid Resistance," she intoned.

In an instant, faint multicolored glows appeared around both her and Erza, signaling the activation of enhancement and protective spells.

However, the faintness of the glow indicated that the spells were not particularly powerful.

Cana's magic, card magic, fell under the Holder Magic category. It utilized a variety of cards to achieve diverse effects, making it a highly versatile magic.

But versatility often came at the cost of specialization—Cana's magic was a jack-of-all-trades, master of none.

The same could be said for Levy's Letter Magic and Silver's Pict Magic.

Levy's Letter Magic, a word-based magic, allowed her to use language and symbols to manifest different effects. Similarly, Silver's Pict Magic relied on illustrations to perform various tasks.

These all-encompassing magics contrasted sharply with Natsu's highly specialized and destructive Dragon Slayer Magic.

While they lacked raw power or the combative edge of someone like Mira, their adaptability meant they always had a way to handle diverse challenges.

For example, in this situation, professional support magic could greatly amplify Erza's capabilities, even allowing her to withstand the Green Wyvern's corrosive breath completely.

If an S-Class support wizard were assisting, they could boost Erza's power severalfold and make her immune to the wyvern's acid.

However, Cana's abilities, while formidable as a top-tier B-Class wizard, could only enhance Erza's attributes by about 10% and reduce the wyvern's acid effectiveness by 20%.

This level of resistance was enough to manage the acidic air near the lair but would offer little protection against a direct hit from the wyvern's breath.

Erza, understanding Cana's limitations, quickly re-equipped herself after the spells were cast. Her usual silver-white knight armor transformed into a glowing green set, radiating a faint luminescence.

"Everything's ready," Erza said, gripping her long blade. "Cana, stay behind me and focus on ranged support. No matter what, avoid facing the wyvern head-on. Be careful of its acid breath."

"Got it," Cana replied, her expression serious. She knew how dangerous this task was—one misstep could be fatal.

With their preparations complete, the two of them headed straight for the wyvern's lair.

Inside the cave beneath the low cliff, the Green Wyvern lay resting. It was a female, part of the Forest Wyvern species. Several months ago, humans had discovered its nest and, during one of its hunting trips, stolen its eggs.

Though the wyvern had tracked down the thieves and dissolved them with its acidic breath, it had drawn the attention of powerful human wizards seeking to kill it. Overwhelmed by their strength, the wyvern was forced to abandon its original nest and retreat to the edge of this forest to rebuild its lair.

Because of this history, the wyvern harbored an intense hatred for humans. Any human who entered its territory would be attacked on sight, with no exceptions.

This hostility was also the reason why Erza, Cana, and the others had been tasked with hunting it down.

As Erza and Cana approached, the sleeping wyvern suddenly opened its eyes. Its golden, slit-pupiled gaze immediately shifted forward, sensing intruders.

The Green Wyvern shook its body and swiftly exited the cave, sniffing the air intently. Within moments, it pinpointed the direction of the intruders.

With a furious roar, the wyvern spread its wings and soared into the sky, flying straight toward the source of the disturbance. As it reached their position, it wasted no time swooping down like other wyverns might. Instead, it unleashed a stream of acidic breath from the air, targeting the intruders below.

Meanwhile, Erza and Cana, still making their way toward the wyvern's lair, heard the creature's roar. Moments later, they saw the wyvern flying toward them. Both were momentarily startled but quickly regained their composure.

"Cana, move to a safe distance. I'll draw its attention," Erza instructed calmly.

"Be careful, Erza," Cana replied seriously, immediately dashing off in another direction without hesitation.

Seconds later, the wyvern was overhead. Erza stood her ground, gripping her longsword tightly and preparing for battle. However, the wyvern's behavior surprised her. Contrary to the information in the mission report, it didn't dive at her but instead attacked directly with its acidic breath. This suggested that the wyvern didn't see her as mere prey but as a threat it needed to eliminate.

"Erza!" Cana, now hidden behind a tree in the distance, was alarmed to see the wyvern using its breath attack so early.

Her concern was short-lived, though. Erza quickly re-equipped herself, summoning a shield with a protective magic circle. The shield generated a barrier that enveloped her entirely, deflecting the wyvern's corrosive acid. The acid flowed harmlessly down the shield, pooling on the ground and forming a large crater that emitted thick, acrid fumes.

The wyvern's breath attack ended after a few seconds. When it saw that Erza was unharmed, it decided to abandon the fight. With a swift turn, it flew back toward its lair without any intention of continuing the battle.

The wyvern's actions caught Erza off guard, but she wasn't about to let it escape. Her shield vanished in a flash of light, replaced by a long magical chain. Swinging the chain in wide arcs, she hurled it toward the retreating wyvern. The chain wrapped tightly around the creature's neck.

With a powerful leap, Erza yanked on the chain, halting the wyvern mid-flight. In the next moment, she was on its back. Holding the chain tightly in her left hand, she summoned a sharp longsword in her right. With a swift strike, the wyvern let out a pained shriek and plummeted to the ground below…