Mirajane struggled to contain her laughter.
Having grown up with Ankh since they were children, she knew better than anyone how much Ankh disliked anything that made his appearance seem feminine.
Setting aside the unsettling fact that the Earthland Ankh was male, the statue before them was, in all fairness, a breathtakingly beautiful woman.
With exquisite features, unparalleled elegance and a perfect curvaceous figure, it embodied every single quality a beauty should possess.
Ankh had been a famous child star in Earthland when he was younger—exceptionally handsome and adorable.
However, as he grew into adulthood, his features matured, leaving only a sharp masculine handsomeness.
Yet, this Edolas Ankh looked as if the Earthland Ankh had taken a sudden turn at a pivotal point in his development, veering completely toward feminine allure.
Edolas Gajeel stared at the statue and belatedly exclaimed, "Oh! Sir, you look remarkably similar to this lady in the statue."
"Pfft—"
Mirajane couldn't hold back her laughter, and Ankh shot her an exasperated glance.
Afraid he might be angry, Mirajane quickly clung to Ankh's arm and said with inexplicable delight.
"See? Many things between the two worlds are opposites."
Ankh naturally didn't blame Mira for such a trivial matter.
He simply gazed with a highly complex expression at the exquisitely crafted statue before him, completely unsure of how to react.
"Enough of this nonsense. Let's charge in and capture the king!"
Ankh withdrew his gaze, and Mirajane immediately agreed.
The two dashed toward the grand hall, while Gajeel stealthily concealed himself in the shadows, intending to gather intelligence.
Bam!
Ankh kicked the hall doors open, revealing a large group of guards already stationed inside.
At the rear, surrounded by his men, was naturally King Faust.
Faust's aged face no longer held its previous composure.
Panicked and furious, he pointed at the two intruders and roared.
"You impudent Mages! How dare you offend a monarch?!"
"Emperors come and go..." Ankh muttered under his breath.
Hot steam once again enveloped his body as he completely vanished from sight.
What followed was another battle of unstoppable dominance.
Neither Ankh's unorthodox, high-speed fighting style nor Mirajane's demonic assaults were something these ordinary guards could withstand.
Despite the guards' fearless attempts to protect him, Faust was eventually escorted out of the hall by his remaining soldiers, fleeing desperately toward the inner chambers.
Watching his guards fall in droves behind him, Faust's grim expression grew even more terrifying.
After being rushed a considerable distance by his men, Faust suddenly hissed in a horrifying hoarse voice,.
"Byro, release the Dragon Knight."
The decrepit Byro froze.
His withered skin smoothed slightly from sheer shock as he urgently replied, "Your Majesty! That is the Forbidden Magic of Edolas! You..."
Byro's voice abruptly cut off as he saw Faust staring at him with a madness he had never witnessed before.
"You will pilot the Dragon Knight. Even if it drains this world's Magic Power dry, it does not matter! As long as we win this war, we can continue siphoning Magic Power from Earthland!"
Faust had clearly descended into absolute madness, his deranged words and demeanor sending deep chills down Byro's spine.
Sweat beaded on Byro's forehead as he gritted his teeth and asked, "And what about Your Majesty? Where will you take refuge?"
Faust's face twisted into a terrifying grin as he said, "I will wield the divine artifact bestowed upon Edolas by the Goddess!"
Byro gasped. "But that is what killed all the previous kings..."
No one dared to continue speaking, for Byro clearly understood that Faust had been completely broken by the relentless counterattack of these Earthland Mages.
As a ruler with immense control and ambition, His Majesty Faust would never allow his pride to be trampled like this.
"Coco, mobilize all remaining forces! Implement Code ETD's armed measures—first, drain all the Magic Power from those foolish cats!"
Coco, who had been following closely behind Byro and Faust, immediately saluted in response and turned to run in another direction.
Byro rushed toward the sealed grounds where the Dragon Knight was stored, while Faust, protected by a group of soldiers, headed toward the forbidden area of the palace.
"Don't run!"
Ankh and Mirajane, who had been blocked by the crowd of guards not far away, watched as their three main targets split up.
Boom!
Mirajane sent numerous enemies flying with a single swipe of her demonic claw and quickly asked.
"Ankh, how do we pursue them?"
Ankh frowned as he looked in the direction Coco had left, then shook his head.
"If there's trouble outside, Gildarts and Laxus can handle it. You go after Byro, and I will chase the king!"
Mirajane quickly changed direction and charged down the path where Byro, the Kingdom Army's Chief of Staff, had fled.
Meanwhile, Ankh sprinted relentlessly, following the troops guarding Faust all the way to the entrance of the forbidden area.
Fighting as he pursued, Ankh had nearly eliminated all of Faust's guards by the time they arrived.
Even Faust himself was panting heavily, looking as if he were on the verge of collapse.
Faust shoved the last guard in front of him toward Ankh and dashed into the forbidden hall.
After fumbling with a hidden switch on the wall, the stone suddenly opened like a door.
Ankh dispatched the last of the king's guards with a single punch and then stepped inside to survey the so-called "forbidden area."
From the outside, it appeared to be nothing more than a dark, damp palace chamber.
At the far end of the room stood a statue of the God Ankh, seemingly identical to the one outside the main hall.
However, compared to the statue Ankh had seen earlier, this version felt far less radiant and compassionate.
Instead, it exuded an overwhelming aura of sorrow and pain.
"Huh?" Ankh froze for a moment.
Was it an illusion? It felt as though the statue's expression had just changed.
Just as doubt arose in Ankh's mind and his eyes locked onto the statue's gaze, a sudden transformation occurred!
The statue's half-closed eyes had seemed to hold deep sorrow, but under Ankh's intense stare, they abruptly widened.
Ankh even had the illusion that the sadness in the statue's eyes had softened considerably.
Then, from those stone eyes, a gentle, milky-white radiance burst forth, illuminating the dark chamber with an overwhelming warmth.
Ankh felt as though he were floating.
His head spun with intense dizziness, forcing him to shut his eyes.
When he opened them again, everything around him had changed.
The dark palace chamber had vanished, completely replaced by an endless field of golden, shimmering flowers.
Ankh's mind went blank, for ahead of him, he saw another version of himself.
Just like the statue in the palace, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
The only difference was that this figure had rosy skin, wore flowing white robes, and was gazing at him with a faint, ambiguous smile—she was alive.
Even more bizarrely, Ankh sensed a deeply familiar power radiating from her—Divine Power!
Ankh hastily retreated several steps, frantically calling out in his mind to the know-it-all God of Life and Death.
'Seram, what do you think? Could she be a Divine Successor? It doesn't feel like it, though...'
'...Hey? Seram?'
There was no response, and Ankh's heart grew increasingly heavy.
"He can't hear you."
Just then, the Goddess opposite him seemed to understand exactly what the silent Ankh was doing.
She spoke with a charming smile, "At least in this space, Seram cannot hear you."