While Lucy and Gray were talking, two people—or rather, one person and one demon—had vanished from the boat without anyone noticing.
Lucy was speaking when she suddenly felt something was off. She looked around and saw that the bow of the boat was empty.
"Eh? Where did the boatman and that person go?"
She stood up and looked around, then peeked over the side into the water, but there was nothing.
Gray and Happy were also at a loss, looking at each other. The boat was still moving forward, but with the boatman gone, it began to spin slightly.
Underwater, Bobo and Riyao looked at each other.
Riyao grinned and mouthed "What a coincidence," even giving Bobo a thumbs-up.
Bobo scratched his cheek awkwardly, a layer of fine bubbles rising from his scales, then pointed to the boat above, meaning "Those people are still up there."
Riyao made an OK gesture, then pointed to the bottom of the boat, then to himself, and made a flipping motion.
Bobo froze for a moment, then nodded in understanding.
The two of them exerted force together, surging upward from the bottom of the water and raising a massive wall of waves.
The seawater seemed to be pushed up by something; with a loud boom, it slammed into the boat. The small vessel rocked violently, and the people on board were tossed out like ragdolls, tracing graceful arcs in the air before splashing into the sea.
Underwater, Riyao waved at Bobo, made a "see you later" gesture, and then turned to swim toward Karna Island. He was as fast as a fish, disappearing into the deep blue water in the blink of an eye.
Upon reaching the shore, Riyao changed his appearance again. This time, he transformed himself into an ordinary villager, wearing coarse hemp clothes and straw sandals, with a few weathered wrinkles added to his face. He looked like he had lived on this island for half his life.
He looked exactly like the farmer from Fight the Landlord.
Taking advantage of the demon villagers' confused memories, he fabricated an identity for himself and swaggered into the village.
Riyao put his arm around the Village Chief's shoulder, smiling and acting familiar, his tone as intimate as if they were long-lost brothers.
"Grandpa Village Chief! It's me, Klass from the east end of the village! I was the one who cooked for Bobo's feast last time! That craftsmanship, tsk tsk, the whole village said it was great!"
The Village Chief scratched his head, his cloudy eyes rolling as a confused expression appeared on his face.
He thought for a long time but couldn't remember who this "Klass" was, but since his memory was indeed muddled, he nodded in a daze.
"Oh, oh, Klass... Yes, Klass."
Riyao then turned and put his arm around a passing villager's neck, so enthusiastic he was almost strangling the man, shaking him while bragging.
"Remember when we went to 'Conquer the Heavens' last time? That scene, that momentum, it was truly spectacular!"
The villager was being strangled to the point of oxygen deprivation; his face turned purple, and he weakly patted Riyao's arm, his consciousness fading.
"I... remember..."
Riyao released his grip with satisfaction and patted the villager's back. The villager stumbled a few steps and walked away in a daze, probably still unable to figure out what exactly he had "conquered."
Riyao thus happily blended into this demon village, even thriving there, able to strike up a conversation with anyone.
Outside the village gate, Natsu and the others were pounding on the gate with a loud clatter, the wooden door groaning in pain under the immense force.
"Hey! Is anyone home?"
Natsu shouted at the top of his lungs, his fists still pounding on the door.
Riyao climbed onto the wall, poked half his head out, and shouted to the outside.
"First, my name isn't 'Hey,' it's Klass. Second, I didn't expect—never mind."
Lucy complained loudly from below, hands on her hips: "Don't force such terrible puns! It's so cringey!"
Other villagers also gathered around, asking all at once: "Who are you? State your names."
Gray looked up and shouted in a loud voice: "We are Mages from Fairy Tail, here to solve your curse!"
Riyao shouted first, cupping his hands around his mouth: "What proof do you have?"
The three humans and one cat showed their guild emblems one after another. Natsu rolled up his sleeve to show the red emblem on his arm, Gray lifted his shirt to show the blue emblem on his chest, Lucy turned her hand over to show the pink emblem on the back of her hand, and Happy stuck out his rear to show the emblem on his back.
"Oh~ they really are Mages from Fairy Tail."
Riyao, blending in with the villagers, raised his hands and shouted, his expression as exaggerated as if he had won the lottery: "Great! We're saved!"
The village gate slowly opened, the rusty hinges making a piercing screech.
Natsu and the others walked in to meet with the Village Chief and the others.
Riyao stood next to the Village Chief, hands behind his back, chin slightly tilted up, acting arrogant and haughty, looking like a demanding client.
He even nodded at Natsu and the others, his posture making it look like he was receiving guests.
The Village Chief gestured for the villagers to shed their cloaks together, revealing their demonized parts. Some arms had turned into pitch-black claws, some legs were covered in scales, and some backs had protruding bone spikes—each one shocking to behold.
Riyao also pulled back his sleeves and activated [Life Mimicry: Demon], demonizing his own arms as well.
Gray scanned the demonized limbs of the surrounding villagers, feeling as if something familiar had just flashed by.
Mirajane's arm used to look like this before she gained control over her Take Over Magic.
However, it had been too long; anyone taking a quick glance wouldn't be able to remember.
Mirajane's Take Over Magic could be considered top-tier; her forms were mostly based on her own appearance. Unlike Elfman and Lisanna, who looked exactly like what they took over, or at most anthropomorphized.
Happy and Lucy had never seen this form, so naturally, they couldn't recognize it.
As for Natsu, it was too much to expect his brain to remember such things.
However, Natsu sniffed the surroundings, his pink nose twitching slightly as his brow furrowed. He scratched his head, looking confused.
"There's a familiar scent?!"
Lucy asked worriedly, her voice lowered: "It couldn't be Erza and the others chasing us, right?"
Natsu scratched his head frantically, his hair becoming a mess like a bird's nest.
"No, this scent is very familiar, I just can't remember who it belongs to..."
The Village Chief coughed, drawing everyone's attention back. He took a deep breath, as if making a big decision, and spoke boldly:
"I want to ask you to destroy the moon!"
Gray and Lucy's eyes widened, their jaws nearly hitting the floor.
"How is that even possible?!"
Natsu, on the other hand, waved his burning fists, his eyes shining like two fireballs.
"Oh! Leave it to me!"
Gray took the opportunity to punch him in the head, making him see stars.
"No matter how you look at it, that's impossible! Even if it could be done, we can't! What happens to mooncakes if the moon is gone?!"
Just then, the Moon Drip ceremony at the ruins was activated.
A pillar of dark purple light shot into the sky, and the moon turned even more purple, as if soaked in venom, emitting an eerie glow.
All the villagers demonized; their skin turned grayish-black, their claws lengthened, their fangs protruded, and they let out low growls.
"Awoo..."
Riyao also underwent a full demon transformation. Blending in with the villagers, his growls were louder than anyone's—his acting was top-notch.
Gray looked at the village full of demons with a serious expression and turned to negotiate with the Village Chief.
"Tomorrow, we'll explore the surroundings first. Perhaps something else is affecting this island."
The Village Chief nodded, a glimmer of hope flashing in his cloudy eyes.
Riyao stepped forward and patted his chest, acting like a local expert.
"I've lived on this island for decades and know the surrounding terrain like the back of my hand! I can take you all to explore!"
Gray glanced at him, feeling that this "Klass" was a bit over-enthusiastic, but since there was no better choice at the moment, he nodded.
Riyao's mouth curled up slightly as he thought to himself: Just as planned.
Erza and Mirajane were on their way.
One was thinking about how to deal with those idiots, while the other was wondering what kind of fun Riyao was having.