That Day When Suzuki-kun Wasn't the Mob-B! Chapter 461: The Roar of the Eclipse (Patreon)

"Hmm..."

Finn stared down with mild curiosity at the man he had just cratered into the dungeon floor. Reaching down, he grabbed Future Rogue by his long, dark hair, hoisting him up and completely ignoring the hiss of pain escaping the time traveler's lips. The guy had just manifested with blatant killing intent; Finn wasn't about to show him any hospitality.

"You..."

Blood dripped from Future Rogue's forehead. His eyes, swimming with a volatile mix of hatred and absolute confusion, locked onto Finn. "Who are you...?!"

Finn didn't bother answering. He just casually swung his arm, smashing Future Rogue's head directly into the adjacent stone wall.

BOOOOM!

And he didn't stop at one. Maintaining a perfectly conversational posture, Finn repeatedly slammed the rogue time-traveler's skull into the masonry.

BOOOOM! BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM!

"Where is Mira?" Finn asked over his shoulder, delivering another casual, bone-rattling punch to Rogue's gut.

"Mira-nee stayed behind to fight the Garou Knights," Lisanna answered, watching the brutal, one-sided interrogation with wide eyes.

The Garou Knights? Finn thought for a moment. He recalled the kingdom's elite, shadowy executioners—the wardens of the inescapable Abyss Palace. Their job was to eliminate any lawbreakers thrown into the subterranean caverns. To the general public of Fiore, they were just an urban legend. But Finn, in his capacity as the Chief of the Magic Council's Fiore Branch, knew they were very real. The few times he had crossed paths with them, the kingdom's loyal dogs had been extremely wary of him. Rightfully so.

"Um... is he going to be okay?" Happy asked, sweating nervously as Finn delivered another merciless slap to the time traveler.

"Don't worry about him," Finn replied, not breaking his rhythm. "He just tried to murder your friend. It's a little weird that you're prioritizing his health right now, cat."

"......."

The rescue team fell into a stunned silence. Finn had a point. Future Lucy might have come from a doomed timeline, but she was still Lucy. Seeing a man attempt to assassinate her, only to have the cat worry about the assassin's well-being, left Finn entirely speechless.

Still, his primary focus was on Mirajane. As for Future Rogue? The man wasn't even a warm-up.

"Is Mira going to be okay?" Finn asked.

"Don't worry." Lisanna flashed a confident, bright smile. "Onee-chan isn't weak. To her, those Garou Knights are just small fry."

"Fair enough."

Having lived with Mirajane for months and personally overseen her training, Finn knew exactly how monstrous her demonic forms had become. There was zero need to worry about her safety.

Across the corridor, Future Lucy was sitting on the ground, staring at Finn in a daze. She was entirely lost for words.

Finn, however, turned his attention to the present Lucy. "You need to head to the Eclipse Gate and stop it."

"Eh?" Lucy blinked, pointing a trembling finger at herself. "Me? You mean me?"

She hadn't interacted with Finn very much. The last time they spoke, she had tried to use her feminine charm to seduce him into erasing Fairy Tail's massive debt—an endeavor that had failed miserably. Also, watching him fight right now... why did his movements and suffocating aura feel exactly like the masked master of the Heavenly Blue?

Finn could practically see the gears turning in her head. If he had known exactly what she was thinking, he would have just laughed. He had been the one casually dismantling her guild this entire time.

"Yes, who else?" Finn sighed. "I'll handle the trash down here. You need to move. As a Celestial Spirit mage, there is a specific place you need to be right now, isn't there?"

Lucy stared at him for a long, heavy moment before her expression hardened into pure resolve. She gave a firm nod. "Yes!"

"I'm going to stay here with Finn, Lucy. I want to wait for Onee-chan," Lisanna declared, stepping to Finn's side.

"Understood." Lucy nodded, turning to the others. "Wendy, Happy, Carla—let's go!"

"Yukino, go with them," Finn ordered smoothly.

"Eh?" Yukino jumped slightly at being addressed, but quickly bowed her head. "Yes, understood."

"I will repay you for saving me later! I promise!" Lucy vowed, giving Finn a deep bow before turning on her heel to sprint down the corridor.

"Okay?" Finn watched her go with a slightly weirded-out expression.

Before he could dwell on it, a sharp pinch on his cheek snapped his attention back.

"Don't even think about doing anything perverted with her!" Lisanna pouted, crossing her arms in blatant jealousy.

"Of course not. My focus is entirely on you, Lisanna. I missed you," Finn said smoothly. Leaning in, he uncharacteristically buried his face in the crook of her neck, clinging to her like a giant, affectionate child.

"Hmph~!" Lisanna rolled her eyes, her cheeks dusting pink. She knew he was completely playing around. The mastermind behind Heavenly Blue, the man who had just ruthlessly beaten her entire guild into the dirt, was just teasing her.

"Ah, by the way, what was the final result of our guild's—"

Footsteps echoed wildly as Lucy, Wendy, Carla, and Happy sprinted back around the corner. They all froze instantly, staring in absolute disbelief at Finn shamelessly clinging to Lisanna.

"........"

"Ah... please pretend we aren't here..." Lucy squeaked, her face burning red as she awkwardly tried to back away.

Finn made to stand up, but Lisanna simply wrapped her arms around him, holding him in place as she stared down her guildmates.

Sighing internally, Finn answered the hanging question. "Fairy Tail lost. Heavenly Blue took the championship."

"......"

The group stared at him in silence.

"...Thank you. Please continue with your... business," Lucy mumbled, spinning around and awkwardly speed-walking away with her team in tow.

Once they were gone, Finn remained comfortably wrapped in Lisanna's arms.

"Are you not going to let me go?" Lisanna asked, an amused smirk playing on her lips. "Aren't you embarrassed?"

"No. I really did miss you. I'm not letting go."

"Liar," Lisanna giggled, though she made absolutely no effort to push him away. "By the way, what are you going to do with her?"

She nodded toward the second Lucy.

Future Lucy was still sitting on the cold stone, staring at Finn with confusion, curiosity, and awe.

"You... who are you?"

It was the only question her mind couldn't formulate. In her timeline, Finn did not exist. There was no Heavenly Blue. The Grand Magic Games had played out entirely differently, with Sabertooth as the primary hurdle, not this unfathomable monster standing before her. Her past had been completely rewritten, and she was drowning in the sheer impossibility of it.

"That should be my question," Finn replied, making no move to untangle himself from Lisanna. "Who are you? Are you from another world?"

"Hmm?" Lisanna tilted her head, staring at the second Lucy with sudden understanding. Having been trapped in the parallel world of Edolas for years, the concept of alternate-world counterparts was entirely normal to her.

"I..." Future Lucy stammered, completely unsure of how to explain the horrors of her timeline.

But before she could speak—

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

A roar tore through the air, echoing violently through the caverns. The stone walls trembled, dust raining from the ceiling as an immense, unfathomable magical pressure crashed down upon the capital.

In that single, terrifying second, everyone in the city felt it.

The era of dragons had arrived.