"I'll take a portion of the Jewel Meat. I plan to go deeper into the other area of Biotope 1 for more ingredients. You all can return first."
Zed severed a third of the glowing Jewel Meat, storing it in his Cell Space. The group nodded. While his contribution warranted far more, Zed adhered to IGO's territorial claim.
As they exited the labyrinth, Mirajane stifled her awe. The fleshy walls, the cavernous scale—it all made sense now. The maze was inside a living, mountain-sized Regal Mammoth. Even for a Fairy Tail wizard, the beast's size was staggering.
"Toriko! Sunny!"
A voice echoed across the plateau. Coco, the fourth of the Four Heavenly Kings, stood beside a hulking violet-black crow.
"Coco-san!" Komatsu beamed. Their bond, forged in the Cavern Lagoon, remained unshaken.
Coco eyed the incomplete Jewel Meat. "Why's a third missing?"
"Zed took it," Sunny explained. "He's hunting other ingredients here."
Rin gestured to the motionless Regal Mammoth. "What about this giant?"
"Knocking wears off in about two hours," Zed had assured earlier. "By then, its cub will return. No need to worry, Predators here won't dare approach a Kilometer-Class Beast."
Zed withheld releasing the Regal Mammoth's knocking. If the enraged parent leapt from the plateau, the ecological devastation below would be catastrophic. Two hours granted allow the cub to return in time and the beast's fury to subside.
"The cub's tests are done. There is no Jewel Meat yet. They planned to release it, and it'll return soon," Coco assured, his violet crow preening nearby.
"Then we part ways here." Zed nodded, guiding Tatsu and the others away.
Zed's Group – Later
"Thank you… for earlier." Mirajane's voice wavered as they rode Tatsu. Toriko's Gourmet Cell-fueled aura had rattled her—a reminder of her own sealed magic.
"Explain your situation," Zed said, cutting to the chase.
Mirajane recounted her world—Fairy Tail, magic guilds, and her Takeover Magic—but her tone faltered when she mentioned her self-imposed seals.
"Takeover Magic? Like… transforming into creatures?" Erina Nakiri leaned forward, childhood fantasies of sorcery rekindled.
"Yes, but… I can't use it anymore." Mirajane's hands clenched, memories of Lisanna's disappearance and her own failures flickering behind her eyes.
Zed understood. This Mirajane hadn't yet faced Laxus's rebellion or reclaimed her power. Her magic lay dormant but not lost, shackled by guilt.