After the flaming whirlwind storm passed, all that remained was utter devastation.
Azuma lay on the scorched earth, covered in wood ash. The residual heat from the high-temperature explosion acted like a natural catalyst, sprouting saplings from his dilapidated body, whose life force had become extremely weak.
"So this is... a strike infused with the will to protect?" He looked up at Mira, who had returned to her normal state and walked to his side, completely convinced. "A truly beautiful and flawless power. You win, Demon Mirajane."
Mira didn't reply. She simply watched silently as the man was slowly swallowed by the crazily growing branches.
In terms of pure power, Lost Magic was far stronger than contemporary mainstream magic. But correspondingly, the risks were also higher than ordinary magic. Take Zoldeo's Human Subordination, for example—once you broke the taboo, there was no salvation.
Even Dragon Slayer Magic, like that used by Natsu and Gajeel, could turn its user into a cold-blooded, emotionless "dragon" like Acnologia if overused.
And Azuma's fate for using power beyond his limits was to turn into a tree and return to nature.
It was an irreversible negative effect.
"As thanks for this exhilarating battle..." Azuma turned his head to look at the battlefield ahead of the dark castle, where magic power was raging. "While there's still time, take as many of your comrades as you can and run, Demon Mirajane."
"Master Hades's terror... is far beyond your imagination."
With that, his consciousness completely faded. His entire body was buried by the tree.
"Just as you believe in Hades, I also firmly believe in Chase and everyone's power," Mira said quietly in response to the tree. Then, dragging her exhausted body, she turned and walked away.
The battle was far from over. She had to support the other fronts. Doing so would not only help her gather information on the battle situation and ensure her comrades' safety.
It would also virtually lighten the burden Chase had to bear.
Sabertooth Guild Hall.
A high wall of ice had been erected, cordoning off a separate area, completely isolated from the surrounding bustling town streets.
Outside the ice wall, the mages of Sabertooth gathered together, watching the massive explosions sounding from within with worried eyes.
Wendy, Carla, Minerva, and the others were also among them.
That level of battle was completely beyond their ability to intervene. Even Wendy's enchantment magic wouldn't be of much use. Forcing themselves to stay and fight would only hold everyone back and expose more openings!
All they could do was evacuate the surrounding residents as much as possible, preventing innocent people from being caught in the crossfire.
Protecting the residents and the town the guild called home was the duty and responsibility of a mage guild.
As for why they hadn't evacuated in advance, as Ur had judged, the enemy's goal was very clear: to capture her.
If she ran, the ones in the most danger would be precisely the guild and the town!
Back when it was still ostensibly a legal guild, Phantom Lord had dared to launch the forbidden magic "Purgatory Break" at Magnolia just to weaken Fairy Tail's fighting strength. So a dark guild unfettered by rules and laws would be even worse.
As long as this remained the place where Ur lived, they would have countless cruel ways to force her to show herself!
This was what was commonly known as "you can run, but you can't hide."
In the safety zone far from the ice wall, the evacuated residents gathered in small groups, their expressions filled with anxiety.
"To be targeted by those thugs from a dark guild..."
"I heard the enemy is a quite terrifying wanted criminal. Can Miss Ur handle them alone?"
"Dammit! Why hasn't the Magic Council's peacekeeping force arrived yet?!"
From the residents' whispered comments, it was clear that they didn't bear much resentment about the dark guild attacking. Instead, they were somewhat worried about Ur's safety.
The reason was simple.
After Ur took over Sabertooth, the first thing she did was clean up the dangerous magical beasts that had gathered around the town. She was also gentle and kind in her daily dealings with people, a stark contrast to the bullying Jieman.
Moreover, the gradually developing Sabertooth had indeed brought many benefits and security to the town.
Of course, there were also some annoying changes, like the mysterious appearance of perverted naked men randomly spawning in town.
But overall, the residents' recognition of Sabertooth was quite high.
Inside the towering ice wall.
Chaotic magic power filled the entire area. The guild hall, which had been renovated not long ago, had already been reduced to ruins. Rubble stretched as far as the eye could see.
Amidst the ruins, two figures stood facing each other.
"Ur, the mage who once enjoyed fame on the northern continent..." Bluenote's expression was excited and manic. He exerted force, shattering the ice frozen around his arm, revealing his chiseled muscles. "Not bad, not bad! You can fly even higher than that, can't you?!"
A surge of magical power exploded. Gravity magic instantly spread to Ur's location, effortlessly flipping an entire chunk of earth into the air. It floated in midair like a small inverted mountain!
Immediately after, the gravity magic was lifted. The massive weight cast a pitch-black shadow as it plummeted, with Ur "upside down" on top of it.
"Ice-Make: Earth Pillar!"
Ur slammed her fists together, summoning three giant ice pillars that reached down to the deep crater in the ground, propping up the falling mountain.
At the same time, an Ice-Make magic array bloomed in the air. Ur clenched her right fist, condensing an ice gauntlet. She stepped on an ice shield for leverage and dove down toward Bluenote.
Before the attack landed, the freezing cold arrived first, forming dense frost around Bluenote as if trying to freeze the very blood in his veins.
But Bluenote was completely unfazed. He grinned and stepped forward heavily, clenching his fist and choosing to meet it head-on.
CRASH!!
The ice-covered fist and the gravity-enhanced fist collided. In an instant, ice fragments flew, gravity dispersed, and a shockwave swept across the entire area!
After the storm passed, Ur landed steadily. Bluenote, however, staggered back two steps.
"I... am at a disadvantage?" Bluenote's pupils contracted as he stared blankly at his right arm, which was stiff from the cold.
When he had received the mission to capture Ur from Hades, he, who thought he was above everyone else, hadn't really taken it seriously. He had treated it as a relaxing trip.
After all, no matter how famous Ur had been in the past, the long gap caused by sealing Deliora was an undeniable fact. He didn't think he could fail against someone from over a decade ago.
That was why, now that he was being suppressed, he had such an incredulous, dull expression on his face.
That's impossible, right?
It shouldn't be like this!!
In contrast to the destructive magic clash between Ur and Bluenote, the battle in the corner of the ice wall between Gray, Juvia, and Meredy was much calmer.
That's right. The "little brat with short pink hair" the Sabertooth mage had mentioned appearing with Bluenote was precisely the last of the Seven Kin—Meredy!
"Even though your feelings for Ultear are so genuine, why are you doing this?" Gray asked, raising his wrist, which bore pink magical markings.
The Lost Magic Meredy used, Maguilty Sense, could link the bodies, senses, and even lives of three people together through a sensory connection, achieving a "glory to all, loss to all" effect. If necessary, she could even forcibly trade one for two!
"Even though she is the mother Ultear loves most, if I don't bring Ur back to the guild, Master Hades will kill Ultear..." A flicker of tangle flashed in Meredy's eyes, then disappeared. Her expression became supremely determined. "So, I have to do this!"
When Ultear had returned to Grimoire Heart, knowing the depth of her sins, she had proactively confessed everything to Meredy: She was the one who had destroyed Meredy's hometown and killed Meredy's family!
Similar to the original story's development, through the sensory link of Maguilty Sense, Meredy had deeply felt Ultear's regret and her willingness to die. In the end, she chose to forgive this "enemy" who had become like a mother to her.
Thus, not wanting to lose a family member again, she had volunteered to Hades and taken on the mission to capture Ur alongside Bluenote.
She wanted to see the mother Ultear loved so much with her own eyes, but she also had to ensure the capture mission went off without a hitch. At the same time, she was worried that the brutal Bluenote might hurt Ur.
This seemingly contradictory, complex state of mind was precisely the true portrayal of Meredy's inner feelings at that moment.
"I think Ultear probably wouldn't want you to do this, would she?" Juvia asked.
"Then what other choice do I have?!"
Hearing this, Meredy's repressed emotions exploded. She pointed at Gray and shouted, "If the person locked up in Grimoire Heart's dungeon was him, what would you do?!"
Juvia briefly put herself in Meredy's situation and was immediately speechless. She quietly lowered her head.
If Gray-sama were in danger, she would be even more crazy!
Gray stepped forward very thoughtfully, standing in front of the flustered Juvia, his expression firm. "The old man and Chase have already gone to fight. I believe in them."
"No, it's impossible. You don't know how terrifying Master Hades truly is."
An image of Hades's unfathomable back appeared before Meredy's eyes. She gently shook her head and sighed. "There's no one in this world who can defeat him..."
Just as Gray was about to retort, he was startled by a sudden explosion of magical impact.
He looked up sharply to see Bluenote with his fingers interlocked, pointing at Ur. Between them, a dark purple sphere, compressed from highly concentrated magic power, hovered. It released a black hole-like gravity, wildly devouring the surrounding debris and ice shards.
Even the ice wall Ur had created to
protect the town was cracking and collapsing under this horrifying gravity!
"Ahahaha! Fly! Fly!" Bluenote screamed crazily.
The gravitational field expanded again, beginning to ripple to the surrounding buildings, with a continuing trend of diffusion.
The entire town trembled slightly under Bluenote's magic power. It was like a small earthquake!
"You bastard! Stop! You'll destroy the town!" Ur was greatly shocked.
"Heh. Try to protect it if you can!"
"Absorbing and destroying everything... Infinite Gravity Field: Super Gravity Ball!!"
A sinister smile curled at the corner of Bluenote's mouth as he released the full energy of the dark purple sphere without hesitation.
Using the entire town as a hostage to force Ur to take this attack head-on—that was precisely his goal, having realized he was at a disadvantage!
"Gray! Protect your wife!"
Knowing it was a trap, but with the safety of the entire town at stake, Ur had no choice but to bravely jump in. She slammed her hands on the ground, unleashing her strongest spell, betting all her magic power.
"Ice-Make: Rose Garden!!"
WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH.
Exquisite, translucent ice roses bloomed, instantly covering the entire battlefield and forming a buffer zone with strong defensive capabilities.
The next second, deep within the rose garden, a dazzling light filled with the aura of destruction lit up, and an earth-shattering explosion roared!!
As the commotion gradually dissipated, Gray removed the massive ice shield that had been protecting him, Juvia, and Meredy.
What first met his eyes was a sky full of swirling ice shards.
The bustling town streets had been completely leveled to the ground—but only within the area that had been surrounded by the ice wall. The buildings farther away and the onlooking residents were unharmed. Not even a window pane had been shattered.
"Ur?! Where's Ur?!" Gray's expression was panicked. Soon, he saw Ur's figure within the lingering smoke.
Ur was kneeling on one knee, her breathing rhythm was extremely disordered. Her overall condition looked quite bad.
If this had been an open-field encounter, she would have had countless ways to evade or neutralize Bluenote's killing move. But to block the excess energy from ripple-ing the town, she had been forced to take his full-powered attack!
It was like an enemy throwing a grenade, and instead of diving for cover, you had to spread your arms and pull it tight against your chest!
One could imagine the magic power consumption.
"What a shame. If you had abandoned those ridiculous weaklings, you could have flown away," Bluenote said, approaching Ur like a victor.
Gray and Juvia, of course, couldn't just stand by and watch. Even Wendy, Minerva, and the others in the distance charged toward Bluenote.
Even Meredy started moving.
But Bluenote merely gave a glance, and the instantly intensified gravity suppressed everyone, firmly pinning them to the ground, unable to move.
The gap between them was simply too great!
"I had a lot of fun, but that look in your eyes... really pisses me off," Bluenote said, arriving before Ur, who was pinned down by the gravity field. "Master Hades only said to bring you back, so..."
"Scooping out an eye or breaking a leg or two... that should be fine, right?"
With that, his face twisted with cruelty as he slowly reached for Ur.
Ur was unafraid. Her beautiful eyes fixed intently on the fingers slowly growing larger in her pupils.
"Summon Lightning's Fate!"
Just as an air of despair was spreading across the scene, a Tarot card flew in from the side, erupting with lightning power to attack Bluenote.
"There's another strong one?" Bluenote casually threw a horizontal gravity wave, which instantly distorted the lightning and deflected it.
"No, that's not it. Such weak magic power can hardly be called—"
Before the taunting words were finished, another figure charged in from the front.
Bluenote dismissed it with a sneer, trying to use the same horizontal gravity wave to swat the person away.
But this time, it didn't go so smoothly. Heavy steel combat boots directly shattered the gravity field, stepping precisely on his face and sending him flying hundreds of meters!
A tattered cape fluttered. Looking up at the tall back that had suddenly appeared before her, Ur's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Are you... Gildarts?"
Scenes from their encounter years ago in the northern country flashed through her mind, stirring many emotions.
"Yo! Long time no see, Uru." Gildarts turned his head back, grinning as he greeted her.
"It's Ur." Ur was speechless.
"Oh, right, right! Anyway, the old man told me about you. But wow, you're amazing! You really look exactly the same as before! No, wait—now's not the time to catch up!"
Gildarts suddenly remembered the situation. He looked up at Bluenote, who was angrily walking out of the collapsed rubble.
Ur: You'd be better off not talking. At least then you'd still look cool!
"Ooh! As expected of Gildarts, destroying a whole street the moment he appears!" Gray, freed from gravity's restraint, cheered happily.
"Dammit! That damned blonde has already started subtly influencing Gray-sama, hasn't she?!" Juvia gritted her teeth in frustration.
She was referring to how Gray's remark had sounded a bit like Lucy's complaining style.
No matter the crisis or the enemy, as long as Gildarts was there, it meant absolute safety. So, the two of them's tight nerves naturally relaxed.
Not far away, Wendy, her face lit up with joy, looked at Cana and asked curiously, "Cana-san, how did you two end up here?"
Cana smiled and held up a Tarot card with contact function between her fingers. "Chase over at Grimoire Heart noticed that their vice-master wasn't there. He guessed the guy might have come here, so he urgently contacted me and my dad."
"Hey! Women, children, and my precious daughter, all of you stay back!"
Gildarts interrupted the conversation between Cana and Wendy.
A surging magical power roared forth, enveloping him completely. He looked like a primal beast about to snap.
Walking toward him, Bluenote radiated an equally terrifying oppressive aura. "Gidarts... I know you. Fairy Tail's strongest mage!"
"You dared to hurt my comrades and my old friend. I trust you've already prepared yourself to die, haven't you?"
"Can you fly higher?"
BAM!
Bathed in waves of magic power, the two men slammed their foreheads together heavily!
***
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