"Young one, you've already fallen into a misconception. Power comes in many forms, and a transaction isn't that simple. You understand what I mean, don't you?" said the God of Truth.
"To think that someone as meticulous as you, a mere child, would be so careless in defining the very concept of strength… I can't help but feel disappointed," the God of Truth continued, his tone tinged with regret.
In that instant, Noel grasped the meaning behind the god's words. A true exchange could only occur once every item on the table had been laid bare.
Power… that word was merely a placeholder. If Noel wanted this transaction to be valid, he had to give it boundaries, to define what kind of strength he sought.
The deal was still underway. Noel's nerves were taut, his entire being on edge. One could never afford carelessness when dealing with the God of Truth—just a single slip might condemn him to eternal ruin.
"I want the power to defeat Jose," Noel said after a moment of careful thought.
"The power to defeat Jose…?" The God of Truth seemed to ponder this deeply, withholding his reply.
After a long silence, he finally spoke. "The transaction is complete."
At once, the elements around them surged wildly toward Noel. Even the surrounding darkness was drawn into his body.
His broken frame began to mend, his wounds knitting themselves shut. Noel marveled at the transformation. So this… this is the power to defeat Jose?
At the same time, he became sharply aware of the vast gulf that had separated him from the Ten Saints. Moments ago, his strength had been laughably frail in comparison.
"What's going on… boy?" Jose stared at the changes overtaking Noel, a flicker of unease creeping into his expression. Just moments earlier, Noel's aura had been pitifully weak—yet now, it surged to a level equal to his own.
No—perhaps even greater.
In the span of a single breath, Noel's presence had multiplied to such a degree. Could that be possible? Surely it had to be a bluff. He was just a child, after all. Jose forced himself to believe it—because if he didn't, his faith in himself would collapse.
He had trained in magic for countless years to attain his current mastery. And yet, before his very eyes, this boy had leapt to the same level in an instant—perhaps even surpassed it.
Anyone would falter at such a sight. Was their lifelong struggle truly meaningful?
But Jose quickly steeled his heart. Makarov was already dealt with. As long as he crushed the boy before him, it would all be over.
Besides, Noel had only just acquired this surge of power. His control over it was bound to be shaky. That was the difference experience made—an advantage Noel could never bridge in an instant. Sometimes, raw strength alone was not enough.
Indeed, when too much magic was taken in all at once, it could even spiral out of control.
Still, Jose could not deny the pressure pressing down on him. Just standing there, he felt as though a mountain weighed upon his chest.
To counteract it, he unleashed a torrent of his own sinister magic, forcing it outward from his body.
The two unseen forces clashed in the air, colliding again and again. The walls of the control chamber groaned and cracked beneath the overwhelming pressure.
"I hadn't expected Fairy Tail to be hiding so many secrets," Jose said, his lips curled into a perpetual smile.
He wore the expression of a man in total command, as though nothing could shake him—even now, facing Noel's transformation. His twisted features, always smiling, made him appear all the more sinister.
"Makarov, Erza, Mystogan, Laxus, Gildarts… and now you."
"In just a few short years, Fairy Tail has grown at a staggering pace. A worthless guild, weak to the core—what gives you the right to stand equal to Phantom Lord? What gives you the right to be hailed as one of the two great guilds of this nation?"
Jose's gaze bored into Noel, filled with fury and resentment.
"So this is your true motive? You waged this war out of sheer jealousy?" Noel could hardly comprehend such a ridiculous reason.
Meanwhile, his comrades in Fairy Tail were battered and bloodied, their guild master lying bedridden. And all of it… because of this man's envy.
The magic radiating from Jose swelled even further, spreading across the chamber. "Your magic may be vast, but your experience is lacking," he taunted.
Noel knew there was truth in those words. But he also knew the basics—enough to stand his ground.
Driving his newfound power to its limits, Noel pushed back against the crushing pressure of Jose's aura.
Their magic clashed once more, colliding in a fierce stalemate.
But it could not last. The titanic forces ravaged the control chamber from within. Explosions erupted through the magic giant's core. Walls that had only been cracked before now crumbled away piece by piece.
The fissure in the ceiling widened, stones breaking loose and crashing to the floor, gouging craters where they landed.
"You're mistaken about one thing," Jose sneered. "It isn't jealousy. Phantom Lord deserves its status. Fairy Tail is nothing but trash."
Noel's words had struck a nerve.
With a sudden move, Jose broke away from the magical deadlock. If he let it continue, he knew he would eventually be forced into retreat.
Slashing his right hand from left to right, a streak of black ghostlight flared beneath Noel's feet.
BOOM!
Everything touched by the ghostlight was severed. Jose's twisted grin widened. "I only wanted to measure the line between strength and weakness!"
"Specter Arrows!"
With a casual wave, Jose unleashed a storm of black arrows, ricocheting violently through the chamber.
The moment Jose attacked, Noel had already read their trajectory.
With a flash of emerald light, he darted through them all, not a single arrow finding its mark. Using the swiftness of the wind, Noel closed the distance in the blink of an eye.
The wind blade in his hand gleamed as he drove it straight for Jose's heart.
But Jose merely shifted with effortless composure, catching the blade between his bare hands.
"How… how is that possible?"
Noel had never seen such a thing—someone stopping a wind-forged blade with nothing but their palms.
Then he realized: the wind was corroding. Jose's hands were shrouded in dark magic, eroding the attack.
"Now you can't escape," Jose declared. From his fingers, five beams of black energy burst forth, streaking toward Noel.
In an instant, Noel's spell was unraveled, his movements bound. Suspended midair, he had no way to dodge.
The beams struck too swiftly to evade. But as they slammed into him, a faint azure membrane of energy shimmered around his body, absorbing the impact. Though unscathed, Noel was hurled violently across the chamber, crashing into the ground.
"To last this long against me… you're impressive," Jose admitted, watching Noel struggle back to his feet.
"So it was you who stopped Jupiter earlier. And now, even after that, you still wield such power. Someone like you—remaining unknown until now—is remarkable."
He smirked, brushing off Noel's defiance. "I'll admit, your magic has barely reached the level of the Ten Saints. But to fight me? You're still far too green."
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