"BOOM!"
With a deafening explosion, Mirajane's body was sent flying backward.
Despite having activated Satan Soul and entered her battle form, she still appeared rather disheveled.
In her "Demon State," Mirajane possessed incredible speed, formidable physical strength, and an immense amount of magic power.
This ability was practically cheating—a testament to the might of Take Over Magic.
Take Over Magic was akin to capturing a powerful "Pokémon"—once you seized a strong one, your strength would undergo a qualitative leap.
However, the prerequisite for such a transformation and power boost was that the Mage employing Take Over Magic could actually control the Pokémon.
If they failed, the Mage would instead face mortal danger, potentially falling victim to Reverse Take Over.
A Mage subjected to "Reverse Take Over" would become a vessel for the magic beast, absorbed into its body, with all their skills serving as nothing more than a dowry for the beast.
Someone like Mirajane was exceptionally lucky and gifted.
Otherwise, when she—completely ignorant at the time—attempted to Take Over a demon, the outcome should have been her being Reverse Taken Over, becoming part of the demon itself.
Instead, she succeeded in Taking Over the demon outright, with only a portion of its power leaking uncontrollably.
That "Demon Hand" of hers had manifested precisely because she had been resisting the demon's power.
Had she understood magic from the start, she might not have struggled to suppress it at all.
Mirajane, who had naturally awakened Take Over Magic, indeed possessed an absurdly overpowered Take Over ability—one that defied all reason.
Yet, even in her demonic form, Mirajane had been defeated.
Despite her overall enhancement of physical abilities and magic power, she had failed to display her true prowess against the frenzied Beast King.
"This thing is stronger than I imagined."
Clambering up from the ground, Mirajane wore a grim expression.
She had already sensed it—this Beast King wasn't just any "King of Kings."
This was the genuine "King of the Beast Kings!"
The monster exuded overwhelming pressure, its magic power vast and dense, even surpassing Mirajane's own and leaving her thoroughly battered.
"We've encountered the worst-case scenario!"
Elfman bravely stepped in front of Mirajane, ready to endure the monster's attacks to buy his sister a chance to catch her breath!
The colossal creature before them made Elfman grit his teeth.
Against such a foe, surviving even a few strikes would be a feat in itself.
No one had expected they would actually run into the cream of the crop among "Beast Kings"—it was like drawing the worst possible lot in a lottery.
"ROAR!!!"
The "Beast King" advanced toward the siblings, letting out a thunderous roar before swinging its massive arm. Elfman resisted with all his might, but alas, he was still sent flying by a single swipe.
"Elfman! Damn it!"
Watching her brother get knocked away, Mirajane burned with fury.
Her eyes locked onto the monster before her—this Beast King had dark red fur, so deep it verged on purple and black, and its massive frame was crowned by two long, thick horns.
"RAAAAH!!!"
Though the enemy was formidable and its oppressive aura overwhelming, Mira would not back down.
She charged once more toward the King of the Beast Kings.
"BOOM!!!"
Mirajane continuously fired dark magic missiles, the purple Magic Missiles striking the upright Beast King and exploding into bursts of fireworks.
Unfortunately, they didn't deal much damage to the Beast King, as all the attacks were blocked by its immense magic power.
"Whoosh!"
The Beast King swung its massive paw at Mirajane, but she nimbly dodged.
Flapping her wings, she suddenly accelerated, constantly changing her position in the air to evade the Beast King's attacks.
Though the "Beast King" had a massive body, its attack speed was anything but slow.
Mirajane had to stay extremely focused while flying, as she could be swatted away at any moment.
"BOOM!"
As expected, while Mirajane darted around, relentlessly bombarding the Beast King, her attacks proved largely ineffective.
Instead, she was struck again by the Beast King and sent crashing hard onto the ground.
"Elfman, run!"
Mirajane had barely managed to stand up, her body wracked with pain, when her eyes widened in shock.
Elfman, who had just been knocked away, had once again stepped forward to block the Beast King.
"I won't let you hurt my sister!"
Though Elfman's face was bruised and swollen, his injuries didn't seem too severe—a benefit of his sturdy physique.
Clearly, Elfman had no intention of listening to Mirajane.
If anyone was going to run, it would be her.
He was determined to stay behind and hold off the enemy, keeping his promise to protect his sister no matter what.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The "Beast King" decided to honor Elfman's loyalty by pummeling him relentlessly, leaving the young man utterly helpless.
"That stubborn fool!"
Mirajane forced herself up, ready to rejoin the fight.
She couldn't just stand by and watch her brother take all the hits alone.
The siblings coordinated well, taking turns to bear the brunt of the attacks so neither would remain the Beast King's sole target for too long.
Unfortunately, Elfman's strength was lacking, and he couldn't hold out for long before being beaten into submission.
"BOOM!"
Mirajane took to the skies again, trying to divert the pressure from her brother.
She unleashed a barrage of attacks, bombarding the Beast King in hopes of drawing its attention away from Elfman.
But this time, her efforts were in vain.
The Beast King seemed to have made up its mind—it wanted to take down one of them first, and Elfman was clearly the easier target.
"Damn it!!!"
With the Beast King refusing to switch targets, Mirajane grew increasingly desperate.
She could only intensify her attacks, pouring everything she had into assaulting the monster.
"ROAR!!!"
The Beast King roared in pain, clearly hurt by her relentless assault.
Yet it remained steadfast, continuing to pummel Elfman without mercy.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!!"
As Mirajane escalated her bombardment, Elfman, lying battered in the crater, began struggling to save himself.
Without hesitation, Elfman initiated a Take Over of the massive beast.
He had no choice—he had come to terms with the reality that if this beating continued, he wouldn't last much longer.
If things kept going, he might end up as nothing more than a bloody pulp.
The arrow was on the bowstring, and there was no turning back.
Elfman threw a heavy punch without hesitation, determined to Take Over the colossal beast in a desperate attempt to end the battle by controlling the Beast King.
"It's impossible..."
Marco shook his head at the sight.
Under these circumstances, there was no way Elfman could successfully perform a Take Over.
The Beast King was clearly stronger than Elfman, making it nearly impossible for him to suppress the monster.
Sure enough, after Elfman activated Take Over, the Beast King stiffened momentarily as if forcibly immobilized—but it showed no signs of being absorbed into Elfman's body.
Instead, Elfman was the one who got sucked inside.
The good news was that they didn't have to worry about being pounded into paste for now.
The bad news was that Elfman might end up being absorbed as nutrients by the Beast King.