Chapter 277: The Five vs. Jose (Part 2)
Cana finished shouting to Erza and immediately rushed toward Jose.
Jose spun around, seeing Cana already in his face. A terrifying sense of danger radiated from the girl. He frantically gathered his magic to defend, but it was too late.
"Taught by Gildarts himself! The Ultimate Disassembly Magic: Crash!"
Cana's fist, wreathed in white light, shot upward in an uppercut, connecting solidly with Jose's abdomen.
A massive pillar of light erupted from her fist, completely engulfing Jose.
The pillar extended diagonally upward, blasting a gigantic hole through the roof of the room. Everything the light touched wasn't destroyed in an explosion—it was simply disassembled, vanishing into nothingness. The shockwave from the magic instantly cleared the surrounding area, blowing away ice and stone.
After casting the spell, Cana's legs gave out, and she nearly collapsed.
Erza rushed to her side, supporting her and helping her retreat to a safe distance.
The pillar of light faded. Smoke and dust filled the area, obscuring Jose's location.
Ultear and the others didn't dare relax. They wanted to press their advantage.
"Ice God's North Wind!"
Cana, leaning on Erza for support, took a few breaths before pulling out another card. She slashed it through the air, and a magic circle appeared. A howling, freezing wind blasted toward the cloud of smoke.
After casting, Cana nearly fell again, bracing herself against a wall. She panted heavily, her eyes fixed on where Jose had been. She had faith in the magic Gildarts had taught her, but her opponent was a Wizard Saint, and she wasn't Gildarts. She had no idea how effective it had been.
The cold wind blew the smoke away, revealing Jose.
His clothes were in tatters, only his undershirt remaining intact. Blood trickled from several wounds on his body.
His face was twisted in a grotesque mask of rage, and his aura fluctuated wildly. He had expended a massive amount of magic to defend against Cana's attack. Even though Cana's mastery wasn't perfect, it had still cost him dearly to block it. His condition had deteriorated significantly, and he was injured.
"You brats—"
He tried to speak, but the freezing wind slammed into his face, stiffening his body and choking off his words.
"Soul Extinguisher!"
"Thunder Empress's Spear!"
A powerful dark shockwave and a massive bolt of lightning struck Jose simultaneously.
BOOM!
A violent explosion threw ice shards and brick fragments everywhere. The shockwave slammed into the walls, deepening the cracks in the ice.
Mirajane and Erza had no intention of chatting. Jose was injured and vulnerable; they were going to hit him with everything they had.
"Ice-Make: Rose Crown!"
Thorns of ice erupted from the ground, slamming into Jose. Countless shards of ice flew off as they shattered against his body. Ultear had poured a massive amount of magic into the spell, yet the roses shattered upon impact, a testament to the force of the blow.
"Angel of Sunlight!"
As soon as Ultear's spell ended, Sorano's followed. A blinding beam of light engulfed Jose completely.
BOOM!
Another massive explosion rocked the room, shroudng Jose in smoke once more.
The shockwaves battered the room, finally shattering the ice on the walls and ceiling. Huge chunks of ice rained down, caught by the blast wind and turned into deadly projectiles.
"Ice-Make: Ice Wall!"
Ultear instantly erected a wall of ice to protect the five of them from the shrapnel.
Clink! Clink! Clink!
The ice shards embedded themselves in the wall. When the wind finally died down, the wall crumbled, revealing the five women, all panting heavily.
On the other side, Jose reappeared. He was breathing hard, his aura weaker than before. His clothes were reduced to strips of cloth, and his Wizard Saint badge was gone.
A flash of magic light enveloped him, and he instantly changed into a fresh set of clothes.
"You've really... really done well!!!"
Although he had changed his clothes, his face was still dirty. His weakened aura and rapid breathing betrayed his poor condition.
Suddenly, the room began to shake violently. Explosions echoed from nearby, getting louder and more intense. The walls, already damaged from the battle, began to crumble, large stones falling from the ceiling.
"That dragon really knows how to cause a ruckus..."
Jose's magic began to rise again, his aura climbing.
Ultear and the others immediately took defensive stances, but they were smiling.
"Natsu's destructive power is as impressive as ever."
"Sounds like he beat the Iron Dragon."
"Good job."
"We can't lose to him."
Hearing their comments, Jose's expression darkened even further.
But then, he smiled again. "Hmph! Your magic is truly impressive. This is the first time I've ever been pushed this far."
His magic power continued to rise.
"Thinking that there are more than just five wizards like you in Makarov's guild... just the thought of it makes me furious!"
Jose thrust his right hand forward, firing ghost-like projectiles at the five women. They leaped away to dodge.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions rocked the spots where they had just been standing.
"I originally planned to attack your guild to lure Makarov here, into a trap I had prepared. I didn't expect you to see through it so easily."
Five magic spheres appeared at Jose's fingertips, firing rapidly at Ultear and the others.
The women, having just unleashed their strongest spells, were drained. They had recovered slightly, but only enough to dodge, not to counter-attack.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions chased them around the room. They focused on evasion, desperately trying to recover their magic and stamina.
"Heh heh heh... But it's not too late. If I kill you all here, Makarov will be devastated. He'll lose his reason. Then he'll walk right into my trap. His life will be in my hands. I will give that man despair and sorrow, and then I will kill him! I won't make it quick! I will torture him until he begs for death!"
Jose's voice rose to a shout, his face twisting into an evil grin.
"Despicable!"
"Disgusting!"
"Pervert!"
"Vicious!"
"What a complete bastard!"
Ultear and the others shouted back as they dodged.
"Phantom Lord has always been the number one guild in the kingdom! We have the most magic power, the best talent, and the most funds!"
Jose ignored their insults, continuing to fire his magic bullets as he ranted.
"But in the last few years, Fairy Tail has expanded rapidly. Laxus, Ultear, Erza, Mirajane, Sorano, Mystogan... your names have reached even my city. The rumors of the Fire Dragon have spread across the country. Before I knew it, Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord became the 'two great guilds' representing this kingdom. It's infuriating! You were just a trash, weak little guild!"
Jose's voice dripped with malice.
"Shut up!"
Anger fueled their recovery. Ultear and the others launched five different attacks simultaneously.
BOOM!
This time, Erza's sword didn't slow him down. Jose vanished, dodging their combined assault, and reappeared in the distance.
"Are you saying this war was started over your petty jealousy?!" Erza shouted, firing a bolt of lightning from her spear.
"Jealousy? Wrong! I wanted to make the difference between us clear!"
Jose sidestepped the lightning.
"How pathetic. Starting a war for such a stupid reason. I can't believe the Master of Phantom Lord is such a boring, jealous man," Sorano said, shaking her head. Her angel fired a beam of light.
Jose dodged again. He extended his right hand, a magic circle appearing. A swarm of ghost-like spirits shot toward the women.
"Evil Spark!"
Mirajane took to the air, hurling several dark magic spheres that collided with the ghosts.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The explosions destroyed the spirits mid-air. Mirajane landed, conserving her magic. Flying took energy she couldn't spare.
~~~
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