Chapter 279: Noah vs. Jose
"It's simple. My strength is decent, so Gramps left this to me," Noah said.
"You're handling it? Who do you think you are? You are facing a Wizard Saint!" Jose mocked, though he was happy to stall.
"Remember what we said earlier?" Sorano chimed in. "We said there were three others with Wizard Saint-level power in our guild. Noah is one of them."
"Hah? Wasn't that just a bluff?"
"Of course not. You just didn't want to believe it," Mirajane said with a smile.
Jose looked at Ultear and the others. They were calm. They hadn't denied Sorano or Mirajane's words. In fact, the moment Noah arrived, they had completely relaxed, even though Jose was still standing right there.
That meant they trusted Noah absolutely. They believed he could fight a Wizard Saint.
Jose glanced at Natsu, Gray, and Elfman. Natsu was stronger than Gajeel, but not by much. He wasn't a threat.
So the only reason Ultear's group was relaxed was Noah.
The realization made Jose's face twist.
If what they said was true... if Fairy Tail had someone besides Makarov who could match him... then his boasts about Phantom Lord being number one made him look like a clown.
Forget funds; if they had another Wizard Saint-level mage, Phantom Lord wasn't number one in magic or talent, either. None of his own guild members were anywhere near that level.
And after seeing the strength of Ultear's group, he knew no one in Phantom could match them, either.
Jose couldn't accept it. He couldn't believe that the title he prided himself on had been a lie for years.
"I don't believe it! Impossible!"
Jose's magic flared. Debris floated into the air around him.
"Heh. If you claim to have the strength to stop me, then prove it. They trust you so much... you must be important. If I kill you, Makarov will suffer even more!"
Jose grinned maniacally.
"Oh? We're starting?" Noah said calmly. "It's been a while since I've had a real fight. I hope you can surprise me."
Noah's magic flared as well. Golden light surged from him, lifting debris into the air.
The room began to shake. Then the entire Magic Giant trembled.
The pressure from their magic clashed in the air, creating shockwaves. Wind whipped through the room, sending debris flying at Ultear and the others huddled in the corner.
"Ice-Make: Ice Wall!"
Ultear and Gray simultaneously erected ice walls to protect the group.
Jose's expression turned ugly. His pressure wasn't suppressing Noah. Every time he increased his output, Noah matched it perfectly. They were dead even.
And while Jose was straining, Noah looked completely relaxed.
"Impossible! When I saw you six years ago, you were nothing! You weren't even worth my attention! How can you be this strong now?!"
Six years ago, at the regular meeting, Jose had observed the young Noah. He seemed like a standard S-Class wizard—impressive for an 8-year-old, but nothing special to a Wizard Saint. Jose had assumed the rumors of his genius were exaggerated.
Now, their clash of magic proved Noah was strong. Very strong.
"I don't like attracting attention, so I hid my strength," Noah shrugged. "If you couldn't tell, that's your problem."
The casual dismissal infuriated Jose.
"Hmph! You have a sharp tongue!"
Jose's magic exploded. The floor beneath him shattered. Purple energy surged around him, pressing down on the atmosphere and sending waves of force outward. A vile, evil aura filled the room.
Ultear and the others grimaced in disgust. But a moment later, they relaxed.
A warm, golden magic washed over them, purifying the evil aura. Noah's magic surged to match Jose's, cracking the floor beneath him.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The shockwaves from their clashing auras thundered in the air.
"Hmph!"
Jose thrust his left hand forward, firing a purple shockwave.
Noah thrust his right, firing a golden beam.
BOOM!
The attacks collided and stalemated. The floor beneath the clash disintegrated instantly. Noah and Jose floated into the air, maintaining their beams.
The energy pouring from the stalemate radiated outward, cracking the walls and ceiling. They held for only a moment before shattering and collapsing. The falling debris was pulverized by the sheer pressure before it could even reach the combatants.
The room instantly became much larger as the walls and ceiling vanished.
Ultear's group was forced to retreat further as their ice wall shattered under the pressure.
"We need to move back. The fallout is too intense," Ultear said. The others agreed and moved further away.
Jose could no longer spare any attention for them. Noah was the only threat that mattered.
"Hah!"
Maintaining the beam with his left hand, Jose slapped his right hand outward. Dozens of ghosts curved through the air, aiming for Noah's flank.
Noah slapped his left hand back, firing beams of light that curved to intercept them.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The attacks neutralized each other perfectly.
As their magic clashed, dark clouds gathered in the sky outside. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled.
"What's happening?"
"The sky..."
CRACK-BOOM!
The oppressive atmosphere weighed heavily on the Fairy Tail members fighting below. Waves radiated from the Magic Giant, churning the sea.
"Hey! The ground!"
"Earthquake?!"
"What is this?"
The ground began to shake violently, knocking many members off their feet.
"Noah and Jose started fighting. The shockwaves are reaching all the way down here."
"So strong..."
The members watched the screen projected by Noah's Thought Projection in awe.
"Brother Noah!" Yukino looked worried. The projection just patted her head silently.
"You're using a lot more power now," Noah observed calmly, looking at Jose. "You were holding back, saving your strength for Gramps, weren't you?"
Jose's attacks were significantly stronger than when he fought the girls. But it didn't matter.
"Hmph!"
Seeing his attacks fail and the beam struggle continue, Jose shoved his left hand forward, detonating the clash.
BOOM!
The explosion sent a massive shockwave rippling outward, shattering more of the remaining walls.
"Death Wave!"
Jose waved his right hand, compressing a massive amount of magic into a sphere, then slammed it forward. A devastating shockwave shot toward Noah.
Noah extended his right hand. A magic circle appeared instantly.
Jose's shockwave slammed into the circle but couldn't break through.
The blocked energy dispersed sideways, blowing out the remaining walls and floor, sending a massive cloud of dust into the air. The shockwave exited the giant, hitting the ocean and sending a huge tidal wave toward the shore.
"Whoa!"
The salty spray soaked the Fairy Tail members on the ground.
~~~
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