Chapter 380: Do You Like This Barrier?
Seeing their fronts, the Allied Force couldn't help but burst into smiles.
Every single member of the Oración Seis had flushed faces. Their noses and foreheads, in particular, were bright red. It was glaringly obvious that while fleeing just now, they had smashed face-first into the yet-to-be-revealed barrier, resulting in their current comedic state.
"Hahaha!" Natsu was the first to laugh out loud, and the others quickly followed suit, chuckling in amusement.
The Oración Seis' faces darkened with sheer fury at the mockery, and they glared daggers at Natsu, who was laughing the loudest. Natsu naturally ignored them, continuing to roar with laughter until he was practically rolling around on the ground.
"Hahaha, Happy, look at their faces! It's too hilarious!" Natsu pointed at the Oración Seis, laughing as he spoke to Happy, who had just caught up from behind.
"Aye! They look really funny," Happy agreed without hesitation.
Lucy had initially been smiling at the Oración Seis's state, but seeing Natsu's exaggerated reaction, she dropped a sweatdrop.
"You don't have to laugh that arrogantly..." Lucy sighed helplessly.
"This guy's brain is completely broken," Gray remarked mercilessly from the side.
"You're the one who set up this barrier, aren't you?" Brain lowered his hand and turned to look at Noah. None of the others present had this capability; the only one who could pull this off was the newly arrived Noah.
"That's right, I set it up," Noah nodded, then asked with a smile: "So, how is it? Why don't you give it a few words of critique, former Chief of the Bureau of Magical Development?"
"This barrier isn't just one layer, but ten. Even if I wanted to decipher it, it would take a massive amount of time. Furthermore, even if these barriers are violently destroyed, they can self-repair, with the source of magic power being you. If we cannot properly decipher this barrier, the only other way to dispel it is to defeat you and sever its magical supply," Brain stated grimly, listing off his recent discoveries.
"As expected of the former Chief of the Bureau of Magical Development, what a sharp eye. To figure out so much in such a short time," Noah applauded with a smile. "I specifically set up this barrier to be 10 kilometers long, 10 kilometers wide, and 5 kilometers high. I'd say it's pretty decent, right? It's a shame time was tight. If I had a bit more time, I could have layered a few more barriers to guarantee you'd never escape. Still, with this many layers, it should be decent enough. I hope you like it."
Hearing Noah specifically emphasize "former Chief of the Bureau of Magical Development" and his mocking applause, Brain's face grew even darker.
"Attack!" Brain didn't waste words, directly ordering the Oración Seis to strike.
He had just inspected the barrier and realized that even with his extensive magical knowledge, dismantling it would take at least over half a day. The Allied Force would never let him peacefully decipher the barrier for that long. Their only option now was to wipe out the Allied Force first and take their time deciphering the barrier later.
Brute force was even more unfeasible. The attacks the other Oración Seis members had just launched dealt minimal damage, and whatever damage was dealt self-repaired almost instantly.
Logically, setting up and maintaining such a massive, complex barrier, along with its self-repair function, should require a colossal amount of magic power. An average mage providing that much power would be drained dry in no time.
But he observed Noah and noticed the youth looked completely unaffected, as if the massive drain didn't exist. Clearly, Noah had more than enough magic power to spare. Meanwhile, the Oración Seis had already exhausted a considerable amount of magic power and stamina in the previous battle. Trying to drain Noah's magic by attacking the barrier was clearly foolish, and the rest of the Allied Force wouldn't just stand by and watch.
The only viable solution was to defeat the Allied Force right here.
"Got it!" Racer was the first of the Oración Seis to charge forward, his figure blurring and flickering as he dashed toward the Allied Force.
"Gemini!" Lucy, having fought Racer earlier, immediately called out to Gemini beside her, who hadn't returned to the Spirit World and was still maintaining Racer's form.
Hearing Lucy, Racer (Gemini) immediately dashed toward the real Racer, intending to intercept him like before.
"A magic that lowers perceived speed?" The magic circles in Noah's eyes spun rapidly, and he instantly saw through the essence of Racer's magic. "Slowing effects and poison? Let me give everyone a hand!"
Noah clapped his hands together, and a magic circle materialized beneath his feet.
"Enchantment: Abnormal Status Resistance Boost!"
Magical light enveloped the members of the Allied Force. Noah smiled and said, "This should be quite helpful to you all."
"Ooooh! His magic's effect has weakened! I can clearly see his movements now!" Gray rushed forward to meet the incoming Racer. Following Noah's enchantment, Racer's movements became crystal clear to him.
"Ice-Make: Lances!" Gray thrust both hands forward, launching dozens of ice lances at the enemy.
Racer, who was busy dealing with Racer (Gemini)'s attacks, hastily dodged when he saw Gray's ice lances flying toward him.
"Gear Shift: Red Zone!" Realizing Gray could clearly see his movements now, Racer knew the effectiveness of his magic had plummeted, so he frantically boosted its power.
"I can still see you!" Even with Racer's increased speed, Gray could still basically track his movements. He continuously unleashed Ice-Make magic, coordinating with Racer (Gemini) to pressure Racer.
"We're helping too! We'll return the favor for getting beaten up earlier while we're at it!" The Blue Pegasus trio rushed over to assist. Getting wiped out by Racer in an instant earlier was a grudge they had to settle.
Hibiki utilized Archive to calculate and optimize their attack efficiency; Eve's snow magic created an icy terrain, restricting Racer's speed and enhancing Gray's magic; Ren's air magic launched continuous strikes to limit Racer's evasion routes; and Ichiya's perfume magic boosted everyone's physical speed.
With his magic heavily suppressed and facing the combined might of the group, Racer was instantly pushed into an incredibly miserable state. His defeat was only a matter of time.
While Gray, Lucy, and the Blue Pegasus quartet battled Racer, Natsu charged straight at Cobra.
"What did you say earlier?! Igneel exists!" Natsu raised a flame-wreathed right fist and punched fiercely at Cobra.
"Hmph! I can hear it, you know." Cobra dodged to the side. His right hand transformed into a beastly claw dripping with deep crimson venom as he slashed at Natsu.
Natsu dodged sideways and retaliated with another flaming punch.
Sizzle!
Cobra raised his clawed hand and caught Natsu's fist. Flames and venom clashed violently, kicking up clouds of toxic smoke.
"Ouch! My hand, my hand!" Natsu hastily yanked his hand back, realizing his right hand had already turned an angry, inflamed red.
"Damn it!" Natsu scowled furiously. Swinging his flaming fists, he charged at Cobra once more.
"I can hear it, you know." Fearless, Cobra met him head-on.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of their clash echoed relentlessly, but it was Natsu taking all the hits. After exchanging over a dozen blows, Natsu and Cobra separated.
"Damn it, this guy's poison is way too troublesome!" Natsu grumbled indignantly, looking at his hands and the various spots on his body where Cobra had struck him, all of which were now flushed bright red.
Even with Noah's Enchantment effect active, Natsu could feel numbness creeping into his body, making his movements stiff. Even more frustrating was that his opponent could hear his every move; he hadn't managed to land a single hit.
"Hehe, the strike of a Poison Dragon will corrode and destroy everything!" Cobra sneered at Natsu.
"Is that so? Watch me burn your poison to nothing! Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu flashed a provocative grin. Stepping forward, he threw a flaming punch at Cobra.
"Rot and fall! Poison Dragon's Twin Fangs!" Cobra laughed wickedly, crossing his venom-dripping claws to meet Natsu's incoming punch.
Bang! Sizzle!
Their attacks collided. The flames relentlessly scorched the venom, producing thick clouds of toxic smoke that Natsu hastily held his breath against.
After a brief stalemate, both leaped backward. As Natsu landed, he stumbled and nearly fell; the poison was already severely affecting him.
"Natsu!" Happy called out nervously from the back.
"You bastard!" Natsu shook his head, trying to force himself to stay alert.
Seeing that Natsu was finally succumbing to the poison, even if it took significantly longer than before, Cobra smiled once more. However, he cast a wary glance in Noah's direction. That guy had instantly cured his poison earlier; if he did it again, all of Cobra's efforts would be in vain.
Seeing that Noah wasn't looking his way, Cobra sighed in relief. He decided to ramp up his offense and finish Natsu off as quickly as possible.
But just then, he saw a figure walking over.
"I'm here to help."
"Sorano?" Natsu looked back and saw Sorano standing beside him. His immediate reaction was: "I don't need your help, I can beat him."
"I believe you can beat him, but his poison is already affecting the surrounding area. We need to take him down as quickly as possible; we can't keep relying on Noah to cure us," Sorano shook her head and explained.
Natsu looked around and realized the air was already tainted with a faint layer of red mist, Cobra's poison. Moreover, deep crimson venom was continuously seeping from Cobra's hands, diffusing into the air.
"You bastard, you're constantly releasing poison!" Natsu yelled furiously at Cobra.
"Are you actually stupid? I'm a Poison Dragon Slayer, isn't releasing poison exactly what I should be doing?" Cobra looked at Natsu with sheer disdain.
"Damn it!" Natsu roared and charged at Cobra. Sorano summoned her Power Angel, sending it to attack Cobra as well.
"I can hear it, you know." Cobra easily dodged Natsu's attacks, but when Sorano's Power Angel struck, he had to focus entirely on evading.
"Damn it, why can't I hear your voice?! Is it because of him?!" Cobra leaped backward. He glared at Sorano, then shot a look at the distant Noah.
Noah happened to turn his head just then. Seeing Cobra glaring at him, Noah cheerfully waved his hand at him.
Then, a magical light flashed over Natsu. Instantly, thick black smoke billowed from his body as Noah cleansed the poison from his system.
Seeing this, Cobra's face turned completely black with rage. He had worked so hard for so long, and Noah had just erased his efforts in a split second.
"That feels much better!" With the poison purged, Natsu felt an immediate wave of relief wash over his entire body. Swinging his flame-wreathed fists, he lunged at Cobra again.
"That's right. The magic Noah cast on me masks the sounds from my body, rendering your magic useless," Sorano nodded, commanding her Power Angel to follow Natsu and attack Cobra.
Cobra easily dodged Natsu's strikes, focusing the majority of his attention on evading Sorano and her Power Angel.
"Damn it!" Unable to land a single hit on Cobra, Natsu grew increasingly furious. The flames on his hands raged more violently, and his attacks grew heavier and faster.
Bang!
Taking advantage of Cobra being distracted by the Power Angel's attack, Natsu finally slipped past his guard and planted a solid punch square in Cobra's face, sending him flying.
"Bastard!" Landing hard, Cobra hastily flipped to his feet, barely dodging a punch from the Power Angel.
Bang!
The Power Angel's fist smashed a massive crater into the ground.
"Cubellios!" Cobra called out to the giant purple snake beside him. The snake flicked its tongue as if answering, and Cobra instantly leaped onto its back.
Swish!
Suddenly, a pair of wings sprouted from the purple snake's back, carrying Cobra high into the sky.
"Whoa! The snake flew!" Natsu stared in utter shock.
"Happy!" Snapping back to reality, Natsu called out for his best partner.
"Aye!" Having watched from the rear, Happy activated his Aera magic, unfurling his white wings and flying over to grab Natsu.
"Sunlight Angel!"
The Sunlight Angel appeared beside Sorano. A sphere of light manifested in front of its mouth, firing dozens of light beams into the sky at Cobra.
Mid-air, the winged purple snake hastily dodged the barrage. It then spewed a massive cloud of toxic mist, which Cobra grabbed and eagerly stuffed into his mouth.
"Poison Dragon's Roar!"
Having devoured the toxic mist, Cobra took a deep breath. Riding the power boost from consuming the poison, he unleashed his breath attack down at Natsu and Sorano.
~~~
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