Upper-Tier Earth Magic, Rock Claw!
Ur sprinted toward Erza at full speed. At the same time, he spread his fingers wide, forcing the little magic he had left to erupt outward. In an instant, a massive magic circle formed beside Erza.
Rumble! Rumble!
Erza stared in shock as a gigantic claw of stone erupted from the ground next to her and slammed head-on into the black-scaled beast's descending talon.
Boom!
A violent shockwave exploded outward, whipping up a sudden gale. Shattered stones, splintered tree trunks, and gray dust were swept into the air, surging outward in all directions like a raging tide.
Natsu and Gray instinctively raised their arms to shield their faces, squinting through the storm, their hearts shaken to the core.
The sheer momentum of that single clash far surpassed anything they had unleashed. Even standing some distance away from the black-scaled beast, they could still clearly feel the terrifying power of that blow.
"How is that possible?' Feeling the pressure of that exchange, not only Natsu and Gray, but even Erza's pupils shrank.
Among the entire guild, Erza was one of the people who knew Ur relatively well. When Ur had first begun learning swordsmanship, he had asked her for guidance many times.
She admired his serious attitude and never hesitated to give him pointers.
But admiration was admiration—strength was another entirely.
Erza had always known the guild underestimated Ur, but she never imagined he had reached this level. Setting talent aside, just considering the time Ur had spent learning magic, a few short months to reach this point? No matter how she looked at it, it was impossible.
This wasn't magical at all!
'Could it be… that he isn't Ur?' Suddenly, as a possibility flashed through her mind, Erza's expression subtly changed.
There were countless mysterious forms of magic in this world. One more magic capable of transforming into someone else wouldn't be strange at all.
Deep down, Erza desperately hoped this wasn't the case. Ur might be a little odd, but after spending so long in Fairy Tail, everyone had grown accustomed to his presence.
And if her guess were true, then it would mean the real Ur had most likely already met with misfortune.
If that were the case, then—
She cut the thought short.
"Erza, all of you fall back. Leave this thing to me!" Erza was jolted awake from her mental storm by Ur's voice. She froze for a moment, then immediately retreated from her position.
Crack… crack…
The instant Erza moved away, faint cracking sounds rang out in rapid succession. The Rock Claw was powerful, but Ur's magic reserves weren't deep enough. A construct formed with this level of magic couldn't possibly hold back the black-scaled beast for long.
Moreover, as the enemies Ur faced grew stronger and stronger, some of his weaknesses were beginning to surface. The biggest problem was that his magic couldn't keep up with his rapid growth.
Because of a series of accidents, Ur's strength had increased far too quickly, and as a result, the level of magic he had mastered lagged far behind his actual power. At present, the highest-level spell Ur possessed was the fusion magic Lava Claw, followed by Rock Claw.
Aside from those two, the rest of his spells were almost useless in a real fight.
No. Wait.
There might be one more.
"I need to find a way to restrict this thing's movement." Ur frowned as he stared at the black-scaled beast, thinking rapidly.
He had seen its burst of speed just now, and honestly, it had scared him. Large monsters might excel at long-distance charges, but instantaneous explosive speed like that?
Ur had never even heard of such a thing.
And on top of that, this beast's true attribute was deadly poison.
Ur: "???"
Why was this thing suddenly starting to feel so damn underhanded?
"ROOOAAR!!"
Bang!
The black-scaled beast suddenly erupted with rage. Its terrifying strength exploded outward, and with a single deafening crash, the Rock Claw shattered into countless fragments. Broken stone scattered everywhere, dust and debris billowing into the air.
"Cough, cough, this is bad!"
"Ur!"
"H-hey, this doesn't look good at all!"
The beast's sudden outburst made everyone's expressions change drastically as they shouted in alarm.
Natsu, ever impulsive, tried to rush straight into the dust cloud, but just as he took a step, a layer of dark purple-black mist suddenly flooded the area. A nauseating stench spread instantly.
After inhaling even a trace, dizziness struck immediately. After inhaling even a trace, everyone immediately felt dizzy and lightheaded. The abrupt turn of events shocked Erza and the others.
Ignoring Natsu's resistance, they forcibly dragged him back nearly a hundred meters. "Let go of me! I'm going in to save Ur!"
Natsu struggled wildly in Erza's grip, shouting at the top of his lungs.
And at that very moment, from within the mist, a low, murmuring roar echoed faintly, almost like a whisper.
"Lava… Beast… Armor…"
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