Gray's footsteps froze in place. The sensation of thirty percent of his internal magic being suddenly bound by invisible shackles was incredibly clear, and he immediately informed Ultear of his situation.
Ultear frowned slightly.
The operation to destroy the tenrou tree had already begun, but strangely, Gray's magic was only blocked by thirty percent and then stopped. This meant someone had halted the ongoing destruction.
However, they had at least partially succeeded, so they had to rush there immediately. With Ultear present, her 'Time Arc' could restore the tenrou tree.
The two said no more and immediately sprinted at full speed toward the towering giant tree at the center of the island.
Meanwhile, beneath the tenrou tree.
The massive ancient tree stood majestically, its canopy covering half the Sky like a royal parasol, the ancient patterns on its trunk seemingly recording endless ages.
The tree's body, which originally radiated a soft halo of vitality, now had a massive wound brutally gouged into it.
The symbol of Fairy Tail's holy land was currently facing an unprecedented threat, and a battle so lopsided it was despair-inducing had already reached its final stages.
Beneath the thick trunk, Droy knelt on one knee and coughed up a mouthful of blood. The vines and thorns summoned by his 'Plant' magic were as fragile as paper before his opponent.
"You are too weak."
One of the Grimoire Heart's "Seven Kin of Purgatory," Azuma, shook his head gently. He was bare-chested, revealing lean muscles, and the tattoo on his left eye added a touch of wildness.
With a wave of Azuma's hand, the ground around the tenrou tree seemed to come alive as countless thick roots burst from the earth, binding Droy tightly.
Droy struggled, but the more he fought, the tighter the restraints became, causing his ribs to groan under the unbearable pressure.
"Let him go!"
With a roar, Salamander's figure appeared behind Azuma like a ghost.
The 'Gods Foot' magic granted him speed far beyond ordinary people. His legs blurred in the air as a series of kicks fell toward Azuma's back like a violent storm.
However, the moment all the attacks touched Azuma's body, they produced dull thuds but failed to shake him in the slightest.
"Good speed, but your power is far too lacking."
Azuma didn't even turn around; he just casually swung his hand back. A magic fruit exploded violently, forcing Salamander to retreat rapidly, tumbling several times on the ground to avoid the blast's aftershock.
Azuma was a man who enjoyed combat. "Weak" Mages like Droy and Salamander could not satisfy his desire to fight against the strong.
He pressed one hand against the trunk of the tenrou tree, a faint green light glowing in his palm as a massive, pure surge of life energy was being forcibly extracted by him.
Droy looked at the familiar magic. "This is... 'Arc of the Great Tree'?"
"Oh? A weakling like you actually recognizes Lost Magic?" Azuma looked at him with some surprise. "Then you should know what I'm about to do, right?"
Droy's face turned ashen. Hope had once tried to teach him the 'Great Tree Arc' through the 'Archive Magic', but because his talent was lacking, he could never learn it.
However, he was already very familiar with the effects of this magic.
As a Lost Magic, the most terrifying aspect of the 'Great Tree Arc' was its ability to extract magic power stored within a certain range of land, much like a Plant's roots absorbing nutrients.
And within Tenrou Island... there was an incomparably massive reserve of magic power.
In other words, as long as Azuma wished, he could use Tenrou Island's magic power to destroy the tenrou tree at any time, thereby causing all Fairy Tail members on the island to lose their combat effectiveness.
"Grimoire Heart... you people are too despicable!"
Droy's eyes nearly split from rage as he desperately channeled his magic. Several thorny vines grew from beneath him, attempting to cut the roots binding him, but it was to no avail.
Even if Azuma didn't draw upon the earth's magic power, the gap between them was like an unbridgeable chasm.
"I don't like doing this."
Azuma spoke coldly, "But this is Master Hades' order. The Fairy Tail Mages must all be eliminated, not one left behind."
"Stop!" Salamander charged forward again.
Azuma extended his other hand. "Leaf Sword!"
In an instant, green leaves fluttered down from the Sky, each one carrying a sharp edge, covering all the space Salamander could use to dodge.
Salamander pushed his speed to the limit, weaving through the rain of leaves. His clothes were constantly shredded, and numerous small wounds appeared on his body.
He tried to break through the blockade to get close to Azuma, but those seemingly slow-falling petals always managed to block his path.
"It's useless," Azuma's voice was flat.
As a battle maniac, he had completely seen through Salamander's patterns of movement; even 'Gods Foot' could not escape him.
On the other side, seeing his best friend in danger, Droy was anxious. He gave up on cutting the roots and instead poured all his magic power into the seeds he had planted in the ground beforehand.
"I prepared this move for Levy's exam!"
"Now you get to benefit from it!"
"Come alive! Plant: Life Creation!"
With Droy as the center, a large number of magical Plants burst from the ground. It was a pity he couldn't learn the 'Great Tree Arc', but Hope had taught him other things.
The magical Plants that grew out were strange in form.
There were Peashooters that used their mouths as muzzles, punching Cabbages, Watermelon Pults that grew and launched their own watermelons, and tall, hard Wall-nuts... With the help of his magical Plants, Droy finally broke free from his restraints and regrouped with Salamander.
Looking at these magical Plants with faces, a hint of interest appeared on Azuma's face for the first time. "Finally, something decent."
"In that case, I'll give you one more chance."
"Next, I won't mobilize Tenrou Island's magic power and will only use one-third of my original strength. If the two of you can defeat me at this level, I will give up on destroying the tenrou tree."
"Rest assured, I am not like other Dark Mages; I am a man of my word."
Azuma's words were like a stone thrown into stagnant water, igniting the flames of determination in Salamander and Droy's hearts. With their comrades' lives at stake, they would naturally give it their all.
The two looked at each other, seeing the resolve in each other's eyes.
They didn't want to entertain the enemy; they wanted to risk everything to protect their comrades and the guild! Even if their strength was inferior to the enemy's, they would still bite off a piece of his flesh.
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