Droy wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Salamander nodded to Droy; years of tacit understanding meant no words were needed.
With a single exchange of glances, the two moved simultaneously.
"Gods Foot: Chaos!"
Salamander took the lead in the attack, his figure suddenly blurring and leaving afterimages in place. His true self moved around Azuma at high speeds like a gale, searching for an opening.
Droy commanded the army of magical Plants he had created to launch an attack. Peashooters spat wildly while Melon-pults kept their distance, continuously lobbing explosive watermelons at Azuma.
A wall made of hard wooden stakes rose from the ground, blocking the barrage from the Peashooters and Melon-pults. Azuma countered by throwing over a dozen magical explosive fruits.
Salamander intended to stop them, but his strength was limited. Even though Azuma was only using a third of his power, it left Salamander helpless; he only managed to intercept two of the explosive fruits.
A gap was immediately blown open in the shield wall formed by Tall-nuts.
Azuma took advantage of the momentum, charging through the long-range offensive straight into the magical Plant army. However, the Bonk Choys behind the Tall-nut shield wall gave him an unexpected surprise.
Despite looking like a bunch of nonsensical cabbages, these little things were surprisingly good at fighting. A flurry of punches forcibly prevented Azuma from advancing another step.
Salamander wove through the gaps between the Plants, his speed increasing once more. He appeared at Azuma's flank and launched a sharp kick aimed directly at Azuma's temple.
Although Azuma blocked it, he was focused on by the Peashooters under Droy's command. Combined with Salamander's constant harassment, he was forced back out of the Plant army's formation.
"Nice coordination."
Azuma commented flatly, showing a slight hint of praise for Salamander and Droy being able to force him back. He then pointed a finger at the ground. "Thorns of the Earth!"
Sharp wooden spikes burst from the ground like a forest of thorns. The range was immense, instantly covering the entire battlefield.
Salamander used his speed to dodge desperately, jumping between the gaps of the wooden spikes in a series of narrow escapes.
Droy commanded the Peashooters to spit seed bullets at the ground, trying to shatter the approaching wooden spikes, while having the Bonk Choys protect him in the center.
But the wooden spikes grew too fast and too densely. As soon as a pea seed bullet shattered one spike, more would immediately emerge.
Soon, a sharp wooden spike grazed Droy's arm, drawing a trail of blood. Salamander's thigh was also slashed, affecting his speed.
The gap was too large.
Even with Azuma using only half his power, this fine control of magic and large-scale suppression was enough to keep them running for their lives.
"Do you see? This is the gap between us."
Azuma stood amidst the thicket of wooden spikes. "Your fighting spirit is commendable, but it is meaningless."
"Shut up!"
Droy panted heavily, cold sweat dripping from his forehead, but his gaze remained fierce. "Whether it's meaningless or not isn't for you to decide! Salamander!"
"Got it!" Salamander wiped the blood from his mouth, his eyes turning sharp. "Let's go, Droy! Use that move!"
Droy slammed both hands onto the ground, frantically pouring in all his magic. All the remaining magical Plants erupted with a final green light, then quickly withered, turning into a stream of pure magic that surged beneath his feet.
"Betting on the name of our 'Shadow Gear' team!"
"Plant: Life Creation: Cob Cannon!"
A wooden cart loaded with a giant corn cob instantly took shape in front of the two. The energy contained within the giant corn made Azuma's eyes light up.
He saw the technique for what it was but did not stop it. Instead, he waited with great interest. "Let me see your final struggle then."
Salamander lowered his body slightly, concentrating all his magic into his right leg, and kicked the corn cart in front of him with all his might.
Cob Cannon, fire!
The next second, a massive roar resounded throughout Tenrou Island.
A mushroom cloud slowly drifted upward.
Droy and Salamander stared fixedly at the pitch-black smoke after the explosion, but the figure revealed within it filled them with despair.
Under a green barrier, Azuma was completely unharmed.
Exhausting all their means and all their magic, yet they couldn't even hurt a hair on the enemy's head... Looking at the two who were slumped on the ground due to exhaustion, Azuma smiled slightly. "Congratulations, you win."
It turned out that under the limit-breaking Cob Cannon just now, Azuma had subconsciously used half of his power instead of the agreed-upon one-third out of a sense of danger.
Therefore, he admitted defeat.
"Your resolve and coordination are surprising, and they made me... enjoy myself a little."
"I will not destroy the tenrou tree."
"But... that doesn't mean others won't."
Azuma looked at the two, who were almost drained of magic and covered in wounds. A flash of complex emotion crossed his eyes—there was admiration, but also regret.
As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a bucket of cold water being poured over Salamander and Droy's heads. An uneasy feeling immediately rose in their hearts.
Before they could ask further, a burly demon with four arms and eight octopus legs stepped out from the nearby woods.
"Hahaha, that was quite a show."
"The feeling of toying with the weak must be wonderful, right? Azuma."
Azuma looked toward that octopus demon, Kyôka-enbu Ezel. One of the 'Nine Demon Gates,' he was the most hot-tempered and bloodthirsty demon among the members of Tartaros.
"I'll leave this to you. I'm going elsewhere to see if I can run into an S-Class Mage from Fairy Tail." Azuma turned around to leave.
Ezel snorted coldly. "The Underworld King and your Hades instructed you and me to destroy the tenrou tree together. Is this your attitude now?"
Azuma looked back. "While I'm not exactly a good person, to be honest, I hate you demons. If we weren't partners right now, I would definitely have a fight with you."
"We can do that now. Demon Heart and Tartaros were never truly on the same page anyway. Who's to say we won't start fighting immediately after wiping out Fairy Tail?"
Ezel's four arms turned into sharp blades.
Azuma also prepared to draw magic from Tenrou Island.
The atmosphere gradually became tense.
Suddenly, Ezel let out a laugh. "Oh my, I almost forgot the important business. Destroying the tenrou tree comes first, otherwise I won't be able to withstand the Underworld King's punishment."
As if the internal strife just now had never happened, Ezel walked toward Droy and Salamander. "Before cutting down the tree, I'll use the blood of you two humans to wash my hands."
Looking at the demon towering over them, Salamander and Droy felt a wave of despair.
Just as Ezel raised his butcher's blade high, the ground beneath his feet suddenly exploded. It was a flash of blinding golden lightning that not only interrupted his magic but also blasted his entire body into the air.
Arriving along with the lightning was a wild figure wearing an overcoat. Laxus looked at his two companions and rarely uttered some non-tsundere, human words.
"Droy, Salamander, you did well."
"Next... it's time to make anything that dares to harm my comrades pay the price."
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