August looks at the shocking scene that happened in a flash. He could see Serena's movements, but he couldn't even see a glimpse of Ben at all. The only thing he knew was Ben has already changed location and moved behind Serena.
Serena is lying on the ground now with blood spreading on the ground. Ben is still standing in his Sun Devil Force mode without even looking back. He knows that Serena is dying behind him and no one can save that guy anymore.
The surprised August looks at Ben in astonishment. He has lived for so many years and seen many things that others will find unbelievable. Yet, here he is, looking at a really unbelievable thing with his old eyes.
He knew Ben was being defensive this whole time and just played along with Serena's attacks. But the moment he chose to attack, he ended the battle with 1 attack. So August knew that Ben could end this battle anytime, and he was just playing with Serena.
His shock doesn't end there because then he sees that Ben is holding a few things. Between Ben's fingers that get covered in blood are some colorful crystal balls. Those aren't just pretty crystal balls, those are Serena's 8 Dragon Lacrimas.
Ben was ripping Serena's body and taking all those 8 Dragon Lacrimas in an instant. He is so fast that he can do it in a flash that no one else could see it. Even Serena didn't realize what happened until right before his soul left his body.
"So you are just this strong, huh, Ishgar's former strongest Mage? You should've accepted my challenge at most 3 years ago. At least you would still have a chance to win at that time. But past that time, you have already lost your chance. You said you want to slay Acnologia? Hah, you won't stand even a second against that thing who only goes for a kill," says Ben while walking to Serena's body and returning to his normal form.
Ben crouches and places the 8 Dragon Lacrimas on Serena's dead body. A small white magic circle appears above each of the Dragon Lacrimas. Then under August's shocked eyes, Serena's body starts to disappear and gets sucked by the 8 Dragon Lacrimas that become brighter.
After Serena's body is gone, Ben stores the 8 Dragon Lacrimas in his spatial storage. Then Ben looks at August and the remaining soldiers. Some of the soldiers actually died when the ship crashed and some even died because of the battle impact that worsen their injuries.
"You are August, one of the Spriggans," says Ben while looking at August.
"That is correct," replies August shortly while preparing himself to fight anytime.
"No need to worry, I won't kill you because I need you to do something for me. Tell Zeref that he won't win against Acnologia even if he gets the Lumen Histoire. A Demon shouldn't use a Fairy's Heart," says Ben.
It's a short message, but the impact on August is very great. From this message, Ben also tells them that he knows what they're aiming for, and he isn't scared. He is confident he can handle them even if they come, even if the whole Alvarez Empire comes.
"The one who will end Acnologia's life is me. If you want it too, then I can help you. Just come to me and I will end that 400 years of life. At least I will end that life fast, but if you go after my people, then it won't be an easy death. Tell all of those to that mot herfucker, and tell your comrades who will watch that recording, they need to prepare to lose everything if they chose to go against me," says Ben.
August is surprised once more because he recorded the fight secretly. He's sure that even his Spriggan comrades won't notice it. But Ben noticed it even though he was fighting someone of Serena's caliber.
'Such a dangerous man. He's so dangerous that I just want to run away instead of fighting him myself. But I need to gather as much information about him as possible for His Highness,' thinks August.
"So you just come here to stop God Serena who was defecting to Alvarez?" asks August.
"Yeah, and I also want to see how strong the Spriggans are. If you all are just as strong as that Jacob guy, then I am very disappointed. Sure, you are better than our 10 Wizard Saints, but I can take you all alone, so it doesn't matter. That's why if you want to come here, then you need to get stronger, or else, you will just come to your death. I rarely give mercy to my enemies, so keep that in your minds," says Ben before releasing his Majestic Pressure.
August suddenly feels a very strong pressure that pushes him down. It doesn't feel like the gravity increases because it's not just his body that gets pushed down. Even his will, mind, and soul are being suppressed. He has learned a lot of magic, but he never knew this kind of magic.
Majestic Pressure is one of Ben's unique abilities that he got after mastering all 3 Slayer Magic to very high levels. This spell puts pressure on his opponents' souls and bodies. The pressure is strong enough to make even Gildarts kneel and admit defeat as Ben increased the intensity by getting closer.
That pressure comes from the majestic presence that he got from his 3 Slayer Magic. The Sun Demon, Sun Dragon, and Sun God are top ranks of their kin. So of course, their presence is overwhelming and Ben who learned their magic gets that presence after reaching a certain level.
His presence alone can put pressure on those with sensitive senses. It also makes his charisma soars, but he dislikes the attention he got, so Ben always suppresses his presence and only uses it like this. He doesn't want to overwhelm normal people, after all.
August suddenly feels the pressure increase as Ben walks closer. Meanwhile, the soldiers have laid flat on the ground and passed out because they can't withstand the pressure. Even August starts to go down as Ben gets closer to him.
He finally prostrated on the ground when Ben is just one step closer to him. Ben now looks like a King standing before his subjects. Alvarez people will be utterly dumbfounded if they see this scene before their eyes because August is one of the 2 strongest Spriggans, after all.
"Tell Zeref, no, Alvarez, that they should be prepared to perish if they dare to attack Ishgar. There is no mercy in war, there is only victory and defeat, so prepare thoroughly, or you'll regret everything," says Ben while looking down on August.
August can't say anything because he is getting overwhelmed by Ben's pressure. This is the first time he ever felt so helpless when he is already this strong. His feelings are very complicated now, but he knows he only hopes for 1 thing, to survive, that's what his instinct keeps screaming to him.
"Then I'll leave now. Don't forget to relay my messages. Also, tell Zeref that I'm thankful for his presents to me. I'll take care of these 8 Dragon Lacrimas very well," says Ben while smirking before he turns into a flash of light and disappears.
August finally can take a breath again. He breathes frantically and his cold sweats can finally come out too. As someone who is always prepared to die, August is surprised that he feels very relieved that he still survives.
"I guess I still want to live, huh? But this is a very big problem," says August while looking at the state of the battlefield.
There are a lot of destructions, but most of them are caused by Serena. Yet, he lost to Ben, which really shows how overwhelming the battle was.
August sighs and says, "There's no use thinking about it. I just need to follow His Majesty's wish even if I'll die."
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You can read up to 35+35 chapters ahead of my fanfics and more pictures on my Pa_treon page if you are interested.
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1. Chapter 403 of Fairy Tail: Sun Eater
2. Chapter 414 of Transcended as Lord Buggy
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