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"This is the price for ambushing and injuring our guild master!"
As Alia's body hit the ground, George shouted with a magically amplified voice.
The entire audience was stunned!
For wizards, superpowers are essentially a "bug" in the system.
They don't belong to the same framework, making them harder to detect during activation.
Even the most concealed magic emits a magical ripple, making it easier for top-level wizards to sense it in advance.
Magic from different worlds still falls under the general system of magic and shares some common traits.
However, magnetic force manipulation is a superpower, completely devoid of magical ripples and thus impossible to detect.
If George had used the Killing Curse or the Slashing Curse for his final blow, he might not have been able to kill Alia.
Even with a blank mind, Alia's instincts would have triggered a defensive burst of magical energy in response to magical fluctuations.
"George... actually defeated Alia, the leader of the Four Elements!"
The wizards of Fairy Tail, who had just withdrawn from the Phantom Lord guild under Mirajane's guidance, widened their eyes. They couldn't believe George had managed to defeat Alia, the leader of the Four Elements, in a one-on-one fight.
"He always said he wasn't strong, that defeating Gajeel was just luck. But now even Alia has fallen to him—this can't be luck anymore."
"George is just too humble."
"Looks like Fairy Tail will have another S-class wizard soon!"
"George, well done! You've avenged the guild master—so satisfying!"
The person they hated most earlier wasn't Joseph, the master of Phantom Lord. It was Alia, who ambushed their guild master, leaving him teetering on the brink of life and death.
George's battle against Alia was a cathartic moment. Watching it unfold was immensely satisfying for them.
But as satisfying as it was, they continued retreating under Mirajane's command while fighting off their enemies.
Though George had killed Alia, Erza, Natsu, and Gray were struggling in their fight against Joseph.
As one of the Ten Wizard Saints, Joseph's strength was overwhelming. Even with Erza, an elite S-class wizard, supported by Natsu and Gray, whose actual strength rivaled that level, they were still outmatched.
The trio had endured until now but were severely battered, their bodies covered in wounds. Erza's Black Wing Armor was mostly shattered.
"This isn't going well!"
After finishing off Alia, George turned and saw the dire situation of Erza and her team. His brows furrowed tightly.
Even if he joined them, their combined efforts to hold back Joseph would be like trying to put out a forest fire with a cup of water. Joseph was simply on a different level.
To make matters worse, Joseph specialized in dark and death magic. Even if George managed to land a Killing Curse, it might not be enough to kill him.
Other magic and superpowers wouldn't even penetrate Joseph's thick magical defense.
He had just watched as Erza's powerful strike was intercepted by a dark magical arm that Joseph had conjured.
"It seems I have no choice but to use that spell!"
In this situation, if they wanted to retreat safely under Joseph's relentless assault, George would have to unleash his most powerful magic.
Although fully casting this spell meant losing control, it was the only way to stop Joseph long enough for their escape.
"Fierce Flame!"
Pouring all his magic power into the spell without restraint, George wielded his superior wand, which granted exceptional boosts to flame-based magic. A colossal blue fire dragon materialized, roaring as it charged toward Joseph.
"Get back!"
Hearing George's shout and seeing the massive blue fire dragon, Erza quickly unfurled her wings and pulled the injured Natsu and Gray back to George's side.
Joseph, however, glared in fury.
"Killed by a cat... You're all useless!"
The Phantom Lord's top wizards had been captured, two Elemental Four defeated by Fairy Tail wizards who weren't even S-class, and now their leader, Alia, was slain by a mere "cat." This was a humiliation beyond measure.
And he himself had almost been scared witless by Makarov's magic and held off by three Fairy Tail wizards.
Today, every single Fairy Tail wizard had to die to preserve Phantom Lord's reputation.
"Soul Devour!"
Joseph unleashed his most powerful magic once again—the same one he used during his duel with Makarov. Two massive black phantoms capable of devouring souls materialized and opened their mouths to suck in the incoming blue fire dragon.
For flame-based magic, Joseph's black phantoms could directly consume the energy.
Unfortunately for him, George wasn't using this world's flame magic. His attack was Fiendfire—a cursed magic imbued with a degree of sentience.
When the black phantoms attempted to absorb it, the blue Fiendfire dragon roared in fury and lunged at them with savage ferocity.
As soon as the blue flames made contact with the black phantoms, the latter emitted piercing screams. The two formidable forces clashed, locking in a stalemate with no immediate victor.
The collision of immense dark energy and blue flames ignited the guild hall below, sending Phantom Lord wizards fleeing in terror.
"This is impossible!"
Joseph's face twisted in disbelief as his black phantoms were entangled by the blue flames. He couldn't fathom how a "mere cat's" flame magic could reach such an overwhelming level of power.
"Nice work, George! Let's take this chance to finish him off and avenge the guild master!"
Seeing Joseph tied down by the fiery dragon, Natsu perked up, his fighting spirit reignited. He prepared to rush forward and coordinate with the dragon to take Joseph down.
However, George quickly rejected the idea.
"Fight him? Are you insane? Retreat now! I can't control that fire dragon—it'll attack everyone, including us! Let's get back, rescue the guild master, and regroup!"
The Fiendfire dragon was indiscriminate in its attacks, incapable of distinguishing friend from foe. Cooperation to defeat Joseph was out of the question.
If they stayed to fight, they might have had a slim chance of victory, but it wasn't worth the risk.
"Do as George says," Erza ordered, kicking Natsu in the rear. She grabbed both Natsu and Gray by their collars and followed George to regroup with the main Fairy Tail force.
Based on the battles so far, Erza had realized that George's judgment was consistently spot on.
After George and his group fully retreated, Joseph finally managed to dispel the blue fire dragon using his immense reserves of dark magic.
The blue dragon was extraordinarily strange. Even Juvia, who had since recovered, couldn't extinguish it with water magic. It could only be neutralized through raw magical power.
"Summon all the wizards from our branches. Activate the mobile fortress. We're taking the fight to Fairy Tail's headquarters!"
Joseph's entire body radiated with dark magic as he seethed in a low, furious voice:
"None of you will escape. Not one!"
Makarov had to die. If he recovered his magic, that terrifying light-based super magic would be something Joseph never wanted to face again.
"But, Master, with Alia dead, the Jupiter Cannon might not work anymore," Sol interjected, his face bruised and swollen from his fight with Erza.
The mobile fortress's greatest weapon was the Jupiter Cannon, powered by the combined magic of the Four Elemental Guardians. It could absorb external magical energy and unleash a strike surpassing the strength of even the Ten Wizard Saints.
Now, with only three Elemental Guardians left, the weapon was effectively crippled.
"Fool! Don't you know how to adapt? Have Gajeel take his place. The power might be slightly reduced, but it won't make much of a difference!"
During Fairy Tail's hasty retreat, George had been preoccupied with Alia, while Mirajane and the others focused on protecting the magic-deprived Makarov. Gajeel, left unattended, was still available for use.
(End of Chapter)