Counterattack

Eleven felt waves of suffocation wash over him. Though he was surrounded by nothing but fog, he felt as if he were submerged in the depths of the sea, his chest ready to burst.

But just as the man in the suit had said, no matter how he moved or stirred the fog with Telekinesis, he could not escape it.

After many fruitless attempts, Eleven's breathing grew more and more rapid. Yet he calmed down instead. The more critical the situation, the faster his mind worked.

"Turn liquid into fog, turn liquid into fog." Eleven stood in place, muttering to himself. "Liquid, liquid, rainwater..."

Eleven suddenly looked up. A thin strand of Telekinesis pierced through the layers of fog and shot straight out.

Although his Spiritual Power could not penetrate the fog, his Telekinesis was powerful enough to pass through unaffected.

One hundred meters! Eleven's Telekinesis traveled a hundred meters upward before breaking through the dense fog and sensing the rain again.

Eleven had tried flying before, but the man in the suit seemed to move with him, so he could not escape the dense fog, even though it was only a hundred meters across.

Eleven quickly smuggled a large amount of Telekinesis through the fog and into the sky above, where he formed it into a thin barrier a hundred meters across. It blocked all the falling rain.

The man in the suit could turn rainwater into dense fog, but what if the rain were blocked? The fog would thin out!

In the space of a single breath, the surrounding fog began to thin at a visible rate. Eleven seized the chance to take a deep breath.

But that was not his only goal. When the man in the suit noticed the fog thinning, his first reaction was to investigate why there was less rain. But he forgot that he had been hiding in the dense fog all along.

The fog around him had thinned, but he had not adjusted the state of his body in time. A white cloud of mist revealed itself amid the thin fog!

Eleven seized the moment, his eyes flashing as he instantly entered Super Acceleration Mode!

The telekinetic barrier overhead pressed down at once, wrapping inward. Since strikes were useless against the man in the suit, he would trap him in his Telekinesis and crush him to death!

Sure enough, Eleven's Telekinesis pinned down the mist the man in the suit had become. Faced with pressure from every direction, even gas could not escape harm.

Soon, the man in the suit cried out in pain. Unable to maintain his mist form, he took human shape once more, desperately releasing magic power to resist the pressure. Eleven saw a glimmer of victory!

"You little brat! Don't push me!" The man in the suit glared at Eleven, baring his teeth with his eyes wide. The pressure around him nearly forced his eyeballs out of their sockets.

Eleven paid no heed to the threat and continued pressing down with all his strength. He could not afford to show mercy now.

"Bastard! Die, you little brat!" The dying man in the suit roared, staring fiercely at Eleven.

Pfft!!!

Suddenly, a great cloud of bloody mist erupted from Eleven's body. His blood turned to vapor, and red mist filled the air, its thick, bloody smell assaulting his senses.

Eleven froze in place, unable to maintain his Telekinesis. He felt as if the blood in his body had been drained in an instant, and his whole body shriveled.

Soon, the blood mist could no longer maintain its gaseous form. A torrent of blood rained down, drenching Eleven from head to toe.

Thud.

Eleven collapsed to the ground, his eyes vacant. But he knew he was not dead. The pain gnawing at his bones continued to assault his mind, telling him he was still alive.

"I won't kill you!" The man in the suit staggered over. His hair was no longer neat, his body was soaked by the rain, and his eyes were even bulging from their sockets. "How could I kill you? You're my target! Are you trying to make me lose everything, bastard?"

The man in the suit stood before the blood-soaked Eleven like a madman.

On another battlefield.

"Lightning Strike Spear!"

A thick current of electricity burst from Laxus's hand, flashing in a zigzag as it shot toward the mountain of flesh.

"Roar! Found you!"

The monster spotted Laxus hiding in the shadows the moment it was attacked. It stomped its enormous foot and charged at him with a speed utterly at odds with its size.

Laxus had not expected it to be so fast. He immediately scrambled backward, but how fast could he run with his grievous injuries? Almost in an instant, the mountain of flesh's enormous shadow engulfed him.

Boom.

"Roar, roar, roar! You can't escape! You can't escape!" The monster slapped Laxus to the ground with its huge, fat palm and clamped a hand around his neck, roaring with spit flying from its mouth!

But Laxus was exceptionally calm. Rather than panic, he sneered at the monster. "Die, you monster!"

"Lightning Magic Circle!"

A golden magic circle covered in dense markings suddenly appeared beneath Laxus. Violent currents surged from it, erupting with an ear-piercing buzz.

This magic circle was one of Laxus's most powerful attacks, and its lightning could paralyze an enemy. But it took time to draw, making it the most important part of his plan.

"It's not over yet, monster! Take this—Raging Bolt!" Laxus roared.

A huge ball of lightning appeared above them and plunged down with a thunderous roar that shook the sky. Vast quantities of liquid lightning exploded, and the raging bolts even shot into the clouds!

"Roar, roar, roar!!"

The mountain of flesh was completely covered in liquid lightning. Violent currents rolled over its body, and even the surrounding trees were instantly reduced to charred stumps.

"Roar, roar, roar! Hahaha, it's useless, useless! Hahaha!!"

Yet the monster burst out laughing amid the raging lightning. The liquid lightning crackling over its body might as well have been fake—it had no effect on it at all!

"Roar, roar, my fat protects me! My fat is an insulator! Useless, useless! Roar, roar, roar!"

The monster laughed wildly, standing in the midst of Laxus's attack and jiggling the fat on its body as it mocked his powerlessness!

"Useless! You're such a useless little weakling! Looks like that idiot guild of yours is just as useless! Useless! Roar, roar, roar!"

"You can die now! Die!"

Laughing wildly, the monster swung a fist the size of a clay pot down at Laxus's head...

The dark clouds overhead seemed even thicker, a black mass blocking out all light.

A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. Its brief light illuminated the bloodied figures of Eleven and his two companions, as well as the three hideous faces standing before them!

Thunder rumbled through the clouds without end. The final storm was coming.

"Don't..."

A barely audible murmur came from Laxus, whose head had been smashed into the mud.

"Roar? What? Begging for mercy? No way, no way! I'm going to kill you!" The monster deliberately leaned in to listen to Laxus, then waved its arms and legs as it refused him.

"Don't... don't look down on Fairy Tail, you damn fat pig..." Laxus's weak voice came.

Rumble...

At that moment, the lightning that had long been gathering in the clouds suddenly stirred as if awakened. A thick bolt burst forth and struck straight down at the lightning magic circle as though drawn to it.

Laxus and the mountain of flesh, both standing over the magic circle, were instantly engulfed in liquid lightning!

But that was only the beginning. Countless smaller bolts were drawn in one after another, flashing as they joined the thick bolt. The lightning continued to grow until even the ground beneath them could no longer bear it and began to crack!

"You—you actually drew down lightning from the sky! You're courting death!" the monster roared in fury, trying to escape the lightning. The bolt made it feel threatened, but the violent current held it fast, making escape impossible.

"Hahaha, you're dead, kid! I might be able to withstand this lightning, but you're dead! You're... how is that possible?"

The furious monster suddenly froze when it looked down at Laxus, unable to believe its eyes.

Sluurp.

Laxus had his mouth wide open, tearing into the lightning on his body. He drew countless currents into his mouth and devoured them. As he consumed more and more lightning, his muscles began to swell, fine dragon scales grew over his body, and he slowly rose to his feet.

"Hah..." Laxus grinned and exhaled a foul breath, but even his breath flickered with continuous sparks.

"You... what the hell are you?!" the monster cried out, its fat body beginning to tremble.

The clothes on Laxus's upper body had burst apart, revealing his swollen muscles. Fine dragon scales covered him, and countless serpents of lightning coiled around his body.

"I'm a mage from that idiot guild you looked down on, you damn fat pig!"

Laxus took a step forward. Countless bolts of lightning gathered wildly in his right hand, instantly forming a long golden halberd.

"Go die, fat pig! Lightning Dragon's Halberd!"

"You can't kill me! You can't kill me! My fat can... aaagh, stop! Stop!!" the monster screamed at the top of its lungs.

Though the halberd in Laxus's hand was made of lightning, it was as hard and sharp as solid matter. It instantly pierced the monster's thick layers of fat and plunged into its body, pointing toward the heavens.

The lightning in the sky gathered wildly, and the halberd acted as a lightning rod, drawing every bolt toward it. Even the dark clouds overhead were pulled along, forming a black vortex.

No matter how strong the monster's body was, it could not withstand the immense heavenly might erupting from within. Amid its unwilling roars, lightning blasted straight through it, leaving a huge hole that nearly split its body in two. It could not have been more dead.

As Lightning Dragon's Halberd vanished, the furious lightning in the sky finally began to subside. Compared with the terrifying heavenly might from before, the pouring rain felt unusually peaceful.

Laxus slowly slid off the monster and forced himself to stand, but he had no strength left and slumped to the ground.

With the monster dead, its magic vanished and it returned to the form of the short, fat man. The gaping hole in his stomach remained a gruesome sight.

Laxus looked at him and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. "Pah, damn monster!"

Meanwhile.

"Hey, hey, hey, you've got to be kidding! What's with that lightning?!" The tall, thin man turned and saw a sight he would never forget: an incredibly thick bolt of lightning pierced straight between heaven and earth, and even the air he breathed felt numbing because of it.

"Cough, cough, cough, it's Laxus..." Behind the tall man, the bloodied Erza slowly stood, supporting herself with her longsword. Her armor had saved her life once again, at least protecting her heart from a fatal wound.

The tall man glanced back at the trembling Erza, somewhat surprised she could still stand. But he paid it no mind and grinned. "The blond kid? Heh, looks like he can give me some fun after I kill you. I wonder what kind of fireworks he'll make?"

The tall man laughed cruelly, madness filling his eyes. He did not care in the least whether the short, fat man fighting Laxus lived or died.

"No, you can't... I won't let you go over there. I'll defeat you here!"

Erza leaned on her longsword, blood still dripping from her body. Even her words came haltingly, but her gaze was remarkably determined as she stared fiercely at the tall man.

"Defeat me? Hahahaha, are you crazy, little girl?" The tall man laughed recklessly at Erza's words, swinging the gun in his hand as he mocked her loudly. "You can barely stand. What are you going to beat me with? Your glare? Hahahaha..."

"If Laxus can do it, there's no reason I can't... We still have to save Eleven. We can't waste too much time here." Erza ignored the tall man's mockery, resolutely straightened up, and shouted, "Requip—Flight Armor!"

With a flicker of spatial magic, a set of light, leopard-print leather armor appeared on Erza. Unlike the last time she faced Eleven, she summoned the complete set of Flight Armor this time: a leopard-print breastplate, a short leopard-skin skirt, and a large, fluffy white cat's tail behind her.

Erza had finally donned the complete set of armor that increased her speed.

The tall man tilted his head as he watched Erza change armor. A vein bulged on his forehead, and he said mildly, "Oh? Still planning to fight back? Then go die!"

Boom!

As he spoke, the tall man swung up his shotgun and fired without a change of expression.

But the shot only tore through an afterimage Erza had left behind. Wearing the Flight Armor, Erza had reached the peak of her speed, instantly leaving her original position and dodging the shot.

She failed to reach the tall man, however, because he immediately fired again, forcing her to dodge backward.

Erza found that the more she moved, the worse her injuries became. Her wounds kept tearing open and bleeding. Yet her thoughts grew clearer and her senses sharper, and every cell in her body seemed to awaken and leap with excitement.

She actually felt a thrill at the brink of death.

The tall man realized the shotgun's rate of fire was too slow to hit her effectively, so he cast a spell while retreating rapidly.

"Requip—Magic Gatling!"

A huge Gatling gun appeared in his hands. The tall man pulled back the bolt, and a violent rain of bullets immediately burst forth, sweeping toward Erza.

The dying Erza's eyes had turned red, a bloody light flashing in them. "Requip—Sonic Blade!"

Two rapiers appeared in her hands: Sonic Blades, swords that increased attack speed.

Facing the bullets hurtling toward her, Erza was exceptionally calm. Her sword rose and fell, striking the first bullet. A streak of silver light flashed past and split it in two.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang...

Erza advanced in a winding path, her arms moving wildly before her. The silver blades clashed repeatedly with the black bullets, scattering countless brilliant sparks like fine raindrops striking a tranquil pool.

"Two-Sword Style—Falling Rain!"

Her exchange with the bullets lasted only an instant. Erza broke through the hail of bullets from the side and shot straight toward the tall man.

Pfft! Pfft!

Without the slightest pause, both rapiers plunged into the heart of the tall man, who was still laughing wildly.

"Hahahahaha, die! Die! Hahaha... ha... huh?"

It had all happened so fast that the tall man had not even realized his heart had been pierced. He was still laughing wildly, but his movements came to an abrupt halt.

The machine gun fell from his hands with a crash, splashing mud everywhere. He stared in disbelief at the two rapiers protruding from his chest, then fell flat on his back.

"You... you..." The tall man stared fixedly at the gasping Erza, unable to get another word out.

"I've thought of a name for my magic." Erza clutched her chest and panted as she suddenly spoke in a mild voice. "The Knight—a knight. My magic exists to protect my companions like a knight."

"Ah, is that so? Congratulations..."

Lying on his back, the tall man felt the raindrops striking his face. He murmured those words in reply, then stopped breathing.

"Laxus, Eleven..." Seeing that the tall man was dead, Erza withdrew her rapiers and tried to go rescue her companions. But before she had taken two steps, she fell headfirst into the mud. She was too badly injured.

Just then, a huge tornado suddenly rose in the distance, surging straight into the sky!

Erza and Laxus raised their heads at the same time and looked toward the tornado, smiles appearing on both their faces. "It's Eleven!"

Time turned back, in another direction.

The falling bolt of lightning interrupted the man in the suit's madness. He stared blankly at the thick bolt, as if the shock had suddenly brought him to his senses.

"Kid, it's time to go." The man in the suit looked at Eleven expressionlessly and limped toward him.

Half of Eleven's face was submerged in muddy rainwater, his vacant eyes staring ahead.

"You should have killed me just now." A smile suddenly appeared on Eleven's face.

"I told you, I won't kill you. You're important cargo." The man in the suit answered unhurriedly.

"May I ask who's trying to capture me?" Eleven's eyes moved, no longer vacant. He looked at something in front of him, his eyes flashing.

This time, the man in the suit ignored Eleven. He remained silent and continued approaching him.

Just as the man in the suit was about to seize Eleven, a powerful, twisting force suddenly erupted beneath his feet and tore his body into mist.

A dark light flashed in Eleven's eyes as his Telekinesis poured forth without restraint, spinning and churning the air. The surrounding air was drawn along, forming a cyclone that grew larger and stronger. Trees in the forest began to rustle, and even the rain began to drift through the air. Soon, a huge telekinetic tornado surged straight into the sky!

Eleven unleashed his full power, terrifying indeed!

The man in the suit was swept into it. The powerful force tore at him relentlessly, leaving him no choice but to desperately maintain his body in mist form.

But even so, it could not kill him. His mist body had no fixed shape, and even if it were torn apart, it could reform.

"Hahahahaha, it's useless, you little brat! You can't kill me!" The man in the suit's crazed laughter came from within the tornado.

"You can't kill me! Let's see how long you can keep this up! Once this move ends, I'll kill you! No, I won't kill you, I can't kill you, hahahahaha!"

For some reason, the man in the suit sounded somewhat deranged, but that was none of Eleven's concern. Trembling, he reached out and picked up something in front of him.

"Cough, cough, let's add something for you to taste!" With that, Eleven tossed the clump in his hand into the whirlwind.

It was the great net embedded with Magic Sealing Stones.

As soon as the magic net entered the wind, the man in the suit screamed. His body had completely transformed into gas and merged with the whirlwind. Once the Magic Sealing Stones entered it, they were bound to come into contact with his body.

"No, don't!"

With a scream, streaks of blood red began to burst throughout the tornado. Wherever parts of the man in the suit's body touched the Magic Sealing Stones, they could no longer maintain their mist form and were instantly torn apart.

Eleven could hold on no longer. The telekinetic tornado, spinning at its limit, burst apart with a roar, blasting a huge hole in the thick clouds overhead in the blink of an eye.

Crystal-clear drops of blood flew through the air. A dazzling beam of sunlight, glittering blood red, reached into the dark world and fell diagonally across Eleven, forming a halo around him.

Eleven lay on his back in the mud, letting the rain of blood fall around him as he closed his eyes and felt the first ray of sunlight that day.