A Thunderclap

At the edge of the cliff, the sea wind howled, and the waves crashed against the rocks with a dull thud.

Azuma stood on the edge of the cliff, looking down coldly at the group of people in front of him.

He crossed his arms over his chest, exuding an air of superiority, completely disregarding the group of people in front of him.

Mest took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and took a step forward, pointing at Azuma.

"You Grimoire Hearts had better surrender! Our Magic Council has deployed warships in advance; you are already surrounded!"

Azuma didn't even raise an eyebrow; he simply tilted his head and looked at the distant sea.

"Oh? You mean...?"

Boom!

A huge explosion was heard on the distant sea.

Flames shot into the sky, thick smoke billowed, and the wreckage of several warships was torn to pieces in the explosion. The fragments were thrown into the air by the blast wave and then fell into the sea in scattered pieces.

"Those wreckage?"

Mest's eyes widened in horror, her pupils shrinking to the size of pinpoints.

He froze on the spot, his body trembling uncontrollably, his lips quivering, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

"No... impossible... that's the Magic Council's fleet..."

He couldn't care less about anything else; all that remained in his mind were the wreckage floating on the sea.

He used teleportation repeatedly, his figure flashing as he rushed towards the wreckage of the fleet, disappearing at the edge of the cliff.

Freed looked serious, his right hand already gripping the hilt of his rapier.

The enemy in front of him gave him a dangerous feeling; the sense of oppression was not something an ordinary character could have.

His muscles were taut, ready to strike at any moment.

"Who are you? What is your purpose in coming to our Fairy Tail's Tenrou Island?"

Azuma crossed his arms and slowly scanned everyone present.

Freed, Bickslow, Wendy, Lily, and Carla.

His gaze was as indifferent as if he were examining a pile of pebbles on the roadside.

"Too weak."

He uttered three words calmly, then raised his right foot and stomped heavily on the ground.

Boom!

The ground cracked open, rocks shattered, and a thick pillar of fire shot into the sky from the crack.

Flames surged, the intense heat distorting the air, and the pillar of fire spread at an alarming speed, engulfing everyone present.

[Tower of Flames]

Wendy reacted quickly, magic flowing around her.

"Everyone be careful!"

[Enchantment Magic - Defense]

A layer of pale blue magic enveloped everyone, but the power of the pillars of fire far exceeded expectations.

After the Tower of Flames finished erupting, the flames dissipated, leaving the ground on the cliff edge charred black, with steam rising from the rocks.

Freed knelt on the ground, supporting his body with his rapier, barely managing to stay steady only when the tip of the sword was stuck in the ground.

His clothes were burned through in several places, and he had burn marks on his face and arms. He was breathing rapidly.

Bickslow was in an even worse state; all five of his totem dolls were destroyed, with pieces of wood scattered all over the ground.

He himself suffered extensive burns, his skin was red and swollen, and he was in excruciating pain.

My darlings...

At the last moment, Lily spread his arms and shielded Carla and Wendy with his body.

His back was burned raw by the flames, and a large patch of his hair was singed black, but he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound.

"Lily! Are you alright?!"

Wendy's voice was trembling.

"It's nothing... just a minor injury..."

Before Lily could finish speaking, his body swayed.

Just as the group was in Despair, an indescribable force surged up from the back of their hands.

The emblem began to glow and heat up, and a warm power flowed through his veins to his entire body, and all his injuries began to heal slowly at a visible rate.

The burned skin began to scab over, the charred hair grew back, and new skin was forming beneath the tattered robes.

Bickslow looked down at his glowing emblem, so hot it made him stick out his tongue.

"Hot, hot, hot... Why is the emblem glowing and heating up?! What's going on?"

"The injuries... are beginning to heal."

Freed looked down at the emblem on the back of his hand, its light growing brighter and brighter.

Everyone else noticed the anomaly.

This scene made Azuma, who was about to leave, stop in his tracks.

He had already turned away, disdainful of the weak and unwilling to waste time on them.

But the moment the emblem glowed, he turned his head back, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"Interesting, this level of resilience."

Freed stood up, gripped his rapier tightly, and magic surged within him.

[Dark Ecriture - Darkness]

Black magical patterns spread from the emblem, covering his entire body.

His eyes turned pure black, and his body was enveloped in dark magic, entering his strongest state.

He pushed off with his feet, transforming into a black shadow as he charged towards Azuma.

The rapier unleashed a dense barrage of light, its tip tracing countless paths through the air, each strike aimed directly at Azuma's vitals.

Azuma parried with one hand, and the blade only left a shallow white mark on him.

Their figures crossed paths at the edge of the cliff.

Wendy closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and magic surged forth like a tide.

"I'm here to help!"

[Enchantment Magic - Overall Boost]

A pale green light emanated from her, enveloping everyone.

Freed's speed and strength increased once again, and his swordplay became even more ferocious.

Bickslow scratched his head, looking at the scattered pieces of wood on the ground with a worried expression.

"Oh no, the totem puppet is broken! I've lost half my fighting force! How am I supposed to fight now?"

Lily dragged his wounded body to a tree, drew the large knife from his back, and swung it rapidly at the tree trunk.

With a flash of the knife, wood chips flew everywhere, and several pieces of wood were shaved into rough doll shapes.

It threw five oddly shaped pieces of wood in front of Bickslow; their shapes were crooked and twisted.

"Hey, how about trying these? Time is tight, this is all I can manage."

"You've been a huge help!"

Bickslow's eyes lit up, and he pressed his hands down on the crooked pieces of wood, pouring his precious soul into them.

Magic flowed through the wood, and the rough puppets began to glow, hovering above Bickslow's head.

"It's a bit ugly, but as long as it can move, that's fine!"

The five wooden puppets were rearranged into formation. Although their shapes were haphazard, their mouths glowed green, and the lasers were ready.

Bickslow and Lily joined the fight against Azuma.

Lily wielded his greatsword, his massive body exuding astonishing explosive power, and joined forces with Freed in close combat.

With a broadsword on one side and a rapier on the other, their flashing blades created a dense network of attacks.

Bickslow and Wendy provided long-range cover.

Five laser beams shot out from the doll, suppressing Azuma's movement space with long-range firepower.

Carla stood behind, clenching her paws.

"I wish I could use Transformation Magic..."

She decided to go back and practice her Transformation Magic diligently, so she could no longer be just a cat that could only look at people.

Azuma remained composed amidst the siege, his body constantly weaving through the gaps in the attacks, occasionally raising his hand to block, his face always bearing that indifferent expression.

He shook his head.

"If that's all there is to it..."

He raised his hands, palms facing Lily and Freed, who were locked in close combat.

Boom!

Explosive flames erupted from their palms, bursting open at close range. A massive pillar of fire engulfed the two of them, and the shockwave blew away the rocks on the cliff edge.

The person and the cat were blasted away, their bodies tumbling several times in the air before crashing heavily to the ground.

Lily lost consciousness immediately, and the broadsword slipped from his hand, falling to the ground with a clatter.

Freed was also forced out of his Dark Form; the black markings faded from his body, restoring him to his original appearance.

He lay on the ground, his fingers gripping the earth, trying to get up, but his arms were shaking so badly that he couldn't muster any strength.

Even with the protection of the Riyao, such severe injuries cannot be healed immediately.

Remote recovery takes time, and Azuma clearly wasn't going to give them that time.

Before anyone could even gasp in surprise, Azuma appeared in front of Bickslow in a flash.

Bickslow's pupils contracted sharply, and he had no time to react.

Azuma punched him in the chin.

Boom!

Another blazing pillar of fire shot up from the ground, engulfing Bickslow completely.

Flames shot skyward, Bickslow was blasted away, his body arcing through the air before crashing into a distant thicket, scalding it until it began to smoke.

He won't be able to get up anytime soon; he doesn't even have the strength to groan.

Azuma turned around and his gaze fell on Wendy.

Wendy gritted her teeth, magic gathered in her palm, and a rapidly spinning Rasengan formed in her hand.

The wind blades spun rapidly on the surface of the sphere, emitting a sharp whistling sound.

Azuma unleashed a punch, his fist crackling with scorching flames.

Wendy conjured Rasengan and charged straight at the attacker.

Boom!

Wind and fire collided, and two magical forces exploded between the two, the shockwave scattering the surrounding rocks in all directions.

Wendy used the recoil to jump backward, her toes lightly touching the ground, and her body floated gracefully backward.

The moment she landed, the ground beneath her feet exploded.

A pillar of fire burst forth from the ground, rising past her feet.

The ground shattered one after another, and pillars of fire erupted from the ground, chasing after Wendy and exploding one after another.

She dodged left and right, her footsteps weaving through the rubble, each dodge just barely grazing the edge of the flames, her body leaping lightly back and forth between the pillars of fire.

But her attention was entirely focused on dodging the pillars of fire, and she didn't notice that Azuma had disappeared.

Azuma appeared behind her.

He raised his fist high, aiming it at Wendy's back.

Wendy felt the heat wave behind her, but it was too late to turn around.

A thunderclap boomed in the sky!

Boom!

A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, landing directly between Wendy and Azuma.

Lightning cleaved the air, and the blinding light made everyone instinctively close their eyes.

A blond man appeared between the two.

His right hand firmly grasped Azuma's arm, golden arcs of electricity crackling and popping at his fingertips.

Azuma's fist froze in mid-air, unable to strike.