The People Erza Cared About

Erza, along with Evergreen and Elfman, swept through the forest, clearing out the miscellaneous enemies roaming the island.

There were quite a few of these grunts, but their strength was simply not worth mentioning.

Erza them down one by one with her sword, too lazy to even Requip, and simply pushed her way through in her basic armor.

Evergreen occasionally unleashed a few Leprechaun lasers to finish off the attackers, while Elfman received the Beast King Arm, his fists slamming into the ground and causing it to tremble.

The three-person team worked together more and more smoothly, clearing out a large area in the blink of an eye.

Just as Erza was getting into a good fight, she turned around and bumped into a pink-haired girl.

The other person stood in the shade of a tree, their face expressionless, looking like a doll.

Erza's pupils contracted sharply when her gaze swept over the Grimoire Heart emblem on the woman's body. She gripped her Edgeless wrist tightly and lowered it slightly, pointing the tip of her sword at the newcomer.

"You're the Seven Kin of Purgatory they've been talking about, aren't you?!"

Meredy tilted her head expressionlessly, her tone as cold as if she were reading a report.

"If you encounter the enemy during combat, eliminate them immediately. From now on, the highest priority is annihilation. Battle commence!"

The moment she finished speaking, she raised her hand and waved it, and eighteen magical flying swords appeared behind her, neatly arranged in a fan shape.

Then push your palm forward.

Eighteen flying swords shot towards Erza and her two companions in a dense array, their sharp, piercing sound cutting through the air.

Erza's eyes sharpened, and she drew several smooth arcs in front of her with her Edgeless. In the flash of sword light, all the magical flying swords that shot towards her were cut in half, and the fragments turned into specks of light and dissipated in the air.

But Evergreen and Elfman were not so quick to react.

Several flying swords slammed into the two of them, and the shockwaves from the exploding magic sent them flying backward.

Evergreen bumped her back against a big tree, groaned, and slid down, her glasses askew on her nose.

Elfman crashed into a bush, and when he struggled to his feet, he still had a few broken leaves on his head.

Meredy glanced at the three men's disheveled appearance, her tone remaining calm.

"Erza Scarlett, fifth place."

Then she glanced at Evergreen and Elfman, and her lips twitched slightly.

"Elfman, Evergreen, ah."

The "heh" sound landed lightly, yet its destructive power was even greater than the flying sword from before.

Evergreen exploded instantly.

She sprang to her feet, veins throbbing on her forehead, her finger trembling as she pointed at Meredy.

"Hey?! What do you mean?! What do you mean by 'heh'?! Explain yourself! What does 'heh' mean?!"

Enraged, she waved her hands, summoning countless Leprechaun that bombarded Meredy relentlessly.

Meredy remained calm and summoned more than a dozen magical flying swords, which spun rapidly around her, forming an impenetrable sword curtain.

Just as Meredy was focused on defending the front, Elfman suddenly burst out from the bushes on the side.

He lowered his body, his legs pushing off the ground to create a shallow crater.

He leaped high into the air, raising his two Beast King Arms overhead, muscles taut and veins bulging, and slammed them down on Meredy's head.

Never underestimate a man!

Meredy didn't even turn her head, but just slightly shifted half a step to the side. Elfman's fists barely grazed her shoulders and slammed into the ground, creating a large crater and sending dirt and gravel flying everywhere.

The next second, the remaining magic swords behind her changed direction and stabbed at Elfman in unison.

With several muffled thuds, Elfman was riddled with thorns, his entire body pushed backward by the impact of the flying sword, finally crashing to the ground on his back, wincing in pain.

"Elfman!" Evergreen exclaimed.

Erza's eyes darkened, and she immediately switched to the Heaven's Wheel Armor.

Silver-white armor covered her entire body in the light, and several flying swords unfolded from her back, shooting out in a dense barrage towards Meredy, forcefully separating her from Elfman.

Meredy jumped back a few steps, stood still, and suddenly spoke, her tone carrying a hint of provocation.

"Erza, don't you care about anyone?"

Erza paused, startled.

In that instant of hesitation, Meredy's lips curled into a smile, and she activated her magic.

"Sensory Link."

A pink light shot out from her fingertips and precisely wrapped around Erza's wrist.

The light coiled and contracted, condensing into a chain-shaped mark on Erza's wrist, with a heart pattern embedded in the center of the chain.

Then, a chain reaction began.

High in the sky, Riyao suddenly felt a heat in his wrist.

He looked down and saw a chain-shaped heart-shaped mark appearing on his wrist.

Riyao blinked, then blinked again, looking completely bewildered.

He subconsciously rubbed the mark with his other hand, but it wouldn't come off and still emitted a faint pinkish glow.

At the same time, the same mark lit up in various places across the island.

Meredy sensed the information returning from the magic, and her previously expressionless face finally broke down.

Her eye twitched.

No, is this right? Is this reasonable?

This connects all the members of Fairy Tail?

You're being way too altruistic!

Meredy took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the torrent of complaints surging in her mind, and shook her head.

Oh well, since we're already connected, we might as well catch them all at once.

She raised her hands, and behind her, countless magical flying swords once again materialized, their number doubling from before.

Margaret Reiser.

The flying sword shot out with a whoosh.

Erza raised her sword to parry, but the flying swords didn't even touch her blade; they pierced through her body and penetrated deep into her soul.

A sharp, piercing pain exploded from inside my body.

Erza groaned in pain, her knees buckled and she almost collapsed to her knees, a cold sweat instantly beading on her forehead.

At the same moment, cries of pain echoed throughout the entire Tenrou Island, one after another, incessantly, creating quite a scene.

Meredy maintained a blank expression, but the subtle curve at the corner of her mouth betrayed her smugness.

"It's useless. Margaret Rizer's attack is a direct mental attack; you can't defend against it."

Erza gritted her teeth and straightened her body.

She took a deep breath, and cold sweat slid down her cheeks.

"The same trick as Riyao? Since we can't defend against it, then..."

A flash of light appeared on her body as she switched to the Pure Heart Clothing, wielding Edgeless, her knees slightly bent, and she pushed off with her feet.

He rushed toward Meredy at incredible speed, creating a gust of wind.

Meredy's pupils contracted sharply, completely unprepared for Erza's ability to retaliate so quickly after enduring a mental attack.

She instinctively tried to back away, but Erza was too fast.

The Edgeless blade slammed into Meredy's side, sending her flying. Her body carved a long furrow in the ground and crashed into three or four trees before finally coming to a stop.

Meredy clutched the spot where she had been hit, gasping in pain. She struggled to her feet, her knees trembling.

The effect of this Sense Link was truly outstanding; one person was able to hold off all the enemy troops.

However, the magic power consumed was also ridiculously high. If this continued, my magic power would run out first.

We can't delay; we need to end this battle quickly.

She was just about to raise her hand to make her next move.

Erza was already standing beside her.

The hem of the Pure Heart Clothing was still fluttering in the wind when Edgeless slashed towards Meredy's neck without the slightest hesitation.

Since physical attacks can't stop mental attacks, then end the battle as quickly as possible, without giving the opponent a chance to make a second move.

Meredy's eyes widened, and in that critical moment, she made a crazy move.

She also created Sensory Link with herself.

The Edgeless blade struck Meredy's neck, and excruciating pain exploded instantly.

Then, through a chain reaction of Sensory Link, the excruciating pain spread throughout the entire Tenrou Island.

Once again, screams of agony echoed across the island, louder and more agonizing than the previous wave.

Before this wave of screams had even subsided...

A battlefield by the sea.

The pain from this attack allowed Hades to seize the opportunity and blast Makarov and Gildarts away.

Makarov, supporting his aching lower back and rubbing the back of his neck, gasped for breath, his face crinkling into a deep frown.

"What the hell?! Riyao has betrayed us?!"

He grinned as he looked into the depths of the island, his mind filled with questions.