Arc of Time

The feeling of weightlessness disappeared, and Jiang Bai's feet landed steadily on the solid ground.

He looked around and found himself in a cave made of irregular rocks.

Ultear, or rather, the one disguised as Zalty, stood not far away, a smug, confident smile on her face.

"How about it?"

She spoke in a hoarse voice,

"My Time Magic can not only restore time, but also accelerate the passage of time for inanimate objects."

The implication is that she can arbitrarily alter the terrain of this space, and even accelerate its decay and collapse.

However, Jiang Bai, as a transmigrator who knew everything, was already fully aware of the advantages and disadvantages of her Lost Magic.

"Oh."

He simply responded with a flat "yes," and then asked a seemingly unrelated question.

"Can you make someone young again?"

Ultear paused for a moment, but still replied with a touch of pride, "If you're willing to pay the price, a few seconds is possible."

"That,"

Jiang Bai continued to ask,

"Can you apply a time acceleration effect to yourself, or a time deceleration effect to your enemy?"

This question precisely hits the biggest pain point of the "Arc of Time".

It cannot act directly on living organisms.

Ultear's smile froze.

"... cannot."

She squeezed out two words through gritted teeth.

Jiang Bai shrugged, his expression filled with utter bewilderment and confusion.

"Then what are you so proud of?"

These words were like a red-hot branding iron, searing deeply into Ultear's heart.

She didn't want to waste another word on this man with such a venomous tongue.

A murderous glint flashed in her eyes. With a wave of her hand, a rapidly spinning crystal ball hurtled towards Jiang Bai.

However, just centimeters away from Jiang Bai's body, the crystal ball seemed to have struck an invisible, absolutely insurmountable wall.

"Smack!"

With a crisp sound, the crystal ball shattered, turning into countless glittering specks of light that dissipated into the air.

From beginning to end, Jiang Bai didn't even blink. His "Infinity" domain automatically isolated him from all external attacks.

He simply stared at Ultear with those clear, large eyes, his gaze seeming to say: That's all?

Ultear's self-esteem was trampled upon like never before.

"If one isn't enough, then ten! If ten aren't enough, then a hundred!"

She roared, waving her hands wildly.

"Arc of Time, Infinity Gears!"

In an instant, hundreds and thousands of spinning crystal balls appeared out of thin air behind her, like a dense meteor shower, pouring down on Jiang Bai.

Countless crystal balls crashed against the "Infinity" barrier, only to shatter instantly.

In an instant, the entire space was enveloped in dazzling lights, as if a grand fireworks display was taking place.

Yes, the way crystal breaks is quite beautiful.

Jiang Bai initially enjoyed this free "light pollution" with great interest.

But soon, he got bored.

Repeating the same move a thousand or ten thousand times is just a waste of magic power.

That's enough.

Jiang Bai's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.

He didn't want to play this childish game anymore.

The next instant, his figure vanished from the spot.

Ultear's alarm bells rang, and before she could react, Jiang Bai's figure appeared before her like a ghost.

The two were very close.

"In front of me,"

Jiang Bai's voice, like a devil's whisper, rang in her ear.

"Any pretense is meaningless."

"What?"

Ultear's pupils contracted sharply.

She felt an irresistible spiritual force sweep over her entire body, and the disguise magic used to change her appearance and voice instantly crumbled.

But Jiang Bai didn't give her any more time to think.

His fist was so fast and simple, without any fancy moves, that it landed squarely on Ultear's soft abdomen.

The force wasn't strong, but it precisely injected a special kind of magic into her body.

Ultear felt as if all the magic power in her body had been drained in an instant; the once surging magical circuits were forcibly dispersed and disrupted in a flash.

She groaned softly and collapsed to the ground.

Nothing serious, it's just that I can't use any magic for a short period of time.

As she fell to the ground, the Native American-style mask slipped off her face, revealing her beautiful yet somewhat melancholic true appearance.

Jiang Bai looked at the woman on the ground, whom he had seen at the Magic Council not long ago, and feigned surprise with an "Oh".

"Isn't this Council Member Ultear? What are you doing here?"

Ultear lay on the ground, enduring the excruciating pain in her lower abdomen and the powerlessness caused by the dissipation of her magic. She knew her identity had been exposed, so she could only grit her teeth and make up an excuse.

"I am... I heard someone wanted to unseal Deliora, so I came here specifically to stop them."

"Oh?"

Jiang Bai raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile appearing on his face.

"That Ultear council member is really dedicated."

"For such a 'little devil' who should have been eliminated long ago, he actually went so far as to risk his life as a councilor, personally infiltrating the enemy ranks. It's truly touching."

His casual use of the word "little devil" once again stung Ultear.

Although she hated her mother, Ur, for abandoning her for two unrelated disciples.

But from another perspective, she also didn't want anyone to underestimate the demon that her mother had sealed away with her life.

That would make her feel that her mother's sacrifice was cheap and insignificant.

"Little devil?"

She couldn't help but retort,

"You have no idea just how terrifying the demons Zeref created are!"

"Oh."

Jiang Bai let out a disdainful chuckle. Looking down at the woman on the ground, he spoke in a matter-of-fact, arrogant tone:

"No need to know."

"I am the strongest!"

That innate, absolute confidence and arrogance left Ultear speechless for a moment.

She wanted to mock the arrogant man, but then she thought of herself as a fish on a chopping board, completely at his mercy.

All the anger and resentment could only turn into a pent-up resentment, stuck in his chest.

She could only glare at Jiang Bai resentfully, her chest heaving with anger, as if it had grown larger.

Meanwhile, Jiang Bai easily defeated Ultear.

On another, separated battlefield, Natsu's battle also reached a fever pitch.

Wave Fist!

Yuka pushed her hands forward, and an invisible, constantly vibrating wave of magical energy spread out towards Natsu.

Natsu was about to unleash "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist" when he felt as if his body was bound by countless invisible ropes, making his movements sluggish and contorted.

The magical power within him also became disordered due to this strange fluctuation, making it impossible for it to condense smoothly.

"Damn it! What kind of magic is this?!"

Natsu suffered a setback, being kicked away by Yuka's other move, "Wave Kick," and crashing into the rock wall.

"Wow! Yuka is amazing!" Toby excitedly for his teammate.

"Hmph, my Wave Magic can directly affect your body and magic power, causing them to vibrate out of harmony."

Yuka explained proudly,

"Your power is completely ineffective against my fluctuations!"

"Yeah?"

Natsu got up from the ground and wiped the dust from the corner of his mouth.

He shook his head, still feeling the uncoordinated vibration within his body, which made him very uncomfortable.

However, feeling uncomfortable does not mean you cannot fight.

For a pure combatant like Natsu, the battle is far from over as long as he hasn't fallen.

He took a deep breath, no longer trying to resist the fluctuations, but instead focusing all his attention on his own flames.

"So noisy! So annoying! I don't care who you are!"

Natsu's body suddenly erupted with an even hotter flame. He no longer tried to use his fists, but instead gathered the power of the flames into his mouth.

"The Fire Dragon's Roar!"

The dragon's breath, a mixture of rage and fighting spirit, surged like a destructive pillar of light, instantly engulfing the area in front of it.

Yuka and Toby never expected that Natsu could unleash such a powerful attack even while under the influence of his own magic.

Caught off guard, the two were directly hit by the dragon's breath, screaming as they were blasted away, crashing through the thick rock wall and completely losing their ability to fight.