The goat was running toward the huge boulder where the two men were hiding when it suddenly lost its footing and crashed heavily to the ground. It tried to get back up quickly, but perhaps because it was too panicked, it failed several times. After hearing Balkan's voice behind it, the goat seemed to anticipate what was about to happen and began bleating miserably. From Laxus's position, he could clearly see the profound helplessness and fear in the goat's eyes.
At that moment, Balkan was charging toward the goat at full speed. During that brief yet seemingly endless span of time, the goat's miserable cries kept echoing in Laxus's ears. He clenched his fists tightly as anger continued to surge within him. Finally, he could no longer suppress his impulse. He sprang to his feet and turned to shout at Allen beside him, "Big brother, I can't take it anymore! I absolutely can't just watch this goat die such a horrible death right in front of me!" Before his voice had even faded, Laxus leaped without hesitation and jumped out from behind the enormous boulder.
Seeing this, Allen couldn't help but smile faintly before stepping out after him. In fact, from the moment he saw Balkan appear, Allen had known that a battle was unavoidable. His original plan had been to wait until the Balkans gathered farther ahead before launching a surprise attack. However, he had never expected Laxus to lose patience because he couldn't bear to watch the goat be slaughtered, exposing their presence ahead of schedule. But now that things had come to this, Allen didn't think it was a big deal. After all, with the strength the two of them currently possessed, dealing with this group of Balkans would be a piece of cake.
The Balkans also noticed Allen and Laxus suddenly leap out. They immediately opened their gaping jaws and let out deafening warning roars at the two uninvited guests. However, unlike the creatures these Balkans had encountered before, Allen and Laxus did not leave. Instead, they approached them with steady steps, moving faster and faster.
The goat seemed to realize that it had been rescued and immediately stopped panicking. It quickly got to its feet and sprinted away into the distance without hesitation.
Seeing their prey escape after it had practically fallen into their grasp, the Balkans became furious. They widened their eyes and roared loudly at Allen and Laxus without pause, as though venting all the rage in their hearts.
Laxus had long been dissatisfied with these gorilla-like monsters. At this moment, he made no attempt to hide his disgust.
Lightning began to flash dazzlingly around both his fists. Powerful currents wound and interweaved around his arms, radiating a terrifying aura of power. By comparison, Allen did not display magic effects as dazzling as Laxus's. He merely summoned Gram calmly and did not even use Aegis, clearly believing that these Balkans were not enough to make him go all out.
"Big brother! Let's go!" Laxus shouted before decisively making his move.
"Chain Lightning!"
A thick bolt of lightning roared out from his hand like a ferocious thunder dragon, streaking toward the Balkans at astonishing speed. After striking the lead Balkan, the lightning did not stop. Instead, it leaped back and forth among the group like a nimble silver snake, sending electric arcs and sparks flying wherever it passed.
The Balkans had not expected the lightning summoned by Laxus to be so powerful. Even with a certain degree of resistance, they still screamed miserably as they were electrocuted, throwing themselves into disarray. Taking advantage of the opening, Laxus clenched both hands into fists and shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. Allen naturally wasn't about to let Laxus charge into battle alone. Holding Gram in one hand, he followed closely and charged toward the group of Balkans caught in chaos.
Once the two of them charged in together, the battle ended in an instant. The Balkans collapsed unconscious amid a series of miserable cries. Laxus still wanted to finish them off, but Allen pulled him back.
The battle had only just begun when one of the Balkans turned and ran away. Judging from the direction it fled and its hurried movements, it was most likely going to call for reinforcements.
Laxus swept his sharp gaze over the Balkans sprawled unconscious before him, all of them utterly incapable of fighting back. Then he turned toward Allen and nodded slightly. "Big brother, let's go after it!" With that, the two men sped away as if propelled by wind, racing after the fleeing Balkan like arrows loosed from a bow.
Their speed was already extremely fast, but at that moment, waves of overlapping Balkan roars suddenly came from ahead.
Allen instantly understood that these roars were signals the Balkans used to summon their companions. Even so, they did not slow down. Instead, they sprinted forward even faster.
Before long, the two men saw a group of Balkans gathered around the entrance to a cave in the distance. A rough count put their numbers at more than fifty.
The group had clearly also noticed Allen and Laxus pursuing them relentlessly. One after another, they glared furiously, bared their teeth, and roared at the two men. The deafening cries seemed capable of overturning the entire valley.
Irritated by the racket, Allen lightly pressed one hand against his ear. Then he turned to Laxus, who was frowning just as deeply, and said, "These guys are far too noisy. Let's give this world some peace and quiet!" Before his voice had even faded, Laxus, already burning with excitement from the exhilarating chase, shouted eagerly and lunged straight at the imposing group of Balkans like a maddened wild bull.
Lightning enveloped Laxus from head to toe. Allen was also covered completely in Time Metal Armor, and with Gram in hand, the two of them charged toward the numerous Balkans like twin war gods.
In the eyes of the two men, whether they fought one Balkan or fifty, the result would be the same. The Balkans were frightened by the miserable state of their companions. Those that had not been struck by the two men quickly fled toward the cave. The two pursued them all the way until the Balkans suddenly discovered that a boulder was blocking the path ahead. With nowhere left to run, they could only turn around and face Allen and Laxus.
After seeing Allen and Laxus catch up, one Balkan suddenly dropped to its knees before them. Once one had taken the lead, the rest followed and knelt down as well.
Seeing the Balkans choose to beg for mercy, Laxus, who still felt unsatisfied, snorted resentfully.
Allen said to Laxus, "Laxus, you decide what ultimately happens to them."
After hearing Allen's words, Laxus, whose emotions had been running high, gradually calmed down. After a moment of silence, he looked at the group of Balkans. Their eyes were no different from the goat's. Remembering what Allen often said—that Heaven cherished life and there was no need to create more needless bloodshed—he simply waved them toward the outside, signaling for them to leave at once.
With the signal to go, the Balkans timidly made their way out of the cave.
After the Balkans left, Laxus was about to leave as well, but Allen grabbed him. Laxus looked puzzled. Allen gazed at the boulder blocking the path ahead and said, "This stone was created by magic. I want to know what's behind it."
Before you continue