The Black Robed Figures present turned around one after another, their eyes blazing as they looked toward Allen and Laxus. The Black Robed Figure beside the altar had already begun secretly gathering magic power, faint light flickering around him.
Allen's heart tightened. He knew that he and Laxus had been exposed. Although he had no idea how they had detected them, judging from the current situation, a battle was now unavoidable.
Holding to the eternal truth that "the first strike is the surest," Allen exchanged a glance with Laxus beside him without hesitation, then decided to launch the first attack.
Laxus had also been ready for battle long ago. He swung both hands forward, and a dazzling Chain Lightning instantly tore through the sky, striking straight at the Black Robed Figures like a roaring thunder dragon baring its fangs. Immediately afterward, Laxus's entire body was enveloped in brilliant lightning, forming a Lightning Battle Suit. Then his figure blurred, and he charged into the crowd at astonishing speed.
At the same time, Allen's movements appeared comparatively plain. Magic power flashed across his hands, and Gram and Aegis materialized out of thin air. He then charged toward the Black Robed Figures alongside Laxus.
Laxus's sudden Chain Lightning triggered a series of explosions among the Black Magic Group's followers. Flames soared into the sky, smoke filled the air, and the group was caught completely off guard, throwing their formation into chaos. By the time they recovered, they discovered that Laxus and Allen had already charged into their ranks like tigers descending a mountain.
Although the individual magic power of these followers was nothing remarkable, they had strength in numbers. Faced with Allen and Laxus's fierce attacks, not one of them showed the slightest fear. Every expression was filled with fanaticism, as though they were unafraid of death and only wanted to drag Allen and Laxus down with them.
At that moment, the Black Robed Figure beside the altar suddenly shouted, "Capture these two and offer them as sacrifices to the great Lord Zeref!"
As soon as those words were spoken, the followers who had already fallen into a frenzy became even more deranged.
At that moment, Allen and Laxus, standing in the center of the battlefield, suddenly felt the pressure multiply. Attacks surged toward them from every direction like a tidal wave, abruptly obstructing their advance.
Seeing that the situation was critical, Allen shouted at Laxus beside him, "Don't conserve your magic power. Drive them back first!" Before his voice had even faded, Gram in Allen's right hand suddenly blazed with dazzling magical light.
Immediately afterward, Allen roared, "Holy Spear Slash!"
Gram thrust forward at lightning speed. At the same time, powerful streams of magic power shot from its tip like arrows loosed from a bow. For a moment, the many followers in front of Allen had no time to react before they collapsed in swaths beneath the sharp, unstoppable assault.
Laxus was no less impressive. The Lightning Battle Suit covering his body suddenly erupted with tremendous energy, forcibly driving the followers surrounding him far back. Then Laxus took a deep breath and opened his mouth. Accompanied by a furious roar, he shouted, "Roar of the Thunder Dragon!" A lightning beam as thick as a giant serpent burst from his mouth and swept across the area with the force to destroy heaven and earth. Every follower near Laxus fell one after another, as though they were wheat being cut down.
The battlefield fell momentarily silent, giving Allen and Laxus time to stop and catch their breath.
When the Black Robed Figure beside the altar saw the many followers lying on the ground, he flew into an uncontrollable rage. His face, hidden beneath the shadow of his black hood, twisted into a hideous expression. Then he suddenly turned around to face the altar, clasping his hands tightly together in a gesture of prayer.
In the very next moment, the seemingly ordinary altar suddenly seemed to activate under some mysterious power, beginning to glow with eerie light. Immediately afterward, an overwhelmingly powerful force erupted from the very center of the altar and spread outward like a surging tide. The fallen Black Robed Figures could not resist this terrifying force at all. Like puppets that had lost control, they were sucked into the altar one after another.
As more and more Black Robed Figures were drawn inside, the fluctuations of magic power within the altar grew increasingly violent, as though a massive magical fusion about to be born was taking shape within it.
Seeing this from below, Allen was shocked. He knew that if he did not stop it immediately, the consequences would be disastrous. Without hesitation, he stepped forward and tried to charge toward the altar to halt the evil ritual.
However, what Allen had never expected was that the Black Robed Figure who had remained beside the altar possessed the strength of an A-Class mage. Before Allen could approach the altar, the Black Robed Figure blurred and instantly appeared in front of him, using magic power to block his path. Although Allen wanted to break through the Black Robed Figure's defense as quickly as possible, the Black Robed Figure was focused solely on defense and had no intention of attacking, making it difficult for Allen to escape his entanglement and obstruction in a short time.
Burning with anxiety, Allen knew that he could not keep delaying. He made a quick decision and shouted toward Laxus in the distance, "Laxus, hurry over there and stop the ritual! I can deal with this guy soon, then I'll come support you!" Hearing Allen's shout, Laxus did not reply. He merely nodded firmly, then sprinted toward the altar with incredible speed.
As Laxus drew closer and closer to the altar, the Black Robed Figure showed no sign of panic. Instead, he let out a bone-chilling cackle. "Heh heh heh... You overconfident fools! It's already too late to stop it now! The demon created by the great Lord Zeref is about to break free, and the entire world will soon be plunged into endless darkness and terror!" After saying this, the Black Robed Figure's voice suddenly paused. Then his tone grew even more vicious. "If you two hadn't interfered, the great Lord Zeref would have descended as well. This is all your fault!!!"
By then, Laxus had reached the edge of the altar. He wanted to make the entire ritual fail by destroying the altar, but just as the Black Robed Figure had said, the ritual was already complete. Although Laxus destroyed the altar, the Magic Circle within it was still functioning.
Laxus wanted to attack the core of the Magic Circle, and the lightning in his hand shot toward it. However, at that moment, a powerful surge of magic power erupted from within the Magic Circle and sent Laxus flying backward. A massive demon emerged within the Magic Circle.
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