Malcolm's face, originally filled with viciousness, began to change. The cruel look gradually faded, replaced by fear that surged through him like a rising tide. However, when he recalled everything he had experienced in the past and saw the people before him, already controlled and unable to act of their own will, a hint of madness once again gained the upper hand, instantly drowning out the fear that had just surfaced.
He widened his eyes and shouted at Allen, "You wouldn't dare disregard these people's lives, would you? As a member of the Light Guild, you definitely wouldn't dare!"
Faced with Malcolm's provocation and questioning, Allen gave no response. He silently braced Aegis firmly before him, then assumed a stance as though he was about to charge. The next moment, he let out a low shout, drove off with both feet, and shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow.
"Crimson Lotus Charge!"
With that furious roar, Allen charged forward with unstoppable momentum, and his target was crystal clear—the Malcolm standing among the crowd!
Malcolm had truly never expected Allen to disregard the lives of the Foxes of the Forest members before him and charge straight over without hesitation. But now that things had come to this, further thought was useless.
Malcolm's expression darkened. He shaped his hands into a strange gesture resembling a snake's head, and black-violet magic power erupted from his entire body like a volcanic eruption, gathering behind him into the illusory form of a giant serpent. At the same time, the Foxes of the Forest members who had been standing motionless suddenly seemed to receive an order. They unleashed their respective attacks and attacked Allen together as he charged toward them at high speed.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Accompanied by the successive collisions, the entire scene instantly descended into chaos. The situation had completely exceeded Malcolm's expectations. Allen faced the wave of attacks surging toward him without changing expression, but he did not choose to counterattack. Instead, he held Aegis firmly before him and lowered his head.
Allen was like an armored battle tank with its accelerator pressed all the way down. He completely ignored the attacks, and anyone who blocked his path was sent flying.
Finally, Allen felt that there were no obstacles left before him. It turned out that all the Foxes of the Forest members had been knocked to the ground by his powerful charge, sprawled across the ground in disarray. Now, the only person still standing before Allen was Malcolm.
At the same time, the battle behind them had begun as well. When the illusory giant serpent appeared, the townspeople instantly descended into extreme madness. Empowered by the mysterious magic, they fearlessly launched a fierce charge against the defensive line formed by Laxus and the Investigation Team members.
Among these newcomers, Laharl was an outstanding Rune Mage. Before the battle began, he had crouched down and carefully carved complicated runes and patterns into the ground with a specially made wand. Before long, a defensive position appeared before everyone.
Elmer, another of the newcomers, specialized in Earth Magic. He continuously infused the earth-element power under his control into the defensive position Laharl had just constructed. As he cast his spell, a thick layer of stone and soil rapidly piled up over the originally bare defensive position, greatly increasing its defensive power.
Ryan, on the other side, was a Word Mage. He cleverly borrowed Laxus's magic power to cover the entire surface of the defensive position with an extremely weak electric shock—yet one strong enough to knock down ordinary people. After all, these residents had been nothing more than ordinary civilians before this. Although they had now gained the enhancement of magic power, their physical abilities were still no different from those of ordinary people. Thus, this seemingly insignificant electric shock was already sufficiently harmful to them, easily knocking down anyone who came close.
After the battle began, Laharl, Elmer, and Ryan still had a fair amount of magic power left. However, when they looked up at the endless sea of people before them, anxiety rose in their hearts. Laharl in particular hurriedly turned to Yahar and shouted, "Captain! Think of something, quickly! If this continues, even if our magic power isn't exhausted, the crushing and trampling caused by such a huge crowd will probably cost many residents their lives!"
Yahar had clearly noticed this serious problem as well, but faced with such a difficult situation, he was at a loss for the moment. Just as everyone was burning with anxiety, Laxus, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly stepped forward. "Let me out. I'll knock them down."
After seeing Yahar and the others turn their gazes toward him, Laxus said, "I'll control the strength of the electric shock. It'll be fine as long as I knock them unconscious, right?"
Clearly, Laxus had once again presented Yahar with a difficult problem. If he refused to let Laxus go out, a terrifying trampling accident would probably be unavoidable. But if he let him out, setting aside Laxus's own safety, the plan he had proposed—knocking everyone unconscious with electric shocks—was enough to make Yahar's heart clench.
These two brothers really never let anyone relax for even a moment! Yet at this point, they truly could not think of any more suitable solution. Yahar helplessly nodded at Laxus, indicating his agreement with the plan.
After obtaining Yahar's permission, Laharl quickly opened a gap in front of Laxus so that he could get out safely. Once outside, Laxus did only one thing: he adjusted the strength of the Lightning Battle Suit, weakening its power while expanding its range, then fully enveloped himself in it. Immediately afterward, he charged toward the gathered crowds without hesitation. No matter how many people were there, as long as there were people present, he charged straight toward them.
Because he had controlled the Lightning Battle Suit's strength so well, when it released its current, it only knocked down the people around Laxus. He continued running and electrocuting them until he looked around and could no longer see a single resident still standing.
"Woohoo~! That feels great!!!"
Laxus stopped and shouted excitedly. This operation had truly allowed him to vent the emotions bottled up inside him. The gloom and resentment from before had vanished from his face, replaced by a youthful, energetic drive.
After Yahar and the others confirmed that no one had actually died, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Then everyone turned their gazes toward Allen's side.
Before you continue