Demon of the Serpent (1)

Malcolm's face, originally steeped in viciousness, began to change. That cruel edge gradually faded, replaced by a tide of fear surging relentlessly into his heart. Yet, when he recalled past experiences and the people before him who were already controlled and bereft of free will, a surge of madness once again seized the upper hand, instantly drowning the fear that had just surfaced.

He widened his eyes and roared furiously at Allen: "You dare to disregard the lives of these people? As a member of the Light Guild, you definitely wouldn't dare!"

Facing Malcolm's provocation and accusation, Allen made no response. He silently steadied the Aegis in front of him, assuming a charging stance. Then, with a low shout, he pushed off the ground with explosive force, shooting forward like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.

"Crimson Lotus Charge!"

With this roar, Allen surged ahead with unstoppable momentum, his target unmistakable—Malcolm, standing among the crowd!

Malcolm truly hadn't expected Allen to charge straight at him without the slightest regard for the lives of the Foxes of the Forest members in front of him. But since things had come to this, further thought was pointless.

Malcolm's expression darkened. He formed a strange gesture with his hands, resembling the shape of a snake's head, and then black-purple magic power erupted from his entire body like a volcanic explosion, coalescing behind him into the phantom of a giant serpent. At the same time, the Foxes of the Forest members, who had been standing motionless, seemed to receive a sudden command. They unleashed their respective attacks, all converging on the rapidly charging Allen.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

With this series of collisions, the entire scene descended into chaos. At this moment, the situation had spiraled far beyond Malcolm's imagination. Allen faced the onslaught of attacks surging like a tidal wave without changing his expression. He didn't choose to strike back but instead held the Aegis firmly before him, lowering his head.

Allen was like an armored war vehicle with the accelerator floored, ignoring every attack. Anyone standing in his way was sent flying.

Finally, Allen felt no more obstacles ahead. The Foxes of the Forest members had all been knocked to the ground by his overwhelming impact, lying scattered in disarray. The only one still standing before Allen was Malcolm himself.

Meanwhile, the battle in the rear had also begun. When the phantom of the giant serpent appeared, the townspeople fell into utter frenzy. Empowered by the mysterious magic, they charged fearlessly toward the defensive line formed by Laxus and the investigation team members.

Among the newcomers, Laharl was an exceptional Rune Mage. Before the fight started, he crouched down and used a special wand to meticulously carve complex runes and patterns into the ground. Soon, a defensive position took shape before everyone.

Another newcomer, Elmer, specialized in Earth Magic. He continuously infused the earth-element power he commanded into the defensive position Laharl had just constructed. As he cast his spell, a thick layer of stone and earth rapidly piled up on the originally bare fortifications, greatly enhancing their defense.

On the other side, Ryan was a Word Mage. Cleverly borrowing Laxus's magic, he covered the entire surface of the defensive position with an extremely faint electric current—just enough to knock ordinary people unconscious. These residents had been common folk before, and even with the boost of magic, their physical constitutions remained unchanged. Thus, this seemingly negligible electric shock was lethal enough to easily bring anyone who approached crashing to the ground.

After the battle began, Laharl, Elmer, and Ryan still had ample magic reserves. However, when they looked up at the endless sea of people before them, anxiety crept into their hearts. Laharl, in particular, turned urgently to Yahar and shouted, "Captain! Think of something fast! At this rate, even if our magic doesn't run out, the sheer scale of the crowd pressing and trampling could cost many residents their lives!"

Yahar had clearly noticed this serious problem as well, but faced with such a thorny situation, he was momentarily at a loss. Just as everyone was growing frantic, Laxus, who had been silent all along, suddenly stepped forward. "Let me out. I'll take them down."

After seeing Yahar and the others' gazes turn to him, Laxus said, "I'll control the intensity of the electric shocks. Knocking these people unconscious should be enough, right?"

Clearly, Laxus had once again presented Yahar with a difficult dilemma. If he didn't let Laxus out, a terrible stampede would likely be unavoidable. But if he did let him out, setting aside concerns for Laxus's own safety, the very plan of using electric shocks to knock everyone out made Yahar's heart clench.

These two brothers—they never let anyone have a moment's peace! Yet at this moment, no other viable solution came to mind. Yahar helplessly nodded at Laxus, signaling his agreement.

With Yahar's permission, Laharl quickly opened a gap in front of Laxus so he could get out. Once outside, Laxus did only one thing: he adjusted the power intensity of the Lightning Battle Suit, weakening its force while expanding its range, and fully enveloped his entire body with it. Then, without hesitation, he sprinted toward the densest clusters of people. No matter how many were there, as long as people were present, he charged straight into them.

Having carefully controlled the Lightning Battle Suit's output, the electric current it released only knocked down those around Laxus. He kept running and shocking continuously, until he looked around and saw no residents still standing.

"Whoo~! That felt great!!!"

Laxus, now stopped, shouted in exhilaration. This operation had truly let him vent his pent-up emotions. The frustration and resentment that had been on his face earlier were gone, replaced by the spirited drive of youth.

After confirming that no one had died on the scene, Yahar and the others breathed a collective sigh of relief. Then, they all turned their attention to Allen's side.