Just as Caitlin thought she was about to succeed, LordKnightmon's helmet suddenly appeared and blocked the punch. Caitlin tried to continue attacking, but Allen gave her no chance. He slammed his left fist hard into her abdomen.
After taking such a heavy blow, Caitlin's vision went dark, and her eyes bulged. At the same time, the surging magic power in her left hand instantly receded like the tide, vanishing without a trace. In that moment, an unprecedented sense of emptiness flooded her heart, filling her with terror.
When she saw the magic power inside her disappear without warning, Caitlin immediately panicked. Allen was quick to react. He swiftly tore off a large piece of cloth from Caitlin's loose black robe and tightly bound her with it.
Caitlin did not resist, because she could no longer sense her magic power. The terror of losing her strength gradually took over her heart, making her anxious, irritable, and quick-tempered. Finally, she could no longer suppress her rage. She glared furiously at Allen and shouted through clenched teeth, "What did you do to me? Why can't I sense my magic power at all?"
However, faced with Caitlin's questioning, Allen remained exceptionally calm. He merely raised his head slightly, glanced at her coldly, and replied flatly, "I didn't do anything to you. I merely sealed your magic source temporarily."
Just then, the battle on the other side had also ended. Laxus stood there in imposing fashion, while the other four black-robed figures had already been tied up by him.
Afterward, Allen and Laxus placed the five subdued men together.
When the two carefully inspected their bodies, a lifelike giant serpent emblem appeared on them. A flash of excitement crossed Allen's eyes when he saw it, because he knew that his luck had been good—he had found his target in one stroke.
Allen slowly crouched down and fixed his gaze on Caitlin. He asked softly, "Are all of you from Serpent's Lair? Are there more of you in Rainbow Port? What were you trying to do by channeling magic power into the crystal ball earlier? What was your cooperation with the Dark Magic Group on the Northern Continent about? Do you have any other partners in Fiore?" Faced with Allen's barrage of questions, Caitlin remained like a statue, tightly pressing her lips together without saying a word. She merely stared straight back at Allen with a provocative look, as if expressing her disdain through silence.
Time passed second by second as the two faced each other. The air seemed to freeze. After several minutes, Allen finally broke the deadlock.
He let out a helpless sigh, clenched his fist, and advanced toward Caitlin step by step. As he drew closer, powerful fluctuations of magic power faintly radiated from his clenched fist.
Feeling the threat of that magic power, Caitlin's body trembled involuntarily. Even so, she forced herself to remain calm and shouted loudly, "Hey! What exactly are you planning to do? Don't waste your effort! Even if you do this to me, I absolutely won't reveal a single word!" However, Allen remained completely unmoved by Caitlin's yelling.
He grabbed the two black-robed figures beside him one after another, then swung his fists without hesitation, smashing them hard in the areas where their magic sources were located.
A series of dull impacts rang out, and the black-robed figures who took the heavy blows let out pained groans. They first uttered a string of "Ugh... ugh..." sounds, then collapsed to the ground like puppets with their strings cut. After hitting the ground, the two black-robed figures, just like Caitlin before them, screamed in terror, "I... I can't feel my magic power either!!!"
The remaining man's hair stood on end as he watched this scene. When he saw Allen walking toward him, he finally buckled under the pressure in his heart and cried out to Allen, "I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! Please, don't seal my magic power!"
Allen stopped and looked at the black-robed figure begging for mercy. "Then start talking."
The black-robed figure swallowed and began stammering, "We really are from Serpent's Lair. Right now, only the five of us are in Rainbow Port. Everyone else has gone to the Northern Continent. This crystal ball is a medium for channeling magic power to Lord Asmodeus. Our cooperation with the Dark Magic Group is to search for a way to resurrect the legendary demon Deliora. I heard that resurrecting Deliora requires the people of an entire city as sacrifices, so most of our forces have gathered on the Northern Continent. Our goal is to resurrect Lord Asmodeus after Deliora is brought back to life. As for whether we have any other partners, I don't know. I only heard before that someone named Brian was cooperating with us, but I don't know his identity. That's everything I know."
Allen frowned as he considered how credible the man's words were. At that moment, Laxus leaned close to Allen's ear and whispered, "Big brother, he may be hiding something. People from the Dark Guild have always been rather cunning."
Allen nodded. He then walked over to Caitlin and said seriously, "Was what he said true? You can choose not to answer, but the consequence is that you'll never be able to use magic power again."
Caitlin's expression changed. After hesitating for a moment, she slowly said, "Most of what he said is true. However, not everyone within Serpent's Lair agrees with this cooperation. Some believe the Dark Magic Group can't be trusted. That's also why we've been channeling magic power to Lord Asmodeus. As for the man named Brian, all I know is that he's from the Magic Development Bureau. I don't know anything else."
When they heard the name of the Magic Development Bureau, Allen and Laxus exchanged a glance, both realizing that matters were more complicated than they had imagined.
Allen did not care that it was the middle of the night. He quickly pulled the Communication Crystal he always carried from his robes.
A moment later, Makarov's face appeared inside the Communication Crystal. He was wearing a sleeping cap and looked bleary-eyed. Not yet fully awake, Makarov asked groggily, "It's Allen? Why are you calling me so late? Did something happen?"
Allen told Makarov every piece of important information he had just obtained. As Allen spoke, the drowsiness gradually faded from Makarov's face, replaced by an increasingly grave expression. By the time Allen finished, Makarov's sleepiness had vanished completely, and his entire expression had become exceptionally serious.
After a brief silence, Makarov praised them, "You two did an excellent job. This information is of vital importance. Wait a moment. I'll immediately inform the members of the Council. So, what do you plan to do next?"
In fact, Allen had already considered his next steps before contacting Makarov. He answered without hesitation, "Grandpa, don't rush to inform the Council yet. I'm worried that the people from the Dark Magic Group may already have reached the level of the Council members. Next, I'll go to the Magic Development Bureau to find that man named Brian and determine whether he's really cooperating with the Dark Magic Group in secret. If he is, then inform the Council afterward. Then I'll head to the Northern Continent. I absolutely can't stand by and let the people of an entire city lose their precious lives for no reason!"
Before you continue