The Dark Magic Group's Conspiracy (3)

But the scene that followed made Ford's eyes widen.

Allen looked at the Demon Orb before him and simply raised his left hand. The instant the Demon Orb reached him, his left hand instantly received Aegis. Then, holding Aegis, Allen charged straight through the Demon Orb's explosion and reached Ford.

When Ford saw Allen charge up to him, he finally began to panic. He shouted uncontrollably, trying to draw his teammates' attention and get them to help him.

"What a racket!"

Allen never went easy on demons, and demons who had once been human were no exception!

Gram stabbed straight into Ford's head. Then his entire face was mangled beyond recognition by Gram.

After dealing with Ford, Allen looked expressionlessly at Eddie in the distance.

Even though Eddie had transformed into a demon and had witnessed countless cruel things in the Dark Magic Group, he had to admit that only Allen's gaze at that moment had ever made him feel afraid.

Eddie let out a roar to bolster his courage. Allen disdainfully clicked his tongue, then charged over with Gram in hand.

Without Ford restraining him, Eddie, who was already weaker than the other two, naturally stood no chance against Allen.

After completely shattering Eddie's skull with Gram, Allen looked toward Laxus's battlefield.

At present, Laxus seemed to have a slight advantage, but both of them had suffered serious injuries.

Laxus's right chest had been pierced through, there was a large hole in his abdomen, and several claw marks scored his back. He had temporarily used magic power to stop all the wounds from bleeding.

Klay looked even worse. One of the horns on his head had broken off, his right elbow was fractured, and the bone had even pierced through his skin. He also had a massive perforating wound in his abdomen, and his tail had been severed. If demonization had not enhanced his physique, injuries of this severity would already have sent Klay through reincarnation.

The two of them stared at each other, panting heavily, killing intent filling their eyes. That lasted until they both saw that Allen's battle had ended effortlessly. Their auras changed dramatically in an instant. Laxus's momentum surged, while Klay began considering escape, though he did not show it. With his extensive combat experience, he knew that if he revealed any intention of fleeing, he would die the next second! So his plan was to find an opportunity to gravely injure Laxus, then escape while Allen went to help him.

Unfortunately, Allen did not give him that chance.

Allen quickly ran in front of Laxus and cast a spell on him.

"Lost Magic: Time Rewind!"

Allen had scanned this Time Magic in the archives when he visited the Magic Development Bureau. He had learned part of it during his few months in Magnolia, and now he used it on Laxus to perform a small-scale time rewind, restoring Laxus's physical condition to what it had been before the battle began.

After his condition was restored, Laxus looked at Klay with a savage expression.

He had never suffered such serious injuries in his entire life. Now that all those wounds had been left on his body, they constantly reminded Laxus of what had happened.

Klay stared wide-eyed at Laxus, whose condition had been restored, then cursed under his breath several times. Judging by his expression, the words were quite foul.

Laxus did not let this opportunity to beat a fallen enemy slip away. He charged forward and repeatedly unleashed Dragon Slayer Series martial techniques on Klay, venting the frustration built up during their battle.

Klay had suffered serious injuries, and his reactions and agility had deteriorated considerably. He could only passively endure the beating. Just as Laxus had vented enough and prepared to deliver the killing blow, Allen called out to him.

Though Laxus was confused, he still stopped the lightning gathering in his hand.

Allen walked over and looked at Klay, who was lying on the ground, barely clinging to life. "What is the Dark Magic Group's plan?"

Klay, who had been panting heavily, spat a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva to the side before speaking haltingly. "Hah... hah... I'm going to die anyway. It won't hurt to tell you."

"I'm sure you know that there have long been our spies among your so-called allied army. But you definitely can't guess who it is, can you? Heh heh heh. Then I'll kindly tell you. Carlton Hines of your allied army is actually a High Bishop with immense authority in the Dark Magic Group! He was the one who planned everything that brought you people here! It's all because you actually dared to destroy the clones of Theodore and Asmodeus! He hated you for it so deeply that he resolved to make sure every one of you died without a burial place!"

"Now let's talk about our detailed plan. We left Ford and Eddie, two A-Class Mages, in Maskara, along with me, another S-Class Mage, and a group of hired desperadoes. Our job in Maskara was to summon the great Lord Deliora into this world. As for everyone else in the group, they were all sent to Irkutsk to carry out their mission. If everything went smoothly, Lord Deliora should have already successfully manifested in this world under the control of another S-Class Mage. Meanwhile, the enemy forces in Irkutsk have probably already been completely wiped out! Next, we'll control Lord Deliora after his awakening and use him to conquer the Ice Crystal Federation, then gradually devour and control the entire Gildarts Continent! That is the grand design we've planned so carefully for so long! I just never expected the two of you to be so strong. Since Lord Deliora hasn't been summoned yet, your companions probably dealt with him. But they still have a backup plan."

At this point, Klay paused briefly to catch his breath. "It doesn't matter if we can't summon Lord Deliora here. There's a Magic Circle in Irkutsk too, and it was already fully prepared. Lord Deliora's power after being resurrected in Irkutsk will be even greater, because the more Mages there are, the more magic power he can absorb. Even if you want to go now, it's already too late. The instant you entered Maskara, they began preparing to summon Deliora there. They were merely waiting for our signal. So the instant we confirmed that summoning him here was impossible, we sent the signal over. Irkutsk should be a living hell by now! Hahahahaha!!!"

Hearing this, Allen signaled to Laxus with his eyes. Laxus immediately blasted Klay's head apart. At the same time, Gildarts returned from the center of the city.

The first thing Gildarts said after arriving was, "We were tricked. They never intended to summon Deliora in Maskara. When I got there, an S-Class Mage sent out a message. I couldn't stop it in time. Fortunately, the residents of Maskara had only been knocked unconscious. I checked them, and none of them were seriously harmed, so I hurried back at once."

Allen made a prompt decision. "First, let's go find Ur, then head to Irkutsk. We'll discuss the details on the way!"

The three of them quickly returned to the mountain they had come from and found Ur and Ultear. After Allen briefly explained the Dark Magic Group's conspiracy, Gildarts and Ur both understood how serious the situation was.

Allen knew that Carlton had made this change on the fly after seeing their strength. He had sensed that the people on Allen's side were powerful, so he had deliberately guided Allen into making that decision. Looking back on it now, Allen could only sigh that he was still too inexperienced.

After traveling ten kilometers, the group stopped together, their expressions grim as they stared at the enormous creature in the distance.

Deliora!

Irkutsk in the distance was already engulfed in flames. Even from where they stood, they could clearly hear Deliora's roar.

"Let's go! Pick up the pace!"

After seeing Deliora, the group accelerated once more.

A few minutes later, they reached the outskirts of Irkutsk. Listening to the screams from within the city, fury covered all their faces.

Before entering the city, Allen said to Ur, "Ur, why don't you let me carry Ultear? Even if I carry her on my back, it won't affect my fighting. It'll probably be inconvenient for you to fight while carrying her, right?"

Ur hesitated, but Ultear spoke first. "Mother, let me go with Allen. I trust him."

After hearing Ultear say that, Ur hesitated briefly before handing Ultear over to Allen.

After tying Ultear securely to his back, Allen said to the others, "Into the city!"

As soon as they entered the city, they saw members of the Dark Magic Group committing arson, murder, and looting. Allen and the others, already burning with rage, showed them no mercy.

After thinking for a moment, Allen said to the others, "We need to split up. Otherwise, our efficiency will be too low. I'll say just one thing: if you encounter someone you can't defeat, run. Wait until we're all together before attacking as one."

The others nodded one after another. Then the four of them chose different directions at random, though their destination was the same: Deliora in the center of the city.

Carrying Ultear on his back did not affect Allen's speed at all. As he slaughtered members of the Dark Magic Group, he said to Ultear behind him, "Little Ur, if you're scared, close your eyes and bury your head against my back. Don't look at this. You're still too young to see things like this."

Ultear said from Allen's back, "As long as Allen is by my side, I'm not afraid!"

Though she said that, Ultear ultimately still lowered her head and buried her face against his back.

At first, Allen had planned to charge straight to Deliora. But after sensing someone fighting nearby along the way, he decided to investigate.

When he reached the battlefield, Allen discovered that he knew both sides.

Horst covered the wound in his abdomen with one hand as he fought while retreating. His opponent merely watched him fall back with an amused expression.

Horst suddenly stumbled as he ran, then fell to the ground. Just then, a figure appeared in his vision.

"Brother Horst, need a hand?"