Carlton was not surprised in the slightest that Gildarts could shatter his Dark Purgatory. It was only to be expected that the strongest man Fairy Tail presented to the world could accomplish something like that with ease.
"Hmph! This is merely an insignificant appetizer. The real main event is still to come!" With a cold snort, a trace of resentment flashed through Carlton's eyes. He then pressed both hands against the ground. "Shadow Domain!"
In an instant, a dense black magic power surged out from beneath Carlton, rapidly gathering into a huge black Magic Circle. As Carlton continuously poured his magic power into it, the Magic Circle expanded at an astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, it had completely enveloped Allen and the other two.
The three people trapped within the Magic Circle immediately sensed something strange. The magic power that had originally flowed smoothly through their bodies seemed to encounter an invisible obstruction and became sluggish. After sensing and estimating the situation, Allen said solemnly to the other two, "The flow of my magic power seems to have been affected to some extent—about ten percent."
Laxus immediately reached out and tried to summon several bolts of lightning in his palm. However, he soon furrowed his brows and helplessly shook his head at Allen. "It's the same on my end. Not only does summoning lightning consume considerably more magic power, but its power has also been weakened."
At this moment, Carlton no longer hid his true nature. His arrogant, frenzied laughter rang throughout the entire Shadow Domain. "Hahahaha... How is it? You finally understand now, don't you? Within my Shadow Domain, everyone's magic power except mine will be suppressed and weakened. In other words, as long as I'm here, I'm absolutely invincible!"
"Shadow Tentacles!"
Before his voice had