Meanwhile, at the foot of the tower.
In the clearing before the tower, dozens of guards stood ready, weapons in hand.
But the terrifying pressure Blanc had unleashed earlier still lingered, leaving them unable to quell their panic.
"Hey, do you think... that monster will really stay put?" a young guard asked in a hushed voice.
"Don't talk about it." The older guard beside him was pale. "My legs are still shaking."
As they spoke, the young guard suddenly froze and rubbed his eyes.
"Hey... look over there. Is that someone?"
The older guard followed his gaze.
Uninvited guests had appeared at the edge of the island, seemingly out of nowhere.
They stood there brazenly, some rolling their wrists, others cracking their knuckles, hostility radiating from them.
"Wh-who goes there?! Enemy attack!!" The guards hurriedly raised their spears.
Just then, a tiny, tiny figure at the front of the group slowly stepped forward.
With every step he took, his body swelled.
Before long, a giant dozens of meters tall stood before the guards, engulfing them in his enormous shadow.
The guards craned their necks, their spears trembling in their hands. Their mouths hung open, but no words came out.
The giant raised his fist high.
"To think you'd dare lay a hand on my child in broad daylight..."
BOOM!!
His fist slammed down, sending up a vast cloud of dust as Makarov threw back his head and roared:
"Prepare to face the fairies' wrath!"
At the top of the tower, Jellal watched the Magic Crystals steadily charge. His initial excitement and anticipation gradually gave way to a puzzled frown.
It was too little. Extracting magic power from a person's body wasn't as direct as using Etherion, so it would take some time.
But given the enormous reserves Blanc had