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Meanwhile, amidst a cloud of settling dust and smoke, Erigor was coughing violently, spitting blood onto the forest floor.
"Who are these people? Just a young girl... and she has this much power?"
Erigor stared ahead. As the smoke cleared, Erza's figure emerged. She was clad in her "Heaven's Wheel" armor, with dozens of silver swords planted firmly in the ground around her. Though she stood victorious, the sweat on her brow showed that the fight against a high-level mage like Erigor had pushed her.
"Good job," Joel said, walking toward her. He didn't hold back his critique, however. "But you still need to work on controlling the number of blades you summon at once. And don't try to force the blades to release light energy yet; you're not ready for that level of mana control."
"Understood!" Erza turned to him, a bright, cute smile replacing her cold expression before.
Joel raised his hand, and a small, ice-blue orb of energy condensed at the tip of his index finger. He flicked it into the sky. It soared a kilometer high before detonating into a massive circular wave of light that stretched for miles. Tiny ice crystals began to drift down like snow.
This was the signal for the Magic Council.
"I won't... let you take us..." Erigor growled, struggling to stand as he realized the Council's knights would soon arrive to imprison them.
"I won't be taken easily!"
Hearing those words, Joel expected a final, desperate stand. To his surprise, as soon as the words left his mouth, Erigor turned around and bolted into the woods!
Although Erigor didn't know Joel's identity, he wasn't blind. The signal Joel had sent into the sky was a clear summons. In a situation where he could have simply finished him, Joel had chosen to notify others—a move typical of the Magic Council. Knowing that falling into the Council's hands meant a lifetime in a dark cell, Erigor chose to flee decisively.
However, he only made it a few steps before a thick layer of frost crept up his body.
Crack!
In less than a second, Erigor was frozen solid.
"Is there even a point in running?" Joel muttered, It would be a joke if he, a Wizard Saint, let a target escape right under his nose.
The sound of approaching footsteps broke the silence. Soon, Mirajane, Lisanna, and the others came into view.
"It looks like things are settled here," Ultear remarked, showing no surprise at the sight of the frozen Erigor.
"Yes, the mission is complete!" Erza used her Requip magic to switch back to her standard armor and gave Ultear a bright smile.
As the group gathered around Joel, a young girl who had been standing silently in the back suddenly stepped forward, her face flushed with excitement. "Excuse me... are you Joel-sama?"
"I am," Joel replied, slightly confused by her intensity. He recognized her as Yukino immediately, but he wondered why she looked so moved. Had his fame spread that quickly? He had only been officially named a Wizard Saint the day before; surely the Council's publicity hadn't reached this far yet.
"Great! I've finally found you!" she cried. "My name is Yukino Agria. I was once a forced laborer on an overseas island. I thought my life was over, but it was Lord Joel's appearance that saved me! Thank you so much!"
Joel finally realized why she looked familiar. He had felt like he'd forgotten something when he cleared the Eighth Island—he had forgotten to look for young talents like Yukino before they grew up.
He waved his hand "Don't be so polite. Destroying Dark Guilds was my duty. But I didn't expect that little girl to grow so strong. You've become a Celestial Spirit wizard and even obtained the keys to Pisces and Ophiuchus."
Joel couldn't help but feel impressed. Obtaining one of the twelve Zodiac keys was lucky, but possessing the legendary thirteenth key, Ophiuchus—the rarest of them all—was extraordinary.
"Um... Joel-sama, may I ask a favor?" Yukino asked shyly, her face turning a deeper shade of red.
"Go ahead," Joel prompted, raising an eyebrow.
"I... I want to join Fairy Tail. Is that possible?" Her eyes were filled with hope.
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