Among the Seven Kin of Purgatory, only Rustyrose remained, leading a group of miscellaneous soldiers as they faced off against the members of Fairy Tail.
As a core member of Grimoire Heart, his presence should have inspired confidence among their ranks. However, the current situation was far from what he had hoped for.
Although every member of Fairy Tail was injured to some degree, their fighting spirit remained high. Not a single one of them showed any intention of retreating.
In contrast, Grimoire Heart's side was clearly running out of strength, even showing signs of collapse.
"Is it that Hades' expectations of you were too high… or did you underestimate your opponents?"
Amid the tense battlefield, Wes Elwin's mockery swept over like an icy wind, making Rustyrose's heart tighten.
No matter how eccentric his personality was, in the face of absolute power, he could only choose silence.
When confronted with an opponent far stronger than himself, the arrogance in Rustyrose's heart was completely suppressed. He could only curse inwardly, not daring to respond outwardly in the slightest.
"I'll handle Gildarts. You go take care of the rest."
Wes Elwin's words were like a stabilizing pill, finally allowing the members of Grimoire Heart to breathe a sigh of relief.
They drew away the other Fairy Tail mages, leaving the battlefield to Wes Elwin and Gildarts alone.
The members of Fairy Tail were unwilling to leave just like that. They wanted to stay and help Gildarts.
However, Gildarts' magic was powerful and brutal — completely unsuited for coordinated combat with teammates.
Wendy bit her lip tightly, her small hands nervously tugging at the corner of Gildarts' clothing. Though she had only known this uncle for a short time, she had already been moved by his gentleness.
Sensing Wendy's unease, Gildarts bent down and gently patted her head, giving her a warm smile.
"Don't worry. Your old man here is really strong."
Wendy nodded obediently, though her heart was still filled with anxiety. In the end, she followed the others as they retreated, leaving Wes Elwin and Gildarts facing each other.
Once the others had vanished from sight, Gildarts put away his relaxed smile, his expression turning exceptionally serious.
"If possible, I'd actually like to sit down and have a proper discussion about magic with you," Wes Elwin said.
"I've got nothing to say to someone who hurts my companions."
"And I have no interest in bullying the disabled either."
Wes Elwin's gaze swept over Gildarts' left side, noticing something unnatural. His left hand and left leg were clearly stiff and uncoordinated when he moved.
"That's none of your concern."
Gildarts replied crisply as he slightly bent forward, assuming a combat stance.
Wes Elwin also prepared himself for battle, calmly calculating his strategy.
[I can't engage him in close combat.]
The magic Gildarts wielded was the ultimate destruction magic — Crush — whose power was so overwhelming that even he himself could not fully control it.
After careful analysis, Wes Elwin formulated an initial plan.
[Then I'll restrain him first.]
At that moment, countless golden chains surged forth from all directions, densely weaving together into an enormous net that rapidly enveloped Gildarts.
Each chain within this net had been reinforced by Wes Elwin's magic, becoming unbelievably solid.
Yet Gildarts remained standing where he was, showing no intention of dodging at all.
"Crack!"
With a sharp, crisp sound, the supposedly unbreakable chains shattered one by one, turning into fine powder that scattered through the air.
[Whether for offense or defense, Crush Magic is incredibly powerful.]
[No… this wasn't defense — he directly obliterated my magic.]
Wes Elwin quickly realized the gap between them.
[The best defense is offense… what a terrifying magic.]
In Wes Elwin's eyes, Gildarts' body left behind a trail of afterimages as he charged forward at blinding speed.
If his body had not been reinforced by the Philosopher's Stone, he doubted he could have even kept up with Gildarts' movements.
Facing this sudden close-range assault, Wes Elwin flicked his staff upward.
The ground rippled like a carpet violently shaken, and Gildarts instantly lost his balance, sent flying into the air.
Waiting for him above was a fully prepared bolt of lightning.
Wes Elwin had already anticipated this move — the lightning streaked straight toward Gildarts.
The thunder struck with an ear-splitting roar, and Gildarts crashed down from the sky.
"Bang!"
The impact kicked up clouds of dust, and the ground trembled slightly.
When everything finally settled, Gildarts slowly stood back up. His clothes were somewhat torn, but his body was completely unharmed.
[He can even shatter lightning… If he gets close, things will become troublesome.]
Wes Elwin's expression grew solemn. Gildarts' power was not something to be underestimated.
To prevent him from approaching, Wes Elwin raised both hands, and a massive labyrinth burst forth from the ground, trapping Gildarts inside.
Its walls towered into the sky, twisting and overlapping with no visible exit.
Gildarts glanced around at the towering barriers.
"Does this kid's magic power never run out?"
Just as the maze took shape, the weather above suddenly shifted, and hail began to fall.
This was no ordinary hail — it fell at terrifying speed, each chunk enormous, crashing down like artillery shells.
Wherever it struck, trees were snapped in half, and the forest was utterly ravaged.
Yet Gildarts stood unharmed at the center of the maze, his posture as steady as ever.
Around him, icy winds began to howl, the temperature plummeting sharply. Snow like goose feathers began drifting down from the sky, quickly blanketing the devastated land and adding a grim, killing chill to the scene.
Gildarts frowned slightly. Before long, a thick layer of snow covered the ground, reaching up to his ankles.
Amid the swirling snow, Wes Elwin slowly descended from the sky, stepping onto the snow and landing firmly before Gildarts.
"Well? Enjoying a blizzard in the middle of this blazing summer? It has a certain charm, doesn't it?"
"This kind of snow is nothing compared to the blizzards I've endured in the northern mountain ranges."
Gildarts had survived all manner of extreme environments. For the sake of missions, he had been through conditions far harsher than this.
"Of course, back when your body was still whole, this level of cold couldn't touch you."
"But take a look at that prosthetic of yours — cheap craftsmanship. Can it really withstand temperatures like this? Not to mention your wounds that haven't even healed yet."
Wes Elwin mercilessly pointed out Gildarts' current predicament.
"That's none of your concern."
On the surface, Gildarts still appeared calm and composed, but deep down, anxiety was quietly spreading.
[Damn it! Not only do my wounds hurt, even my insides feel wrong from the freezing air.]
The bone-chilling cold was rampaging through his body, but no matter how much pain he endured, he refused to let Wes Elwin sense even the slightest abnormality.
°°°
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