On the other side of the battlefield, the fight was just as heated.
Angel, following Racer's lead in mopping up the rest of the group, had set her sights first on Lucy, drawn by a mysterious resonance between their magic.
The Gemini spirits can transform into anyone, gaining their magic and memories. However, they cannot copy anyone whose power far exceeds the user's. This was why Angel hadn't had Gemini transform into Jura or Erza—she was simply outclassed by them, and even a successful copy wouldn't yield its full power. If they had a "Wizard Saint" level copy at their disposal, the Oración Seis wouldn't be struggling this much.
"Oh? How interesting. A Celestial Spirit Mage? And you have so many Gold Keys... what a lucky find!"
Sensing the memories fed back by Gemini, Angel couldn't hide her glee. Her face twisted into a delighted smirk. "Decision made! Those belong to me now!"
Lucy's heart skipped a beat. She reflexively clutched her key pouch and shouted, "I'm not giving these to you!"
"That's not up to you!" Angel grinned triumphantly and shouted toward the dark blur darting across the battlefield. "Racer! Grab that woman's key pouch for me!!"
Racer was a blur, handling five opponents at once with ease. In just two seconds, he had swatted away Hibiki, Ren, and Eve from Blue Pegasus, as well as Sherry from Lamia Scale. He was currently dancing around Ichiya.
"On it!" Hearing Angel's command, Racer's silhouette flickered and he lunged straight for Lucy!
Lucy panicked. She had seen how fast this guy was; even Natsu and Gray couldn't react in time. How was she supposed to dodge?
"Look out! Lucy, get back!" Natsu arrived just in time, stepping in front of her. His fist ignited with flames as he swung at the approaching blur. "Don't you touch her!"
Whoosh! Boom!
Before the punch could land, Racer reacted. He kicked off the ground, sidestepping the blow. Natsu's fist hit nothing but dirt, creating a massive explosion of fire and dust.
"You're too slow!"
Racer pulled his signature move, appearing behind Natsu and driving an elbow into the back of his neck.
But Natsu was ready. Magic erupted from his entire body, tongues of fire surging outward. His white dragon-scale scarf whipped in the wind as he planted his feet, relying on raw instinct to deal with an untraceable enemy.
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
Natsu lunged backward with a brutal headbutt, slamming his skull right into Racer's long nose and sending him flying into the air!
"Impossible?! He shouldn't have been able to react!"
A sharp, stinging sensation flooded Racer's brain, and tears involuntarily leaked from behind his goggles. Before he could even rub his aching nose, a voice boomed behind him.
"Mooo!"
Racer spun around to see a massive figure looming over him—Taurus, the Celestial Spirit.
The perverted bull's muscles bulged as he raised his giant axe for a killing blow, but then Lucy's voice rang out.
"Taurus! Stop!"
"Huh? Miss Lucy?!"
The hesitation gave Racer his opening. He flipped in mid-air, kicked off Taurus's face, and jumped down to land safely.
Lucy explained frantically, "No! That's not me!"
But the "Fake Lucy" (Gemini) pressed the advantage, issuing a new order: "Attack Natsu!"
"What's going on? There are two Miss Lucys?!" Taurus knew something was wrong, but his spirit contract forced his hand. He gripped his axe and charged at Natsu.
Lucy screamed, "Stop it!"
With both Lucys shouting conflicting orders, the simple-minded Taurus suffered a mental breakdown. His body and consciousness were in a tug-of-war, forcing Lucy to close his gate manually.
Meanwhile, Racer and Natsu clashed again. Although Natsu had landed that headbutt, it was a fluke born of pure battle instinct; a second chance would be hard to find.
Natsu's fire could burn anything, but he still had to aim it. Against Racer—who could manipulate the opponent's perception of time—he was at a total disadvantage.
Fortunately, Jura wasn't just standing idly by. As soon as the skirmish began, he manipulated the earth to join the fray.
With a few precise flicks of his fingers, iron-hard stone walls erupted from the ground, filling the battlefield. These pillars were long, thick, and incredibly durable, moving like extensions of Jura's own limbs to provide timely saves.
Jura was a one-man support system. He helped Gray and Lyon deal with Hoteye's liquid-earth magic, assisted the others in trying to pin down Racer, and even threw attacks at Midnight and Brain. Though they dodged his strikes, his presence was a major headache for the Oración Seis.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Between Jura's pillars, Natsu's flames, and Ichiya's "handsome" punches, the three of them cornered Racer, but the speedster always managed to slip away.
If they were anywhere else, Jura could have used a wide-area "nuke" to end it, and Racer wouldn't have had a place to run. But with teammates everywhere, he had to hold back, leading to a stalemate.
Still, the Allied Forces had the numbers and the raw power. After the initial shock of being blitzed, they had adapted to the enemies' magic and were quickly turning the tide.
Just then, Brain, who had been watching silently, spoke up. "Enough! Playtime is over. Fall back!"
He raised his staff and let out a low chant. Several bolts of dark green magic shot out toward four different directions, striking ice, swords, and rock walls. One final bolt aimed for Natsu, who barely managed to roll out of the way.
Cobra, Racer, Hoteye, and Angel heard the command and immediately retreated, taking the opening to regroup.
The second round of combat had lasted only two minutes, but the Oración Seis were looking ragged. Cobra's clothes were shredded, and his beloved snake had narrowly avoided being cleaved by Erza's broadsword several times. Any later, and the duo would have been cut down.
"Nirvana is almost complete. You can't stop it now! Disappear, you trash!"
Brain raised his skull staff. Dark green mana spiraled and condensed at the tip, causing the air to vibrate violently. The ground trembled, and the forest seemed to moan in pain.
"Dark Capriccio!" (Genesis Zero)
A massive, dense orb of dark green magic shot into the sky, blotting out the light. As the allies stared in shock at the power, they realized they were being enveloped in total darkness.
"Whoa... so strong..."
"Dammit..."
"What is this?! This magic pressure..."
Ichiya was uncharacteristically serious. "Unbelievable! Such density of mana! It's... Men!"
The magic solidified into dozens of bolts in the air, each carrying enough power to wipe out a Magic Council inspection team. They rained down from all directions toward the surrounded Allied Forces.
Seeing the attack coming, Jura mobilized the earth for total defense. "Iron Rock Wall: Chain!"
Over a dozen pillars of rock, harder than steel, erupted from the earth, stacking five layers deep over their heads. Only small gaps remained, allowing them to see the incoming magic and the enemies beyond.
"Be gone!"
Brain swung his staff down like a general drawing his sword to signal a charge. The dozens of spells hovering in the air fell simultaneously!
It was a display of overwhelming, dark majesty!
"Huh?" Cobra seemed to hear something. He looked up past the dark green sky. "Someone's coming?!"
The others looked confused. "What are you talking about?!"
At that exact moment, a thunderclap shook the world!
A pillar of golden lightning as thick as a tree trunk—accompanied by a piercing, high-pitched shriek of electricity—tore through the dark green magical veil like the first light of dawn. It slammed into the layers of Jura's rock walls above the allies with a deafening CRACK!
"What the—?!"
Everyone's face changed. Even Ultear, watching from afar, was startled. "This magic?"
The familiar energy and the unmistakable magic made the Fairy Tail members look up with joy. "Lightning?!"
The thunder didn't stop there!
Dozens of golden lightning bolts, each the size of a man's arm, followed the first strike from the heavens, raining down in a relentless storm.
The lightning carried the wrath of a divine trial, crackling and roaring. In just a few seconds, it completely dispelled Brain's terrifying dark magic and even shattered two layers of Jura's "unbreakable" rock walls!
The wind howled, and stone fragments flew everywhere.
A figure appeared amidst the lightning. He had short blonde hair, strange headphones on his ears, and wore a fur-trimmed black coat. Lightning coiled around his body, hissing and popping with power.
"So, you're the ones who touched my underlings?"
Laxus Dreyar has joined the battle!
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