"Damn brats!" Joseph roared, his body erupting with a tidal wave of black magic power, thick and malevolent, reeking of death and swallowing the surrounding light!
"I'll kill you!" he bellowed, ready to dive down and tear the approaching black-haired youth to shreds!
But the moment his magic surged, two massive energy signatures appeared behind him without warning!
"Oh? You've already made it this far?" Joseph's face flickered with surprise, quickly replaced by a cruel grin.
"Fine! I'll start with you!"
"Let those fools below watch their 'Fairy Queen' and 'Demon' get crushed! Their faces will be priceless!"
"Then, one by one, I'll erase you all, along with your guild, from this world!"
"Let Makarov choke on his last breath in endless pain and despair!"
BOOM!
Before he could finish, the wall behind him exploded, blasted apart by a tremendous force!
Amid the swirling dust, Mirajane, in her demonic form, hovered in midair, her magic power spiking wildly!
She clasped her massive golden claws at her waist, channeling endless dark magic into a chilling black-purple energy orb!
[Soul Extinguisher]
With a fierce thrust, a colossal beam of black-purple destructive energy roared forth like a world-ending serpent, aimed straight at Joseph's back!
"This… this magic power?!" Joseph's soul nearly fled his body as he sensed a force rivaling his own.
"A Saint?! She's only what, 19?!"
His right hand hurriedly conjured a spinning, light-devouring black energy orb to meet the attack!
[Death Storm]
BOOM!
The two ultimate dark energies collided! A terrifying shockwave rippled outward, instantly blowing the guild's roof clean off!
A black-purple magical aura shot into the sky like a crown of calamity, staining Magnolia's entire skyline!
At the clash's epicenter, Joseph's mind reeled.
Her magic… it's on par with mine?! How is that possible?!
As he struggled against Mirajane's [Soul Extinguisher], a sharp cry, paired with unmatched sword pressure, struck from his left!
[Wind God Slash: Hundred Blossoms Chaos!]
Oh no! Erza! Joseph's heart sank. Shocked by Mirajane's Saint-level power, he'd completely forgotten another massive threat!
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Invisible blades seemed to tear into him, pain ripping through his body! Countless deep, bone-exposing wounds burst open, blood spraying like fountains!
"Argh!" Joseph screamed in agony. "Damn it! Erza—a Saint too?!"
"What's wrong with Fairy Tail?! How can they have two young Saint Mages?!"
The searing pain and faltering magic flow weakened his control over [Death Storm]! Mirajane seized the moment, shattering his crumbling dark orb.
As the beam threatened to engulf him, Joseph's form blurred and vanished in a flash!
BOOM!
The untargeted beam slammed into the deck below, punching through the sturdy iron floor like paper, creating a massive hole to the lakebed. Water roared in!
Joseph reappeared in midair nearby, pale and gasping.
Before he could catch his breath, a scorching heat surged from behind!
[Dragon Force: Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus Exploding Flame Blade!]
"When did he get behind me?!" Joseph's panic spiked, barely managing to conjure a thin dark shield!
But Natsu's long-charged, Dragon Force-fueled Secret Art, burning through most of his magic, wasn't something a hasty defense could stop!
The spinning, fiery blade sliced through the shield like butter, a flaming fist slamming into Joseph's back!
"Pfft!" Joseph spat blood, flames engulfing him! His wounds sizzled under the heat, blood evaporating, hair and eyebrows curling and smoking in an instant.
He hurtled toward the lake like a catapulted boulder!
"Damn it! Damn you brats!" Joseph's bloodshot eyes bulged with rage and pain, nearly popping from their sockets.
His mind burned with pure killing intent. He wanted them torn to pieces!
Forcing his tumbling body to stabilize, he frantically channeled magic to douse the spreading flames.
But as he steadied himself, four murderous roars, like death's proclamation, rang out from all directions!
[Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame] [Ice Cannon] [Super Cruel Rampage] [Demon Blade Crimson Sakura: Soul Piercer]
A massive blazing fireball, an ice blast of absolute zero, a space-twisting dark shockwave, and a scarlet sword aura that seemed to shred souls.
Four devastating, distinct attacks sealed off all escape routes, striking Joseph from every angle!
"I can't teleport again so soon!" Joseph's pupils shrank to pinpoints, death's shadow engulfing him! He roared in desperate defiance, unleashing every ounce of his remaining dark magic!
[Death Storm: Full Power!]
Thick dark magic exploded from him like a black sun, trying to fend off the lethal onslaught and even counterattack!
Whoosh!
The scarlet sword aura, impossibly fast, struck first, slicing into the expanding dark orb!
Zzzzt!
Instead of bouncing off, it screeched like a high-frequency saw, tearing through the dark magic!
"What?!" Joseph's heart raced as his magic was shredded!
Slash!
In his moment of shock, the condensed sword aura ripped through, carving a gruesome wound from shoulder to thigh! Blood sprayed! Joseph nearly fainted from pain, his magic flow cut off!
The expanding dark orb faltered, shrinking like a deflating balloon!
BOOM!
The other three attacks hit the unstable, collapsing dark energy!
A deafening explosion shook the heavens! A chaotic energy torrent erupted, forming a pillar of black, red, blue, and purple destructive power that pierced the sky, shattering the lightning storms born of clashing magic!
The lake surged with hundred-meter waves, slamming into Phantom Lord's battered mobile fortress with ear-splitting roars!
[Ding! Gained 500,000 Magic Points. Acquired Magic: Phantom Soldier] (Gray)
[Ding! Gained 800,000 Magic Points. Acquired Magic: Dark Combo] (Natsu)
[Ding! Gained 1,100,000 Magic Points. Acquired Magic: Death Storm] (Erza)
[Ding! Gained 1,200,000 Magic Points. Acquired Magic: Soul Devourer] (Mirajane)
As the chaotic energy and mist cleared, Joseph's body plummeted like a broken puppet, crashing onto the warped ground.
His eyes rolled back, his body covered in crisscrossing sword wounds, charred burns, and frozen frost. His hair was burned off, leaving him bald as an egg, unconscious, his fate uncertain.
Hearing the system notifications, Erza and Mirajane exchanged a glance and said in unison:
"I got 1,100,000/1,200,000 Magic Points."
Mirajane flashed a triumphant smile, tilting her chin smugly at Erza. "Looks like I win~ A whole 100,000 more. Someone's output was a bit lacking~"
"Damn it!" Erza clenched her fists, shouting, "If you hadn't cheated and struck first, I'd have won!"
"Hmph~" Mirajane turned, hands behind her back, smirking like a fox who stole a chicken. "It's called strategy, Erza. You've got a lot to learn~"
Nearby, Natsu jumped in front of Gray, nose practically in the sky, slapping Gray's shoulder so hard he nearly stumbled. "Hahaha! Who got a measly 500,000 Magic Points? Oh, it's the droopy-eyed jerk! 300,000 less than me!"
He clutched his stomach, laughing. "So lame! I can't help but crack up!"
Gray's forehead pulsed with veins, shoving Natsu's hand away. "What're you so smug about?! At least I got the useful [Phantom Soldier] magic!"
"Unlike a certain single-celled fire lizard who got some no-name [Dark Combo]. Who knows what that garbage does!"
Happy flapped his wings, cautiously flying between them, pointing at the mangled figure on the ground. "Uh, guys… Joseph… he's not looking so good, is he?"
"I think Roger said to just defeat him, not kill him… right?"
His words doused the group's competitive fire like cold water.
They froze, looking down at Joseph, barely breathing, on the verge of death.
"Waaah! We're screwed!" Natsu clutched his head in panic. "We got so caught up fighting, we forgot to hold back!"
He fumbled through his pockets, pulling out a red potion, rushing to Joseph's side to pour it into his mouth.
"Huh? It's not going in?" Natsu noticed Joseph's clenched jaw, failing after several tries.
Gritting his teeth, he forced the bottle's neck into Joseph's mouth.
Crack! A faint snap sounded.
Happy's mouth twitched. "== Was that… Joseph's teeth breaking?"
Natsu, oblivious, frowned at the barely-draining potion. "Still not working?"
He pressed his thumb against the bottle's base, shoving harder! Pop! Half the glass bottle jammed into Joseph's mouth, the liquid finally trickling down.
"Success!" Natsu grinned, showing his sharp canines. "Now Roger won't toss us into the illusion penalty!"
But Joseph's face turned from pale to blue, then purple, his limbs twitching uncontrollably.
"Hm?" Natsu tilted his head. "Why's he moving? This is just a minor healing potion, only stops bleeding, right?"
The commotion drew attention.
Erza leaned in, her face paling. Without thinking, she punched Natsu's head, a dull thud ringing out!
"Idiot! Why'd you shove the whole bottle in?! He's gonna choke!! Pull it out!"
"Huh?" Natsu rubbed the lump on his head, confused. "Choke? But he's drinking it, isn't he?"
"Moron!" Gray couldn't stand it. Stepping forward, he pinched the bottle with two fingers and yanked it out with a pop, some suspicious liquid dripping from it.
"This is for healing wounds, not curing status effects! How's it supposed to help someone choking?!"
He glanced at the bottle, still half-full of red liquid, and froze. "Wait! This is a medium recovery potion?!"
"Natsu, you dimwit, you mixed up your own potion with the one for enemies!"
"No way!" Natsu protested. "I definitely grabbed—"
His words stopped as he saw Joseph's deep wounds healing visibly, even the charred hair roots twitching slightly.
"Hmph," Gray smirked, arms crossed. "So, flame-brain, what exactly did you give him? Hm?"
"Cough—" Natsu averted his eyes awkwardly.
He crouched back down, pressing his hand on Joseph's newly sprouting hair.
Whoosh!
Flames flared, scorching Joseph's budding hair and new skin back to a charred mess!
"Argh!" The pain snapped Joseph awake, his body jerking as he rasped, "You… damn… brats—"
THUD!
Before he could finish, Erza instinctively threw a punch, her armored fist slamming into his face!
Joseph's head smashed into the ground, blood oozing from the back of his skull.
Erza stared at her metal-clad fist, stunned. "He's… so fragile? I barely hit him."
Gray sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Erza, that armor weighs hundreds of pounds, and we just blasted him with our strongest moves. Of course he's fragile!"
"If he doesn't have a concussion or brain damage, he's lucky!"
"Good work," Roger's voice came from behind.
He walked to the unconscious Joseph, crouching down. A scarlet magic circle appeared in his right hand, which he gently pressed to Joseph's chest.
[Enchantment Magic: Separation Enchantment]
As the circle spun, a distorted, humanoid black shadow emerged from Joseph's body.
The moment it appeared, Joseph's face contorted in agony, cold sweat pouring down, his body trembling as if electrocuted, guttural moans escaping his throat.
The shadow was forcibly extracted, slowly peeling from Joseph's body, coalescing into a writhing, ominous black energy orb in Roger's palm.
As the shadow was removed, Joseph's hair turned gray and brittle, his smooth skin wrinkled rapidly. He aged visibly, becoming a frail, withered old man, as if his life force had been drained.
When nearly all of Joseph's magic was gone, Roger stopped the spell.
The dark orb spun slowly in his palm, radiating an unsettling aura.
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