Seeing Hop advance instead of retreat, a flash of surprise crossed Joseph's eyes, which quickly turned into deeper sarcasm.
"You reckless little brat!"
The dark magic coalesced again; this time the demon claw shrank dramatically and its speed more than doubled, aiming straight for Hop's heart!
A chilling, evil aura seemed to freeze the surrounding air.
In that split second between life and death, the dark light in Hop's pupils flared violently, and his entire magical power erupted at an unprecedented intensity!
Absorb the whole body!
The soul of Deliola!
Hop's body underwent a terrifying mutation during the charge; his already muscular frame swelled further, tearing his shirt to shreds, exposing skin cloaked in dark‑gray keratin, while rock‑like muscle lines faintly revealed bizarre crimson patterns.
Hop neither dodged nor flinched, allowing the demon claw to carve five deep, bone‑piercing wounds across him, yet fully transformed into a demon, he possessed Deliola's "undying body".
Deliola's almost superhuman regeneration healed those wounds—normally fatal for ordinary people—in just a few breaths.
"What?!"
Joseph's pupils narrowed sharply; although he hadn't used his full strength, that single move was enough to cripple, even kill, a regular S‑rank mage.
But the defense and regeneration Hop displayed far surpassed any ordinary S‑rank mage, and even eclipsed Joseph, a Saint‑Ten mage.
Seeing Hop's form, Gray in the rear felt his heart tighten, then relax.
Gray knew Deliola's power all too well; it was the demon that his master, the strongest northern mage Ishiqar ten years ago, Ulu, could only slay with forbidden magic.
Now this power resides in Hop; though he cannot yet unleash Deliola's full soul, his mighty physique is enough to hold Joseph back.
But Gray didn't realize Hop wasn't merely trying to stall Joseph—being a punching bag was far too boring.
In the instant Joseph was stunned by Hop's astounding regeneration, the demon‑infused Hop broke through the last distance between them!
A dark‑gray demonic fist, accompanied by a tearing wind, slammed straight at Joseph's face!
"Arrogant!"
After three consecutive attacks failed to take down this obscure kid, the opponent recklessly charged forward; humiliation and fury instantly overran Joseph's reason.
"Dark Spiral!"
Joseph let out a shriek, holding nothing back; a massive torrent of dark magic surged like a flood—half forming a solid black barrier to block the demonic fist, the other half spiraling into a black spell that struck Hop head‑on.
In an instant, flesh and blood flew everywhere; the excruciating pain forced Hop to emit a muffled grunt, halting his charge.
Seeing this, Joseph cruelly unleashed several spells of equal magnitude to the Dark Spiral, bombarding Hop's entire body.
Heh heh heh—
"You claim to have strong regeneration! Let me see just how much you can bounce back!"
Hop was battered like a sandbag, engulfed by the explosive magic; though the demon's regeneration held, countless wounds riddled his body and blood spurted wildly.
Just as Joseph was gloating, a flash of red light sparked in Hop's eyes; a headbutt shattered Joseph's lax shield, and Hop locked his arms around him tightly.
"Ready to go to hell, Joseph?"
Seeing Hop's manic grin, Joseph sensed danger and frantically drove his magic, unleashing even stronger, harsher spells than before.
Even as the magic battered his body, Hop didn't release his grip; his aim was only to restrain Joseph— the true killing blow belonged to someone else.
"Elusa!"
At last hearing Hop's call, Elusa—already clad in the "Giant's Armor"—with reddened, angry eyes re‑activated her transformation spell array.
She drew a massive, pitch‑black greatsword, the size of a door, from the array with both hands.
"Extinction Dragon Seven‑Strike: Giant Gate Sword!"
Although she hadn't had time to master the seven Extinction Dragon weapons, Elusa could, thanks to the strength granted by the Giant's Armor, force the "Giant Gate Sword"—which changes weight with its wielder's will—to obey her.
Summoning all her strength, Elusa hoisted the Giant Gate Sword and swung it at Joseph; by her will, the black blade instantly weighed tens of thousands of kilograms.
Unable to withstand the inertia transmitted by the sword, the Giant's Armor on Elusa's body cracked at the moment of the swing, and her arm emitted a faint cracking sound of bone.
"Madman! Madman!"
Feeling Hop's suicidal resolve and Elusa's determination, Joseph felt remorse for the first time—he shouldn't have provoked the Fairy Tail.
But now regret was useless.
At the crucial moment, Joseph hardened his heart and unleashed all his magic at once; the overwhelming power left several transparent holes in Hop's body.
Hop could no longer hold on and was flung backward.
Yet Joseph couldn't evade Elusa's strike either; his left leg was sliced clean off by the massive Giant Gate Sword.
Aaaah!
You two damned lunatics!
Joseph used magic to staunch the bleeding, his grimace turning toward the fallen Hop and Elusa, "I will tear you limb by limb! Grind you into mush!"
But as soon as the harsh words left his mouth, his expression changed.
Behind him, Makalov—who had returned to his original size—was hovering, his presence unnoticed until now.
He bowed his head; shadows concealed his face, yet the volcanic‑like, suppressed fury radiating from him made Joseph feel his blood freeze.
Makalov had witnessed Joseph's ambush on his children, had seen Lucy in peril, and had watched Naz, Gray and the others throw themselves at the Saint‑Ten for their comrades.
He had seen Hop and Elusa, in an almost self‑destructive manner, cripple Joseph's leg.
As the guild master, as a father, his deepest resentment was fully awakened.
Makalov slowly lifted his head; his eyes no longer held their usual kindness, only a long‑absent, icy killing intent. The golden magic surrounding him was no longer merely dazzling—it now bore a mountain‑heavy, suffocating pressure.
"Joseph, you've crossed the line."
Before he could finish, Makalov placed both hands between his outstretched arms, and a formed white light sphere erupted violently, its blinding glare enveloping all of Oke City.
"Absolute Judgment Magic: Fairy Law."
Activated.
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