"Come to think of it, you've got some nerve. Stringing our ace mage up in Oak Town like that."
Jose lowered the arm propping up his cheek. His expression darkened as he rose slowly, descending step by step from the platform.
"Phantom Lord has been operating in Fiore for many years. You're the first to dare such a thing."
With each step his fine leather boots took down the stairs, Jose's magic power intensified. Thick, dark purple mist swirled around him.
The magic he used wasn't conventional. It was the unorthodox Dark Magic.
As such, the aura of his released magic was far more sinister, more nauseating—and far more oppressive.
"Don't worry, Master Jose. Something like that definitely won't happen again."
As he spoke, Chase likewise stirred his own magic power, pushing back against the wave of chilling energy.
A veteran powerhouse who had held a Ten Wizard Saint position for years—whatever else one might say about him, Jose's magic power was undeniably formidable, far beyond what ordinary S-Class mages could match.
"Don't you think it's a little late for apologies and confessions, brat?"
Jose stepped off the final stair and came to stand before Chase.
"Stupid! What Master means is—after today, Phantom Lord won't exist anymore!"
Dark Magician Girl stepped forward, pointing at Jose's nose with disdain as she delivered Chase's answer.
"Nothing more than a summon, like my Phantom Soldiers..."
Jose cast a sidelong, sinister glance at Dark Magician Girl.
The next second, a terrifying dark storm erupted, engulfing Dark Magician Girl and the entire command room!
Aura of Death. A pressure field derived from his Dark Magic.
Mages caught within it would find their magic assimilated, overwhelmed by intense nausea, terror, and other severe adverse effects.
Though it had no direct physical killing power, it was a form of invisible mental torment and suppression.
Backed by his immense magic power, Jose often didn't need to lift a finger—this alone was enough to break his enemies' wills and render them combat-incapable.
Unfortunately for him, the one he was facing was Dark Magician Girl, who was herself a master of Dark Magic.
"Ew, Master. This guy's not just stupid—he's a pervert like Old Man Macao!"
Dark Magician Girl glared warily, clutching her skirt as it whipped about in the storm.
Far more than the mundane Aura of Death, her real concern was privacy issues like wardrobe malfunctions.
"Isn't it obvious? Just look at his face—you can tell he's no good." Chase joked.
"Indeed." Dark Magician nodded coolly.
Watching the three casually pointing and laughing at him from within his Aura of Death, Jose's mouth twitched. He couldn't hold back his outrage. "Who's a pervert?! I'm a gentleman! Renowned for it!"
"Do you know what a gentleman does? Even if an incredibly cute young lady needed to relieve herself, he would avert his eyes without hesitation!!"
That Chase and his summons could resist the Aura of Death's erosion didn't surprise Jose—it was merely the most basic probe.
But to have his behavior mischaracterized as perverted? That required a vigorous defense!
"Enough, Master Jose. I didn't come here to listen to your views on gentlemanly conduct."
Chase took a step forward, his magic power surging. The resulting torrent of dark gold energy violently shredded the dark storm enveloping the command room, dispersing it into nothingness.
This magic power...
Jose stopped his rambling. His eyes narrowed, flickering with cold light.
"Protecting that island, boosting Fairy Tail's reputation. Thwarting my plans, bringing us to this state. Even your magic power exceeds every S-Class in Phantom Lord."
"A mage as exceptional as you—and Fairy Tail has more than one."
"It's because of brats like you that the world can't see the truth—that Phantom Lord is the strongest!!"
Jose's magic power exploded outward. His expression twisted with jealousy and madness as he raised his hand and launched a magical attack at Chase.
BOOM!!
A blast of purple flame exploded violently, sending plumes of smoke billowing from the area where Chase stood.
Hum!
A magic circle's glow scattered the smoke. Flames shot skyward, a bone dragon roared.
Curse of Dragon, wreathed in raging flames, burst forth and charged at Jose with savage ferocity.
Jose's brow rose. His right arm exuded a nauseating haze of Phantom Mist. With a single-handed push, he effortlessly halted Curse of Dragon's charge.
Even the following Hellfire, which melted the surrounding stone pillars and walls, was completely blocked by the Phantom Mist. Jose remained utterly unmoved!
"Impressive flair. But your power is lacking."
Jose sneered, raising his left hand as a magic circle spun. "Phantom Arrow!"
Countless purple arrows exploded like dangerous fireworks, punching countless holes through Curse of Dragon's body. The shattered remnants scattered into fading light, but the arrows' momentum didn't stop. They swarmed toward Chase from every angle, triggering
a chain of explosions.
Before the echoes subsided, Jose's clenched fists gathered massive Phantom Magic, radiating sinister energy.
Just as he stepped forward, ready to press his advantage and take down Chase, a circular array etched with strange runes lit up beneath his feet.
Golden light intertwined, tracing a hexagram pattern around Jose's body.
Trap Card: Hexagram Curse, activate!
"So this is the card that bound Gajeel to the clock tower, leaving him helpless."
Though his movements were restricted, Jose's expression was impassive as he studied the hexagram array with interest.
"Brat, allow me to teach you what Makarov should have. This kind of childish trick has no effect on a Ten Wizard Saint!"
With that, Jose's fists trembled. The giant Phantom skulls shuddered violently, emitting a piercing, shrieking howl.
Under the assault of that terrifying magical force, the hexagram array emitted a series of cracking sounds.
Cracks rapidly spread across its surface. In less than two seconds, it shattered completely!
"A childish trick? It did what it needed to—it bought me time."
Hum!
A raging wind erupted, scattering the spinning fragments of the hexagram array and swirling with rubble and debris.
At the storm's center, Chase's cloak snapped in the wind. The Magic Card pinched between his fingers blazed with brilliant light.
Behind him, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl raised their staves high. The two auras merged, unleashing a surge of overwhelming power. Dark lightning crackled, disintegrating the rubble suspended in midair.
Sensing the wildly surging magic power in the air, Jose's pupils contracted. His gaze locked onto the point where the two staves converged. "That's—Unison Raid?!"
Unison Raid—a power unlocked only when the users' wills, breaths, and magic power achieve complete synchronization. A supremely advanced technique that countless mages spent their entire lives without ever touching.
And now, before his eyes, three brats from Fairy Tail had already mastered such a technique?
Unable to accept this reality, Jose exploded with magic power. He gathered the two Phantom Giants into his palms, crushing them down into a single, hyper-concentrated magical energy sphere.
"Brat! Go to hell! Death Storm!"
"Quick-Play Spell Card: Dark Burst Magician!"
A sphere of dark lightning and a beam of purple light collided like two meteors crashing together.
The horrifying shockwave instantly detonated, blasting out all the command room's windows. Even the walls and pillars collapsed in an instant. The destruction radiated outward.
The entire Magic Colossus shuddered violently!!
***
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