Erza and Jackal faced off, the atmosphere instantly becoming tense. Their invisible auras clashed, sending nearby buildings flying.
"Come!"
Jackal's expression turned cold. His figure darted forward with agility, swinging his right claws to pierce toward Erza's chest.
Bang!
Erza swung her sword to parry, followed by a burst of Explosions from the blade. Even though this was her strongest demon blade benihana, it inevitably suffered some damage.
"Let me show you just how many weapons I have!"
Erza was annoyed and instantly Requipped another sword. The demon blade benihana was her strongest sword; she couldn't let it be destroyed here.
It was truly detestable. If she fought this demon, she would go bankrupt today.
The human and the demon instantly clashed. Sword met claws, continuous Explosions rang out, and sparks flew incessantly. Shards of swords filled the sky like a rain of blades.
Essentially, Erza would swing a sword and then switch to another. The swords broke fast enough, and she Requipped them just as quickly.
But Erza's swords were heavy. Every strike forced Jackal back. After a dozen strikes, she actually shattered Jackal's claws.
Jackal's arm trembled slightly. Looking at his broken claws, his heart skipped a beat: "Are you kidding me? A human's sword can actually shatter my claws?"
He knew he couldn't keep clashing like this. A sword capable of shattering his claws would definitely be painful if it hit his body. With a grimace, his physique swelled, transforming into an upright golden giant wolf.
This was his Demon Form!
"It seems I have to show some real skill!"
Jackal laughed menacingly, leapt into the air, and swung his hand violently toward Erza: "Explosive Spiral!"
Boom!
A tornado of flames rose from the ground, instantly blowing away the buildings around Erza amidst rolling dust and smoke.
Fortunately, Erza dodged in time and wasn't caught in the blast. However, as soon as she landed, she noticed a golden light flashing beneath her feet. She instantly leaped up as the ground was covered by an Explosion.
"That was close!"
Erza's heart stirred. Does this guy not need contact to trigger Explosions?
"Requip: Flight Armor!"
A magic circle opened around her, scarlet magic power flashed, and Erza turned into a streak of golden light, instantly sweeping past Jackal's side.
"So fast!"
Jackal was startled. Before he could react, dozens of bloody gashes appeared on his body, blood splattering.
"Let's see if your Explosions are faster, or my speed!"
Erza's figure was like flowing light, moving so fast she left no shadow. Her movements were incredibly agile; even as Jackal frantically swung his claws, he could only pierce through her afterimages.
"Damn it!"
Jackal was fly into a rage from shame. The opponent was too fast; he had essentially become a sitting duck.
"Explode for me!"
His hands violently swung out several gusts of wild wind. A series of Explosions directly shattered the surrounding buildings, and flames soared into the sky, burning fiercely.
Erza had already gauged the extent of his strength. He was about the same as Natsu and was no match for her!
Seeing that the longsword in her hand was about to explode, her figure instantly appeared before Jackal. She thrust the sword into his abdomen, then abandoned it and retreated.
Jackal was pale with fright. Before he could react, the longsword detonated.
With a terrifying Explosion, flames instantly engulfed Jackal amidst rolling dust and smoke.
Erza narrowed her eyes slightly: "Is he dead?"
As the dust cleared, a bloody hole was visible in Jackal's abdomen. Blood gushed out like a fountain, and he stumbled, falling to the ground.
Jackal showed a look of resentment. He waved his hand and tossed a small black bottle over: "You win!"
With that, his entire body transformed into a patch of dark light and dissipated.
Erza reached out and caught the small black bottle. Watching Jackal disappear, she was slightly puzzled, unsure if he had died or escaped.
Forget it. He was an enemy who had harmed her comrades; why should she care if he lived or died?
Erza looked at Seventy and said, "Could you please keep watch for me?"
"Your Highness may simply give the order!"
Seventy said seriously. Her Highness's business was the business of their entire kingdom; there was no need for the word "please."
He activated his magic, manifesting the small shop from the hidden space.
Erza walked in quickly. Upon seeing Porlyusica, she handed over the small black bottle: "I just encountered a demon from Tartaros. He said this is the antidote. Please take a look."
"The antidote?"
Porlyusica was slightly taken aback. She reached out to take it, then walked to the side, taking out instruments from her toolbox to examine it carefully.
Mavis's eyes showed doubt: "Why did they send the antidote? What did you say out there?"
She worried that the antidote they sent was actually poison; one moment of carelessness could lead to irreversible consequences.
Erza explained: "The opponent felt that our Fairy Tail is strong and said he wanted to have a fair fight with us. I beat that guy named Jackal, and he gave me the antidote."
Just like that?
Everyone was a bit bewildered. How strange—did Dark Guilds actually care about such things?
Erza said with some hesitation, "I feel that Jackal wasn't playing tricks, but was truly as he said..."
Mavis nodded slightly: "The behavior of demons is strange and varied; I can't guess what they're trying to do either."
She felt it was somewhat contradictory. If the opponent really wanted to capture her, they should have mobilized their entire army now; even as strong as Erza was, she wouldn't be able to stop them.
While Erza and Mavis were thinking, Porlyusica had finished testing the contents of the small black bottle. She walked over carrying a bowl of black water.
Erza asked nervously, "Grandmother Porlyusica, how is it? Is it the antidote?"
Porlyusica poured a drop of black water from the small bottle into the bowl. The black water immediately bubbled and soon turned into clear water.
She said with some doubt, "It is indeed the antidote, but since the opponent sent it voluntarily, I'm not entirely certain."
For this reason, she had checked it several times. This antidote could indeed reverse the Magical Barrier Particles; she couldn't find a single problem with it.
Gajeel, sitting on the ground, suddenly looked up and said, "Let me try it!"
Erza immediately said, "Let me do it instead. My constitution should be stronger than yours."
She could inhale Magical Barrier Particles and remain unharmed, so she should have some resistance in this regard.
Gajeel shook his head and said, "You are currently the guild's strongest combatant. You absolutely cannot test the medicine."
His condition was much worse than Erza's. If the enemy took the opportunity to come, he wouldn't be able to resist at all.
Porlyusica said hesitantly, "Let me study it a bit more. No one is in immediate danger for now, so there's no need to rush to test the medicine."
"It's fine!"
Erza reached out and took the small black bottle, pouring a drop into her mouth before anyone could stop her.
She had a certain intuition that Jackal from Tartaros had no malice or killing intent. These feelings were very strange, so she hadn't told the First Master.
Now she wanted to see if her intuition was accurate!
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