Chapter 276: Battle Resumes
"We should hurry and find Natsu to check on him."
Gray, Elfman, and Happy descended through the holes Natsu had punched through the floor, finding him lying on the ground.
"Are you okay?" Elfman rushed over and knelt down.
"I'm fine," Natsu said with a tired grin.
"What do we do with this guy?" Gray asked, looking at the unconscious Gajeel lying nearby.
"Leave him for now. We'll let Gramps and Noah decide. Besides, I have a few things I want to ask him later," Natsu replied.
Since Natsu was the one who defeated him, his opinion on Gajeel's disposal held weight. Gray and the others agreed.
"Good job, Natsu. Though the destruction is pretty bad. Good thing I came early and took what I needed."
A voice called out. Gray and the others turned to see Noah walking towards them.
"You saw that?" Gray asked.
Noah nodded. "Of course. I saw all your fights. Very well done. Now, let me heal you up."
Noah raised his hand. A gentle light enveloped the three wizards and the cat. They instantly felt their stamina, magic, and injuries rapidly recovering.
"No matter how many times I see it, it's incredible," Gray commented.
"Well, he's Noah," Natsu grinned, now fully recovered. He sat up.
Noah glanced at Gajeel, then gave him a small fraction of the light, healing his more severe wounds.
"Natsu hit him pretty hard. I don't want him to die from excessive injury, so I gave him a little healing. With his Dragon Slayer physique, that should be enough to pull him through," Noah explained. They all nodded.
"I'm leaving now. The most important duel is still going on, and I need to join it."
"You mean the fight with Jose?" Gray asked. Natsu, Elfman, and Happy instantly looked serious.
"Yes. Ultear and the others are fighting him. They're doing well, but I'm going up to help. You guys can come watch."
"Awesome!" Natsu and the others immediately became excited at the thought of watching the fight against Jose.
Noah smiled, raised his hand, and warped them away.
"Ice-Make: Rose Crown!"
Ultear struck first, slamming her right fist into her left palm as a magic circle expanded before her.
In an instant, the entire room and several surrounding ones transformed into a world of ice and snow. The floor, walls, and ceiling were covered in thick ice, and the temperature plummeted.
Beautiful but deadly ice roses sprouted around Jose. However, Jose had already moved to another spot.
As soon as he landed, Erza—now clad in a frozen blue armor and wielding an ice-blue sword—charged at him alongside Mirajane. Erza was wearing her Ice Empress Armor, which provided cold resistance. Mirajane, empowered by her demonic soul, was also largely unaffected by the chill.
The two attacked simultaneously. Jose moved quickly, dodging their strikes.
Shhhnk!
After dodging over a dozen rapid attacks, Jose suddenly felt Erza's sword nick a corner of his clothing. Mirajane's claw tore at his clothing on the other side.
Jose's face darkened. He unleashed a burst of magic power, sending a huge shockwave at the two women. They quickly leaped back to avoid the blast.
Jose glared at Erza's sword. He realized his movements had been slightly slowed by the blade. The sword was the Ice Empress Sword, which slowed the movement and reaction time of anyone it struck. Even without a direct hit, the mere act of swinging it near Jose had a faint, cumulative slowing effect. After dozens of quick strikes, the slow effect was significant, allowing their attacks to finally graze him.
"You brats—"
Before Jose could finish, a torrent of extreme cold blasted toward him from Cana's direction.
"Ice God's North Wind!"
The cold wind instantly thickened the ice layer it passed over. Jose tried to dodge, but the combined slowing effect of Erza's sword and the wind caught him slightly off guard.
He quickly flashed to another side, but there were ice particles clinging to his hair and clothes.
"Freezing Angel!"
Sorano's angel had been charging its attack. The moment Jose appeared, the angel fired a sphere of light, which split into dozens of beams that struck Jose's area, further thickening the ice on the floor and walls.
"You really are something!" Jose gritted his teeth, glaring at them.
His right side was now covered in a layer of ice, freezing his right arm and leg. He had dodged most of the light beams, but the prior attacks from Erza and Cana had slowed him just enough for the last beam to connect.
"Hmph!"
Jose's magic surged, shattering the ice. He kept his magic flowing over his body to counteract the lingering effects of their spells.
"Ice-Make: Rose Crown!"
Ultear wouldn't let him recover. Ice roses shot up from the ground, engulfing Jose's position. Jose considered shattering them with his magic, but realized they held too much power; it would be a costly waste of magic. He jumped away to evade the attack.
"Soul Extinguisher!"
"Thunder Empress's Spear!"
Mirajane and Erza attacked simultaneously.
Mirajane cupped her hands, gathering a sphere of dark magic, then thrust it forward, firing a powerful dark shockwave. Erza, now in her Lightning Empress Armor, wielded her spear, lightning gathering at the tip. She thrust the spear, sending a savage bolt of electricity toward Jose.
"Death Wave!"
Seeing the onslaught, Jose slammed his right hand forward. A magic circle expanded, releasing an even darker, more malicious shockwave to counter the attacks.
BOOM!!!
The three attacks collided, holding for a few seconds before exploding violently. The shockwave cracked the ice on the floor and ceiling, sending shards flying.
"Gah!"
Jose's attack was superior, pushing the blast back toward Mirajane and Erza. They were both struck by the shockwave and thrown backward.
Mirajane twisted in mid-air, fanning her wings to stabilize herself. She cupped her hands again, charging up another blast, then thrust it forward.
"Soul Extinguisher!"
The powerful dark shockwave raced toward Jose.
"Hmph! Attacking even when you know you can't win!" Jose sneered, pushing out his right hand to counter with another dark, evil shockwave.
BOOM!
This explosion shattered the ice on the floor and ceiling entirely, filling the air with icy shrapnel and smoke, obscuring Jose's vision.
"Hah!"
A figure burst through the smoke. It was Erza, now in her Black-Wing Armor, wielding the Ice Empress Sword. She slashed at Jose.
"I know what that sword does! I just need to keep my distance!" Jose said, leaping back, intending to move out of the sword's effective range.
"Take this!"
To his surprise, Erza swung the sword, sending a crescent-shaped wave of magical energy cutting through the air toward him.
Jose froze for a split second before reacting, pushing off the ground to jump further away. But suddenly, ice roses erupted from the floor, trapping his feet.
He instantly shattered the ice roses with a burst of magic, but it was too late. The crescent blade of energy struck his body.
BOOM!
Jose took the blast head-on. His clothes were shredded further, his top now hanging in tatters.
Protected by his magic, the attack didn't inflict major damage, but Jose was enraged. The battle he thought was an easy win had turned into this. His elegant image was ruined.
"You... you dare—"
Before Jose could finish, Erza charged again, swinging the sword.
"Get out!"
Magic converged on Jose's hand, and he slapped the flat of Erza's sword, knocking it violently aside. Erza maintained her grip. Jose immediately thrust his hand forward, firing a shockwave that hit Erza.
Erza managed to brace herself with the sword, absorbing the blow, but she was sent flying backward. The Ice Empress Sword reduced the damage significantly.
As she twisted and landed, she shouted, "Cana!"
"Got it!"
~~~
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