Chapter 281: Noah vs. Jose (Part 3)
Jose had assumed that because they were both Wizard Saints, their strength would be roughly equal.
But the reality was that even among the Ten Wizard Saints, the gap in power could be vast.
Noah flexed his hand, looking at Jose.
"Grit your teeth a little harder. You can take a few more hits. It's rare to find someone who can actually take a punch, so you'd better hang in there."
Hearing Noah's words, Jose's face went pale.
The last time Noah said that, Jose had been punched across the room and heavily injured.
Hearing it again, he didn't dare to be careless. His magic flared, and he stared intently at the distant Noah.
Noah smiled, and his figure vanished.
Jose didn't think; he immediately leaped to the side.
An instant later, Noah appeared exactly where Jose had been standing, swinging his fist.
The punch hit nothing but air, but the shockwave generated by the blow tore through the space, punching through two walls before shattering a third.
"Oh, nice. Keep going."
Noah stomped the ground and vanished again.
Jose didn't dare stay still. He moved constantly, flashing from one spot to another.
But Noah was like a shadow, appearing behind him every time he stopped.
Jose was forced to keep moving, unable to catch his breath.
He realized this couldn't go on. His stamina would run out first.
Suddenly, Jose stopped and spun around, facing Noah, who had just appeared behind him.
"HAAAA!"
Jose roared, thrusting both hands forward. Two spheres of highly compressed magic shot toward Noah's abdomen. At the same time, Noah's left fist swung toward Jose's face.
Jose's face was covered in purple magic armor. He was gambling on taking Noah's punch to the face in exchange for landing a full-power surprise attack on Noah's gut, hoping to critically injure or even kill him.
Seeing Jose's tactic, Noah smiled.
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion engulfed them both.
"Noah!"
On the shore, Ultear and the others watched the screen alongside Makarov.
They had been happy seeing Noah chasing Jose around, but when Jose launched his surprise attack, they gasped in alarm.
BOOM!
The explosion was loud enough to be heard from the shore. Purple shockwaves erupted from the Magic Giant in all directions, churning the sea and sending waves rolling outward.
On the screen, smoke filled the air. Suddenly, a figure shot out of the smoke, flying backward. The camera zoomed out to follow.
The figure crashed through several floors before embedding itself into the ground.
The floor cracked under the impact, then shattered, sending the figure tumbling down to the next level.
As the smoke cleared at the epicenter, Noah reappeared on the screen.
He was floating in the air, a golden magic circle glowing in front of him.
Ultear and the others scrutinized him closely. Seeing no obvious injuries, his clothes intact, and a smile still on his face, they finally relaxed.
Even knowing Noah's strength, they couldn't help but worry.
Noah floated there, the magic circle fading away.
He drifted toward the hole where Jose had fallen, descending to the lower level.
Jose was pushing rubble off himself, struggling to stand.
"Good judgment," Noah said, landing on the floor and watching Jose sway to his feet. "Too bad you lack the strength to execute it."
"D-Damn brat... why is your powah so shtrong?!"
Jose's speech was slurred. The left side of his face was already swollen from Noah's earlier punch, and now the right side was swollen too. His entire head looked like a pig's.
When he had tried to tank Noah's punch with his face, Noah had simply punched through his magical defense and smashed his face in. Several teeth, including his front ones, were missing.
His eyes were swollen shut, his face so distorted that Noah couldn't read his expression.
But from his words, Noah knew he was furious enough to grind Noah to dust if he could.
"Mhm. I guess Gramps taught me well. Oh, I mean our Master, Makarov. You know, the Wizard Saint, like you."
"Imposhibur!" Jose denied it vehemently.
"Maybe you should stop talking. You're leaking air, and it's hard to understand you," Noah waved his hand dismissively.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Jose choked on his rage, coughing up blood.
"Good thing Gramps saved me back then. If I'd met you instead, I'd have been screwed. I never would have achieved what I have now!" Noah sighed dramatically. Jose coughed harder.
"I heard you telling Ultear and the others that Phantom Lord has always been number one in the kingdom. I don't want to hurt your feelings, but there are a lot of areas where you aren't number one.
"Number one in magic? You couldn't beat Gramps before, and judging by this, you still can't.
"Number one in talent? You saw Ultear and the others. Do you really think you have better talent?
"Number one in funds..."
Noah paused, then nodded solemnly. "Okay, you win that one. We can't compare to you there."
Thinking of the repair bills caused by his guildmates' destructive tendencies, Noah conceded the point with a serious expression.
"Cough! Cough!"
Jose couldn't speak, just hacking up blood.
"We don't care about being number one. Only you care about that. If you hadn't provoked us, none of this would have happened."
Suddenly, the communication lacrima in Noah's pocket beeped.
"Laxus? How did it go?"
"Done. They were weak. Need help over there?"
"No need. I'm almost finished here."
"Alright. Carry on."
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. I'm a Fairy Tail wizard too. Helping the guild is my job."
Noah hung up. Casually, with one hand, he slapped away a dark shockwave Jose had charged up and fired at him, sending it flying into the sky.
Jose forced his swollen eyes open, staring in disbelief. His attack... slapped away like a fly? The gap in their strength was insurmountable.
"Don't rush. One more call."
Noah answered the second call.
"Mystogan? Finished?"
"Mission complete."
"Great. Thanks!"
Mystogan nodded on the screen and cut the connection.
Noah put the lacrima away and looked at the stunned Jose.
"Good news. While you were attacking our guild, our S-Class wizards paid a little visit to your branch guilds. They're all sleeping peacefully now. You don't need to worry about them."
Jose took a step back.
In the short time since he attacked Fairy Tail, all of his branch guilds across the kingdom had been destroyed?
"I have to thank Laxus. Without his speed, it would have taken much longer to hit all of them.
"Alright. That's done. Now it's time to deal with you. Since most of this is your fault, anyway."
Noah looked at Jose seriously. His magic began to surge. The already ruined Magic Giant, the sea, the ground, the very air began to vibrate.
Golden magic poured out of Noah, rising like a pillar of fire. The pressure crushed the surrounding air, sending shockwaves rippling outward.
Jose stumbled back again, pointing a trembling finger at Noah, unable to speak.
The power Noah was releasing now was far greater than before.
The crumbling walls and floor around them shattered under the pressure of Noah's magic. With no floor left to support him, Noah floated in the air.
"You hurt our guild. You hurt our comrades. You hurt Ultear and the others. Now, I'm going to return the favor. Don't die."
Noah retracted his magic and vanished.
Jose tried to react, but Noah was already in front of him, a fist glowing with golden magic burying itself in Jose's gut.
"Gah!"
Jose folded in half, his head nearly touching his knees, and was launched backward instantly.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Smashing through every obstacle in his path, Jose flew straight out of the Magic Giant.
"Go back."
Noah appeared in front of the flying Jose, delivering a magic-infused kick.
Jose tried to flare his magic to defend, but Noah's kick shattered his shield instantly.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Jose was kicked back the way he came, crashing through the entire Magic Giant again and flying out the other side.
"Again."
Noah appeared in front of him again, kicking him back with his left leg.
BANG! BANG! RUMBLE!
Jose smashed through the giant once more, exiting from the opposite end.
~~~
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