Chapter 379: Making an Entrance
"Are you talking about me?" A familiar voice suddenly echoed in everyone's ears.
"Noah!" The Fairy Tail members quickly looked in the direction of the voice. Behind the Allied Force, ripples like water distorted the air, and the figures of Noah and Ur slowly materialized from within them.
"You guys are here!" Everyone from Fairy Tail looked at Noah and Ur with pleasant surprise.
"Mm, we're here. You guys look like you took quite a beating," Noah said with a smile, looking at everyone sitting on the ground.
"We did NOT take a beating!" Natsu, sitting on the ground, immediately retorted at the top of his lungs.
"Impossible! How come I couldn't hear your voices?! When did you get here?!" Cobra looked at Noah and Ur in sheer shock. He hadn't heard any sound around them at all—no breathing, no footsteps, no thoughts, nothing. When did these two arrive, and where were they hiding earlier?
"Us? We've been here for quite a while," Noah said to Cobra with a grin.
"Impossible! I didn't hear the sound of anyone else just now!" Cobra said, unable to believe it. "Wait, why can't I hear any sound from you at all?" Only then did he realize he couldn't hear a single sound coming from Noah. No breathing, no heartbeat, no internal sounds of the human body—Noah had none of them, and the same went for Ur beside him. Yet Noah's chest was clearly rising and falling, and he was actively moving.
"Because I isolated it with magic, of course," Noah replied with a chuckle, knowing what Cobra was trying to ask. To hide oneself properly, one naturally had to manage the sounds emitted from their body. Noah had wrapped himself and Ur in magic to completely muffle and contain every sound, so Cobra naturally couldn't hear a thing.
Cobra was in utter disbelief. Ever since he gained his hearing magic, he had been invincible; everyone's inner thoughts were completely exposed to his ears. Now that it suddenly failed, he found it somewhat hard to accept.
"Midnight! Hoteye! Cobra!" Brain, recognizing the two newcomers as Noah and Ur, immediately barked orders to the other Oración Seis members. He was intimately familiar with Noah's face, as this guy had been relentlessly searching for his location. As for Ur, her appearance hadn't changed much in over a decade, so he recognized her instantly as well. Years ago, he had deceived Ur into thinking he could treat her daughter's body, only to take her daughter away as an experimental subject. In recent years, he had received news that Ur was hunting him down, having clearly learned the truth. Over a decade ago, Ur already possessed strength approaching that of a Wizard Saint, so she certainly hadn't stagnated over the years. As for Noah, his strength had already been proven through his track record. Both of them were looking for him, and now that they appeared together, their primary objective was undoubtedly to deal with him. Although Brain was confident in his own strength, it would be best if he could poison them both just like he had poisoned the others.
"Got it!" Midnight and Hoteye agreed, while Cobra composed himself after the shock of his magic failing and answered as well.
Midnight looked at Noah and Ur. "Hahaha!!!" Amidst wild, hysterical laughter, Midnight's body rapidly expanded, turning into a shadow monster dozens of meters tall. The shadow monster raised its right hand, its massive palm pressing down toward Noah's group.
"Noah-san! This is all an illusion!" Jura quickly warned Noah.
The Fairy Tail members, on the other hand, weren't worried at all. Sorano even said to Noah: "Hurry up and solve this so you can help us neutralize the poison!"
"Thank you for the warning, Jura!" Noah thanked Jura beside him with a smile, then turned his gaze toward Midnight. "An illusion of this level doesn't work on me at all."
With that, Noah raised his right hand, a magic circle manifesting above his palm.
The scene before the Allied Force transformed drastically in an instant. The giant humanoid monster vanished into thin air. Instead, the surrounding earth surged upward, attempting to construct a cavern just as it had earlier. Meanwhile, Cobra had just taken a deep breath and was about to unleash a breath attack at the Allied Force. Farther away, Midnight looked as if he had suffered a devastating strike, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. His magic had been dispelled by Noah, causing him to suffer severe magical backlash.
"As for Earth Magic, I happened to learn a bit of it when exchanging pointers with Jura back then, though I'm not particularly proficient with it," Noah said. He raised his left index and middle fingers in a sword gesture and slashed through the air. The surging earth on both sides instantly dissipated, settling back harmlessly onto the ground.
"Poison Dragon's Roar!" Cobra violently exhaled the breath he had been brewing inside his body toward Noah's group, sending a colossal, deep-purple torrent crashing toward them.
"I can't let them get poisoned again. Didn't you just ask me to cure the poison? I'll go ahead and purge it all right now," Noah said. The magic circle in his right palm grew exponentially more intricate. A golden protective barrier encompassed everyone, shielding them inside.
BOOM!
Cobra's breath slammed against the protective barrier with a deafening roar.
After deploying the barrier, a gentle, soothing light radiated from Noah's body. As the light washed over the Allied Force, wisps of dark mist rose from their bodies and were purified within the glow. Their pale, sickly complexions caused by the venom gradually regained a healthy, rosy flush. Furthermore, the injuries, magic power depletion, and physical fatigue they had accumulated during the battle were all fully restored by Noah. Everyone became vibrant and full of energy once again, returned to peak condition.
The breath sustained for a few seconds before Cobra finally stopped. He glanced at the completely undamaged barrier and then at Noah inside, who was casually healing the Allied Force with an air of effortless composure. Cobra sucked in a sharp breath of cold air in utter shock. He knew his opponent was powerful—if Noah weren't strong, Brain wouldn't have been forced to hide so cautiously. But he had never imagined Noah would be this terrifying. His breath attack hadn't even shaken the barrier Noah created, and Noah clearly hadn't even paid him any mind. Moreover, his venom had been cleansed so effortlessly by Noah. He suffered a massive blow to his pride and confidence.
"Alright, fully restored! Let's hurry and beat up the Oración Seis!" Having been healed by Noah, Natsu leaped off the ground in high spirits.
"Yeah, we have to pay them back for the beatdown we took earlier," Gray stood up with intense battle spirit in his eyes.
The Allied Force members all rose to their feet, staring fiercely at the Oración Seis with renewed fighting spirit.
Seeing that Cobra's attack had failed and that the Allied Force had been restored to full strength by Noah, with two powerful combatants added to their roster, Brain realized the situation was extremely unfavorable for his side. The most crucial task right now was to find the magic he was seeking. As long as he obtained that magic, these Allied Force members would no longer pose any threat.
Thus, he shouted to the rest of the Oración Seis: "Retreat!"
Hearing his command, the Oración Seis immediately turned and fled.
"Quick, chase them! Don't let them get away!" Natsu yelled.
At that moment, the magic circle in Noah's hand vanished, and the surrounding barrier dissolved at the same time. Natsu was the first to sprint after the fleeing Oración Seis, with most of the Allied Force following closely behind him.
Only Ultear, Sorano, Lucy, and Happy remained behind, looking at Noah and Ur.
"Why aren't you chasing after them?" Noah asked them with a smile.
"Didn't you just say that you and Mother arrived a long time ago? Knowing your personality, you definitely prepared something in advance, so I wasn't worried," Ultear said, looking at Noah.
Sorano nodded continuously beside her; she was thinking the exact same thing.
Lucy stood nearby with a slight blush on her cheeks, too embarrassed to admit that she simply hadn't reacted as quickly as the others right after recovering.
"It's safest by Noah's side," Happy chimed in from the side. Since Natsu didn't need his help right now, staying in a safe spot so as not to drag anyone down was the best contribution he could make.
"Let's go. We'll catch up. They should have intercepted them by now," Noah nodded and said to them. Everyone nodded and followed Noah, chasing after the distant Allied Force.
Not far ahead, the Oración Seis were caught by the Allied Force.
"Spiral Pain!" Midnight waved his hand back as he ran, blasting an invisible wave of magic power toward the pursuers.
Natsu and Gray, who were running at the very front, hastily leaped backward to dodge the attack. The ground in front of them was twisted into a mangled mess by Midnight's magic in an instant.
"Poison Dragon's Roar!" Cobra's breath attack immediately followed, sweeping toward the Allied Force.
"Iron Rock Wall!" Jura formed a sword gesture, erecting several hard stone walls in front of everyone to block the breath. However, a deep crimson toxic mist quickly blanketed the area in front of them. Everyone hastily leaped backward, unwilling to be poisoned again.
Jura swung his palm forcefully, unleashing a gust of magic-infused wind to blow the toxic mist away. However, everyone had inevitably inhaled a tiny amount of the toxin, and symptoms of weakness were already starting to manifest.
"Where's Noah?!" Natsu immediately looked left and right, trying to locate Noah.
"He's still behind us," Gray said, looking back at Noah, who was catching up from the rear.
"Here it comes!" Noah waved a hand toward the Allied Force, and a gentle light enveloped everyone once more. Black mist rose from their bodies, and the toxins were cleansed in an instant.
"We can't go on like this. If the enemy keeps poisoning us, even if Noah-san can cleanse it in time, it will still heavily impact our combat effectiveness. Furthermore, at this rate, it will be very difficult for us to catch them," Jura stated with a serious expression. The weakness caused by the poison created fatal openings during battle. Having that happen mid-combat put them at a severe disadvantage. Moreover, the Oración Seis were fleeing further away, their figures disappearing from sight.
"No need to worry, they won't get away. Otherwise, why do you think we spent so much time before showing up?" Noah smiled and told everyone.
"By the way, you said earlier that you've been here for a long time. Does that mean you watched us get beaten up the whole time?" Sorano suddenly realized something and asked Noah with a suspicious look.
"You're mistaken. I wasn't here the whole time. Aunt Ur was the one watching over you, while I was busy setting up a barrier in the surrounding area," Noah shook his head and clarified.
Everyone looked at Ur beside him. Ur nodded and said, "We followed you the whole way. After confirming Brain and his group had appeared, Noah went to set up a barrier around the perimeter while I stayed behind to keep an eye on you. Only after I saw you all get poisoned, and that Sorano's Healing Angel couldn't fully purge the toxin, did I call Noah back."
"What a pity. If I had a bit more time, I could have set up a few more layers of barriers, which would have been even better," Noah said with a look of genuine regret.
BOOM!
Just then, a massive impact echoed from the distance. Simultaneously, a golden barrier materialized from the point of impact, expanding rapidly upward, left, and right.
In the end, a colossal, golden, cube-shaped barrier enclosing a vast area of land and sky appeared before everyone's eyes. The golden barrier shimmered with brilliant light, and even from a distance, the immense magic power surging across it was palpably felt. It was glaringly obvious that this barrier was extraordinarily powerful.
"Incredible!" Lucy could feel the waves of magic power radiating from the barrier, making her heart pound in awe and fear.
"Noah-san's strength has grown even greater," Jura praised, looking at the massive barrier and the surging magic power upon it as he spoke to Noah. It hadn't been nearly this exaggerated when he exchanged pointers with Noah in the past.
"It's alright, just a bit of progress," Noah smiled and said to Jura.
"Meeennn..." Ichiya was equally stunned. He had known Noah for several years and knew he was strong—much stronger than himself—but he hadn't realized Noah was THIS powerful.
Everyone else looked at the surrounding barrier in awe, then back at Noah. Even though news of Noah defeating a Wizard Saint had circulated previously, seeing him unleash such power with their own eyes was far more breathtaking.
"Let's go. Let me quickly head over and check on the trapped Oración Seis," Noah called out to everyone.
The Allied Force snapped back to reality, nodded, and followed Noah toward the direction of the impact sound.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Rumbling explosions echoed from a distance, causing everyone's expressions to shift.
"They're attacking the barrier! Let me at 'em!" Natsu sprinted ahead impatiently, and Gray, unable to leave him alone, chased after him. The rest of the Allied Force followed suit, breaking into a run.
Noah, however, calmly brought up the rear without any rush.
Before running very far, everyone spotted the Oración Seis standing in front of the golden barrier, continuously unleashing spells to blast the barrier before them.
Nearby, Brain had his hand pressed against the golden surface, clearly searching for a way to break or decipher the barrier.
Hearing the approaching footsteps from behind, all members of the Oración Seis except Brain immediately halted their attacks. They turned around, glaring warily at the arriving Allied Force.
~~~
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