Boom!
Smoke and dust billowed up, completely obscuring Noah's position. Nothing could be seen within the haze.
"Did we hit him?"
Sorano asked, glancing at Erza beside her. But Erza shook her head, her expression firm.
"No. None of those attacks connected. The feeling was off."
The others wore equally grim looks. None of them believed Noah could be struck down so easily.
"Very good your teamwork is impressive. But now, I'll increase my strength."
Noah's calm voice carried out from the smoke. A sudden gust of wind blew the haze away, revealing the scene inside.
Around Noah stood several thick trees, conjured to intercept the attacks from Erza and the others. Aside from a few explosion marks, they bore no serious damage. As the air cleared, the trees dissolved back into the earth.
Noah clapped his hands together. His magic surged skyward, forming a pillar of light that shot into the heavens.
The ground, the air, even the surrounding sea trembled violently as shockwaves rippled outward. The pressure was immense so much so that everyone instinctively staggered back a few steps.
Kong nai couldn't help but whisper:
"Did Noah's magic get even stronger again?"
"Yes… far stronger than when I sparred with him last."
Erza gazed at the blazing column of light, sensing Noah's magic power. To her dismay, the gap between them hadn't narrowed at all. If anything, it had only grown wider.
For a moment, an immense aura manifested around Noah before condensing into form. A colossal golden figure its body visible only from the waist up materialized and enveloped him.
"Susanoo!"
It towered three or four stories tall, wielding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, with Noah at its core.
"Take this!"
Noah's voice rang out. The golden figure swung its massive sword, and Noah pivoted with it. A sweeping blade of light tore outward, engulfing the arena in a full 360-degree arc.
Faced with such an overwhelming attack, Erza and the others didn't dare test its power. They leapt back, narrowly avoiding the strike. Even so, the sheer gale force from the sword's swing shoved them further back.
"So strong!"
Mirajane exclaimed after dodging, staring wide-eyed at the golden construct wrapped around Noah.
She had fought him before, but Noah had never revealed anything like this. The sight of a towering figure made entirely of solidified magic shook her to her core. How much power did it take to manifest such a thing? Even if she poured out every ounce of her magic, she doubted she could replicate it.
"Requip: Black Wing Armor!"
Erza's sharp voice snapped Mirajane out of her daze. Realizing she had faltered, Mira silently cursed herself. She couldn't afford to be rattled but Erza, who had faced Noah's overwhelming strength countless times, didn't so much as blink. Her composure was absolute.
"Moon Flash!"
Erza's hair was pulled into a single ponytail. She now wore jet-black armor marked with a white cross, black wings unfurling from her back. A slender, dark longsword gleamed in her hand.
The Black Wing Armor amplified the destructive force of her strikes. In a blur, Erza closed the distance and slashed at Noah.
The golden giant raised its shield. Erza's blade clashed against it with a resounding clang yet the surface didn't so much as ripple.
Erza's brows furrowed.
"Is its defense really that strong?"
By now, the others had also reacted to the golden giant's sudden manifestation and unleashed their own magic.
"Dark Écriture: Suffering!"
"Ice-Make: White Tiger!"
"Powerful Angel!"
"Dark Storm!"
The golden giant raised its massive shield to block the frontal assault, while the attacks from behind struck its back directly, erupting in a tremendous explosion.
Smoke and dust engulfed the sky, only to be scattered moments later by the blast's own wind. When the haze cleared, the golden figure still stood.
Its shield remained pristine and unbroken.
Erza and the others frowned. If even their strongest attacks couldn't break through its guard, how could they possibly fight back?
But Sorano's sharp eyes caught something the others had missed. On the giant's back, faint cracks spiderwebbed where her magic had landed.
"Our attacks work!" she shouted urgently. "Keep hitting that spot we can break it!"
The others were startled by her words, but then Noah's voice rang out, calm and steady:
"Do you really think I'd let you break it that easily?"
"You won't know unless we try!"
Kong nai retorted defiantly. Pouring more power into her magic, she commanded her summoned angel to throw a colossal punch.
The golden giant turned, sword flashing as it cleaved downward. The blow collided with the angel's fist, and the resulting shockwave blasted outward in every direction.
The summoned angel staggered back several steps, nearly dissipating under the force.
"Ice-Make: Great Ape!"
Lyon conjured a hulking ice gorilla that lunged with a mighty punch. The golden giant swung its shield up, intercepting the blow.
"Moon Flash!"
"Dark Stream!"
"Dark Spiral!"
While Noah's construct dealt with Sorano and Lyon, Erza and Mirajane darted in from the sides, slashing and clawing with pinpoint strikes. Simon released a spiraling bolt of darkness straight at its back.
"Haah!"
With a roar, the golden giant shoved the Ice Ape away and began to turn toward the trio behind it.
But the angel and the ape leapt again, grappling onto its enormous arms to hold it down. Against the titan's massive frame, the two were no more than the size of its forearms but they clung with desperate strength, halting its movement just long enough.
The giant shook its arms violently, flinging them off. But the delay was enough.
Erza's blade cleaved across its back. Mirajane's concentrated demonic strike raked deep. Simon's dark arrow pierced through.
Boom!
A massive explosion erupted skyward, the force kicking up another storm of dust and smoke. Erza and Mirajane leapt back at once, gasping for breath. That attack had drained a great deal of their magic reserves.
"Did it work?"
Mirajane asked, uncertainty in her voice.
"I'm not sure," Erza answered, her eyes still fixed on the smoke. "But stay ready."
Mirajane's expression hardened. She began gathering magic again, as did the other four.
Then Noah's voice came, echoing from within the haze:
"Excellent coordination. Your timing was perfect."
The smoke dispersed, revealing the golden giant once more. It stood facing Sorano and the others, its back turned toward Erza.
Deep cracks marred its rear plating. Shards of golden fragments broke away, dissolving into the air as they fell.
"That was a powerful strike," Noah admitted, his tone approving. "You've broken through Susanoo's first-stage defense."
Erza's sharp instincts caught onto the phrasing immediately.
"First stage? You mean… there's a second?"
Her words turned the air heavy. The others all stiffened, their expressions hardening.
The first stage had already pushed them this far. If there was truly a second stage what would it be like?
....
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