Ikaruga's gaze was fixed on Midnight, her always smiling face now devoid of any curve, her eyes like a deep, cold ancient well, profound and icy, with only a burning desire for the ultimate realm blazing fiercely.
"Ezreal, Erza, go," her voice was calm, without a ripple, yet it contained an undeniable power, "My swordsmanship has been stuck at a bottleneck for a long time. This opponent in front of me is perfect!"
Her wrist flickered slightly, and Moon Blossom was fully unsheathed!
The tip of the blade cut through the air, bringing with it a clear, ringing dragon's cry!
The blade's direction pointed directly at Midnight's distorted eyes.
"Space-distorting magic is indeed rare," Ikaruga's voice held a hint of cold inquiry, "But..."
She leaned forward slightly, her body suddenly taut, like a peerless divine weapon about to be released from its string, every subtle movement seemingly cutting through the surrounding space!
"Can my blade cut through it? I really want to know." Ikaruga's lips curved into a very faint, yet sharp, arc, "Let me try and see whether your Excellency's space distortion is superior, or if my Mugetsu Style is enough to cleave the void!"
"Ikaruga! Be careful of his magic! His distortion ability cannot affect the body itself, but space and magic are extremely difficult to defend against!" Ezreal quickly reminded her of the crucial information again, his eyes filled with worry, but more so with trust.
He knew Ikaruga's personality; once she made a decision, it was a perfect fusion of belief and sword intent!
Erza also nodded heavily, her sharp eyes sweeping over Midnight: "Don't die, Ikaruga!"
"Of course," Ikaruga's voice carried absolute confidence.
No more wasted words or hesitation!
Ezreal and Erza exchanged a look, their figures suddenly blurring, one to the left and one to the right, like two streaks of lightning tearing through the night sky, bypassing Midnight and the edge of that distorted force field, once again rushing towards the core light pillar that was almost within reach!
They had unconditional trust in Ikaruga and knew that Brain and Jose were the ultimate targets; every minute and every second was crucial!
Midnight's vortex-like eyes rotated slightly, "watching" Ezreal and Erza speed past him with indifference, but he did not try to stop them again.
A more sarcastic curve seemed to form on his cold lips.
"Weakling?" Ikaruga's clear, cold voice rang out, with undisguised mockery, her aura completely locked onto Midnight, "You don't dare to face the three of us alone, so you're magnanimously letting them pass? Is your distortion magic only used to bully those who are alone?"
Midnight finally focused all of his "gaze" completely on Ikaruga.
On his handsome yet lifeless face, a muscle seemed to twitch, as if he were smiling, or perhaps more like a sneer of disdain.
"Foolish perception," his voice was soft yet piercing like a poisoned needle, "What if I stopped all three of you? The outcome is already destined. Let them pass?"
He slowly shook his head, and his dark, vortex-like pupils seemed to reflect a cruel future.
"I am merely fulfilling their destiny. Rushing to... their deaths, that's all."
"My father's strength is unimaginably powerful," Midnight's tone was flat, yet every word was a stab to the heart, "Jose Porla..."
Midnight's gaze seemed to pierce through space, with a hint of mockery: "Your guild master is also one of the Ten Wizard Saints. As a member of Fairy Tail, you wouldn't be unaware of how strong the power represented by that title is, would you?"
"Only despair and... eternal darkness await your companions! The moment they step into the core, they will have already embarked on a one-way road to death!"
The verbal confrontation ended!
The scent of gunpowder in the air was at its peak!
Ikaruga's eyes suddenly became like arctic ice, the worry for her companions' fate and the killing intent towards the madman before her instantly intertwined!
No more probing!
"Distortion: Space Fold!"
Midnight attacked first!
He elegantly swiped his right hand as if conducting a symphony!
The space around Ikaruga's body instantly became like paper crumpled by immense force!
The scenes above, below, left, and right wildly shifted and folded!
The ground beneath her feet rolled sideways, and the ruins above her head crashed down towards her feet!
Terrifying tearing forces surged from all directions, intending to crush her along with that section of space!
"Petty tricks! Mujoryu: Shishōkōdan!"
Ikaruga's figure was like a flowing cloud merging into the breeze! Her footsteps traced an arcane trajectory, and the Moon Blossom longblade in her hand transformed into four streaks of cold light that tore through everything!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The clear ringing of blades connected into a single sound!
The four-sided distorted and folded spatial discontinuities were precisely struck by the blade, accurate to the millimeter!
The sword intent was like a corrector of spatial order, forcibly cutting and smoothing out the crumpled force!
The folded space instantly collapsed and restored!
Ikaruga's figure passed through it unharmed!
"A bit interesting," the vortex in Midnight's eyes spun slightly, showing a hint of seriousness for the first time.
He clenched his left hand fiercely!
"Distortion: Void Shackles!"
On Ikaruga's path forward, seven "chains" made entirely of pure spatial distortion force suddenly appeared, silently, coiling around her limbs and neck like venomous snakes!
Once touched, even the slightest contact, her limbs would be instantly torn apart by the power of space!
"Mugetsu Style: Sword Flash!"
Ikaruga's charge not only did not diminish but increased!
The Moon Blossom longblade in her hand suddenly vanished from sight!
In the next instant, seven blinding sword lights, like mirror reflections, flashed simultaneously at a speed beyond the limit of vision!
No trajectory, only results!
Puff puff puff puff puff puff puff!
Seven faint, simultaneous sounds, like a hot knife cutting through butter, rang out!
Seven invisible void shackles broke in response!
Spatial fragments splashed around like shattered crystals!
Ikaruga's figure, with an unyielding killing intent, had closed in within five steps of Midnight!
"Too slow!" Midnight sneered, his figure suddenly blurring! As if melting into the air!
"Distortion: Space Fold!" He wasn't escaping, but instantly changed his relative position to Ikaruga!
Like a teleportation, Ikaruga's determined strike, "Mugetsu Style: Oni Giri," only cut through a rapidly dissipating spatial afterimage!
And Midnight's true body mysteriously appeared diagonally behind Ikaruga, his dark, vortex-like eyes suddenly widening!
A more powerful distorting magic was rapidly condensing!
"Mugetsu Style: Oni Kotsu!"
Ikaruga's combat intuition was almost animalistic!
The moment her blade missed, she forcibly twisted her body!
The Moon Blossom longblade swung back in an incredible arc!
Upon the blade, a chilling layer of sword qi, as if from the nine nether Hells, instantly erupted!
It contained absolute sharpness, a cutting intent that disintegrated magic!
Clang—!!!
The dark energy sphere condensed from distorting magic slammed hard onto the whirling blade!
There was no earth-shattering explosion!
The spatial distortion force, capable of easily twisting steel, was actually cut open!
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