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Just as Mirajane was poaching from Phantom Lord, the battle between Laxus and Jose had reached a fever pitch.
Because of his age and the knowledge and experience gained over years, Jose was actually somewhat stronger than Laxus in terms of Magic, and he could easily counter Laxus' Magic with his rich experience.
But that was all.
This slight advantage brought by age could not allow Jose to defeat Laxus, or even suppress him.
Lightning Magic has always been known for its unmatched offensive power and its speed, which rivals extreme-speed Magic when transforming into lightning, so defeating a Lightning Mage is not easy.
What's more, Laxus was not an ordinary Lightning Mage; he inherited powerful Magic from his grandfather, Makarov, and in addition to Lightning Magic, Laxus also mastered Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic.
As everyone knows, in addition to the extremely destructive 'Slaying' characteristic, Dragon Slayer Magic is also a body-tempering Magic.
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!"
Golden lightning spewed from Laxus' mouth. The Roar, imitating a dragon's breath, was the most primitive yet highly damaging combat move that every Dragon Slayer knew.
Jose waved his hand, and a dark red Magic explosion cut off the Lightning Dragon's Roar. At the same time, a dozen Shade soldiers wielding scythes instantly formed and rushed toward Laxus.
Modeled after the legendary Grim Reaper, these Shade soldiers created by Jose could drain life force. If scratched by their scythes, the consequences would be dire.
Facing the groups of Shade soldiers swinging their Grim Reaper scythes at him, Laxus scoffed, not even using Magic, and blasted away the nearest Shade soldier with a powerful punch.
Jose noticed the pitch-black luster that appeared on Laxus' fist. The pitch-black luster had extremely strong defensive power; the Shade soldiers' scythes couldn't even break through his defense with a direct hit, let alone drain life force.
The Shade soldiers couldn't do anything to Laxus, but Jose didn't withdraw them, treating them as a harassing attack.
However, Laxus had no interest in these annoying flies. With a casual "Lightning Magic: Electric Flash," he turned these dark soldiers into dust.
Jose seized the opportunity to raise his hand and flick, and dark Magic bullets instantly split into countless projectiles, raining down on Laxus.
The next moment, a flash of lightning, and Laxus was no longer in the encirclement. Jose only saw a black fist enveloped in lightning continuously enlarging, and surging lightning instantly released.
Laxus' right fist slammed heavily onto Jose's crossed defensive Magic. Looking at the spiderweb-like cracks on the Magic circle, Jose broke out in a cold sweat and quickly retreated before the defensive Magic shattered.
Damn it, what exactly is that "black" stuff covering his skin!
After punching Jose back, Laxus looked at the Armament Haki on his hand. Just a partial covering had this level of power, and Laxus was very satisfied.
Dragon Slayers are inherently good at close combat, Lightning Magic excels in attack power and speed, and now with the greatly enhanced defense of Armament Haki.
The current Laxus was a hexagonal Mage, powerful in attack, defense, and speed.
Laxus was confident that he had surpassed his grandfather Makarov. In the entire Fairy Tail, perhaps only the previous S-Class Mage, who also held the title of "Fairy Tail's Strongest," Gildarts, could compare with him.
Compare? Perhaps he had already far surpassed him.
Jose vigilantly watched Laxus, who suddenly stood with his hands behind his back, not understanding why this brat was suddenly acting so arrogant.
"Makarov's grandson, I underestimated you."
"Among your peers, I'm afraid even Siegrain would be slightly inferior to you. I, Jose, am willing to call you the strongest Mage of the younger generation!"
The superposition of various factors led to a situation where the Ten Wizard Saints senior, who should have had the upper hand, could only fight to a standstill with a junior less than half his age.
Jose's expression toward Laxus turned grim. For a junior from a rival Guild to fight him to a draw was the ultimate insult for Jose.
He would rather fight Makarov to the death than accept the reality that he couldn't even defeat a junior.
"Hmph, I was already the strongest. Do I need acknowledgment from someone like you, who only plays dirty tricks and can't be taken seriously?"
"You should be grateful that the Magic Council prohibits Guilds from fighting privately, otherwise Phantom Lord would have been beaten into a 'Dead Lord' by the old man long ago."
To learn Armament Haki, Laxus had promised Noah not to trash-talk his guildmates anymore, and he had been holding it in for months.
Now, after unleashing a torrent of words at Jose, Laxus felt refreshed and much more comfortable.
"Brat, didn't Makarov teach you not to be too arrogant!" Jose was trembling with anger. As a dignified Ten Wizard Saint, when had he ever suffered such humiliation? Yet, he truly couldn't teach Laxus a lesson.
Laxus' eyes were full of disdain, and his demeanor became even more arrogant. "Arrogance requires ability, and I just happen to have it!"
Furious to the extreme, Jose instead calmed down.
The goal of eliminating Fairy Tail on this trip had undoubtedly ended in failure. The stench of this matter would soon spread throughout the Magic world.
Not to mention the Guild becoming a laughingstock, for unilaterally initiating a Guild war against a Legal Guild, the Magic Council and other Legal Guilds would certainly hold Jose accountable.
The title of Ten Wizard Saints would not absolve Jose of his crime this time. It was even possible that other Ten Wizard Saints would come to apprehend him.
Coupled with the defection of half of Phantom Lord's high-level combatants—Jose hadn't failed to notice Gajeel and Juvia's actions—he knew that his time was up.
Phantom Lord was finished.
Since that was the case, Jose had no further qualms. He stomped his foot, and Super Mage Giant Phantom MK II roared into operation.
A giant Magic circle rose from within Phantom Lord, rapidly expanding to envelop the entire Magnolia. Four elemental Magic attributes were carved into intricate patterns on the Magic circle.
In an instant, Magic Power surged, fierce winds reversed, and light and shadow inverted.
Laxus sensed something, his expression darkening. "This Magic... You bastard! You're actually using forbidden Magic, do you want to drag the entire city to its grave with you?!"
"Hahahaha, wrong! It's to drag your Fairy Tail to its grave!"
Jose's expression was sinister. He knew what he was doing, but at worst, he would just go to a Dark Guild afterward, which would be returning to his old profession.
"After today, both Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail will cease to exist!"
"Abyss Break!"