Brain's heart sank—these Light Guild members had caught up after all, and Wendy's resistance had cost him valuable seconds.
But it didn't matter.
Brain was prepared to be ruthless.
Dragging the unconscious Lucy backward by her collar, Brain sneered at the assembled mages—Erza, Jura, and the reformed Hoteye.
"If you don't want her to die by my hand, stay right where you are! One move and I snap her neck!"
Erza hesitated mid-step.
She calmly assessed Brain's surroundings, her mind racing.
'The distance isn't great—if she could use Lightning Empress Armor to move fast enough...'
'But Lucy is fragile.'
'Brain's hand is already on her throat.'
'She might get hurt before I reach him.... i need to find a way to distract him first.'
Just as Erza was strategizing, Jura Neekis suddenly stepped forward.
He gently handed the unconscious Wendy to Erza.
"Lady Erza, please look after Miss Wendy for now. She has fought bravely."
"Huh? Of course..." Erza blinked in surprise before accepting Wendy into her arms.
She then asked Jura curiously, "Jura, my comrade is in the leader's hands, so we must be careful..."
Jura nodded calmly.
An earthy yellow glow enveloped him, accompanied by a shuddering wave of magic power that made the ground tremble.
"Do not worry. I shall retrieve her."
Watching Jura advance slowly and methodically toward Brain, Erza showed concern.
Hoteye approached Erza with a compassionate smile, reassuring her.
"Don't worry, Miss Erza. With Mr. Jura's power, rescuing Miss Lucy won't be difficult—even against Master Brain."
"When I fought Mr. Jura earlier," Hoteye admitted, "if not for my 'Liquid Ground' magic having an elemental advantage over his hardness, and him holding back out of kindness, I would have been defeated long ago. He is truly strong."
Erza nodded slowly before suddenly snapping to attention, staring puzzledly at Hoteye.
"Wait, weren't you a member of Oración Seis? Why are you on our side now?"
Hoteye clasped his hands together blissfully. "Love! It was love that made me see the truth and return to the embrace of justice! Oh, how wonderful love is!"
"I... see..." Erza sweatdropped.
...
Jura stood with his staff, his imposing aura resembling a towering mountain range.
It gave Brain a suffocating sense of pressure.
However, holding a hostage, Brain still had some confidence.
"Stay back!" Brain yelled, sweat dripping down his face.
Seeing Jura remain unmoved and continuing to walk forward, Brain panicked.
He immediately wielded his dark Magic Power, striking toward Lucy's head.
He roared hoarsely, "Since you don't care about her life, don't blame me! Die!"
As the dark beam descended overhead to crush Lucy...
Jura's brought two of his fingers together.
"Iron Rock Wall."
Earthy-yellow Magic Power radiated out with his command.
Rumble!
The ground beneath Lucy suddenly seemed to come alive.
Numerous earthen pillars sprouted instantly, violently slamming Brain away from Lucy and simultaneously forming a dome to block his attack.
"What?!"
Brain was startled as he was knocked back.
He lost his grip on Lucy.
Before he could recover, the stone pillars beneath his feet seemed to come to life, crashing toward his face relentlessly.
"Dark Capriccio: Lament!!"
At this point, Brain had no choice but to fight with all his might.
Swinging his wand, his face contorted into a fierce expression as he roared, unleashing a powerful Magic.
Dark green and blood-red Magic Power fused together into a drill-like beam.
Crash!
Jura's steel-like rocks were pierced through as easily as flour.
Brain poured all his Magic Power into the attack, the eerie red-and-green magical assault charging toward Jura.
Yet Jura remained calm and composed.
He directed with his fingers as multiple rock barriers rose before him.
"Iron Rock Wall: Chain!"
A steady voice rang out.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Layer after layer of rock rose up.
Brain's attack finally slowed upon hitting the fifth Iron Rock Wall, though it still drilled through.
Seizing the apparent advantage, Brain grew arrogant and exclaimed excitedly, "This move of mine is a dark Magic that can penetrate any defense! Die, Wizard Saints!"
Just as the attack was about to hit Jura...
Jura suddenly plunged his staff into the ground and swung both hands forcefully!
"Supreme King Rock Crush!"
The remaining Iron Rock Walls instantly shattered into rubble, hurling toward Brain like a meteor shower!
"What?!"
Brain was caught off guard by the counterattack.
His Magic lost its accuracy due to the debris and struck several meters away from Jura.
However, the assault of the rubble didn't end.
Countless shattered rocks, under Jura's control, seemed drawn to Brain, all converging to attack him simultaneously.
Thud! Thud! Smash!
Brain was pummeled relentlessly by the unending barrage of rocks.
He tried to shield himself, but he was overwhelmed.
Numerous rocks gathered, gradually trapping him in a stone tomb on the spot.
"Gah!"
Brain was immobilized, encased in stone up to his neck.
Jura stretched out his hands, his gaze firm and resolute.
He uttered words like a pronouncement of judgment, "You should have expected this day would come when you harmed our companion, Brain!"
"Pay for your sins!"
On either side of the stone tomb trapping Brain, earthen rocks rapidly coalesced into two massive Iron Rock palms, both poised and aimed directly at Brain.
Veins bulged on Jura's stern face as he roared.
"Rock Mountain: Titan's Clap!!"
CLAP!
The two palms, harder than steel, glowed with an earthy-yellow light before slamming down toward Brain with overwhelming force, executing a crushing motion!
The stone tomb exploded under the impact.
"ARGH!!"
Brain screamed as he was crushed.
After the massive rock explosion, Brain drifted down from the air like a broken doll, then landed on the ground in a pitiful heap.
He twitched once, then lay still.
Brain, who had been laughing maniacally moments before, could no longer make a sound.
The scene once again fell into complete silence.
Erza, holding Wendy in her arms, stared dumbfounded at how Jura had defeated the leader of a Dark Guild in just a few moves.
She couldn't help but marvel at the fact that the Wizard Saints truly lived up to their title.
'Even if he was only the lowest-ranked among the Wizard Saints,' Erza thought, 'it would probably take both me and Mira working together to defeat him... Ankh and Master Makarov are monsters.'
As Erza silently assessed the combat power, Ichiya and Hibiki behind her were also utterly shocked.
Each of them was supporting several injured comrades.
Hibiki couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
'No wonder Lamia Scale was so highly regarded as the second strongest Mage guild in the Fiore Kingdom... who could possibly compete with this rock monster?'
Guilds with Wizard Saints were practically cheating!
Ichiya, however, had no such concerns.
He flamboyantly jumped over to Jura's side.
"As expected of you Jura! The Master of Oración Seis was defeated by you so easily! Men!"
Jura picked up his staff and wiped sweat from his brow.
He chuckled modestly, "You flatter me. It was also thanks to the two ladies from Fairy Tail and Cait Shelter wearing him down first."
Hoteye gazed sorrowfully at the unconscious Master Brain and let out a heavy sigh in his heart.
Although Hoteye knew deep down that Brain had only needed five children with powerful Magic Power talent to achieve his goals and experiments—that he had always treated them as tools—no matter what, it was the Master who had helped them escape the hell that was the Tower of Heaven.
He owed him a great debt...
With mixed emotions, Hoteye stared at
Master Brain for a long time before finally turning to leave with the group.
"Die!!"
Just as Hoteye turned away, an immense surge of Magic Power erupted from somewhere, piercing straight through his back in an instant!
Squelch.
"Ugh... Ah!"
Hoteye let out a pained cry before his massive body slowly crumpled forward.
"Hoteye!"
Jura and the others looked over in horror.
Behind the fallen Hoteye...
The Skeleton Staff (Kuroa) that had been overlooked by everyone suddenly floated in the air.
It spoke, its tone filled with madness, "This was the Guild Master's plan all along, you fool! You traitor!"
"Activate, Nirvana! Let's all die together!!"
The staff plunged itself into the ground.
RUMBLE!
The entire city began to shake violently.
...
Meanwhile, Jellal, who had been rushing to the scene with Ankh carrying the captives, suddenly halted in his tracks.
He looked up at Ankh, clutching his chest in disbelief, and exclaimed in shock.
"Something's wrong!"
"The Biological Link Magic... it has been transferred to someone else!"
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