"Ankh!"
Makarov stared wide-eyed at Ankh, who had arrived for backup, and urgently warned him.
"Be careful! That man is the former Second Guild Master of our guild!"
From beneath the collapsed mountain debris in the distance, Precht blasted away the ruins burying him, discarding his cumbersome armor and cloak.
Emerging from the wreckage with a grim expression, Precht fixed his single eye venomously on Ankh and sneered.
"Ankh, Gildarts, and Laxus... I never expected Makarov to have such pieces. This is quite a surprise."
Ankh ignored the derogatory term "pieces."
His cold gaze locked on Precht as he spoke calmly, "Second Master, why not retire peacefully instead of stirring up all this trouble?"
Precht snorted coldly, then vanished from his spot, the air erupting with a sonic shockwave.
Ankh quickly raised his arm to block a whip-like kick aimed at his head, the heavy impact forcing him back several steps.
Immediately after, high-level destructive Magic spells were unleashed frantically by Precht, raining down on Ankh like a storm.
Ankh's body radiated a silvery-white light.
His fists rebounded the heavy physical strikes using Titan Gravity, and he withstood the Magic attacks head-on using his Living God Physique.
Innumerable wounds appeared on Ankh's body, but they healed almost instantly.
Swiftly enveloping his fist with Death Waves, Ankh began trading blow for blow with Precht.
"Death God's... Devouring Fist!"
A direct punch imbued with absorbing and crushing properties struck Precht, who let out a choked groan as he was instantly sent flying again.
Precht coughed up a mouthful of blood, staring in shock and confusion at Ankh—who remained completely unharmed and as ferocious as a war beast.
"How is this possible? Physical attacks are repelled, and Magic wounds heal instantly. What kind of Magic is this?!"
Precht, who had devoted his entire life to studying Magic, was utterly baffled.
Moreover, he felt an irresistible, decaying aura corroding him from within and clutched his chest in agony.
Despite Precht having nearly achieved an immortal body with his Devil's Heart, he could still be wounded by this magic!
Ankh's assault did not let up, forcing Precht to continuously brace himself and unleash destructive spells that consumed vast amounts of magic power, barely managing to hold his own against the younger mage.
The situation gradually tilted in Ankh's favor, as he was fully aware of his own absolute advantages.
Ever since awakening the Life God Power, Ankh's combat system had formed an almost perfect cycle of protection.
Titan Gravity magic shielded him from nearly all physical attacks while also allowing him to control the battlefield and adapt to any terrain.
The Life God Power enabled him to instantly heal any injuries inflicted by magic while automatically enhancing his resistance to corresponding spells.
Meanwhile, his Death God-Slaying Magic allowed him to deal near-fatal true damage to anyone, bypassing most magical and physical defenses.
Without the Life God Power, many powerhouses across the continent could have rivaled Ankh in combat, and he might have needed to struggle for a long time to defeat Precht.
But with the Life God Power, Ankh had become a monster of pure mechanics and stats!
With minimal expenditure, Ankh effortlessly suppressed Precht.
...
On the other side of the battlefield, Bluenote, who had earlier boasted about wanting to soar, was on the verge of total defeat.
Initially, their battle had been intense and spectacular.
Bluenote freely manipulated gravity, warping the surroundings beyond recognition, while Gildarts could only use his Crash Magic to dismantle each attack.
However, once Gildarts gradually deciphered Bluenote's fighting style, he quickly regained the upper hand.
In Gildarts's hands, the seemingly straightforward Crash Magic became a devastating weapon capable of shattering and disintegrating even gravity itself.
Watching Bluenote being overpowered by Gildarts, Precht's expression turned grim.
He had just been boasting to Makarov about the strength of his subordinates, yet his strongest member was already facing defeat.
Moreover, through his demon eye concealed beneath an eyepatch, Precht could see that the Seven Kin of Purgatory—scattered across the island in their own battles—were also in highly precarious situations.
Across Tenrou Island, the Fairy Tail members, who had not separated from the start, had quickly organized themselves into battle formations as the Seven Kin launched successive attacks.
Zancrow, the Fire God Slayer mage, was immediately targeted by Natsu.
Though Natsu activated his Dragon Force, he initially failed to gain the upper hand and was instead suppressed by Zancrow's God Slayer magic.
Pressing for time, Gray rushed to support Natsu.
Together, they turned the tide of the battle, and Natsu began learning how to devour the divine flames, gradually improving their situation.
On his way to aid Laxus, Rustyrose—who used his Arc of Embodiment to materialize anything he imagined—intercepted Mirajane.
Though incredibly powerful, Mirajane's physical attacks were relatively straightforward.
Lacking prior intelligence, she found herself entangled in Rustyrose's ever-changing magic.
Mirajane was left to fight alone, but poor Rustyrose had no idea that this was precisely the kind of situation where Mirajane was at her absolute strongest.
Meanwhile, Erza tracked down Ultear and engaged her in combat, only to have her armor instantly corroded by Ultear's Arc of Time.
However, Ultear did not continue fighting Erza.
Instead, she eagerly inquired about Ankh's whereabouts.
Naturally alert, Erza refused to disclose the information, still treating her as an enemy.
The two remained locked in a stalemate.
Kain Hikaru, a Mage built like a massive sumo wrestler, moved with unrestrained force like a solid white dumpling, relying on his immense physical strength.
Facing him were the beautiful trio of Cana, Lisanna, and Levy... along with Elfman, who was currently being controlled by Kain Hikaru's cursed Ushi no Koku Mairi doll.
The three women, lacking raw destructive power, dodged the violent attacks of the two burly men while seeking an opening to strike.
Under their cover, Cana was quietly gathering Magic Power in her arm, preparing to deliver a heavy Crash blow to Kain Hikaru.
Capricorn, whose true identity was Zoldeo—a dark mage who had usurped the body of one of Lucy's mother's Celestial Spirits—was furiously confronted by Loke.
With the combined assistance of the three members of the Thunder God Tribe, the outcome of this battlefield quickly tilted in favor of the Fairy Tail side.
Lastly, there was the battle between two women deeply entangled in emotional turmoil.
Meredy, sworn to kill Gray, and Juvia, sworn to protect Gray, clashed with explosive intensity.
Meredy used her Maguilty Sense to link her own life force with Juvia and Gray's.
Thus, Gray, fighting far away, suffered inexplicably.
...
Shifting the perspective back to Precht, he was still enduring Ankh's relentless assault, but a sinister smile gradually spread across his face.
'It's done.'
'It's almost done...'
A few second later, Ankh's raised fist suddenly froze mid-air with a flicker of genuine surprise in his eyes.