Chapter 112: You're the Ones Who Don't Understand
"Christina!!"
Blue Pegasus's Hibiki, Eve, and Ren all cried out in horror as they watched their magic bomber Christina plummet from the sky. This magnificent airship was Blue Pegasus's pride and joy, their signature vessel.
"BOOM!" The shattered magic bomber Christina exploded in a massive fireball.
Dino walked out from the wreckage, dusting himself off as he surveyed the chaos around him. Judging by the groaning figures scattered across the ground, it seemed no one would be getting up anytime soon. He should head to Wendy's location first.
On a distant cliff, Cobra and Racer of the Oración Seis observed the confrontation between Dino and the magic bomber Christina.
Cobra grinned, his enhanced hearing picking up every sound. "I can hear their screams… delicious!"
"I didn't expect much from Blue Pegasus's toy anyway, but those guys went down pathetically fast," Racer said, his tone dismissive.
"It's not that they're pathetic—that Dino Maxim really is a monster."
"So what's the plan? Should we move in and take him down?" Racer asked casually, watching Dino's figure in the distance.
"Not yet. Let these weaklings wear down the guild alliance first. Brain has located Nirvana, but breaking the seal will take time. Once they're all exhausted, we'll finish them in one strike."
"Sounds good to me." The two had been specifically assigned to deal with Dino when the time came.
Dino returned to where he'd left Wendy. The moment she and Carla spotted him, they rushed over.
"Dino! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Let's keep moving—I want to wrap this up and get some sleep soon." Dino yawned widely, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.
Sherry stared at the man before her, barely able to detect any magical power radiating from him. She wondered if she'd somehow mistaken him for someone else earlier. Was that really the same person who just destroyed Christina with his bare hands?
Not long after Dino and Wendy entered the forest, numerous figures emerged from the shadows, surrounding them.
"It's the Dark Guild Black Unicorn!" Carla was the first to identify their attackers' guild mark.
This wasn't unique to Dino's group—all the regular guild coalition forces that had entered the forest found themselves similarly ambushed by dark guild members.
With Lucy's group…
"We're completely surrounded!" Lucy gasped, her eyes widening at the sheer number of enemies.
Erza's expression hardened. "It seems they were prepared for us. There must be a spy in one of the regular guilds—our information was leaked."
"What do we do?" Gray asked, already forming ice magic in his hands.
"What else? We fight our way through! Requip: Heaven's Wheel Armor! Circle Sword!"
Erza's armor shifted in a flash of light, and dozens of blades materialized around her, shooting toward the dark guild members like a storm of steel.
"Ice-Make: Lance!" Gray thrust his hands forward, creating multiple ice javelins that launched at the enemies.
"GYAAAH!" The dark guild members couldn't withstand the combined assault, crying out as they were struck down.
Seeing Erza and Gray's overwhelming power, the attackers quickly changed tactics. "Forget them—target the blonde girl first!"
"Yeah! Take out the weakest link!"
Lucy's eye twitched in annoyance. "I'm a Fairy Tail wizard too, you know! I may be the weakest one here, but don't you dare underestimate me! Open, Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!"
"MOOO~~!" A massive minotaur appeared, wielding a double-bladed labrys. "Lucy's body is lookin' gre~at today! Leave these guys to me!"
Similar battles erupted across the forest—Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and even Natsu's group all found themselves under attack.
Suddenly—
"BOOM!!!"
The ground shook violently beneath everyone's feet, nearly knocking combatants on both sides off balance.
"What the—?! An earthquake?!" members of the dark guilds shouted in confusion.
That's Dino! Erza realized immediately, recognizing the distinctive tremors.
Back with Dino…
"Hurry up and finish these guys before someone else beats us to it!"
A massive number of dark guild members surrounded Dino, Wendy, and Carla. Wendy's face paled at the sheer number of enemies, and Carla's fur stood on end.
"It's not just Black Unicorn—there are thirty-four dark guilds here!"
"Your regular guilds are finished!"
Wendy and Carla's expressions grew even more worried. The coalition only had thirteen members total from four guilds. How could they possibly stand against so many dark guilds?
"Thirty-four guilds? That sounds like a lot!" Dino's casual tone made several enemies twitch. "Well, if we take them all down, that'd be a real public service!"
The dark guild members' faces darkened. "What did you say?! Brat! Do you not understand the situation you're in?!"
Dino waved his hand dismissively. "No, no, no—you're the ones who don't understand the situation. If you just surrender now and let the Magic Council arrest you, you'll suffer a lot less."
He cracked his knuckles, and the air around his fists shimmered. "If you keep resisting, I can't guarantee how many of you will survive. After all, I don't really hold back against dark guilds."
The surrounding dark guild members' faces flushed with rage. They'd never encountered someone so arrogant!
"Kill him!"
Magic energy condensed in dozens of hands as spells prepared to launch.
Dino quickly scooped up Wendy and Carla, pulling them close. A pale white spherical aura instantly manifested around his body, then expanded outward in a devastating shockwave.
"BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!"
"GYAAAH!!"
"UGHHH!"
The ground beneath Dino's feet shattered like glass. The shockwave radiated in all directions, pulverizing stones and splintering trees. The nearest dark guild members were sent flying, screaming as the vibrations tore through them.
The farther from the epicenter, the less lethal the shockwave became, but those closest were left severely injured or unconscious. Still, enough enemies remained standing, and they charged at Dino with furious battle cries.
Dino gently set Wendy and Carla down. "Stay close and be careful!"
"BUZZ~!"
The same pale white spheres of concentrated vibration energy formed around both his fists. He slammed them toward either side of his body.
"BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!"
The trees and earth on both flanks erupted as if struck by invisible explosions. The destructive force carved massive trenches through the forest.
"AAAAHHH!!!" Nearly all the dark guild members on either side simply disappeared, blown away by the shockwave. Massive gaps opened in what had been a complete encirclement.
Dino stepped forward, moving into the remaining crowd with deceptive casualness. Each punch he threw created catastrophic destruction, as if a natural disaster had descended upon the forest.
"Oh my god! He's a monster!" The remaining dark guild members finally understood what they were facing.
If their opponent had been merely strong, they could have relied on overwhelming numbers. But this wasn't a human—this was a walking catastrophe in human form.
"Run!"
"Retreat! RETREAT!"
Suddenly—
"BOOM!"
A magic blast struck the fleeing dark guild members from behind.
"GYAAAAH!" They screamed as the spell exploded among them, knocking them to the ground.
"You came here to fight the regular guilds," a cold voice said from the shadows. "Running away isn't an option."
"What?!"