With Erza and the others joining the fight, the tide began to turn.
But suddenly—
"Pfft!"
"Aghhh!!"
Several mages collapsed, coughing blood.
"Wha—?! It's the Grim Reaper!"
"Death is here again!!"
Through the smoke, a skeletal figure emerged, his body cloaked in a black miasma. The poisonous haze of magic barrier particles spread around him—deadly to ordinary mages.
"It's that guy…" Sting's face darkened. This was the very monster who had led them to defeat before.
"That aura…" Mira narrowed her eyes. "So, he really is one of Zeref's demons—Bloodman of the Twelve Shields."
"Leave him to me," Mira said firmly. "The rest of you handle the others."
"M-Miss Mira?!" Yukino was startled. "He's one of the Twelve! You can't fight him alone!"
But Erza stopped her.
"Let Mira go. She's the only one who can."
Erza was right. The poison of magic barrier particles crippled even her—yet Mira, with demon blood and Take Over of Zeref's demons, was immune.
"Exploding Spiral!!"
A deafening roar shook the ground.
Bloodman's eyes shifted. "Tch—!"
BOOOOM!
An explosive spiral wave engulfed him. When the smoke cleared, he still stood, barely scratched.
"An Explosion spell?" he muttered. "How amusing. That magic belonged only to Zeref's demons. And you…" His empty sockets glowed as he looked at Mira. "You're a Take Over mage. So—you've received some of them. Do you mean to take me too?"
"Don't make it sound like I'll take just anyone," Mira snapped. "I choose carefully."
"Then it seems we're destined enemies. Very well. Die here, in the name of death itself."
Bloodman's mist-like arms stretched out like claws, grasping for her.
"Burst!"
Mira's wave blew them apart—but the severed limbs reformed instantly from smoke.
Bloodman chuckled. "Not bad. Then allow me to explain… My spell is the Imprint Curse."
His voice dropped, heavy with malice.
"The first mark becomes poison, stripping wizards of their magic power. But you… you're immune."
The earth cracked, skeletal hands clawing up from below as he spread his aura.
"The second mark… opens the Gate of Yomi. The corpses of the underworld obey my call."
His body warped, shrouded in thick clouds of barrier particles, becoming less man than shadow.
"And the third mark—is death itself. With it, I pass judgment, and none return from the grave."
Skulls rattled at his feet. "Now, behold the second mark!"
"Exploding Spiral!!" Bloodman roared.
BOOOOOM!
The blast hurled Mira back, blood spilling from her lips.
"With the second mark, I wield the powers of the Nine Demon Gates!" Bloodman laughed. "I command all their magic. While you can only Take Over one demon at a time… you cannot defeat me!"
He raised his arm, summoning a black blade.
"Five Blades of the Underworld—Onimaru!!"
A colossal slash split the battlefield, trees collapsing in its wake.
"Take Over—Torafuzar!"
Mira's body hardened like diamond.
"Hardening Magic!!"
CRASH!! She braced against the strike, sparks flying.
Bloodman sneered and twisted his mist.
"Darkness of Heaven and Earth!!"
Toxic waters flooded the ground, drowning the battlefield in a deadly ocean.
But Mira only smirked.
"Wrong move. That spell belonged to Torafuzar—the very demon I've already taken!"
Her transformed blade cleaved through the water as she lunged at him.
Their weapons clashed.
"Don't forget…" Bloodman rasped, mist swirling. "…I have all the Nine Demon Gates' powers. I don't need to Take Over—I simply use them."
His chest swelled, mist gathering at his jaws. Mira's eyes widened—she recognized that stance.
"Damn—it's—!"
"Ice Demon's Curse: Annihilation!!"
A torrent of freezing death spewed forth. Mira transformed mid-flight, throwing her arms forward.
"Order of Release—Magic Ray!!"
Twin beams ripped from her hands.
BOOOOOM!!!
The beams and the icy curse collided, detonating in a storm that shook the northern battlefield.
"This…" Bloodman's voice boomed through the smoke. "This is Ice Demon Slayer Magic. Magic born to destroy demons. You cannot win, Mira."