Castle courtyard.
The aftermath of battle lay scattered everywhere. Amidst the lingering smoke, two Grimoire Heart mages stood shoulder to shoulder, their expressions arrogant.
"Keekekeke! Attacking us with only this level of strength. What a bunch of reckless idiots who don't know their place!"
"Rest assured. In accordance with the tradition of bushido, I will cut you in half at the waist. There won't be much pain."
On the left was a humanoid rooster, a bright red comb on its head, its entire body covered in white feathers. On the right was a warrior in red armor, with brownish-black skin and a tuft of brown beard that resembled a dog's tail.
They were Cavats and Yomazu, subordinates of Zoldeo (Capricorn). Possessing powerful magic and combat prowess, they were elites among elites within Grimoire Heart, alternate combatants most likely to become new members of the Seven Kin!
The ones who had encountered them in battle were Team Shadow Gear, composed of Levy, Jet, and Droy.
Although, with the help of Dark Magician's training guide, all three had improved their strength and fought together with great chemistry, short-term training ultimately couldn't bridge the already vast gap in magic power between them.
On top of that, with a constant stream of Grimoire Heart mages arriving to support, after a series of exchanges, they had been pushed to their limits.
"Dammit! They're not even Seven Kin, so how can they be this strong?!" Jet clenched his fists, his face filled with frustration.
"I'm sorry, Levy. We're too weak. We're holding you back again..." Droy's eyes were dim, hating his own powerlessness.
Their clothes were tattered, their bodies covered in wounds, their breath was quite sluggish. Their magic power could be considered completely exhausted, sustained only by sheer willpower.
"That's not true. Jet and Droy were only injured protecting me!" Levy's condition was much better by comparison. She had only minor scratches on her face and still had the strength to continue fighting. "Now, it's my turn to protect you!"
With that, Levy stepped forward, standing in front of Jet and Droy. Her small body radiated a spirit of unwavering courage.
Although there were protective factors involved, in terms of overall combat ability, she had long since surpassed her two... ahem, two partners. She was the undisputed strongest member of Team Shadow Gear.
This was fully evident in both the battle just now and the fact that Elfman often scolded Jet and Droy for being weak.
If not for this, Levy wouldn't have been recognized by Makarov as a candidate for the S-Class Mage Trial!
This was, in fact, a rather brutal reality for Jet and Droy.
Of course, they had also been working hard to get stronger. But their magical foundations and natural talents destined it would be very difficult for them to catch up to monsters like Natsu and Gray, at least in the short term.
Even so...
Jet and Droy still forced their battered bodies to stand on either side of Levy.
"You two..." Levy frowned with concern.
Chase's cards could save their lives, but they couldn't cure the depletion of their magic power, which was quite dangerous for mages.
Jet, panting heavily, interrupted Levy. "Sorry... I just can't bring myself to abandon Levy and let her fight alone."
"Please, Levy. Let us fight alongside you until the very end!" Droy raised his trembling hand, overdrafting his power to summon a plant magical array from his fingertips.
Seeing the determination in their eyes, Levy let out a heavy sigh. Then she raised her head firmly and chose to respect their resolve. "Alright! Then let's show them what Team Shadow Gear is capable of!"
"Capable? Hmph. While I do respect your fearlessness in the face of death—" Yomazu slowly drew his katana from its sheath, his voice cold. "—the truth is, you're just too weak. The weak deserve execution!"
"Hurry up and finish them. If someone else beats us to it, we'll lose our chance to rise to the Seven Kin," Cavats said, spreading his chicken wings and taking an attack stance.
The Seven Kin held extremely high authority and status within Grimoire Heart. Mages like them, in the second tier, were naturally ambitious and eager to replace one of them, becoming Master Hades's right-hand men.
Then, once the Great Magical World was successfully realized, they could rise to prominence in a single step, becoming supreme figures of importance.
Thinking of this, Cavats stirred up his magic power and launched his attack toward Levy and the others. "Egg Heavy Rain!"
A barrage of egg bombs, like a curtain of bullets, sprayed from his mouth, instantly sealing off Levy and her team's escape routes.
Immediately after, driven by the same ambition, Yomazu's gaze sharpened. He positioned his katana behind him and swung it with tremendous force. "Solid Script: Slash!"
A sharp blade light swept horizontally, effortlessly slicing through the buildings along its path. Its power was considerable.
Trapped between two magical attacks, Levy and her team had no way to dodge. They could only watch helplessly as the fatal slash grew larger and larger in their field of vision.
"Keheh~"
At the critical moment, Levy seemed to hear a familiar, strange laugh.
The next second, an Iron Dragon Sword descended from the heavens, violently smashing into Yomazu's Solid Script: Slash.
At the same time, a dark figure swooped through the air, intercepting all the egg bombs beyond a safe range!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
The slash shattered. Explosions rang out one after another.
Amidst the swirling smoke, two figures stood in front of Team Shadow Gear.
"Gajeel! And Lily!" Levy exclaimed in surprise.
Jet and Droy, who had been shielding her behind them, let out heavy sighs of relief, their expressions filled with reassurance. "We're saved..."
"Tch. My luck's pretty bad. I was hoping to find some strong guys to fight, and instead I run into you here," Gajeel said, casually waving his hand, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
"Hey, Gajeel, didn't we come specifically to support Levy and the others because we heard from the enemy that they were up against powerful opponents?" Lily, in his battle form, asked in confusion.
"Shut up!"
Caught red-handed, Gajeel immediately lost his composure. His face flushed red as he hastily excused, "B-before I joined the guild, I had a little... unpleasantness with them. N-now I'm just trying to make up for my mistakes!!"
"I did hear about that from Happy. Weren't you stripped naked and hung from the town tower?" Lily said, nodding with a completely serious expression.
"Forget about that already!"
Realizing that even his beloved cat knew about his embarrassing past, Gajeel's shame turned to anger. "I'll tear that bastard Fire Dragon's mouth apart one of these days!!"
"So why Natsu?" The corner of Levy's mouth twitched. She was more than a little speechless.
"Anyway, that's how it is. You little pipsqueaks over there, get out of my way. You're just in the way!"
What's with that attitude? His expression clearly shows he's worried...
Although dissatisfied with Gajeel's crude language, Levy still stepped back.
Jet and Droy: What about us?
"Two more who aren't afraid to die have come knocking. Yomazu, we're really lucky," Cavats said, rubbing his hands together excitedly.
This way, they would have taken down five Fairy Tail mages. Their chances of being promoted to the Seven Kin would increase dramatically!
Hearing such arrogant words, Gajeel spun around. The flush on his face vanished instantly.
In its place was a sharp gaze that sent chills down one's spine.
"So it was you bastards, was it? You dared to hurt my comrades like that. Even if you get down on your knees and beg for mercy right now, don't expect me to let you off easy!"
BOOM!
A violent magical power erupted, stirring Gajeel's clothes and hair, making him look as twisted and terrifying as a dragon about to snap.
"Though you're just a chicken and a dog, I'll reluctantly use you to test out a new spell I just learned."
A blue magical array rotated from top to bottom. Gajeel's raised right arm gradually transformed into a steel dragon-fang greatsword, radiating an extremely vicious energy wave.
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art—"
"Heavy Iron: Dragon Destroyer Greatsword!"
***
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