"All units prepare for defense! Sniper team switch to armor-piercing rounds!"
Even broadcasting through telepathy magic to everyone's mind, the command came just a tad too late.
Three layers of over three-meter-high purple-black waves surged ferociously in front of Joseph, cascading toward the crowd.
The ruins before him were immediately blown away, purple-black tides hurling countless rubble toward the Fairy Tail's ranks.
In desperation, Rhode's hands transformed into dragon claws and pressed into the ground, erecting a stone wall over a meter thick and five meters tall in front of the team.
"Gray, Laki, Tono!"
Debris and rubble crashed against the high wall, falling to the ground, yet the purple-black tide cracked it inch by inch before it shattered explosively.
"Ice-Make: Wall!"
"Wood-Make: The Dam of Shy Love!"
Gray and Laki unleashed their magic, raising an ice wall and a wood wall behind the stone wall.
Tono, a newcomer from earlier this year, reacted half a beat slower, but managed to make it in time.
"Light Guardian!" He clasped his hands together, emitting radiant halos from his body, and shrouded the ice wall in a faint layer of blue light.
The remnants of the first wave dissipated against the light layer, vanishing into nothingness.
But the second wave followed closely, dispersing the dim light shield, melting the thick ice wall, breaking through the final wooden wall, and continued to rush toward the crowd.
Erza repositioned her large shield, while Mira placed her hand on Erza's shoulder, erecting a thin black barrier outside her defense magic array.
The second wave crashed against their united defenses, extinguished within the dark barrier.
Yet a third wave, the strongest and heaviest, came rolling like a landslide, bringing immense oppressive force with it.
"Don't even think about succeeding!" The two, former rivals, now perfectly cooperated to protect their companions behind them.
Two strands of blue luminescence appeared around them, allowing them to fully unleash their magic power.
"Haaaa~~~~" The two shouted powerfully as their defensive barriers shone brightly before bursting along with the subsiding waves.
The barriers vanished, the array shattered, and Mira and Erza were sent flying backward, one caught by Rhode, the other by Kana.
Howling wind rushed by, even the dissipating magic power from the wave forced people to step back, while the weaker ones were blown away.
Some fell into self-doubt; it took so many of them to defend against just one strike from the opponent.
Does such a battle hold any hope of victory?
Strong doubts transmitted through Wolian's magic into Rhode's mind, the chaotic noise and pessimism mildly irked him.
Moreover, the pressure was increasing.
These people who were willing to follow his deployment, fighting desperately, have actually entrusted their lives to him.
He absolutely cannot betray their trust.
But before he could speak to boost morale, someone even more perceptive spoke up first:
"Don't be silly, we managed to hold it off, didn't we?! Even if it's an attack from the Ten Wizard Saints! As long as we're together, nothing is impossible! Keep going, show him the true power of Fairy Tail!"
"Natsu?"
"Natsu!"
"That's right, we've already held them off!"
"Clearly Joseph is in a worse situation now!"
Well done, Rhode silently praised, forcing himself to stay calm and issue orders: "Attack Plan C, everyone move to the designated positions!"
It should be noted that as expected of the Ten Wizard Saints, after trying various elemental attack magics, Rhode confirmed Joseph didn't have any obvious weaknesses against them, not being restrained by elemental magic.
Even when using dark attribute magic, he wasn't afraid of ordinary light and lightning elements.
If one must find a not-quite-weak weakness, it would be that his physical strength wasn't much higher than theirs.
In scenarios where he couldn't use defense magic in time and had to rely on sheer magic power, he couldn't defend against all attacks.
Moreover, Rhode had two Crimson Marked Tree Monsters, if their attacks could reach Joseph's body, they'd certainly harm him.
The combat strategy was quite apparent.
The main attack force had mostly retreated to a slightly farther position.
This distance ensured they wouldn't be inexplicably hit by AOE, while still allowing them to quickly step forward for magical support.
Mira, Erza, and Natsu stood at the front, the two golems at their sides.
Rhode and Wolian stood between the two teams, with Gray and Elfman guarding the sides, followed closely by Kana.
Joseph didn't immediately launch another wave of attack because a dozen sniper shots rained down from above, targeting his head, neck, chest, and other vital areas.
A swarm of Void Worms leapt toward him from behind.
In his current state, it was absolutely impossible to take them head-on.
Joseph sidestepped and retreated two steps, dodging the bullets slightly, while his right hand swept fiercely, and purple-black magic power like giant pythons devoured all the worms nearby.
He clutched his right arm, and due to the violent movement just now, the wound seemed to have signs of splitting, a few drops of blood fell on the nearby ground.
Joseph's expression was fierce, staring at Rhode like a starved vulture — this kid appeared to be the mastermind, the one who schemed against him.
He hid his right hand behind his back, as purple-black magic flowed from his fingertips like a fine stream, secretly seeping into the ground.
"Lightning and Wind magic attack!"
In the rear, those understanding these spells began chanting directly, while the rest flipped open magic books finding the right page.
But before they could step forward to cast, explosions suddenly rang out beneath Rhode and Wolian's feet.
"Ah!!!"
Purple-black flames exploded abruptly, flinging Gray and Elfman from the sides, as did Kana from behind.
In the heart of the explosion, Rhode and Wolian were sent flying by two Stone Beetles.
The Stone Beetles weren't fully out of the ground before being blown into four Mini Stone Beetles.
Rhode and Wolian endured some shock but were largely unharmed, while Gray, Elfman, and Kana suffered minor injuries:
"Don't worry about us, attack!"
Truth be told, after using aerial assault before, Rhode's next plan was an underground assault, but Joseph beat him to it.
Admiring how he could still think wicked thoughts despite such anger, Rhode couldn't help but be impressed.
Various Lightning and Wind magic soared toward Joseph.
Rhode did not mind the effect and continued to issue other commands: "Bigda! Joy!"
"Uplifting Dance!" Bigda stepped forward a few paces, clapping hands above his head, and striking a crane stance.
Then, with one hand forward, one hand back, he began dancing, a resurgent blue light radiated from him, casting all within ten meters in a layer of faint blue glow.
This rare auxiliary magic enhanced allies' combat abilities substantially.
The other named by Rhode was muscle-bound Joy, who struck several bodybuilding poses beside Bigda.
Exaggerated muscles grew on the arms and legs of Erza, Mira, Natsu, and Rhode.
This enhancement magic boosted companions' strength, albeit with peculiar visuals, the effects were immediate.
These two spells signaled the attack, and Erza and Mira charged forward together.
At this time, Joseph erected a shield that neutralized all Lightning and Wind magic, purple-black serpents appearing in each hand.
"Crown of Embers!" Rhode added a buff for Mira and Erza, continuing to issue orders:
"All Fire magic, target Natsu!"
"Wolian!" Rhode pointed at Joseph, shouting, "Demon Sound Brainwashing!"