Levy looked up from the mountain of books, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes, and slammed the final book shut with a crisp sound.
"This is it!"
She didn't even have time to explain, dipping her fingertip into magical ink and rapidly writing in the air beside the doorframe at an astonishing speed.
"What did you find?" Natsu and Gajeel crowded around, their faces full of confusion.
Seeing Levy ignore them, Natsu and Gajeel exchanged a knowing glance, positioning themselves on her left and right, guarding Levy securely behind them like two guards.
'Almost there!'
Inside the room, Ryoma watched the scene, clenching his fists until his fingernails dug deep into his palms, forcibly suppressing the anger about to erupt, and quietly waited for the moment of liberation.
Levy began writing in the air beside the doorframe. As the tip of the quill pen moved, letters appeared out of thin air.
When she finished the last stroke, the entire barrier let out a violent hum. Those newly formed words suddenly shone brightly, forcibly integrating into the original purple rune array like a brand.
[No Entry or Exit]
[Prohibition of Using Any Magic Power]
These two lines of rules began to violently twist and blur, finally dissipating slowly into the air as if wiped away by an eraser.
Almost simultaneously, Ryoma felt the invisible shackles on his body shatter. The magic power that had been severely suppressed was finally unbound, erupting like a volcano dormant for a thousand years, in a world-shattering fashion.
An icy, bone-chilling magical pressure instantly swept through the entire guild basement. The air temperature plummeted, and visible frost condensed on the walls and floor.
Natsu and Gajeel, standing by the door, instantly turned pale. They felt a shiver originating from their souls spread throughout their bodies, as if they were being stared down by an ancient beast.
Ryoma immediately stepped out of the confinement room. Wherever he passed, the cold air was biting, and even the atmosphere carried a chill.
He looked straight up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the layers of the ceiling toward the sky above Magnolia Town.
"Thunder... Palace..."
The two words were squeezed out from between his teeth, every syllable carrying a bone-scraping chill.
"Ryoma!" Natsu, far from being afraid of this power, shouted excitedly, the flames on his fists reigniting.
"Let's hurry up and go beat that bastard Laxus senseless!"
Ryoma shook his head, his gaze sweeping over Natsu and Gajeel.
"You two, go find the other two members of the Thunder God Tribe, Bickslow and Evergreen." His voice was terrifyingly cold now. "Take care of them."
"What about you?" Gajeel asked, frowning.
There was not a hint of a smile on Ryoma's face, only chilling coldness. "I am going to meet the organizers of this game. Laxus... and Freed. They must pay the price for what they have done."
Before his voice faded, his figure had transformed into an ice-blue streak of light, instantly vanishing at the end of the corridor. The speed was so fast that even Natsu and Gajeel's dynamic vision couldn't track it, leaving behind only a trace of residual cold air.
—
Elsewhere in Magnolia Town, Mirajane finally found the injured and unconscious Elfman at the end of a small alley.
"Elfman!"
Mirajane's heart instantly seized up. She rushed over recklessly and knelt beside her younger brother.
Just then, Elfman let out a painful groan. He struggled to lift his heavy eyelids, and upon seeing his older sister, his lips moved as he weakly called out, "Sister..."
Mirajane looked at her brother's miserable state, her blue eyes instantly filled with tears. She knelt on the ground and carefully lifted Elfman's upper body, letting him lean against her chest.
"I'm sorry..." Tears slipped down her cheeks and fell. "I'm so sorry, Elfman..."
She choked, her voice fragmented by immense self-reproach. An indescribable regret flooded her heart. She hated that she was always so powerless when her family needed protection.
Elfman was confused by her sudden apology. "Why... why are you apologizing, sis?"
Mirajane's tears slid down her cheeks and dripped onto Elfman. "It was like this during the Phantom incident... and it's like this again now... I can't do anything..."
This feeling of powerlessness and self-blame gnawed at her heart like a venomous snake.
Elfman looked at his sister's sorrowful expression, struggled to sit up straight, and offered comfort, "It's fine if you don't do anything, sis."
"Just greet everyone with a smile once this boring fight is over."
These words struck Mirajane's most vulnerable emotional defense like a heavy hammer. She could no longer hold back, covering her face with her hands and letting out a long-suppressed wail of pain.
Elfman panicked and could only repeat himself over and over.
"Sis, don't cry... please don't cry..."
The crying echoed in the empty street for a long time before Mirajane finally managed to slowly stop her sorrow. She wiped away her tear stains, regained her composure, and carefully helped Elfman to his feet.
"We're going back to the guild."
"I... I can walk by myself." Elfman boasted, yet his body involuntarily leaned against his sister.
Mirajane didn't say anything, simply supporting him as they moved step by step along the riverbank toward the guild. This was all she could do, insignificant as it was.
They hadn't walked far when they saw a familiar figure lying on the broken bridge ahead, while another person stood there holding a rapier, looking down condescendingly.
"Stop it, Freed!"
"You bastard!"
Mirajane and Elfman roared simultaneously.
Freed heard the sound, turned around, and coldly glanced at them, finally fixing his gaze on Elfman.
"Elfman, you have already lost to Evergreen." His words were devoid of emotion. "You do not have the right to re-enter the game."
"Shut up!"
Elfman's rage was instantly ignited. He violently broke free from Mirajane's support and roared, swinging his fist toward Freed.
Freed barely moved his feet, merely raising his sword casually and quickly slashing it across Elfman's path.
Dark Écriture: Pain!
Purple runes instantly appeared on Elfman's chest.
"Aaaahhhh—!"
Elfman let out a harrowing scream, as if countless red-hot steel needles were simultaneously piercing every nerve in his body. His entire body painfully curled up into a ball in mid-air, crashing heavily onto the ground and convulsing uncontrollably.
"Stop it!" Mirajane cried out anxiously. "Elfman can't fight anymore!"
Freed ignored her pleas, the tip of his rapier continuously slashing through the air.
Dark Écriture: Fear!
Dark Écriture: Pain!
Runes were continually branded onto Elfman's body. The world in his eyes began to twist, and endless fear and pain overwhelmed him like a tide.
His body twitched incessantly on the ground. Finally, he lost even the strength to scream, kneeling on the ground and gasping for breath.
"Please... stop..."
Mirajane watched her brother's tormented state, her heart twisting in agony, her voice laced with desperate sobs.
"I beg you!"
Freed looked at Elfman kneeling on the ground, slowly raised his sword toward him, and the tip traced a cold trajectory in the air. A word radiating the aura of death was slowly forming.
"Dark Écriture: Death..."
The word 'Death' entered Mirajane's ear.
BOOM!!!
A string named 'sanity' deep within Mirajane's mind snapped in response.
She seemed to see the scene of her younger sister Lisanna right before her death again. The intense pain and powerlessness of losing a loved one were overlapping with the current situation.
Her sister was already gone, and now...
Would her only remaining brother also be cruelly taken away right in front of her?
No!
I won't allow it!
Absolutely not!
"AHHHHHHHHH—!"
A heart-rending scream erupted from deep within Mirajane's throat. It was no longer a plea, but a roar filled with endless sorrow and fury.
RUMBLE!!!
A terrifying surge of magic power violently burst forth from her small body. The purple-black energy transformed into a tangible gale, sweeping across the entire riverbank, cracking the hard ground inch by inch, and turning it into dust.
Freed's movement suddenly stalled. He was pushed back half a step by the impact of this sudden, immense magic power, and he turned around in astonishment.
He looked up in horror, seeing a massive purple-black magic circle manifesting above Mirajane. Dense darkness enveloped her body. Her white long dress was torn away, replaced by a purple, tight leather suit radiating an evil aura.
Eerie black cracks appeared at the corners of her eyes, her hands and feet transformed into sharp claws, and a long black tail slowly swayed behind her. Her gentle blue pupils were replaced by the scarlet color of endless killing intent in a single instant.
Full Body Take Over: Satan Soul!
The Demon Mirajane, silent for so long, finally returned to the world at this moment, bringing with her overwhelming fury.
Her figure suddenly vanished from the spot. The next instant, the location where Freed had been standing was violently smashed by a gigantic demon claw.
BOOM!
With an earth-shattering crash, the entire broken bridge was forcibly shattered, and smoke and debris shot into the sky.
At the edge of the smoke, Freed's figure appeared, staggering. He had narrowly avoided the fatal blow, his face covered in dust. He immediately pointed his rapier at himself without hesitation.
Dark Écriture: Wings!
A pair of black wings spread out behind him. With a powerful flap, they quickly carried him into the air.
(End of Chapter)
Read 50 Chapters ahead on
patreon.com/astralicity