The two gently laid Elfman and Lisanna on the ground, then turned their gazes back toward Seilah.
Their expressions were strangely intense.
Seeing the dangerous aura pouring off the despicable pair across from her, Seilah immediately broke out in beads of cold sweat.
If she were fighting either one of them alone, Seilah wouldn't be afraid, no matter how much their powers countered hers.
But if those two joined forces... that would be seriously troublesome.
Without wasting any words on the enemy, Ankh raised his hands toward the sky.
A massive, brilliant circular magic circle materialized above him.
"Titan Gravity Field!"
Centered on Ankh, an enormous gravitational force slammed down instantly.
It flattened the surrounding land in a perfect circle, sinking the ground several meters deep into the earth.
Seilah stubbornly straightened her back, her dark face showing signs of strain as she fought the immense weight.
But before long, she resolutely made her decision.
'Run!'
Fighting these two humans would bring zero benefit to her or Tartaros's grand plans.
There was no need to engage in such pointless, risky actions.
"Run? Do you really think you can escape?!"
Just as Seilah was about to turn and bolt, Ankh's voice echoed like a death knell rising from the depths of the underworld.
A wave of terrifying Magic Power instantly erupted around her!
Ankh's body was wreathed in the Death Wave, dark energy coalescing in his mouth.
A violent beam of pure destruction shot straight toward Seilah's head.
Unable to dodge in time due to the gravity field, Seilah had no choice but to block it head-on.
In her fully demonized form, she raised both hands and actually stopped the Death God's Breath with her bare palms, stirring up a massive cloud of thick fog and dust.
Suddenly, Seilah swung two long whips formed from dark energy out of the smoke, lashing out venomously at Ankh's face.
Ankh's hand made a grasping motion in the air.
Dark magic power swirled and instantly materialized into the shape of a weapon.
With just a few precise swings, he cleanly severed Seilah's energy whips.
Mirajane, who hadn't even joined the fight yet, watched with astonishment and sighed.
"That's....—'Death God's Scythe.' It's been so long since I've seen Ankh use that move..."
With the enormous dark scythe slung across his back, Ankh's imposing presence instantly peaked.
He glared fiercely at Seilah and taunted her.
"You thought without Gravity Magic, I couldn't handle close combat?"
Seilah gritted her teeth, turned around, and dashed into the distance again.
Ankh raised the massive scythe in his hand.
Its blade and shaft extended continuously, sweeping forward with overwhelming, unstoppable force!
Seilah sensed the unavoidable power closing in from behind and felt a wave of helplessness wash over her.
'Forget it... This guy's strength isn't inferior to mine, and he has way too many abilities that hard-counter me. Plus, there's still Mirajane standing there, completely fresh and immune to my Macro command...'
'As frustrating as it is, even if I could win this fight, there'd be no real benefit.'
'Better to retreat for now...'
In that split second, Seilah made up her mind.
'Rather than running, this way is faster and cleaner...'
With that thought, Seilah suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.
She turned to face Ankh's certain-kill attack, neither dodging nor evading.
A strange, serene smile played on her face.
Ankh's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't dare slow his movements in the slightest.
The giant scythe swung down with immense destructive force.
SLAASH!
Seilah's body was inevitably struck by the scythe, the eerie death energy coursing through her.
In an instant, the fierce female demon from moments before disintegrated, turning into scattered ashes that drifted away in the wind...
'She's dead... just like that?'
Ankh retracted his scythe, finding it hard to believe.
She should be a cadre-level figure in Tartaros—why would she willingly accept death?
With her abilities, she shouldn't have been killed outright by that move...
If Ankh hadn't countered two of Seilah's main abilities, she would have been a top-tier fighter capable of rivaling him.
'Just what kind of people are in Tartaros? It's the only Dark Guild within the Balam Alliance that I don't understand...'
Despite her formidable strength, she suddenly chose to self-destruct.
Mirajane walked over to Ankh, her expression troubled.
"Just before she died, I clearly saw her smile..."
Ankh nodded, staring at the spot where Seilah had vanished.
His mind was filled with countless doubts.
He was growing increasingly convinced that Seilah wasn't truly dead.
Perhaps she had used this method to quickly "escape" from him and the others, returning to her base.
There must be some special means within Tartaros that could preserve Seilah's life or resurrect her.
It seemed he'd have to start investigating this Dark Guild as soon as possible...
At that moment, Mirajane scanned the surrounding ruins and suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
"Beast King?"
Ankh snapped out of his thoughts and looked toward the incapacitated monster.
"Right, your mission target—the Beast King. It only relies on brute force, so my Gravity magic can easily handle it. I'll take care of pinning it down for you."
Mirajane wiped the sweat from her forehead and nodded.
It seemed what Ankh said earlier was indeed correct.
If she had tried to deal with such a terrifying, massive creature alone while protecting her siblings, who knows what tragedy might have happened...
Ankh suddenly thought of something.
He leaned down and slapped the unconscious Elfman awake.
SMACK!
"Wake up! Absorb the Beast King!"
Elfman was jolted awake by Ankh's slap.
He looked around wildly, then stared fearfully toward the massive, barely breathing Beast King.
Ankh frowned disapprovingly. "The Beast King is already disabled. Why are you still afraid?"
Elfman trembled.
He had always respected Ankh, so he quickly shook his head to deny it.
But after a moment, Elfman whispered nervously, "But my Full Body Take Over... has never succeeded before."
"A few times, I almost burst my body while trying..."
Ankh sneered.
He forcibly lifted Elfman's drooping head to look him in the eyes.
"The most important thing about Take Over magic is whether you have the courage to coexist with terror!"
"Elfman, you're a man! Do you want to keep hiding behind Mira, being a snot-nosed little brother forever?!"
Elfman shuddered violently, his features contorting in pain.
All along, it had been his sister standing in front of them, shielding them from the wind and rain.
It seemed he had never made any real effort to protect his family...
Seeing Elfman looking dazed by the scolding, his sister Mirajane couldn't bear it.
She stepped forward to intervene.
"Maybe we should just forget it. Elfman needs time..."
"He's had enough time already!" Ankh interrupted her, his voice cold.
Mirajane's expression dimmed slightly, and seeing that, Ankh's tone softened a bit.
"Just like you want to keep up with my pace... Elfman is also a Mage of the guild. One day, he too must use magic to protect his comrades and fight alongside us. He can't stay a child forever."
"Ankh is right."
Elfman suddenly regained his spirit, the timidity and inferiority on his face disappearing unnoticed.
He clenched his fists, gazing firmly at the Beast King.
"I want to become strong... strong enough to protect Mira-nee and Lisanna! That's what being a man is all about!"
With that declaration, Elfman charged toward the Beast King, which still radiated dangerous residual power.
The moment he made contact with the monster's skin, he immediately activated his Take Over magic.
Ankh nodded with satisfaction.
Seeing Mirajane still looked worried, he reassured her, "Don't worry. We're here to suppress it if things go wrong. Nothing will happen."
Mirajane nodded slowly, watching as the mighty Beast King gradually began to merge with Elfman.
The process looked violent and she thought to herself.
'Elfman has really grown up...'
Ankh remained silent, his Magic Power ready to activate at any moment to suppress the Beast King if it tried to consume Elfman's mind.
As part of Fairy Tail's strongest generation in the future, Elfman needed the Beast King's power—this would become the foundation of his growth.
Even when facing the three major Dark Guilds later on, this power could preserve Elfman's life.
With the Beast King's power taken over, at least Elfman's basic stats would finally be comparable to Natsu and Gray's.
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