Sol finally shed his gentlemanly elegance, scrambling clumsily to dodge the spreading flames; his earth magic was virtually useless against Hope's holy fire.
Damn it, why did it have to turn out like this!
When Sol chose Hope to go undercover in Fairy Tail, it was because he was an ordinary person who couldn't use magic, making him easy to control and unlikely to raise suspicion among Fairy Tail.
But he didn't expect that after just over a month apart, the supposedly ordinary person had not only mastered magic but also become incredibly powerful.
He was playing the fool while actually being a tiger!
Sol finally realized it, but now it was too late to regret.
"Hey, Sol, do you need help?"
A lazy male voice came from the second floor. Sol and Hope both looked up and saw two figures had appeared by the balcony for no apparent reason.
On the left stood a young man in a red coat, his hair half black, half white, wielding a katana—he was the Fire element of the Ghost Guild, Rabbit Maru.
On the right was a tall man in a green robe, a blindfold wrapped around his eyes, continuously weeping; despite his unremarkable looks, he was the trusted right‑hand of Ghost Guild leader Joseph—the chief of the Four Elements, the Air element, Alia.
"It's Lord Alia and Lord Rabbit Maru!"
A Ghost Guild mage shouted with delight; the arrival of the two officers greatly boosted the morale of the remaining Ghost Guild mages.
Rabbit Maru glanced at the carnage in the hall, raised an eyebrow, and looked at Hope with a hint of excitement: "A flame with holy attributes—interesting. If you weren't an enemy, I'd definitely ask you how you did it."
"But unfortunately, kid, you can't afford the consequences of the Ghost Guild's trouble."
"Then I'll take the blame!"
Before the slightly angry voice could reach everyone's ears, the heavily sealed doors of the Ghost Guild headquarters were violently smashed open.
Everyone turned to see that the newcomers were a massive group of Fairy Tail mages.
Leading them was one of today's 'Top Ten Holy Mages', Fairy Tail's master, Makarov.
Behind Makarov were Erza, Natsu, Gray, Elfman, Kana... essentially the entire Fairy Tail roster.
The first thing Makarov did upon returning was look at Hope, his eyes full of questions.
Hope pointed to a circle of magical plants on the other side. "Master, the Ghost Guild's ruler openly kidnapped Lucy and Mirajane, but I arrived in time and intervened before they could be harmed."
Mirajane indeed got into trouble.
Fortunately, Hope caught sight of it.
Having worried about Mirajane all along, Makarov could finally set his mind at ease.
From Hope and Makarov's conversation, Sol finally understood why Hope sent Lucy to the Ghost Guild—it was clearly to give Fairy Tail a legitimate pretext to declare war on the Ghost Guild ruler.
"He's using our own tactic!"
But even if he realized it now, it was useless; Fairy Tail's main force had already arrived, and all they could do was fight them head‑on.
"Brothers of the Ghost Guild! Don't be afraid! We have Lord Joseph behind us..." Sol hadn't finished speaking when the enlarged Makarov slammed his palm, sending him crashing into the wall.
"Joseph! Get out of my way!"
Makarov cared about nothing else, marching straight to the top floor of the Ghost Guild headquarters, intent on giving Joseph a good beating.
Seeing this, the other Fairy Tail mages also acted without much talk, skipping any pre‑battle banter and jumping straight into the fight.
Fairy Tail never shows mercy to enemies who hurt their comrades; as soon as the battle horn sounded, they launched the fiercest assault.
Magic, fists, weapons—whatever suited them, they used it.
On Fairy Tail's side, each hot‑blooded fighter was raring to go, and the Ghost Guild ruler was far from a meek opponent.
Soon, fists and feet flew, swords clashed, multicolored spells erupted and scattered; the sounds of impact, explosions, roars and wails blended together, echoing across the heavens.
Although earlier some had been lost attacking Hope, the Ghost Guild still held a numerical advantage at this point.
Unfortunately, battles between mage guilds differ from ordinary fights; at this moment, the quantity of troops mattered less than the quality of the mages.
But it was clear that in terms of raw combat and high‑level power, Fairy Tail far outclassed the Ghost Guild ruler.
Facing this ragtag group, Erza, Natsu, Gray and the others moved in like tigers among sheep; none of the Ghost Guild mages could stay standing.
Even an average Fairy Tail member could take down at least two of the Ghost Guild's fodder.
Although they were outnumbered, Fairy Tail seemed to have more than enough firepower; some even began fighting enemies that their comrades were already engaged with.
And the most coveted targets were undoubtedly the Ghost Guild ruler's officers—the Four Elements.
Just as Sol, who had scraped himself off the wall with the Earth element, turned around, he was blocked by Elfman and Natsu.
"Natsu, give me that bastard."
Upon Elfman's request, Natsu didn't hesitate to turn away; Elfman's deceased sister Lisana was a close friend, so he understood Elfman's feelings.
Having lost his sister, he vowed never to let his elder sister be harmed again.
Elfman could hardly imagine his sister Mirajane falling into the hands of the Ghost Guild; if not for Hope, what would have happened to her... With that thought, Elfman finally made up his mind.
The past sorrow could not repeat; he needed greater strength to protect his sister, so this time he would tame the beast within that once haunted his nightmares.
For his sister who could no longer be seen, and to prevent his elder sister from crying any more!
"Full body absorption! Beast King Soul!"
Elfman let out a roar, and his already massive frame swelled even further, transforming into a gigantic Beast King with two large horns atop his head.
The Beast King's eyes glowed with a ferocious red light, but this time he wasn't losing control to the Beast King's power as he had the first time he absorbed its soul.
He knew exactly what he needed to do.
Sol stared in terror at the beast‑transformed Elfman; the savage aura made him instinctively step back, and the earth beneath his feet trembled.
"Wait... wait, we could talk..." Sol tried to buy time, silently forming seals with his hands.
"There's nothing to discuss!" Elfman roared, swinging his massive Beast King fist with a sound that split the air.
Sol hastily summoned an earth wall for defense, but against the Beast King's sheer force, the sturdy wall shattered like paper. He rolled clumsily to avoid the blow, the ground he had stood on now a deep crater.
"Damn!"
"Symphony of Plaster!"
Sol gritted his teeth, slamming both hands onto the ground, and several stone‑like tentacles erupted from the earth, ensnaring Elfman's limbs.
But Elfman merely twisted his arms, and the stone tendrils shattered. He snarled and threw another punch.
This time, Sol couldn't dodge the Beast King's crushing punch; he was sent spinning and flew into the wall that Makarov had previously slammed into him.
The Beast King Elfman turned his head, meeting Mirajane's grateful eyes; his red‑glowing eyes cleared, and two tears rolled down.
"Sister... I'm so glad you're okay!"
Mirajane gave a helpless smile, "Honestly, we're all grown‑ups and still whining like kids."
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