First the Phantom Lord's Jupiter cannon, then the Magic Council's Etherion—both aimed straight at him.
Even the Blue Pegasus guild's flying ship Christina had fired on him, and now here was yet another massive threat bearing down.
Who the hell had he pissed off? This was getting ridiculous.
"Companion?! What're you talking about?! Ugh…!" Natsu clutched his stomach, fighting off motion sickness even while shouting at Brain.
"No! Natsu! That thing's charging up some kind of magic!" Happy warned, wings flapping anxiously.
Brain's smile widened cruelly. "Exactly what I said. Since you're about to die anyway, I'll enlighten you—Nirvana isn't just this moving ancient city. It's also a terrifying magic spell."
"It reverses light and darkness. The righteous can fall into shadow, while the wicked may walk in light. Release it over a city, and justice and evil lose all meaning. Everyone turns on each other in chaos."
"As for companions—naturally, I intend to convert yours to my side. Especially that dangerous individual, Dino Maxim. Monster would be a more accurate description."
"Such devastating power wasted on the side of justice! What a shame!"
"His destructive capability could bring catastrophe to the entire world! Someone like him was born for the darkness!"
Happy's fur bristled as he shouted back, "Dino doesn't belong to any dark side! He's got a good heart! He helps everyone in the guild! He even shares his fish with me!"
Brain's cruel smile never wavered. "Not for much longer."
With a wave of his skull-topped staff, a magical screen materialized in the air. The image showed Dino, Wendy, and Carla.
"Carla?!" Happy's eyes went wide—this was the first time he'd seen another talking cat, and a pretty female one at that. His little heart skipped a beat.
Natsu's expression turned grim. Others might not understand, but he knew—if Dino truly lost control, nothing alive could stop him.
Then both Natsu and Happy froze, jaws dropping. On the screen, Dino was flipping them off, and from the movement of his lips, he clearly wasn't saying anything polite.
Brain's face darkened. "Hmph! I'll teach that brat some manners when I get the chance!"
Meanwhile, Wendy and Carla had gone pale. No one could stay calm staring down a cannon barrel that enormous. Whatever magic it fired would be utterly devastating.
"Dino, do something!" Carla cried out, panic creeping into her voice.
"Relax! Don't get so worked up!"
"Worked up?! Look at that thing! This isn't a 'small scene'!" Carla yelled back.
Dino clenched his fists. "Buzz~!" A spherical white aura formed around them, the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit condensing. The white glow intensified, becoming almost blinding, and the very space around his fists began to warp and distort visibly.
Then, without hesitation, Dino slammed his fist toward one of Nirvana's massive legs.
Space itself shattered like glass under the devastating power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Even the fabric of reality couldn't withstand that kind of force.
Almost every time Dino exerted real power, cracks spider-webbed through the air. But this—this was on another level entirely.
"CRACK! CRACK!" Dense fractures spread through space in front of his fist, the sound like a thousand mirrors breaking at once.
"FIRE!" Brain commanded, and Nirvana's charged magic lance shot forward.
"BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!"
Suddenly, the colossal leg Dino had struck began exploding from bottom to top. Chunks of ancient stone and crystallized magic disintegrated in a chain reaction, the destruction racing upward in a spectacular, terrifying display.
In seconds, the devastation reached the base where the leg connected to Nirvana's main body.
"BOOOOM!!"
The entire ancient city lurched violently. The massive structure began tilting backward, and at almost the same instant, Nirvana's spell activated.
"FWOOOOSH—!"
A pillar of magical light erupted toward the heavens. After several seconds, the launch sequence completed. Nirvana's spell vanished into the sky, and the heavens returned to their normal azure.
Everyone watching from below stood slack-jawed. They'd expected this super-weapon to annihilate everything in sight, but before it could even make its grand debut, one of its legs had been ripped clean off.
The real monster here was definitely Dino.
"Erza, what do we do now?" Lucy asked nervously.
"We find the remaining Oración Seis members and take them down. As for that thing…" Erza gestured toward the tilting Nirvana. "Leave it to Dino. He specializes in destroying massive objects. If we get involved, we'll just be in his way."
Erza had been on more missions with Dino than anyone—she understood his capabilities better than most.
Compared to this seemingly invincible mobile fortress, simpler, more basic magic actually posed a greater threat to Dino's particular fighting style.
Gray and Lucy both remembered the sheer devastation when Dino cut loose, the collateral damage that came with it. They couldn't help but shudder. Fighting alongside him in those moments was like standing in the path of a natural disaster.
"But where do we even find the Oración Seis now?" Lucy wondered aloud.
"No need to search," Erza said calmly, her hand moving to her sword. "They're already here."
"As expected of the Titania, Erza Scarlet! I can practically smell the reward money!" Hoteye from the Oración Seis stepped out from the shadows, his eyes gleaming.
"Hoteye, you're too eager. You should've waited until I picked off one or two first~" Angel complained, emerging as well. She'd been ready to use Gemini for a surprise attack.
Erza's expression hardened. "Hibiki from Blue Pegasus already warned us. You transformed into our appearances and ambushed them. Your sneak attack won't work here."
Angel tilted her head thoughtfully. "Blue Pegasus? Oh, those three handsome boys! They were so pretty, and their screams were delightful."
"I went easy on them because of their looks, but maybe that was a mistake. Handsome men really are the worst liars, aren't they?" She smiled sweetly, though her eyes held no warmth.
Erza drew her blade, pointing it at the two enemies. "Your tactics are despicable, but expected from enemies. As a member of this alliance, all I can do is defeat you and avenge them."