A Phantom Soldier lunged at Loke, but before it could reach him, a magic bullet struck it mid-air. The blast sent the soldier flying before it crashed to the ground and was instantly swallowed up by the advancing swarm of voidmites.
"Was that... Bisca?" Loke murmured, stunned.
Bisca's playful voice echoed through the shared communication crystal.
"If we let that happen again, the sniper team's reputation is done for. We'll cover you from now on. Everyone, go all out!"
"Ohhh!!" a cheer erupted across the battlefield.
Fairy Tail's mages were strong. But more than that, they were reliable. The kind of comrades who could be trusted to guard your back in battle. That was a trust forged in fire and battle.
"Thanks for looking after our little rookies," Makao called out with a grin. "Now it's our turn! Purple Sky Net!"
He spread his fingers wide. Purple flames spiraled forward, weaving into a burning net that captured over a dozen Phantom Soldiers mid-leap.
"Here's a return gift! Smoke Barrage!"
Wakaba puffed his pipe furiously, unleashing a massive cloud of white-gray smoke. The smoke congealed into ghostly fists that slammed into the Phantom Soldiers mid-glide, knocking them into the swarm below.
"Wood-Make: Passion Storm!"
Laki pressed her palms to the earth. Strange wooden constructs burst from the ground, chains, whips, even spiked cages and twisted blood-dripping spears. The shapes alone were enough to make an enemy flinch.
"I'll copy Rhode's summons!"
Reedus waved his magical paintbrush and quickly scrawled two groups of murk wolves across his stomach. The drawings leapt off his skin, six massive wolves sprang to life and pounced toward the Phantom forces.
"Seith Magic—Tiger Soul!"
Nab roared as a spectral tiger appeared around him, echoing his attack. Each strike of his fists was amplified by the fierce growl and swipe of phantom claws.
The newly arrived comrades surged forward, unleashing their spells in waves. Anger, vengeance, and loyalty blazed behind every strike.
Phantom Soldiers fell in droves, and every one knocked to the ground was instantly engulfed by the void worms. None escaped once downed.
Some Fairy Tail members, too far to strike in close quarters, gritted their teeth and hurled explosive magic crystals toward the enemy.
Booming explosions rocked the Phantom's buildings. Towering walls cracked, windows shattered, and more sections of the ghostly fortress came crashing down.
The swarm had already chewed away half the castle.
Rhodes and his team regrouped near the main gate. He had finally swapped out his shredded pants, using his reequip magic mid-sprint. Situations like these had unexpectedly helped him refine his spellcraft.
"Rhodes!" Natsu ran up, fire burning in his fists. "Are we going after Jose now?"
Rhodes shook his head. "Not yet. We move step by step. First, take out the key structures... then we clean up the rest."
To Rhodes, Jose was the final boss of a dungeon. There was no point charging in before clearing the mobs and disabling every trap.
But not everything went according to plan.
Before they could advance, a strange, suffocating pressure swept over them like a wave.
The air itself thickened with magic. The free-floating particles twisted into ghostly wraiths, spiraling ominously around the battlefield.
It was a magic aura so evil, so oppressive, that even those who didn't specialize in sensing magic could feel the chill.
"This... this can't be," Gray muttered, eyes wide. "Is that... magic?"
Erza's gaze narrowed, her grip tightening around her sword. "Only one person gives off magic ."
A figure emerged from the crumbling ruins, a middle-aged man, cloaked in blue and violet robes.
His eyebrows arched upward in sharp curves. Thick black eyeliner circled his eyes like runes. His lips were painted a deep purple, framed by a thin mustache that curled down like a doorframe.
Around him swirled shadows-no, spirits, countless resentful souls clinging to his very aura.
The mere sight of him twisted the stomach.
This man radiated nothing but malevolence. The moment they felt that cold, sticky, and repulsive magic, everyone instinctively recoiled.
Erza gritted her teeth and spoke the name like venom:
"You've really outdone yourselves, little pests," Jose said as he clapped mockingly, his voice dripping with disdain. "I never imagined you'd amuse me this much."
The same man who had raged over the defeat of the Element Four now spoke like a man thoroughly entertained. The shift in tone made their skin crawl.
Suppressing the nausea caused by Jose's vile aura, Rhodes took a deep breath and assessed the situation.
"This was... one of the possibilities," he muttered. "I didn't want to face him this early, but it's better than the worst-case scenario."
The worst case? Jose leading the Element Four and their army from the front lines. For him to show up only now meant they'd been spared the absolute worst.
But it also meant something else.
Jose was confident. Supremely confident.
So confident, in fact, that he believed with Makarov down, he could take on all of Fairy Tail alone.
Rhodes clutched the pendant around his neck, preparing to activate his buffs.
"No other choice now. We fight."
Natsu cracked his knuckles with a wild grin. "Heh. Just the way I like it!"
Gray rolled his shoulders and gave a sharp smirk. "Either way, we were always gonna throw down with this guy."
But Mira and Erza were far less relaxed. Their expressions were grim.
"Don't let your guard down," Mira warned.
"This man... has power on par with Master Makarov," Erza said coldly.
Jose threw his head back in a twisted laugh.
"You seriously think you stand a chance? I'll crush you one by one! Then I'll drag Lucy back and bleed the Heartfilia fortune dry! And Phantom Lord... will finally become the number one guild in Fiore!"
As he raised his hand, ghostly magic coiled around his arm like a living shadow. Purple spheres materialized at the tips of each finger, five in total, pulsing with dark energy.
Rhode's expression changed in an instant.
"Move!" he shouted. But in his haste, he only managed to grab Happy's tail.
Mira grabbed Natsu by the collar, Erza snatched Gray by the arm, and together they leapt backward with incredible speed.
The spot where they had just been standing exploded with a deafening roar as five purple beams of magic tore through the floor.
Chunks of shattered stone erupted upward like geysers. Half of the debris was launched into the air, while the rest broke through the floor and rained down to the level below.
Five massive holes, each nearly two meters wide, intersected across the corridor, splitting it apart entirely. Through the gaping breach, the lower floor was clearly visible, along with the chaos below.
Jose's casual strike had shaken the entire building to its core.
Just then, a hole burst open in the wall, and a pink-haired maid popped her head through, her voice sweet and composed despite the crumbling wreckage.
"Everyone, I've finished destroying several load-bearing walls on this floor and the one beneath it. Combined with the adorable little bugs chewing away down there and the recent impact... this entire building is about to collapse. I suggest you find shelter immediately."
"Virgo?!" Natsu blinked in surprise, then his eyes narrowed. "So you were the one digging holes upstairs?! I knew that smell was familiar, you little—!"
Virgo tilted her head, completely unfazed. "Would you like to punish me, Lord Natsu?"
Gray grabbed Natsu by the scarf and yanked him back. "Idiot! Not the time for that! The building's coming down, focus!"
"Run?" Jose interrupted with a twisted grin, his fingers glowing ominously. "Where do you think you're going to run, now?"
The floor beneath Jose's feet gave way with a thunderous crack.
He plummeted through the collapsing structure, his expression one of shock as the ceiling began caving in above him.
Every wall in sight split like parchment, the entire structure groaning and breaking apart.