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Chapter 123: Spell Arrays and Unexpected Developments
Chapter 123: Spell Arrays and Unexpected Developments
Using the perspective of the Crabs, Rod indeed discovered over twenty more people nearby.
Rod led his group to a pre-selected mountain hollow and marked the targets' positions and movements on the map for Captain.
After thanking Rod, Captain asked Rod and Gray to stay put while he immediately began setting up an ambush, clearly aiming to trap and capture the enemy in one fell swoop.
Rod casually deployed two Crabs to patrol and guard the area, then settled down to wait for the mission to be completed and collect his reward.
"Is this enforcement team really that strong?"
Gray responded, "In terms of fighting, they’re not that strong, but they have special methods to deal with mages. Once they set their sights on you, it’s very hard to escape."
"Special methods?" Rod thought for a moment. "Are you talking about Magic Sealing Stones?"
Gray explained, "Magic Sealing Stones are used like handcuffs. For operations like today’s arrest, they usually use spell arrays."
"Spell arrays?" Rod had seen this magic before. It was somewhat related to text magic, but there were significant differences.
"From what I remember, it’s called a ‘Capture Spell Array.’ It’s specifically designed and improved by mages skilled in spell arrays for the Council of Magic."
"Once you know the target’s location or a path they must take, you can secretly set up the spell array around them. As soon as it’s activated, the target loses their ability to resist."
Spell arrays were absolute.
Many mages who used spell arrays often repeated this phrase.
This was a very special type of magic. Anyone within the spell array had to follow the rules set by the array.
For example, if special text was written around the target saying, "Mages are not allowed to leave," then once the target area was surrounded and the array was activated, the mages inside would be trapped.
Even more extreme, you could write, "No one inside the array can use magic." Once the target fell into the trap, you could easily defeat them from outside using ranged magic.
The charm of spell arrays was that even an ordinary mage could use them to trap one of the Ten Wizard Saints.
Of course, such powerful magic had its limitations. The most significant was the long activation time, far exceeding the casting time of other spells.
This made it suitable for traps but difficult to use in the heat of battle.
Rules like "Immediate death upon entry" seemed to be ineffective, and overly complex rules had various restrictions.
Additionally, maintaining the spell array required a certain amount of magical energy.
In summary, this was not a magic that ordinary mages could use effectively.
However, when the Council of Magic’s team used their intelligence and numbers to set up specially improved spell arrays, they could achieve quite strong results.
This was one of the reasons they felt confident in causing trouble for dark guilds.
"Wait a minute," Rod suddenly asked. "You know so much about this. Have you ever been caught by the Council’s spell arrays?"
"No way, I’m not that low," Gray said with a hint of unease. "I just happened to learn about it."
"Oh~ Preparing for the worst?"
"You, have you corrected your common language yet?"
Gray couldn’t tell if Rod had used the wrong word or was hinting that he would eventually be caught by the Council’s spell arrays.
Rod frowned. "It seems we’re being watched. They left people nearby to keep an eye on us."
Gray said, "It’s annoying, but it’s a secret mission. I’m a bit curious about what they’re trying to hide."
Rod agreed. "I’m curious too, but I don’t want to cause trouble."
He connected with the Crabs’ vision to keep an eye on the two guards, ensuring they wouldn’t be secretly trapped in a spell array.
The two of them chatted intermittently. After a while, two places on the mountain suddenly lit up with the glow of magic.
Rows of strange characters appeared out of nowhere, forming circular barriers.
These two locations were where the members of the Naked Bandage Man’s group had gathered.
Gray looked at the two barriers, gradually feeling something was off. "Weren't there supposed to be three?"
Boom!
An explosion echoed from where the third barrier should have formed, followed by the glow of magic projectiles and the shouts of battle.
"Something's wrong," Rod said, patting the dust off his pants as he stood up, inwardly criticizing the clumsy ambush attempt.
"Probably they were discovered while setting up the spell, or they were interrupted by someone who just arrived," Gray said, getting up to prepare to help.
Rod held him back. "Let's check on the two guards first."
The two soldiers in white robes weren't worried about the sounds of battle. Instead, they gripped their staves tightly as Rod and Gray approached.
"Don't interfere with the Council's enforcement, mages of Fairy Tail."
Gray asked, "There was an accident, right? Are you sure you don't need help?"
One of the soldiers replied stiffly, "Captain Caitlyn can handle it. Don't forget your additional terms."
"Well, if they don't want our help, we'll just wait here," Rod said, pulling the worried Gray to the side.
The battle continued for a while, and a red flare shot into the sky.
The two soldiers' faces turned pale.
Gray asked, "Hey, whose signal is that?"
"It's... it's Captain Caitlyn's emergency distress signal," one of the soldiers said through gritted teeth. "Please, both of you, come and assist the captain!"
"Hey, are you crazy? They can't participate in the arrest!"
"But the red signal means to mobilize as many forces as possible!"
It seemed the two orders were conflicting, and Rod found it frustrating that such important commands lacked a clear priority. He felt the Council was headed for disaster.
Rod urged, "Please make a decision quickly. There are dozens of them. Under normal circumstances, ordinary mages like us should avoid a large group of dark guild mages at all costs."
"Rod!" Gray clearly didn't want to stand by.
His concern for the others' safety made him miss the obvious subtext.
This kid still gets carried away sometimes.
The two soldiers hesitated. "Please, help us! We'll take full responsibility!"
Their captain usually took good care of them, and any additional help at this moment would be invaluable.
Rod summoned two giant crabs, and the four of them rode them toward the direction of the flare.
When they arrived, the dark guild mages were nowhere to be seen, and about thirty white-robed soldiers lay on the ground.
"Captain!"
"What happened!?"
The two soldiers dismounted and helped Captain Caitlyn sit up.
"We were exposed. Zed suddenly attacked and took down two of us, and the spell didn't work..."
Caitlyn briefly explained the situation, then struggled to stand, leaning on her staff. "Quick! Go and support Deputy Dillard. The Zed brothers are very strong; they'll be at a disadvantage!"
Gray stretched his wrists. "You guys tend to the injured. We'll go."
Caitlyn was taken aback. "Why, mages of Fairy Tail..."
"Captain, we asked them to come," the two soldiers said, proving their integrity.
Caitlyn quickly made a decision. "Please, help my subordinates!"
"Leave it to us," Gray said, stretching his wrists. "What do you think, Rod?"
"Since you put it that way, sigh~" Rod sighed and urged the crabs to move, complaining along the way, "Don't just take on these kinds of troublesome jobs."
"But wasn't there a scenario in your plan where we face the entire guild?"
"That was the worst-case scenario... and just so you know, if we can't win, I'm running."
(End of Chapter)
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