Chapter 432: Fried's Defeat (Happy New Year)

Chapter 432: Fried's Defeat (Happy New Year)



"W-What are you doing?" asked Elbagreen, feeling a sense of unease as she summoned an ugly toad at this moment, certain that nothing good would come of it.

"Nothing much, just planning to toss you into its mouth. Don't worry, its mouth is filled with toxic liquid that will slowly corrode your hair and clothes, then eat away at your body, ensuring not an inch of your skin remains intact."

"It's a pity, though, that such a pretty face as yours..." he paused, "No, if it weren't pretty enough, the sense of accomplishment might not be as great. I seem to recall you calling yourself a fairy just now, barely meeting the criteria to accompany them in death."

"To see such a beautiful girl reduced to a pitiful state, dying in the mouth of an ugly toad, is truly lamentable."

"So, when you scream later, make sure it's loud enough to..." he trailed off, "Oh, to slightly alleviate my guilt for not being able to save those girls."

A chilling smile crept onto Rod's lips, sending shivers down Elbagreen's spine.

Elfman silently took a step back, only to return to his original position.

He thought Rod was just trying to scare her, but the smile he wore while saying those words... It was terrifying and twisted.

So, he wasn't entirely sure anymore. Could Rod be serious?

The stone shackles and stone beetles binding Elbagreen vanished, but she couldn't move a muscle.

Her body trembled violently, and even if she could move, she wouldn't dare to.

Rod waved his hand, and the nearby Marsh Frog obediently opened its mouth.

He grabbed Elbagreen's left arm with his right hand, "Consider this a final act of mercy. I'll count to 10, giving you some time to prepare yourself."

Elbagreen's face turned ashen, "W-Wait!"

Rod ignored her plea and began counting, "1, 2, 8910!"

He skipped numbers 3 to 7 and with a forceful jerk, he flung Elbagreen away.

Elbagreen's head tilted back, watching helplessly as she flew towards the ugly toad's gaping mouth.

The dark cavity, the long tongue in a dusky purple hue, and the sticky purple venom all seemed to magnify in her eyes.

"No, stop! I surrender, I surrender!"

Mid-air, Elbagreen's tears streamed down her face. Having just taken two hard punches, her body was immobile.

She could only cry out in despair, "The magic is gone! It's gone! Yaaah!"

Through the vision of the Canyon Swift Crab left in the guild, Rod witnessed the statue on stage breaking free from its petrification.

Some of the girls managed to stand, while others fell to the ground, including Lucy, who was wearing a cheerleader outfit and provided an unintended show of skin as she tumbled.

Natsu was promptly punched and sent flying by Erza.

—The idiot had apparently intended to use fire to melt the stone on Erza's body and free her, but the sudden release of the petrification magic almost burned her hair.

Rod only confirmed the release of the petrification magic and didn't have time to consider the cause and effect.

As he watched Elbagreen's head and shoulders disappear into the Marsh Frog's mouth, about to touch the venom, he waved his hand, sending the frog back to the Summoner Canyon.

"Attention everyone! The petrification magic has been lifted! Erza, Levy... They're all safe now, stop fighting!"

After a round of cheers in the guild, Wilhelm immediately followed the plan and informed their companions throughout the city.

At the same time, the 'screens' in the guild and the church simultaneously updated with a battle report:

"Elbagreen vs. Rod."

"Winner: Rod."

"Elbagreen is incapacitated."

Elfman's report also appeared, but the result was a draw.

Elbagreen had fallen heavily to the ground and slid forward a short distance. Her shoulder was scraped, and her clothes and socks were torn.

Tears streamed down her face, and it took a while for her to stop crying. She didn't even have the energy to cry out in pain, only cursing Rod as a liar in her mind.

Who counts like that? Elfman cautiously approached Rod and asked, "W-Was that just a scare tactic?"

Rod's cold smile hadn't completely faded as he looked at Elfman, "First, you called out to me as 'Hey, Rod' instead of 'Brother-in-law.' That's very impolite."

"Brother-in-law..."

"Yes, good. Of course, it was just a scare tactic, but if she hadn't changed her ways, she would've ended up in the Marsh Frog's mouth. You must understand the determination of a man to save his comrades."

"...Is that even considered a scare tactic?"

Elfman remained silent for a moment, only managing to echo, "A... man..."

"Alright, I'll go check on Mira's situation. I'll leave her to you. Blindfold her and bring her back to the guild, but whether she's forgiven or not is up to those who were turned to stone."

"Okay." Elfman tore off a strip of cloth from his tattered clothes to cover Erza's eyes and prepared to carry her on his shoulder.

"Hold on," Rod called out, "It's better to hypnotize her first to prevent any trouble on the way back."

"You know sleep magic?"

"A little. It's quite easy if the target doesn't resist."

Erza didn't plan to resist either. With the situation as it was, she didn't know how to face everyone back at the guild. Hypnosis might be a good idea.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, she suddenly felt a sharp pain on her face, as if someone had punched her hard. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

Her last thought before losing consciousness was, "Another trick? What kind of hypnosis is this?"

Elfman was also surprised by Rod's brutality. "Is this sleep magic?"

"I didn't have time to learn hypnosis from your sister. I only know physical hypnosis now."

Rod felt no guilt. He had only been punched three times for causing such a big incident. "Let's go back. I'm leaving too."

In the church:

"Erza Scarlet has lost her ability to fight."

Laxus's face turned ashen as he read these words. Erza had lost so quickly.

She was supposed to be one of the candidates to help him build the new Fairy Tail into the 'true' strongest guild.

"Erza, when did you become so weak... you actually..."

The hostage was gone, but Laxus wasn't panicking. There were only about thirty people left, and even without a hostage, they would come looking for him.

But just a few minutes later, his expression worsened, and golden arcs of electricity flickered around him.

Another new report arrived:

"Elusa vs. Bigslo."

"Winner: Elusa."

"Bigslo has lost his ability to fight."

"Why? How could Bigslo lose to a scum like Elusa? Can't you keep up with my pace anymore?"

...

"Elusa is amazing," Rod said, hearing from Wilhelm that Elusa intended to cause trouble for Laxus.

But it had only been a few minutes. Did she take out Bigslo right after leaving?

As Rod rushed to Mira's location, an ice pillar suddenly shot into the sky, lifting a strange black-clad figure over a dozen stories high.

Judging from the remnants of clothing and the green long hair, this should be Freed.

The ice pillar didn't seem to defeat Freed directly, but he was about to take flight with his strange wings.

Mira suddenly appeared above, punching towards Freed's head.

Rod quickly summoned an ice pillar, which lifted Freed into the air, his arms crossed in front of him in defense.

But Mira's punch landed, forcing Freed's arms to his chest, and he fell downward.

Freed's body slammed into the top of the ice pillar but wasn't stopped. Instead, he crashed into the pillar.

...

The ice pillar began to shatter, collapsing inch by inch, and Freed's body kept descending. Only when the pillar hit the ground did he stop.

The pillar completely shattered, burying Freed beneath it.

Mira's figure slowed down, but she sensed the magic fluctuations beneath the ice pile and knew the opponent was still ready to continue fighting.

She flew to the top of the ice pile, her hands in a claw-like shape. With her palms facing each other, she placed them at her left shoulder, leaning to the side to gather strength.

A purple-black magic ball formed between her hands, and Mira forcefully pushed her hands downward: "Soul... Extinction!"

Violent magic gathered into a raging dark torrent, rushing towards the ice pile.

The ice pile below had just stirred when the entire pile was swallowed by the dark torrent.

Instantly, a large amount of ice evaporated, and the area was enveloped in white mist, which was immediately blown away by the wind. The ground shook, like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.

Below, Gray had to raise an arm to shield his face. The wind ruffled his hair and blew away his shirt, which he didn't know when he had taken off.

"As expected, compared to Elusa, it's even more unwise to anger Mira."

Elusa only beat people half to death, but Mira was beating them to death.

Rod strolled to Gray's side and asked in a mysterious tone, "Are you badmouthing my fiancee?"

Action: "I didn't say anything bad..." Gray had already heard the 'breaking news' that Wilhelm had announced earlier, and he wasn't surprised by Rod's arrival.

He glanced at Mira in the sky and then at Rod beside him, sighing and patting Rod's shoulder sympathetically.

Such a good person, why is he marrying Mira?

Puzzled, he ignored Rod and waited to see the outcome.

The fierce wind subsided, and the dust settled, leaving a large crater on the ground. Fried lay at the bottom of the pit, his demonic black body returning to its usual state.

His clothes were tattered, his long hair covered in dust, and his body was covered in wounds.

However, Fried's strength was formidable; he withstood such an attack head-on without losing consciousness.

Mira dived from the sky, her fist stopping just short of Fried's nose, the fierce wind from her punch making his cheeks sting.

In the end, she didn't land that punch.

Mira flapped her wings and landed beside him, releasing the Soul of Satan state and returning to her usual gentle self.

"Why didn't you deliver the final blow?"

Mira smiled helplessly, "Because a battle like this has no meaning."

"What's that, the arrogance of the victor?"

Mira shook her head, "We're companions, aren't we? Companions in the same guild... We laugh together, bicker together, and strive, striving forward..."

"My only companion is Laxus!" Fried trembled, speaking sadly, "But I lost, I failed the task Laxus entrusted to me... I'm no longer worthy of following him, and I've lost my value. Finish me off!"

"Of course, it's not just him!" Mira refuted, "Although you rely solely on him, you should take a good look around you."

Mira extended her hand, revealing a bright and gentle smile, "Look, someone is reaching out to you, so close that they can easily touch you."

Although they called her a demon, she was excessively gentle.

Gray stepped forward, also extending his hand, but his eyes avoided Fried's gaze, "It's troublesome, but as long as you need it, there will always be companions around."

"You've said all the lines, let me say something unpleasant." Rod stood by Mira's side, also extending his hand, "Don't think you're off the hook after a beating. Behave and come back with me to face your punishment. Then work overtime to compensate for today's losses."

Fried's lips quivered as images of his companions—Natsu, Cana, Alzack, Elusa, and the Guild Master—flashed before his eyes, coalescing into tears that gathered at the corners of his eyes.

He raised his hand to cover his eyes, but he couldn't stop the tears from flowing, "Waaah... I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I... don't want to do this... Waaah..."

Fried sobbed uncontrollably, unable to stop his cries.

Rod, who had arrived recently, might not fully understand, but Mira and Gray knew that this person, despite his cold exterior and unapproachable appearance, had an incredibly gentle heart.

There were many girls in the guild who might not match Fried's feminine strength.

As Fried's tears fell, all the spells in the city became invalid.

In the guild, just as Reby was about to make the first change to a spell, Natsu, who had been pushing forward impatiently, stumbled and fell flat on his face.

Gajuru exclaimed, "So, the little guy is this powerful!"

Natsu angrily asked, "Why didn't you tell me earlier, Reby!"

Reby wondered, "Huh? But I haven't even started... And what's this 'little guy' business?"

Gajuru pretended not to hear, "Heehee~ Anyway, now we can go settle the score with that lightning jerk!"

Wilhelm excitedly said, "Gray and Mira defeated Fried, and Rod has joined them. They're heading to the church to find Laxus now!"

Although the hostage situation was resolved and the spells were dispelled, the Guild Master's current physical condition was not suitable for fighting. It was up to the others to step in and help the Guild Master discipline his grandson.

Upon hearing this, Natsu immediately rushed out, "Damn it! They took advantage of us being unable to leave and ran off. I'll join the fight, too, Fairy Tail's strongest is mine!"

"Does that fire dragon idiot even understand the situation? With that cunning guy and those two terrifying women, we might not even need to get involved!"

Gajuru verbally disparaged Natsu's intelligence, but his body honestly followed after him.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end