Chapter 447: What is Nirvana?

Chapter 447: What is Nirvana?

"Rock Coffin!"

Jura clasped his hands together, and the hemispherical rock wall in the middle of the hall became square, with the stone walls on both sides contracting towards the center.

But after just a few seconds, Jura frowned. He knew the space inside, and although it had shrunk enough, there was still no resistance, which was odd.

Not until the two stone walls completely merged, emitting a heavy crashing sound, did pink mist seep out from the cracks. Jura still didn't feel any of his spells hitting a solid target.

Everyone covered their mouths and noses, retreating further.

The rock wall shattered, revealing an empty interior.

Right after, a loud rumble came from outside the villa. Others might not have recognized it, but the members of Team Blue Pegasus were very familiar with this sound.

"Christina!"

This was the sound of Team Blue Pegasus' Magic Bomber Christina in flight.

The issue was, three of Team Blue Pegasus' four mages were lying there, powerless, and one was likely already defeated by the enemy. So, who was piloting the Magic Bomber?

The group rushed to the window and saw the bomber's dark cannon aimed at the villa they were in, with terrifying magic power gathering.

"Hey, hey, hey... That thing again?" Gray felt the weapon looked familiar; wasn't it similar to the Ghost's main cannon?

Leon reminded Gray, "Don't just stand there, let's think of a way to defend first!"

Running was impossible; no one could outrun a bomber and its cannon. Escaping would only lead to casualties; their best chance was to hold their ground.

"Armor Change: Diamond Armor!" As the cannon finished charging, Erza had prepared for the worst.

"Huh??? Are we going to face that attack head-on?" Lucy was about to cry in fear. "That weapon isn't meant for humans, is it?!"

"At this point, this is our only option." Jura clasped his hands together, and astonishing magic power erupted from his body, "Rock Mountain!"

The ground shook, and a stone giant rose, clasping its hands together to protect the entire villa.

Natsu stumbled due to the ground's tremors and exclaimed in surprise, "What kind of magic is that?!"

Gray couldn't help but say, "Could it be that this old man... is incredibly strong?"

Leon proudly replied, "Of course, this is Jura-san!"

Gray looked at Leon and suddenly burst into laughter.

Not only had this guy switched to using both hands for Molding Magic, but after joining Mermaid Heel, he seemed to have found something he cherished.

"Why are you spacing out? Instead of daydreaming, help us," Leon casually removed his jacket, assuming the pose for Molding Magic, and looked at Gray, "Still Object, right? You're good at that, aren't you?"

"Of course!" Gray had already stripped down to his underwear when he entered, so he skipped the act of taking off his clothes and directly copied Leon's pose.

The master and apprentice combined their powers, and ice magic surged: "Ice-Make: Wall!"

A thick, tall wall rose from the ground, even taller than Jura's stone giant.

Unfortunately, its strength was far inferior.

As soon as the Magic Bomber fired, the ice wall shattered.

The wall collapsed, and ice chunks flew in all directions. The struck ice instantly vaporized and then condensed into mist, as if veiling the stone giant.

The stone giant was then hit, emitting a loud rumbling sound. Countless large and small stones flew out, and the giant's chest was pierced by the cannon, leaving cracks on its body.

—The Magic Bombardment Cannon was a weapon designed for sieging cities.

A huge hole was blasted in the villa's wall, and smoke and dust filled the air before the group.

However, after two rounds of blocking, the cannon's power had weakened significantly. When it hit Erza's defensive magic array, supported by the Diamond Armor, it naturally lacked its initial power.

Erza struggled to hold up her shield, firmly catching the residual blast.

Before the group could rejoice, another explosion sounded in the sky.

Everyone braced themselves, preparing to defend against the next attack, and Natsu called out to Happy, planning to fly up and fight.

But this time, the villa's roof collapsed, along with various building materials and a horse head.

—Christina's power system had been destroyed, causing it to crash from the sky!

Not only that, but just as the group recognized the Magic Bomber, it emitted intense flames!

The ship exploded!

Not far away, five people slowly 'walked' towards the destroyed villa. A white-haired woman approached them.

Angel complained, "Seriously, launching that kind of attack... What if I get caught in the crossfire?"

"The red-haired youth with a purple snake coiled around him spoke, "Impossible, because I can hear your voice. But it seems you couldn't take out Jura."

The angel spread his hands, "I should say it's no wonder he's one of the Ten Great High Mages, he's too cautious. And they somehow got their hands on my information. In the end, only the four from Blue Pegasus were eliminated."

Just as the leader was about to say something, he suddenly pressed two fingers to his forehead as someone contacted him via Thought Projection Magic.

"Did you find it? Well done! Stay there and don't let anyone near it!"

Laxus asked, "Did you find it? That was fast!"

"Yes, the good guys have been taken care of, and the show's over. Let's go," the leader said with a hint of regret as he glanced at the Magic Bomber Jet that was still exploding.

If I had known we'd find it so quickly, I would have stayed a little longer. That way, we could have gotten there faster, what a pity.

But Cobra refuted, "No, leader, it's not over yet. I can still hear the good guys struggling."

The leader turned to leave without looking back, "In that case, I'll initiate Nirvana. Leave this to you, don't let these guys get in the way."

"Yes." Even with a Ten Great High Mage among them, they weren't intimidated.

...

Rod and Mira quickly located Elicor and, before nightfall, brought him and his newly gathered group of henchmen back to the Cat's Cradle.

"You're back so soon?" Sharuru exclaimed, looking at the long line of wild monsters acting as porters, her gaze fixed on the white-haired man named Elicor.

His cheeks were sunken, apparently from a punch, and his chest had a noticeable dent, with several broken ribs for sure.

Sharuru asked in confusion, "Isn't he an expert assassin, a strong and dangerous man? And he's badly injured."

Rod shrugged, "I don't know why, but when this guy saw us two, he not only didn't run, but also taunted us, saying he needed two heads or something. Then he led his men to charge at us... Mira and I had no choice but to beat them up."

Mira added, "Since he's a dangerous person, we had to be a little harsh."

She felt a bit embarrassed because, in front of Wendy and Sharuru, she had always maintained a gentle older sister image.

Wendy looked at the dozen or so injured men and asked uncertainly, "Should I help treat them?"

Rod said, "No need to waste magic power. They're all bad guys anyway, as long as they don't die."

It wouldn't matter if they died either, as Elicor's bounty mission specified 'dead or alive'.

It just wouldn't be appropriate for them to die at the Cat's Cradle.

Sharuru asked again, "What do you plan to do with them? You're not going to take them back to the guild, are you?"

"Tonight, we can only temporarily keep them here. Tomorrow, we'll try to contact the Council. If all else fails, we might have to take Elicor back."

There was no need to worry about them causing trouble when they woke up; Mira could ensure they had a good sleep, the kind where they wouldn't wake up even if you called.

Sharuru was a bit disdainful of these guys, but she didn't refuse.

Wendy checked their injuries with concern, making sure they wouldn't die before deciding not to help them.

(Chapter End)

After settling the new members of the Iron Forest Guild, Rod and Mira spent some time chatting with Wendy, learning that she seemed to have some issues with her magic. So, they decided to accompany her in practicing Dragon Slayer magic.

Xialulu observed for a while before silently returning to prepare dinner.

It wasn't until the sun set that the trio, who had been practicing in the courtyard, took a break and went to bathe.

Rod, being quicker, finished first and quietly sat down to enjoy a cup of tea.

Mira had accompanied Wendy, taking a bit longer, and when she returned, Wendy seemed dazed, as if she had lost her soul.

Xialulu looked at her worriedly, then realized the reason. She explained to Mira, "Don't worry, she'll be fine soon. I think... if you still sleep with us tonight, Wendy will get used to it soon enough."

Mira, usually understanding, was confused by Xialulu's words.

It was something she hadn't paid attention to during her temperamental phase, and now that she was older and more mature, it was only natural that she understood. She couldn't relate to Wendy's situation.

Rod tried to divert Wendy's attention by talking about guild matters, while Mira went to assist in the kitchen.

As the aroma of the meal wafted out, Wendy's mood improved slightly. Just as she was about to pick up her teacup, she noticed the water in the cup trembling slightly.

"What's wrong?" Wendy looked at Rod in confusion, as neither of them had touched the table recently.

Rod noticed the anomaly too and quickly realized something was amiss. "Is the ground shaking? Is there an earthquake coming?" he asked.

He wasn't overly alarmed, as an earthquake wouldn't harm him, and most of the village houses were wooden, with some even being tents. If they needed to escape, they could simply run through the walls without much difficulty.

But Wendy shook her head. "There's never been an earthquake before."

They quickly ruled out the possibility of an earthquake, as the tremors were intermittent and gradually intensified.

Mira, sensing something was wrong, ran out of the kitchen, wearing an apron and holding a spoon. "What's happening?" she asked.

Xialulu followed, equally puzzled.

"It feels like something huge is approaching," Rod said, recalling the guild master. When he ran as a giant, it felt similar.

They all rushed outside, looking around.

The sky had darkened, but they could still make out a massive dark shadow in the distance.

In the darkness, a cat's vision might be superior. Xialulu widened her eyes and asked, "What is that?"

"Xialulu?" Wendy asked in confusion. "What do you see?"

"It's... a giant spider, or perhaps a huge crab, heading this way..." Xialulu spoke in a halting voice. "Every time it takes a step, the ground shakes!"

The fact that such a distant walk could cause such noticeable tremors made them wonder about the creature's true size.

And why was this giant creature heading towards the Cat's Lodging? With those long legs, it wouldn't take long to arrive.

Almost all the villagers had stopped their work, their faces filled with fear as they stared at the distant shadow.

Someone whispered anxiously, "Nirvana... Nirvana is coming this way... We..."

It seemed like everyone in the village was familiar with this massive being.

Wendy, with her keen hearing, caught a nearby woman's muttering. She stood on her tiptoes, peeking over the low wall of her house, and asked, "Magna, do you know what that is?"

"That is..."

"A deception," Robin Lu, the guild master, appeared in the courtyard, his voice deep and somber. "Nirvana, that is our sin."

Wendy was startled. "Guild Master!"

Xialulu flew to Robin Lu and asked, "What do you mean by 'sin'? What is Nirvana?"

Robin Lu looked at Wendy, then at Rod and Mira, and sighed. Gazing at the distant shadow, he said, "Nirvana is a powerful magic, a moving super-large city, and a small country from 400 years ago."

The amount of information in that statement left everyone stunned.

It was understandable if it was just a magic name, but the latter part...

"A city? A country?" Rod was astonished by the guild master's words. "You mean... that thing heading towards us is a country?!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end