Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Hades Strikes, Time Magic Erupts
In the dense forest of the Giant's Mountain Range, Lyon walked in despair, feeling somewhat crushed: "Isn't the west supposed to be the most developed area?"
He continued, "Why is there such a road here?" and "Isn't there a train that goes directly to the West Coast's port?"
Ur chuckled lightly and replied, "It's because there are too many giant rocks here, and no one lives around. Only a few hunters survive at the edges."
She added, "No one would make a losing business like this. Besides, isn't this a form of training?"
Ur continued, "Crossing this Giant's Mountain Range to the nearest town by car could save half a month's travel."
Lyon could feel Ultear had already stopped. "We'll see each other soon."
Lyon was filled with curiosity about Ur's daughter but didn't express it. After all, Ur said so; he just needed to follow along.
Up ahead, Ur was full of energy, pointing forward: "Lyon, let's see who gets to the foot of the mountain first."
She then took off running swiftly. Lyon snapped back to reality and shouted, "Despicable! Wait for me!"
Above the Giant's Mountain Range, on a magical airship, Azuma, a member of Grimoire heart, shook his head while watching the scene in the magic mirror of Ur and his apprentice playfully competing: "What a foolish woman. She still doesn't know she's about to die."
Hades looked at the mirror and spoke, "Is the trap confirmed to be flawless?"
Azuma nodded and responded, "No problem. I personally checked it."
He continued, "As soon as the woman steps into the formation, her magic power will be suppressed by eighty percent. Plus, with your personal involvement, she won't escape."
Hades simply hummed in acknowledgment, not saying much more.
---
At this moment, in Magnolia Town, at the Fairy Tail Guild's base, Gaal looked at Laxus, who was eager to compete, then helplessly turned to Gray and said, "Alright, today I'll demonstrate how to counter Lightning Magic." A crowd of busybodies from the guild had gathered around, cheering and rallying for the competition, while Gildarts watched Gaal with a smug grin.
Laxus, across from them, looked serious, but his tone was filled with confidence: "Well then, Brother Gaal, I'm going in." As he spoke, Laxus summoned his magic, sparks of lightning flickering as he gripped his right wrist with his left hand, palm facing Gaal: "Thunder Strike!"
A bolt of lightning the thickness of his arm shot out from Laxus's palm, aimed directly at Gaal. Gaal merely raised his arm and sliced through the air before him. A honeycomb-shaped ice wall appeared in front of Gaal, and Gray looked puzzled—how could an ice wall stop it? But the next second, his eyes widened in disbelief: "What?!"
The thick lightning struck the honeycomb ice wall and instantly scattered away. The heat generated by the electricity melted the ice wall, but it didn't escape; it just dissipated with the melting ice.
Gray stood dumbfounded, his jaw nearly dropping to the ground. Was this still Ice Magic? How was it so different from his?
Laxus, too, was stunned.
When he fought Gray, he usually broke through ice walls; how come this time the ice just melted away?
Without time to think further, knowing he was in battle, Laxus put all his effort into attacking Gaal, but to no avail. All his attacks were redirected by strange ice blocks, and he couldn't even get close to Gaal, all dissipating instead.
Gaal smiled at Laxus and asked, "Still want to fight?"
Laxus's lips twitched slightly, and he ultimately gave up: "I'll wait until I'm stronger." Yes, strong enough for the electricity to actually melt the ice blocks.
Outside, Gray was gleefully watching Laxus struggle. Gaal then turned to Gray and advised, "Fighting isn't just about rushing in; sometimes you need to think as well. You can't be reckless."
Gray, solemn, nodded heavily: "I understand, Brother Gaal."
As the guild members began to disperse, Gaal called out to Laxus: "Hold on a minute, Laxus."
Laxus, about to practice, stopped and turned back to Gaal: "What is it, Brother Gaal?"
Gaal raised a hand, and a summoning circle appeared in the air. In the next moment, a Pokémon materialized: "Just treat this as a pet."
As the light from the summoning circle faded, an Ampharos appeared, instantly locking onto its target and pouncing towards Laxus.
Startled, Laxus took a few steps back, not wanting to come into contact with the Ampharos. Seeing this, the Ampharos' eyes filled with tears as it sobbed pitifully on the ground, leaving Laxus feeling helpless and glancing anxiously at Gaal.
Gaal chuckled and said, "The Ampharos thinks you dislike it. So..."
Laxus hurriedly protested, "No, it's not that I dislike it. It's just that since I had the Magic Crystal implanted, I... tend to accidentally zap people. So..."
Laxus looked somewhat dejected. The Ampharos, sensing this, took advantage of Laxus's momentary distraction and lunged onto his shoulder. Laxus was startled and quickly checked the Ampharos for injuries, only to find it unharmed. To his surprise, the lightning from his body seemed to meld into the Ampharos.
"What is this..."
Gaal explained, "The Ampharos is an Electric-type Pokémon. So it isn't afraid of lightning. That's also why it pounced on you the first moment it saw you."
Of course, the main reason is the Ampharos's personality; Pokémon of this kind tend to be affectionate and playful.
Dealing with the tsundere Laxus would be a piece of cake. Thinking of the scene where Laxus, infuriated and embarrassed, was being pestered by the Ampharos was quite amusing.
Laxus, unaware of the underlying dangers, simply smiled and said, "Really? Thank you, Brother Gaal!"
Gray looked on with a hint of envy and was about to speak when suddenly, a crisp sound echoed.
Snap!
A charm in Gaal's arms shattered abruptly. Immediately, Gaal's expression changed drastically, and without thinking, he teleported to the guild.
At the bar, Gildarts had just sat down when Gaal pinned his shoulders down. Gildarts was about to complain when a silver-white magic circle appeared on the ground, layers of amplification and space arrays overlapping one another.
Swish——!!!
The two of them vanished from the guild's base in an instant.
At this moment, the guild members remained silent and confused.
Meanwhile, in Ishgar, in the west, at the foot of the Giant's Mountain Range, black and purple chains from the suppression formation swirled around Ur and Lyon in a rapid rotation within a hundred meters of them.
All the magic power in that area was suppressed. In the center of the formation, Hades released dark chains that were already touching Ur's chest.
Ur's face was filled with extreme shock, seemingly unable to comprehend what was happening while Lyon remained unaware, ready to look up.
Then, the silver-white magic array enveloped Ur, Lyon, and Hades in front of Ur. The three seemed to be frozen in place, their bodies still but their minds racing. Ur's eyes shifted to Hades.
During that brief moment of stillness, Ur finally reacted, thoughts racing as she gathered her magic to form a defensive barrier on her skin.
The next second, a violent burst of black magic erupted from Hades's body.
Crack!
The silver-white array shattered loudly.
----
Hey everyone, just a quick update about Patreon—they deleted my account.
I'm wondering if setting up a Ko-fi account would work for you, or if no one would be interested (I haven't seen many Ko-fi accounts on Webnovel).
Let me know, and I'll adjust accordingly!