Chapter 108: The Sneaky Cat's Ambush
"Diamond Barrier!"
The two massive shields merged, and a green magical barrier enveloped Erza completely.
The wind drill that could pierce through a small mountain was completely halted by the diamond barrier, its power diminishing rapidly.
"How can she be this strong?"
Seeing that his strongest attack had little effect, Erigor gritted his teeth. Then, his eyes lit up with a new idea.
After this intense battle, he realized he was no match for the Queen of the Fairies. He had given it his all, while Erza seemed calm and composed. If the fight continued, he would surely lose.
But that didn't matter. His goal wasn't to defeat Erza but to reclaim the Cursed Flute, fly to the north where the guild masters were meeting, and sound the curse.
All he needed was to trap Erza for a moment, snatch the Cursed Flute from that insignificant cat, and escape to continue his plan.
"Wind Prison!"
Using most of his remaining magic power, he cast another spell at Erza.
This wasn't an attack or a defensive spell but a trapping spell.
A high-speed rotating wind formed a barrier around the enemy. Even mages stronger than him would struggle to break free for a while.
However, just as he finished casting Wind Prison, his magic power depleted, and his guard momentarily relaxed. A transparent blade shot toward him from behind, striking at his blind spot.
"Sectumsempra!"
It was George, the sneaky cat, taking advantage of the moment to cast the Severing Charm from behind.
Erigor, being an expert in assassination, had sharp instincts and vigilance. Even in this moment, he sensed something was wrong.
He wanted to activate his Storm Cloak for defense, but his magic power hadn't recovered from the consecutive powerful spells. He turned his head to see the source of the attack but found nothing.
Before he could even wonder what was happening, his head was separated from his body.
"I actually died to you…"
"Gotcha, you arrogant fool!"
Seeing Erigor dead, George couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
A gentleman might wait ten years to take revenge, but George wasn't a gentleman. He preferred to settle scores immediately.
With Erigor dead, the Wind Prison dissipated, and Erza, now back in her usual armor, stepped out.
Looking at Erigor's headless corpse on the ground, she sighed:
"You were a decent opponent, but you chose the wrong path."
Then she turned to George, her expression filled with admiration:
"That spell you used earlier was excellent!"
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"Ice Make: Lance!"
At the same time, Natsu and Gray unleashed their large-scale attack spells, wiping out the remaining Black Steel Forest mages and ending the battle.
Meanwhile, a large number of soldiers, having received reports from the civilians, rushed to the scene. The guild masters, who had been in the middle of their meeting, also arrived after hearing the news.
However, when they arrived, all they saw were the defeated Black Steel Forest mages and a large section of the city's southern district reduced to ruins by the magical battle.
Although the entire city hadn't been destroyed, about a quarter of the southern district was left in shambles, with barely any intact buildings remaining.
"It's fine, it's fine. We have George. He can fix it."
Makarov kept reassuring himself, panting heavily.
If he hadn't known that George could slowly repair the damage, he might have fainted on the spot at the sight of the devastation.
"This is a great wand body. Just holding it, I can feel the immense magic power within. It would make an exceptional wand."
After defeating Erigor, George carefully examined the Cursed Flute in his hands and pulled out a small knife from his backpack.
He planned to carve a section of wood from the Cursed Flute to use as the body for his new wand before the kingdom's army and the guild masters arrived.
If anyone asked, he would say it had been slightly damaged during the chaotic battle.
After all, he was the one who had reclaimed the Cursed Flute from Erigor, so it was technically his spoils of war.
If the Magic Council insisted on reclaiming it, he could hand over the damaged Cursed Flute, and it would still make sense.
But just as he was about to make the cut, the three-eyed skull carving on the head of the Cursed Flute began to emit an eerie purple light. An evil voice echoed from the flute.
"How laughable. All these mages are useless. Fine, I'll handle this myself.
The souls of all humans in this city shall be mine!"
Suddenly, a massive magic circle, large enough to cover half the city, appeared above the Cursed Flute. George felt the flute vanish from his hands.
Then, a hundred-meter-tall, three-eyed demon slowly emerged from the magic circle and landed in front of everyone.
"The true form of the Cursed Flute is a demon!"
Erza, Natsu, and the others quickly gathered around George.
George quietly put away his knife. He hadn't expected the flute to transform into a demon, and this demon was enormous, looking like it would be a tough opponent.
"Don't fear this creature! For the glory of the kingdom, archers, fire! Cavalry, charge!"
The kingdom's army, having just arrived, immediately sounded the charge upon seeing the three-eyed demon in the city.
A barrage of arrows flew toward the demon, and heavily armored cavalry charged down the streets with their lances.
"Insignificant humans, daring to attack me? Then I'll take your souls first!"
The sharp arrows struck the massive three-eyed demon but barely scratched it, failing to penetrate its defenses.
The demon turned its gaze toward the army, opened its mouth, and fired a massive magical energy blast.
George estimated that the magical energy blast was at least ten times stronger than Erigor's ultimate attack.
If it hit the charging army, it would likely vaporize thousands in an instant.
"This is bad! Gray!"
Erza, seeing the kingdom's army charging, realized the danger. This three-eyed demon was no ordinary foe and couldn't be dealt with by regular soldiers.
She grabbed Gray and, with all her strength, hurled him toward the demon.
Propelled by Erza's immense power, Gray shot like a rocket, landing between the demon and the army.
"Ice Make: Shield!"
A massive ice shield instantly formed in Gray's hands, temporarily blocking the demon's magical energy blast.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
At the same time, Natsu, his right fist enveloped in dragon fire, used the flames to propel himself a hundred meters into the air and delivered a powerful punch to the demon's face.
The force of the blow made the demon stagger, and the magical energy blast ceased.
"Requip: Heaven's Wheel Armor!"
Erza, the strongest among them, didn't stand idle either. Her armor transformed once again, this time into a magnificent set with four angelic steel wings.
(End of Chapter)