Black Clover: The Son of Fire Dragon Igneel

"Jupiter - The Magic Beam Cannon"

The battle between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord had begun, but the situation unfolded far less intensely than initially anticipated.

Despite Fairy Tail possessing a significant numerical advantage, Phantom Lord's forces were swiftly routed!

These Phantom Lord lackeys were skilled only at bullying the weak and fearing the strong, tactics utterly ineffective in a true battle.

Makarov reverted to his normal size and began walking towards the stairs.

"Leave the rest to you," he declared, "I'm going to settle the score with Jose!"

This time, Drake did not follow Makarov. He had just sensed that Aria and Gajeel's magical energy signatures had vanished!

Neither of them had appeared on the battlefield, clearly indicating that they hadn't been defeated.

"Did they retreat because their plan failed?" Drake mused to himself.

However, Drake had witnessed firsthand the power of a Saint Ten. Makarov, consumed by rage, was making no effort to conceal the immense power he wielded.

With each step he took, the sheer force of his magical energy caused the ground to crack, and the door standing in his path was shattered to pieces by the sheer might of his aura.

Drake yawned, utterly unmotivated to engage with these weaker opponents. He truly couldn't muster any enthusiasm for this fight.

Suddenly, Drake heard Makarov's voice echoing from the floor above.

"Jose, you damned fool! How dare you?!"

Drake was taken aback. Lucy had already been brought to safety, so what else could Jose have done to provoke such a furious outburst from Makarov?

Then, Drake sensed an astonishing surge of magical energy from a distance.

The source of the energy was quite far away, yet Drake could perceive it with absolute clarity, a testament to its overwhelming magnitude.

With a deafening boom, the roof of the Phantom Lord building was completely blown away.

Having pushed his Giant magic to its absolute limit, Makarov's body had grown to a size that dwarfed even the entire Phantom Lord guild hall.

The gargantuan Makarov positioned himself before the guild hall, not to protect Jose's territory, but to shield the Fairy Tail members who had been unable to escape in time.

The sheer scale of the commotion Makarov had caused brought the battle within the guild hall to a standstill.

Erza, peering through the gaping hole that Makarov's sudden transformation had created, could see Makarov's towering silhouette and the dazzling magical energy emanating from the opposite side.

Drake, too, witnessed this spectacle and instantly grasped the situation.

In truth, every mage guild officially recognized by the Council possessed one or two trump cards, powerful techniques kept hidden as a last resort.

Fairy Tail, for example, had its three Fairy Laws; Blue Pegasus boasted its magical airships; and Phantom Lord possessed a colossal magic beam cannon.

Jupiter, the Magic Beam Cannon, while not possessing the nation-destroying power of the Council's Magic-Powered Spirits, could still level an entire town with a single blast.

Drake immediately understood Jose's intentions. He had failed to capture Lucy beforehand or to launch a surprise attack on Makarov, so he had devised a new plan: to obliterate Fairy Tail's elite members with a single blast from the Jupiter Magic Beam Cannon.

To achieve this, he was willing to sacrifice an entire guild hall and the numerous mages within.

Truly, a worthy villain—ruthless and willing to abandon his own comrades without a second thought!

No wonder Makarov was so enraged; it wasn't simply because Jose had threatened his children, but also because of Jose's callous disregard for his own subordinates.

The moment Drake sensed the surge of magical energy from Jupiter, he knew that the cannon was fully charged, and the dazzling magical light visible to everyone signified that Jupiter had already been fired.

"Not on my watch!"

Makarov roared, his colossal arm extending to intercept the massive magical energy beam hurtling towards them.

Makarov, one of the most powerful mages among the Saint Ten, managed to block the concentrated beam of magical energy with nothing more than his bare hand.

A pained groan escaped Makarov's lips, yet he didn't retreat a single step; instead, he pushed the beam forward.

"Master!!!"

"Old Man!"

Upon hearing the worried cries of his guild members, Makarov's resolve only strengthened. His steps became even more resolute.

"What kind of parent would stand idly by while their children were injured before their very eyes?!"

Blood gushed from Makarov's mouth, yet he pushed the beam back, even as it pressed against his chest.

Just as the guild members were about to erupt in cheers, they noticed that Makarov had already dispelled his Giant magic, reverting to his normal size. Not only that, but he collapsed to the ground.

Within Jupiter's control room, Jose, seated upon his throne, let out a sinister chuckle.

"Quite capable, Makarov, but ultimately meaningless! Reload Jupiter; prepare for a second launch."

All the members of Fairy Tail rushed to Makarov's side, and Erza gently lifted the guild master into her arms, revealing the extent of his injuries.

Jupiter, after all, was a strategic magical weapon, and even Erza's adamantine armor had been shattered in the original story.

Makarov had used his body to shield the attack, and the fact that he had only sustained such relatively minor injuries was a testament to his immense strength.

Drake looked up at Jupiter's cannon barrel, issuing a warning, "The next attack is imminent! Erza, take the Master back for treatment!"

Turning his attention to the Phantom Lord mages who were already pursuing them, Drake continued, "I'll handle the rearguard."

Erza, having full confidence in Drake's abilities, nodded her head in agreement. "Leave it to you then. Everyone, let's retreat!"

Natsu gritted his teeth, shouting at the top of his lungs, "I'm staying behind too!"

Drake turned his head to cast a stern glance at Natsu, his serious expression immediately silencing the impulsive fire mage.

"This isn't the time for your hot-headedness," Drake stated firmly.

Natsu, though deeply reluctant, understood that it was best to heed Drake's words for the time being.

Drake ceased paying any further attention to Natsu; he wasn't the type of person to indulge in impulsive behavior during critical moments.

The most pressing matter at hand was to swiftly dispatch the persistent Phantom Lord mages.

These weaker opponents should have known better than to pursue them after being abandoned by Jose; they should have simply fled.

Yet, they had recklessly charged forward, attempting to hinder Fairy Tail's retreat.

Heaven only knew what had compelled these individuals to risk their lives in a desperate attempt to prevent Fairy Tail's escape.

However, since Drake had declared his intention to hold the rearguard, their efforts were destined to be in vain.

Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!

Resembling a colossal fire dragon spreading its wings, two massive streams of flame erupted from Drake's arms, instantly separating the pursuing Phantom Lord mages.

The fiery wings then closed in, sweeping the Phantom Lord mages back with immense force.

Drake, standing alone against the remaining Phantom Lord mages, raised his palm.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice devoid of any emotion, "but this path is closed."

A Phantom Lord mage with a distinctly emo hairstyle revealed a ferocious expression. "There's only one of him! Let's attack together!"

Perhaps due to the devastating losses they had suffered at the hands of Fairy Tail earlier, or perhaps because of Makarov's injury and the subsequent retreat of the other Fairy Tail members, leaving only Drake behind had instilled a newfound sense of courage in these Phantom Lord mages.

Consequently, the emo mage's rallying cry proved highly effective, and a large group of mages charged towards Drake simultaneously.

Meanwhile, in Jupiter's control room, Jose, witnessing Drake single-handedly repelling the pursuing Phantom Lord forces, slammed his fist down on the armrest of his throne in a fit of rage.

"A bunch of useless fools!" he roared.

A hooded mage cautiously approached Jose, "Guild Master Jose, Fairy Tail has already retreated. Should we still proceed with the launch of Jupiter?"

Jose, his voice dripping with venom, responded, "This attack will be reserved for Fairy Tail's headquarters! Activate the fortress; we're heading to Magnolia."

Jupiter was not merely a magic beam cannon; it was an integral component of Phantom Lord's mobile headquarters.

And Phantom Lord's headquarters was, in fact, a mobile fortress, with spider-like legs extending from its base, supporting the fortress as it began to move.

Drake, having perceived the immense commotion, casually tossed aside a Phantom Lord mage who had been rendered unconscious.

"I haven't got time for games! Magic Area: Dragon's Nest!" he declared.

Against weaker opponents, deploying a Magic Area was the most efficient and time-saving tactic. These weaker mages were simply unable to withstand the sheer might and intimidation of the dragon's presence, instantly transforming into quivering masses of jelly.

Observing these completely demoralized opponents, Drake turned and set off in pursuit of the retreating Fairy Tail members.

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