Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 223: Which genius made the seal?

Not far from Mr. Jopa's residence, Wendy sat beneath a streetlamp, her hands wrapped around a thick spellbook, flipping through its pages with focused determination.

"Why are you suddenly reading that thing now?" Carla asked, puzzled. "Didn't Rhodes and the others tell us to wait at the inn?"

"Sorry, Carla. There's something I absolutely have to confirm... Here it is!"

Wendy's eyes lit up as she found the page she was looking for. She quickly jotted down some notes and looked around. Spotting an open patch of earth nearby, she picked up a twig and began drawing a magic circle on the ground.

"Wait a second, isn't that the Milky Way spell?" Carla tilted her head. "You've tried to cast that a few times already, right? Why are you using it now? Isn't that for unlocking ancient Dragon Slayer knowledge?"

Wendy shook her head with a gentle smile. "I misunderstood it before. I kept treating it as some kind of attack spell, but that's not what it is. The true meaning behind Milky Way is: 'Hear the voice of the dragon soul carried along the stars.' It's a communion spell. A magic that allows you to hear the lingering will of a dragon's soul."

Carla blinked. "Okay, but why here? There's no dragon around here, is there?"

"No, but I'm not trying to find a dragon." Wendy placed her hand on her chest, determination in her voice. "I think... maybe this magic can help me connect with human souls too. If Liz's condition is connected to her soul, then maybe Milky Way can help us figure out what's wrong."

"You're seriously pushing it," Carla muttered, concerned. "That spell is part of Dragon Slayer magic, and it takes a huge amount of power. Are you sure your magic reserves can handle it?"

Wendy offered a weak but bright smile. "If I collapse, I'll be counting on you to carry me."

Carla turned away with a soft "Hmph," though she clearly wasn't angry. "You're not even supposed to be on this mission. You just want to show off, don't you?"

Wendy took her seat in the center of the magic circle, legs tucked under her in a duck-sit. She closed her eyes and pressed her hands together in prayer.

"O wandering soul... I will listen to your voice. Dragon Slayer Secret Art—Milky Way!"

The circle on the ground lit up in a vibrant green glow, shooting skyward like a beacon. It shimmered like stardust, lighting up a portion of the night sky and surrounding Wendy in tiny points of blue and silver light, like fireflies forming a river of stars.

Carla stared at the brilliance for a moment, momentarily stunned by its beauty. But her expression quickly darkened.

"That glow's going to catch attention. We need to wrap this up and get her out of here."

She muttered under her breath, irritated. Wendy really had been spending too much time around the Fairy Tail crew, everything she did lately seemed louder, flashier, and more dramatic than necessary.

Just then, Wendy's eyes flew open.

Her expression was filled with horror.

And the next second, her body went limp.

"Wendy!" Carla rushed forward to catch her before she could collapse fully to the ground.

Wendy was trembling, and her complexion was pale. It wasn't just a case of magic exhaustion, something had clearly shaken her to the core.

"What did you see?" Carla asked urgently, keeping her propped up.

Wendy's lips quivered. "Carla... we have to find Mr. Rhodes and the others, right now!"

"Forget that. You need to rest!"

But Wendy shook her head weakly. "I'm fine. We have to go, hurry!"

At that moment, voices rang out from the path behind them.

"Is it here?"

"It looked like light came from over this way."

"Who's over there?"

Although the magical light had faded, some nearby residents were already making their way over.

"Let's get out of here first," Carla said urgently. She quickly wiped away the remaining traces of the magic circle and took off with Wendy.

...

"This guy's way too strong," Rhodes muttered, clutching his shoulder as he pulled himself to his feet.

It had been a long time since he'd gotten this banged up on a mission, especially after taking over Brambleback form. Even with the slow regeneration granted by the Red Buff, the pain from the blow still lingered. The demon had landed a solid hit.

The battlefield looked like a natural disaster had hit it. The surrounding hills were flattened, and the valley floor was cracked and scattered with massive rocks.

This wasn't just the result of a fierce battle, it was because the demon in front of them wielded earth-based magic on a terrifying scale.

"Whose brilliant idea was it to seal an Earth Demon using earth magic?" Rhodes grumbled to himself. "Did no one in the Council realize what this thing actually was?"

"Waaaah!" A shout came from overhead.

It was Natsu, flying through the air like a ragdoll.

Rhodes slammed his palm into the ground, and thick vines erupted upward, weaving into a net that caught Natsu just before he smashed into a pile of jagged rocks.

Natsu's clothes were torn, and there was a streak of blood at the corner of his mouth, but he casually wiped it away and sprang back up, full of energy.

"Damn! That guy's tougher than I thought!"

Erza, now in her Black Feather Armor after her Star Armor was shredded, moved like lightning, jumping across the demon's massive arms and shoulders, slashing every time she found an opening.

The Brambleback had already been destroyed. The one maintaining Erza's Red Buff now was Rhodes himself. Natsu's Buff had worn off earlier, and Rhodes couldn't keep healing himself unless he summoned a second Brambleback, which risked draining his reserves.

Still, their initial ambush had some success, the demon had been knocked down under the intensity of their first combined assault.

But it retaliated with terrifying precision, using its earth magic to create barriers, launch counterattacks, and disrupt their momentum. That's when everything started falling apart.

Now, the demon, Carniber, was covered in battle scars. Burn marks from Natsu's flames, deep slashes from Erza's blades, and even claw gouges from Rhodes' summoning magic marred its massive body.

But for all the damage, the thing still hadn't gone down. Its bulk, regeneration, and sheer defense made it feel more like a moving mountain than a living being.

And it wasn't finished yet.

"Solid script: FIRE, FLAME, BLAZE!"

Rhodes quickly drew three magical runes in the air, each symbolizing a different flame. One burst into bright yellow, another into a deep orange-red, and the third into vibrant orange fire.

"Thanks for the meal!" Natsu grinned wide and devoured them in a single breath. Flames burst to life in both of his hands. "Happy! Take me up!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy grabbed Natsu by the shoulders and flew high into the sky, hovering right above the demon's head. "Erza, move!"

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Erza instantly understood what attack Natsu was planning. With a firm stomp on Carniber's shoulders, she launched herself back, wings flaring behind her as she shot out of the blast zone.

"Fuse the flame in the left with the flame in the right..." Natsu raised his hands above his head as the two flames merged into a massive fireball, pulsing with heat.

Watching from below, Rhodes couldn't help but think the pose looked oddly familiar, just like Kakarot's Spirit Bomb from another world. He gritted his teeth and cast one more Red Buff, this time for Natsu.

"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"

Carniber let out a guttural roar and slammed both fists into the earth. Two slabs of stone rose like a shield above its head to block the attack.

But it was useless.

The stone shields shattered in the explosion. The blazing fireball consumed Carniber's upper body, engulfing him in an inferno.

A monstrous howl tore through the valley, so loud it made their ears ring.

Natsu, still floating high above, shouted down, "How's that feel, huh?!"

The answer was less than satisfying.

Carniber's body was scorched, hideously burned across its upper torso. But as it pounded the ground again, a thick layer of stone armor coated its skin. Though the surface was blackened and cracked from the heat, it had successfully smothered the remaining flames.

Its jaw dropped open and fired a beam of searing purple energy toward the sky.

"Look out!" Happy cried, veering to the side just in time as the ray scorched the air where they'd been moments before.

Erza prepared to strike again, her sword already drawn, but Carniber acted first. It raised both fists and slammed them down. A huge purple magic circle spread out from the point of impact, stretching across the entire valley floor.

The ground rumbled violently.

Spikes of jagged stone erupted one after another, racing in every direction like a deadly forest. They surged toward Erza and Rhodes, forcing them to dodge again and again as the spikes kept growing, five meters tall, then six.

Another massive area-of-effect attack.

Rhodes narrowed his eyes. "This guy's got an absurdly long Blue bar."