Craze: Read up to chapter 500 at [email protected]/phelio
A short distance from the Celestial Forge, hidden amongst the rooftops, the four elite mages of Phantom Lord—the infamous Element 4—watched in horrified silence as their guild mates were systematically and brutally dismantled.
Juvia Lockser (Water), Aria (Air), Sol (Earth), and Totomaru (Fire) saw the casual, overwhelming power of Shion and Shuna.
"We should go back and tell our Master about them,"
Aria whispered, his face pale beneath his eye-obscuring hair.
The realization was a crushing blow to their arrogance. The Celestial Forge was not a rookie guild; it was a fortress of unapproachable power.
Their two "Oni S-Class mages" were operating on a completely different level—a conceptual, devastating strength that made the Element 4's own formidable powers seem rudimentary.
"Let's go!"
Juvia commanded, her usual melancholic demeanor replaced by urgent survival instinct.
They turned to flee, knowing they had to inform Jose Porla that their intelligence was catastrophically wrong.
They never made it past the rooftop.
A cold, composed voice stopped them dead in their tracks.
"Where do you think you are going? Aren't you all going to join them?"
Rimuru Tempest asked, materializing silently between them and their escape route. She stood with a deceptively kind smile, but her eyes held the depth of the endless void.
Juvia, Aria, Sol, and Totomaru recognized the woman who ran the guild. Though she had always appeared non-combative, the power radiating from her was quiet, vast, and unlike anything they had ever felt. It felt ancient, hungry, and entirely wrong.
"Attack her together!"
Aria yelled, desperation overriding caution.
He launched the first attack: Aero Magic, a powerful burst of concentrated air designed to pin and crush a target.
The other three followed instantly: Juvia conjured a swirling vortex of water, Sol raised massive earth pillars, and Totomaru unleashed a torrent of scorching fire.
Rimuru merely stood there and smiled wider.
"Predation."
The word was a conceptual command, not a spell. The four elemental attacks—air, water, earth, and fire—did not hit her.
They simply dissolved, their magical energy being instantly and absolutely absorbed into Rimuru's limitless internal space.
The terrifying vortex of the Demon Lord's unique skill consumed the magic, leaving no residue, no explosion, and no proof of attack.
The Element 4 stood, their arms still extended, staring at the empty space where their ultimate attacks should have been. Their magic had been eaten.
"What are you…"
Aria gasped, his voice cracking with utter shock. Their magic, their very lifeblood, had been rendered useless.
Rimuru's smile lost its kindness, replacing it with the calm, absolute power of her truth.
"I am a Demon Lord."
Before they could even attempt a physical attack or a desperate escape, Rimuru acted. She focused her Vast Magicule—the very energy of her being—into four sharp, non-lethal strikes. The sheer density of the power hit them like conceptual sledgehammers.
The four members of the Element 4 were instantly knocked unconscious, their bodies slumping onto the rooftop. They were utterly defeated, their power insignificant against a true transcendental being.
No one was left behind to go and inform Jose Porla. The Master of Phantom Lord was still blissfully in the dark, believing his elite forces were wreaking havoc on the upstart Celestial Forge. His strategic blindness was now complete.
…
Arthur returned to the Celestial Forge to find the scene of utter victory: Rimuru standing over the neatly bound bodies of the Element 4, while Shion and Shuna oversaw the completely trussed-up, remaining Phantom Lord mages.
Arthur quickly brought Rimuru up to speed on the political mess—Makarov was overwhelmed, the Council was non-functional, and the situation demanded an immediate, non-negotiable end.
"We can't rely on the Council for justice, and a drawn-out conflict is inefficient,"
Arthur stated, his eyes gleaming with focused intent.
"We need to end this with a single, devastating lesson that the entire continent will never forget."
Rimuru understood immediately.
"A display of absolute authority. Not just force, but conceptual superiority. We'll make Jose Porla's entire army doubt their purpose."
"Exactly,"
Arthur confirmed.
"We're staging this on their doorstep. You, Shion, and Shuna will stand guard over the prisoners and the Fairy Tail contingent. Your power alone showcases that the Celestial Forge is the most powerful deterrent in Fiore. I will handle Jose."
Arthur quickly returned to the wreckage-turned-repaired Fairy Tail Guild Hall. He gathered the entire team: Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Happy, Elfman, Mirajane, Cana, and a dozen other mages, all eager for vengeance.
He made sure to include Levy, Jet, and Droy so they could witness the justice delivered. He also included the still-immobilized Gajeel and had Rimuru bring the remaining Phantom Lord captives.
Arthur stood before the two groups—the vengeful Fairy Tail and the captured Phantom Lord mages—a figure of serene, terrifying power.
"We are going to the Phantom Lord Guild Hall. You will not fight unless I said so,"
Arthur announced to Fairy Tail.
"Your job is to witness the end of this conflict. No one touches my treasure."
He then initiated the largest, most complex use of the Warp Gate he had attempted on this floor. He conceptually defined a path that accommodated hundreds of individuals.
A blinding flash of golden energy erupted, and the entire contingent vanished, reappearing instantly on the grand, imposing front steps of the main Phantom Lord Guild Hall—a massive, iron-reinforced fortress located in a distant city.