Chapter 48: Your mechanics are solid—but my stats are better!
"Tch! Laxus, you show-off!"
Seeing Laxus jump into the fight first, Moen couldn't help but click his tongue.
Magic surged from his body—
In a flash, the azure Little Horse Constellation Bronze Cloth materialized around him.
Without hesitation, Moen stomped the ground and launched himself high into the air, fist cocked, heading straight for Erigor.
This kill was his.
It was tied directly to his mission progress—he couldn't let Laxus steal it!
If it really came down to it, Moen was even prepared to use his trump card:
The Royal Magi Rose, a one-use artifact that could guarantee a kill.
Trading it for a permanent skill? Totally worth it.
"Bastard! Don't underestimate me!"
Erigor snarled, his expression twisting with fury as he raised one hand.
Violent magic surged from his palm, transforming into a gale of razor-sharp wind that blasted toward Moen.
WHRRRRRRR!
The magic wind slammed into him, but Moen stood his ground, his own magic bursting forth in response.
The hurricane-force winds clawed at him, but the Little Horse Cloth held firm.
Not a scratch.
Still, the gale stalled his momentum.
Unable to continue flying upward, Moen was forced to fall back to the ground.
Not being able to fly—
When fighting an airborne opponent, it was a natural disadvantage.
And if you didn't have ranged attacks either?
Well, you were basically a melee infantry trying to punch a fighter jet.
"Die, brat!!"
Erigor roared, his fury reaching its peak.
He'd just recently become Iron Forest's guild master.
He hadn't even had time to spread his name—
And now Fairy Tail had shown up to crash his ambitions before they even began.
And to add insult to injury, two kids had the nerve to try and claim his head?!
"Who do these punks think they are?! I'm not made of clay!"
BOOM!!!
A massive tornado erupted beneath Moen's feet, twisting violently with devastating speed.
WHHRRRM!!!
Moen dug his heels in, trying to hold his ground.
But the tornado was too strong—
The wooden floor beneath him ripped apart, and he was soon swept into the sky.
"Seriously! Elemental mages are such a pain!"
Moen cursed as he spun through the air.
He poured magic into his armor—thankfully, the Bronze Cloth held.
Without it, this windstorm would've torn him to shreds.
Flying enemies with ranged AoE—
They were the worst kind to deal with.
High mobility, hard to reach, endless kiting potential.
A proper air mage could keep you dancing in circles until you dropped.
"Told you to let me handle it,"
Laxus grumbled from below.
At first, he was worried, but seeing Moen unfazed in the storm eased his nerves.
"Let him spin around a bit—maybe he'll learn something."
With that, Laxus turned his attention back to Erigor, ready to finish the fight himself.
"That's... my opponent!!"
Moen shouted, refusing to back down.
In the heart of the tornado, his magic flared again.
He raised his fist and punched against the cyclone.
"PEGASUS METEOR FIST!!!"
A flurry of blows surged out from him, punching against the direction of the whirlwind.
Each strike pushed back the winds—
Little by little, his sheer brute force reversed the flow of Erigor's magic storm.
The tornado cracked apart.
The winds died down.
Moen landed gracefully back on the ground, starry blue light shimmering faintly around his body.
His magic—calm, focused, and dangerously powerful—surged like a tide.
Up in the sky, the Little Horse constellation shimmered faintly, its starlight casting a silver glow upon the earth.
"So what if you can fly? My Pegasus has wings too!"
Staring at Erigor floating high above, Moen was thoroughly fired up.
And who could blame him?
Anyone would lose their cool after getting spun around inside a tornado like that.
"Pegasus Meteor Fist!!"
Moen activated his ultimate move on the spot.
Magic poured from his core—
Above, the Little Horse constellation flared even brighter, bathing the battlefield in astral light.
In a flash, Moen shot upward.
Surrounded by a storm of azure Pegasus fists, he looked like a cavalry of winged stars stampeding through the sky.
"Storm Barrier!"
Erigor's reaction was fast.
Seeing Moen suddenly appear right in front of him, he poured his magic outward and conjured a barrier of violent wind, hoping to block the incoming Pegasus charge.
BOOM!!!
The barrier shattered instantly—
The sky was filled with flying hooves of starlight.
Erigor's eyes widened in disbelief.
Desperate, he activated his trump card:
Storm Cloak—
A swirling armor of wind that wrapped tightly around his body, spinning from the inside out.
This cloak was Erigor's defensive specialty—
Any magical force that touched it would be dispersed on contact.
A perfect defense against melee attacks.
BAM BAM BAM!!
Dozens of glowing fists rained down on him, slamming into the Storm Cloak.
Moen's brilliant blue energy began to dissipate as it made contact, the wind neutralizing the magic.
And yet—
Erigor's body was still blasted backward, crashing hard into the ceiling of the guild hall.
CRACK!
Moen landed on the ground like thunder, his Saint Cloth boots crushing the already-ruined floorboards.
"Neutralizing impacts with reverse wind flow to disperse mana... I'll admit, it's a clever mechanism."
Moen raised his fists again—
Gauntlets gleaming, the Pegasus sigil etched across the metal.
"But clever mechanics won't save you—because my stats are way higher. "
He swung both arms outward.
A full celestial diagram of Pegasus traced itself in the air.
Above, the constellation ignited—
Starlight poured down like a waterfall, wrapping Moen in a radiant, blue glow.
"Pegasus Meteor Fist!!!"
Meanwhile, Erigor had peeled himself off the ceiling.
He was spitting blood, vision spinning—but still conscious.
And utterly enraged.
"BASTARD!! AAAAHHHH!!! DIE!!!"
"Emerald Drill Winds!!"
He roared, crossing his index and middle fingers to release his strongest spell.
Twin vortexes of green wind, like high-speed drills, spun together and launched straight at the incoming Moen.
But in the very next moment—
CRACK!!
Moen shattered through the storm.
Behind him, a phantom Pegasus soared with celestial might, piercing straight through Erigor's chest.
BOOOOM!!!
Erigor's body plummeted like a crashed aircraft, slamming into the ground with devastating force.
He didn't get back up.