Chapter 67

Fair?

Where's the fairness in this?

Gajeel could feel the overwhelming strength of Knight's grip tightening around his throat, making it hard to breathe. Desperately, he turned his neck to iron to ease the pressure.

"Master Joseph is at the headquarters!" he rasped out. "Go through the mountain from here, and you'll find him soon!"

The moment he finished speaking, Gajeel's right leg transformed into an iron sword, launching a fierce upward kick.

Iron Dragon Sword!

The blade, lined with saw-like teeth, spun rapidly like a chainsaw. However, such an attack couldn't escape Knight's heightened senses.

His six eyes saw through the flow of magic within Gajeel's body, revealing his every move before they even materialized.

With a simple focus of his gaze, Knight unleashed a burst of vibrating magic. The air boomed as Gajeel was flung back dozens of meters, crashing into the distance.

At that same moment, voices called from behind them.

"Nate! Erza!"

A pair of white wings appeared on Happy's back as he clutched Natsu by the collar, flying swiftly toward them.

"Happy, Natsu. Where are the others?" Erza asked, turning back.

Knight, too, glanced at them, marveling at Happy's strength. Despite being a dragon slayer, Natsu always struggled with transportation, but Happy seemed to manage it easily.

"Aye~! Everyone else is behind us," Happy responded, releasing Natsu from his grip.

Natsu fell from the air, landing gracefully. His eyes flared with rage as he gazed at the ruins of the Phantom Branch, flames wrapping around his body.

"Where are all those Phantom bastards?!"

But upon seeing the destruction around him, Natsu's expression changed to one of confusion.

Where was everyone?

The answer was clear—it was Knight's doing, a result of his earlier punch.

"Oi, Fire Dragon, I've been waiting for you!" Gajeel, who had just recovered from the earlier blow, taunted, his lips curling into a smirk.

"You started this fight! Don't you dare say it was a misunderstanding now, you bastard!" Natsu roared, charging forward with fists blazing.

Gajeel met him head-on, launching a punch. His arm transformed into an iron rod, extending rapidly toward Natsu. Before Natsu could close the gap, the rod slammed into his abdomen.

But Natsu, grabbing hold of the rod with both hands, let his flames burn the metal. His feet dragged along the ground for more than ten meters, but he didn't falter.

"That barely tickled, you iron bastard!"

"Is that so? You won't be saying that for long!" Gajeel sneered, retracting his iron arm as the two dragon slayers clashed violently.

Watching the fierce battle unfold, Erza sat on the obsidian motorcycle. While adjusting the SE plug, she said to Knight, "Leave Gajeel to Natsu. Let's head to the headquarters. Get on, Knight."

"…"

Knight couldn't help but internally complain—it was his motorcycle, after all. Still, he climbed into the back seat, wrapping his arms around Erza's waist.

"Don't wreck my bike. It wasn't cheap, you know," he muttered.

Erza smiled lightly and twisted the throttle. The engine roared to life, and the bike shot forward toward the mountain.

Driving all the way from Magnolia had drained a lot of Knight's magic. Erza didn't want him to exhaust more energy unnecessarily—there was still a difficult battle ahead.

As they sped off, the rest of Fairy Tail arrived at the scene. Seeing Natsu and Gajeel already engaged in combat, Elfman shouted, "Natsu! Where are Knight and Erza?"

"Huh? They were just here," Natsu replied distractedly, realizing too late that the two had already left.

Gajeel took advantage of his lapse in focus, delivering a solid punch. "They've gone to the headquarters. You should get out of here while you can."

The Phantom headquarters wasn't far. Knight relaxed slightly in the back seat as they rode along the desolate road. The landscape was barren, devoid of greenery. At the end of the winding mountain path, the Phantom Guild's headquarters came into view.

Suddenly—

"Stop!" Knight warned, but it was too late.

Instinctively, he wrapped his arms tightly around Erza, and the two flew off the bike just as the ground ahead erupted. Massive hands of rock and soil rose from the earth, swatting down on the motorcycle like a giant trying to crush a fly.

With a resounding crash, Knight's beloved motorcycle was flattened into a heap of twisted metal.

Erza was slightly taken aback. Nate, still holding her, glanced at the wreckage of the bike and winced.

4.2 million…

"Sorry… sorry!" Erza apologized sheepishly but then straightened with a serious expression. "If you're mad, you can punch me!"

Knight shook his head. "Forget it. I broke your armor last time, so we're even."

Just then, a figure emerged from the ground in front of the ruined motorcycle. A strange gentleman with a monocle and a brown suit, his legs seemingly fused to the earth, twisted his body unnaturally as he spoke.

"Bonjour~ Fairy Tail wizards. My name is Sol. Please, be polite and address me as Mr. Sol."

Erza, still resting her arm around Knight's neck, glared at the figure. "Sol of the Earth, one of Phantom's four elements!"

"Nate, let me go. I'll handle him," she declared.

Knight slowly descended, landing in front of Sol. The moment her feet touched the ground, Erza's attire shifted, and a long spear materialized in her hand. She hadn't forgotten the damage to Knight's bike, but the true target of her anger stood before her.

However—

"Wait!" Knight grabbed her wrist, halting her charge.

In the distance, a new figure appeared from thin air.

"President Joseph," Knight said calmly, recognizing the man.

Erza narrowed her eyes at the sight of the guild master.

Joseph Bola grinned as he approached. "Well, well, Knight and Miss Erza. A pleasure to see you both again. I'm surprised Makarov didn't come along. How unfortunate."

Without a word, Knight vanished, utilizing his time-space magic, Flying Thunder God.

In an instant, a golden magic circle opened up over the remnants of the motorcycle, and Knight teleported next to Joseph, landing a powerful punch squarely on his face.

Joseph, one of the Ten Holy Wizards, hadn't anticipated that Knight could use space magic. His face twisted in shock as the punch connected, sending him flying into a nearby rock formation.

The boulder shattered upon impact as Joseph rolled across the ground, disoriented.

"President!" Sol shouted, stunned by what had just happened.

Erza, too, was taken aback, but admiration flashed in her eyes. Teleportation was incredible.

However, she knew better than to underestimate Joseph Bola. As powerful as the punch had been, he wasn't going down that easily.

Joseph stood up, wiping the blood from his face. "As expected of the Ten Holy Wizards," Knight mused. "You managed to block some of it."

Joseph chuckled but then his gaze turned cold. "I didn't block it entirely. That punch actually hurt a bit. But you—Knight—are far too presumptuous."

Suddenly, the air grew heavy as Joseph unleashed a massive surge of magic power. The sky darkened, and clouds rolled in, blotting out the sun. The ground trembled beneath them.

Knight smirked, feeling the overwhelming energy. "I guess I'll have to make room in the Holy Ten for myself, won't I?"

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