Chapter 83, Jehfrit: Thunder, Come!

"Who's there?!"

The group of mages watched the sudden intruder with caution.

Jehfrit said, "It doesn't matter if you know who I am; you'll all be dead soon anyway."

"Hmph, arrogant!" Saham sneered. This person looked ordinary and dressed more like an inexperienced noble than a mage. He mocked, "Trying to play the hero without assessing your strength? No need to tell us your name; we won't bother putting up a gravestone for you."

"Attack!"

At Saham's command, the mages were about to launch their assault.

But Jehfrit raised his hand and shouted—

"Thunder, come!"

'Boom'

A bolt of lightning struck down fiercely, its blinding flash forcing everyone to shut their eyes. From the lightning emerged Laxus, his expression grim as he glared at Jehfrit.

"Fancy meeting you here, Laxus," Jehfrit greeted with a smile.

Once in combat mode, Jehfrit spread his magic out, creating something akin to a domain—his magic couldn't detect terrain but could lock onto every individual being capable of emotion, allowing him to see through environments rather than relying on radar-like detection.

Laxus's magic was highly volatile and distinctive.

As soon as Laxus entered Jehfrit's magical influence range, Jehfrit immediately connected last night's thunderclaps and the thief incident. The thunder, direct action, and sufficient power left no doubt—it had to be Laxus, especially since he was standing right there.

"Hmph." Laxus snorted and looked across, saying, "Not leaving anyone alive?"

"For dark guilds, what's the point of leaving anyone?" Jehfrit replied.

"Someone mentioned there would be trouble," Laxus recalled Edward's words.

"What trouble?" Jehfrit chuckled. "Dark guild mages stormed into the Aharnita Town mayor's house to kidnap his youngest son for evil experiments."

"Just in time for righteous mages from legitimate guilds to discover this."

"To protect the mayor and his son."

"The legitimate guild members had no choice but to fight the dark mages to the death, successfully rescuing the mayor's son and protecting the mayor, only to uncover even darker secrets."

"Deeming the matter too significant, they dared not act independently and reported it to the Magic Council, awaiting their arrival."

"..."

Hearing Jehfrit's off-the-cuff fabrication, both sides fell silent.

Laxus turned his head, his expression complex as he said, "You're more suited to be mayor than Edward."

"I see." Jehfrit understood upon hearing the name.

Edward must have hired Laxus.

Thief?

He probably intended to steal evidence of some evil transaction.

With Laxus's intervention, even Phantom Lord couldn't withstand the surprise attack, let alone these minor mages, who were effortlessly subdued by him.

This certainly terrified Mayor John, prompting him to seal off the city immediately.

What irony...

What did John call this?

Karma coming back to bite him.

His sealing off the city trapped Salamander Natsu, Lightning Dragon Laxus, Fairy Queen Erza, and Ice-Make Mage Gray inside.

Thinking about their destructive power made one mourn for John.

In this situation, it wouldn't matter if he were named John or Jose—it wouldn't help!

"Such a clever plan," Saham's face hardened. "But aren't you two being too arrogant, thinking you can defeat so many of us with just the two of you?"

"One person nearly broke through all of you; stop boasting." Jehfrit mocked.

"Pretentious! You must not know the terror of our Skull Guild, nor have you heard of me, Vice President Saham the Poison Hand!" Saham naturally didn't believe Jehfrit's words and decided to teach these young men a lesson—one they'd learn in their next life!

'Sizzle sizzle'

A sound akin to pork lard frying in a pan emanated as Saham's hands rapidly turned green, with hundreds of small bubbles forming on his skin surface, appearing both terrifying and disgusting—a treat for those with trypophobia.

"Have you heard of the mage Salamander?" Jehfrit asked.

"What?" Saham was taken aback.

'Boom'

A pillar of fire crashed through the wall. Natsu, without hesitation, charged toward Saham, throwing a punch.

"You must have a death wish! My poison kills on contact!"

Saham quickly raised his arm to meet Natsu's punch.

'Boom'

A terrifying force sent him flying dozens of meters away.

Saham crashed heavily to the ground, shattering a large crater in the floor!

His face filled with disbelief.

What happened?

The poison evaporated?!

He looked at his hands—severely burned!

"Jehfrit, Laxus."

Erza and the others arrived shortly after.

"Enemies?" Gray asked.

"Of course." Jehfrit confirmed.

"Requip!"

"Ice-Make: Lance !"

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

"Open, Gate of Bull, Taurus!"

"Water Whip!"

Everyone immediately sprang into action, sending the dark mages reeling.

Laxus also strode towards the enemies.

Jehfrit, however, didn't engage. Turning around, he squatted in front of Ikuto, observed her briefly, and nodded.

"Thank you, Master Jehfrit," Ikuto expressed her gratitude.

"No, thank Fairy Tail." Jehfrit revealed the emblem on his left hand, saying, "Everyone is working hard to save you."

"Thank you, Fairy Tail!" Ikuto quickly responded, feeling a deep admiration for the guild.

Jehfrit pulled out a vial of potion and poured it into Ikuto.

She regained some strength and vitality, a faint blush returning to her pale face.

"Don't worry, Emily and the others are still alive." Jehfrit reassured.

"How do you know?" Ikuto asked in surprise.

"Emily awakened her magic." Jehfrit explained, "It's a very rare type; I can sense her now."

Emily was the girl who had been critically ill.

They couldn't afford treatment, and she was on the verge of death.

Unexpectedly, after being captured for experiments, she gained a fortuitous blessing—her magic surged. Though not yet a mage since she hadn't formally studied magic, she already qualified as one and possessed extraordinary talent!

Jehfrit had continuously sensed a special attribute of magic that had been probing him since earlier—like a shy little girl reaching out, wanting to hold his hand.

"Let's go." Jehfrit lifted Ikuto, and their figures vanished.

He didn't go far, finding a secluded corner.

Ikuto's face flushed red.

"Close your eyes." Jehfrit instructed.

"Mmm-hmm." Ikuto obediently nodded but quickly fell asleep.

Ikuto's injuries were severe; without anesthesia, she wouldn't be able to endure it.

Outside the town.

A convoy stopped outside the barrier.

"Master, Aharnita Town has sealed off," the butler's voice carried a hint of surprise.

The man inside the carriage peered out the window at the massive barrier descending from the sky, frowning slightly. "Then let's find a place to camp. Something must have happened."

"Will the children like Rade be alright?" the butler worriedly asked.

"..." The man remained silent, but a flicker of concern passed through his eyes.

Mayor's Manor.

The battle raged on.

"Laxus." Jehfrit suddenly appeared.

Laxus shifted disdainfully to the side, saying, "You're covered in blood; don't touch me."

"It's not mine." Jehfrit shrugged.

"Something important?"

"Come with me to rescue people."

"Hmph." Laxus snorted.

"Erza, leave these guys to you." Jehfrit shouted.

"Die!" A mage thought he saw his chance. His arm transformed into a long blade, slashing fiercely at Jehfrit.

"You—"

Suddenly, the scene changed. The teammate Jehfrit had just killed transformed in front of him!

"What happened?!" Before the mage could react, he was frozen solid by ice.

'Tap tap tap'

The sound of two pairs of footsteps.

Jehfrit and Laxus walked into the house, which was eerily quiet.

The interior was chaotic: overturned bookshelves, scattered books; shattered porcelain and antiques; broken glass stained with blood; shoes, clothes, even undergarments strewn about.

Clearly, the servants had been dismissed.

And the Aharnita family members fled in haste.

Though Ikuto was indeed powerful, Jehfrit felt her success might not solely be due to her prowess, considering the Skull Guild members had already intercepted her.

John indeed possessed the merits of a successful businessman, demonstrating acute intuition—sensing danger and preemptively evacuating. He deduced that the strong individuals Edward hired posed a real threat, which proved correct, though the situation was far more complex than he imagined.

Indeed, John's move could be considered a perfect prediction, earning him the title of escape master!

But alas,

They had a "mole" reporting their positions, and unfortunately for them, Jehfrit's magic could lock onto heads.

"Has the Aharnita family fled?" Laxus asked.

"Not fleeing." Jehfrit grinned.

Underground Laboratory.

All of the Aharnita family members were gathered here.

John slammed his wheelchair armrests, roaring, "They've already attacked! We have no time!"

The old man's eyes were bloodshot. When Ikuto stormed into the estate, he knew things had gone awry. Edward appeared frail and kindly, seemingly incorruptible, but such a person remaining unscathed for decades indicated undeniable skill beyond mere resilience.

He immediately linked last night's attack to the fact that the Skull Guild members were powerless against that formidable foe.

And shortly after, he imposed the city lockdown, strongly suggesting that Edward likely hadn't left the city.

Had that madwoman not invaded his study, he believed matters were still salvageable.

But with that negated, events spiraled into the worst-case scenario.

Even if Edward remained cautious, the audacious thief who barged into his private study surely wouldn't let this opportunity pass!

Indeed, his prudence proved justified.

The Skull Guild was now utterly overwhelmed, their hundred-plus members destined to be wiped out sooner or later!

Now, only two paths remained!

One was to flee immediately.

But John was unwilling. His days were numbered, and he was about to lose his mayoral position. Moreover, after this incident, their family's assets would inevitably be frozen.

Thus, John chose the second path—to take a gamble!

Watching John, whose eyes were bloodshot and nearly bursting with rage, Franck nervously stammered, "But sir... the experiment isn't complete yet, we're so close."

"What's missing?!"

"Animal trials were successful, but human trials haven't..."

Franck gritted his teeth. "Absolutely cannot inject you until the experiment is complete!"

"Human trials." John said, "Just grab any prisoner."

"Prisoners won't work." Franck shook his head. "Their bodies are too weak, and the Elixir of Immortality was originally extracted from them. Injecting them yields unpredictable results and lacks reference value."

"We must use someone who hasn't had their blood extracted."