Chapter 148: Susanoo Stage Two
"Of course. If there's a stage one, there's a stage two. Are you all... ready?"
Hearing Noah's words, the five of them became extremely serious. It had already taken all of their coordination just to break through the first stage. Shattering its defense had not been easy; it had cost Sorano and Lyon a great deal of magic to pin it down, and then Erza, Mirajane, and Simon had expended a massive amount of their own magic to break through.
They were all very tired now. No one spoke; they were all using the time to recover their stamina and magic.
Suddenly, the golden giant surrounding Noah dissipated into the wind. The five of them were startled. Noah currently held the advantage; to suddenly dispel his magic was not a good sign, especially after he had just mentioned a second stage.
They all kept their eyes fixed on him, using every second to recover.
Suddenly, the area fell silent. The five of them felt an immense pressure emanating from Noah. At the same time, the pebbles on the ground around him began to float, one by one, and the earth began to tremble.
Erza and the others watched him with grave expressions. Noah just gave them a small smile, and then an incomparably vast amount of magic power burst forth from his body.
The ground beneath his feet shattered, and the surrounding pebbles shot into the air. Massive waves of air pulsed outwards, one after another. Erza and the others were pushed back several steps by the force. Bracing against the gale, they all stared in shock as the magic continued to pour out of him.
The amount of magic he was releasing now was far greater than what he had used for the first stage of his Susanoo. And he wasn't just releasing it in a quick burst; he was continuously unleashing his magic power and presence. This directly resulted in the five of them having to constantly withstand his powerful magical pressure. Their stamina, magic, and concentration were all being rapidly depleted.
"Noah's strength has become this great without us even realizing it," Makarov marveled from the spectator area, watching him. Ultear, beside him, nodded in agreement.
"I feel like I work hard, but he works even harder. It's only right that he has this kind of strength." Ultear knew just how much time Noah invested in magic. The number of magic books he had read and experiments he had conducted was countless, and the intensity of his daily training was always increasing. Although his talent was high, there were many people with talent who lacked strength. It was precisely Noah's talent, combined with the fact that he worked harder than anyone else, that had led to his current achievements.
"Mira-nee—" Lisanna and Elfman watched Mirajane, who was bracing against the pressure and the wind, with worried expressions.
"Erza-nee—Sorano-nee—Simon-nii—" Kagura, Yukino, and Wendy looked at the others in the field, their faces also full of worry. They couldn't help but tremble a little. Although they had seen Noah train before, it had never been with this much intensity. This was the first time he had released such a vast amount of magic in front of them, and the overwhelming pressure made their bodies shake.
Seeing this, Ultear moved to stand in front of them, shielding them from the pressure. "Thank you, Ultear-nee," the three of them said.
Ultear just waved her hand. "Watch closely. It's rare to see a battle of this level. You have to learn from it."
"Damn it, what kind of monster is Noah?!" Natsu's face was grim as he felt the pressure coming from him.
"Noah really is a monster," Gray, for once, agreed with Natsu. Ever since Noah had destroyed Deliora, Gray had been convinced of this fact, and his years in the guild had only deepened that conviction.
"I'm going to win! I'm going to beat that monster Noah!" Natsu suddenly shouted as if he'd had an epiphany.
"Aye!" Happy cheered from the side.
Gray looked at him, stunned. "Hey, are you serious? You're going to challenge that monster?"
"Of course! Not just Noah! Erza, Mirajane, Ultear, Laxus, Gildarts—I'm going to beat them all!"
Hearing his grand declaration, Gray was speechless. "Whatever makes you happy. Stop talking, it's changing again."
Natsu quickly looked back to the center of the field. Noah's magic release had not weakened; in fact, it was gradually strengthening. A massive amount of golden magic formed a huge updraft, shooting straight into the heavens and parting the clouds. The five people facing him directly were in an even worse state. They were blown backward, forced to retreat several more steps before they could steady themselves. The wind whipped at their faces, and they could barely open their eyes, having to shield them with their hands. Just standing in front of him was already incredibly difficult.
And then, a new change occurred. A giant, golden magic circle appeared beneath Noah. A massive golden head emerged, enveloping him and rising upwards, followed by a torso and limbs. Finally, a complete golden giant, twenty to thirty meters tall, stood before them. The surging magic power grew even stronger, forcing them back another dozen steps.
"Hey, hey, hey! How are we supposed to fight this?" Sorano stared at the giant golden figure in shock. She had seen Noah train many times, but she had never seen this magic before. It must have been something he researched in private and was only now revealing.
"This giant is so much more trouble than the last one, and it even looks about the same. Is this Susanoo Stage Two?" Erza stared grimly at the golden giant. It was completely formed from compressed light magic. Just standing in front of it made it hard to breathe. And it was much thicker than the previous half-body version; their previous attacks wouldn't be able to break it.
"I have a question," Sorano said, her voice strained under the pressure. "If it's the same kind of form, why didn't he just release this one from the start? Why did he cancel the first one and then release this one again? Isn't that just a waste of effort?"
"Of course it's because I think this way is better!" Noah's voice, amplified by the giant, boomed from its head, twenty or thirty meters off the ground. He had excellent hearing and had caught her complaint. "Don't you think it feels cooler this way?"
Sorano just rolled her eyes.
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