Chapter 149: The Trial
"I don't think it's cool. I just think you're being silly."
Noah decided to ignore Sorano's reply and once again unleashed his magic power. The overwhelming force formed a gale that nearly blew Erza and the others off their feet. The spectators outside the barrier also felt the increased pressure. Even from a distance, many of the weaker guild members couldn't help but tremble.
Magic power surged from Ultear, and she gently formed a barrier in front of the crowd, helping the guild members to offset the aftershocks of Noah's power. The members all breathed a sigh of relief and thanked her. Makarov, who had been about to step in himself, stopped when he saw Ultear act. He kept a watchful eye, however, ready to intervene if she failed or couldn't protect everyone. But Ultear completely withstood the shockwave. A smile involuntarily appeared on Makarov's face.
With Noah being so strong, and Ultear not far behind and improving at a rapid pace, plus the other active S-Class wizards like Gildarts, Ur, and Laxus... And then there were the five in the exam, as well as Natsu, Gray, Kagura, and the even younger Wendy and Yukino—all of them first-rate talents. He could already imagine how prosperous the future of Fairy Tail would be. At this thought, he couldn't stop grinning, his eyes shining.
Ultear glanced at the daydreaming Master, shook her head, and ignored him, continuing to maintain her barrier.
Inside the field, Noah, from within the head of the golden giant, continued to release his magic, putting pressure on the five candidates from all directions. Just by standing there, Erza and the others were constantly expending a large amount of their magic and stamina, and the mental pressure was immense. The formless pressure from the giant construct also made it difficult for them to breathe. A great fear rose in their hearts, as if they were about to die in the next second. Their hearts began to pound, and their bodies trembled slightly, instinctively wanting to flee.
Noah quietly watched them, waiting for their choice.
Erza took several deep breaths, forcing down the fear in her heart. She quickly assessed her situation and realized that if this continued, she wouldn't even need Noah to attack; she would soon run out of magic and stamina and lose the ability to resist. Her expression changed. She didn't want it to end like this. Even with the huge gap in their strength, she still wanted to try. She didn't want to be left so far behind by Noah, and becoming an S-Class wizard was the first, tangible step.
She looked to her left and right and saw that the others had similar expressions. Although there was fear in their eyes, there was even more determination. Clearly, none of them wanted to fall here; they wanted to go further. They had confirmed it in each other's eyes: they would continue to fight.
"AAAAAHHH!!!"
Suppressing their fear, they all gathered their remaining magic power, becoming five small reefs standing firm against the surging tide of Noah's aura.
Very good!
Seeing their choice, Noah felt a great sense of joy in his heart. Under such immense pressure, especially under the feeling of death—even knowing it wasn't real—to continue to persevere required enormous courage and determination. He was very happy that all five of them possessed such resolve. It proved that they had made their own choices from the heart, which would be a huge benefit to their future growth.
Finally, the five of them finished gathering their magic and simultaneously unleashed their final, strongest attacks.
"Requip: Lightning Empress Armor! Lightning Empress Spear!" Erza changed into a suit of light green armor with lightning patterns, holding a lightning spear in her hand. She poured all her magic into it, and it shot forth as a bolt of lightning, aimed at Noah inside the giant's head.
"Soul Extinctor!" Mirajane gathered all of her magic power, converted it into darkness, and hurled it at Noah, forming a super-powerful shockwave of darkness.
"Ice-Make: White Dragon!" Lyon used all his magic to create a white dragon, which charged at full speed towards Noah's position.
"Victory Angel: Baraqiel!" Sorano summoned her Victory Angel, which unleashed its full power in a blast of dark magic.
"Dark Capriccio!" Simon channeled all his magic, compressing the spell in his hands until he could barely control it before finally releasing it at Noah.
Noah, inside the head of the golden giant, calmly watched the five attacks approach. He had just enough time to retract his magic power release. He then raised a hand, and the golden giant did the same. A giant, golden shield, made of the same compressed light magic as the giant itself, instantly appeared in its hand, completely covering its upper body.
The five attacks slammed into the shield. A massive explosion occurred, and smoke and dust rose up, completely obscuring the giant.
I don't think their attacks can break it, but what if? Erza and the others stared intently at the smoke, waiting for the result.
A gust of wind blew past, revealing the shield underneath. It was covered in obvious cracks. Their attack had worked. Erza and the others were thrilled. At least their attack had been effective. If it had done nothing at all, it would have been a huge blow to their morale.
Noah looked at the shield in the giant's hand. He hadn't held back. For them to be able to break the shield in this state, even by working together, proved that their strength was considerable.
The giant golden shield vanished from the giant's hand. Erza and the others immediately tensed up. A giant golden sword appeared in its place, and Noah's voice rang out at the same time.
"Now, it's my turn to attack."
Erza and the others had no magic left. Hearing his words, their expressions tightened. They subconsciously assumed a defensive posture, just as the giant sword swung towards them with a whistling sound.
Having calculated the force, Noah hit them with the flat of the blade. They had no time and no ability to resist. They were struck by the sword and sent flying into the distance. Noah swung the sword five times, a firm believer in fairness. He hit all five of them with the exact same force, in the exact same spot.
The five of them flew for dozens of meters before landing on the ground, tumbling several times to bleed off the remaining momentum.
Noah dispelled the golden giant, slowly floated down to the ground, and then began to walk towards them.
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