"Totomaru, what do you mean by this?"
Aria stopped shedding tears altogether, clearly stunned by Totomaru's actions.
"I'm just telling the truth. Even the magic I used at full power just now couldn't stop him, so naturally there's no need to keep fighting."
Totomaru shrugged, looking completely matter-of-fact.
After making that decision, his whole body relaxed.
"You should have gone up and tried your best. Showing fear before even fighting—is this your bushido?!"
[T/N Bushido: The code of honour and morals developed by the Japanese samurai.]
Aria's tone finally lost its calmness and became dangerous. It was obvious that anger had already stirred within him, he could no longer keep up the act. That usual demeanor of his was nothing but a disguise.
"Aria, it's not your place to judge my sense of honor!"
Totomaru gritted his teeth, his expression turning ugly. He felt deeply insulted.
Aria was powerful in terms of magic power, yet he always pretended to be timid and fearful, crying at the slightest thing and then launching sneak attacks on enemies. In Totomaru's eyes, that was extremely shameless behavior. And this guy actually had the nerve to comment on his bushido!
That Sol fellow was the same—acting like a gentleman on the surface while being despicable inside, colluding with Aria. None of them were good people. Being grouped together with these two as the "Three Elements" had long since worn him out.
"An internal conflict? Don't go killing each other now!"
Seeing Totomaru and Aria arguing, Moen leaned over to watch the excitement and spoke up from the side to dissuade them.
Moen did not actually find this situation strange. The once-famous Jose Porla had been turned into a laughingstock by him in one blow, and Phantom Lord had followed suit. Naturally, the atmosphere within their guild would not be good anymore.
"Aria, I've had enough. When we get back, I'll submit my withdrawal application."
Totomaru was not actually going to "fight internally" with Aria, but his heart had indeed scattered. He no longer planned to stay in Phantom Lord.
Phantom Lord was never a guild with a particularly good team atmosphere to begin with.
As for how much deep affection Totomaru had for this guild, there really wasn't any. It was nothing more than a workplace.
He took on jobs to earn money, completed requests, and created profits for the guild. He owed the guild nothing.
But now, he could no longer tolerate this atmosphere. He planned to quit. No one could stop him not even Master Jose. Mages themselves had the freedom to decide whether to stay or leave.
"Totomaru!"
Aria finally lost control. He shouted in disbelief. They had gone out on a mission, and now the "Three Elements" were missing one, how was that acceptable?!
"No need to say anything more, Aria. My decision is final."
Totomaru did not give Aria any chance to persuade him further. He made his decision decisively and would never change it.
"Mr. Moen, please spare those two. At least spare Gajeel. This child may be a bit in need of discipline, but given the current situation, isn't this going a bit too far?"
After speaking to the point where Aria fell completely silent, Totomaru turned to look at Moen. Respect had already appeared in his eyes. The strength Moen displayed had earned his respect, but before truly leaving, he still wanted to help his former companion, at least help Gajeel. The kid was already foaming at the mouth!
"Fine, I'll give you face."
Moen nodded. Beneath his sharp crimson fingernails, a crimson poison needle condensed and instantly shot toward Gajeel, who was foaming on the ground.
Gajeel's pale body trembled, and his complexion immediately regained some color. Moen removed the effects of the three crimson poison needles, stopped the bleeding, and stimulated his body, instantly restoring vitality to Gajeel's body.
"What a miraculous ability."
Totomaru could not help but sigh, and he also felt somewhat grateful. Moen had actually listened to him and spared Gajeel.
"As for that guy, let him stay frozen for a while longer."
Moen glanced at Sol and did not let him off so easily.
Totomaru said nothing more. Sparing Gajeel was already giving him plenty of face—asking for more would be pushing it.
"Your decision to leave Phantom Lord is the right one. That place isn't good. It's not suitable for someone like you."
Looking at Totomaru, Moen spoke directly. Among the Three Elements, Moen actually had little hostility toward this "Great Flame."
Among these Phantom Lord members, Totomaru was actually fairly normal. His conduct and moral standards were relatively high.
"No need to bring it up. Things weren't this unpleasant before."
Totomaru waved his hand. He did not harbor that much dissatisfaction toward Phantom Lord. Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord were mortal enemies—naturally, Moen would feel Phantom Lord was bad in every way, but Totomaru would not echo that sentiment.
"Totomaru! You bastard! Are you going to betray Phantom Lord?! Are you planning to defect to Fairy Tail?!"
The conversation between Moen and Totomaru, carried out as if no one else were present, directly enraged Aria. Did these two think he didn't exist?!
He had only covered his eyes, not his ears!
"I never said I was joining Fairy Tail."
Totomaru retorted. He truly had never thought about it.
After all, Fairy Tail was an enemy of his former guild. He would not do something like leaving his old guild only to immediately join its enemy.
"Totomaru, do you think after doing something like this, the master will let you go?! Just wait to be purged!"
Aria tore off the white cloth covering his eyes. His magic power erupted, his momentum astonishing and eye-catching.
That white cloth was something he usually used to suppress his magic power. His pupils were also different from ordinary people—proof of his talent. As the leader of the Three Elements, he possessed overwhelming power, and it was precisely because of this that he could lead them.
"Hm? Is this all? You really have the nerve to call yourself gifted. If Laxus found out, he'd probably laugh his head off."
Looking at Aria with his magic power surging and a ferocious expression, Moen scratched his head. Did this level of magic power really need suppression?
Speaking of which, Laxus was actually not here. If Laxus were present, he probably would have already stepped in and dealt with these guys. The current Laxus already possessed the strength of a Fairy Tail S-Class Mage.
"What did you say?!"
Moen's words made Aria instantly explode in rage.
At this point, there was no concern about arenas or anything else. Aria directly attacked Moen, slamming out a fierce palm strike.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Countless air bullets blasted over, moving at extremely high speed. Moen quickly retreated, narrowly avoiding this sudden attack. He had not expected Aria to be so easy to provoke—just a single sentence had sent him straight into a rage.
Of course, this could also have been the result of all the previous stimulation piling up.
"Buzz!"
Magic power surged as Aria's figure vanished, instantly reappearing in front of Moen, then once again slamming out a palm strike with full force.
Although Moen had just mocked Aria for making a fuss—clearly not possessing particularly exaggerated magic power, yet still deliberately sealing it away, this was only in comparison to those who were truly gifted. Compared to the majority of mages, Aria's magic power was indeed astonishing, to the point that even Dragon Slayers might not necessarily surpass him.
But when it came to those more gifted than Aria, Moen had seen plenty. Laxus was one. Erza was another. Mira barely counted as well. And after that, naturally, there was Moen himself.
"Buzz!"
Magic power circulated, star charts flickered, and Moen's body frantically absorbed the power of the stars, the dense starlight seeming to pour down from the heavens.
"Boom!"
Moen swung out a punch and collided head-on with Aria. Magic power exploded instantly, blowing everyone nearby away.
Totomaru grabbed Gajeel with one hand and shielded Sol's ice sculpture with the other, fleeing in a sorry state. In truth, only they were close by. The other Fairy Tail members had already escorted the civilians far away, thanks to the massive commotion Sol had caused earlier.
"Buzz!"
Aria's figure was sent flying backward. His face was filled with shock, clearly not having expected this outcome.
"You actually still weren't using your full strength before!"
Aria stabilized himself, his eyes filled with disbelief. He had thought that when Moen used "Diamond Dust Fist" earlier, he was already fighting at full power, yet compared to now, it was at least sixty percent weaker!
"What kind of monster are you, exactly?!"
Aria completely lost control again. At Moen's age, his own strength had been nowhere near this level. By comparison, he truly could not be considered gifted, Moen's words earlier had indeed been correct.
"A monster? Monsters like me aren't rare in Fairy Tail. So tell me, is it possible that you're actually just very ordinary? Unable to withstand even this level of magic power."
Moen spoke with a grin, flashing a set of white teeth. His words were absolutely piercing, instantly turning Aria red with fury.
"Don't get too arrogant! I've lived many more years than you—talent that can't grow will forever remain nothing more than talent!"
Aria's eyes turned bloodshot. He had completely developed killing intent. Rage, resentment, and jealousy surged into his mind all at once.
"Buzz!!!"
Magic power erupted violently, as if it were about to devour everything around it.
"Air Space: Zero! Devour everything!"
Aria unleashed his most powerful magic, creating a space that gnawed away at all things, erasing all life!
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