Mira, Elfman, and Gajeel retreated simultaneously, the shockwave from the explosion only ruffled their hair but didn't harm them in the slightest.
"Elfman, Gajeel, these three should be the higher-ups of this country," Mira said, referring to the 'Erza' in front of them, Li Li, and Bero upstairs.
She flexed her wrists, transforming back into her Satan's Soul form, "Take them all down, someone will eventually open up."
As soon as she finished speaking, Mira's wings flapped as she charged towards 'Erza'.
'Erza' showed no fear, meeting her head-on with a spear in hand.
Crash!
As the fist and spearhead collided, a more intense explosion erupted, shattering nearly all the nearby building's windows.
"I've been waiting for this! The cat is mine!" Gajeel said, charging at Li Li without hesitation.
Li Li retrieved his great saber, extending it ten meters long to sweep at Gajeel.
"Iron Dragon Sword!" Gajeel's left arm turned into a black iron sword, raised to block Li Li's ten-meter saber.
The collision between the blade edges sparked a flurry of small explosions.
"Hehe~ as expected of the cat I have my eyes on!" Gajeel's left hand reverted to normal, but his body was covered in black iron scales, and he grabbed the opposing blade barehanded.
"!" Li Li didn't understand what he meant, pulling hard on the sword's hilt.
Gajeel's body swayed slightly, but his feet seemed rooted to the ground.
Indeed, there were two iron spikes from his feet embedded in the ground: "Come back to the guild with me, Black Cat!"
The two engaged in a bout of wrestling over the great saber.
Seeing his sister and Gajeel had chosen their opponents, Elfman transformed into the Beast King and leapt up several stories high.
He smashed his hands into the wall, then with a powerful push, lunged towards the rooftop.
Bero smirked sinisterly, pulling out a test tube from his pocket. He knocked off the cork with one hand and spilled the red liquid inside.
Elfman instinctively knew it wasn't anything good, but airborne, he couldn't dodge and relied on his Beast King form's thick skin.
"Yihihi~" Bero laughed eerily, "Flame Liquid!"
The red liquid rapidly expanded, transforming into flames mid-air, forming a red cloud that swallowed Elfman whole.
Bero had absolute confidence in his potion, believing it could knock down a direct-hit elephant. As for this large guy...
"Roar!!!"
From within the flames came a terrifying beast roar, and Bero felt like a fierce tiger was roaring right beside him.
Elfman burst out of the sea of fire in an instant; he'd seen fiercer flames than this, rendering the potion insignificant.
With a bang, Elfman landed next to Bero, aiming a punch at the short elder.
Bero stared up at the massive fist magnifying in front of him, hastily pulling out another vial of liquid.
But just as he opened the cap, Elfman's fist landed squarely on his face.
Like a cannonball, Bero was blasted through the rooftop, crashing through one floor, two floors...
He didn't stop until he tumbled from the seventh floor to the second.
Elfman looked down the hole, only to see three tornadoes widening the passage layer by layer, the flying debris impacting his chest.
This was the storm liquid Bero had hastily pulled out.
"Ugh—" Caught off guard, Elfman was knocked over, with several scratches appearing on his chest.
Fortunately, there weren't any more serious injuries.
This kind of attack reminded Elfman of the magic book Rhode always handed him before missions.
Fast to activate, diverse in magic types, minimal magic power consumption... Yet, insufficient in power.
Rhode...
Thinking of that man, Elfman shook his head and stood up again; with this, the mission should be complete, right? Just need to capture the potion-mixing elder for interrogation and then...
Bang!
A tentacle covered in suckers smashed through the rooftop, wrapping around Elfman's waist and binding his hands as well.
"What is this?" Elfman struggled slightly, but the tentacle tightened, "Uh... octopus?"
"Yihihi..." A gigantic octopus snickered, squeezing through a hole that seemed tiny compared to its size.
The face still resembled Bero's, but its body had expanded tenfold and turned completely into a sticky, slippery octopus-like state.
Its thick limbs wildly flailed, easily cracking the rooftop with light taps, causing concern about the building's ability to withstand its antics.
"Is this receiving magic?" Elfman considered receiving the octopus foot to break free, "But... what a disgusting creature."
Bero assumed the big guy was helpless, lifting Elfman to eye level with the octopus limb and sneeringly asked, "You just called that woman sister, didn't you?"
"Hm?" Elfman stared at the disgusting elder, unsure of his intent.
At this moment, the already-injured Li Li was about to falter, and Gajeel had already bitten into Li Li's great saber.
'Erza' was also struggling, having no clear advantage.
She and Mira had fought from one end of the street to the other, plowing through the entire street, leaving the square in shambles.
The soldiers, who had fallen asleep, were first awakened by the battle's shockwaves, only to be knocked out or sent flying again.
This battle was probably the most disastrous and bizarre event of their military careers.
They had almost no idea how they had fallen, and it happened twice—a painless time and a painful one—experiences they certainly did not wish for.
The two terrifying women, even after fighting to such an extent, showed no signs of determining the victor.
At this rate, it would be dire if Li Li was defeated.
As the chief advisor, Bero instantly concocted a brilliant plan to reverse the situation: "I noticed both of you have white hair, probably siblings."
Elfman tugged hard again but found it hard to exert force with his arms bound: "What are you getting at?"
"Yihihi... If I take you hostage, that woman would have to surrender... No, not to that extent, just a moment's distraction, and Erza could finish her off!"
Saying this, Bero began to move his octopus feet, pounding towards the two women's battleground.
Unnoticed by him, Elfman's eyes, initially gentle and round, suddenly shrunk to pinpoints.
"Kill... sister..." A red glow emerged in Elfman's eyes, his arm muscles bulging.
Bero's tentacles sensed a powerful force resisting him.
"It's useless! The octopus potion I drank can... ah!"
Bero cried out as the tentacle tightly bound around Elfman's body was forcibly ripped off!
Disgusting fluid dribbled from the severed end.
Elfman hoisted the tentacle's tip, stepping on Bero's body to leap up, then swung the severed end like a whip, harshly smashing the thick end against Bero's face!
Thunk!
With a muffled sound, Bero's face was deformed by the blow, his massive body dragged by the head and flung away, landing upside down at the place where the magic crystals were originally stationed.