Chapter 207: True Celestial Magic

"I once deeply loved you, Erza. Now, offer your body for the sake of my ideals!"

Before anyone noticed, Jellal was already floating above the ship.

Erza immediately summoned two magical swords and charged at him.

"Jellal, you bastard! Prepare to fall!"

"This magic power... It's even stronger than Jose's. Definitely Saint-level!"

George frowned deeply. He had anticipated Jellal would be powerful, but not stronger than Jose, whom they barely defeated previously. Back then, their entire guild had ganged up on Jose to win, and even then, it took Natsu consuming Laxus's lightning to drain much of Jose's power.

"Everyone, attack together!"

Erza alone stood no chance. George spread his wings and charged in, with Natsu, Gray, and Juvia following close behind.

Simon and the others were too injured to assist, while Lucy drew out her Celestial Spirit Key for Aquarius.

"With just the likes of you?"

Jellal sneered, disappearing into thin air.

"Meteor!"

"He's not vanishing—he's moving too fast!"

George's exceptional vision caught sight of Jellal, cloaked in starlight, moving with meteoric speed.

He first evaded Erza's strongest sword technique—the one that defeated Ikaruga—then swiftly kicked Natsu and Gray away. When he attempted to strike Juvia, her body liquefied, dodging the blow.

"Seven Star Sword!"

Seven stars appeared behind Jellal, descending like thunderbolts onto Juvia, who had just evaded. Despite her water form, the magical attack sent her crashing into the ocean.

"Railgun!"

A coin charged with immense electricity shot toward Jellal's back.

George seized the moment to strike.

"This attack is nothing to me."

Jellal turned, punching through the electrically charged projectile with his starlit fist, and then shot toward George in a streak of light.

"A Level 4 Railgun is too weak for a Saint-level mage."

Had it been Misaka Mikoto's triple-sonic-speed Railgun, Jellal might not have dared block it barehanded.

"Transform!"

Jellal's speed was overwhelming. Beyond the Railgun, most magic would miss him entirely. George conjured a magical circle, morphing from a palm-sized golden cat into a massive, ten-meter giant feline.

"Electric Surge!"

Charging his body with 200 million volts, George stimulated every cell, further enhancing his physical strength and speed.

"Begone!"

His massive paw, crackling with electricity, collided with Jellal's incoming fist. George's superior strength sent Jellal flying.

"Attack!"

Capitalizing on the opportunity, George directed razor-sharp blades toward the airborne Jellal. Against a Saint-level mage, there was no room for hesitation—victory required full force.

"Open the Gate of the Water Bearer—Aquarius!"

From the ocean below, Lucy thrust her golden Celestial Spirit Key into the sea.

A blue magic circle emerged as the mermaid-like Aquarius appeared, brandishing her magic urn. With an enraged shout, she unleashed an immense torrent of water, forming a tsunami that surged toward Jellal.

"Brat, disturbing my date again?! Go to hell, all of you!"

The devastating tsunami engulfed not only Jellal but also Natsu, Gray, Juvia, and the ship Lucy was aboard. Her attacks truly spared no one.

"Titan Armor! Piercing Lance of Justice!"

Erza, whose attacks had been dodged earlier, switched to her most powerful Titan Armor. She hurled a lance imbued with purifying magic straight at Jellal, now caught in the flood.

"How amusing. Very well, I'll play along."

Despite facing attacks that would obliterate most S-Class mages, Jellal remained unfazed. Crossing his arms, a black magic circle appeared beneath him.

"Descend into endless darkness—Abyssal Paradise!"

A black hole capable of devouring everything materialized, swallowing the blades, tsunami, and even Erza's lance before erupting in a deafening explosion.

The resulting shockwave hurled George, Erza, Aquarius, and Lucy off their feet.

"Ice-Make: Great Platform!"

A white magic circle illuminated the ocean, freezing a large portion into a platform to catch the scattered fighters. Gray, recovered from his earlier fall, had cast his freezing magic just in time.

"He's insanely strong," George muttered, landing on the icy surface, cursing under his breath.

Despite a group assault from several S-Class mages, Jellal had dismantled their efforts with a single spell—far more terrifying than Jose.

"Allow me to reveal a despairing truth," Jellal declared with a sinister grin. "That Jose, whom your entire guild struggled to defeat, ranks below one of my Thought Projections on the Saintly Ten list."

"What?!" George's pupils contracted in shock.

"The Magic Council's use of Etherion? My doing. I infiltrated the Council as Siegrain, a Thought Projection of mine. Surely you've heard the name?"

"Siegrain!"

George's heart sank. Siegrain, the youngest Saint Wizard and a Council member, was none other than Jellal's magical clone.

Thought Projections were advanced magic, achievable only by top-tier S-Class wizards. They created autonomous entities capable of wielding up to half their creator's power, regardless of distance.

If a Thought Projection ranked higher than Jose, then Jellal's complete power was unimaginable.

"Don't forget, people grow stronger over time."

While Jellal indulged in monologues, George telepathically signaled Natsu, stuffing him with ignited flames.

After the Phantom Lord incident, Natsu's endurance for intense flames had greatly improved, hinting at a new awakening.

"Oh, progress, is it? Let me show you true disparity!"

Hovering within a celestial magic circle, Jellal laughed maniacally, his magic surging wildly, distorting the air around him.

"True Celestial Magic: Star Destruction!"

A massive magic circle formed above Jellal, summoning a colossal meteor wreathed in fire, descending toward the battlefield.

The meteor's sheer size and power could obliterate an entire city in one strike.