CHAPTER 594: AZUMA’S DEFEAT

As the glare of the explosion faded, a massive crater had been carved into the battlefield.

Yet, to Azuma’s surprise, Mira was still standing. She had reverted to her normal form, but she was far from defeated.

Her brows were knit tightly as she clutched her left arm with her right hand. Something about that last attack didn’t feel right.

Azuma had claimed to use Tenrou Island’s magic against her, and the force behind that strike had certainly drawn on a vast amount of power. But the damage she’d taken wasn’t as devastating as it should have been... almost as if Tenrou Island itself had held back, unwilling to harm her.

She didn’t have time to dwell on it. Her eyes locked on Azuma, her mind racing to plan the next phase of the fight.

Azuma, though briefly stunned, let out an eager laugh. "Impressive... to stand after that kind of strike. But...hmm?"

Before Mira could respond, the tension in her brow eased.

From the edge of the forest, a cluster of small, blue-purple Voidmites came hopping toward them. The moment they spotted Azuma, they darted forward like predators closing in on prey.

Azuma didn’t take them seriously. With a flick of his hands, he unleashed two small blasts, scattering them instantly. Having never seen such creatures before, he assumed they were just another aggressive species native to Tenrou Island.

But Mira’s heart lifted. If the Worms were here, that meant Rhodes was still alive and fighting. Azuma hadn’t drained everyone’s magic after all.

In that case...

She could fight without holding back.

Azuma felt her magic surge. An overwhelming wave of demonic energy erupted, the pressure rolling over the battlefield like a storm.

Black horns curved from her head, a tattered cloak fluttered behind her, flames blazed beneath her feet, and streams of red, blue, and violet light swirled in a deadly spiral around her body.

"What... is this?" Azuma’s eyes gleamed with thrill rather than fear. "So the Demon Mira Jane can become even stronger!"

"Demon Halphas," Mira said, her gaze shifting briefly to the side as she added in her heart, ...’with a little extra magic from a certain kind soul.’

Azuma followed her line of sight, and saw a towering stone golem striding forward. Seated on its shoulder was a young man with a calm but grim expression. Beside it, a smaller Tree Monster began to fade away.

Azuma recognized him instantly. "So, the Fairy Strategist himself. You knew I was using Tree Magic, so you dismissed the Tree Monster before I could take control. Clever."

His grin widened. "And you can still move! Good. Wait right there, I’ll finish off the Demon, and then I’ll take you on next!"

Rhodes said nothing. He had timed his actions carefully, using the brief intervals when his magic power recovered to cast Crown of the Shattered Queen on Mira, then summoned Brambleback through blue buff, a combination that nearly shattered the delicate balance keeping his own magic from collapsing entirely.

Rhodes had no energy left to speak. The only reason he had walked out into the open was to draw some of the enemy’s attention, forcing Azuma to remain on guard.

If not for that, he would have acted already.

But Mira could no longer hold back. Flames roared beneath her feet as she shot forward, her fist leading the charge straight for Azuma.

Azuma reacted instantly, summoning a wall of vines and branches like before, but this time most of them couldn’t match her speed.

Even when a vine managed to loop around her wrist, she simply ripped it apart with brute strength, barely slowing down.

A moment ago, she’d been unable to break free, yet now, she was unstoppable.

In the blink of an eye, Mira’s fist was in front of Azuma.

He crossed his arms to defend, but the impact was brutal. Her punch smashed into his guard with a bone-snapping crack, driving his own arms into his face.

The force distorted his features and sent his body flying backward, his upper body almost dragging his legs through the air from the sheer momentum.

"Ugh...wah!"

He crashed onto his back, the impact gouging a trench in the dirt. Blood sprayed from his mouth as the shock rattled his body.

Before he could recover, Mira was already beside him, her right hand curling into a claw, her fingertips stopping a hair’s breadth from his eyes.

Azuma didn’t move, he couldn’t.

"I lost." His voice carried both resignation and a faint sense of relief. "Cough... I’ll keep my promise and return the magic."

Rhodes immediately felt it, his magic surged back, the constant draining stopped, and the gnawing discomfort in his body began to fade.

"So it really was you," he muttered, catching Azuma’s words.

Mira exhaled, dismissing her Satan Soul transformation. The exhaustion was clear in her stance, but before she could speak to Rhodes, she froze.

Small saplings had begun to sprout across Azuma’s body, on his arms, legs, chest, even his face.

They were feeding on his magic and life force, growing at an unnatural speed.

"What’s going on?" Mira asked, her voice tight with concern.

"It’s just a side effect," Azuma replied casually, as though the creeping growth was nothing to fear. "I pushed Great Tree Arc too far. All of the Seven Kin of Purgatory use magic that comes close to the very root of magic itself.

"These spells are powerful, but they carry risks. Overuse them, and the price will claim you.

’Those who play with trees... will become trees. Those who abuse curses... will die by curses. Those who squander imagination... will lose imagination. Those who enslave humans... will cease to be human. Those who indulge in emotions... will be destroyed by emotions. Those who claim to destroy gods... will perish by the power of gods.

"And those who manipulate time... will most likely lose themselves in it.’"

The saplings on Azuma’s body grew larger and larger, gradually covering him.

"It’s a pity there are still many strong individuals on this island whom I didn’t get to fight..."

Rhodes quickly asked, "What exactly is your goal?"

"Zeref is on this island. We are here to awaken Zeref, go to the great magic world, and then pursue the first magic at the world’s beginning..."

"Great magic world? The first magic?" Such terms felt somewhat unfamiliar to both Rhodes and Mira.

"The great magic world is the original world, dominated by chaos and darkness. Those who don’t understand magic don’t even have the right to live; it’s an ideal world belonging only to Magicians."

"The first magic is.."

Azuma knew he didn’t have much time left and no longer cared about holding back, so he spoke freely.

Unfortunately, before he could finish, his body was completely covered by trees, transforming entirely into a tree.

"—"

Understanding or not understanding was one thing, but after hearing the meaning of the so-called great magic world, Rhodes could only think, ’Damn idiots.’

With the strength the Grimoire Heart members possessed, if they had formed a legitimate guild, they could have lived quite well.

To throw away a perfectly good life and instead devote themselves to wiping out ordinary people, they had to be out of their minds.

However, after thinking about the history of Magician Guilds, Rhodes realized that this might be a lingering ideology from the dark ages, when Magicians had been persecuted.

It was easy to imagine that in those times, while some Magicians sought peace, there would naturally be others who pursued destruction and domination.

That deeply rooted belief had been passed down through Dark Guilds and cults of Dark Magicians, gradually evolving into this extreme concept of revenge against ordinary people.

If children with great magical potential were misled and brainwashed from a young age by those with ill intent, it wasn’t surprising they would turn out like this.

Jellal was the best example.

Rhodes supported Mira, pushing aside his chaotic thoughts for now, and asked, "How bad are your injuries? What about the others?"

"I’m fine." Mira signaled for Rhodes not to worry about her. "Freed and Bickslow aren’t in good condition. Can red buff..."