"..."
The scene fell silent.
Some quick-thinking individuals began to pale.
"You go," John pointed to a young man.
"Grandfather, no!" the young man screamed in terror.
"Contributing to the Ahanita family is an honor as a member of our family," John coldly stated.
As he drew closer to death,
He became infinitely attached to the beauty of life.
He didn't want to die!
Thus, he initiated the experiment for the Elixir of Immortality.
Extracting the finest blood and fusing it with healing magic,
Then replacing their aging organs with rejuvenated ones through blood transfusions, thereby restoring youth and achieving immortality.
For this goal,
He could sacrifice anyone!
Or rather—
He had made the Ahanita family so powerful; these descendants—mere parasites living off his wealth—should naturally die for him at such times!
"Grandfather!!" the young man wailed as he was dragged away.
Several researchers strapped the young man to a bed.
Franck and others were drenched in sweat.
Not from exhaustion, but from anxiety.
The Elixir of Immortality wasn't complete!
Including the animal experiments!
They hastily conducted trials this morning—most injected mice died instantly, only two survived for a while.
During that time, they became incredibly strong and aggressive, eventually dying by suicide—they frantically destroyed everything they touched, breaking their limbs initially and finally smashing their heads until their brains spilled out.
Thus, there was no room for failure!
But Franck and others knew that the Elixir of Immortality experiment couldn't possibly succeed at this stage!
They needed more experiments, but there was no time left!
"Mr. Franck, what should we do?" a subordinate urgently asked.
Franck gritted his teeth and said, "Things are dire now. John is gambling with his life, and so must we!"
"How?"
"Make the Elixir of Immortality work." Franck whispered something into a few ears.
After a short while,
Franck returned, drenched in sweat, saying:
"Mr. John, we're almost there, but it failed again. The test subject turened into a pool of blood"
Everyone's faces changed drastically.
"Send another one," John coldly ordered.
Everyone looked at each other.
Suddenly, someone roared, "Things have come to this, why should we fear him? Are we just going to let him kill us one by one?!"
"Grandfather, you forced me!"
"Father, I want to live!"
Everyone erupted.
To survive, not to become a pool of blood, they decided to overthrow John's tyrannical rule!
Before today, they still fantasized about having a share of the Elixir of Immortality.
But now,
Facing this immature experiment,
They dared not gamble with their lives!
John?
An old man in a wheelchair!
When we sought your power and favor, we feared you!
But now, on what grounds do you think we'll die just because you say so?!
"How dare you defy me!" John raged.
"We only want to live, what's wrong with that!"
"The consequences of all this are entirely due to your stubbornness!"
"If you hadn't provoked strong opponents or researched that damned Elixir of Immortality, you could have lived out your days peacefully! Our Ahanita family wouldn't be in such dire straits!"
Everyone shouted angrily at John.
"Kill him!" suddenly someone in the crowd shouted.
"Kill him!" everyone responded, ready to act.
"Do you think I don't have the power to kill you?!"
"Bunch of ingrates!"
'Boom'
Magic surged from John's body!
"Blood Vines!"
Behind John, numerous crimson vines sprouted—each as thick as an arm, writhing like snakes, numbering over a hundred!
Undeterred, or rather, compelled to fight for their lives!
"Old man, how much magic can your decrepit body hold?!"
"I may not be a mage from a Guild, but I know magic too!"
'Boom boom boom'
A fierce battle erupted.
Seeing this, Franck immediately fled the lab.
"Hurry!"
He signaled his subordinates, abandoning everything, and fled directly.
Unbeknownst to them, a shadow followed them.
The battle didn't last long; it ended swiftly.
Everyone was tightly bound by blood vines.
Just as they tried to resist, they suddenly felt their strength drained!
Unexpectedly, this old man, who seemed half-dead, still retained such formidable power!
"Grandfather, please spare us!"
Everyone began pleading, but it was too late.
John panted, his magic fluctuating. He could feel his body was as fragile as glass with countless cracks—ready to shatter at the slightest touch.
Already near death, after such a battle,
Most of his remaining lifespan was spent. He didn't have long left.
John forced his racing heart and rapid breathing to calm. He glared at everyone, furious at their actions.
He snarled:
"As long as I'm alive, anyone can be sacrificed!"
"As long as I'm alive, the Ahanita family can rise again!"
"You bunch of ungrateful wretches, all of you deserve to die!"
"When I regain my youth, the Ahanita family will prosper around me once more!"
"You once had a chance, but you threw it away yourselves!"
'Plop'
As soon as John finished speaking, several people were thrown before him.
John looked up; the thrower was a very thin, tall, one-eyed man who said, "Mr. John, here are additional test subjects."
"Thank you." John looked at Franck and others cowering on the ground.
"Mr. John, spare us!" Franck and others hurriedly kowtowed.
"Hmph, whether you live or die depends on the next experiment." John sneered coldly, "Conduct experiments on all these people. Franck, both you and I need satisfying results."
"Yes." Franck despaired internally but had to appear grateful externally.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, exchanging glances with a few subordinates, revealing no emotions, but everyone understood—stick to the previous plan!
John glanced at the man and sneered, "Wilshito, your useless minions couldn't stop those brats. Don't disappoint me."
"Of course not, Mr. John."
The man replied.
This person was the guild master of the Skull Guild—Wilshito. He wasn't worried about his subordinates being defeated.
Because it didn't matter; in such dark guilds, who would have feelings? They came together for profit, every one of them potential traitors.
As long as he lived, the Skull Guild could be rebuilt!
Jehfrit found the entrance to the underground passage.
As soon as he entered, an attack suddenly came!
Laxus immediately stepped in front of Jehfrit, throwing a punch.
'Boom'
Laxus took a step back, the opponent retreated seven or eight steps, crashing into the wall and embedding himself.
"I'll go ahead," Jehfrit said.
Laxus stared at the enemy, saying, "Stronger than that Poison Guy, you must be the guild master of the Skull Guild?"
"Laxus, S-Class Mage of Fairy Tail."
The man pulled his body out of the wall.
"I am the guild master of the Skull Guild, Wilshito." Wilshito said, "You are strong, and Fairy Tail is powerful..."
"But you shouldn't have meddled with me."
"Geniuses who haven't matured, killed prematurely, don't you find it regrettable?"
"Enough talk." Laxus's body crackled with lightning.
"Lightning against lightning... let's see who devours whom!" Wilshito laughed wildly, "Shadow Lightning Stranglehold!"
Suddenly, countless black lightning bolts appeared, coiling towards Laxus!
"Thunder Dragon's Crushing Fist!"
An intense battle erupted.
With Emily's help, Jehfrit's magic successfully brought all members of the Ahanita family under its influence.
At this moment, the old man John was desperate, using his descendants for experiments.
Jehfrit temporarily left him alone.
Busy.
Being busy is good.
He could rescue Emily and the others without pressure.
"Brother Jehfrit!"
In the dungeon, a little girl sitting against the wall suddenly brightened.
"Emily?" the children looked at her.
"Brother Jehfrit is here!" Emily exclaimed happily.
'Click'
The lock on the cell door was slashed open.
Jehfrit stood at the doorway.
"Brother Jehfrit!" All the children immediately ran out excitedly, hugging Jehfrit.
"Good sir, save us!"
"Please, save us too!"
There were other cells here, holding about seventy people, most of them young, even children.
"Don't panic." Jehfrit cut all the locks, rescuing everyone.
"Everyone follow me; I'll lead you out." Jehfrit instructed, "Don't run around or shout, stay with the group."
"Yes!" everyone responded.
"Let me take Emily," Jehfrit saw a frail boy struggling to carry Emily.
These children, imprisoned here, tortured and bled dry, were extremely weak, barely able to walk themselves, let alone carry someone.
"Thank you, Brother Jehfrit." Emily reached out happily.
Jehfrit carried her on his back; she was as light as a doll—too thin. Despite possessing strong magic now, her body was so fragile that one feared breaking her bones with the slightest force.
Jehfrit asked, "Is your illness cured?"
"Mm-hmm." Emily nodded, "Those bad people experimented on us, infused us with a lot of magic, then drew blood, trying to create some Elixir of Immortality."
She excitedly explained, "They kept drawing my blood and replenishing it, and under the stimulation of magic, they actually cured me and turned me into a mage!"
Emily suffered from a blood-related disease, incurable, medecines merely prolonging her life. Unexpectedly, she benefited from this situation—through continuous blood extraction and replenishment, combined with magical stimulation during experiments, not only was her illness cured, but she also awakened and gained the qualifications to become a mage.
Moreover, Emily's magic was very special, even somewhat similar to Jehfrit's magic.
At this moment, even though Emily had become a mage, her emitted magic, except for Jehfrit, went completely undetected by anyone else!
Jehfrit sensed Franck's situation and "touched" Emily's magic. He smiled, "A doomed experiment. From victims to researchers, to the Ahanita family, and that senile John, no one benefits."
"Except you, Emily."
"..." Emily smiled, lips pursed.
Though she had indeed been frightened and fearful of the future, resentful of John and others,
Now, nestled on Jehfrit's shoulder, embracing the reliable and reassuring back,
She only felt joy. The eleven years of accumulated gloom vanished in an instant!
She was the sole beneficiary of this failed experiment!
Emily gathered her courage and said, "Brother Jehfrit, I want to learn your magic."
"My magic isn't easy to learn. With that time and effort, you'd achieve more learning offensive or versatile magic." Jehfrit advised.
"But I really want to learn Brother Jehfrit's happiness magic." Emily insisted.
"Happiness... magic?" Jehfrit paused, recalling family history, then smiled, "So that's how you interpret it?"
"Of course. I've 'seen' it. Brother Jehfrit's magic, though used in battle to confuse, can also help others."
"Let the deaf hear their family's voices."
"Let the mute sing freely."
"Let those unable to stand dream of running."
"Let those unable to taste savor a delicious meal."
Emily's voice was innocent, filled with longing and admiration. She hugged Jehfrit's neck tightly, saying, "Isn't this magic that brings happiness?"