"Cough… cough," Edward suppressed his hacking, shouting, "There's no such thing as a great war!"
"There are only cruel wars!"
"Only tragic wars!"
"Only wars of resistance!"
"Only wars of necessity!"
"What you're doing is creating another cruel war, while what I must do is ignite a war of resistance!"
Edward stepped forward to the front of the crowd, straightening his hunched back as much as he could. He spread his arms wide and declared, "I'm not a great man."
"But resistance doesn't require greatness!"
Edward continued, "I am Edward Adrian, the next mayor of Aharnita Town!"
"I've come ahead of schedule to investigate the corruption and child experimentation linked to the Aharnita family!"
His words sent shockwaves through the crowd—some were stunned by the news of the mayor's successor, others by the revelation that their missing children had been taken for experiments.
[TN: I felt Edward Newgate's vibe at the beginning]
And then there were those who broke into tears.
"My child!"
"My daughter!"
"Was my wife kidnapped by that old bastard John?"
"Ahhh—"
A wave of despair swept through the people.
Edward's expression shifted slightly—he heard a young man's voice in his mind.
"Everyone, stay calm! Your families aren't dead!"
"They're somewhere, scattered in the city, waiting to reunite with us!"
"We're all in danger now. The most important thing is to survive!"
The civilians were left uncertain.
"But, Mayor Edward, we're just ordinary people. What power do we have to defeat such demons?" someone asked.
"Courage!" Edward replied firmly.
"The courage to follow me!"
"The courage to respond to my words!"
Edward declared, "Only by facing despair can you face hope!"
"Mr. Edward," the townsfolk stared at the elderly man in awe.
"You're a respectable person," the Sacrifice Knight admitted. "But precisely because of that…"
The Sacrifice Knight's tone shifted. "You're even more valuable as a sacrifice."
"Then kill me!" Edward stepped toward the Sacrifice Knight.
Behind him, the townsfolk hesitated briefly before following—not retreating like frightened sheep, but advancing alongside Edward.
They all knew that retreat was not an option. Retreating would only lead to humiliation and death.
If they were going to die anyway, why not trust this old man? Why not take one bold step forward and die with honor and without regrets?
An unspoken fury ignited in the hearts of every civilian!
Let's die if we must!
But let's die without regret!
Jehfrit wiped the sweat from his brow. Guiding so many people's courage at once had drained his magic reserves significantly.
He wasn't focused solely on that battlefield either.
Without time to catch his breath, he fired two quick shots—one forcing back the Humble Knight, the other making the self-proclaimed "body harder than a shield" Honest Knight retreat hastily.
*Shriek!*
Seizing the moment Jehfrit fired, the Justice Knight charged forward, while the Honor Knight pulled out a massive sniper rifle and fired directly.
Jehfrit switched to Barrier mode, but the bullet arrived first.
*Bam!*
Such a powerful armor-piercing round struck Jehfrit's barrier, causing it to crack densely across its surface, nearly shattering entirely.
At this moment, the Just Knight closed in, smashing the barrier with his hammer.
Jehfrit countered with a swift slash, but the Justice Knight avoided the direct clash. He adjusted his swing mid-motion, switching to a horizontal sweep, but Jehfrit seized the opportunity to create distance and vanished once again.
*Buzz buzz buzz.*
The magical devices implanted under their skin went haywire. The Honor Knight's heart raced—they're targeting me?!
Quickly, he pulled both hands behind him.
*Riiip.*
His lab coat tore apart, revealing a massive turtle shell packed with weapons on his back!
The Honor Knight retracted his head and limbs into the shell.
*Swish.*
Jehfrit's blade slashed down.
Peering out from inside the shell, the Honor Knight watched the blade narrowly miss his nose, breaking into a cold sweat.
How was this possible?
This shell could withstand a hundred Brave Knights explosion simultaneously!
What kind of sword was this?
It cut through his supposedly indestructible shell so effortlessly?!
After landing a successful strike, Jehfrit retreated immediately, leaving the pursuing Justice Knight fuming. "Why won't you fight him properly?!"
"I dare not," the Honor Knight replied.
"Aren't you the Honor Knight? Shouldn't you be the knight with the thickest sense of pride?" Jehfrit's voice echoed.
"Maintaining world peace is an honorable cause, and to achieve it, one must secure everlasting victory."
"Therefore, anything can be done for victory!"
Emerging from his shell, the Honor Knight shouted, "This is the belief of honor!"
"In other words, underhanded tactics," Jehfrit quipped.
"Damn you, demon! You don't understand the importance of peace or the faith of honor!" the Honor Knight roared in anger.
"Heh." Jehfrit shot him another bullet as a parting gift.
*Pant pant—*
Lucy and Juvia gasped for air.
This enemy was overwhelmingly powerful.
His swordsmanship rivaled Ikuto's, and his body seemed invincible.
Even worse, he had the ability to make people spill their darkest secrets—a control skill!
The Honest Knight pointed at Lucy and asked, "What style of underwear are you wearing?"
Lucy's face turned bright red as her composure faltered. Unable to resist, she blurted out, "Black lace!"
"Quite the unexpected answer, Miss Lucy," Juvia couldn't help but comment.
From afar, Ikuto looked equally shocked. Lucy always seemed so innocent…
Damn it!
That's not what I wear!
I was forced to lie under his control!
What kind of honest knight forces lies?!
Taking advantage of Lucy's distraction, the Honest Knight dashed toward her and swung his sword.
"Damn it, Water Slash Break!" Juvia unleashed a water blade to rescue Lucy.
The Honest Knight blocked it outright. "Such attacks are useless against me. My body is as strong as a shield!"
His sword still came down, but suddenly, he stepped back.
*Bam!*
A bullet struck just in front of his toes, grazing his shoe before embedding itself into the ground.
"Damn it!" the Honest Knight cursed. It was always like this!
He turned to the battlefield where the Honor Knight stood and used their internal comms system. "You two—if you can't stop that liar, I'll handle him instead!"
Like hell!
If he took over, he'd die even faster!
The Honor Knight and Justice Knight were equally frustrated. No wonder Pruden lost to Jehfrit so quickly. This guy was too cunning, too cautious!
He didn't fight like a Fairy Tail mage at all!
Weren't mages from their guild known for charging headfirst into battle?
How did a crafty monster like him slip through?
Lucy seized the moment to retreat.
"Open, Gate of Maiden—Virgo!"
"Princess, shall I punish myself?" the pink-haired maid spirit appeared.
"No, drag him underground."
"Yes."
Before Virgo could act, the Honest Knight pointed at her and asked, "Who do you hate the most?"
"I hate the princess the most!"
"…"
While Virgo answered, the Honest Knight rushed forward and swung his sword at her.
"Virgo!" Lucy lashed out with her whip, wrapping it around the Honest Knight's wrist. But with a powerful yank, Lucy was pulled toward him, and at the same time, the Honest Knight kicked Virgo away.
"Water Dragon Spiral!" Seeing Lucy in danger, Juvia unleashed a torrent of water, charging straight at the Honest Knight.
"All of you are close to me. Perfect timing to finish this."
Just as the Honest Knight raised his sword, he suddenly dodged.
*Boom!*
Juvia's water dragon slammed into him, and she quickly grabbed Lucy, retreating immediately.
The Honest Knight was on the verge of losing his composure. Using the internal comms system, he screamed at the Honor Knight's group, "You two, stop that demon already!!!"
"…" Everyone fell silent.
Meanwhile…
Natsu and Gray relentlessly attacked without pause.
"Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Fist!"
The same move Natsu used to defeat Gajeel—his fists moved faster and faster, each punch growing more ferocious.
Yet the Agile Knight still managed to block every attack!
"To adapt to all changes without changing oneself—my iron fists are invincible. This is the belief of agility!"
"Hahaha, this is exhilarating!"
"Fighting against strong opponents like you is truly thrilling!"
The Agile Knight laughed maniacally. His hands looked almost fake, yet they shattered flames and matched Natsu blow for blow.
Natsu gritted his teeth.
It hurt.
But he wouldn't back down!
"Ice Make: Ice Fountain!"
Gray struck.
In an instant, the Agile Knight split his attention—one hand shattered Gray's ice, while the other simultaneously countered Natsu's dual-fisted assault!
How was this possible?
Natsu and Gray struggled to believe it, but the Agile Knight had done it!
*Boom boom boom.*
Erza's Adamantine Armor was riddled with cracks. The enemy's method of attack was simple—self-explosion.
But it left her with no way to counter.
Laxus clenched his jaw tightly.
He had launched countless attacks, only for them to be neutralized by the Humble Knight.
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!"
"That's terrifying. Such an attack would destroy an entire street, so please, silence yourself." The upright-standing Humble Knight spoke calmly.
Laxus immediately stopped speaking, interrupting his own spell.
The Humble Knight commanded, "Earth, bury this young warrior."
The dirt behind him surged forward like a mudslide, rushing toward Laxus.
"Air, leave him."
Laxus suddenly found himself unable to breathe.
Damn it!
Laxus erupted in violent lightning.
"Steel, pierce him."
Steel fragments flew toward Laxus.
Laxus was in grave danger!
*Bam!* A gunshot rang out.
The Humble Knight stepped back and glanced into the distance.
"…"
The Honor Knight and Justice Knight were too exhausted to explain further.
Meanwhile, Laxus seized the opportunity to shatter all incoming attacks and retreat to a safe distance.
Through their earlier battles, Laxus realized something about the Humble Knight's magic—it worked similarly to Jehfrit's, confined to a specific range.
However…
Even long-range magical attacks outside that range proved ineffective.
Wait…
How had Jehfrit managed to drive him back with bullets?
Not just…
Hold on…
Laxus' eyes lit up.
"Speed!"
Laxus exclaimed, "Jehfrit, this guy's magic can't control objects moving too fast!"
"I see," Jehfrit replied.
Earlier, he had tried using his magic to influence the Humble Knight, attempting to trick his senses into thinking he'd spoken when he hadn't.
But nothing worked. Clearly, the Humble Knight's magic didn't require verbal commands—it was simply a habit.
However…
Laxus made an important discovery. The Humble Knight's magic required a brief moment to activate—though it was so short that only Jehfrit's bullets could force him to move.
But that was still a weakness!
Once exploited, it would spell trouble for any mage!
Jehfrit thought for a moment and added, "One more thing. When he immobilizes someone, he can't move himself. And when he moves, he can't immobilize anyone."
When the Humble Knight froze Laxus in place, he himself couldn't move. And when he attacked Laxus, Laxus regained mobility.
Thus, two weaknesses:
1. He couldn't control extremely fast-moving attacks.
2. When controlling someone's body, he couldn't move himself.
Laxus began devising strategies to exploit these flaws.
*Pant pant—*
Lucy gasped for air, feeling oxygen-deprived to the point of near collapse.
It was exhausting!
Juvia's magic reserves were also running dangerously low.
Natsu glanced back and said, "Jehfrit, tell Lucy I have a plan."
"Oh," Jehfrit responded.
The Seven Knights had their internal comms.
So did this side—Jehfrit acted as the intermediary, relaying everyone's messages.
Lucy and Juvia received the update.
"Natsu actually has such a brilliant plan?" Juvia was astonished. Natsu usually seemed reckless and impulsive, yet here he was devising something so clever.
"This is something Natsu and I observed together," Gray added.
In truth…
They had been struggling against their opponent for too long, while Lucy's enemy didn't seem particularly strong—after all, he hadn't defeated Lucy and Juvia (though Jehfrit's constant interference played a role).
So both of them started thinking.
Switch opponents?
No.
Gray and Natsu experimented multiple times, attacking with different forces, and discovered something: the Agile Knight always countered with the exact same force.
Forced balance?
They didn't know the specifics of his magic, but they understood its characteristics well enough.
Thus, they devised a genius plan—
Feigning weakness to lure the enemy.
"Truly genius," Jehfrit couldn't help but remark.
What was this?
Gray excelled in strategy, and Natsu excelled in execution?
////////
Translator's Note:
The One Piece is Real - Edward Newgate
The beginning put this scene in my head.