Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Gengar Legion Strikes, Guild Annihilated
A sudden noise startled the gatekeeper.
Compared to the Light Guild, which was hardly on guard at night in the town, the Dark Guilds always maintained high alert, especially during these tumultuous times.
Their upper echelon, Grimoire Heart, declared war on Fairy Tail.
Being fellow guilds in the Fiore Kingdom, the members of the Burning Flame Guild were naturally terrified, as they were the nearest.
Not knowing when Fairy Tail might come, the guarding Mages were on high alert, and upon hearing a noise, a flame appeared in the mage's hand to illuminate the surroundings:
"What is... that?!"
"A ghost?"
"No! It's an attack!"
"That guy is the monster that Seven Kin of Purgatory Zancrow personally ordered should be killed!"
"This monster is said to be very cunning!"
"Quick, inform the Guild Master! Fairy Tail is attacking!"
The piercing sound of an alarm was set off.
Inside the Burning Flame Guild, everything was in chaos. Many Mages rushed out with their magic staffs, not even having the time to properly dress.
"Be careful, everyone!"
"The owner of this ghost monster is Gaal Brons! The Scholar who gave Zancrow a hard time."
"Damn! That's Lord Zancrow! The faith of our guild!"
"Where is Gaal Brons? Keep vigil!"
"We sensed all around, but there's nothing there!"
"Then let's deal with this ghost monster first!"
As a subordinate guild of Grimoire Heart, the Burning Flame Guild idolized Zancrow, who controlled the endless Fire among the Kin of Purgatory .
Intelligence about the members of Fairy Tail had long been distributed among the guilds, allowing them to instantly recognize Gengar.
Because Gengar was at the top of the hit list issued by Grimoire Heart, ranked just below the top mages of Fairy Tail, one could only speculate what kind of grudge Zancrow held against this ghost monster to harbor such hatred.
No one dared to ask those questions, though.
Zancrow was a member of the Purgatory Kin, as revered as he was feared.
Seeing only Gengar and not its owner, Gaal Brons, the members of the Burning Flame Guild were immediately filled with killing intent, eager to eliminate this monster and claim the reward.
In an instant, over a dozen members of the Burning Flame Guild raised their magic staffs.
Intense firelight surged at the tips of their staffs, aiming at Gengar, transforming into a series of crimson flames shooting forth.
Gengar emitted an evil 'kukuku' sound and waved a trident in its hand.
A series of Black Holes appeared in front of Gengar, with Gengars emerging from them, each with the same malicious 'kukuku,' raising their hands against the incoming streams of crimson orange fire.
Sizzle—
From the palm of each Gengar, Shadow Balls formed and launched forth.
The black-purple Shadow Balls clashed with the crimson orange fire streams.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!!!
Explosions erupted incessantly in front of the Burning Flame Guild.
"Hiss—"
"Why are there so many?"
"This is bad!"
"Didn't Lord Zancrow say there was only one?"
Before the smoke from the explosion cleared, several Shadow Balls tore through the smoke and mercilessly struck the members of the Burning Flame Guild.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The guild members who first rushed out from the entrance were scattered, not even having time to scream.
They never anticipated that Gengars' attacks would be so swift.
Gengar chuckled wickedly, stomping the trident in its right hand on the ground, causing dozens more Black Holes to appear in front of it.
Haunter and hundreds of Gastly emerged, and with a flick of its left hand towards the Burning Flame Guild:
"Kukuku (Gengar Legion)!"
"Kuku (Charge!)"
"Kuku (Take everything)!!!"
Hundreds of Gastly and dozens of Haunter hovered in the air, chuckling menacingly:
"Kuku (Yes, boss)!"
Like untamed horses, the spectral Pokemon rushed in all directions, delving into the ground, rooftops, and walls, storming inside the guild.
The dozen or so Gengar relied on their formidable Psychic Power and skills to initiate a frontal assault on the Burning Flame Guild.
Shadow Balls and fire beams clashed, causing a series of explosions.
The entire guild truly lived up to its name and was set ablaze.
Gengar stood calmly outside, holding its trident.
Moments later, a powerful male voice roared from within the Burning Flame Guild:
"Damn ghost!"
"Burn to ashes!!!"
With that raging scream.
Buzz—
The roar of flames sounded, and the surrounding air turned searing hot. Gastly and Haunter, clutching loot, rushed out from the walls, rooftops, and ground.
The guild, resembling a castle, saw orange light emanating from every window.
Boom!!!
A massive fireball burst through the roof, floating in mid-air, illuminating the area as if it were daytime.
Under the sweep of the searing Magic Power, Gastly and Haunter trailing behind screeched in pain from the burns.
Gengar, clutching its trident, furrowed its brow, its expression serious as it looked at the man beneath the massive fireball.
The man beneath the fireball was the Guild Master of the Burning Flame Guild, "Exploding Blaze" Piska, a powerful Fire-type A+-level Mage.
Piska held up a nearly ten-meter-diameter fireball, descending slowly from the air, his gaze sweeping around to confirm whether Gaal Brons was there.
The guild members gathered behind Guild Master Piska, warily eyeing the Gengars outside.
Gengar gripped its trident with both hands, aiming at Piska. The surrounding Gengars hid behind their leader, making faces and taunting the members of the Burning Flame Guild opposite them.
Enraged, the members of the Burning Flame Guild reddened with fury.
But Guild Master Piska remained unmoved. Once he confirmed that there was no trace of Gaal around, his expression twisted with malice as he looked at the opposing Gengar:
"Damn Gaal Brons."
"You let them come here to destroy us?"
"Is this the arrogance of the Light Guild?"
When the guild was first attacked, Piska reacted immediately, even recognizing the outside Gengar as the creature hunted by Zancrow.
Yet, due to Gengar's owner being Gaal Brons—the one who defeated their idol, Lord Zancrow—Piska hesitated to act immediately, hoping to ambush Gaal Brons or retreat if things went south.
Seeing the Gengars summoning these Gastly and Haunter, storming inside and taking valuable items, Piska could no longer endure and acted.
Yet, even after all this, Gaal did not appear.
Piska finally confirmed that Gaal Brons wasn't present!
Moreover, Gaal had only sent these creatures to attack them, a complete humiliation!!!
There has to be a limit to underestimating others!
Piska gritted his teeth in fury, addressing Gengar:
"Heh... I wonder if I'll break your master's heart by killing you all."
Gengar, gripping the trident, listened to Piska's musings and tilted its head in bafflement:
"Kukuku (What's this guy up to)?"
Gengar's minions behind it, making faces, started chattering, some even jumping up laughing at the enemy:
"Kukuku (The boss scared him silly)!"
"Kuku (Absolutely)!"
"Kukuku (The boss is unbeatable)!"
"Kuku (Charge!!)"
Gengar cracked a mocking grin at Piska.
Piska's face darkened, showing no hesitation, and hurled the held-up fireball with astonishing speed.
Gengar's crimson eyes gleamed, and the trident in its hand pulsed with tremendous energy:
"Kuu~~"
The trident's prongs aimed at the gigantic fireball.
The terrifying Psychic Power boosted by Galar Particles surged from Gengar's body. With a glance from its crimson eyes, the massive fireball engulfed in orange flames abruptly stopped mid-air.
The massive fireball trembled slightly before rocketing back.
Piska's pupils contracted sharply.
Without delay, he raised a wall of flames before him, detonating the fireball.
Boom—!!!
The massive fireball exploded, seemingly in a directed blast, as crimson orange flames, along with terrifying energy, surged like a tidal wave toward Gengar and its allies.
Startled, the Gigantamax Gengar erupted with ghostly purple light and instantly Gigantamaxed.
A twenty-meter-tall Gigantamax Gengar emerged from the ground, opening its enormous mouth to inhale the storm-like surge of energy.
Once it finished absorbing the explosion's energy, the Gigantamaxed Gengar let out a blood-curdling sound:
"Kukuku~~"
Piska gasped: "What kind of monster is this? The intel wasn't clear at all. And it's completely different from what Zancrow said, how did it become this huge?"
With no time to lose, Piska commanded his guild members to scatter and escape, intending to get the message out.
Meanwhile, Piska himself eyed Gengar, readying his Magic Power.
His magical robes billowed around him as two crimson flames appeared in his hands, slammed into the ground: "Exploding Flame Hell!!!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Enormous pillars of fire surged up around the Gigantamax Gengar, forming what looked like a flaming prison that trapped the Gigantamaxed Gengar within.
As the towering fire pillars multiplied, a turbulent Magic Power began gathering beneath the Gengar.
Piska grinned ominously, staring at the stationary Gigantamax Gengar: "Turn to ashes!!!"
This move utilized the ascending fire pillars to push back and imprison the opponent, followed by a blast from below to annihilate everything.
With the Gigantamax Gengar remaining motionless, it played right into Piska's hands, better to deal with this monster all at once.
However.
Piska's grin faded in barely two seconds.
Crack, crack, crack—
The sound of spreading ice echoed as an extreme cold emanated from Gengar, extending outwards.
The ground froze instantly and expanded downward and outward. The once towering fire pillars were overtaken by the cold air, swiftly transforming into enormous 'ice pillars.'
Piska's pupils contracted as he tried to prematurely activate the underground Magic Power.
Yet it was sealed off by an icy barrier, sending chills down Piska's spine: "Frozen?"
Suddenly.
In front of Piska, immense Magic Power surged as a point of red-orange light lit up before his eyes.
Boom—!!!
The red-flamed explosion, which had just been consumed by Gigantamax Gengar, was expelled again, shattering several 'ice pillars' before slamming into Piska.
The impact sent Piska hurtling back, crashing through the guild doors and landing inside, only stopping once he hit a wall.
Blood gushed from his mouth, unknown how many bones had shattered: "Cough, cough... Damn it, what is this monster. Swallowing magic and hitting it back?"
Piska fought through the agony, trying to lift himself up.
But, before him, a series of silver Magic Circles glowed, through which guild members spilled out.
Wasting no time, Piska tried to rally his Magic Power in readiness.
From the entrance emerged a shadow clad in a magical robe and hat, accompanied by creeping ice.
As the shadow drew nearer, the ice-cold Magic swept forth, encasing the injured Piska and guild members in a chilling embrace.
Crack, crack, crack—
One by one, ice sculptures took form in Piska's gaze as he tried to muster 'Exploding Flame' Magic, recognizing the figure who strolled into the guild hall, his voice rasping with unwillingness: "Gaal... Brons..."
Damn, if only I wasn't injured, I might...
Crack!
Ice crawled from Piska's legs, encapsulating him into an ice statue.
Like a monument, he stood frozen in his guild's hall.
With this, the Dark Guild Burning Flame was utterly destroyed.