Chapter 1096 433: Time Magic, Precht Defeated

Before the light faded, Augustus swung his Magic Staff, firing a golden beam that pierced straight through a large tree on the left and exploded behind it.

Precht flashed out from behind the tree just before the explosion and raised his sword: "Amaterasu Formula 100!"

Layer upon layer of purple Magic Arrays closed in around Augustus and all detonated in an instant.

The entire forest shook from the blast, and Augustus's figure was completely swallowed by the flames and smoke.

The thunderous roar could be heard even inside the city.

Precht was certain his Magic had hit the target, but there was no joy on his face as he quickly retreated.

Yet before he could get far, he found familiar Amaterasu Magic Arrays blooming all around him!

"What?!"

Precht brought his palms together, triggering his Defense Magic.

At the same time, the Arrays activated—the explosive Power was every bit as fierce as the Amaterasu Formula 100 he had just unleashed!

The two explosions linked into one and almost simultaneously came to a halt.

Two craters of roughly equal size were left behind.

Precht wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, tore off his ruined cloak, and looked ahead.

Augustus stood there calmly, leaning on his staff. His body had turned a dark red, with pale yellow stripes running along his face and arms.

His cloak and shirt were gone, revealing a muscular upper body that looked nothing like a man nearing a hundred years old.

What shocked Precht the most was that Augustus was completely unscathed!

"You've got to be kidding me."

Precht was sure the man hadn't used any Defense Magic.

Was there really someone in this world who could take Amaterasu Formula 100 head‑on without any protection and come out without a scratch?

No, there had to be something off about this state.

But this was the enemy's turf, and he didn't seem to have the luxury of slowly probing for answers.

Precht wanted to break away as quickly as possible.

He thrust both palms forward, and two dark‑purple chains shot out—one wrapping around Augustus, the other stabbing toward his chest.

As soon as he launched them, Precht didn't bother to see the result, turning to retreat at full speed.

Augustus's voice drifted over, low and calm: "Unfortunately for you, I understand this Magic as well."

Precht stared in shock as the Magic Chains he had fired shattered the moment they touched Augustus's body.

And from the tip of Augustus's Magic Staff, two identical dark‑purple chains shot out!

"Don't tell me…"

If it were only the Amaterasu Magic Array, that would be one thing—it wasn't exactly a unique spell.

But these chains, plus that Concealment Magic from before…

Precht's heart formed a vague guess about Augustus's Magic.

He darted left and right, trying to evade the pursuing chains.

When he realized the man's control over the chains was no weaker than his own, Precht had no choice but to unleash the same Magic to counter them.

Four dark‑purple chains collided, twisted together, and ultimately cancelled each other out.

The tremendous Magic Power whipped up a howling gale.

At that moment, the Desert King Agir's arrogant laughter rang out: "Ah—hahahaha!"

"That old man is always nagging me for messing around, but isn't he making a bigger mess than me right now?!"

"This is trouble." Precht frowned and glanced to the side.

Only he wasn't looking toward the source of the laughter, but in the opposite direction.

It was very quiet there, yet a chilling cold seeped through the air.

Yinbel walked out with composed steps, adjusting his glasses:

"Take this seriously, Agir. Letting a spy slip away easily would be an insult to the Twelve Shields' reputation."

Precht's expression grew grave as he rapidly ran through possible escape routes in his mind.

Given the current situation, breaking through from the direction of the two younger ones was clearly the best option.

And between those two, the one using sand should be easier to handle…

As the thought formed, Precht suddenly felt a faint sting at his neck.

Yinbel seemed to have already accepted the outcome and relaxed completely: "You're here, Tima Liya."

Tima Liya?

Precht's pupils shrank as he suddenly saw a blonde woman knight standing before him, sword raised, the tip pressed to his throat!

When did she get here?!

Precht had absolutely no idea how this woman had arrived.

It was as if she had appeared in front of him in an instant, without the slightest warning!

"Space Magic?"

His first thought was of that kid called Mest from the Guild.

The Magic Power of the woman before him was leagues above Mest's—even with the same kind of Magic, the effect would be far superior to that brat's.

Except… just now he hadn't felt any spatial Fluctuation at all. Instead, there was another familiar aura…

"Give up struggling, old man." Tima Liya said with a smile. "Killing you would only take an instant."

Precht jerked backward into a leap, firing a purple Magic Bullet from his palm.

But before he even landed, he saw Tima Liya's figure vanish into thin air—the Magic Bullet struck nothing.

Throughout the process, Precht didn't sense any Space Magic Fluctuation.

Before he could think further, pain suddenly lanced through his back as a sword tip punched out from his chest.

"This is… *cough*…"

Precht coughed up a mouthful of blood—not space, but time!

It felt different from Ultear's Arc of Time, yet it was unmistakably Time Magic!

Gritting his teeth against the agony, Precht swung a hand backward, sending a chain lashing out.

But that too struck only empty air.

Tima Liya vanished from behind Precht in an instant, and her Longsword pierced through his abdomen from the front.

"Cough… ti—…"

Precht couldn't get the words out; a wave of freezing cold swept over him, sealing him completely in ice.

"Hey, Yinbel, I wasn't done playing yet!" Tima Liya protested. "You're no fun at all."

"You did well, Yinbel." Augustus descended and added another layer of ice to Precht's frozen body,

"Tima Liya, he's already seen through your Magic."

"What?"

Tima Liya was taken aback. She'd only used it three times—could someone really figure out her Magic that quickly?

"So what if he did?" Agir grumbled,

"Even if I know exactly how Tima Liya's Magic works, I still can't do anything about it."

"Do not underestimate him."

Augustus tapped the ice sculpture with his Magic Staff and turned toward the city.

The ice sculpture floated up, following behind him.

"This man is effectively His Majesty's disciple.

"His vast knowledge of Magic is beyond your imagination."

Tima Liya frowned and followed. Could that old man really dissect and counter her Magic?

...

Magnolia, rooftop of the Fairy Tail Guild.

Rhode reached the upper floor first.

Natsu followed behind him, holding a torch in his left hand and a brazier in his right, chewing nonstop as he mumbled,

"Why'd you drag me out here now? I haven't finished my meal yet."

Rhode looked at him. "There's something I should probably tell you. The time's about right."

Seeing how serious Rhode was, Natsu sobered up a bit. "What is it?"

Rhode said, "It's about… END."