Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 224: Because We Are Fairy Tail!

Stone spikes erupted continuously from the ground, forcing Rhodes and Erza to leap and weave through the barrage to avoid being pierced or thrown off balance.

Erza moved swiftly, slicing through spikes as she landed on them, but new spikes immediately sprouted from the broken ones, leaving her no choice but to keep moving. The unstable, trembling ground made dodging even more difficult, one misstep and she could fall.

"Take over: Raptor!"

With a powerful leap, Rhodes transformed, his arms turning into wide crimson wings. He soared into the air with a gust of wind.

As he twisted mid-flight, he swooped toward Erza and caught her shoulders with his talon-like claws, lifting her safely into the sky.

Hovering alongside Natsu and Happy, Rhodes felt a strange realization dawn.

"Why do I feel like I've become a Harpy?" he muttered, somewhat begrudgingly.

"How's your magic holding up?" he asked the others.

"No problem at all!" Natsu shouted boldly, his confidence fired up after replenishing his strength by devouring flames.

"I'll manage," Erza replied. Though her voice was calm, Rhodes noticed her armor had shifted back to its default form, clearly entering a more energy-efficient mode.

"We're still good!" Happy added cheerfully. Since he hadn't exerted much energy earlier, carrying Natsu for a while wouldn't be an issue.

With that, Rhodes quickly determined who needed the mana buff most.

He needed to recover as well.

"ROAR!!!"

Carniber wasn't finished.

When the ground spikes failed to land a hit, the massive demon uprooted two of them with his bare hands, snapped them off, and hurled them like javelins.

The two enormous stone spikes rocketed through the air with thunderous force. Each was nearly the size of a small truck, barreling toward them with terrifying speed.

Rhodes and Happy split off, each dodging in opposite directions. The wind shear alone from the impact tugged at their clothes and ruffled feathers, a testament to Carniber's monstrous strength.

It was honestly a miracle that Natsu had taken a hit from one earlier and was still bouncing around like it was nothing.

But Carniber wasn't slowing down. He snapped two more spikes and launched them into the air. Then, gaining momentum, he tore more loose rocks from the terrain, launching them wildly like a reverse meteor shower raining upward.

Rhodes flapped his wings furiously, dodging with Erza in tow. Erza, now dual-wielding swords, sliced through the airborne debris with unmatched precision, clearing a path in the sky.

Happy dodged nimbly with Natsu, flying in graceful loops. Compared to Rhodes, her movement was far more fluid and relaxed.

As Carniber's attacks intensified, Erza's boots vanished in a flash of magic light, replaced by two more swords gripped in her feet. She danced in the air, spinning in a high-speed flurry of slashes, arms and legs moving in perfect harmony.

Rhodes couldn't help but be impressed. This was the infamous Four-Sword Style, a rare display of her high-level Requip magic.

"Leave the defense to me! Go for his head!" Erza shouted.

"Got it!" Rhodes didn't hesitate for a second. He trusted her completely.

He shot toward the sky above Carniber's head like a crimson comet.

The stones rained upward, but Erza slashed through them all without faltering. No matter how fast or unpredictable the barrage, not a single rock touched Rhodes.

She had never once let down someone who placed their trust in her.

"Here it is!" Erza called out, signaling Rhodes to stop. "Requip: Giant Armor! Spear of Demon-Breaking!"

This time, she didn't hurl the spear. Instead, she gripped it in reverse and lunged, aiming to stab Carniber directly in the head.

Carniber raised his right fist to strike back, but a flaming red fireball intercepted him mid-swing.

"Don't even think about it! MAX SPEED!"

"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"

As Carniber raised his left arm to block, a massive stone golem, its chest glowing with blue light, came crashing down from the sky.

"Let's see you block this!"

Rhodes, mid-dive, muttered under his breath, "I must be out of my mind rushing in like this..."

He had been debating whether to summon a Sentinel midair, worried it wouldn't fall fast enough or that it would miss due to its slow reaction time. So he chose to take over it himself mid-sprint and smashed Carniber's raised hand aside on impact.

Now in the thick of it, Rhodes pointed toward Erza. "Blue Buff."

Then, turning to Carniber's injured body, he patted the cracked stone armor still clinging to the giant's frame. From it, two small stone constructs emerged like miniature cannons.

"Azure Floating Cannons—lock on!"

He didn't wait to see the result of Erza's attack. The two hovering cannons focused their blue laser fire at Carniber's wrist.

It was better to disable one hand completely than to land glancing blows. If this worked, Carniber would be left with only one usable arm.

Erza's form streaked across the night sky like a blazing comet. The tip of her spear glowed with anti-magic energy as she drove it toward the back of Carniber's head.

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

There was a deep, dull impact as the spear struck. An invisible shockwave erupted outward from the point of contact, sending a powerful gust across the battlefield. The force was so intense that even Erza herself couldn't hold steady and was thrown back.

The red glow in Carniber's eyes flickered, and his movements suddenly stalled. The massive body wavered, then slowly toppled backward.

Natsu clutched an exhausted Happy and used Carniber's collapsing form like a ramp, sprinting forward and leaping off with force.

Meanwhile, Rhodes had latched onto Carniber's wrist, relentless. The floating cannons kept blasting away at the giant's arm, even as the monster fell.

He figured it didn't matter if he got thrown off. He wouldn't die from the fall, so he might as well keep piling on the damage.

Boom!

The impact of Carniber's fall was like a tower collapsing. The earth trembled and a cloud of dust exploded into the air.

Rhodes, covered in debris, immediately scrambled up and went back to pummeling Carniber's elbow joint. Once that was done, he directed the floating cannons to target Carniber's throat.

"Ahhhhhhh—!"

The red glow in Carniber's eyes returned, and a burst of purple energy exploded from his mouth, destroying the cannons in an instant. Then, with a mighty swing of his right hand, he smacked Rhodes across his left side.

"Urgh—!" Rhodes was launched through the air, cracks spiderwebbing across his body. The take over magic was on the verge of breaking.

He hit the ground hard, bouncing and rolling until he came to a stop. Through the blur, he spotted Erza standing firm nearby.

Relieved, Rhodes let out a breath and finally dispelled the take over magic.

Erza caught Rhodes in her arms, the force of it pushing her several steps back. "Are you alright?"

"Erza! Rhodes!" Natsu came running with Happy close behind. "Are you both okay?"

Rhodes winced in pain. "Feels like my whole body's falling apart..."

His mind was foggy, dazed from the clash. But there was no time to recover.

Carniber had gotten back on its feet.

"ROOOAAAR!!!"

It slammed its claws into the ground, dropping to all fours, and let out a thunderous roar that shook the entire valley.

The very air seemed to quake. The pressure was overwhelming. It felt like the weight of the atmosphere had doubled, suffocating them.

Even breathing became difficult.

Cold sweat trickled down Erza's face. "This pressure... it feels just like when Master gets seriously angry."

Rhodes clutched at his chest. His heart was pounding violently. His breathing was shallow and fast, and his hand trembled uncontrollably.

It was fear. Genuine fear.

The last time he'd felt anything close to this was back when he first crossed into this world and faced the porcupine monster.

Since then, he'd fought strong foes, even during the S-Class trials, but he'd never truly felt helpless. Whether it was facing Erza, Mystogan, or Laxus, there was always reassurance deep down. They were allies. It was fine if he lost.

Even against the unicorn in the S-Class exam, he hadn't felt real fear. Because back then, he knew that if things went wrong, Erza or the Master would step in.

But now...

Now it was different.

Now even Erza might not win. And if they lost... they could all die here.

Rhode swallowed hard. His brain screamed at him to run.

Could he summon the Scuttle crab and retreat? Use the Krugs for cover? Maybe call the Raptors and take to the sky?

He was already forming plans in his mind, desperate to find a way to get everyone out alive.

Suddenly, two hands landed on his shoulders.

Erza stood on one side. Natsu on the other.

Erza gave him a steady smile. "My magic power is almost fully recovered. Let's get ready to fight."

Natsu shoved Happy into Rhode's arms and cracked his knuckles, flames flickering from his fists. "Alright, what's the plan this time? I'm fired up and ready!"

They both looked at him with unwavering confidence.

"Don't worry, Rhodes. No matter what, we're going to win! Because..."

The trembling in his hands stopped.

Rhodes took a deep breath... then exhaled slowly. Calm settled in.

"We are..."

"FAIRY TAIL!" *3

...

Bonus Chapter