When Lucy heard the voice, a look of surprise crossed his face. "That voice—it's Kyros!"
The air vibrated with a deep, resonating hum.
The invisible Conqueror's Haki surged forth, crashing down upon the three of them with tremendous force.
Erza quickly shouted, "Kyros. Please, show mercy!"
The Conqueror's Haki in the air hesitated for a moment, then struck the three again with renewed intensity.
"Boom!!"
"Ahhhhh!"
"Ughhh!"
The three of them cried out in pain as they were thrown against the gaming table, shattering it into pieces.
"Who's there?" Sho demanded, rising from the wreckage of the table and glaring towards Kyros.
Then he saw Kyros approaching, carrying a girl who looked like a kitten.
"Millianna?!" Erza and Sho recognized the girl in Kyros's arms.
Sho, his face twisted in anger, shouted, "What have you done to Millianna?! Release her immediately!"
"Mew? I'm caught…" Millianna lamented, feeling unlucky and terrified. She tried to use her magic to escape, but the man holding her was so powerful that she couldn't break free.
His body was as hard as steel; every punch and kick she landed seemed to bounce off, causing her great pain.
"Kyros!! Help me!"
Lucy's voice echoed from the card.
Kyros looked at them and replied, "Release Lucy."
Sho retorted, "Let Millianna go first!"
With a casual flick, Kyros tossed Millianna towards the group.
Simon and the others were stunned for a moment, not expecting Kyros to so readily release Millianna as a hostage.
"Wally, do it!" Simon shouted to Wally. With no hostages on their side, they had nothing to lose.
"Don't!!" Erza shouted urgently, though she was unsure of what magic her former companion had learned or how strong they were.
But she knew Kyros's strength well; no magic would have much effect on him.
Attacking Kyros seemed like a suicide mission.
Wally raised his hand and fired at Kyros.
"Bang!!"
A bullet sped toward Kyros's heart.
"Snapped!"
Kyros's left hand shot out, fingers stretched, and he clamped the bullet between two fingers. The bullet was slightly deformed by his grip.
"How can this be?!"
Everyone's eyes widened in shock, including Lucy, who was locked in the card.
The bullet was incredibly fast, making it difficult to dodge. To catch such a high-speed bullet with just fingers took an extraordinary level of skill.
"Go to hell!" Sho shouted, hurling a card at Kyros.
"Be careful, Kyros!" Lucy called out urgently, recalling how she had been trapped in the card, and warned Kyros.
"What?!"
Kyros's figure vanished as he was trapped inside the card.
"Oops!" Lucy's face fell as she saw Kyros imprisoned in the card. What could they do now? Even the strongest mage, Kyros, was confined.
Simon, Wally, and Millianna all breathed a sigh of relief, glad to finally have this threat contained.
Suddenly, the entire casino shook.
"What? An earthquake?"
"Boom!"
"Is it the ground shaking?"
They soon realized the vibrations were coming from beneath them.
Looking at the card on the ground, they saw Kyros relentlessly pounding it with his fists.
"It's him! He's attacking the card!" Millianna shouted.
Sho, with a confident smirk, said, "Don't worry. I've reinforced that card. No matter how strong he is, it won't break."
"Boom—!!"
The vibrations grew more intense, accompanied by louder sounds.
"Crack!"
Cracks began to appear on the card's surface.
"What?!" Sho's face went pale. The card he had protected was now cracking. Could this person's fists actually shatter the enchantment?
"Boom—!!!"
With a final explosive force, the card shattered, and Kyros's figure reappeared before them.
Sho's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Not bad magic, if it can withstand a few of my punches."
"You… who are you?!" Sho demanded.
Simon, standing next to Sho, spoke up, "Kyros, the Immortal Demon King, an S-rank mage from the Fairy Tail guild."
"Simon, you know him?!"
Simon replied, "If we're going after Erza, we need to understand the people around her. Kyros is currently one of the most renowned mages in the Kingdom of Fiore."
Indeed, Kyros has recently become the most famous mage. The reason for this is that Kyros single-handedly defeated the Phantom Lord, the most powerful wizard guild in the Kingdom of Fiore.
This victory included defeating the guild's president, Jose Porla, who was ranked among the top ten mages in the continent of Ishgar.
Such an event couldn't be kept secret. With fewer than ten saints across the entire Ishgar continent—and some positions still vacant—the defeat of one of these top mages naturally caused a stir throughout the continent.
"I don't care what kind of Immortal Demon King or S-class wizard you are. I will eliminate anyone who stands in my way of bringing my sister back to the Tower of Heaven!"
Sho hurled several cards towards Kyros.
"Hmph!" Kyros remained unmoved, letting out a cold snort. His Conqueror's Haki surged forth, and with a wave of his hand, he effortlessly knocked the cards aside. This time, the impact was even more forceful than before, sending the cards flying through the air.
"Boom—!"
The ground beneath Kyros shattered towards Sho and his companions.
The force of Kyros's Conqueror's Haki struck them like a powerful wave.
"Ahhhh!"
The four of them screamed as they were thrown backward, crashing into and shattering several gaming tables along the way.
They were left injured, with blood trickling from the corners of their mouths, unable to stand, and a deep sense of dread filling their hearts.
Kyros looked at them and said coolly, "Do you really want to die?"
Erza quickly intervened, stepping in front of Kyros and pleading, "Kyros, please, don't kill them."
"Erza?"