Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 338: Take over: Rift Herald

Boom! Boom! Boom...

The towering mechanical monstrosity marched forward, its massive limbs pounding the ground with rhythmic thunder. Each step sent tremors rolling through the earth, shaking trees, rattling rocks, and causing gentle ripples to form across the lake's surface.

At the front of the iron-clad behemoth, a long, gleaming barrel extended outward, its sheen catching the sunlight with an ominous metallic glare.

A dense aura of magic began gathering at the muzzle, a swirling vortex of blue and black energy forming with visible intensity. It pulsed with killing intent.

This was Jupiter, Phantom Lord's infamous magic cluster cannon, so powerful it could obliterate a guildhall with a single shot. And right now, it was locked onto the approaching members of Fairy Tail.

Cana narrowed her eyes. "Heads up, everyone. If that thing hits us, we're toast."

Natsu blinked. "Wait... Didn't Rhodes say he'd take care of the first shot?"

Loke adjusted his glasses with a sigh. "He did, but he also said to prepare to be yanked underground if necessary."

"A man shouldn't let his guard down!" Elfman added, puffing up his chest even as he kept an eye on the cannon's glow.

All of them were still sprinting across the lake path, but their attention remained locked on the looming barrel. Somewhere out there, Rhodes was moving.

...

Inside Phantom Lord's fortress. the operation center, tension rose.

"Master Jose," the driver reported, "Jupiter is charged and locked on. Targets are within range."

Jose sneered, raising his monocle as the light of destruction gleamed through the stained-glass windows behind him. "Good. Blow them straight to heaven."

He had noticed Lucy trailing near the rear of the formation, but scoffed at the thought of it being genuine. That was obviously bait. A bluff. There's no way Fairy Tail would risk placing their precious Heartfilia heiress in the line of fire.

In his mind, it was just one more ploy to make him hesitate.

He wouldn't.

"Fire."

"Yes, sir!" the operator shouted, pulling the lever.

The cannon began to hum, a heavy vibration growing stronger as raw magic surged through the internal coils. A blue-black cyclone of energy swirled inside the barrel, compressing into a gleaming sphere of concentrated magic power. The pressure was so overwhelming, it could be felt even by those not looking directly at it.

And then—THOOM!

A violent quake rocked the entire chamber.

The lights flickered. The cannon's aim suddenly jolted. The blast, mere seconds away from firing, veered off-course.

Jose spun around. "What was that?!"

"Master Jose!" shouted the lookout, panicked. "A purple creature! A giant purple creature is attacking our rear legs, it's that strategist from Fairy Tail!"

"What?!"

...

Rhodes had moved with surgical precision.

Using the crab form, he had zipped across the lake at blinding speed, overtaking the rest of his team. Once ashore, he transitioned into Krug form and burrowed deep underground, skirting beneath the Phantom forces entirely.

With Warren's telepathic guidance providing real-time positioning, Rhodes found the perfect opportunity, and struck.

From the shadows, a pulse of summoning magic erupted. The Rift Herald, a monstrous, hulking purple beast, roared into the material plane, trailing phantom echoes as it launched itself forward.

With a thunderous crash, it slammed into the rear right leg of the Phantom Guild's mobile fortress.

Cracks spread outward from the point of impact, webbing across the entire surface of the mechanical leg.

The leg visibly sagged under its own weight. The Rift Herald continued to hammer its massive pincers into the joint like a living siege engine, each strike reverberating like a war drum.

A sickening creak echoed through the air as the metal strained under pressure.

"Too slow! At this rate, we won't break through in time!"

Rhodes burst from the earth nearby, eyes focused. "Take over: Rift Herald!"

A pulse of energy enveloped his body as his form transformed.

Purple armor, chitinous and gleaming, snapped into place over his limbs. A segmented mask covered his head, leaving only his glowing violet eyes visible. His upper torso was adorned with angular chest armor shaped like an inverted triangle, etched with eerie, pulsing purple eyes.

From his back unfurled a pair of jagged, carapace-like wings, and a thick, armored tail swept low behind him.

His arms became colossal violet pincers, his legs reinforced and plated for power and speed.

From a distance, he looked like a humanoid version of the Rift Herald, monstrous, relentless, and majestic, like a fusion of the Void beast and a battle-hardened knight.

The wings beat once.

With a surge of energy, Rhodes rocketed forward in a flash of violet light, lowering his shoulder as he crashed into the mechanical leg with tremendous force.

BOOM!

CRACK—

A deep dent sank into the already damaged joint.

Fractures spread like spiderwebs from the impact zone, joining with the cracks left by the Herald's previous strikes. They formed a chaotic lattice of instability, unseen but deadly.

Bits of armor plating and mechanical debris began breaking away, falling in a steady rain from the limb. Internally, hidden components, gears, conduits, support rods shattered like glass.

Rhodes leapt back just in time to witness the results.

The entire leg gave way with a terrible groan.

First, the external shell disintegrated, then the internal structure buckled and caved inward. The propulsion system, joint servos, and power relays snapped and crumbled in rapid succession.

With a final, deafening crash, the colossal mechanical limb collapsed completely.

The shockwave kicked up clouds of smoke and dust, so dense they swallowed everything nearby.

Even the towering Rift Herald, standing amidst the rubble, vanished from sight, its form reduced to a silhouette blurred by churning dust.

The moment the mechanical leg gave way, the entire Phantom Lord guild structure, mounted atop the six-legged mobile fortress, lurched violently toward the ruined limb.

Caught off guard, many of the Phantom members inside the building lost their footing and tumbled across the slanted floor like bowling pins.

Cries and crashes echoed through the tilted hallways as members rolled helplessly into walls and one another. Some flattened awkwardly against vertical surfaces, their cheeks comically squashed. Others were knocked over by their own teammates, groaning in confusion.

Totomaru, representing the element of fire, jabbed his sword into the floor to anchor himself. Aria, the wind user, coolly thrust his hands into the walls, using wind pressure to stabilize his position.

Gajeel Redfox, the Iron Dragon Slayer, had no such trouble. His feet extended sharp spikes into the metal flooring, anchoring him with ease. He looked irritated, but otherwise unfazed.

In the operations chamber, the driver had been strapped into a fixed seat and managed to stay upright. Guildmaster Jose, meanwhile, caught the back of the command chair just in time to maintain his composure.

"Damn it! These legs are built from high-grade magical alloys, how the hell did one just break?!" Jose bellowed.

Snarling, he barked a new order: "Stabilize the structure now! Reset balance! And tell Gajeel to eliminate that bastard immediately!"

BOOM!

At that exact moment, the Jupiter Cannon, already charged, fired. But with the Walker tilting, the shot veered wildly off course.

A massive beam of compressed magic shot straight into the sky, punching a hole through the cloud cover like a lance of energy.

For a moment, the clouds parted, revealing a brilliant, unnatural circle of clear sky. The surrounding mist tried to fill the hole, but it was slow to do so. The raw power of that blast was awe-inspiring.

Back on the ground, the Fairy Tail members roared with joy.

"Rhodes did it!"

"Right between the eyes!"

"He took out that monster in one strike!"

Then Rhodes' voice echoed in everyone's mind, projected through telepathy:

"Assault team, advance! Mobile team, regroup at my position. Warren will guide you!"

"Got it!" Elfman shouted. With a surge of power, he and the rest of the frontline sprinted toward the now-unstable Phantom guild fortress.

"Let's move!" Erza said. She and Mira led Lucy quickly through the smoke under Warren's direction, closing in on Rhode's location.

A thick shroud of dust and debris cloaked Rhode's surroundings. Using the shared vision of one of the crabs he had left behind, he locked onto the location of the next mechanical leg.

He leapt onto the back of the Rift Herald and charged forward without hesitation.

"If I can bring down another leg... we'll turn their six-legged spider into a limping walker."

But just as he surged through the smoke and dust, a gleaming iron bar whistled through the air above.

...

Bonus @1600

40 Chapters @p*treon.c*m/Keepsmiling818

Just caught up with the previous translation! If you're into it, check out the new fanfic, Yu-Gi-Oh: Fusion Is the Noblest Summoning Method! Add it to your library, and drop some Power Stones if you feel like it!