Before reaching the giant boulder where the two of them were hiding, the goat stumbled and fell heavily to the ground. It tried to scramble up quickly, but perhaps out of extreme panic, it failed several times. Hearing the Balkan's approach from behind, the goat seemed to anticipate what was about to happen and let out a mournful cry. From where Laxus stood, he could clearly capture the deep helplessness and terror welling up in the goat's eyes.
At that moment, a Balkan was hurtling toward the goat like a bolt of lightning. In those fleeting yet agonizingly long moments, the goat's miserable cries echoed relentlessly in Laxus's ears. He clenched his fists tightly as the anger in his chest surged higher and higher. Finally, unable to suppress the impulse within him any longer, he abruptly stood up and turned to shout at Alan beside him: "Big brother, I can't take this anymore! I absolutely cannot stand by and watch this goat die such a miserable death right in front of me!" Without waiting for a reply, Laxus leaped without hesitation out from behind the massive boulder.
Seeing this, Alan couldn't help but smile faintly, then followed him out. In truth, the moment the Balkan appeared, Alan had known very well that a fight was inevitable. According to his original plan, he had intended to wait until the Balkans gathered further ahead before launching a surprise attack. To his surprise, however, Laxus's intolerance for seeing the goat meet a cruel fate had caused him to lose his temper and prematurely expose their presence. Still, things had reached this point, and Alan felt it was no big deal anyway. After all, given the strength they currently possessed, dealing with this group of Balkans would be a piece of cake.
The Balkans also noticed Alan and Laxus suddenly leaping out. They immediately bared their bloody maws and let out a deafening, warning roar at the two uninvited guests. Yet, unlike the creatures these Balkans usually encountered, Alan and Laxus did not retreat; instead, they walked forward with firm, steadily accelerating steps.
The goat seemed to sense it was saved; its panic vanished instantly, and it scrambled to its feet, bolting into the distance without a moment's hesitation.
Seeing their hard-earned prey escape just like that, the Balkans flew into a rage. They glared wide-eyed, roaring incessantly at Alan and Laxus as if to vent all the fury burning inside them.
Laxus had long harbored a deep resentment toward these ape-like monsters, and now he made no effort to conceal his disgust.
Bright flashes of lightning danced across his fists, and powerful currents coiled and intertwined around his arms, emitting a heart-palpitating wave of power. In contrast, Alan did not display the dazzling magic effects that Laxus did; he merely summoned Gram calmly, without even drawing Aegis, clearly deeming the Balkans before him unworthy of his full effort.
"Big brother, let's go!" Laxus shouted heartily, and immediately took decisive action.
"Chain Lightning!"
A thick bolt of lightning roared forth from his hands like a fierce thunder dragon, racing toward the Balkans at an astonishing speed. Upon striking the lead Balkan, the lightning did not stop; instead, like a nimble silver snake, it leaped and wove back and forth among the pack, leaving a trail of crackling electricity and flying sparks.
The Balkans had not expected the lightning summoned by Laxus to be so devastatingly powerful. Even with their natural resistance, they were jolted into a chorus of shrieks, their formation instantly thrown into complete disarray. Seizing this opportunity, Laxus clenched his hands into tight fists and surged forward like an arrow released from a bowstring. Naturally, Alan had no intention of letting Laxus charge into battle alone; brandishing Gram, he followed closely behind into the chaotic fray.
Once the two of them charged in together, the battle ended in an instant. The Balkans collapsed into unconsciousness amidst a series of miserable shrieks. Laxus wanted to deliver a finishing blow, but Alan pulled him back.
Just moments before, as the fight was just beginning, one Balkan had turned and fled. Judging by the direction of its escape and its panicked posture, nine times out of ten it had gone to fetch reinforcements.
Laxus swept his sharp gaze over the jumble of unconscious Balkans lying defenseless on the ground, then turned to Alan, gave a slight nod, and signaled: "Big brother, let's chase them!" With that, the two men set off like the wind, hurtling after the fleeing Balkan like arrows loosed from a bow.
Their speed was already formidable, but just then, a succession of overlapping Balkan roars echoed from ahead.
Alan understood instantly that these cries were signals the Balkans were using to summon their companions. Even so, they did not slow their pace; instead, they sprinted forward even faster.
Before long, the two of them caught sight of a group of Balkans gathered in front of a cave entrance. A quick glance revealed that their number exceeded fifty.
The pack clearly noticed Alan and Laxus pursuing them relentlessly. Eyeballs bulging with fury, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws, they roared deafeningly at the two as if trying to turn the entire valley upside down.
Annoyed by the chaotic noise, Alan raised a hand to press gently against one ear, turned to Laxus—whose brow was similarly furrowed—and said: "These guys are way too noisy. Let's return some peace and quiet to this world!" Before the words had even faded, Laxus, whose blood was already pumping from the thrilling chase, let out an excited roar and lunged straight at the menacing pack of Balkans like a maddened bull.
Laxus was entirely enveloped in lightning, while Alan had clothed himself in the armor of the Chrono-Metal and wielded Gram. Like two gods of war, they charged into the massive horde of Balkans.
In their eyes, fighting one Balkan or fifty yielded only one outcome. Terrified by the miserable fate of their companions, the Balkans who had not yet been attacked scrambled frantically into the cave. The two pursued them all the way, until the pack suddenly found their path blocked by a boulder. With nowhere left to run, they had no choice but to turn and face Alan and the other.
Upon seeing Alan and Laxus catch up, one Balkan suddenly dropped to its knees before the two. With one taking the lead, the rest followed suit and knelt down as well.
Seeing the Balkans choose to beg for mercy, Laxus, whose adrenaline was still pumping, let out a dissatisfied hum.
Alan said to him: "Laxus, I'll leave it to you to decide their ultimate fate."
Hearing Alan's words, Laxus calmed down slightly as the emotional high faded. After a moment of silence, he looked at the eyes of these Balkans and saw no difference from the eyes of that goat. He recalled what Alan usually said—that Heaven holds a virtue of cherishing life and there was no need for needless slaughter—so he simply waved his hand dismissively toward the outside, motioning for the Balkans to get out of there quickly.
Granted permission, the cowering Balkans scurried away out of the cave.
Once the Balkans had gone, Laxus prepared to leave as well, but Alan held him back. Looking somewhat puzzled, Laxus watched as Alan gazed at the boulder blocking their path and said: "This stone was created by magic. I want to know what's behind it."