Chapter 22: Ch 22 : Necklace and Armor
After hesitating slightly, Noel still chose to go through the door that Garlos had emerged from.
Based on the information revealed in the other party's words, whatever had originally been behind that door should have been the purpose of Garlos' visit.
Noel hoped to find some clues related to it in that room.
Stepping into the room, he quickly scanned his surroundings.
The only thing inside was a lone, empty throne at the center, while the floor was covered by a destroyed magic circle that had once encompassed the entire room.
(Was it destroyed by Garlos? Judging by the patterns on this magic circle, it seems to be a defensive one. Even though it has lost much of its power over the millennia, its current level of defense is still quite high. It looks like that Demonic Soul, Garlos, isn't just formidable in terms of mobility—his offensive power is definitely nothing to underestimate either.)
With a somewhat grave expression, Noel carefully studied the magic circle.
His final conclusion was that, despite its diminished power, its remaining defensive strength was still comparable to some of his own mid-to-high-level defensive techniques.
Judging by the extent of the damage, Garlos couldn't have attacked it more than three times—two times seemed even more likely.
What he didn't know was whether those attacks were made with full power or if Garlos had held back.
(Garlos' danger level needs to be reassessed. Based on all available information, his strength is at least on par with Erza. As for whether he has reached or even surpassed Mystogan or Laxus, there's not enough intelligence to determine.)