Erza: "Brother Evan, Why Am I the Only Normal One in This Family?" (Part 1)
...
Life drives magic. Magic creates miracles!
How far can human magic go? What kinds of miracles can it trigger?
The answer lies in belief, in imagination!
Molding Magic is a magic of freedom. And in Ur's hands, this seemingly ordinary magic had reached a transcendent level.
Even Silver, a user of the Ice Devil Slayer Magic, which inherently counters all Ice Mages, was still caught off guard and struck by Ur's finishing move.
That's why Ur Milkovich was rightfully selected by the Magic Council as one of the Ten Wizard Saints, there's no doubt, her comprehension and application of magic was at the level of a true grandmaster.
"Such powerful vitality…"
Silver could feel the life force within the blood-red roses encasing his body. His eyes trembled. This body, one that had been brought back through Reanimation Curses, began to weaken under the overwhelming vitality.
These red roses that looked like mere ice crystals were no longer just ice… they were living. They were imbued with Ur's own blood and life force.
As a result, his Devil Slayer Magic could no longer devour or counter this kind of ice, it simply wasn't "ice" anymore.
"It's over… Sorry, Silver. And Ultear, your exam ends here. Pick a better opponent next year~"
Ur smiled slightly as she looked at Silver being slowly encased in ice.
Having mastered the art of Crimson Ice, she could no longer be countered by either Silver or Ultear.
From here on, it was Ur the Ice Binder's domain.
However, just when Ur thought the outcome was sealed,
Her brain suddenly jolted. Her body shuddered, and her breathing turned ragged.
"No… This is bad…"
Ur's face went pale, whiter than the snow beneath her feet.
She realized she had overreached.
"Am I… out of blood?! Is this anemia?!"
It was her first time developing a completely new form of magic, Crimson Ice, and she had misjudged the ratio between blood and ice.
She'd pushed too hard, consumed too much blood… and now her body was shutting down.
"What's going on…?"
Silver frowned, sensing something strange about her state.
"Looks like… you two win this time. But next time, it won't be so easy."
Ur's lips were dry and pale. She turned toward Silver and Ultear, then collapsed backward into the deep snow with a dull thud.
"Huh?!"
Silver, who had been on the verge of being completely frozen, was stunned.
"What the heck is going on?!"
Now only his head was visible, the rest encased in red ice. He stared at the fallen Ur, eyes filled with confusion.
Was this a trick?
Was Ur throwing the match on purpose to help her daughter, Ultear, pass?
But… it was too fake! Even if she wanted to help Ultear, surely she wouldn't do it so blatantly, especially with Makarov watching the whole thing!
"Vmm~"
Right then, Makarov, acting as referee, descended from the sky and landed between Silver, Ultear, and the unconscious Ur.
"Master."
Silver, the only one still conscious, gave Makarov a slight nod.
He wasn't sure how to judge this.
Was it a victory for him and Ultear? Or for Ur?
But the reality was this, two exam candidates had fought one examiner, and still got utterly crushed.
And only because Ur fainted did the fight end.
Silver, even as a reanimated corpse, had enough pride to question whether this was really a win.
"Oh? Ur fainted due to anemia…"
"So that's it. She couldn't control her new magic properly."
"In that case, it's clear, Ur has failed."
"As the only person still conscious here, Silver, you are the winner!"
"No doubt about it, you and Ultear have passed."
After inspecting Ur's condition, Makarov quickly determined that she fainted from blood loss.
Seeing the red ice, he also deduced how it had happened.
Even though she had overwhelmed them, she collapsed, and that was enough to call it a loss.
Makarov smiled gently at Silver and declared the result.
"Master, I can't accept this as a win."
"This red ice surrounding me is the complete opposite of my own body, it's filled with life energy. It's frozen my dead flesh completely."
"Even if I wanted to melt it, it'd take at least an hour or two. By then… Ur might have recovered."
"At that point, it'd be our loss. That's why I believe the true victor… is Ur."
Silver, still trapped in the crimson ice with only his head visible, explained helplessly.
His judgment was sound, by the time Ur woke up, he and Ultear would still be frozen and powerless.
"Heh… Silver, you're wrong."
"This is the S-Class Wizard Exam of Fairy Tail, not a battle to the death!"
"Besides, Ur using this level of magic on examinees was already overkill…"
"She's one of the Ten Wizard Saints, same as me. To be pushed to this extent by two candidates… is already a loss."
"You and Ultear have every right to be proud, you knocked out one of the Ten Wizard Saints during an exam!"
"No matter the method, that already places you above 99% of all S-Class mages in any legal guild!"
Makarov stroked his mustache and smiled kindly at Silver.
"That's true… But still, I wanted to beat Ur fair and square."
Silver nodded slightly. Makarov was right, this was an exam, not a duel to the death.
Besides, Ur was a Saint Wizard. The fact that he and Ultear managed to overwhelm someone of her caliber, even if it was via magical advantage, was something to be proud of.
Without question, both Silver and Ultear had reached the level where they could pass any guild's S-Class exam and be acknowledged as full-fledged S-Class Wizards.
"You'd better listen to yourself. You're saying you want to defeat one of the Ten Wizard Saints head-on."
Any other guild's examiners would be crying hearing that..."
"Well then, this year's S-Class Wizard Exam is over."
"The winners are, Silver Fullbuster and Ultear Milkovich!"
Makarov beamed as he officially concluded the exam and announced this year's passing candidates.
Without question, Silver and Ultear passed.
Then, Makarov glanced up toward the sky, where a certain woman was still wildly burning magic power...
"Huh?!"
"Wasn't there supposed to be a second stage of the exam?"
Silver was stunned. He looked at Makarov in confusion.
He hadn't expected Fairy Tail's exam to be… this easy?
"Hahaha…"
"In truth, aside from you and Ultear, every other group has been wiped out."
"So I decided to cancel the second round."
"Given your current strength, you're already more than capable of completing S-Class guild missions."
"In fact… I'd say even SS-Class missions would be manageable for you two."
"Before joining Fairy Tail, you were already doing jobs well above S-Class level, even tackling Ten-Year Missions…"
Makarov chuckled lightly, facing Silver and Ultear.
Silver, former top enforcer under Tartaros's acting guild master, and
Ultear, former top agent under Grimoire Heart's deputy master,
Both had elite skillsets and maturity that Makarov fully trusted.
In fact, Ultear might even have more talent than Ur.
And Silver's current strength alone already put pressure on Makarov.
In his opinion, even if he had personally taken Ur's place and fought Silver and Ultear, the result might not have been better.
He feared this year's exam might've ended up with a historic first, the examiner losing to the examinees…
"Anyway, let's wrap up this year's S-Class Wizard Exam on a cheerful note!"
"Because if we let those two in the sky keep going at it, who knows what kind of shape this world will be in?!"
"We Fairy Tail wizards are a guild with morals, we can't be doing things that harm the people of other worlds…"
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Erza: "Brother Evan, Why Am I the Only Normal One in This Family?" (Part 2)
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Makarov chuckled as he looked at the ice sculptures of Silver and Ultear, then turned his gaze skyward, where Irene and Selene were still fiercely clashing, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes.
"So it's really because of that last part that you're ending the exam, isn't it?"
Silver, watching Makarov, seemed to have figured something out.
That is, Makarov likely ended the exam because of the Irene vs. Selene battle.
Which meant… he and Ultear probably got promoted thanks to those two fighting overhead.
"Whatever the case,
The exam is over!"
Makarov sighed, eyes still on the blinding flashes of light in the sky.
"Everyone, the S-Class Wizard Exam of X778 is officially concluded!"
"Gather around me!"
Having made up his mind, Makarov's body suddenly grew larger and transformed into a towering giant, casting his voice across the whole of Tenrou Island to summon the other wizards.
"It's over…"
All across the island, the examiners stopped moving at the sound of Makarov's call.
They led their candidates toward the gathering point.
Meanwhile…
"Big Brother Evan…"
Erza walked up to Evan, looking a little shy and flushed.
"Erza? Are you feeling unwell?"
Evan blinked, puzzled by Erza's rare bashfulness. Concerned, he stepped closer to check on her.
"It's just that…"
"Big Brother Evan, I want to become a dragon too!"
Erza's face turned bright red. After hesitating for a long time, she finally made up her mind and looked straight into Evan's eyes as she declared it.
"Huh?!"
Evan was utterly stunned by her request.
"It's not fair that only you and Mom can transform into dragons!"
"If I'm part of this family too, then shouldn't I be able to transform as well?!"
Her elegant brows furrowed. She stared at Evan with serious determination.
Evan could feel her resolve.
"So, you want to train in Dragon Slayer Magic, right?"
"You want the same power that Irene and I have?"
He folded his arms and asked calmly.
"Yes!"
Erza lifted her chin proudly and nodded firmly.
"Well, if that's your decision, then as your brother, I won't stop you. I'll teach you Dragon Slayer Magic."
Evan scratched his cheek and gave in. Knowing Erza as well as he did, he could tell when she was serious, this wasn't a joke.
"I know you have your reasons for not teaching me before… but I still want it. Even if, like you said, Dragon Slayer Magic comes with severe side effects…"
Erza had prepared a speech over a thousand words long to convince Evan, but now she blinked in surprise.
"Wait, did you just say you'll teach me?!"
She stared at him wide-eyed.
"I said that if it's your choice, then I'll support you unconditionally. I'll teach you Dragon Slayer Magic."
Evan repeated his words.
Truth be told, he had already thought about teaching Erza, but hadn't offered it since she never asked.
After all, magic isn't about learning the strongest spell, but the one that suits you best.
To Evan, Erza was already nearly perfect with her combination of martial arts, Haki, Requip Magic, and Augmentation Magic. She didn't need Dragon Slayer Magic to be powerful.
But Evan had long foreseen this situation, once both he and Irene revealed their dragon forms, Erza might also long for the same ability.
So, he had Erza consume a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, the Magnet-Magnet Fruit, long ago.
Just as Evan's three Slayer Magics are housed in the three Devil Fruits in his body, he had planned to attach Dragon Slayer Magic to the Devil Fruit inside Erza.
That meant the Dragon Slayer power would reside not in Erza directly, but in her Devil Fruit.
In essence, her body would act like a Dragon Slayer Lacrima, preventing side effects and allowing full use of the magic as she developed the fruit's power.
And when she fully awakened that fruit, she could transform into a dragon without any negative side effects.
But now Evan had a dilemma…
Was it still correct to call her power the Magnet-Magnet Fruit if it had been imbued with dragon attributes?
Didn't this mean he had altered the bloodline factor of the Devil Fruit?
Maybe now it should be called,
"Mythical Zoan-Type, Lizard-Lizard Fruit – Electromagnetic Dragon Form"?!
When Erza gained her full dragon form and could wield electromagnetic dragon powers, Evan imagined Laxus the Thunder Dragon and Gajeel the Iron Dragon would be left in tears...
Just as Evan was lost in thought about what to call Erza's fruit from now on, Erza suddenly leapt at him and threw her arms around his neck.
"I love you the most, Big Brother Evan~!"
Erza squealed in delight, hugging him tightly.
"Heh~"
Evan chuckled, letting her cling to him.
He reached out and gently patted her head.
Then, he infused the power of the Thunder Dragon King, Alexion, which he no longer used, into Erza's Magnet-Magnet Fruit…
"Alright, Erza, I've passed the Dragon Slayer Magic to you."
"Try sensing your body. Do you feel any changes?"
Evan affectionately ruffled her hair and placed her gently on the ground.
"You've already passed it to me?"
Erza blinked, looking at him blankly.
She didn't feel any different.
"Nope! Nothing at all!"
She beamed brightly at him, totally unaware.
"How wonderful…"
Evan's eye twitched slightly but he didn't comment.
As for why she didn't feel anything? He had a theory,
Because Erza was the daughter of the Dragon Queen Irene, she probably already carried dragon essence in her blood.
That might be why she couldn't feel the change.