The Spear of Evil-Breaking held an absolute advantage against all forces of darkness. As it pierced through the heart of the summoned demon, it did exactly what it was designed to do annihilate evil.
The Devil's Summons disintegrated on impact, vanishing in a burst of golden light.
"Not good!"
Erza's pupils contracted sharply. Just before the demon vanished completely, she caught sight of a faint, almost mocking smile curling on its lips.
Something was off.
And then BOOM!
A pitch-black magic circle suddenly spread beneath her feet, pulsing with a dreadful energy.
Before she could react, the sky roared again.
A highly compressed bolt of demonic thunder slammed into the ground, igniting an explosion of searing light and ear-shattering sound.
KA-CRACK!
The lightning scorched the field, engulfing everything in smoke and fire.
Lucy and the others instinctively shielded their eyes. The earth trembled beneath them. The noise was so overwhelming it seemed to shake the very air.
When the deafening rumble finally faded and the thick smoke began to settle…
There stood Erza.
Charred and scorched terrain surrounded her. She was breathing heavily, her body covered in bruises, and her once-majestic armor had been shattered. All that remained was the black underlayer tight-fitting and hugging her figure, giving her an air of both beauty and raw ferocity.
"…Chase… you really hate losing, don't you…"
She let out a long breath and began to walk slowly, step by steady step, toward him.
Even though the Thunder Emperor Armor had been destroyed, she had endured the Demonic Thunder. Though wounded, her will was unbroken and her strength remained.
As for Chase?
Though he had lost several of his most powerful summoned monsters, his own mana reserves were still brimming.
This exchange… was a draw. Neither side had gained a decisive edge.
"Erza," Chase said with a smile, his voice calm despite the devastation around him. "I think we should call it here… for just the warm-up."
The moment he finished speaking, two cards appeared between his fingers.
One was a familiar face Dark Magician Girl.
The other was a spell card, glinting with a mysterious floating gemstone.
Chase's expression was calm, but focused. This battle wasn't just about proving himself. He had a purpose: to earn new cards cards born from the heat of battle, from emotions, from bonds.
He wasn't done yet.
"If you're that eager to keep going… I won't stop you," Erza said coolly, her voice soft but resolute.
The moment she spoke, her magic surged again.
WHOOSH !
A wave of power blasted outward from her body. The air turned thick, like the heat of purgatory pressing down from all sides. Her hair flew wildly behind her, and her eyes gleamed with renewed battle intent.
Just now… was a warm-up??!
Lucy, still standing off to the side, finally registered what they'd just said.
She looked at the crater-riddled battlefield, the clouds swirling above, and the shattered earth below her feet.
Her eye twitched.
"E-Excuse me? WARM-UP?! That entire thing was a warm-up?!"
She was still processing the scale of their so-called "light spar" when a voice called out from behind.
"Hey! Lucy!" Mira waved from the back of the crowd. "If you keep standing there, it might get a little dangerous~"
Lucy glanced back and instantly froze in shock.
What the... where did everyone go?!
Unbeknownst to her, not a single soul remained nearby. Even Makarov had long since retreated to a safer zone, hundreds of meters away!
"Waaaahhh!" Lucy let out a yelp and bolted like a frightened rabbit, dashing toward the main group in a panic.
After much flailing and gasping, she finally arrived safe, sound, and panting back with the rest of the crowd.
But what she saw surprised her.
The atmosphere was electric. Everyone was shouting and bickering excitedly, throwing their hands in the air.
"Erza! Come on! Beat Chase down!"
"Chase! Beat Erza up and show her what a real man looks like!"
"Chase may be manly, but Erza's gonna win in the end, no doubt about it!"
"Love! Erza is the strongest!!"
Lucy blinked in disbelief as she spotted the last shout came from Happy?!
The little blue Exceed was on a nearby table, wings flapping, paws pumping in the air as he cheered his lungs out for Erza.
In Lucy's mind, Happy was usually the sneaky type. He'd rather sit in the back with some fish and watch the chaos unfold like a smug little gremlin.
Why was he so passionate this time?
"They're both from the same guild," Lucy mumbled to herself, trying to rationalize it. "But I guess Happy's loyalty to Team Natsu trumps everything else..."
She nodded to herself, coming to what she believed was a fair conclusion.
That's when Kana waved her over with a grin, casually sipping wine while lounging on a barrel.
"Yo, Lucy! Want to play a game?"
"A game?" Lucy tilted her head.
But when she walked over and peeked behind Kana, she was stunned.
An entire betting operation had been set up. Fairy Tail members had split into two sides, tossing down coins, bills, and even random trinkets as betting chips.
All of it was based on one question:
Who will win, Chase or Erza?
"Wait… you guys are gambling on the fight?!"
Kana chuckled. "Of course. It's tradition."
Lucy scanned the pile of chips. Both sides looked almost perfectly balanced.
She frowned and suddenly had a thought.
"Uh… just out of curiosity… who did Happy bet on?"
"Happy?" Cana tapped the ledger next to her and nodded. "He bet ten thousand J on Erza."
Lucy's face went blank.
"…I thought that dumb cat was just cheering for his teammate out of loyalty. Turns out he's just trying to protect his investment."
She gritted her teeth.
After thinking it over for a moment, Lucy pulled out her own coin pouch. Inside was her last bit of money twenty thousand J.
Her eyes gleamed with the fire of revenge.
With a dramatic flourish, she slammed the pouch down on Chase's side of the board.
"I'm betting on Chase!"
The others nearby looked at her in surprise.
"No particular reason," Lucy said, clenching her fists with righteous fury. "I just want to win my money back from that stingy cat with interest!"
And then, cupping her hands around her mouth, she shouted toward the battlefield with the force of all her hopes and dreams.
"Go, Brother Chess!! This is my entire fortune on the line! You'd better win!!"
She too had joined the wild cheering crowd.
On the battlefield.
"I can hear them loud and clear even from here," Erza said, shaking her head slightly. "Those guys are still just as noisy as ever."
Chase chuckled. "It's the perfect soundtrack for what's coming next."
Erza's tone grew firm. "Chase… be careful. From this point forward, I can't guarantee I'll be able to hold back."
As her voice fell, her magic power flared like a roaring inferno.
The pressure surged around her. Her long crimson hair whipped wildly in the wind, and the light blue skirt beneath her armor rippled as the air thickened with tension.
A massive magic circle materialized beneath her feet, its design radiating a chaotic energy.
Her pupils gradually shifted scarlet, intense, and wild.
Dark, ominous armor began to wrap around her, piece by piece, forming a fearsome silhouette.
The jagged greatsword in her hand struck the ground with a deafening crash, shaking the earth with each impact.
A sinister black wind howled around her.
There was no mistaking it.
This was the Armor of Purgatory.
One of the three most powerful sets of armor in Erza's entire arsenal.
"It's said that this armor has enough power to destroy the heavens and earth with a single swing…" someone whispered from the crowd.
On the other side, Chase didn't flinch.
Instead, he smiled and drew a card from his hand with confidence.
"Now that's what I call a real fight."
He snapped the card against the air.
"My turn. Summon Dark Magician Girl!"
"Present and ready, Master~!" came the cheerful, sing-song voice.
The Dark Magician Girl descended in a swirl of pink light and glittering ribbons, twirling her wand and flashing a cute victory pose as she landed.
"And now…"
Chase raised another card between his fingers.
"Activate Magic Card Sage's Gem!"
[Sage's Gem]
Type: Magic Card
Effect: When Dark Magician Girl is successfully summoned, you may Special Summon Dark Magician from your hand or deck (costs zero magic power).
Unlike the more expensive cards like Sword of Sealing Holy Light, Sage's Gem was a chain card light on magic power cost and efficient under the right conditions.
Normally, Chase wouldn't risk slowing his tempo just to conserve a bit of mana. Especially in real combat, where a single hesitation could lead to defeat.
But today wasn't war.
It was a friendly battle with Erza, no less.
So he chose the economical route.
A golden pentagram bloomed beneath the girl's feet. She reached out her wand and lightly tapped the glittering crystal floating above the circle.
With a flash of radiant light, the gemstone pulsed.
From within the magic circle, a figure began to emerge robed in regal purple, wielding a long black staff, and radiating supreme magical authority.
The Dark Magician had arrived.
"Oh wow," Erza said with a faint smirk, her voice tinged with a rare arrogance. Clad in the menacing Armor of Purgatory, her scarlet eyes gleamed. "It's been a long time, Mr. Dark Magician."
The Dark Magician stepped forward, face calm and unreadable beneath the shadows of his hat. "Long time no see, Erza."
His voice was still as cold and composed as ever.
"Wah! Erza, you look so scary right now!"
The Dark Magician Girl floated nearby, her eyes wide as she sensed the unstable surging of magic around Erza.
"Which means… you guys better be careful!"
Erza didn't bother to reply. She simply lifted her massive serrated greatsword with one hand and gave it a casual swing.
Whoosh!
The wind howled violently as the blade sliced through the air, sending out a sword gust that whistled like a scythe through the battlefield.
"Hehe! Even if it's Erza, I won't go easy!"
The Dark Magician Girl raised her wand, casting a quick shield of pink light in front of her. The barrier shimmered as it deflected the sharp wind with a shimmer of magical sparks.
Master and disciple exchanged a glance.
That was all it took.
No words. Just understanding.
The Dark Magician firmly gripped his staff, which now crackled with arcs of purple lightning. He closed his eyes and began to chant low, powerful, ancient.
Meanwhile, the Dark Magician Girl twirled her staff in a practiced flourish, then leapt onto it like a broom.
She became a flash of pink light, racing through the air like a comet toward Erza.
Her job was clear: buy time.
Erza stood unshaken as the blur approached.
Her hand tightened around the hilt of her jagged sword, and the air around her grew heavier.
This wasn't just a duel anymore.
It was a clash of legends.
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