Though Kira had decided to use a time-based magic to deal with the enemy, the timing wasn't right yet. First, he needed to weaken Ace's ice with his fire magic.
The clash of ice and fire erupted in a cloud of steam, blurring both fighters' vision.
Suddenly, dozens of fiery arrows shot from all directions, piercing through the hazy veil!
"Fire Arrows!"
This large-scale attack formed arrows of fire imbued with properties like heat, speed, and destruction. The goal wasn't to deal massive damage but to pinpoint the enemy's location in such a foggy environment.
Ace, however, wasn't a fool. Any mage with a bit of battle experience would know to counter with an area-of-effect attack in this situation—especially a cunning demon like him.
The floor of the ice chamber, now slick with water from Kira' earlier fire magic, froze solid under Ace's control, sprouting countless ice spikes that filled the entire ground!
That move again! It was like an ice geyser, a classic but effective trick for ambushes. Kira had to admit, if he were in Ace's shoes, he might've pulled the same move.
The fire arrows raining from above collided with the ice spikes rising from below, producing a sizzling sound. The destructive flames melted the ice, but the freezing cold extinguished the fire in return.
Both probing attacks ended in a stalemate, but Kira wasn't worried. His fire magic was holding its own for now, so he decided to keep his trump card hidden a bit longer.
Kira' fire magic differed fundamentally from Natsu's.
Natsu's Fire Dragon Slayer Magic was a burning force, fueled by his soul and emotions, capable of incinerating everything—even magic itself. In short, it was a bit idealistic, or to put it bluntly, it didn't bother with logic.
Kira' flames, created through Word Magic by invoking the "True Name of Fire," were pure fire and extreme heat.
In practical terms, Kira' magic might be less versatile than Natsu's, but it surpassed it in raw heat. It was a trade-off: less applicability, more intensity.
This was similar to the difference between Gray and Invel, one of the Spriggan 12. Invel's ice could "freeze everything," while Gray's Ice-Make Magic relied on shaping ice. Gray defeated Invel by crafting ice with the same properties—a total cheat move.
But in the Fairy Tail world, Slayer-type magic could permanently gain the attributes of another element after consuming it once, like Natsu's Lightning Flame Dragon Mode or Gajeel's Iron Shadow Dragon Mode. So Gray using his Ice Devil Slayer Magic to absorb Invel's ice and replicate it wasn't that far-fetched.
Back to the fight: the wide-range magical attacks canceled each other out, but they allowed both sides to lock onto each other's position. The next move would be a stronger, single-target attack.
"Fire Pillar!"
"Ice Burst!"
Boom!
The clash of opposing elements shattered the sturdy mountain itself. The explosive force blasted through the ice chamber's ceiling, revealing the snowy landscape outside.
Thankfully, there was no blizzard at the moment, or Kira' fight would've been even tougher.
Wendy, watching from the sidelines, was stunned. She'd known these two were strong, but not this strong.
When the battle began, she didn't hesitate to use her Take Over magic, transforming into a half-demon form by absorbing Wort the Water Demon's soul.
During the two ice-fire clashes, she barely managed to shield herself with a water barrier, unable to contribute. Fortunately, her partial elemental transformation, thanks to the water demon's power, kept her mostly unharmed, even if her water barrier wasn't very sturdy.
"I actually thought I wouldn't be a burden," Wendy muttered to herself. Ten minutes ago, she might've confidently claimed she could help. Now, she wasn't so sure.
Ultimately, while she wanted to end the Aisisniu tribe's duty, she knew charging in recklessly would be useless—or worse, it could distract Kira and lead to defeat.
The Fire Pillar and Ice Burst didn't achieve their intended effect. Moving the fight outside was likely an unspoken agreement between the two.
Inside the ice chamber, neither fire nor ice could be used to their full potential.
For Kira, fire consumed oxygen, and while he could create it with Word Magic, casting another spell to sustain it in a confined space was inefficient in such a high-stakes fight.
For Ace, the enclosed space limited his ice magic's range.
In a confined environment, Kira could concentrate his flames, avoiding magic waste and raising the temperature to melt Ace's ice easily.
Outside, however, Ace could leverage the cold climate, amplifying his magic. A wider casting range meant Kira' flames had to cover more ground.
Plus, controlling a tangible substance like ice was far easier than managing an intangible one like fire.
After three probing exchanges—testing casting speed, magic attributes, combat awareness, positioning, and magical strength—both paused. They needed a moment to plan their next moves.
And what do you do in a moment like this? Chat to buy time!
"Not bad for a demon who's lived nearly a century. Your strength lives up to the hype!" Kira said with a grin.
Ace caught the hidden meaning in his words. From his appearance, Ace looked like a man in his 40s or 50s. Only his closest allies knew his true age, which meant Kira must've gotten information from somewhere—or someone.
Ace forced a calm facade. "What do you know?"
His real concern was whether his plan had been exposed.
"Guess," Kira said, his grin widening as he glanced at the massive ice sculpture nearby. "The Sea Demon King…"
At the mention of that name, Ace's face darkened. He knew his plan was compromised. "Damn it! Chloe… did she betray us?"
Heh, got him rattled. Kira smirked, his ploy working.
"Yeah, it was easy to get her to talk. I couldn't believe how flimsy your plan was! And to think, someone as strong as you would blindly follow a legendary tyrant!"
"You… shut up!!"
Sensing Ace's agitation, Kira seized the moment, firing an "Energy Blast" at the giant ice sculpture.
It was a feint, an attack with no real effect, but the distracted Ace didn't have time to think. Seeing the Sea Demon King under attack, he instinctively froze the snow into a shield, blocking the seemingly powerful but ultimately hollow strike.
"A feint?! Damn it!" Ace realized too late, losing the initiative. In a panic, he elementalized, turning his body into ice to withstand Kira' fire.
Until now, Ace believed Kira was a fire mage, given the intense heat of his flames, which could hold their own even in this icy environment.
But intelligence is a game-changer in battle. Kira had crafted the image of a fire mage through three probing attacks, embedding it in Ace's mind. Now, he switched tactics.
Magma, cloaked in flames, rained down like a meteor shower from an erupting volcano, shattering Ace's icy body into water!
Anyone who's seen Naruto knows: fire beats wind, earth beats water. Combining fire and earth creates Lava Release, while wind and water form Ice Release. So, magma overpowering ice makes perfect sense—just like Akainu beating Aokiji.
"What the hell?! This guy isn't just a fire mage? How's he using such powerful magma magic?!"
Ace's body was smashed into fragments of ice and water, his mind reeling. In his understanding, mages specialized in one type of magic. Even if they used others, they shouldn't be this strong!
Countless magma chunks fell, painting the snowy battlefield with red glows before cooling into blackened stone under the snow's chill.
The magma's heat might not match Kira' earlier flames, but it was far more effective against ice.
While the attack wasn't lethal, reforming would take time—giving Kira a crucial window to cast his next spell.