The moment those two unleashed their big moves, Kira jumped into action without hesitation.
"Defense!"
"Guard!"
"Barrier!"
Multitasking like a pro, he slapped up three defensive magic shields over the spectator stands in a row, shielding the thousand-plus folks from any harm—and keeping the energy blast from the arena from spilling out. Then, a second later...
On one side, Gray gripped his three-meter-long, twenty-centimeter-wide massive sword tight. The icy blade spun in a full circle, launching a barrage of ice shards that rained down from the sky, shot up from the ground, and charged forward like a thundering army of a thousand warriors. It was everywhere, no gaps to dodge, totally overwhelming. In an instant, half the stage froze into a glacial domain—pure destructive power.
On the other side, that energy ball, less than ten centimeters across, was pure insane energy compressed to its limits, spinning in its final form. It blasted out from the Fire Demon Ape's mouth, rocketing straight ahead at top speed. It scorched half the stage to charcoal without a sound, and before even touching the ice blades, it melted the outermost ones into water droplets. The heat was off the charts.
Ding!
A light chime rang out as the three-meter Ice Fang Sword slammed into the oncoming energy fireball. The visible, tangible energy exploded on impact, whipping up a terrifying gale that roared outward in all directions.
And then—boom!
A world-shaking explosion!
The frost and heat waves clashed hard, grinding and merging. The lighter stuff shot up, scorching the sky red, while the heavier bits sank down, freezing the earth solid.
Two streams of cold and hot air formed a slanted front across the arena. Right at the center, in a one-meter-wide circular zone, steam kept billowing up, blocking everyone's view of the stands.
Hundreds of ice blades floated in the air, standing firm on the ground like well-drilled soldiers. Under Gray's command and the big sword's direction, they launched wave after wave at the enemy. They charged like fearless warriors, one after another, throwing themselves at the firewall just to cool it down.
But that firewall—the crimson wall born from the fireball's explosion, splitting the stage into two worlds—was tougher than a fortress built from energy-absorbing stone. Tens of thousands of ice blades smashed into it like moths to a flame, only to get vaporized. It was like an endless sea of fire, melting every ice blade that came its way, no matter how many.
"Hah—!"
"You bastard—!"
The two fighters poured everything they had in, like they were burning through their last drops of magic and stamina.
They both knew the score: even if they won, they'd have to face Kira tomorrow. As much as they hated to admit it, they couldn't beat him. So why not make this fight epic? At least snag one win today.
The arena split into white and red halves—Gray's frozen wonderland on the left, Cana's blazing inferno on the right. Ice blades blotted out the sky, slashing and stabbing in unison; flames stretched endlessly, devouring every shape of ice weapon in their path.
It was a scene straight out of deja vu for Erza, Lucy, Natsu, Loke, Elfman, and the crew—reminding them of that insane battle they'd just witnessed in Zonia not long ago.
They all shot Kira a glance, thinking the same thing: "This is basically a replay of that fight..."
Except this ice-vs-fire showdown didn't have the terrain boost for the ice side, and the flames lacked all the flashy flair. Plus, these two weren't anywhere near the power level of the original showdown's heavyweights.
"So this is one of Kira's summon beasts? Not bad at all!" Gray was drenched in sweat, soaked to the bone, but his eyes locked on the flames ahead without a hint of backing down. "Feels a tad hotter than Natsu's fire!"
"Damn it, that move from Gray—I've never seen it before. His magic feels off... kinda familiar," Cana gritted her teeth, her face pale as her dwindling mental energy relayed commands to the nearly tapped-out Fire Demon Ape from afar. "Oh, right—that demon from Zonia. Did he pick up that killer move from it?"
The standoff dragged on, but the thousand spectators up top were already floored, mouths agape, eyes glued to the chaos.
"Whoa... that's intense... So this is Fairy Tail wizardry..."
"Gray and Cana—I think they're not even S-Class in Fairy Tail yet, right? And they're going this hard? What happens when an S-Class gets serious..."
"Looks like those rumors are spot on..."
Rumors? Oh yeah!
Thanks to a few whispers from the know-it-alls, the crowd remembered all those newspaper stories: "Fairy Tail wizards wreck half a street on a mission," "Fairy Tail hunter levels a mountain to take down a beast." Stuff like that.
"Scary as hell!"
Stamina and mental energy were fading fast, magic and energy reserves hitting empty.
Gray's assault started to falter—the ice blades thinned out, his attacks slowed. The Fire Demon Ape's flames showed cracks, the heat dropping, the wall getting patchy.
Dispero stepped out from behind the shield, straightened his tie a bit, and jumped back into commentary. "Gray and Cana have unleashed their ultimate moves, folks. You can see the toll it's taking—both are showing signs of wearing down, and it's clear in their magic too."
"By my guess, their stamina, magic, and focus are all about tapped out. This clash is wrapping up! So the big question: who claims victory? I'd say it's down to sheer willpower and grit!"
No dumb "whose beam wins" logic here, no cheesy "I can't lose for this reason" vows. Gray and Cana's quarterfinal was about to wrap.
The last ice blade melted away, the final flame flicker vanished into the air. Man and beast's ice-fire war lost its fuel at the exact same moment—both cutting out together!
Steam filled the arena, fog blanketing the stage, hiding everything. After a bit, a breeze swept in from afar, clearing the mist and revealing two figures:
Gray was down on one knee, panting hard, looking like he'd been pulled straight from a pool—hair, face, bare torso all soaked. But he was alert, just severely dehydrated.
Cana, though? She was out cold. The Fire Demon Ape, energy spent, reverted to card form, lying quietly in her hand. She'd burned through her mental reserves and passed out.
"Match over! Congrats to Gray on the win!!"
"Woooah!!!"
"Yesss!!!"
Victory decided, the arena erupted in cheers—from the crowd to their guildmates, everyone was stunned and thrilled by the show.
"Who'd have thought Gray and Cana would get this strong? Back in the day, they were just a couple of kids..." The old-timers sighed, especially Makarov, his eyes misty with joy and a touch of "time flies" nostalgia. "Man, we're gettin' old..."
Kira, Natsu, Erza, Lucy, and the gang rushed in to carry Gray and Cana offstage, getting them to rest. Right now, both needed a hot shower, a solid nap, and a massive feast when they woke up.
Before heading out, Kira eyed the stage. No doubt about it—the ice-fire clash had wrecked it beyond repair: cracks everywhere, total mess.
'Gray's final move... it kinda vibes with the Ice Demon King's magic, huh...'
As he pondered, Kira flashed back to that desperate combo spell he'd pulled off with Gray, Winter, and the Ice Demon King to escape the Black Dragon. "Looks like that's when he absorbed a bit of the Ice Demon King's magic. His body remembered the vibe, so now he can whip up similar ice?"
Hey, he's the canon second-lead guy—picking up wild skills like that? Not weird at all!
Watching Gray slump into a chair and doze off, Kira shook his head in awe. "First Natsu unlocks flame mode, and now you can make Ice Demon King-level ice? You two's power-ups are totally synced!"
The second match wrapped up, but the stage damage meant repairs were needed. Third bout? Delayed half an hour.
Thirty minutes later, red and blue figures stepped onto the freshly fixed stage at the same time, facing off under the spotlight.
The dashing knight, Erza. The enigmatic wizard, Mystogan.
Two of Fairy Tail's top contenders, clashing early in the quarters—about to kick off this heart-pounding showdown!