"Start—!"
Happy flew between the two and announced the start, then immediately backed away.
The moment Happy announced the start, Erza immediately charged towards Qi Yan with her sword.
Qi Yan likewise met her with his blade.
Clang, clang, clang!!!
Their weapons clashed fiercely, and for a time, neither gained the upper hand.
Qi Yan had also put a lot of effort into his swordsmanship over the past six months. After all, in his normal state, he couldn't use any magic. If he used Take Over Magic just to deal with some small fry, it would be a complete overkill.
Why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken?
Qi Yan's body, honed by Sun Breathing, was now top-notch. Coupled with his five-and-a-half-star magic power, even without taking over any anime characters, his own combat strength was only slightly inferior to an S-Class Mage.
"So amazing!!"
Lucy watched their battle with great shock; she couldn't even see their swords as they swung them.
Elfman said, "Right? Isn't it spectacular?"
Natsu, breathing fire, shouted excitedly, "I want to fight too—!!!"
Clang—!
The two exchanged a powerful blow, then separated.
"As expected of Erza!"
Qi Yan let out a sigh of relief. Erza was indeed a genius, incomparable to a half-baked swordsman like himself who had only practiced for half a year.
Qi Yan wasn't discouraged by this, because he had known for a long time that people are, in fact, different.
When it comes to studying, some can get into Tsinghua or Peking University, while others can't even get into any university.
When it comes to playing games, some reach a peak of 2700, while others can't even reach King rank, lacking the qualification to play ranked matches.
He wasn't a genius, just an ordinary person. His ability to learn Sun Breathing was due to taking over Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
However, although he wasn't a genius, when he took over anime characters, even geniuses were merely a stepping stone for him.
Every character he took over was a once-in-a-million super genius.
"You're the one. To reach this level of swordsmanship in half a year is truly astonishing."
Erza was even more shocked. She was one of the people most familiar with Qi Yan, knowing that he originally relied on Take Over Magic for his immense power. She never expected that even without relying on Take Over Magic, his strength was already comparable to a top-tier Mage in the guild.
The speed of his power progression was simply too exaggerated.
She had to remember that her current level of swordsmanship was honed through years of arduous training and countless battles.
"It's time to get serious now, isn't it?"
Erza's eyes became serious.
"Indeed, let's get serious then."
"Full Take Over · Tsugikuni Yoriichi!!"
Qi Yan's hair began to grow rapidly, then turned crimson and was tied into a high ponytail.
His clothes also changed, transforming into a samurai outfit, with a red haori draped over him and a long katana in his hand.
The irises of Qi Yan's eyes turned red, his facial features subtly shifted, he wore paper earrings depicting a red sun, and a strange crimson mark or pattern appeared on his left forehead.
Just standing there, he exuded a strong sense of oppression.
"Gulp!"
Everyone around him involuntarily swallowed.
Most of them had only seen Qi Yan transform once, which was when he defeated Erza. With just one strike, he defeated Erza, an S-Class Mage, which brought them unparalleled shock.
At that time, Qi Yan gave them the feeling of immense, unparalleled power.
Although Qi Yan was also very strong when taking over other characters, in terms of danger, Tsugikuni Yoriichi was the most intense. Just making eye contact with Qi Yan in this state made them feel as if they were being seen through.
Erza felt this particularly strongly at this moment.
"I didn't expect that even after half a year, this feeling hasn't changed at all!"
"Requip · Flame Empress Armor!!"
Erza requipped into the fiery red Flame Empress Armor, holding a fire sword in her hand.
"Flame Empress Armor!! It's fire-resistant armor!!"
Everyone recognized the function of Erza's Flame Empress Armor.
Qi Yan smiled and said, "Do you think this armor can withstand my attacks?"
"Of course not, but wearing it at least makes me feel a bit safer."
Erza didn't think this armor could withstand Qi Yan's attacks. Qi Yan's attacks could even break through the defenses of an indestructible dragon.
"Is that so? Then I'm going to start attacking."
"Sun Breathing · First Form · Dance!"
Qi Yan's figure rapidly rushed towards Erza, unleashing a circular arc of sun-flame slash in front of her.
Erza immediately swung her sword to parry and block.
Clang!
"Sun Breathing · Second Form · Clear Blue Sky!"
Qi Yan leaped into the air, unleashing a circular trajectory of blazing slash from above, like a sun wheel under a clear sky.
Erza also concentrated and parried with all her might.
"Sun Breathing · Third Form · Raging Sun Halo!"
Qi Yan used his Nichirin Blade to trace an ∞-shaped attack trajectory, making it impossible to defend against.
"Sun Breathing · Fourth Form · Fake Rainbow!"
Erza seized the opportunity to counterattack Qi Yan, but the moment her sword passed through Qi Yan's body, she realized something was wrong; it was just an afterimage of Qi Yan.
"Sun Breathing · Fifth Form · Fire Wheel!"
Qi Yan somersaulted in the air, getting behind Erza, and unleashed an arc-shaped slash at her back. Erza quickly dodged.
"Sun Breathing · Sixth Form · Burning Bones, Summer Sun!"
Qi Yan swung his blade, releasing a spiraling sun-flame slash... Qi Yan methodically used the forms of Sun Breathing to attack. The attacks came so swiftly that she was utterly unable to retaliate; she could only focus all her efforts on defending.
"Sun Breathing · Twelfth Form · Flame Dance!"
Qi Yan unleashed two consecutive semicircular slashes.
Erza blocked with all her might, finally deflecting the attack. She finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Her strenuous training had indeed paid off. Before, she couldn't block even one move, but now she could block all of Qi Yan's sword forms. She had finally... Suddenly!
Crack—!!!
Bang—!
Erza's sword and armor shattered together, falling to the ground.
"When?!"
Erza's pupils constricted, showing extreme shock.
When? When exactly had she been attacked?
She thought she had blocked Qi Yan's attacks, but she didn't realize that Qi Yan's attacks had already struck her, and she hadn't even noticed when she was attacked or how many times.
Not only that, but the opponent's attacks were able to precisely destroy her armor without her even noticing. This swordsmanship made Erza tremble again.
If she were Qi Yan's enemy, she might not even know when she was killed.