Chapter 25: Titania vs. The Sword of Light
"Semifinal, first match!" the commentator's voice boomed, amplified by the arena lacrima.
"On one side, the strongest 9-Star Swordsman of our Sobelia Kingdom, the man whose blade is faster than light itself, Arthur! The Sword of Light!"
"On the other, the mysterious and beautiful S-Class Mage from Fairy Tail, the Queen of the Fairies, Erza Scarlet!"
The crowd erupted in a deafening roar, chanting both names.
"Now~~~!"
"Begin—!!!"
Clang—!
The gong sounded, and the battle began.
"Flash Sword!"
Arthur didn't wait. He didn't boast. He simply moved.
To the crowd, he vanished. To Erza, he became a blur of golden light, rushing towards her at a speed that surpassed her Flight Armor.
Before she could even think to Requip, he was in front of her.
Clang—!
With the sound of a weapon ringing out, Erza's figure was sent flying backward, skidding across the stone floor. She dug the simple steel sword she had been holding into the ground with both hands, carving two deep grooves in the arena floor before she finally stopped.
Crack!
The longsword in Erza's hand, unable to withstand the magical force of the blow, snapped in two.
"What?!"
Erza was startled, not by the attack, but by the result. She stared at the broken hilt in her hand. He had cut down her sword with a single, simple strike.
"Oh oh oh oh oh!!" The audience cheered when they saw Arthur disarm Erza at the very start.
"I was just saying hello," Arthur said, his golden aura fading as he rested his sword on his shoulder. "If you don't go all out, then this match should end."
He looked at Erza, his expression serious. He wanted to spar with Erza, but his true focus was elsewhere. The person he most wanted to fight was undoubtedly the man who called himself "Yoriichi Tsugikuni." He was the person he had most wanted to fight since he started learning swordsmanship.
He had never felt such urgency. His swordsmanship had not improved for a long time, and he even thought he had reached the limit of what was possible.
But the appearance of that man, with his Solar Dragon Dance, completely shattered his perception. Only then did he realize that swordsmanship had even higher, god-like levels.
Observing could not truly let him experience that man's swordsmanship; only by truly fighting him could he genuinely appreciate it. To do that, he had to end this match quickly.
"Since you put it that way... then as you wish."
Erza was not a pedantic person. She also saw that the "Flash of Light" skill Arthur used in the C-group battles could almost be classified as magic. Her magic was The Knight, and her positioning was also a Magic Swordsman, so strictly speaking, it wasn't against the rules. It was a battle of "Magic Swordsmanship."
A brilliant, golden light enveloped her. "You want my full power? You'll get it."
"Requip: Heaven's Wheel Armor!"
Erza's body emitted a dazzling light. After the light dissipated, her simple armor was gone, replaced by a beautiful, silver-plated armor with a flowing white skirt. Behind her were four massive, intricate steel wings, and her scarlet hair was tied in high pigtails.
"Erza is going to show her true strength."
In the contestant lounge, Ren watched, his expression in his Yoriichi form still calm. He had seen Erza's magic in the anime, but never in reality.
"What? She actually changed into a set of armor!"
"Re-quip Magic?!"
The local crowd was buzzing. Requip Magic was relatively common, but Erza's speed was not.
"And so, it begins," Arthur said, a small smile on his face as he raised his sword.
"Heaven's Wheel: Scattering Swords!"
Erza slowly flew up, her four wings spreading wide. A magical circle appeared behind her, and from it, a large number of magic swords—dozens, then a hundred—emerged, all aimed at Arthur.
"Go!"
The swords shot towards Arthur like a steel rain.
"Flash of Light!"
Arthur simply stood his ground and used the same move he used to clear the field during the preliminaries. He held his sword aloft, and a massive dome of golden light erupted from him.
A large number of light-swords, formed from his own magic, met the steel swords shot by Erza.
Boom boom boom—!
The arena was filled with the sound of explosions as the swords from both sides collided and shattered in mid-air.
"Heaven's Wheel: Circle Sword!"
Erza, undeterred, waved her hand. Several steel swords that had not been destroyed in the blast rapidly rotated in a circle, slashing towards Arthur from his blind spots.
"Flash Sword!"
Arthur attacked quickly, his body becoming a blur of golden light, and in an instant, he cut down all the steel swords.
"My Heaven's Wheel is a long-range offense," Erza thought, her eyes narrowing. "But his 'Flash of Light' is a perfect long-range defense. I can't win a battle of attrition. I need speed and power."
"Requip: Black Wing Armor!"
In another flash of light, Erza quickly re-equipped. Her silver armor vanished, replaced by a much more revealing, dark, demonic-looking black armor with a pair of tattered bat-like wings on her back. This armor greatly increased her destructive power.
"So fast to re-quip!"
"She changed armor in mid-air!"
Everyone in the audience was very surprised to see Erza re-quip so quickly.
Erza quickly swooped down towards Arthur, her new black-bladed sword in hand.
"Black Wing: Moon Flash!"
Erza rushed in front of Arthur and delivered a powerful, cross-shaped slash of dark energy.
"Flash: Cross Slash!"
Arthur met her attack with his own, swinging a cross-shaped light slash.
Boom—!
Darkness and Light collided. The explosion sent both fighters skidding backward, but neither was significantly harmed.
'His power is equal to my Black Wing,' Erza thought, impressed. 'But my Black Wing is for power. His base form is that strong. Now... for speed!'
"Requip: Flight Armor!"
Erza re-equipped again, this time into a lightweight, cheetah-patterned suit that left her arms and legs bare, maximizing her agility. She now held two short swords.
"Flight: Sonic Claw!"
In an instant, Erza vanished. She appeared behind Arthur, rapidly thrusting at him with her two daggers, her speed a blur.
"Flash: Thrust!"
Arthur, however, was just as fast. He gripped his sword with both hands and, without even turning, he thrust backward, his blade moving in an impossible-to-follow pattern, blocking all of Erza's attacks with a rapid clack-clack-clack of steel on steel.
The two fought fiercely, their blades a blur of silver and gold. For a full minute, neither gained an advantage.
Clang—!
The two clashed fiercely once more, their blades locked, and then separated, jumping back.
"As expected of someone known as Titania, the Fairy Queen," Arthur said, breathing a little heavily. "Your strength and versatility are formidable. You are the strongest swordswoman I have ever seen."
He then raised his sword, holding it with both hands in front of his chest. "But it's time to end this battle."
Magic, intense and heavy, began to converge into his sword. The blade began to glow with a blinding, golden light.
Erza saw this and immediately stood ready, her Flight Armor vanishing. This was no time for speed. This was a time for absolute defense.
The light from Arthur's sword shot into the sky, forming a giant, golden, ethereal sword of light that hung above the arena, casting a holy glow over everything.
"Judgment of Light!"
Arthur roared, and the giant light sword rapidly slashed down towards Erza.
"Requip: Adamantine Armor!"
"Adamantine Barrier!"
In a flash, Erza re-equipped into her strongest defensive armor. It was a massive, blue-green, full-body suit of armor, holding two giant shields. The two shields merged, and Erza poured all of her magic power into them, generating a huge, green, unbreakable magic barrier.
Boom—!
The giant sword of light and the barrier collided, unleashing a terrifying impact that shook the entire stadium. The sound was deafening.
Crack—!
The barrier, fabled to be unbreakable, seemed unable to withstand the giant sword's attack. A crack appeared.
Bang—!
The barrier shattered.
Boom—!
The giant light sword struck Erza's shield.
"Ugh ah ah ah!!"
The immense power shattered the adamantine shield, and Erza let out a scream as she was sent flying backward, her armor cracking and breaking apart as she tumbled across the arena floor.
The giant sword struck the arena floor, carving a massive, smoking crack that split the stage in two.
Erza struggled to get up, her body bruised, her magic almost depleted. When she looked up, she saw Arthur's sword pointed at her.
"I surrender!"
Erza readily conceded. During the battle, she felt that her opponent's swordsmanship and magic power far surpassed her own. If her opponent had gone all out from the start with that final attack, she might have been defeated much earlier.
She disliked the feeling of losing, but the stronger her opponent, the more it ignited her competitive spirit. In this competition, she had witnessed even more powerful swordsmanship. She intended to fully digest and absorb all of it, then become even stronger.
Arthur sheathed his sword. "You are strong and very talented. Perhaps in a few years, I won't be your match. But that time is certainly not now."
Arthur finished speaking and turned to leave. His battle with Erza was just a warm-up for him; his true target was the other finalist.
"The victor has been decided!!!"
"Winner: Arthur!!!"
"This battle was truly spectacular! Miss Erza from the Fiore Kingdom used Requip Magic, demonstrating formidable strength. Her power is undoubtedly that of a 9-Star Swordsman! Arthur also displayed the demeanor of the kingdom's strongest swordsman. Let us applaud both of them for their brilliant battle!!"
"Oh oh oh oh!"
"Arthur! Arthur! Arthur!"
"Miss Erza is truly amazing!"
The audience cheered and applauded for both of them.
"Next up is the second semifinal match."
"9-Star Swordsman 'Thunder Sword' Clay VS... the Sword God, Yoriichi Tsugikuni!!!"
Boom—!!!
Hearing the commentator's words, the atmosphere in the arena, which had been loud, immediately erupted into a near-hysterical frenzy.
"Sword God! Sword God! Sword God!"
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