"The Fla Empress Armor, huh..."
Natsu grinned with excitent, licking the corner of his mouth. "That's more like it! Now I don't have to hold back!"
Erza smirked, her eyes gleaming with challenge. "Good. I'll be fighting seriously too."
Makarov raised one hand high, then slashed it downward. "Begin!"
A roar of fire erupted as Natsu burst forward, flas surging from his fist. With a single step, he closed the distance, swinging his arm in a downward arc, flas trailing behind like a blazing crescent. The sheer heat made the onlookers flinch as the temperature spiked.
Erza stepped back, quick and precise, then slashed out with her longsword. Her eyes narrowed, all smiles gone, her blade held the intent to cut, and it showed.
Watching the first clash, Lucy gulped. "Are they taking this too seriously? And is it just , or does Master Makarov look even more fired up than they do?"
"Rather than worrying about that," said Rhodes from behind her, "you should be more concerned about your safety."
Lucy spun around to see that Rhodes had already pulled Mira back with him to a safer corner of the courtyard. Mira waved at her cheerfully.
"Why'd you retreat so far back?!" Lucy asked.
"I thought you'd already witnessed the collateral damage from when Erza and Natsu get serious," Rhodes said, eyeing the crowd. "And those people standing that close? They're way too confident."
"Collateral...?" Lucy turned back toward the match just in ti to see the tip of Erza's sword whip past her face. The wind pressure alone made her skin tingle.
"AAAHH!" she scread, bolting out of the crowd and clutching her nose. "That was way too close! Mira, am I bleeding?!"
Mira leaned in, inspecting her. "Nope. No blood."
Lucy wiped her forehead, still pale. "I seriously thought I was going to lose my nose..."
Happy floated beside her. "Wow, Lucy's all sweaty again."
"It's SWEAT, and what do you an again?!"
Nearby, Gray already shirtless, grumbled, "Lucy, quit yelling. You're ruining the fight."
"I'm sorry, but seriously Gray, can you not throw your shirt on every ti?!"
Gray blinked down at his bare chest. "Huh? Didn't even notice..."
Before long, more of the crowd had started backing up.
Natsu's fire attacks weren't bothering Erza thanks to her armor, but the sa couldn't be said for the unlucky spectators standing behind her. One slash from Erza's blade had already sliced soone's sleeve clean off.
Everyone had to scramble to safer ground.
It was worth it, though the match was incredible. Explosive, flashy, unpredictable.
And most importantly, very dangerous.
Now that they had more space to fight, the intensity of the battle kicked up even further. The heat alone was stifling, and the magical pressure shook the air.
Natsu had taken a few hits, minor cuts here and there, but his whole body was now wreathed in fire. He was grinning madly, utterly alive in the thrill of battle. His combat style was wild and unstructured, yet he moved with a raw, animal-like intuition, every dodge, every counter, every block was done with uncanny timing.
Erza, for her part, had swapped her sword style mid-fight. No longer wielding a single blade, she now held a sword in each hand, and even kicked her boots off at one point to grab a third with her toes.
Her swordplay was dazzling, a blur of steel and strength. Her attacks weren't just powerful, they were creative and relentless.
Rhodes stood at the edge, arms crossed. "Compared to when Mira slamd his head into the floor two months ago, Natsu's improved again."
He frowned slightly. "It's honestly hard to get a read on this guy's real strength. Most of the ti, he gets knocked out by one hit during a scuffle in the guild, but now he's going blow-for-blow with Erza?"
Mira pressed her hands to her face in embarrassnt. "Ugh... please don't bring up that mont again."
She had so regrets about that incident. It had been... less than graceful.
Lucy blinked in shock. "Wait, who slamd Natsu's head into the floor?!"
Even though Lucy had seen Mira transform into her demon form before, she still couldn't quite picture it, sweet, gentle Mira... smashing Natsu's head into the ground?
"I had only just recovered my magic at the ti," Mira explained, her tone soft and full of regret. "Natsu insisted on challenging , and I... well, I acted without thinking and did sothing a bit too excessive."
She looked genuinely aggrieved as she said it, making Lucy imdiately side with her. Clearly, this had to be Natsu's fault.
Of course, Mira was also subtly trying to get Rhodes to forget the incident. Sure, she and Rhodes sparred plenty, and it was mutual, consented, and for training but still. What if he started to think she was the type to commit dostic violence?
What if... he got scared and never proposed?
He couldn't beco a widower without even being married first.
Rhodes wasn't fooled. He could tell Mira was laying it on a little thick. But when she put on that "wronged and pitiful" look, she beca irresistibly cute, and perfectly huggable.
So he pulled her into his arms without a word and gently hugged her to comfort her.
anwhile, the duel between Natsu and Erza was heating up, quite literally.
Erza had switched through several sets of armor during the fight, adapting constantly to Natsu's attacks. Eventually, she donned the Purgatory Armor, and with its overwhelming power and brutal weaponry, she completely turned the tide in her favor.
The ground, which Rhodes had recently reinforced with Mountain Dragon Earth Magic, was now riddled with craters and gouges from their relentless exchange.
Thankfully, Master Makarov, likely influenced by hanging around Rhodes too much had the foresight to cast a protective barrier over the guild hall.
That shield was the only reason there wasn't a massive repair bill waiting at the end of all this.
Both fighters were grinning from ear to ear.
Erza was thrilled to see how far Natsu had co. And Natsu... he still hadn't given up.
'If Erza's going all out... then it's ti I did too,' he thought.
As Erza lunged again, Natsu unleashed a fla breath midair, not as an attack, but to blast himself backward with the recoil. He landed lightly, gaining distance between them.
That was when it happened.
Without warning, a wave of drowsiness swept over the courtyard like a warm, magical fog.
Lucy slumped forward with a soft squeak, Mira barely caught her in ti.
"M-Mystogan?" Mira asked aloud, frowning.
All around them, people were collapsing like dominoes.
"I—I won't let it end like this!" Natsu growled, trying to resist the wave. But within monts, he too collapsed.
Erza dropped to one knee, bracing herself with the jagged blade of her Purgatory Armor. Her breathing was labored, and her eyelids heavy... but she hadn't fallen.
Not yet.
Her voice was defiant as she growled under her breath, "Why... why now of all tis...?"
Once Rhodes realized that it was Mystogan behind the spell, he sighed softly, slumped against the wall, and opened his arms with a faint smile.
"Guess it's that ti again," he murmured, inviting Mira wordlessly with a subtle gesture.
But instead of coming over, Mira gently helped Lucy settle down beside the wall. As the sleep magic slowly took hold of her too, a soft magical light shimred across her body. A wooden, three-eyed demon mask materialized over her face, and her outfit transford into a tribal-style dress woven from brown linen.
She pushed the mask up to her forehead, revealing a serene smile as she looked at Rhodes.
"I don't want to fall asleep like this again," she said gently. "This ti, I'm going to see what Mystogan actually looks like."
"You're so sneaky..." Rhodes muttered with a sleepy smile, already leaning his head back. "You could've told earlier, I would've changed forms too."
By the ti she stepped away, Rhodes had already closed his eyes, drifting into a peaceful doze like the rest of the guild.
anwhile, Mystogan, as always had cast his sleep-inducing magic across the guild before stepping through the doors. The silent, emptied guild hall made him pause.
'What... happened here?' he wondered. 'Is everyone out on a mission?'
Before he could investigate further, soft footsteps echoed behind him.
Mira appeared in the hall, still in her Lullaby take over form, her eyes glinting with amusent.
"You really put the entire guild to sleep again? And still hiding your face?" she teased lightly. "Aren't you being a bit too cautious?"
Startled, Mystogan instinctively reached up to cover his mask. "You... you're Mirajane?"
...
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