In the distance, a thin strand of red hair near Asuka gently writhed.
It seemed fragile and harmless, but Lucy knew in her heart that if she dared to defy Flare even slightly, that seemingly delicate strand would instantly become sharper than any blade, piercing the defenseless Asuka beside her.
(Such a despicable person!)
Lucy's body trembled—not out of fear, but from the fury welling up inside her.
"Don't speak. Don't move. Don't use magic." Flare, her long red hair disheveled, spoke in a voice only Lucy could hear, filled with undisguised menace.
"If you dare disobey me, you know what will happen, don't you, blondie?"
The red hair transformed into a whip, lashing Lucy and sending her flying.
Seeing Lucy being beaten without resistance, Flare let out a maniacal laugh and intensified her attacks even further.
As the battle turned into a one-sided assault, everyone in the arena showed varying degrees of shock.
"What exactly is happening here?" the commentator, Chapati, said in confusion.
"The situation has completely shifted from an intense exchange to a completely one-sided attack."
Beside him, Yajima remained silent, his expression solemn.
Lucy sat on the ground, her body covered in countless small wounds.
Her fists clenched as her mind desperately searched for a perfect solution, but none came.
"I'm sorry… everyone," she murmured, recalling her guildmates' expectations.
A sharp pain tore through her heart, but at this moment, she felt she had no choice left.
"Surren—"
"Lucy!!"
A voice from the distance cut her off.
Lucy looked up and saw that the thin strand of red hair near Asuka was writhing and struggling—but to no avail.
It had been tightly grasped by a slender, pristine hand.
"I heard your voice, Lucy," Noel, standing beside Asuka, said softly.
Then, without hesitation, he used his Light Magic to tear apart the strand of red hair.
"So now, you can fight with everything you've got."
"Noel!"
"Impossible!!"
Lucy, stunned for a brief moment, quickly reacted and slowly stood up.
"Noel, thank you. Now I can go all out without any hesitation."
Facing Flare, who was now caught in a dilemma due to Noel's interference, Lucy's expression turned resolute.
"I won't let you off so easily."
She didn't take out her keys this time.
Instead, she slowly raised both hands.
The magic surrounding her shimmered like the night sky, radiating a dazzling brilliance.
Lucy gently closed her eyes and softly chanted:
"O scattered stars, shine for me. Unleash your brilliance, vanquish my foes. I am the celestial contract bearer. With the covenant of a thousand centuries, I pray—illuminate the battlefield! Celestial Spirit Sword, open!!"
As soon as the words fell, a massive, indistinct figure appeared behind Lucy.
It was so grand and imposing, as if standing at the center of the cosmos, gazing down upon the entire world.
Then, all of Lucy's celestial magic gathered together, continuously shifting and condensing until it was released like a golden beam of energy.
The radiant light shot forward, an inescapable force of retribution, completely engulfing the stunned Flare.
"THE MATCH IS OVER!!! The winner is Fairy Tail A—Lucy Heartfilia!!" Chapati loudly announced.
Inside the arena, Flare had collapsed at the edge of the battlefield.
The ground between her and Lucy was marked by a deep, blackened scar left by the overwhelming power of the Celestial Spirit Sword.
All of Flau Arena erupted into frenzied cheers, captivated by Lucy's stunningly magnificent magic.
"Amazing! With this, Fairy Tail has gained 20 points and is officially in first place!"
"This girl named Lucy and that guy named Gray who competed in the first event are both so strong! Is this the true power of Fairy Tail?"
"As expected of Fiore's number one guild from seven years ago!"
Listening to the voices coming from all directions, Lucy's face lit up with a satisfied smile.
A single, glistening tear slipped from the corner of her eye and fell to the ground.
She slowly raised her arm, and under the sunlight, the pink guild emblem on her hand shone with an almost sacred beauty.
"I did it," Lucy whispered, her voice filled with excitement and fulfillment.
.............
"Welcome back, Lucy." Erza took the lead in greeting Lucy as she returned victorious.
Lucy smiled sheepishly at the words. "I'm just glad I didn't let Gray's efforts go to waste. With this, we've secured first place on the first day for sure."
"Yeah, that's right. This is a perfect start. Gray and Lucy both worked really hard, so the rest of us can't afford to fall behind in the upcoming matches." Ed nodded with a smile.
"By the way, Lucy, that glowing move you just used—I've never seen it before." Natsu asked in confusion.
Having been Lucy's teammate for so long, this was the first time he had seen her fight without summoning a Celestial Spirit.
Especially since that move's power was clearly exceptional.
"You mean Celestial Spirit Sword?" Lucy smiled.
"Capricorn taught it to me. It was actually a technique my mother used. Luckily, I've improved my magic power recently, so I was able to use it."
"That's an incredible move. You've made great progress, Lucy." Erza nodded in approval.
"Next up are the battles from the other teams. We should observe carefully—if we face them in future events, we'll be better prepared."
"Yeah, leave that to us. Lucy, you just finished a tough fight, so go take a bath and rest. You must be exhausted," Gray said to her as they returned to the stands.
Lucy nodded. "Alright, I'll go now and be back soon."
"Yeah, go ahead."
As Lucy glanced toward the B Team's seating area, she saw Noel heading in that direction.
He noticed her gaze, smiled slightly, and mouthed, Go rest.
Understanding his gesture, Lucy smiled back before turning without hesitation toward the passageway.
..............
The second match featured Ren from Blue Pegasus against Arana from Mermaid Heel.
Fueled by the cheers of his fiancee, Ren, with his morale at its peak, easily defeated Arana, earning 10 points for Blue Pegasus.
After this match, the next battle was one that all participating teams secretly remained wary of—the match involving Sabertooth.
Their representative was a man named Orga Nanagear, and his opponent was Warcry from the Four Hounds guild.
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