"Dancing Queen? Erza actually has a title like that?"
Lucy stared in disbelief at Erza's confident expression.
"Yes. Anyone who dances with Erza ends up feeling completely relaxed both body and mind," Mira replied with a smile as she strolled over in casual clothes. Her eyes drifted toward Erza, now wearing a light blue dress, before she teasingly added, "Lucy, would you like to give it a try?"
"Um… well, I think I'll just watch for now."
Lucy glanced around, sensing something was off from the expressions of her companions.
"Ahahaha…"
Levy's awkward laugh only confirmed Lucy's suspicion.
At that moment, Erza stepped forward, extending her hand toward Natsu with a graceful smile. "Come on, Natsu."
"Huh? Me? Why not Gray? He's way better at this!"
Natsu immediately tried to shove his friend into the spotlight, but his hand met only empty air
Gray had already bolted more than ten meters away and was now sitting shirtless in the sand, chatting casually with Marcus.
"That bastard when did he ?!" Natsu's eyes widened.
"Alright, Natsu, enough excuses. What dancing needs most… is momentum!"
Before he could refuse, Erza seized his arm and pulled him in.
The next second, Natsu was spinning like a human top, whirling at high speed in Erza's hands while she remained perfectly at ease.
"Ugh so dizzy I'm gonna faint Erza! I'm gonna ahhhhh!"
After several flashy spins, even someone as sturdy as Natsu had his eyes swirling into dizzy spirals. He staggered a few steps before collapsing to the ground with a solid thud.
Lucy, who had witnessed the entire ordeal, stood frozen. "This is what you meant, Sister Mira, by feeling 'relaxed' in body and mind?!"
"Ah la la, but isn't Natsu very relaxed right now?" Mira replied sweetly.
Lucy's eyes narrowed as she looked at the gentle smile on Mira's face. Without realizing it, she hugged her arms tightly and edged closer to Levy, a flicker of caution creeping into her gaze.
Maybe… spending too much time with Sister Mira could be dangerous.
"You're so fragile, Natsu! As a man, is this all the courage you've got?!"
Elfman strode up beside Natsu, his face set in a look of stern disapproval.
It seemed he had no idea how serious the situation really was.
"Well said, Elfman."
Erza nodded firmly in agreement, then gripped Elfman's shoulders with both hands. Her voice was serious as she declared, "Then it's your turn next!"
"Wait, wait, I !"
Before Elfman could finish, the world around him suddenly began spinning at high speed.
The faces of his companions blurred past his vision as everything whirled around him.
"Ahhh!! Manly! Ugh! Manly is so disgusting!"
As the man who prided himself on being the most manly member of Fairy Tail, he managed to endure three seconds longer than Natsu before stumbling and collapsing.
"Even you only have this much spirit? I'm so disappointed!"
With a deep sigh, Erza lifted her gaze and began scanning the area for her next victim no, her next dance partner.
But after witnessing the pitiful state of Natsu and Elfman, the rest of the men quickly sprang into action to avoid her notice. Those with girlfriends pulled them into a dance. Those without sought out nearby female drunkards. The truly desperate paired up with another man, and some even used Painting Magic to create an illusory female partner out of thin air.
The rowdy banquet suddenly shifted into something resembling an oddly refined ballroom scene.
Meanwhile, far from the lively center of the celebration, high up in the branches of a large tree
"A dance party? Hahaha, now that looks interesting."
Chase held a large mug of beer, glancing at Mistgang beside him. "Don't you want to go have some fun?"
"I'm not interested. That kind of atmosphere isn't for me."
The flames of the banquet reflected in Mistgang's calm eyes.
"You…" Chase chuckled, shaking his head without pressing the matter.
Trying to get the aloof Mister 'Cool and Mysterious' to join a high-energy dance was probably harder than defeating Acnologia.
"Then I won't keep you company."
After finishing his drink, Chase leapt down from the tree trunk, striding straight toward the festivities.
"I can't believe you're all so scared. It's just dancing with Erza! All you have to do is apply a counter-rotation at the same speed and you can break her spin!"
"Ohhh! It's Chase! He's gonna take on Erza!"
"This is gonna be good! Should we start placing bets?"
"Come on, Chase! Win back our manly pride!"
"Hey, idiot! How long are you gonna keep your hand on my waist? Erza already has a rival!"
"Love~! Lucy, who are you betting on to win?"
With Chase stepping into the fray, the tense and awkward mood instantly exploded into rowdy excitement.
Back in the tree, Mistgang slowly set down his wooden cup, lifted a hand, and pulled down the black veil covering his face.
"It's enough… just being here like this."
Watching Chase spin helplessly in Erza's grasp while screaming, a rare smile tugged at the corner of Mistgang's mouth. In a voice so soft it was almost lost to the wind, he murmured, "Thanks, Chase."
Meanwhile, in another part of the area
Compared to the raucous celebration at Fairy Tail, the atmosphere on the Phantom Lord side was deathly still.
The victor is hailed as king, the loser cast aside as the enemy. Jose had already accepted his fate, sitting alone in the darkness of his tent.
This battle with Fairy Tail had forced the proud master to face the undeniable truth there was a fundamental gap between their guilds.
The final image burned into his mind was of Chase "summoning" all the Fairy Tail members with a single card a scene that had etched itself into his memory as an inescapable shadow.
Magic draws its strength from the heart and from willpower.
And with his spirit shattered, Jose would never again rise to glory. His path was set his remaining years destined to be spent behind the bars of a Council prison.
As for the other Phantom Lord members, they leaned against the isolation wall, gazing toward the joyous Fairy Tail camp with eyes full of envy, regret, or resentment.
At the front of the group stood Gajeel and the Element 4.
"I've never seen anything like that before. So there really is a guild in this world… that feels like home. I… I can't help but want it."
Aria's eyes brimmed with tears, though her tone carried its usual strange flair.
"No, no, no! I'm not okay with this! We should be the ones doing that gentlemanly victory dance!"
Sol ground his teeth and writhed in frustration like a worm.
"So this… is the real reason we lost to them?"
Totomaru let out a long sigh, as if he'd already made a decision about his future.
"That such a powerful man could show such a ridiculous face in front of those so-called weaklings…"
Gajeel's gaze lingered on Chase, who had just been bested by Erza in their "battle," his eyes narrowing with thought. "Fairy Tail… what kind of guild are you, really?"
As for Juvia
Her eyes had turned into pink hearts, and her focus was locked entirely on a certain shirtless ice mage.
"Ahhh~ Juvia also wants to take off her clothes and dance with Gray-sama~"
....
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