Darwin struck first, lunging toward Chris.
His right hand was clenched into a tight fist; his eyes held not a shred of affection for his cute little sister, only a burning desire for victory!
Chris eyed the incoming momentum, predicted the attack trajectory, and dodged with a swift sidestep.
At the same time, her right leg whipped forward in a horizontal sweep!!
Bang!!
Accompanied by a dull thud, Darwin was kicked flying three meters away, crashing to the ground.
Seeing this, the crowd clapped and cheered.
"Nice!!"
"Beautifully done!!"
"Keep it up!!"
Two seconds later, Darwin performed a kip-up and stood up skillfully.
Chris lowered her raised right leg and tilted her head curiously: "Aren't you going to take over that monster from earlier?"
Darwin brushed off his slightly dusty clothes and sneered: "Hmph, never mind that. When the time comes to use it, I naturally will!"
"Why... oh, I see!!"
Chris froze for half a second, then realization dawned on her face, which turned teasing: "You want to beat me fair and square, so you're intentionally not using Magic to take over a monster, right?"
Darwin: "..."
She hit the nail on the head!
"As expected of a dummy brother. Without Magic, how could you possibly beat me?"
"Have you forgotten Papa's teachings?"
"No matter who the opponent is, once the battle starts, you should give it your all!"
"Shut up!"
Darwin shouted, stomping his foot hard on the ground as the "Soul of Tenrou" instantly possessed him.
"Since you want to see the power of Take Over Magic so badly, then..."
"Today, I'll let you properly feel some brotherly love!"
As Darwin took over the Soul of Tenrou, the atmosphere in the guild reached a fever pitch once again.
The second round of battle officially commenced, and Darwin charged at Chris once more.
Tenrou was an all-around combat-type monster. By design, its attack power, defense, and movement speed were all incredibly formidable.
Having taken over the Soul of Tenrou, Darwin clearly inherited these abilities. His movement speed alone was several times faster than before. In a short-range burst, he was like a gust of cyan wind; many people's eyes were already struggling to keep up.
Even more impressive than his speed was his attack power!
At this moment, Darwin's fist was immensely powerful. It felt as though a single punch could shatter a rock the size of a person. Looking at the current Fairy Tail, there were likely fewer than 20 people who could safely take or dodge this punch!
However!
Chris's close-combat ability was stronger than any of them had anticipated!
With dynamic vision and motor reflexes far beyond ordinary people, she saw Darwin's movements with crystal clarity and reacted with maximum speed.
To others, Darwin's attack and speed seemed unstoppable;
But in her eyes, the opponent had simply changed from her clumsy brother into a slightly stronger big guy.
Seeing the fist the size of a casserole dish rapidly enlarging in her vision, Chris's pupils constricted, and she suddenly ducked!
With a whoosh, Darwin's attack missed completely. The fist only just brushed past the two tufts of hair at the back of Chris's head that hadn't had time to react.
"What?! He missed?!"
While Darwin stared in disbelief, Chris had already launched her counterattack.
Chris hopped on the spot, grabbing upward with both hands simultaneously. Using Darwin's thick arm as a horizontal bar, she used a bit of momentum to perform a somersault. Like a nimble monkey, she circled behind Darwin, then gave a light kick off his back, leaping high into the air.
Then, she tightened her fist and smashed it down with all her might!
"Take this!!"
Thud!!
An even heavier, stronger, and more powerful fist slammed heavily onto Darwin's forehead!
The two-meter-tall beastman body fell to the ground in response, smashing a small crater into the floor as dust swirled upward.
Chris landed lightly back on the ground. Her gaze swept over the floor, then she put her hands on her hips, turned around, and flashed a "peace" sign to everyone.
"Victory is decided!"
The crowd froze, hurriedly looking toward the pit in the ground.
There lay Darwin, motionless. His beastman form was gradually receding from the "Tenrou State," turning back into his original small frame. A large bump had appeared on his head, his eyes had turned into swirls, and incoherent mumbles escaped his mouth.
He had actually been knocked out by a single punch from Chris!!
The onlookers were instantly dumbfounded.
After two seconds of silence, earth-shattering exclamations erupted within the guild.
"Ehhhh?!!!"
"Heavens, what did I just see?!"
"She won in just one move...?!"
"Chris... is she this strong??!"
"I knew this kid had plenty of energy and strength since she was little, along with motor reflexes far beyond the norm, but I didn't expect it to be this preposterous!!"
"Even Darwin, who took over 'Tenrou,' was no match for her. So... how much strength was she holding back during her past scuffles with Darwin?!"
"Speaking of which, there probably aren't many people in our guild who could take that punch just now, right?"
"...Stop talking, it's too demoralizing!"
Having been wizards for over a decade, training diligently and working conscientiously without a single day of slack—
In the end, they discovered their strength might not even compare to a child who hadn't even awakened Magic.
The wizards present felt an intense bitterness in their hearts and couldn't help but shed silent tears.
Not far away.
Precht withdrew his gaze, remaining silent for a long time.
"So this is why you didn't stop them?"
"How on earth did you raise her?!"
Weston spread his hands: "You should be able to tell; this isn't something that can be taught just by putting in effort! She's simply gifted with extraordinary talent!"
Talent?
This talent was simply too overwhelming!
"Beautifully done, Chris! As expected of my cute daughter!!"
Zera excitedly pulled Chris into a hug, kissing her rosy little cheeks over and over.
"But next time, remember to hold back a bit more. It wouldn't be good if you knocked your brother's brains out..."
Chris patted her chest with a chuckle: "Don't worry, Mama, I know exactly how much force to use!"
"So good! Alright, go help your brother up. He'll catch a cold if he keeps lying on the floor."
"Don't worry, Mama, someone's already doing that for me!"
"Eh??"
"Look over there!"
Zera followed Chris's gaze.
Sure enough, she saw a "little tomato" squatting beside Darwin, gently pushing his body.
"Darwin, wake up now!"
"If you lie there without moving, you'll catch a cold later!"
That "little tomato" was none other than Erza!
In the entire Fairy Tail, you couldn't find a second child with red hair.
Seeing this scene, a "just as I expected" smile immediately appeared on Chris's face.
"Just watch. When Brother wakes up, he might even have to thank me!"