Hearing Kira's words, Gray nearly lost it and started cursing.
What do you mean "you can call me the strongest"? Like you're some big deal! And in the guild? Why not just say you're the strongest in the Fiore Kingdom while you're at it!
Gray wasn't having it—he charged right in. Hand up, his three-meter ice sword slashed forward, sending the ice blades flying straight at Kira's spot.
Kira didn't even flinch. He tightened his magic field, keeping the power output steady while cranking up the drying effect inside it. Even with ice blanketing the whole stage, that three-foot radius around Kira stayed bone-dry—no flakes, no moisture, nothing.
"Come on, hit me again!"
"You jerk, you're asking for a beatdown!"
Stung by Kira's taunts, Gray threw caution to the wind and went for it. He thrust his longsword straight ahead, boosted by his ice magic. Even stepping into that parched zone, it still packed the punch of a regular blade.
Kira sounded surprised. "Whoa, you made it this far? You've really stepped up—nice one!"
"It's just focusing and condensing your magic for a breakthrough. Who're you looking down on?"
Gray grumbled, his half-shattered ice sword poking at Kira's chest. Then, with his left hand slapping onto his right gripping the hilt, he unleashed his finisher!
"Ice Make: God's Hundred Burial Ice Blossom!"
Clang clang clang—
Bright, vibrant hexagonal ice flowers bloomed across the ground in a flash. Unlike that wide-area nuke from before, the Demon King's Eternal Freeze Fang, this one wasn't about coverage—it was all about the chill. Same magic drain, but laser-focused on one target!
Under Gray's control, the flowers sprouted within a foot of Kira, climbing up from his feet at ten blooms a second. The speed was insane, layers upon layers stacking up in numbers that'd make your head spin!
"You've got more up your sleeve?" Kira reacted quick. "Picked this one up back then too, huh?"
A group-attack ultimate from the Ice Demon King, a single-target killer from the Black and White Witch—this guy's talent was unreal! Gray only brushed up against them that one time! Just once, through that combo spell Kira linked up. Total cheat code!
Gray flashed a smug grin. "You bet. Been holding this back just to mess with you guys!"
Kira nodded. "You guys... meaning me and who else?"
"You... or Erza, Mystogan, them. Worst case, Natsu..." Gray said. "I've been grinding this in secret for the tournament!"
"You? Secret training? I see you boozing it up at the guild every time I swing by."
Gray: "..."
After that quick back-and-forth, the ice flowers had crept up to Kira's neck. He could feel it—this Hundred Burial Ice Blossom wasn't just for show.
The frost inside was thick as thieves, seeping in to wreck muscles and nerves, numbing everything it touched. For a regular joe, forget casting spells—you couldn't even talk or move right now.
Solid move, no doubt. But for Kira? No sweat.
As a Word Magic user, as long as he could talk, he could cast.
"Quicksand Waterfall!"
Kira said it casual, and a surge of magic burst from his core, forming a massive brown array under his feet. Next instant, it lit up, magic pouring out.
Whoosh—the whole stage flipped. Ice turned to yellow sand, the frozen tundra swapping to desert in a blink. Whatever ice was there before? Now there was ten, a hundred times the sand.
At the same time, Gray's leftover ice sword—and all those flowers on Kira—slipped his control, morphing into something totally alien.
Sand don't listen to nobody. Gravity kicked in, and it all rained down uncontrolled, dumping a load on Kira.
Feeling the weight on his body and feet, Kira frowned and looked down at his pristine white magic boots. "Ugh, hassle—sand in my shoes. Gotta dump it out quick..."
Gray: "..."
This punk—can you show some respect?
Kira ignored him flat-out, wiggling his right hand's fingers in the air. No biggie. "Hmm... frost's gone. Don't give me that look—your magic's strong. Just mine's stronger, that's all."
He thought for a sec, then spread his hands. The sand on the field came alive, slinking slow behind him into twelve massive wings. Underfoot, it piled into a solid chunk, lifting him up.
Sensing the shift, Gray backed off two steps, on high alert. He looked up at Kira in the air. "What's this now? What kinda trickery you pulling?"
Kira eyed him down snootily, striking a superior pose. "You've done all you could, Gray."
Gray's face went full black-line. "That tone... Jerk! I'm this close to decking him!"
Seeing the stage change and hearing Kira's line, the guild folks who knew him well echoed Gray's vibe in their heads. Kira's personality? They knew it cold—this was par for the course. Not shocked.
Weirdly, the rest of the crowd was eating it up. Cheers erupted from the stands.
"So cool, Lord Kira!"
"That look, that voice—total badass!"
"Teach me, please! I wanna learn magic like that!"
Hearing the hype, Gray muttered deadpan. "These people kids or what? Think this is cool? Birds of a feather, huh—figures Kira's crowd..."
"My turn to hit back—Sand Bullet!"
Up in the air, Kira barked it cold. He flapped his wings forward, unleashing a storm of thumb-sized sand bullets. Small, but screaming fast—way more kinetic oomph than real ones.
Gray whipped up an ice-flower shield right in front. "Ice Make: Shield!"
Ping ping pang...
The sand shots hammered the shield like rain on a tin roof, a noisy white buzz.
"Desert Greatsword!"
Kira swiped his hand—the sand on the ground shaped into a huge cleaver, razor-sharp, punching straight through Gray's shield.
"Danger!"
Gray dodged back just in time, but then sand whispered in his ear. He looked up—yellow waves crashing from all sides, no escape.
"Sand Sea!" Kira shed his sand wings, turning them into a tidal wave slamming down.
Desperate, Gray gritted his teeth and burned his last magic. "Ice Make: Tidal Wave!"
Shing!
Ice flash-froze the sand, turning peril back to safety!
"Phew... finally..." Gray exhaled, but then he sensed something—his face dropped.
Crack!
A snap, ice chips falling. A fissure spidered across the ice mountain, racing out till it webbed the whole thing. Then—boom—shattered, revealing the earthy core inside.
The sand had sucked the water out of the ice again!
The sand sea crashed down, burying Gray whole.
"Damn... urgh..."
It squirmed a bit, then the outer sand peeled away, showing the scene: five sand chains and four cuffs locking Gray down tight. Outside that, three nested sand cages, one inside the other.
Everyone: "..."
Gray tugged hard—no give. He gave up. "Alright, I forfeit!"
Kira nodded, waving the magic away. The endless sand crumbled to dust, a breeze from nowhere whisking it off like it never was.
"Match over! Winner... Kira!!"
In the cheers, Kira walked up and clapped Gray's shoulder. "Next time, learn a couple more tricks first!"
He didn't wait for a reply, just headed offstage.
'Hmm, perfect! Bet I looked epic doing that!'
The thought crossed his mind, but then Gray's "whisper"—loud as day—hit his ears. "It's not like I haven't lost before. What's he strutting for? Thinks he's hot stuff?"
Kira: "..."