Semifinals, second match: Mystogan vs. Freed.
Below the stage, Freed psyched himself up. "Laxus, don't worry. I'll fight for both of us and take down Mystogan!"
He stepped onto the stage with bold confidence, only to get predictably pummeled.
Fighting on a tournament stage wasn't like setting up an ambush. Without prep time, Freed's rune magic was at least half as effective. Even carving dark runes on himself or his opponent only boosted combat ability—it wasn't an absolute game-changer.
As the match began, Freed drew his rapier, ready for action. His green hair framed his tall, lean figure, with bangs covering half his face. His eyes turned pitch black with golden pupils, giving him the vibe of a dark knight.
With a swift motion, he unsheathed his sword and unleashed a barrage of negative status effects toward Mystogan.
"Pain!"
"Sluggish!"
"Fear!"
"Daze!"
And more.
Across from him, Mystogan stuck to his usual style, planting five magic staffs in front of him. Facing the incoming dark runes, he didn't dodge. Instead, he activated his counterspell.
Guild members familiar with his magic shouted, "There it is! Mystogan's Triple Magic Circle: Mirror Water!"
Three magic circles aligned in front of him, glowing purple as they reflected the dark runes back toward Freed.
Freed's pupils narrowed. In a split second, he inscribed a rune on himself: "Shadow Absolute!"
The spell took effect instantly. His form shifted, shrouded in dark energy, as a demonic-looking suit of armor enveloped him, knight-like and menacing.
Guild members unfamiliar with Freed were stunned. "He can use rune magic like that?"
"He pulled something similar against Evergreen yesterday…"
"They're on the same team, so of course he didn't go all out."
Shadow Absolute boosted Freed's speed by seventy percent. With a light step, he darted ten meters to the right, dodging the reflected runes entirely.
"Impressive!"
The crowd's cheers filled the air, but Freed stayed focused. As his foot touched the ground, a flash of crimson caught his eye. His heart jolted, and suddenly, endless maple leaves surrounded him.
"Dance of the Maple!"
A cool breeze swept through, bringing feelings of leisure, tranquility, sorrow, and melancholy, evoking a deep autumn forest.
The audience buzzed. "It's here! It's here! That beautiful woman from yesterday's illusion…"
Freed scoffed inwardly. "Hmph! A mere illusion? That won't work on me—Laxus?!"
In the crimson maple forest of the illusion, Laxus stood before him—tall, imposing, arms crossed naturally, his black fur cape swaying in the autumn breeze, exuding his trademark wild arrogance.
"Freed, I'm disappointed in you."
In the illusion, Laxus' eyes bore into him with deep disappointment. With those cold words, he turned and walked away.
"No!!!"
The cool autumn scene crashed over Freed's heart like waves. As Laxus' figure grew smaller, Freed couldn't catch up. Instinctively, he dropped Shadow Absolute, reverting to his normal self. He collapsed to his knees, sobbing. "Laxus, don't leave me! Laxus, how am I supposed to live without you?!"
Audience: "…"
The guild members cringed, and even Bickslow and Evergreen, fellow Thunder God Tribe members, covered their faces, too embarrassed to look.
Kira sighed. "Mystogan's got some skills."
The key to illusions was exploiting your opponent's mindset. It didn't always need terrifying beasts or earth-shaking attacks. A swarm of rats, cockroaches crawling on you, or, in this case, hitting a weak spot in the heart—any of those could work.
With Freed's mind in disarray, Mystogan followed up with "Fivefold Magic Circle: Divine Revelry." Freed instantly passed out, muttering "Laxus… don't go…" as the arena erupted in laughter.
Dispel, barely containing his amusement, declared the match over. Bickslow, swallowing his embarrassment, helped carry Freed off the stage to Evergreen before returning for his own match against Natsu.
Though he wore a helmet, you could tell half his exposed face was flushed red.
Without his embarrassing teammates around, Bickslow felt a weight lift off his shoulders. Even if he lost to Natsu, it wouldn't be as humiliating as those two minutes.
Natsu bounded onto the stage, laughing. "Let's go all out, Bickslow!"
His fired-up challenge let Bickslow shake off the earlier awkwardness. "Natsu… you're a worthy opponent, huh? Right, babies?"
Pippi, Popo, Baba, Bebe, and Bubu—his five floating dolls—chattered incomprehensibly in response. Bickslow nodded. "Yeah, you guys are pumped too, huh?"
"You actually understand them?" Natsu asked, curious.
"Of course!" Bickslow replied. "My babies and I have a soul-deep bond. No one else gets it."
Since the prelims ended, both had nearly two days to rest, so they were in top form. After a quick exchange, the fight kicked off.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!!"
Unlike Kira' calm precision, Mystogan's dazzling flair, or Gray's field-wide magic, Natsu's style was straightforward: amplify his strength with magic and channel that strength into his spells. With a shout, he swung a flame-wreathed fist forward.
He stomped the ground, his red figure closing in fast. Knees bent, target locked, he drove his shoulder into a blazing left hook, flames boosting his elbow's speed.
It looked like a simple strike, but in terms of speed and power, few in the guild could match it. In Natsu's arsenal, it was his most basic attack.
But Bickslow, a few years older and battle-hardened from missions with Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe, wasn't fazed. The punch wasn't full of openings, but he could handle it. With a twist of his waist, he leaned back, dodging effortlessly.
His limber dodge—quick, steady, and flexible—drew envious shrieks from the women in the crowd.
But Natsu wasn't done. Balancing on one foot, he whipped his right leg upward in a diagonal kick, aiming to trip Bickslow, while his right fist hammered down toward his opponent's stomach.
At nearly two meters tall with long legs, Bickslow's explosive power outclassed most. Facing Natsu's pincer attack, he tapped his toes and leaped backward at an impossible angle, evading both strikes.
Lucy, always worried about Natsu, gasped. "That guy's so agile…"
Kira glanced at her, thinking, She definitely didn't watch yesterday's match. All her attention's on Natsu. Nope, time to remind her about that debt!
How could she be so carefree, only thinking about her crush? Where's the hustle of a proper debtor? From what Kira knew, Erza's team split mission rewards evenly. Erza, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Happy—five ways. An S-Class job was at least 200,000 J, so 40,000 J each. Even with losses cutting it in half…
No, wait, that's not right!
Kira tossed aside his imaginary calculator and recalculated. Erza could afford rent for five women's dorms—Lucy shouldn't be strapped for cash!
Clearly, this rich girl was living too comfortably!
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