Ping—Pang!
The illusion shattered, revealing the battlefield as it truly was: two figures standing across from each other, silent and still.
"Who… who won?"
Caught up in the illusion, it was hard to distinguish whose magic was whose. At first, the crowd could track the sequence, but the climactic dragon-versus-human battle was so chaotic, no one could tell whose illusion it was.
"I lost," Mystogan said, retrieving his magic staffs and turning to leave.
"The match is over! The winner is… Kira!"
"Wooooh!!!"
The crowd didn't fully get it, but this was the moment to cheer, so they did! Someone piped up, "But… why did Kira win?"
Others nodded, thinking, Yeah, explain it, announcer!
Dispel broke it down from the start. No doubt about it, the initial maple leaf forest was Mystogan's illusion. Kira countered with a harsh winter, Mystogan melted it with a spring breeze, and Kira cleared the rain with summer heat—a battle of the seasons, evenly matched. Then, Mystogan took the lead, conjuring a sun goddess who unleashed a blazing beam to shatter the earth, revealing a magical beast—a spell he often used. To counter, Kira summoned a horde of dragons. Having witnessed Acnologia in Zonia, he knew how to craft their awe-inspiring presence. The dragons' victory gave Kira the edge. As for the final scene with Fairy Tail's members and the epic human-dragon war, Mystogan had no hand in it—it was all Kira' creation.
After Dispel's explanation, Mystogan nodded quietly and left the stage, leaving the background characters in the crowd gaping in awe.
"So… so incredible… He created that complex illusion all by himself…"
"No wonder he's called the top wizard of Fiore's younger generation. He's that strong!"
Everyone was still savoring the surreal illusion. No one questioned why Kira crafted such a vision or what the final outcome meant. They only knew they'd witnessed a magic illusion battle unlike anything they'd ever seen—or might ever see again.
Kira stepped off the stage to a wave of cheers and his guildmates' praise.
Erza clapped him on the shoulder. "That's our Kira!"
Gray slung an arm around his neck. "That scene with Fairy Tail fighting ten thousand dragons? Absolutely epic!"
Lucy, still shaken by the world-ending dragon spectacle, asked timidly, "You could make such a realistic illusion because of the Zonia battle, right?"
Natsu, looking a bit sulky, chimed in, "Man, dragons are supposed to be gentle. Why'd you make them out to be world-destroyers, Kira?"
Kira didn't know how to respond, so he just turned away, ignoring him.
Elfman pumped his fist. "A real man should fight dragons!"
Cana raised an eyebrow. "So, who was that last guy? Don't tell me it was you."
Kira thought to himself, Obviously it was the strongest guy. Who's the strongest in the guild (eventually)? Me, of course! Who else could it be—Ye… ahem, you?
His guildmates crowded around, chattering away, and while Kira secretly loved the praise, he feigned annoyance. "Alright, I'll take the compliments, but no questions! And Natsu, you're up next!"
"Oh!" Natsu's eyes lit up, his fighting spirit ignited. "I'm all fired up!"
Next was the second semifinal match, which would decide the finalist: Fire Dragon Natsu or Demon Mirajane. Either way, it was a surprise. Originally, everyone thought the final would be Kira versus Laxus.
"Go get 'em, Natsu!" Lucy cheered as he headed to the stage. Happy wanted to say something too, but as the tournament's mascot, he was currently being squeezed by Dispel, who kept making him wave his paws cutely.
Speaking of Dispel, despite his dislike for Exceeds, he was oddly fond of Happy. Maybe it was because Happy hadn't been tainted by Edolas' culture and had grown up adorably clueless in Fairy Tail.
On the other side, Elfman was hyping up Mirajane. "You got this, big sis!"
Mira flashed him a sweet smile. "Thanks, Elfman! I'll do my best!"
Erza approached, her tone serious. "Don't lose to Natsu, okay?"
Though in her head, she was chanting, Lose to Natsu, lose to Natsu…
"Oh my, is that Erza?" Mira said, feigning surprise. "Don't worry, even though you got knocked out in the round of sixteen, I'll carry your spirit with me!"
Their gazes sparked like lightning in the air.
Elfman shivered nearby, not daring to speak. Ever since Dispel brought news from Edolas, his sister seemed to have rediscovered her old mischievous, sharp-tongued edge, making her a little scary.
"The second semifinal match of the first Fairy Tail Magic Tournament: Natsu vs. Mirajane—begin!"
On the stage, Natsu radiated fiery, sunny energy, his pink hair flying and white dragon-scale scarf fluttering, like an overgrown kid. Mirajane, by contrast, was all gentle sweetness, the caring big sister you'd hate to raise a hand against.
Natsu grinned. "Never thought I'd be fighting you, Mira!"
"Let's give it our all, Natsu," she said with a smile. "I'm going full force, so try to hold on, okay?"
"Oh yeah!"
With a shout, flames engulfed Natsu as he entered Jet Mode.
Jet Mode was Natsu's signature combat state, where flames burst from his elbows, tailbone, inner knees, and heels to boost his punching speed, movement, and kicks, while also amping up his strength.
Across from him, Mirajane shifted into her own battle mode. "Demon Takeover: Eis!"
"What?!"
"Eis?!"
"Isn't that…?"
At the Fairy Tail viewing area, Erza, Gray, Lucy, Cana, Loki, and Elfman all turned to Kira, their unspoken question clear.
Kira shrugged, unfazed. "Yup, exactly what you're thinking. That's the Ice Demon King, Eis, from Zonia. After I brought its soul back, I realized it was still alive. Figured we might as well put it to use, so I gave it to Mira."
Unlike Elfman's Beast King Takeover, which turned him into a massive beast, Mirajane's Demon Takeover with Eis—whose form was closer to human—didn't drastically alter her appearance. It was more like slipping into form-fitting armor, with a few distinct changes.
Her lush white hair cascaded to her waist, streaked with faint blue strands. A pair of cute, pointed demon ears sprouted atop her head, and three blue wave-like marks appeared on her forehead. Her eyes turned a deep sea blue, shimmering like rippling waves. Her face remained flawless, but her warm, sisterly vibe shifted to a cool, commanding aura.
She grew a few centimeters taller, her figure now even more striking, with perfect curves and skin pale as a snow maiden. Blue-and-white frost flowers bloomed on her chest, side waist, and right leg, captivatingly beautiful. A minimalist white armor covered key areas—shoulder plates, chest piece, and shorts—nothing more.
Unlike her Satan Soul, Eis' takeover didn't drastically change her limbs, just their color. Her hands, from fingertips to elbows, turned blue with faint snowflake patterns, fading to white higher up, like floral blue gloves. Her legs followed suit, with cloud-like patterns resembling long boots.
Demon General—that was the crowd's first impression of this Mirajane.