"Everyone's set off, what should we do now?"
Carla watched Wendy's disappearing figure, still feeling uneasy. She felt she had to find something to do.
Makarov said, "First, move the medical kit and food to the camp, then head to the finish line of the first stage and wait for them."
Kildas, Mira, and Erza had already set up tents on the island for resting and eating during their breaks.
Carla obediently helped the President move things: "Do you know who Wendy will encounter?"
Makarov chuckled, "I'm hoping she and Rhode run into Mira, that would be more interesting."
"But those two fight every day, it's so boring," Carla expressed, feeling tired of it.
"No, no, no, it's not about the fighting. I think with Rhode's personality, in order to conserve his strength, he might use some interesting methods to deal with Mira. Then..."
Makarov grinned mischievously, "Then Mira will hold a grudge against Rhode, and over the next few days, she'll be thinking of ways to get back at him, so they won't bother me! Ahahaha..."
"... You're quite the clever old fox," Carla had already despaired of this guild, "So, did they choose the route with Mirajane?"
"Sigh..." Makarov sighed, "Unfortunately, they chose..."
...
"Erza." Rhode stopped in his tracks.
"What?" Wendy didn't catch it.
"The River Crab has already spotted her. Waiting for us ahead is Erza."
As Rhode spoke, he put his glasses back into his gear storage, helping Wendy store hers as well.
Still unsure if they'll be needed later, it wouldn't be good if they got broken.
"Miss Erza..." Wendy felt a bit nervous.
But thinking about her recent sparring partners, her mood eased a bit.
The most important thing now was to protect herself and then support Brother Rhode as much as possible.
Rhode had Wendy stand half a step behind him as they slowly advanced, taking the opportunity to observe the terrain through the River Crab's perspective.
The place where Erza was seemed to be an ancient hall, with many damaged stones on the walls, covered in moss and ferns.
In some places, thick tree roots pierced the ceiling.
When Erza noticed the clumsy River Crab, she already knew who her opponents were.
She smiled but didn't target the crab, just waited quietly for Rhode to come over—while keeping a portion of her focus on guarding against a sneak attack.
In theory, an S-Class test shouldn't involve ambushing the proctor, but knowing Rhode...
It's better to be cautious when he's an opponent.
Rhode, respecting the exam to some extent, didn't use underground sneak attacks and instead walked into the hall openly.
"So it's you guys, I should say I'm quite pleased," Erza said with a smile.
"Meeting you isn't exactly my lucky draw," Rhode would have preferred to encounter a weaker opponent to save some trouble.
But after thinking it over, he said, "I remember we have a fight we haven't finished yet."
"Yes, I think we agreed a long time ago to have a match," Erza quietly changed into Celestial Wheel Armor and smiled, "Isn't today the perfect day to settle it?"
"But there's still the exam later, I'm not planning on a fair duel with you today," Rhode ruffled Wendy's hair, indicating today it's two against one.
"That's just how the exam rules are, and it's only natural; even if you want to use your favorite swarm tactic, it's fine."
Erza was just thinking she might first encounter not Rhode, but a vast, endless swarm of purple insects.
In that scenario, she wouldn't be afraid, but it would certainly be disgusting.
"It's not quite a swarm tactic."
Actually, Rhode had considered it, but he was afraid that while fighting, the Underground Palace might get destroyed, which would be too much trouble if others got dragged in.
"Summoning, Cyan Engraved Golem."
Rhode began by summoning, waiting for the Crown of Insight to circle him and Wendy, then said, "Just to ask first, is this place sturdy, it won't collapse easily, will it?"
"Don't worry, as long as you don't intentionally target the roof, it won't easily collapse. Then..."
As Erza spoke, many Flying Swords appeared around her: "Celestial Wheel: Chaotic Sword!"
Nearly a hundred Longswords flew straight towards Rhode, Wendy... and the clueless Golem.
Erza understood Rhode well enough to know that as long as that big fellow was around, Rhode could recklessly use magic power, so he was the primary target for attack.
As for Wendy, her role was even more comprehensive than the Golem's; if she wasn't taken out first, dealing with Rhode would be too difficult.
"Receiving·Mountain Dragon Soul!"
In the blink of an eye, Rhode transformed into Mountain Sub-Dragon form, slamming his fist to the ground, and a thick stone wall rose in front, reaching from the floor to the ceiling, protecting him, Wendy, and the Golem.
The River Crab quietly shrank into a corner, pretending to be a large patch of moss, silently providing Rhode with vision from behind the stone wall.
Picking up the scene of a dozen or so Flying Swords lodged in the stone wall, the subsequent dozens under Erza's control lined up like a dragon, relentlessly striking the same spot one after another.
The massive force began creating a hole in the stone wall, stones flying off as dozens of swords seemed about to gouge a hole right through it.
But Erza didn't stand there waiting foolishly. Instead, with dual swords, she aimed to circle around from the side.
Rhode nudged Wendy, urging her to move away from the spot being excavated by the Flying Swords, while the Golem scratched its head, dumbly following behind Wendy.
Wendy spread her palms toward Rhode: "Speed boost, Bania! Power boost, Ames! Defense boost, Alma!"
Wendy's magic chant speed was average, only managing to cast three enhancement spells on Rhode before Erza came charging in.
"Broken Ghost Crown!"
Rhode promptly augmented himself with an aura, then rushed straight at Erza without dodging.
"Celestial Wheel: Sword of the Three!" Erza swung both swords, and the intersecting silver sword lights struck at Rhode almost simultaneously.
However, at that moment, Rhode was in Mountain Sub-Dragon form + Defense Enhancement Magic + the defense boost from the Broken Ghost Crown.
The colorful aura surrounding him was Rhode's confidence in standing firm.
The sword lights slashed against him, leaving only faint marks on the brown dragon scales of his left arm.
Undeterred, Rhode continued forward, swinging his right fist, hitting Erza squarely in the abdomen.
Kind-hearted Rhode worried that if he damaged the armor, Erza would have to spend money on repairs, so he aimed for areas without armor plating.
—The weak point of Celestial Wheel Armor was quite obvious; it would be a shame not to punch that beautiful midsection.
"Ah..."
Erza hadn't expected Rhode to be this resilient, crying out in pain as she was sent flying backward into the wall, falling to the ground among the rubble.