"Not only the defense, but the speed and strength exceeded expectations." Erza clutched her stomach as she got up, feeling a bit dazed.
She remembered the first time she fought Rhode, she knocked him down with one punch and felt so guilty she gave him a big box of external medicine.
Later, Rhode kept training, kept challenging, and kept getting stronger. In a short period, he could team up with her to take on high-difficulty missions and even helped her defeat Baggs, who always ended in a draw with her.
Then... he gradually became an 'upper-level mage' in the guild that no one could ignore, and recently he was even nominated for the Ten Wizard Saints.
Rhode was growing too fast.
Erza smiled at the corners of her mouth, thinking it was great to have such a person join the guild.
Since Laxus was expelled from the guild and Mystogan stayed in Edolas, Erza had always been worried that the guild's power was insufficient.
Although Mira was still around, compared to before, it still made her a bit uneasy.
Now it's great that Rhode could become this strong.
However, since she had such expectations, she should understand Rhode's strength well as an examiner!
Moreover, she herself needed to become stronger!
Rhode looked at the rising fighting spirit in Erza's eyes and said helplessly, "Didn't we say the examiner should hold back a little?"
"Holding back is the one thing I can't do. And do you really need it?" Erza's Celestial Wheel Armor disappeared and was replaced by a simple Leopard Pattern Armor, "Requip: Flight Armor!"
Erza lightly tapped the ground, her figure ghostly approaching Rhode, her dual sabers swinging continuously.
Clang clang clang...
Rhode's forearm was covered with thick, hard dragon scales, and Erza's dual sabers could only spark when they hit.
She gave up frontal attacks and switched to assaulting from the sides and back, but those heavy wings were like strong shields, greatly limiting her attack.
Rhode confirmed Erza's attack strength and decided to risk it by abandoning defense and just attacking.
However, wearing the Flight Armor made Erza's movements too light and agile, dodging and weaving in such a small space, not giving Rhode any chance to attack.
Her armor was scanty, and Rhode's body wasn't all covered with dragon scales, but Erza felt exchanging a saber for a punch was... not worth it.
Instead of going head-to-head, it was better to keep maneuvering; by being a bit more cautious, she would definitely find a weakness.
Even if his own weaknesses were hard to find...
Erza glanced at the various lights around Rhode and shifted her gaze to Wendy, who was peeking from behind a breached dirt wall.
She had to find a way to weaken Rhode a bit first.
"Sorry, Wendy!" Erza abandoned Rhode and pounced towards Wendy like an agile leopard.
Wendy was a bit scared but still took a deep breath and puffed her cheeks: "Sky Dragon's Roar!"
From her small mouth, a fierce tornado was unleashed, but Erza cleverly dodged, only blasting a big hole in the wall ahead.
—In her nervousness and softness, she forgot all the attack techniques taught by the Cloud Sub-Dragon, otherwise, the power would have been stronger.
Erza intentionally flipped her right hand's long saber, aiming to knock Wendy out with the back of the blade.
But a blue and white dragon claw blocked this strike.
Receive: Cloud Dragon Soul.
Even in speed, Rhode wasn't afraid.
The golem picked Wendy up with both hands, carrying her away with thudding steps.
Erza immediately flipped her right hand's long saber, the blade slicing a line of blood in Rhode's palm as the left-hand saber also came slashing down.
Rhode's wings behind him swung, creating an irresistible gale as they flapped.
"Uh..." Erza was uncontrollably pushed backward, frequently stepping on the ground to slow her retreat.
The wind blades left slashes on Erza's unarmored arms and side, with crimson blood seeping from the wounds, causing Rhode to briefly reflect whether he controlled his power well, especially when a tiny cut on her face was concerning.
In 0.1 seconds, Rhode remembered that Wendy could easily heal such wounds without leaving scars.
So he took the opportunity before Erza steadied herself and unleashed a stronger breath than Wendy had just now.
"Wah..."
Erza was swept backward by a tornado, slamming once again into the wall with rubble rolling down, her figure shrouded in dust.
Seeing the dust stir, Rhode flapped his wings again, dispersing the gale.
The sound of wind blades striking metal rang out, the dust was blown away as Erza, dressed in a black armor, wielding a serrated saber, charged out against the gale.
"Requip: Purgatory Armor!"
The surging magic power made Wendy worry for Rhode's safety: "Although not very skilled, but... full attribute resistance enhancement, Divine Crown!"
This additional magic was somewhat strenuous for Wendy, so after casting it, she commanded the golem to retreat. Following Rhode's instructions to cast additional magic and then run.
Bam! Crack!
Rhode raised his hand to block Erza's serrated saber that was striking from above, the floor beneath him sinking half a foot, with web-like cracks spreading around.
The blade cut through the blue and white dragon scales as light as feathers on his forearm, but only that.
The terrifying magic power and immense strength didn't unleash their intended power.
As she was about to retract the saber for another attack, Rhode's dragon tail behind him was already lashing out, striking Erza's waist.
The fierce force staggered her, but Purgatory Armor's coverage rate was among the highest of all Erza's armors, providing substantial defense.
After regaining her footing, she swung her saber horizontally, but Rhode had already disappeared, her powerful slash cutting through four stone pillars at the wall's edge and leaving a deep mark on the wall.
Cracks spread from the mark on both sides, nearly demolishing the entire wall with one slice. The palace quaked slightly, dust and rubble falling from the ceiling.
This was the expected destructive power of the Purgatory Armor. In comparison, Erza realized just how strong Rhode's defense along with Wendy's additional magic was.
If she didn't take Wendy out first, she might not be able to inflict any significant damage on Rhode from start to finish.
But before she could chase after Wendy again, she felt a punch on her back, turning around only to be kicked on her right waist, followed by a punch straight to the face.
Instinctively, Erza swung her saber upwards, managing to hit Rhode this time, but due to the rushed counter, it only pushed Rhode back a bit.
Rhode employed the same tactics Erza used when wearing the Flight Armor, dodging and maneuvering non-stop.
But the difference was that receiving the Cloud Dragon Soul, Rhode's attack power surpassed that of the Flight Armor significantly.
Even if dressed in the relatively all-rounded Purgatory Armor and with rich combat experience occasionally managing a hit, it was ineffective.
Erza was gradually falling behind.