Eastern Forest
Raizel was feeling pressure he hadn't experienced in a long time.
The rules were inherently unfair: he was stripped of his magical offensive power and restricted to pure defense.
It was a handicap match designed to break him.
Kagura had activated her Gravity Change, casting an invisible net over the circle that made Raizel's limbs feel like lead.
Beside her was Erza, who had been honing her Dual Blade style against the Three Sword Spirits for nearly two years.
Their coordination was seamless. Kagura suppressed his movements; Erza exploited the openings.
Clang! Clang!
Raizel was forced back step by step, his parries growing desperate.
Finally, overwhelmed by the dual assault, he was driven out of the circle and struck several times in quick succession.
"Kagura, aren't you being a bit too harsh? Why were you aiming for my head?" Raizel sat on the ground, rubbing a stinging bump on his skull.
He felt his brain buzzing.
With Kagura's height, reach, and the length of Archenemy, she could strike from angles he didn't expect.
Kagura ignored his theatrics, sheathing her blade with a calm click.
"It was just the sheath. You have armor on, anyway."
Erza stood nearby, hands on her hips like a drill sergeant. "Alright, stop complaining. Get up. Let's continue."
"Heh. Sweat more in training, bleed less in battle, right?" Raizel sprang up from the ground with a kip-up, dusting himself off.
The trio resumed their training.
Erza and Kagura seemed to find a sadistic joy in the relentless strikes, spending the entire afternoon turning Raizel into a punching bag.
That evening at dinner, Erza proposed a new routine.
"We should do this daily. Besides improving your close combat defense, it hones Kagura's and my coordination. If we add Ultear's long-range attacks when she gets back..."
"Wouldn't that actually kill me?" Raizel pleaded, holding his rice bowl.
"Please consider my feelings!"
...
One afternoon, Erza slashed relentlessly with her Dual Blades while Kagura struck down with the force of gravity, her eyes burning with fury.
Raizel, unable to defend against the onslaught, collapsed to the ground in defeat.
This was the scene Gray and Lyon stumbled upon while passing through the forest after a mission.
Terrified, they ran back to the guild and spread some wild rumors.
They claimed Raizel had angered the "Demon Sisters," that they were chasing him everywhere hacking away at him, and that even Raizel couldn't defeat them.
The consensus in the Guild grew stronger: 'Never, under any circumstances, provoke Erza or Kagura.'
...
The next day, Gray and Lyon appeared in the guild hall.
Smack. Smack.
Both boys sported a bright red mark running vertically down the center of their faces.
It was Erza and Kagura's doing.
They had used the back of their blades to "correct" the gossip.
They had spared the boys their lives, but not their dignity!
"Is my nose going to be flat now?" Gray whined, touching his face tenderly. "Ouch~ that hurts."
The following day, Lyon left a letter and set off on a journey.
He said he was going to find a way to become stronger.
Perhaps losing consecutively to Ultear, Erza, and now knowing he couldn't even touch Kagura, had bruised his pride.
He felt his Ice Make wasn't powerful enough.
"With all those magic books in the underground archive, and he didnt even bother to study them?" Raizel commented, shaking his head when he heard the news.
"I don't get what he's thinking. He might have stumbled upon Fairy Sphere if he looked hard enough."
...
Late March, X777
Ultear, having spent three months on Sirius Island, finally reappeared.
She didn't receive a warm welcome immediately.
Instead, upon arriving at the Eastern Forest, she witnessed a crime scene.
She saw Erza and Kagura ruthlessly beating up Raizel.
For the past three months, this had been their daily routine.
Raizel could now parry with fluid precision, while the girls' coordination had become terrifyingly seamless.
This made Raizel excited; he saw the birth of a technique master in Erza and a single-strike specialist in Kagura.
Raizel spotted Ultear first.
He tried to wave, but he was too busy blocking a gravity-enhanced overhead strike to greet her properly.
Ultear, finding the scene hilarious, simply sat on the grass and watched the show.
After the session ended, Raizel finally raised his left hand.
"Ultear!"
The girls turn around, their faces lighting up.
"ULTEAR!"
They ran toward her, delighted to see their sister again after three months.
"Erza, Kagura. Long time no see," Ultear responded with a warm smile.
Raizel walked over, wiping sweat from his brow. "It's been so long. Shall we find a place to grab some food and catch up?"
They decided to buy sweets and drinks in Magnolia before settling down at Raizel's house to chat freely.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor of Raizel's living room, they dug into the snacks.
"So, tell us," Raizel asked, "what were you doing on Tenrou Island these past three months? You left without explaining anything."
Ultear shook her head, sipping her tea. "Nothing particularly special. I just felt my magic power training had hit a bottleneck. Combined with what the Master said after Laxus's exam... it's been weighing on my mind."
"The day Laxus took the S-Class exam?" Erza asked.
"Yes," Ultear explained. "Regarding magical power, my Ice Make and Arc of Time are ability-type magics, leaning heavily toward long-range control. Unlike you three, who focus on physical enhancement and close combat, I rely on vast magic reserves. I thought increasing my capacity was the most suitable path for me."
"But isn't the total magic power in a person's body fixed? There's a limit, right?" Erza asked.
This was basic theory Ur had taught them.
"That's exactly what puzzles me," Ultear said, her eyes gleaming with intellectual curiosity. "The ancient texts of the Arc of Time mention developing a Second Magical Source (Second Origin). I couldn't grasp it, so I went to Tenrou Island to train with the First Master."
"Did you succeed?" Raizel leaned forward.
Unlocking the Second Origin was essentially a cheat code—a massive reservoir of power.
Ultear smiled wryly. "No. The First Master told me this isn't something achievable in a few months. It might take years, or even decades to unlock."
"You'll succeed, Ultear. I believe in you," Kagura said, nodding firmly.
"Yes. I won't give up, Kagura," Ultear smiled back at her.
"Since Ultear is back, can we take on missions now?" Erza asked, rubbing her hands together excitedly.
"How about we depart the day after tomorrow?" Ultear suggested. "I just got back; I need tomorrow to restock supplies."
"I want to go too," Kagura said, raising her hand.
"You decide," Raizel said, looking at Erza and Ultear.
Kagura was nine years old this year.
Ultear had started taking missions at nine, and frankly, Kagura wasn't weak at all.
Raizel recalled the time Erza and Kagura hunted down Gray and Lyon.
The boys hadn't stood a chance.
Neither Gray nor Lyon were fools who stood still to be hit, but their Maker Magic required a split second to manifest.
Kagura didn't give them that second.
Before they could cast, her gravity field suppressed them.
Once she closed the distance, her martial arts dominated them.
Because of this, Gray was mocked by the guild for days for losing to a girl two years his junior.
Lyon had likely left town to escape that very shame.
"I agree," Ultear said. "I promised Ur I would look after her growth."
"I don't see a problem," Erza nodded with a confident smile. "She's ready."