The fourth day of the "Fairy Tail Harvest Festival Battle" arrived.
Today was the last day of competition before the Harvest Festival itself.
Tomorrow, everyone would shift their focus to Magnolia's grand event—Fantasia.
The first match lasted a very long time: Raizel vs. Natsu.
Natsu exhausted every means at his disposal, even autonomously activating Dragon Force through sheer fighting spirit.
"Scales similar to those of a dragon have appeared on Contestant Natsu's face and body!"
Currently, no one in the general audience knew what to call this state; they only saw the dragon-like scale patterns emerging on his skin.
With his surging fighting spirit, Natsu had a momentum of growing stronger with each exchange, his innate flames burning hotter by the second.
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus: Phoenix Blade!"
"Cocytus Breath!"
The absolute zero cold bullet collided violently with the flaming phoenix blade formed from Natsu's body.
The clash of extreme heat and extreme cold caused countless water vapors to condense instantly into tiny droplets, filling the entire arena with a dense white mist.
It wasn't until the mist slowly dissipated that the audience saw Natsu, already lying unconscious on the ground.
Natsu was simply too tenacious.
Even when his Magic Power was depleted to such an extreme extent, he still found a way to unleash a Dragon Slayer Secret Art of that intensity.
The cheers from the audience never ceased, offered both to the victorious Raizel and to the never-give-up Natsu.
The two had displayed a flurry of high-level skills on the field: Raizel's Grey Sword and Garuru Cannon and Natsu's various Fire Dragon Slayer spells.
Natsu's final Phoenix Blade made the fight particularly spectacular.
This match was the longest so far, lasting as long as two or three typical matches combined.
Of course, Raizel could have instantly defeated Natsu, but that would have been boring.
Not only would the audience have seen nothing, but Natsu wouldn't have gained any training value from their fight.
...
The second match, Laxus vs. Cana, followed immediately.
Laxus's injuries weren't fully healed, so he didn't dare activate his Lightning Flame Dragon Mode again, relying solely on his original Lightning Magic to battle Cana.
Cana's Black Panther caused significant trouble for Laxus. Multiple attempts by Laxus to close in were thwarted by the summoned panther.
His speed advantage from turning his body into lightning wasn't particularly effective under the panther's dynamic vision; the beast could always track his movements, diving into shadows to intercept and block his attacks.
After turning into lightning again, Laxus rapidly approached Cana.
Facing the panther's interception, he decided to abandon defense.
"Contestant Laxus chooses to close in again! What! He's ignoring the Black Panther, taking those two claws head-on!"
Once close, Laxus struck with a Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist, sending Cana flying out of the arena.
However, two deep claw marks were left on his back by the panther.
Laxus didn't dare hold back, delivering a full-power punch to Cana's abdomen.
Cana lacked high-level defensive capabilities, and by the time she was sent flying, she had already lost her ability to fight.
"The winner is Contestant Laxus!"
The match ended rather quickly. Laxus, already injured, intended to settle it swiftly.
Had the Black Panther not caused him some trouble, the match would have ended much earlier.
...
The third match was Mirajane vs. Lucy.
Due to the arena's restrictions (lack of water), Lucy couldn't summon Aquarius.
From the Phantom Lord battle, Lucy was well aware that Mirajane's close-combat abilities and offensive power far surpassed her own.
After weighing her options, she made a choice.
"You're up! Open, Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"
Lucy struggled as best she could...
Virgo continuously dug holes in the arena, launching surprise attacks from underground.
Unfortunately, Mira was too fast and could fly using her Satan Soul, rendering Virgo's ground-based assaults ineffective.
Under the barrage of Mira's Evil Spark, Lucy swiftly switched strategies.
"Horologium!"
She hid inside the Clock Spirit, successfully blocking the attack.
However, Horologium could only withstand that one strike before disappearing.
"Open, Gate of the Lion! Leo!"
"You've found me quite the opponent, Lucy."
Leo appeared in a sharp suit, facing Mirajane who had activated Take Over: Satan Soul.
Instead of panicking, he calmly adjusted his glasses with a finger, putting on a flawless display of composure.
"I never expected to face you under these circumstances, Loke."
"Indeed. Crossing fists with you is a wish fulfilled for me."
As he spoke, Loke assumed a fighting stance.
"Lucy, can your Magic Power hold up?"
Lucy nodded. "It should be fine."
Thanks to training her Magic Power with Capricorn since childhood, Lucy's reserves were considerable among her peers.
This was an official match, not a Guild war or a life-or-death battle.
Loke could only use Lucy's Magic Power—if it ran out, he would force himself to return to the Celestial Spirit World.
Though he could manifest here using his own power without draining Lucy's, that would be unfair to Mirajane in a tournament setting.
"Regulus—Maximum Release!"
Knowing Mira's strength all too well, Loke immediately used his Light Magic, Regulus, to enhance himself to peak condition.
The two engaged in close combat first.
Blows were exchanged—punches, kicks, claws, and sweeps.
"Beautiful double kick! COOL!"
After blocking Mira's claw strike with his arm, Leo forced her back with a swift double kick.
"Darkness Stream!"
Dark Magical Power gathered in Mira's claws, forming a massive dark claw that surged toward Loke.
"Regulus Impact!"
Loke clenched his right fist, the ring on his middle finger glowing as he threw a punch forward.
A golden fist of light, shaped like a lion's head, collided with the Darkness Stream.
"They're evenly matched! COOL!"
Right after releasing the Darkness Stream, Mira used the blinding light of the collision as cover to close in on Loke.
Loke was prepared.
"Lion's Brilliance!"
As Mira rushed toward him, his body radiated a brilliant, blinding golden light.
The glare was too intense, forcing Mira to shield her eyes with her hands.
She quickly adjusted her trajectory and shot straight up into the sky to avoid a counterattack.
"Excellent defense! COOL!"
"Hmm, judging by that move, Leo probably intended to act as bait, but Mira's response was equally impressive," Makarov noted.
I''m still too cautious. i used it too early,' Loke thought, furrowing his brow.
Makarov hadn't guessed wrong—he had indeed intended to use himself as bait, planning to lure Mira closer so he could first use Lion's Brilliance to obstruct her vision before seizing the opportunity to attack.
But his timing wasn't quite right, or perhaps Mira's reaction was simply too fast.
The moment Loke's body began to glow with light, she immediately adjusted her direction and flew straight up into the sky, creating distance between them.
Loke was well-balanced in all aspects, but he had one serious problem...
He couldn't fly.
At such a long range, Mira's speed would definitely allow her to dodge any projectile attack.
Lucy didn't have enough Magic Power to support him fighting a protracted battle against a flying opponent, so he didn't even attempt to chase.
"Regulus Gatling!"
"Soul Extinction!"
Both fighters charged their ultimate attacks for a final clash!