After consecutively using multiple high-level skills, and with Virgo and Horologium having previously consumed a significant amount of Lucy's Magical Power, her remaining reserves were already quite limited.
Both sides exchanged another blow, appearing evenly matched on the surface, but Leo knew deep down that he was nearing his limit.
He was forcing himself to endure the weakness, doing his best not to show that he was about to collapse.
However, Mirajane noticed it.
With her Full-Body Take Over: Satan Soul, she possessed perception far beyond that of ordinary people.
She could sense that Leo's breathing was somewhat erratic, even though he was trying hard to conceal it.
Mirajane quickly made a decision and initiated close-quarters combat at an extremely fast pace, raining down attacks to force Leo to focus solely on defense.
Eventually, Mira seized an opportunity and struck Leo with a decisive blow, forcibly sending him back to the Celestial Spirit World.
Seeing this, Lucy had no choice but to surrender.
Her Magical Power was nearly depleted, much like Leo's—she had only been holding on through sheer willpower.
...
Gray and Kagura's battle was the final match of the day.
"Let's first give a round of applause to welcome the Ice Mage—Gray Fullbuster!"
Gray slowly walked out amidst the audience's applause, wearing a serious expression.
"Next, let's welcome the Swordswoman of Fairy Tail—Kagura Mikazuchi!"
Once the audience's cheers gradually subsided, Jason turned to Makarov and Ur and asked.
"May I ask which of the two you favor more?"
Makarov pondered for a long time before saying, "It's hard for me to predict between these two. I think they're evenly matched. Even if one wins, it will likely be a close victory."
After recalling the combat records of both sides, Ur said, "Gray is my disciple, and I've also taught Kagura a lot in terms of magic training. However, the two have rarely fought each other, so it's truly hard to say. I'd call it a fifty-fifty split."
Ur tried her best not to favor either side, as both Gray and Kagura were like her own flesh and blood.
...
"Who do you think will win?" In the resting room, Ultear asked Raizel the same question.
Everyone was drawn to Ultear's question and turned their attention to Raizel.
After comparing the two, Raizel organized his thoughts and said, "If I had to say, I feel Kagura is slightly stronger. Her Gravity Magic will affect Gray's close-quarters combat. His Ice Make hasn't been fully mastered yet. If Archenemy is drawn, it will absolutely shatter his Ice Make Magic."
Currently, if Kagura fully unleashes her Gravity Magic, covering the entire arena is no issue.
Moreover, she doesn't even need to go all out—just activating it around herself is enough to make her nearly invincible in close quarters.
Once Gravity Magic envelops her surroundings, Gray's Ice Make Magic will face many limitations in speed and stability.
And if the blade Archenemy is unsheathed, it possesses enough power to shatter Ur's Ice Shield, so breaking Gray's defenses would be no challenge at all.
Furthermore, Kagura has fought more powerful enemies alongside Raizel, Ultear, and Erza.
At this stage, Gray is somewhat lagging behind the current standards of the S-Class candidates.
It's only after he obtains Ice Devil Slayer Magic later on that he becomes a genuine powerhouse of the A-team.
Ice Make Magic isn't inferior, but Gray hasn't fully mastered it yet.
If he could achieve Ur's level of effortless control over Ice Make and enhance the ice's durability, he would be quite formidable.
However, the current Gray is far from reaching that stage.
...
Both competitors wore solemn expressions, clearly taking this battle seriously.
There was no trash-talking—amid the crowd's chatter, the two had already begun fighting.
"Ice Make: Floor!"
Gray took the initiative to create advantageous terrain, swiftly turning the entire arena into a smooth sheet of ice.
"He took off his clothes! So fast! The cameras can't even keep up!!! COOL!" Jason screamed.
'No need to exaggerate that much... There's still room for improvement,' Ur felt a wave of exasperation at the commentary.
Immediately, Gray used the ice to slide rapidly toward Kagura.
Ur nodded approvingly at Gray's first move, commenting, "A good strategy—creating favorable icy terrain while boosting his own mobility."
"Archenemy: Strong Form!"
Kagura gripped her sheathed sword, Archenemy, with both hands, slamming the tip of the scabbard into the ground.
The surrounding ice shattered instantly, revealing the original stone floor beneath her.
Makarov followed up on the commentary. "Kagura's response is also smart. Though she didn't destroy the entire ice surface, Gray has to close in eventually. Ensuring there is no ice directly around her is sufficient to ruin his momentum."
Unlike Gray, Kagura couldn't move freely on the ice—forcing it would likely cause her to lose balance.
"Contestant Gray closes in! He chooses to create an Ice Blade!"
Gray gripped the Ice Make: Sword firmly, leaping high before thrusting downward at Kagura.
Kagura sidestepped, then executed a straight slash followed by two backhand diagonal slashes, seamlessly transitioning into a low sweep.
Gray retreated while parrying, deftly neutralizing the attacks.
In close combat, Gray's alternating diagonal slashes left shallow cuts on Kagura's forearms, but he also took a heavy hit from her scabbard.
After being struck, Kagura created some distance, leveraging her longer blade's reach to maneuver outside the range of Gray's sword.
When Gray misjudged a reverse sweep, Kagura seized the opportunity, striking his back hard with the hilt.
The blow sent Gray stumbling, forcing him to one knee. But he reacted well—
The moment he knelt, Gray instantly swept with his Ice Blade to block Kagura's follow-up strike.
He then rolled sideways on the ground, swinging his blade mid-motion to counter.
"Excellent counter! Contestant Gray turns the tables!"
Kagura retreated while attempting to strike Gray's head with her scabbard, but his rolling was too swift.
Failing to capitalize, she could only retreat defensively.
"Contestant Kagura slips!!!"
Amid Gray's relentless assault, Kagura stepped on a slick patch of remaining ice while backing away, losing her footing.
As Gray leaped high to strike the vulnerable swordswoman, Kagura used her magic.
"Gravity Change!"
She reversed gravity on herself, propelling her body upward into the air to dodge.
"Brilliant counter!"
The magic circle above Kagura expanded, affecting Gray below—his body began floating uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Kagura reversed gravity again, this time applying crushing pressure downwards.
Gray maintained decent posture mid-air and managed to land steadily after the gravity crush, but the effects lingered on his body.
"Contestant Gray's movements have slowed noticeably!"
Kagura moved effortlessly within the Gravity Magic, first shattering the ice surface beneath her feet to ensure stability before unleashing an attack.
"Archenemy: Slashing Form!"
She launched a horizontal sweep of gravity-enhanced energy toward Gray.
Though his movements were slightly sluggish, Gray's Ice Make was ingrained in his muscle memory.
He swiftly created an Ice Shield before him and used the impact of the blade against the shield to propel himself backward, out of the Gravity Magic's effective range.
"Incredibly fast Ice Make! He successfully blocked the Slashing Form!"
"Ice Make: Lance!"
Seeing Kagura swiftly charging toward him with her blade, Gray instantly created over a dozen ice lances that shot straight at Kagura.
Facing the rapidly approaching lances, Kagura remained unflustered.
Her Archenemy danced up and down, cutting left and right as she cleaved through all the lances with precision.
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