The guild's backyard was bustling with voices.
The members who should have been in the main hall are now crowding here for the spectacle.
A few dozen people formed a circle, and within it stood today's duel protagonists, the "Fire Dragon" Natsu and the "Fairy Queen" Erza.
When Hope, Mirajane, and Kana arrived, all they could see were heads bobbing; they couldn't see what was happening inside.
Grabbing Kana, who was desperately pushing in to watch the spectacle, Hope clapped his hands, instantly activating "Wooden Formation"; the three were lifted by a wooden platform a few heights up.
Kana stomped her foot, feeling the sturdiness of the wooden stand, and said contentedly, "Hope, your shaping magic is really well used. Unlike Gray, who only thinks about fighting. Last time his ice chair made us all wet our pants."
Listening to Kana's complaint, Hope twitched the corner of his mouth.
Having an ice‑shaping mage make a chair for everyone to sit on—aren't they afraid of freezing their butts? And the one who does the work gets the blame... Their logic is something else.
Let's just look at the scenery in the distance, folks.
Looking around, Hope noticed that Loki was secretly opening betting; the wager wasn't about who would win, but how many minutes Natsu could last against Erza.
From one to five minutes, the most bet odds were on one minute; even Hachi wagered a piece of dried fish on Natsu lasting the full minute.
Hope had personally witnessed Erza and Natsu battling the demon Lala Bai; in his eyes, Erza as an S‑rank mage is indeed powerful, but that doesn't mean Natsu is weak.
Why does everyone doubt him?
Perplexed, Hope quietly asked Mirajane and Kana.
'Oh, you mean this?'
Kana swayed a mysterious cup, explaining with a matter‑of‑fact smile, "Of course, because Natsu was beaten up by Erza since he was a kid."
Mirajane added, "Natsu and Gray aim to defeat Erza, but whether solo or in groups, they've never beaten her even once since childhood."
So Gray did the same.
Hope understood; being beaten up since childhood explains why, when they were caught by Erza during a group brawl, Natsu and Gray were so terrified they almost knelt before her.
Who would have thought these two fire‑and‑water opposites are actually like brothers in hardship.
During the small talk, the duelists Erza and Natsu began the traditional pre‑match trash talk.
'The last time we had an official magical duel like this was a few years ago, right?'
Erza, her red hair blazing and clad in knight armor, spoke with a hint of nostalgia, 'So you finally have the courage to challenge me again, Natsu?'
'Back then I was just a kid; now I'm different. This time I'll definitely defeat you, Erza!!' Natsu clenched his fists, flames igniting, his white dragon‑scale scarf fluttering with the rising heat.
Sensing Natsu's confidence, Erza's eyes lit with fighting spirit, 'Fine, then I'll show you my true skill. It's been ages since I tested my power on someone, so go ahead and try.'
'Change gear! Flame Emperor Armor!'
After a repeat‑worthy transformation sequence, a dark‑red armor clad Erza, her hairstyle now twin‑tails.
Hope never understood why a simple armor‑swap spell also altered her hairstyle... The Flame Emperor Armor boasts high fire resistance, halving fire‑based magic damage, showing Erza truly intends no mercy on Natsu.
To outsiders, Erza's use of such targeted armor might seem overly bullying.
But Natsu was thrilled; to him, Erza's move signaled recognition of his strength, allowing him to go all‑out without hesitation.
'Whoa! I'm on fire!'
As the referee Elfman announced the duel's start, Natsu launched the first attack, his fists colliding with a burst of scorching flame.
His figure turned into a crimson meteor, trailing blazing tail flames, speeding toward Erza with an opening move: the Fire Dragon's Iron Fist.
The heat wave from the flames made the front‑row spectators burst into exclamations.
Facing Natsu's ferocious strike, Erza's gaze remained calm, as if seeing through everything; she sidestepped slightly, letting the flame‑wrapped fist glance off the edge of her armor.
Natsu reacted instantly; after the miss, he spun, spreading flames from his arms like dragon wings, shouting, "Fire Dragon—Wing Strike!"
One must admit, although Natsu's intellect may be skewed, his battle sense is extremely sharp, allowing him to instinctively make the right moves in an instant.
It's as if he was born for battle.
Only... Erza's reaction was even faster and fiercer!
The Flame Emperor Sword traced a scorching crimson line in the air, shattering the incoming Fire Dragon Wing with a single blow.
Natsu wasn't surprised—if he couldn't easily take that hit, then she wouldn't be the Erza he aspired to surpass.
'Not over yet!'
'Fire Dragon—Sword Edge!'
Concentrating the flame at his head, Natsu became like a fiery drill, charging fearlessly at Erza.
However, every move Natsu made was anticipated by Erza; having beaten him since childhood, she knew his techniques inside out.
Having already predicted, Erza moved like a phantom, the fiery drill passing by her by a hair's breadth.
After three successive fierce attacks, Natsu was in a state where his old strength was waning and new power hadn't yet arisen.
Sensing the opening, Erza's eyes flashed; she flicked her wrist on the sword hilt, and the cold‑glinting blade struck precisely at Natsu's exposed nape.
Bang~
A muffled thud.
Natsu's forward momentum halted abruptly, his surrounding flames extinguished instantly like doused by cold water; he staggered twice before collapsing softly forward, kicking up a small puff of dust.
Seeing Natsu lying motionless on the ground, referee Elfman immediately stopped the timer and announced the number to everyone—
59 seconds!
Indeed, from Natsu's raging assault on Erza, flames blazing, to his complete defeat, the whole sequence didn't even exceed a minute.
The arena fell silent.
Then uproarious laughter erupted.
'Sure enough, a flashy combo got him killed in an instant,' Kana said, downing her drink, looking as if she had expected it all along.
Mirajane covered her mouth and laughed, 'Natsu's still the same, hasn't changed a bit.'
Hope stood silently on the wooden stand, watching the pink‑haired youth who had been knocked out on the ground, and the "Fairy Queen" who hadn't even caught her breath.
He finally grasped, in a tangible way, what "bloodline suppression" and "absolute subordinate rank" meant.
Amid the group's laughter,
Another dull thud echoed as someone fell.
Everyone watched as Erza, the disciplinary committee member who had knocked out Loki, seized the betting list and confiscated their wagers, their expressions frozen.
Erza looked at the list; almost everyone present had placed a bet,
'Betting on their comrades' fights.'
'You are downright lawless!'
Thus, after an unknown number of rounds, the Fairy Tail Battle Royale began.
Hope sighed, intending to return to the hall with Kana and Mirajane for some peace, but when he turned his head he found only Mirajane still by his side.
Undoubtedly, Kana had also fled.
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