"....."
"Eh? That's it?"
The entire stadium was at an absolute loss. They had expected an earth-shattering duel between two titans, but Finn had just effortlessly swatted 'Mystogan' out of the air like a minor nuisance.
"No, well... I just think the Heavenly Blue guy is way too strong..."
Gulp.
The crowd stared at the massive, jagged crater etched into the arena wall by Finn's casual swing. If anyone else had taken a direct hit from that monstrous axe, they would have been instantly liquefied.
Yet, without a doubt, it was a massive disappointment for the duel to end so abruptly. It seemed Fairy Tail Team B's masked trump card simply wasn't as strong as everyone had hyped him up to be.
But down in the crater, Jellal was not unconscious.
His mind was racing at lightning speed. He quickly realized that maintaining his disguise by strictly borrowing Mystogan's Stave Magic was completely suicidal against an opponent like Finn. To win this battle and salvage Fairy Tail's honor, Jellal knew he had to abandon the charade and use his own innate, forbidden magic. Even if it meant risking his life and his freedom by exposing his identity as a wanted fugitive, he refused to lose!
He had to stand up!
"METEOR!"
Suddenly, Jellal erupted from the rubble, encased in a blinding, golden aura of starlight. He dashed forward with a terrifying, absolute velocity that resembled a falling meteor!
"....." Finn lowered his axe, sighing internally.
As expected, huh?
Finn knew exactly how this world operated. In Earthland, it was practically impossible to one-shot a main character. Finn knew he always had to be prepared for the inevitable moment when the protagonist—or their allies—suddenly tapped into their latent, emotional power, screaming about their friends, and gaining a massive, logic-defying power boost.
Even though Jellal had tapped into the "power of love" and a desperate will to protect Erza's guild, in Finn's cold, calculating eyes, Jellal was still fundamentally weak.
However, Finn had to admit that Jellal's signature magic was genuinely fascinating.
Heavenly Body Magic.
This was the magic that had allowed Jellal to rise to the rank of Wizard Saint and practically run the Magic Council seven years ago.
(Granted, Finn knew perfectly well that the Magic Council back then was laughably weak and utterly corrupt. Most of the higher-ups were fat, lazy bureaucrats who hoarded the budget while Dark Guilds ran rampant across the continent.)
Earthland often appeared to be a vibrant world full of laughter and adventure. But beneath the Shōnen surface, before the main plot began, this world was incredibly dark. The Tower of Heaven, child slavery, demonic cults, corrupt nobles, and mass murder—those were the realities of Fiore.
Because Fairy Tail was a Shōnen story designed for a younger audience, those visceral cruelties were often glossed over. The genre wasn't Seinen, like Jujutsu Kaisen or Chainsaw Man, where a hit from a massive four-bladed battleaxe would realistically result in shattered bones and spilled organs.
Instead, the abstract power of "Nakama" and protagonist plot armor allowed Jellal to effortlessly shrug off a massive blunt-force trauma and transform into a literal meteor.
Swooosh!
"Heavenly Body Magic, huh?" Finn muttered to himself. He analyzed the golden aura closely. It felt conceptually similar to Fairy Law—a deep, complex magic that utilized the abstract cosmic properties of astronomical objects like stars, meteors, and gravity.
"He's so fast!"
"What is that magic?!"
"As expected, you can never underestimate Fairy Tail!"
As the crowd watched Jellal ping-pong across the arena at the speed of light, Yajima narrowed his eyes in the commentator's booth.
Hmm... you are a very naughty boy, Maky, Yajima thought, turning his gaze toward Makarov in the stands. Makarov noticed the look and awkwardly stuck his tongue out.
Sigh...
Even though Yajima instantly recognized the magic and knew exactly who was hiding beneath Mystogan's mask, he chose to keep his mouth shut. He secretly wanted Fairy Tail to win just as much as Makarov did.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
The entire Fairy Tail roster—with the notable, conflicted exception of Erza—cheered wildly as Jellal transformed into a streak of blinding starlight, rearing his glowing fist back to smash Finn!
Only—
"You're too slow."
"Huh?"
Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!
Every single one of Jellal's lightning-fast strikes hit absolutely nothing. Finn didn't even raise his axe. He simply tilted his head, side-stepped, and pivoted. He dodged the barrage so fluidly and elegantly that it made Jellal look incredibly clumsy.
To the untrained eye of the audience, it looked like Jellal was just wildly swinging and missing Finn by several feet.
"Is he just super clumsy?"
"What's wrong with him?"
"His magic looks incredible, but why is his aim so terrible?!"
The crowd was completely confused, and some even began to mock Jellal. But the true veterans in the stadium—Mavis, Erza, Jura, and Makarov—frowned deeply, their eyes locked on Finn's terrifying evasive footwork.
"No, it isn't that simple," Erza murmured, her eyes narrowing.
"What do you mean?" Natsu asked, crossing his arms.
"That Heavenly Blue mage... it looks like he's using some advanced form of spatial illusion. But for this reaction speed of his... it is as if he makes the world around him slow down," Erza analyzed, a bead of sweat rolling down her cheek.
"Whatever! He's just a coward for dodging!" Natsu shouted angrily over the railing. "Stop dodging and fight Mystogan like a man, you bastard!"
SMACK!
Erza brutally chopped the top of Natsu's head. "Shut up, you idiot! Do you think every opponent in the world is as simple-minded as you?! A true warrior uses their head in a fight. Getting angry because your opponent won't stand still and let you hit them is completely childish!"
"Ugh..." Natsu whimpered, rubbing his bruised skull.
Erza wasn't entirely sure why, but hearing Natsu mock Finn deeply annoyed her.
Down in the arena, Jellal was growing desperate.
"You might be able to dodge my strikes, but let's see you dodge this!"
Jellal leaped high into the air, crossing his arms. Above him, seven massive, glowing magical seals materialized in the sky, aligning perfectly into the shape of the Big Dipper constellation.
"Grand Chariot!"
As Jellal screamed the incantation, the seven magical seals pulsed brilliantly, unleashing a devastating, synchronized barrage of celestial light beams directly onto Finn!
BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM!
The pillars of light rained down like a meteor shower. The explosions kicked up a massive cloud of dust, shaking the entire stadium.
"Now, I've got you!"
Using the smoke and destruction as cover, Jellal shot downward at meteor speed, rearing his elbow back for a devastating, finishing strike!
He slammed his elbow forward, aiming directly for Finn's chest!
But what Jellal hit was merely a fading afterimage.
Suddenly, Jellal completely lost his balance. Finn had effortlessly sidestepped the strike and casually swept Jellal's leading leg.
BANG!
Jellal pitched forward at terrifying velocity, face-planting violently into the stone wall of the arena, creating yet another massive spiderweb crack.
"....."
The stadium fell completely silent once again.
"Are you done yet?" Finn asked, not even breathing hard.
"No..."
Jellal peeled himself off the wall, blood trickling down his forehead. He realized with absolute, horrifying clarity that it was physically impossible for him to land a targeted strike on Finn. The man's predictive reflexes were god-like.
If targeted strikes wouldn't work, there was only one option left. He had to unleash an attack so massive it covered the entire arena. Finn couldn't dodge an attack if there was nowhere left to run.
Jellal closed his eyes. The remaining magic power in his body surged violently.
Suddenly, a crushing, suffocating gravitational pressure descended over the entire stadium. Every mage in the audience felt a chill run down their spine.
Jellal assumed a strange, highly ritualistic stance. He bowed deeply, pointing both hands downward toward the earth. Slowly, he extended his index and middle fingers, raising his right hand deliberately toward the heavens.
"True Heavenly Body Magic: Sema."
As the forbidden incantation fell from his lips, the bright afternoon sky instantly darkened. A massive, swirling cyclone of black clouds began to form directly above the Domus Flau, blotting out the sun.