The Queen's Armor
Chapter 10
Benizakura Part II
Erza stood up straight and stared down her opponent. Her body glowed and she ex-quiped in Heaven's Wheel. She quickly took a step forward and flew right at him. Their swords met and then they switched places. They leapt at each other again. Clink. Back and forth, the two of them met swords and it appeared that none of them were gaining ground.
After a few minutes, they slid apart and continued to stare each other down. However, when they regained their footing, something happened. The swords that Erza was holding and parts of her armor broke. Her swords were shattered and her armor crumbled in certain areas. The crowds were in complete shock. They all knew Erza was strong, but to see her lose this kind of ground worried them. She looked down and saw that her armor was ruined for the time being. She returned to her normal armor and brushed off the dust from her shoulders.
"You've definitely taken me by surprise."
"Haha, you're a funny girl. You're the one who's given me the surprise. Not many girls can withstand a bout with me."
"I see. So you're that kind of person who sees himself as being superior over others. That's why you've challenged our guild."
"I could say that. But then again, that might not be true." Erza lowered her body.
"Well, even if it isn't, I'll make you regret your choice." She leapt forward with her body glowing. When her sword met his, she appeared in her Armadura Fairy. With another dual-wielding armor, she kept the advantage. Up, right, left, down; she swung everywhere, but her opponent kept countering and dodging. She was starting to get a little frustrated for nothing was working. For her, she can usually figure out her opponent in a few minutes, but something about this guy kept her constantly thinking about what to do.
The two of the continued to cross swords until Erza's armor was destroyed once again. Now, the people in the crowd were starting to chat. They were all wondering if she was capable of defeating this guy. She retreated to regain her composure.
My swords are working and my armor isn't holding up. What can I do now? Is this a battle of strength or intelligence? I don't think I can waste time trying to overpower him so I'll do this instead.
Her body glowed and she reappeared in her Purgatory Armor. Smoke was coming out of her mouth and nose. Her aura was so threatening. She stood there with red eyes and her giant sword in hand. She planned to outlast him with this tactic. She brought up her sword and walked towards him. He simply smiled and resumed his tactics. In that armor, her speed was extremely low which allowed him to swerve around her without a problem. Left and right, her body was battered, but the Purgatory Armor managed to hold up. As she started to learn his moves, she turned her body and swung to the left. Incredibly, her giant sword met his and he was sent flying back. However, when she brought her sword back up, it crumbled into pieces. She managed to get him off of her, but her sword was unable to breach him completely.
"Very impressive. First, you withstand my attacks and now, you attack me with that incredible strike. I have to lend my sword to you. You are the first and only person to ever do this? I'm really starting to enjoy this." Erza examined her body and noticed that her Purgatory Armor wasn't going to hold up any longer. She ex-quiped back into her normal armor.
What can I do now? Just that attack wasted another piece of armor. Judging by how he's attack before, none of the armors I have can do anything against this. What should I do? She looked into the crowd and everyone was looking at her with wondrous eyes. They believed in her. They wanted her to be successful. She just had to bring something out of her to convince the crowd that she could and will be victorious. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Well, are you out of options? If so, allow to end this match." Without another word, he leapt right at her. As he was in striking distance, she opened her eyes and ex-quiped. As he laid down his sword, she vanished. "What the heck?" He looked around, but couldn't find her. "Where did you go?"
Out of nowhere, a slight gust of wind blew right at him and he turned around to meet Erza's sword head-on. She pushed the sword away and vanished again.
"Aha, it appears you had one more trick up your sleeve."
She was using her Flight Armor. Thanks to the hide of the Humtah, she thought that its speed would carry over to her. Luckily it did and now, she had the advantage yet again. He couldn't tell where she was or where she coming from. The only thing he could do was be patient and wait for her to the make her move. Then, at the last second, he would try to defend himself.
Erza continued this strategy as it was definitely wearing him down. She was unable to land a strong blow, but he kept pushing him back. The crowd was on their feet. Erza was finally showing some promise as her opponent was unsure of what was coming next. He swung around and around until he finally landed a strike to her side. She retreated and regained her form. He saw her across the way holding her wound.
"It appears that this has come to an end. I'm finishing this now." She looked up when a thought suddenly flooded her mind. Whenever she attacked, there was a small opening every time he swung his sword. It was an inch right below his neck. If she could land that strike, it was all over. She stood up and held her swords tight. Without wasting another second, she disappeared. "That trick won't work anymore. I see you." He yelled and swung his sword to the right. He somehow landed another strike on her shoulder which caused her to reform. However, when she looked at him, she was wearing a smile.
"Too late," she mouthed. From behind him, she created a sword and aimed it right at its opening. He caught a glare in his eye and knew what was happening. The sword was already plunging towards him. It was too late. He closed his eyes and accepted this strike.
Shink. The crowds were all in awe. They couldn't believe what happened. After being slashed by his sword, Erza rolled on the ground and returned to her feet. On the other hand, her opponent was completely motionless. Her other sword was straight through the ground right next to him. She looked up and saw that he was still standing. Did it work? As she watched him, the time clicked on and nothing happened. It didn't work. Suddenly, he dropped to his knees and then onto his stomach.
"Outstanding."
"Wwoooo!" The crowd went nuts. She did it. Erza defeated the mysterious challenger. After so long, the crowds finally got to see Fairy Tail win against this guy. They threw their fists in the air and screamed for Erza. She was definitely the strongest and it proved in that match. The crowds longed to pick her up and parade her through the city, but she ended up walking back to her opponent and kneeling down beside him.
"You lost. All I ask now is that you leave this place and never come back." He opened his eyes slowly and smiled.
"I will do as you wish, master swordsman. I just have one request. Take this sword. Only the strongest swordsman can control it. Now, I believe that that's you. Benizakura will lead you down a road of strength and success. Nothing can defeat it, and now, nothing can defeat you." She grabbed the sword out of his hand and stood up. Right as she did, the crowd grabbed her and hoisted her up on their shoulders.
"Erza! Erza! Erza!" She looked back at her opponent who was slowly getting up. When he returned to his feet, he turned around and left town. As he did, he waved his hand back towards her. She saw it and acknowledged him back. For such a mysterious man, he definitely was a man of pride. He meant to harm. He just wanted to see who the strongest in Fairy Tail was. Now, Erza was in contention for the strongest.
The parade lasted nearly all day until Makarov asked that everyone return to the guild. The townspeople escorted her back with even more chanting. When they got the guild building, they dropped her off and left them to their business.
Inside the building, everyone was crowding and waiting for something to happen. As they did, everyone in the guild went over to Erza and patted her on the back, congratulating her on her victory. After a few minutes, Makarov took to the stage with a couple of interesting people. He cleared his throat and started his speech.
"First off, I'd like to say thank you to Erza. You were able to stop that man from furthering defeating our members." Some of the people cheered her name and patted her on the back again. "Alright everyone, calm down. Anyway, let's get down to business. As you all know, every year we have our annual S-Class test. Unfortunately, last year, no one was able to become an S-Class mage. This year, I'm hoping that someone will be able to step it up and overcome the challenges of this test. So, without further ado, let me announce the participants for this year's test. Cana Alberona. Erza Scarlet." The guild went nuts for the names, especially Erza's. However, what was next was what was going to be the shocker. "This year, I'm inviting everyone in the guild to join the test. We'll host it at Tenroujima. The test will be a tournament including some of our S-class mages. Laxus and Mystogan will be participating in this year's test."
"What?" They couldn't believe it. Mystogan was there and participating. Among the three S-class mages, he was the scarcest. No one really knew who he was and he never affiliated himself with anyone.
"For those of you who are participating in this year's test, your task is simple: Beat everyone you come across and become an S-Class mage."
End of Chapter 10
