It was time for the final battle of the 2nd day of Ishgar's Strongest. Due to Natsu's intervention and confrontation against King Ashnard, they were running a little bit behind schedule, but it wasn't anything they couldn't deal with. The final battle of day 2 was a repeat match: Seven vs. Minstrel. After yesterday, Dealer learned that the mages of Minstrel were strong individually. Even if they weren't a cohesive team, they would still shine when it came to individual bouts.
"So, who do we have for this rematch between Seven and Minstrel?" Count Waltz asked. "Is this it?" The battlefield changed once more, this time mirroring that of a plain, grassy field. There were no debris or obstructions; just the fighters and this open field.
"It seems we have Amadio Zeki of Red Falcon in Minstrel, vs. Acid Ace of Dealer!" Chapati exclaimed. "Will Seven be able to claim a victory against Minstrel, or will we see a repeat of yesterday!?"
Ace was standing in his standard armor, giving Amadio a grin. "I can promise you that you won't be seeing a repeat of yesterday."
"…." Amadio didn't say a word. He was a quiet one and simply prepared for his fight. The S-Class of Red Falcon was here to fight, not to banter.
"Let the final battle of day 2 begin!" Count Waltz threw his hand down. The final fight of the second day was set to begin! Acid Ace vs. Amadio Zeki!
"Kick his ass!" Tia cheered for her fiancée.
"Hohoho! Don't mess up now, Ace!" King laughed. Of course he was just being ignored by the members of Dealer. His presence was more annoying than anything else since they proved to him they were beyond him now.
Ace's visor let up as he began to scan Amadio's capabilities. Even if he tried to hide something from Ace, he'd be able to figure out what he was up against in no time. "So, you're an S-class, are you? Unfortunately for you, I'm the Ace of Dealer."
Amadio didn't say a word; instead he swiped his hand on the ground, creating a line of fire that went straight towards Ace. Since the field was grass, the fire ended up burning stronger and this trail reached Ace in no time. Just as it did, Amadio swung his arm, prompting a sudden cyclone of wind to appear around Ace, sweeping in the fire to become a flaming tornado in an instant! "…"
"Haha! Look at him, starting off with a warm up." David laughed.
"And Amadio starts off with a strong fusion of fire and wind! How will Ace respond!?"
Ace responded rather quickly, spinning his body around to generate his own countercurrent of wind, taking control of the flaming tornado he was enveloped in. "Hurricane Dance!" He then threw the fiery tornado back at Amadio, emerging unscathed from the S-class's opening attack.
Amadio narrowed his eyes. His expression was unreadable due to his mask but it was clear he was taking Ace seriously. Another swipe of his hand caused the ground to break apart and become slightly uneven. It was enough to create an unstable path for the flaming tornado, forcing it to disperse. Just as he did this, Ace was in front of him, a blade of lightning coming down towards him. "..!"
"Thunderbolt Blade!" Ace aimed a horizontal swing at Amadio's chest. The masked man was fast enough to dodge it, but it was an extremely close call. Ace was far from finished as the next plan of attack was already in motion. An invisible magic circle was right behind Amadio, releasing two paralytic beams of lightning at his back. "Stealth Laser." Amadio recognized that he was in danger. He had to awkwardly twist his body to avoid the attack that would have put him in a bad situation. However, this left him open to Ace's true follow up. "Heat Upper!" Ace's dominant hand was engulfed in flames and a rising uppercut hit Amadio in the chin, causing him to fly back.
"And Ace lands the first true blow!" Chapati shouted.
Amadio flipped and landed, a burn mark appearing on his mask. This made him narrow his eyes just a bit, but it was clear he was capable of fighting still. "I see."
"You don't talk much, do you?" Ace questioned. It was kinda hard to have competitive banter with someone who gave the silent treatment.
"Do dead men rest well?" Amadio answered Ace's question with another question.
"Uh…" Visible question marks appeared above Ace's head. "I don't…know?"
"Oh no. If this keeps up Ace's brain is gonna fry." Diamond teased.
"Riddles, his greatest enemy." Joker shook his head.
"Well…considering there's a team composed of dead people…I'm gonna say no?" Ace shrugged his shoulders, his left arm turning into his vulcan cannon. Just because they were talking didn't mean he wasn't still paying attention to the fight. "Vulcan!" And a rapid fire of magical bullets soared towards his foe.
"You have your answer." Amadio said as a green aura wavered around his body. In the next instant he was incredibly fast, approaching Ace while ducking and weaving through his Vulcan cannon's shots. Before Ace had the chance to switch attacks, Amadio was in front of him, swinging his wind covered leg at his foe's armored chest. "Wind's Slash." It was a direct hit and Ace was sent skidding backwards.
"Whoa! That one had some kick to it!" Ace grinned. Now they were starting to get somewhere. "My turn!" Ace jumped high into the air, his pistol materializing into his hand. "Lightning Squall!" Clicking the trigger three times, he released three electric tornadoes from his pistols, each one tearing apart the arena as he intended to sweep Amadio within its wake.
"Twister." Amadio said quietly. He created three twisters equal in size to what Ace released. These six tornadoes collided, resulting in a gigantic explosion of wind that nearly blew the two of them away! If the spectators weren't protected by a magic barrier, they've easily been swept away in the wind that was created. Amadio and Ace landed across the field, Ace was grinning but his foe's expression was extremely difficult to read due to his mask.
"A fierce battle! They both appear to be even!" Chapati said.
"Ace always has a slight disadvantage though…" Daigo said, crossing his arms. "Though his illness has steadily been improving, there is no real cure for it. He can't afford to fight too hard or too long."
"Which is why I'd wish he'd stop playing around so much." Tia frowned.
"Hurry up!" Jack shouted. They knew Ace had the power to end this battle swiftly, even if Minstrel mages were tough.
"It only took a little bit, but my analysis on you is complete." Ace said with a confident smirk.
"…?" Amadio was clearly confused.
"Confused? Allow me to explain. The whole time we've been fighting, I've been scanning your magic. I now have a full understanding of what you're capable of, Amadio Zeki." His smirk widened, his sword now igniting with lightning and water. "I suppose you have your reasons for keeping your magical identity a secret, but don't worry, I'm not gonna say anything. However, I will say, that if we were to go head to head in a full out brawl…you have no chance of beating me."
"Oh ho!" David let out a hearty laugh. "I like this lad. Confident to the very end, but he's sorely mistaken if he thinks Red Falcon falls into anyone's predictions! We're not Minstrel's strongest for nothing!"
"You're right. You aren't Minstrel's strongest." Medusa remarked, not even turning her gaze to the large man.
"She's right." Tyson said, only upset that Medusa beat him to the punch.
"Hmph." Brynhild wasn't going to admit Medusa was right. They were from the same guild but that didn't really mean much for the two of them.
"I suppose we'll find out if it is your ego that speaks, or your skill." Amadio adjusted his mask.
Ace swung his sword once, the sheer power of the dual elemental blade creating a tidal wave that was imbued with lightning! This large wave moved to crash down onto field, threatening to submerge Amadio in its wake. But the mysterious mage lifted himself into the air, avoiding the impending danger. With this opening he snapped his fingers, creating an instant, sharp tornado that consumed Ace in its wake. It was indeed a direct hit as it sliced through some of his armor and inflicted damage. "…"
"Ace…" Tia narrowed her eyes.
Ace let out a slight grin. It was then his armor shone brightly and turned a bright green color. "Wind Armor!" It was time to unveil why he was so confident. Ace's ability to retain an advantage against any opponent was why he was so deadly. After scanning Amadio's abilities, this was the perfect thing to take his foe down. The Wind Armor significantly reduced the damage taken from wind based attacks. "Time to wrap this up!" And Ace then dove down, gliding across the field with an electric fist reared back.
Amadio realized what Ace was gunning for. That's why he held his position, a blue aura now wavering around his body to increase his defense. Just as Ace came in and swung for the fences with his fist, Amadio jumped to the left to slip behind Ace…which he realized was a mistake, as the wings of Ace's armor extended, catching his stomach. "…Gah…!"
"We'd end in a draw if things kept up like this! So this is the best way to win! Wing Blade!" One of Ace's strongest attacks. With Amadio caught on his wing, Ace used his momentum to carry his opponent to the other side of the arena, slamming him into the wall! Amadio was winded from the attack, and if the fight could continue from that point, it would, but…
"Amadio Zeki has suffered a ring out. That means the winner is Ace from Seven, granting his team 10 points." Waltz said while lifting a hand.
"I wish he would've done that sooner." Tia pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Tough break…" David said with a sigh. He was confident that Amadio could have won if not for the ring-out clause.
"It takes more than strength to win these fights." Asbel said, arms crossed.
"With that, the second day fights have come to a close." Waltz pointed to the lacrima screen above. "Take a look at the scores going into the second day event."
Pergrande: 25
Fiore: 20
Alvarez: 20
Seven: 10
Joya: 10
Minstrel: 10
Midi: 10
Bosco: 0
"Even after dropping a fight, Pergrande is still in the lead." Calium said.
"Imagine if the girl hadn't thrown the fight." Song leaned forward in her seat just a bit. "Pergrande would be untouchable, even if they didn't win today's event. What an interesting turn of events.
"We're tied for second with Alvarez." Lucy crossed her arms. "Kagura really helped us catch up."
"With how points are handed out, it's only going to get more drastic from here." Luke said. "Chances are we'll be seeing more risky plays with more than two people fighting. In other words, I don't think people are going to settle for low scoring rounds now."
"We'll worry about that tomorrow." Jellal said. Right now, they had to focus on the next event.
"Oof. 0 points." Edna yawned. "That bites. We're getting destroyed."
"It's only the second day." Gaia said calmly. "We have the event and the rest of the week to make a comeback."
"Now then, it's time to get into the second day's event." Waltz cleared his throat. "For this event, two people from each team are required. No more, no less."
"Two?" Minerva quirked a brow. "It looks like things are getting serious now. Well then, Sting, shall we?"
"You and me? Heh, they won't see it coming!" Sting said with a wide grin. "Don't worry, we'll keep Kagura-san's momentum going!"
"Please do." Kagura was wrapped in bandages; mostly her torso and limbs. Daryan did make sure the Magic Barrier Particles he attacked with were minuscule and didn't affect her body outside of their fight.
"Yeah, don't mess up. It was hard enough getting those points as is." Reve wasn't going to give Kagura full credit for her victory, which annoyed the mermaid greatly. But she knew that she did the team a great boon.
"You can do it, Milady and Sting-kun!"
Since the event required two people from each time, they all had to gather their forces and meet in arena. Fiore had Sting and Minerva, Bosco was Magnus and Lore, Minstrel was Tyson and Felix, Midi was Makarov and Elieen, Seven was Strong and Spark, Pergrande was Elly and Keele (much to his chagrin), Joya was Rondo and Allegretto, and Alvarez was Ken and G.
"Are these the teams? Very well." Waltz snapped his fingers once more, prompting a magic seal to appear underneath all the participates, warping them off to the northern forest of Joya: Celesta Forest.
"What the!?" Lucy blinked as they were all suddenly warped away!
Sting and Minerva were on high alert, both of them glancing around the unfamiliar scenery. "Where are we?!" Sting frantically looked around.
"We've been teleported somewhere." Minerva surmised.
Count Waltz's voice echoed throughout the forest. "Welcome to Celesta Forest, the site of Day 2's event: Monster Hunt. The rules for this event are rather simple. There is one gargantuan beast lurking about this forest called the Manticore. Your objective is to defeat it. Naturally, the team that lands the finishing blow will be awarded the victory; however, there is a catch. Both members of each team must land the finishing blow. Not even 5 points will be awarded if one person defeats the Manticore."
"That sounds highly irritating." Minerva let out a slight huff. "We'll be competing with 14 other people to land a finishing blow."
"It keeps things interestin' I suppose. But this isn't something we can't handle!" Sting said confidently.
"Due to the size of the forest, you have 1 hour to complete this event. Oh, and one last thing; there are other beasts lingering about this forest. Be careful not to bite off more than you can chew. And if you happen to come across other competitors…you are allowed to do as you wish to incapacitate them, but it will not affect your score." Waltz gave that final warning before the transmission cut out, leaving the competitors alone. The Monster Hunt Event was set to begin!
"We have one hour to hunt a monster." Sting started to look around to get a lay of the land. "And if we run into a rival, chances are we'll have to fight just to stay in the game."
"How exciting." Minerva's lips curled up into a smirk. "So what are we standing around for, Sting? We're tigers, are we not? It's time to show the world how Sabertooth hunts."
That made Sting smirk. "Heh. I couldn't have said it better myself!"
For the audience watching, they had 9 lacrima screens to watch from; the biggest screen displayed the map of Celesta Forest, while the other 8 display each team and their whereabouts within the area. "This event sounds like it can get messy. What if someone gets hurt?" Lucy wondered.
"They'll be fine!" Lector said confidently.
Lucia watched the Pergrande screen containing Elly and Keele. With a sly grin, she called out to Fiore. "Oh, Lucy!"
"…" Lucy already had a bad feeling. "Yes…?"
"Do you recall what I told you about Leo's key? That I sold it to the highest bidder?" The leader of the Hunters asked.
Suddenly, she felt her stomach drop. "…Yes?"
"Well, as it turns out…" Lucia gestured to Elly, who just so happened to pull out a golden key from her pocket. "Our dear Elly is also a celestial spirit mage."
"Gate of the Lion, I open thee! Leo!" From Elly's golden key, Loke emerged.
Natsu and Lucy's eyes widened at what they witnessed. "Loke!?" Natsu gasped. Now he just had another reason to take Pergrande down. "You! You sold our guild mate!?"
"How could you!?" Lucy and Natsu were both glaring at Lucia. This was the second time within two days that they found their animosity towards Lucia Silverwind growing. The most unfortunate part about it all is that they were unable to a damn thing about it, and she knew it.
Lucia just wore her usual smirk. Between taking away Erza's guild mark and selling Loke, she was on Fairy Tail's revenge list, and she knew it. "Oh, don't get so upset. We all know that when a key breaks, a contract has to be reformed, so it belongs to no one." That smirk slowly transitioned into something more condescending and malicious. "Besides…it's just business."
.
.
Next Time: Manticore Strike.
