The Cross Country Circuit was entering its final phase. Many teams were entering the final stretch. After crossing Mt. Rock in their own ways, everyone had one final stretch in front of them. The path to the border of Joya and Bosco was the last stop and it would not be an easy ride for anyone. Every team had their own cutthroat plans laid out to secure victory. As it stood right now, Aki had the area just outside of Mt. Rock surrounded in his nightmare mist. Dimaria was in the middle of it, staring down Aki as she waited for Oriana to appear. "I'm your worst nightmare." Aki said with a menacing grin.
"I doubt that." Dimaria scoffed while readying her sword. She had Luke behind her as well, though it was unclear if he was still unconscious or not after her surprise attack. That was something to worry about for later, right now; she had to deal with the Nightmare Dragon rushing her down.
"Nightmare Dragon's Fist!" Aki roared as a dark purple aura swirled around his fist. He swung for Dimaria's chest, but she used the blunt edge of her sword to block the strike. Aki managed to push her back a little bit, but not enough for anything significant. Aki was not deterred by this, instead it made him grin.
Dimaria countered by pointing her hand down in front of Aki. This prompted a golden explosion of time magic to overtake the dragon slayer suddenly, this pillar of magic also alerting Oriana where she was in the midst of this purple mist. It only lasted for a few moments, but as that smoke cleared, Aki was revealed to have taken the hit very well. The only damaged thing was his clothes; otherwise there was nary a bruise on him. "Strong…" She thought to herself.
"Is that the best you got!?" Aki taunted. "That God Serena guy still hit harder than you did."
Dimaria wasn't going to allow herself to be drawn in by these taunts. She just had to hold her ground for a bit longer… "…" Just as she readied to attack again, a surprising figure dropped down on top of them: Tyson.
Tyson's aura took the shape of a large elephant. His goal was to drop down on both Aki and Dimaria with the sheer momentum and weight he had on his side. Dimaria was able to use her Age Seal in this instance to move before it became a problem, while Aki just had to jump out of the way. The sheer impact of Tyson's aura colliding with the ground caused a powerful earthquake that could be felt for miles! "Outta the way, weaklings! Minstrel is coming first!"
"Like hell you are!" Aki shot back. Tyson being here meant he had his baton, which led to the conclusion that he was about to make a break for it. It was a straight line to the finish line from here by only a few kilometers. Which many any aces in the hole had to be pulled out now. "Nightmare Dragon's Roar!" Tyson was such a big target, it was hard to miss.
"Hah!" Tyson just laughed, his aura diminishing in size. It was no longer an elephant, but a cheetah! This sleek shape allowed him to easily evade the roar and sprint off! With the speed of a cheetah, he'd make it there in no time.
"A non-issue…" Dimaria told herself. She could feel Oriana's magic coming in hot. Literally.
Oriana's Phoenix Flames were making a beeline towards Aki. While she herself may not have been able to cross the line into the next area, that didn't mean she couldn't attack. These strong flames struck Aki's side, causing him to grit his teeth and hold his ground. The flames burned his clothing and at his skin, but he held a grin all the same. "Hah…! Is that the best you can do?! These flames are so lukewarm…!"
At that moment, Zelos was flying over Mt. Rock again. Shade's disruption really put a hamper on his time, but maybe that was a good thing. Things were looking extremely messy…oh! "There he is…" He could spot Luke from his position in the air. "Taking a nap at a time like this!? After I got all sweaty and bruised to come his far!? Healing Stream!" A green magic circle appeared under Luke. Zelos was no expert healer, but his magic could do a good job. "Now you better catch!" And then he threw the baton to Luke.
Just as Dimaria was about to catch her baton from Oriana, a small pike of ice shot it away. "Huh!?"
"Ooow…." Luke rubbed the back of his head, catching the baton that Zelos tossed his way. "That was cheap…" He shook his head, still a bit groggy. But he was aware of the situation at least.
"You…" Dimaria grit her teeth. How did he get up!?
Aki was still stuck in place from Oriana's continuous attack. She was putting enough pressure to keep Aki pinned down; if he moved these flames would absolutely hurt. He was stuck in a defensive position, glancing over his shoulder to see Dimaria and Luke standing off. "This has been nice, but I can't afford to play any longer!" Aki kicked things up into Nightmare Drive, using this boost in power to roll to the side, allowing Oriana's flames to carry on ahead and scorch the land.
"I don't have time to play around. See ya!" Luke's body lit up in lightning and he was off! Using Lightning Body, he was off!
The skies above were no safe haven either. Jack's original plan was to fly to the finish with the shortcut Daigo used to cut their time at Mt. Rock. Unfortunately, he had to deal Yumia. The twin was privy to this secret passage when her sister slipped through, and now she was hanging onto Jack as he flew in the sky. "Get off me!" Jack roared, flying about wildly to ensure that he shook off his unwanted guest.
"No way! I need this free ride!" Yumia said while leaning closer to Jack's visor. "C'mon. Don't you want a cute girl to go on a date with? I think you're cute…"
"Wh…!?" Jack was completely taken off guard by this. The only girls he interacted with on a daily basis were his sister, Heartless, and Diamond. This was the first time a girl had actually made a move on him, so it flustered the young adult and he wasn't sure what to do.
"NO! JACK! SHE'S JUST TRYING TO USE YOU!" Tia was screaming from the sidelines, fearing that her younger brother's first experience with a girl would scar him. "SHE'S A LEECH!"
"Yeah! I promise I'll go on a date with you after this! So…don't take it personally when I have to do this…" Yumia said while wrapping her arms around Jack's neck to hold him…then completely shifted his momentum downward. She entrapped him in a sphere of water and sent him down towards Tyson who was just below them. "Tidal Wave!"
"Gaaaah…!?" Jack was helplessly flung forward, colliding into the ground against his will. This resulted in a large tidal wave to emerge, now chasing after Tyson, who had a comfortable lead. "My wings….!"
"…!?" Tyson looked behind him, then let out a hearty laugh. "I like a challenge! Gahahaha!" He was confident he could outrun this tidal wave…but that's when Veronia appeared in front of him. "What the…!? How!?"
"Don't take this personally…but I have to win for my new friends~" Verona hummed while placing her hand forward. First, a potent gust of wind shot forward, colliding with Tyson and slowing him down. While he had the power and speed to push through it, it severely hampered his momentum and allowed the tidal wave to catch up to him. After that, the ground under Tyson's feet simply gave way and broke apart, leaving him nothing to stand on, thus causing him to fall backwards into the tidal wave.
"SHIT!" Tyson grunted as he was flung backwards, despite all his efforts. He was swallowed by the raging waters, which then split apart when reaching Verona.
"Like I said, it's nothing personal." Verona yawned while casually walking ahead.
Yumia was surfing on the water she created. Since it was her magic, she was able to interact with it however she saw fit. It was an easy glide, one that would carry her all the way to the end. "Let's go! Joya's got this!" But her victory was short lived when Verona let loose a potent bolt of lightning within the water. It spread fast, shocking Yumia, Tyson, and Jack, who were all making contact with the water. "Ghhh….!"
"Oops~" Veronoa hummed innocently, giggling at the trouble she caused.
Yumia, however, just grinned. "You think…a Wizard Hunter of my caliber…wouldn't have something for this!?" She twisted her arms, taking control of the electrified water. It soon turned into a tsunami of her own, swirling around to capture the three who opposed her. "Electroysis!"
Jack wasn't going to be flung around like this. He got his bearings straight and shot into the air, avoiding the electrified tsunami. "Hell no!" As much as he wanted to stick around and fight, this was about winning, not anything else. So he flew off again, although he was slower than before because of his injuries…and minor hurt feelings.
As for Tyson, he decided to brute force this, just to show how powerful he was. His aura took the shape of a rhino and once he found his footing, he barreled forward. Though the tsunami was impressive, it wasn't enough to keep Tyson's eyes off victory. He recklessly charged forward towards Verona. She stood still as all magic just diverted around her and Tyson's aura was no exception. His aura started to fade the moment he got too close…which is what he wanted. "HAH!" He then just threw a punch at the woman, empowered by nothing but his raw strength.
"Ohh….!" Verona didn't think he'd try to punch her! She crossed her arms to block the hit, but she was still thrown backwards by his strength. She may have possessed high level of anti-magic, but… "That magic barrier won't stop me from punching your lights out, chick! That goes for anyone else who thinks I can't take them!"
Whatever was happening now didn't matter to Dimaria. Because with one click of her teeth, it all came to a halt. "That's enough." She uttered, causing her Age Seal to take effect. Time stopped for everyone excluding her…at least, that's how it was before the war with Fiore started. There was at least one other person who was free to move about within the confines of time. Which is why she had to make this quick.
Luke froze for a few seconds when time stopped, but soon resumed moving. His injury slowed him down a bit, but this was his chance to pull ahead for Fiore. "Damn, that sneak attack really got me…" She clubbed him over the head with her sword before he could move. That was his only downside in this scenario; he wasn't instantly immune to time being stopped. Those first few seconds always got him. Actually…when he thought about it, something didn't seem right. It still felt like he was moving, but so was everything else?
"Is there some issue?" Dimaria was suddenly next to Luke, causing him to jump in surprise.
"Huh!?" Luke's eyes went wide. "How did you!?" And he suddenly found himself narrowly evading a swing from her sword.
"You're not completely immune to stopped time. You're frozen for a few seconds…so as long as I keep freezing time in certain intervals, I can even…" In the blink of an eye, she was sauntering ahead of a speeding Luke. "Get ahead of you."
"Shit…!" Luke didn't think about that. This was bad. If Dimaria won…!
Dimaria was set to win at this pace. But she suddenly felt her head throb. She didn't take any damage, so what was the big deal? There was a figure standing ahead of her…and upon closer inspection, it was Natsu? "What? What's the big deal? Isn't this grounds for disqualification?" She asked, but she'd get her answer soon enough. It wasn't just Natsu standing in front of her…it was END. "…!"
"…." The demon didn't say anything. Instead it just roared and lunged at Dimaria, just like how it did in the war in Alvarez. It didn't matter if time was stopped or not: END moved through it without a care in the world, throwing his fist at Dimaria.
"…AH!" Dimaria cringed and everything stopped. She came to a halt to shield her face, waiting for that blow to come. But it never did. It was all just a nightmare in her head. The result of Aki's mist entering her system dredged up the one thing that truly scarred her. Because of this sudden fear, her magic deactivated and time resumed. She didn't realize it.
"Mari…?" Brandish was confused. She didn't understand what just happened.
"And Dimaria has been paralyzed by something!?" Chapati questioned.
"LUKE! GO!" Numerous members of Fiore were shouting. This was his chance to pull ahead!
Luke couldn't hear them but he did see this opening. With lightning body, he zoomed ahead as fast as he could. He was so close! He was about to win…! And then…something latched onto his body at the last second. "Huh!?"
It was Yumia! Even though Luke's body was covered in lightning, she was able to make use of it with her water. Electroysis was a spell that allowed her to use the lightning within water for her own personal gain. So by covering Luke in water, he was now her personal ride to the finish. "I dunno what the heck was going on, but I do see the perfect chance to use you for my own gain!"
"Damn, get off!" Luke didn't know what was going on. So he had an idea! He used Adaptability, turning into Yumia's magic to flip it around on her. Unfortunately for Luke…
"Hah! I was waiting for that!" This only worked in Yumia's favor. "Turning into someone else's magic is cool, but it doesn't help you if it's something that person has control over!" There was a twisted grin on Yumia's lips as this only gave her absolute control over Luke's movements. "You just turned yourself into the perfect puppet for me!"
"Shit…" Luke dug his own grave here. He knew he had to be aware of the other teams, but Dimaria just posed the biggest threat at the same. They were getting closer to the finish line…and not just him, but Tyson, Jack, and Aki were rapidly closing the distance as well. This situation was going to be close and he only had one idea.
"This is going to be a close finish!" Chapati exclaimed.
"No choice…!" Luke was forced to; very briefly, make use of his Ultima form. He had yet to debut it over the course of the tournament for this very reason. He had an ace up his sleeve. There was an explosion of magic that almost threw Yumia off, but she held on, staring in in disbelief for a moment, before smirking. "I knew it! You were holding out on us!"
Luke grit his teeth, using this sudden burst to revert to normal so Yukia couldn't control him anymore. Just as he was about to throw her off, Tyson made his move. His aura took the form of a large ape which slammed on the ground, creating a gigantic shockwave that uprooted the ground and caused it to explode, throwing Luke and Yumia into the air. "Move!"
"Now…!" Luke pointed his hand at Yukia. "Bomb of the Black and White God!"
"Mizu Hado!" Yukia fired at Luke at the same time. The two attacks of water, darkness and light collided, causing a large explosion that obscured any and all view of the finish line. The silence and tension was thick as the other competitors kept running just in case…but when the smoke cleared, they stopped, for the result shocked them as they stood at the other side of the finish line. Crossing now was pointless, because the winner was…
A draw.
Both Luke and Yumia were on the other side of the finish line. But the issue was…the explosion of their attacks sent them over at the same time. Meaning that it was unclear who reached that finish line first.
"It's a draw!?" Many people shouted the same question at once. The smoke made it impossible to tell who crossed first. No matter which camera they viewed it from, they only got the same view. Count Waltz closed his eyes…this was not a situation he was predicting.
"I-It seems like both Fiore and Joya crossed the finish line at the same time!? What does this mean for the results?!" Chapati asked Count Waltz. Everyone was dying to know, since the resolution ultimately depended on him.
"Well…this is a situation I wasn't expecting to happen." Waltz admitted, pacing back and forth. What was the best way to handle this? He had an idea that would make the end game far more entertaining, and that was the option he would go with. "Well, since two teams held a draw, that means the other teams lost. So, to keep consistency with the rules thus far, they won't receive any points, obviously. As for Fiore and Joya…they will both get the 45 points the event promised."
"Wait, seriously?!" Alex narrowed her eyes. It seemed a bit…much.
"Seriously." Waltz nodded. Splitting the points doesn't work, since that isn't how this tournament was meant to function when it came to events. I admit, I should have been more thorough in thinking of a draw, but all of the events thus far didn't allow for one…and it would feel wrong to not hand out any points after an intense effort made by all parties involved. Any complaints?"
None aloud. Minstrel was now in last place because of this decision, but ultimately, they figured they could bounce back if there truly was one more event.
Because of that, the scores were now…
Pergrande: 130
Alvarez: 125
Fiore: 115
Seven/Joya: 105
Bosco: 90
Minstrel: 70
Midi: DQ'ed.
"We're in third thanks to that…that is better than letting Alvarez or Pergrande win." Reve nodded.
"Only 15 points behind Pergrande. This is acceptable." Minerva flipped her hair. "Now…the last event is truly going to make or break this tournament for us."
"…" Emeraude didn't say anything. Losing the event wasn't the end, it just meant that Alvarez wasn't in as strong position she would have liked, but they would overcome.
"Last place…but with how the points have been going, we should be able to win." Rob wasn't concerned. It just meant a harder climb, which in turn, only show the world how strong Minstrel truly was if they managed to come out on top.
"We're a bit behind…" Gaia crossed her arms. "But it's no problem."
"We're so close to victory…I can taste it…" Ace said, also munching on a snack bar.
"If we continue this pace, we will emerge victory." Elly said firmly. Pergrande held a steady lead for most of the tournament, so as long as they played correctly, victory was assured.
"Now then…before we break for the day, I will delve a little bit in detail about the final event." Waltz said, capturing everyone's attention. "Two days from now, the final event will be a gigantic free for all between all seven teams. The entire country of Joya will be the battleground." This news caused the audience to murmur.
"The entire country!?" Happy was shocked. "How is that going to work?!"
"I'm giving everyone two days to prepare, for if they wish to relax, train, or tweak their teams…they have the time to do so." Waltz said. "It will also take me that time to prepare everything needed. Joya is going to become a large battleground, so I must ensure that no citizen is injured or at least compensated if damages to their homes come about." Despite taxing his citizens to hell and back, he was at least showing care and compassion for them. "I must thank everyone for making this event an extremely enjoyable one to watch. Now, take your time to rest and prepare. Because in two day's time, the end of Ishgar's Strongest will be upon us. I will go into further detail when everyone gathers here again in two days. But with this information in mind, I expect nothing but everyone's finest efforts."
"Two days to prepare…" Bacchus scratched his head. "Is that a lot of time?"
"We'll make it enough!" Sting said with a confident grin.
"I agree." Kagura nodded. They could do anything in two days. "But it's best we don't overexert ourselves too much."
Erza gave a slight smile. Even though Fiore had a rocky start with this tournament, that didn't mean they couldn't turn this around. Turning a grim situation on its head was sort of a Fiore specialty, which is why Erza felt nothing but confident going into the last day. "That's the spirit. This is our chance to push ahead, no matter what. And I believe in everyone's abilities to do just that."
.
.
Next Time: A Day of Relaxation.
