Cana emerged victorious over Zalen Castle. It was a close fight, but with the power of Fairy Glitter at her disposal, she was able to clinch out a surprisingly huge win. "Hah...hah..." It was an exhausting bout too. Zalen put up one hell of a fight, but Cana refused to let anyone at Fairy Tail down. With her victory stated, she looked to White Eclipse with a wide grin. She beat the brother of their Ace, she knew that had to get under their skin. "Looks like my house of cards managed to stay standing after all, huh?"
"Not bad, not bad at all!" Jack had the spirit of competition in him and could congratulate Cana on her victory. Most of the animosity between these two guilds only carried for certain people. Jack was one of the few that enjoyed the fights on both sides. "What'd you think, Sidney?"
"..." Sidney didn't say anything. He had been silent this whole time, even as one of his oldest comrades was pestering him.
"C'mon, you should at least say something! I'm sure Zalen wants to know what you thought. You know how everyone assumes with how silent you are." Jack continued to pester Sidney. He wanted to hear what the Ace had to say about his brother's fight.
"He could've done better." Was the predictable response of the eldest Castle.
Jack just let out a small laugh. He expected nothing less. "So, he didn't do bad either, huh?"
"Good stuff, Cana!" Macao cheered.
"THAT'S MY GIRL!" Gildarts said loudly. Too loudly for Cana. Obnoxiously.
"Ugh..." Cana did feel a bit sore. Gildarts' loud, obnoxious cheers for her weren't helping.
"That was one hell of a final spell..." Selene said while rubbing her arm. "Fairy Glitter...?"
"That's the spell she used in the Grand Magic Games, right?" Takeru looked to the others. They fell short of the Grand Magic Games so they were forced to watch, but a moment like that was memorable to anyone watching.
"And she had to burn it against Zalen." Reve wasn't happy that Zalen lost, but he could see the silver lining. "Not ideal...but if that's the cards they're playing against us, then it's about time we start hitting back just as hard, don't you all agree?" It was him, Sidney, Jack, Jaxon, and Heather left. So it was up to the five of them to start putting the rest of Fairy Tail in their place.
"This is still pretty close..." Yukino mumbled. The numbers may have currently been in Fairy Tail's favor, 6 to 5, but that didn't mean the battle was over. They were rapidly approaching the end of this competition between guilds, but it was still far from over.
"White Eclipse is pretty tough..." Sting had to admit. He didn't expect them to do this well against Fairy Tail, but he still had faith they would come out on top.
"I think it's about time for the next match." Calium said and Makarov agreed. The roulette wheel spun and the next two fighters were revealed: Erza Scarlet and Jack Royal. "Well well..."
"My turn, huh?" Jack said while taking one last swig from his flask. He stood up and stretched. "I was gettin' a little bored watchin' everyone fight and not getting a chance myself."
"You got this, Jack!" Kuro said with a bright smile.
"You get her? Ugh..." Heather grit her teeth. Erza was the one she wanted, but it seemed as if she was doomed to miss her...
"Erza's up? I feel sorry for that guy." Romeo said with a smirk.
"I don't suspect she'll have a hard time." Kagura commented. She knew full well that Erza could overcome anything that was thrown her way.
"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that." Bacchus said suddenly, causing a few eyes to turn to him. "Jack's a drinkin' buddy of mine. We've fought a few times too, just for the hell of it! And let's just say we've never been able to get a result. Much like how Erza's never beaten me, I've never beaten Jack either. So I know this'll be one hell of a WILD fight for sure!"
"Is he really that strong...?" Milliana looked to Bacchus, who just nodded. "Well, Er-chan will pull through no matter what!"
"I'll give this my all, as always." Erza nodded. She entered the arena and stood across from Jack, who gave a few good stretches'.
"Good to meet ya." Jack said while looking at Erza. "You're the one Reve's got his eyes on...I'll feel a little bad if I can take you down before he can. I've known him for a long time."
"So you're one of these original members of White Eclipse as well, I take it?" Erza said while getting a sword at the ready. She had no idea what Jack was capable of. Nobody in Fairy Tail did, but White Eclipse looked confident in his skills.
"That's right!" Jack said with a chuckle. "I saw your fight with Reve, so I think I have a pretty good idea of what you're capable of. So...enough small talk. Shall we get started?"
"Are you going to speak about your guild tradition again?" Erza asked.
"Yeah. But unlike Reve, I'm no S-class mage. So I think it's only natural I go first." Jack said calmly. He crouched down a bit, knees apart, and placed his hands on his legs. "Alright! Get ready, Titania!" And then he stepped on the ground, this single action causing two boulders to rise up from the ground so suddenly. Jack then pushed his hands forward, sending these boulders flying towards Erza.
"An earth mage..." Erza mumbled to herself before charging forward with a single sowrd, easily cleaving through the incoming boulders. She made a beeline towards Jack, and he lifted two fingers up, causing a pillar of earth to rise up in front of Erza and cut her charge off before it could continue. Erza slid to a halt, but not before spinning and slashing the pillar down horizontally, chopping it in half. Jack spun around the pillar and aimed his palm at Erza's chest, but she was able to block it with the flat side of her blade. What she wasn't expecting was the burst of magic to follow, which made her slide back. "Palm magic too!?"
"I picked up a few things from our friend Bacchus over there!" Jack said with a grin. He stomped on the ground, multiple pillars appearing in front of him. He pushed his palms out again, sending these pillars flying towards Erza. "I got plenty of my own as well!"
"I see..." Erza changed into her Flight Armor and the matching swords, using her speed advantage to slice through the incoming pillars while making her way to Jack in the blink of an eye. She was hard to follow for most, and she thrust her sword forward in an effort to strike Jack at high speeds. "Sonic Claw!" Despite her speed, she found that her attack just barely missed. Jack leaned back as Erza's blade just narrowly missed him. He spun around quickly, aiming a heel kick to Titania's temple, but she blocked this with her free sword. Erza proceeded to slash at Jack numerous times, but he was evasive enough to avoid each and every single one of them.
"No way...how fast is he...?!" Gray said while sucking his teeth.
"Fast?" Bacchus laughed. "It ain't just his speed! Haven't you noticed him drinkin' this whole time? Just like me, he gets stronger the more he drinks!"
"And that's not even the half of it." Waiston said with a chuckle.
Erza aimed one final attack at Jack, but he avoided it by flipping backwards. He then landed on the ground, palms flat against the earth. "Tell me, Titania! What do you fight for!?" As he asked this, multiple stalagmites rose up from the ground directly underneath Erza. She was able to avoid being struck by all of them, but the sharpened bits of earth did graze and cut up into her body. Jack wasn't done yet; he clapped his hands together and large boulders formed in a circle around him. With a punch, a kick, and a thrust of his palms, he sent these boulders flying at Erza with the intention to crush her.
Erza landed on the ground and switched into her Purgatory Armor, using the massive clubbing blade to strike down and crush the boulders in a single swing. She charged ahead, undaunted, while rushing towards Jack yet again. "That's a simple answer. I fight for my nakama! And if your guild's intention is to drag our name through the mud, I will make sure you will regret it!" She reached Jack in time, smashing her weapon against his side for the first clean hit of the fight. Erza used this chance to remind everyone of her strength as Jack was sent flying.
"She got him!" Levy beamed.
Jack spun around while in the air, landing on his feet while wincing. "Whew! That was a hard hit...I'm sure I'll feel that later!" Jack knew he'd feel that one in the morning, but it made him grin. Erza was strong. But the best part about being drunk? It was a good way to ignore any pain. "Now, it ain't my intention to drag your guild's name through the mud, I'm just here to fight because I was chosen. I could say I fight for something similar, but in truth...I also just love the thrill of the fight!" Once again, he lifted two fingers into the air, causing more pillars of earth to rise up. These pillars then broke apart into stony spikes which were launched at Erza. "Earth Barrage!"
Erza had to switch to her Black Wing Armor now, using this chance to fly off into the sky as Jack aimed these spikes at her. She could swat them away with her sword easily, charging magic within the black. "Black Wing Flash!" She swung her sword down, sending a crescent flash of magic towards Jack. It exploded on him and Erza believed it to be a hit, but she only saw a protective dome of earth where Jack was. "Did he block it..." The dome then crumbled, revealing no one inside. "What?"
It was at this moment that Jack propelled himself from underground and directly behind Erza. Everyone shouted for Erza to turn around, but it was too late. Jack had bits of solid rock wrapped around his leg, which he slammed into the back of Erza's head. "Earth Impact!" Erza took the hit directly, eyes widening as she crashed into the ground against her own volition.
"Erza...!" Lisanna called out.
Erza landed on her back, a little dazed from that impact and was bruised all over. But something like this was nothing to her. She was going to pick herself back up, but soon found it to be impossible. "What?!" She was trying to move, but her body was caught in the ground, almost as if she were stuck sinking in quicksand. "I can't move...!?"
"Can't have you trying to avoid this one!" Jack said with a grin while in the air. He raised his hands up, pulling up material from the ground to form a gigantic sphere of rock and earth in the sky. "So, Titania! Let's see how well you handle this one! ROCK WRECKER!" This makeshift meteor rapidly descended onto the battlefield and right on top of Erza, where a massive explosion occurred on the spot. Jack then landed on the ground, panting a bit since that did take a little more magic than he would've liked. He knew who he was dealing with, so he wasn't wasting time dancing around and simply wanted to end things as soon as possible. Erza was a dangerous foe!
And she proved that as the smoke cleared. She was standing tall in broken armor, panting heavily herself simply from the damage. But anyone that knew Erza knew that such an attack wasn't enough to take her down. It was strong, but she was stronger. "Even if the earth itself is against me, I will do whatever it takes to win for Fairy Tail! So I hope you have an attack that hits harder than that. Otherwise, the next attack I land will be the last one." As she said this, she donned her Heaven's Wheel armor.
Considering the fight with Reve, the members of White Eclipse weren't surprised. Nobody was. In fact, Jack couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh. "Hahaha! Now that's the spirit! I like you, Erza. We both know we can't let this fight carry on, because we're both trouble. So let's see who's faster!" Jack let out a yell while raising his arms into the sky, causing multiple pillars and tendrils of earth rise up from the arena, all of them attempting to slam into Erza. Erza immediately responded by flying into the air to avoid it, but Jack's earth magic was so potent that it was able to follow her easily.
"No way...he's that good...?" Cynthia was in awe.
"He's not better than Erza." Evergreen said while fanning herself, watching intently. "Whatever he may be to White Eclipse, the fact remains...that Erza is the Fairy Queen."
Erza used every sword at her disposal to slice through the incoming pillars and tendrils of earth that followed her. She needed to finish a fight like this in a single strike, otherwise, it could be bad. Jack was indeed a very strong opponent, even stronger than he was letting on now. But Erza had to be stronger. She flew high into the air, only to come back down as a golden light wrapped around her body. She changed into the Adamantine Armor as she descended, using the armor's incredible defenses to break through Jack's attack. Was she planning to crush him with this shield!? "I'll end this here!"
"A frontal attack!?" Jack was smiling while pulling his palm back, focusing all of his magic into it. "Let's do it then! Guess I can't show off today!" He had more tricks up his sleeve, but he had to focus on winning the fight before any of that. So as Erza came down, Jack thrust his palm forward with the intention of breaking through the shield and striking Erza down. That's not what happened. As Erza was within striking distance, she changed into her Giant's armor at the last second. She used the armor's size and strength to tank Jack's hit while grabbing his face, slamming him down into the ground violently. The Giant's armor shattered as a result and Erza suffered a tremendous impact, but in the end, she was the one standing over the now unconscious Jack Royal. "One strike...as I promised."
"And with that, Erza Scarlet defeats Jack Royal." As Calium said this, the gap between Fairy Tail and White Eclipse continued to widen; 6 to 4 now; Erza, Cana, Cynthai, Wendy, Gray, and Gildarts vs Reve, Sidney, Jaxon, and Heather. Fairy Tail all cheered from an outcome they expected.
"...Jack..." Kuro frowned.
"NOW THAT WAS WIIIIIIILD!" Bacchus said loudly. A fight like that between two of his closest competitors? Of course he loved it!
"That's Erza for you." Natsu had a cocky grin now.
.
.
On the high walls of the Domus Flau, Jellal and Meredy were watching the guilds clash. When Erza won, Jellal couldn't help but smile. "I expected as much."
"You know you could've cheered her on like a normal person, right?" Meredy teased.
"You know I can't do that." Jellal shook his head. "I just wanted to be there for her in spirit, but...we have more important things to worry about."
"Yeah, I know." Meredy said with a slow nod. "He's around here somewhere. That scientist, Aiden Viscard..." She looked around, but she wasn't able to see anything. "But why would he be here of all places?"
"The information I was able to gather said the weapon he created would be here, but I haven't seen anything regarding that..." Jellal closed his eyes. "If he's here, it would imply he's looking at it as we speak. But there's something we're missing..."
.
.
Erza's victory was followed up with the next fight: Cana vs Jaxon. Cana was bemoaning the fact she hardly had any time to rest after the fight with Zalen, but it couldn't be helped. Jaxon was a tough opponent and she had to do her part! "I gotta fight you now?"
"Things definitely aren't looking good right now..." Jaxon said with a low whistle. White Eclipse was beginning to fall behind. He had faith in the others, but if he failed to do his part, it could snowball. "Okay. I'll make sure this goes quickly. You already burned yourself out on fighting Zalen..."
"Excuse me!?" Cana snarled at Jaxon. He was right, but she wouldn't allow him to think she would be an easy target because of it. "I still have plenty left in the tank, pretty boy!"
"Oh, thanks..." Jaxon didn't think he'd be complimented. It made him smile.
"...Ugh." Cana rolled her eyes.
"Alright, Jaxon! Take her out!" Cygnus exclaimed. "She used her trump card, she can't touch you! This is an easy win!"
"Yeah!" Luke added.
Cana was getting fed up from these comments. "You ready to go first or what!?"
"Yeah...I'll go first." Jaxon said with a nod. A red magic circle appeared in the sky and the temperature started to swelter. Jaxon was using the same technique he used on Juvia. Something that would bring any normal person down to the brink of exhaustion with just heat alone.
Cana could already feel herself starting to sweat. She couldn't afford to let Jaxon take her out so easily! "No you don't! That's not going to work on me!" She threw a card into the sky and grinned. "The Prayer's Fountain!" Once the card was in the air, it exploded in a harsh gush of water. Because this was done before the temperature got too hot, Cana was able to cancel out Jaxon's magic circle and return the temperature to normal.
"Oh...!" Jaxon was surprised. But then again, he should've expected that the same trick wouldn't work twice.
"Heaven's Bolt!" Cana threw a few more cards together. A green bolt of lightning shot towards Jaxon with the intent of shocking him. He brought an arm up, narrowing his eyes as he blocked the attack entirely. "Ah...!?"
"I'm a weather mage! You'll have to be a little more creative if you want to beat me with your deck." Jaxon said. "But an onslaught of women isn't going to work on me like it did Zalen, I've see that before!" So he tried a new tactic. This time, a blue magic circle appeared in front of him. "White Out!" From the magic circle, a chilling blizzard shot towards Cana while also lowering the temperature of the arena drastically.
Cana was going to strike back, but the temperature dropping so suddenly caused her to freeze up, quite literally. She was ill prepared for the cold with her attire and such a decision was catching up to her FAST. She wasn't moving nearly as fast as she needed to, and in turn, she was pelted by the snow. With no protective layers, the pressure and coldness of the snowflakes pelting her felt like multiple swords striking her at once. "G-Gaaaaaaaah!"
"C-Cana...!" Mira rubbed her arms together to stay warm.
"That's game..." Reve said calmly.
"Hey, no fair...! How are you guys so warm...!?" Romeo pointed at Reve.
"This cold is nothing." Luke said calmly. "This is just how the mountain we live at feels every day. We're used to it. I don't think your friend is, though."
"Ngh...!" Cana forced herself to draw a card. She intended to throw exploding cards over at Jaxon, but they froze over the instant they left her hands. "Ah...Shit..." She was cold and she could barely focus on the fight. She was too focused on trying to keep her body warm. She slowly reached out for another card, but it was too late, because Jaxon was already in front of her. "...!"
"Thunder Clap!" Jaxon clapped his hands together in front of Cana, a deafening BOOM of thunder exploding outward as she was caught within a massive soundwave and flash of lightning. Cana cried out as she slammed into the opposing arena wall harshly. It was taking all the strength she had to move, but when it was this cold, she could barely muster it.
"Ngh..." Cana looked up, vision blurry. It was cold. She couldn't stand up. The elements were just against her. She looked at Jaxon, who hadn't moved. He didn't even bother trying to see if she'd stay down or not, presumably because he already knew the answer. Against Mother Nature, the human body had limits... "Sorry..." Cana let out one last breath before she passed out. She wanted to do more, but...
"Cana Alberona is unable to continue the battle." Calium said. Just like that, the score was evened out a little, now 5-4.
"Cana...!" Gildarts was worried. The temperature returned to normal once Jaxon was declared the winner.
"...She had nothing to counter." Lyon remarked. The cold didn't bother him, but he could see how Cana was not able to fight back in such poor conditions.
"...That wizard is a problem..." Mavis said with a sweat drop. Even for her, planning around the weather was a challenge. Especially when she had no control over who was sent into battle.
"I-I'm sure Gildarts can take him, right...?" Cynthia was starting to get a little worried. Jaxon took out two of their fighters with little effort.
"I think I could outmatch him, but..." Gildarts trailed off.
"What do you mean there's a but!?" Natsu looked at Gildarts. How could Gildarts doubt his chances!?
"Don't you get it?" Laxus said with a scoff. "That guy has Mother Nature wrapped around his finger. It doesn't matter how strong you are. Fighting against weather itself is always an uphill and losing battle. Half the time the only victory is surviving. Not to say he's invincible...but he's probably close depending on how good he really is." As Laxus said this, the next fight was being lined up and...
It was Erza Scarlet vs Jaxon Metero.
"Erza again...!" Wendy smiled. If there was anyone who could fight Jaxon, it had to be her!
"Whew." Jaxon let out a breath. "Yeah, okay. I can keep going!" Aside from his few injuries, he was basically a man who was fresh, while Erza suffered pretty heavy injuries from Jack! Jaxon felt...strange. Confident? Could he be the White Eclipse member to break through Erza Scarlet...!? That thought was starting to get to him...it wasn't impossible, but he knew damn well who he was dealing with. "I'll make sure the winds of fortune blow my way today."
Despite her injuries, Erza proudly stepped into the arena again. "I'm afraid that's going to be impossible." She told Jaxon. "Because I'm going to become the wind that carries Fairy Tail to victory. You can control the weather...but you cannot control the outcome of this battle. I assure you, Jaxon...
I will win."