Erza Scarlet vs Jaxon Metero. The fate of this match would turn the momentum of the clash in favor of the winner's guild. Everyone could sense this as the two stood across from one another. The tension in the air was thick and heavy. Jellal kept his eyes on Erza from above, feeling the tension even from his position. "A man who can control the weather...I can't think of a tougher opponent."
"Yeah..." Meredy agreed with a nod. They'd been watching the entire clash between these two guilds from the very beginning. Obviously, they were on Fairy Tail's side, but they couldn't deny that White Eclipse was strong. "I wonder how the Games would've went if they were in them..."
"No matter the case, Erza will win." Jellal said with a nod. As always, he believed in her. He's seen her surmount the impossible time and time again. This would be no different.
"Hah...I'm sure she can feel your support." Meredy said with a teasing smile.
"Alright, Titania..." Jaxon said while stretching out. "Looks like we're doing this. Are you ready?"
"Very." Erza said with a nod. "I will not let the efforts of Cana and Juvia go to waste. So give me everything you have. I will overcome it."
"Wow! You're confident...almost makes a guy second guess himself." Jaxon could see why she was such a feared individual, but he was here to fight for his guild. So he would win, no matter what. "As the tradition states...I'll make the first move." When he said this, a red magic circle appeared in front of him. "Sun Multiplier!" From the seal, multiple small suns appeared and spread out across the battlefield, strategically placed in a way that all of the heat would focus on Erza and bring her to exhaustion.
"If she can't get past the changing of the weather as a concept, she doesn't stand a chance." Takeru scoffed.
"Don't count Erza out just yet." Laxus retorted. "You haven't seen her at her best yet." Those words were directly aimed at Reve, who scowled at the insinuation Reve couldn't take Erza at her best.
Erza had a feeling this might be coming. She didn't have a means to fully ignore the weather, but her large arsenal would at least allow her to deal with it. So, she donned her Flame Empress Armor and the matching sword. With this, she could reduce the effectiveness of the sweltering heat by half. It was still hot as hell, but she could endure this. "I'm afraid those tricks won't work on me!" Erza sped forward, her sword igniting in flame. She swung the blade forward, sending a crescent slash of fire that cut through a few of the suns created and soared towards Jaxon.
"Oh...!" Jaxon crossed his arms, wincing as he felt the slash of flame burn into them. He could handle the heat, but he was getting a taste of Erza's power for himself. It was highly lightly her means to fight him would be different from how she fought Reve and he needed to be prepared for that. "I shouldn't be surprised from the woman who gave Reve so much trouble...!" Jaxon grinned a bit as lightning formed around his body from the yellow magic seal underfoot. "Sparking Sprint!" Jaxon darted across the battlefield to meet Erza halfway, spinning around to aim a kick at Erza's chest. "Static Kick!"
Erza blocked Jaxon's kick with the flat side of her blade, easily holding her ground against his might. She was even able to push him back. Jaxon flipped and landed a few yards away from her. Erza responded by allowing the flames on her sword to intensify, using the heat Jaxon created to her advantage. "Flame Slash!" She sent an enlarged wave of flame towards Jaxon with the intention of overtaking him.
Jaxon acted fast as a blue magic seal appeared in the sky. The weather changed on a dime and the suns he created disappeared. Instead of sweltering heat, it was now pouring rain. "Rain Needle!" The rain was more than enough to snuff out the flames Erza sent at him.
"What?! So fast...!" Erza was shocked at how quickly the weather really did bend to Jaxon's whims. Not only that, but the raindrops coming down on her were flling with enough speed that it felt like little knives were stabbing into her! "Ngh...!"
Jaxon used this moment of shock to speed forward once again, his electrified fist slamming against Erza's cheek. "THUNDER PUNCH!" Since she was wet from the rain, it allowed for an effective hit that caused the mighty Erza Scarlet to stumble back. Under normal circumstances she would've been able to hold her ground, but she was coming off her fight with Jack and the injuries he dealt her were very fresh.
"Gah...!" Erza grunted as she felt that punch bruise. Not only that, but she was still being assaulted by the rain itself. No matter what the weather was, she assumed it was always going to be at her disadvantage.
"She's still hurt...!" Romeo grunted.
In response to the rain, Erza changed into her Sea Empress Armor and the matching sword. She continued to adapt to the weather with her armor, making sure Jaxon would never have a lasting advantage on her. "That's not enough!" Erza declared while spinning her sword around, using the blade's properties to gather the falling rain around it. "Wide Wave!" Erza swung her sword horizontally, sending a spiraling wave of water towards Jaxon composed of his own rain. Jaxon had no choice but to cross his arms and hold his ground against this attack, but he was ultimately thrown off his feet as a result.
"She got him!" Levy smiled. This was just like Erza!
"She doesn't have anything yet!" Reve scoffed.
Jaxon landed on his feet and shook his head. That hurt. Erza was strong, her reputation made sense. But he wasn't going to let that stop him. "Single Strike!" A yellow magic circle appeared in the rainy sky, and from it, a powerful bolt of lightning dropped down on Erza. She noticed this at the last second and just barely managed to roll out of the way. More yellow seals appeared and lightning began to rain down on Titania. "Lightning Storm!"
Evading lightning in the middle of a rainstorm was far from an idea situation. Erza was doing her best to dodge and knew she was in a tough spot. "Hfff...hff..." Jaxon was pretty relentless. If she changed into a different armor, the ongoing rain would just damage her again...! A bolt of lightning then crashed down on Erza directly.
"Erza...!" Happy gasped.
"She's fine." Gray said confidently.
He was right. Erza exchanged her sword for the lance of her Lightning Empress Armor, using this as a conductor for the incoming lightning. "Thunderous Impact!" Erza stabbed her charged lance into the ground; a shockwave of lightning tearing through the ground as it raced towards Jaxon.
"Trembling Earth!" Jaxon stomped on the ground, sending an earthquake throughout the battlefield that tore through the arena. It clashed with Erza's attack and it ended with a stalemate. Jaxon could see why Erza was so fearsome now. Whatever he threw at her, she had an answer for it. Honestly ,it was irritating, but the thrill of this challenge sparked something in him. Erza was a much harder opponent than he could've possibly imagined. There was a grin on his face as he did realize that if he wasn't careful, he really could lose this easily.
"That's Erza for you, isn't it?" Gildarts said with a laugh. "Even when it's tough, she finds a way forward. Looks like that kid over there too is starting to enjoy himself."
"I got more than that...!" Jaxon said as a gray magic circle appeared in front of him, and he started to twirl his index finger around several times. "TORNADO ALLEY!" When he called that, multiple, large tornadoes appeared in front of him. The violent vortexes swirled around and all of them flew towards Erza at different angles to catch her in their wake.
Erza had no choice. She wasn't going to be able to avoid an attack like while also keeping herself safe from the rain. So, she switched to her Heaven's Wheel Armor, grimacing as the rain started to pelt her again. But she endured in and had two swords within her grasp, flying right into the storm, undaunted! Erza had to skillfully maneuver through the storm. If even a single tornado got her, she knew it would make her fight that much harder. Her eyes widened when she saw Jaxon approaching her while riding a tornado. "So you can do that, too!"
"Damn right I can!" Jaxon said with a grin while pursuing Erza while drawing his hands back. "Thunder Clap!" He clapped his hands forward to send a powerful soundwave towards Erza, his goal being to knock her into one of the many raging tornadoes to hopefully finish her off. But to his surprise, Erza completely evaded this with her flight path, and appeared in front of him with her blades ready. "...!"
"Trinity Sword!" Erza yelled while slashing at Jaxon in a delta formation. It was a direct hit! Jaxon coughed some blood and he fell from the sky for a bit, but the tornado he was using as a mount did catch him. Erza narrowed her eyes, watching as Jaxon coughed and sputtered for a moment, but he didn't go down. "Not enough..."
"You won't get a chance like that again!" Jaxon breathed heavily. While he did have the weather at his control, keeping a storm like this going for so long was starting to weigh on his magic. But he had to push this hard when the possibility of defeating Erza Scarlet was on the table. "We're still in my domain!" Things suddenly got much more hectic as a blue magic circle appeared in the sky. The rain intensified, but the tornadoes were quickly merging together and the intense winds didn't allow Erza to escape. "Hurricana!" This was one of Jaxon's stronger spells; merging Stinging Rain, Tornado Alley, and Lightning Storm together to create a sensory depleting attack that also injured Erza.
"She's caught right in the middle of that...!" Meredy's eyes widened.
"..." Jellal didn't say anything. But his face tensed as he felt the severity of Jaxon's attack.
"Bloody hell, does he really have to do all this?" Maggie groaned from the wild weather, while Aiden grimaced. It annoyed him as well, but complaining wasn't going to do anything about it.
"With her injuries, an attack like that should be the end." Luke grinned.
Whatever cry of pain Erza let out was drowned out by raging winds. It continued on for seconds before the Hurricana eventually faded away, and Erza fell to the ground in broken Heaven's Wheel armor. All was silent except for the pouring rain. Jaxon was breathing heavily, uncertain if that was actually enough. Did he do it...?"
"Erza..." Gray sucked is teeth.
"Is that how it ends...?" Heather questioned.
"Not at all." Kagura said a stern expression.
"..." Makarov said nothing. But he looked on with faith.
"...It is not over." Mavis said firmly. White Eclipse was tense as well. They'd seen how stubborn Erza could be...
"Ngh..." Erza was still moving. Even as the painful rain pelted her exposed body, she kept moving. She clenched her hand into a fist, picking up some dirt in the process. But she growled and slowly made her way to her feet.
"No way..." Kuro's eyes were wide.
"..." Reve narrowed his eyes.
As for Jaxon...he was still grinning. "You really are as tough as they say.." But his grin vanished when he saw the look in Erza's eyes. That unyielding look. The look of the Fairy Queen who refused to go down until she won. "...!"
"There she is..." Mira said with a smile. "This is Erza at her best."
"Hey! Stop playing with your food!" Waiston yelled. "It's her last stand! You just have to win!"
"You can control all manner of things..." Erza said while changing into her Clear Heart Armor. She couldn't afford to focus on defense anymore. She had to end this in a single strike if she wanted to win. That was the type of opponent she was up against, and with her lone blade, she intended to win. "But there is one storm you cannot control." Her.
Jaxon was floored. Erza was even more of a threat than he ever could've realized. The fight against Reve showed her prowess, but this situation was something else entirely. Jaxon didn't even feel like he was facing the same woman anymore! "..." But then Waiston's words reached him at last. This was Erza's last stand. If he could play his cards right, he could win. He could beat her. He had to. "I'm not letting you win this so easily!" Jaxon said while putting his all into this attack, digging deep while placing his hands on the ground. "It's time for a big one! Ancient Skies: POMPEII!"
The ground began to tremble violently. Erza could feel it underfoot, and she had to jump into the air as the ground erupted, quite literally. From the ground, molten rock, lava, and ash were spit up over the battlefield. Numerous chunks of debris were shot into the air, and Erza used theses as footholds to jump towards Jaxon. "It doesn't matter how cloudy the skies are for Fairy Tail, because the sun will shine on us again!" She was getting close, slicing through the molten rock that appeared in front of her.
Jaxon grit his teeth and had no choice but to up the intensity of his attack, causing more rock and lava to spew up to stop Erza. But she was an unstoppable object, fighting through the Stinging Rain, the eruption, and everything that he threw at her. "No way..." He thought to himself. How was Erza able to do this!? Did he underestimate her, or did he overestimate himself, despite the situation. No! He wasn't done yet, he still had more left! "Blistering Blizzard!" He pointed his hands forward, a massive white magic circle appearing before him. It released a powerful blizzard meant to throw Erza off her charge and make her stop, but he couldn't make her stop. She let out a cry of pain and determination as she continued to approach.
"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Erza then jumped into the air, right above Jaxon with her sword raised over her head. It happened in slow motion for the two of them, but Jaxon had a strange look on his face.
"When I saw that look in her eyes...I think...I already knew how this would turn out..." As Jaxon thought this to himself, Erza brought her sword down on his chest for a clean hit. She landed behind Jaxon, as the weather mage himself collasped forward onto the ground, unconscious and defeated. The moment his consciousness left him, the weather cleared up and the sun shone brightly down onto Erza Scarlet, the victor of this match.
"And Erza Scarlet wins." Makarov said with his arms crossed and a cocky grin at Calium. With that, the score was now 5 to 3. Erza, Wendy, Cynthia, Gray, and Gildarts vs Reve, Heather, and Sidney. While Makarov announced the victory, Erza held her hand up for the Fairy Tail symbol and the guild cheered. The momentum was theirs.
"It's not looking good..." Luke sucked his teeth. Were they really about to lose after all the game they talked!?
"I expected as much." Jellal wore a proud smile. Erza was truly incredible...
"So, for the next match..." As Calium prepared this, Jaxon was carted off to get his injuries taken care of.
"There's no need for that." Erza said while pointing her blade at White Eclipse. "Whoever wants to challenge me next has the free reign to do so. I will cut down anyone." This was Erza at her best; backed into a corner, her ferocity always came through. That energy remained.
"Finally..." Heather was going to take joy in this, but she was stopped by Reve. "What are you doing!?"
"Someone beat you to it." Tayakata pointed out. Sidney was already gone in a puff of smoke, standing across from Erza. "Looks like he had enough of whatever she has going on."
"The ace stepped into the field!?" Wendy gasped.
"We'll make this quick." Sidney said. He could acknowledge that Erza was likely a threat to the remaining two members, but more importantly, he wanted to get this over with, and she gave him permission to do so. "Make the first move. It will be the only move you have, so make it count."
Erza was still feeling the rush of adrenaline. That feeling like she could take on anyone. "Gladly." Erza gripped her blade and charged at the Ace of White Eclipse. She'd show him! She swung her sword at him with all her might, but she didn't even get that far. She felt a tremendous impact in her stomach. "...!" Her eyes went wide and she froze for a moment, robbed of everything her body could deliver.
It was Sidney, obviously. While Erza intended to give Sidney everything she had, he wasn't going to just allow it. His fist slammed into her stomach and that hit alone was the straw that broke Titania's back. She dropped her sword, coughed a few times while holding her stomach...and then collapsed to the ground, just like that. Without a word, Sidney then turned around and started to walk off.
"...!" Fairy Tail was stunned. They knew Erza usually had so much fight left in her when she was pushed to the brink, but Sidney pushed her off the brink and simply finished her there and then. "Erza!"
"I know she was tired, but one punch...!?" Meredy's hands were over her mouth. How strong was Sidney!
"..." Jellal sucked his teeth.
"...And just like that, the score is now 4-3." Calium stated. The momentum that Fairy Tail had was stolen from them before they even had a chance to enjoy it. As the audience watched with stunned expressions, seeing Erza Scarlet go down for the first time...White Eclipse had their second wind in the final act of this competition.