Gray placed his right fist against the palm of his left hand, closed his eyes, and began to focus his magic.
After a few steady breaths, his eyes snapped open. He thrust his hands toward the water and shouted:
"Ice-Make: Lake Center Stage!"
A dazzling, ice-blue magic circle unfurled beneath his feet, and a surge of magic power rushed out from him. A shimmering path of ice shot across the surface of the lake, racing forward from his hands.
When the path reached the lake's center, it spread outward rapidly and began rising from the water in a spectacular display. Jagged shards wove together, freezing in midair, forming a wide, elevated stage of crystal-clear ice.
The platform's center was frosted to ensure grip, and elegant guardrails curled up at the edges like sculpted vines. It sparkled under the sunlight, a masterpiece of Ice-Make magic.
"Hah..." Gray let out a tired breath and plopped down on the shore. Constructing something that massive in one go had drained him.
"It's done," he said, wiping sweat from his brow. "The center is frozen all the way to the lakebed. As long as no one goes out of their way to smash it, it should hold just fine."
Mira beamed. "That's amazing. And in such a short time, too!"
Erza stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Gray in gratitude. "Thank you. You did great."
Clang!
Rhodes, ever the opportunist, snuck behind Gray and gently bopped him on the head with the Blue buff, then handed him the pile of clothes he'd tossed aside before casting.
"Nice job," Rhodes said with a grin. "You really pulled it off."
Gray took the clothes with a wobbly wave of his hand, still reeling slightly from the spell's exhaustion. "No problem... I'm excited for this too."
After all these days, the long-awaited match between Mira and Erza was finally happening.
Given how serious both were about it, there was no way the guild courtyard would survive if they fought there again.
At the same time, plenty of guild members wanted to watch, so going somewhere too remote would be a hassle.
That's when Rhodes proposed the perfect middle ground: an arena right on the lake.
Gray's craftsmanship exceeded everyone's expectations.
The scale, the elegance, and the sheer speed of construction left the crowd in awe. Among Molding wizards, Gray had become the undisputed best that any of them had seen.
Macao's jaw dropped. "When did Gray get that good?"
Wakaba crossed his arms and sighed dramatically. "Ah, youth. It's terrifying how fast they improve."
"Sister! Gray is a man!" Elfman, who had just returned to the guild and wasn't entirely sure what was happening, still decided it was best to cheer for everyone loudly and equally.
Meanwhile, Natsu clenched his fists with jealousy. "Tch! I wanna fight Erza too!" he grumbled.
Happy looked unimpressed. "Didn't you just get flattened by Mira?"
"I'm way stronger than last time!" Natsu shouted with confidence.
"Aye," Happy muttered dryly, clearly unconvinced.
Cana clinked her mug down and dragged out two baskets. "Alright, folks, it's time to gamble! Bets for Erza go here, and bets for Mira go there!"
"I'm betting on Erza!"
"No way, Mira's got this!"
The guild erupted in noise as members rushed over to place their bets, turning the atmosphere electric.
"You two…" Makarov stepped forward, as if to say something stern, but quickly held back. Telling them to "be careful" would ruin the mood, especially when Rhodes had even picked such a safe venue.
In the end, Makarov just smiled and declared, "Alright then, let the match begin! Give it your all!"
Erza and Mira walked side by side down the shimmering ice path, stepping onto the crystal stage from opposite ends.
"Can't see a thing from back here!" someone shouted. "Gray, Laki, build us some seats!"
Laki looked flustered. Her magic reserves weren't as deep as Gray's, and in the end, she only managed to conjure up a few small rowboats.
Gray, meanwhile, had just been about to complain about being out of mana when he suddenly felt a warm surge of magic flowing through him.
He blinked. "Wait… this feeling… Rhodes, is this your magic?"
"Huh? Oh, that's the Blue buff," Rhodes replied casually. "Guess you've never tried it before. How is it?"
Gray exhaled, amazed. "Feels like cheating, honestly."
Still, with renewed energy, he quickly created a proper viewing platform close to the stage.
Rhodes had planned to just hop into one of the small boats, but seeing Natsu sprawled across one, groaning and seasick, he sighed and summoned a crab instead.
Up on the stage, Mira and Erza had already said what they needed to say. With no more delays, they dove straight into battle—ready or not, the duel had begun.
Erza, uncertain of Mira's current strength, played it safe and activated her Requip magic.
With a flash, she donned her iconic Heaven's Wheel Armor. Blades shimmered in the air, forming a halo of steel around her. Over a dozen swords launched at once, glinting as they streaked toward Mira.
Mira didn't hesitate. With a flash of violet magic, she activated her Satan Soul. She weaved through Erza's storm of flying swords with incredible speed, closing the gap in the blink of an eye.
The clash began instantly. After a few lightning-fast exchanges, Mira landed a solid kick to Erza's back, sending her skidding across the ice.
Rhodes winced from the audience. 'Would Mira be the one paying for all the damaged armor afterward?' That stuff didn't exactly come cheap.
"Switch!" Erza called out, swapping instantly into her mobility-focused gear. She zipped back into the fray, her dual swords blurring through the air as she and Mira clashed for over ten blistering rounds.
Their movements became a blur to most onlookers. Ice cracked beneath their feet. Scars and gouges appeared all across the glimmering stage. One by one, the blades in Erza's hands shattered from the sheer force of their strikes.
Rhodes focused in on Mira's hands. No visible injuries. 'Good. So far, so good.'
"Still not strong enough? Then, Purgatory Armor!"
With a shout, Erza re-equipped once again, this time into her fearsome black armor. A surge of magical power rippled outward as she raised a massive, jagged-edged broadsword and slammed it into the ice, carving a crater at her feet.
"Now that's more like it." Mira licked her lips slightly, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. It was hard to tell whether it was her natural battle spirit, or the joy of finally getting to go all out with Erza again.
BOOM!
Mira's fist, now wrapped in a pulsing orb of purple-black energy, crashed into Erza's jagged sword. The shockwave that followed sounded like a cannon blast.
The surface of the ice cracked beneath them, fractures spreading rapidly from their feet to the far corners of the stage. Both their long hair red and white whipped wildly in the blast, and even the audience could feel the gust of wind rushing out from the point of impact.
"No way," Gray muttered, stunned. "I reinforced that platform pretty well, too. Should I be proud or terrified?"
The duel didn't slow down. The two women clashed again and again, leaping from the center to the edge of the stage, then back again. Their steps shattered the railings, their magic tore across the arena, and the ice beneath them began to fracture like spiderwebs.
Finally, they disengaged and stepped apart.
Mira canceled her Satan Soul, gasping for breath, clearly winded.
Erza returned to her usual outfit. Compared to Mira, she looked composed, barely even tired.
Rhodes instinctively wanted to cast a buff or two in Mira's direction, but held back. After all, it wouldn't be fair to cast support spells during a friendly fight.
"Almost… huff…" Mira gasped, barely staying upright. "I only have enough magic left for one final strike."
Erza nodded solemnly. "Then let's end it with this."
Without another word, both women began to transform. Mira's body glowed ominously as she stepped forward. Her white hair flared out wildly, and two curved black horns emerged from her temples. Her outfit shifted to a fierce blue-and-white ensemble, a black cloak unfurling behind her like wings of darkness.
Flames burst forth beneath her feet, blazing across the ice with infernal fury. The heat warped the air around her. The frozen lake began to melt and hiss beneath her, steam rising in waves.
It was Demon Halphas, Mira's strongest form. Rhodes had only seen it once before, and even then, she had never dared to actually use it against him.
Across the stage, Erza completed her own transformation.
A pink glow enveloped her as her armor changed into a sleek, elegant set. Light pink plating glistened under the sunlight, accented by rose-hued wings on the shoulders and a violet cape billowing behind her.
"Requip: Fairy Armor!"
This was Erza's most powerful armor to date, symbolic of the Fairy Tail guild itself. Wielding it meant more than power, it was pride, legacy, and honor. Losing while wearing it wasn't an option.
They locked eyes for just a heartbeat.
Then both lunged forward.
Mira charged, wrapped in blazing hellfire. Erza, cloaked in streaks of emerald lightning, flew at her with divine speed.
BOOOOM!
The collision shook the lake.
The entire ice crystal stage, meticulously shaped by Gray, shattered like fragile glass. Shards of ice exploded in every direction. A massive column of steam and spray burst upward, and waves surged across the lake, washing over the floating audience platforms and soaking half the spectators.
"W-Wait, WHAT?!"
"This is supposed to be a sparring match, right?!"
"They went totally overboard!"
"Cast your barriers, now!"
Thankfully, everyone present was a trained wizard, and more importantly, Makarov himself was among them. He calmly raised a protective barrier with one hand while sipping tea with the other. No one was hurt.
Except… well, quite a few got completely drenched.
Rhodes watched the ice collapse beneath Mira and dove into the lake without hesitation, taking over the Scuttle crab form to reach her. He surfaced a moment later with Mira cradled in his arms, her transformation undone, her energy completely spent.