Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
October 15, x785.
Once Ur announced the match's outcome, Mirajane slowly lowered herself to the ring next to Ultear. Then, she let both her [Take Over] and Bael's release state dispel. After that, she staggered for a moment, her back still in pain from slamming into the ring.
Meanwhile, the crowd cheered wildly, with one particularly passionate spectator shouting "cool" over and over, as well. The Wizards from Fairy Tail, on the other hand... Or rather, the wizards looking forward to one day having their own [Soul Armament] took notice of the changes to Bael in its sealed state.
Actually, the difference before and after Mirajane learned the name of her [Soul Armament] was not particularly noticeable if one was not looking for it. Originally, the tiara was a silver color with a purple jewel in its center. However, after the seal was partially released, it had a much shinier appearance, as if the material was swapped out for something purer.
"Alright, Tear." Mirajane said, bending down to pick up Ultear as she spoke. "Let's get you to the medical statio--- Ugh!"
Unfortunately, as she tried to lift her harem sister, Mirajane winced in pain.
"Big Sis, are you okay?" Elfman asked as he hopped into the ring.
"Yeah, Mirajane said as she slowly stood up. "But I'll need you to help me get Tear to the medical station. You can let Lisanna and Juvia fight in the next match."
"Sure thing." Elfman said as he bent down to pick up Ultear. "You should let them take a look at you, too."
Nodding in response, Mirajane gingerly followed Elfman towards the edge of the ring. Then, with her brother's assistance, she jumped down to the ground before they both made their way over to the medical station.
Meanwhile, Lisanna and Juvia from Team Strauss and Laki and Meredy from Team Ultear jumped into the ring once Ur called for the next fighters. And before long, the match started.
Although the two on two match lasted for a while, in the end, Laki, with her versatile [Wood-Make Magic], and Meredy with her ability to link the senses of her opponents and bypass Juvia's [Water Body] with [Maguilty Sense] took the victory after a long, hard-fought battle.
And with that victory, the match between Team Strauss and Team Ultear ended up being the first match in the tournament to go all the way to the tie breaker, greatly surprising the spectators.
"So, it all comes down to Cana and Elfman, huh?" Elicia said with an intrigued smile on her face. "They were both S-Class candidates last year. So, this should be a good fight."
"Are you sure about that?" Alfonzo asked. "I may be a little biased, but Cana has been training with us for as long as she's been a part of the guild. ON top of that, her dad is Gildarts. And he's put a lot of effort into her training. Though, there was a three-year gap when he had nothing to do with it."
"Yeah, but Elfman has that one [Take Over], Belcusas." Sun said. "And it's really hard to hurt that one, right?"
"Yeah, even Fried's [Darkness Form] couldn't hurt it." Marin said.
"That's only because Elfman didn't give Fried the chance to gather the magic power necessary to deal any damage. But remember, Mira beat it pretty easily when she fought the real thing."
"Yeah, now that you mention it..." Marin said as she and Sun slipped into contemplation.
"Well, we won't have to wait for long." Elicia said as she drew everyone's attention to the ring. "Ur is about to call the last fighters to the ring."
Hearing that, Marin and Sun once again joined Alfonzo and Elicia in watching the current round.
"This match will decide which of the two teams will go on to the finals." Ur said. "Elfman Strauss, Cana Alberona, please come to the ring."
With no hesitation, Cana and Elfman both jumped into the ring, gaining uproarious cheers from the crowd. Then, with the introductions already made, Ur gave the signal to begin.
"[Take Over Magic: Beast Soul: Belcusas]." Elfman chanted, knowing that even though the [Beast Take Over] was more powerful overall, Cana's offensive spells were more than enough to deal with it.
At the same time, Cana drew several cards from her [Soul Armament], a deck of cards she could use to create any cards she desired with her magic power. Then, after confirming she had the right combinations of cards in her hand, and while not paying attention to Elfman, who was charging at her at top speed, she nodded her head before slapping the three combinations onto her exposed skin.
"[Card Magic: Enhancement Cards: Power, Speed, Magic Power Density]." Cana chanted as Elfman swung his large, armored arm at her.
A moment later, the instant before Elfman's attack could land, Cana vanished from where she stood in a burst of speed.
*Bang!*
In the next instant, Elfman staggered forward. Meanwhile, Cana stood behind him with her right fist extended.
"Damn, that armor really is strong." Cana said while shaking her hand. "That hurt a little bit."
Despite the pain she was feeling in her hand, Cana continued to slam her right fist into Elfman's back, keeping him off balance. At the same time, she drew another set of cards from her [Soul Armament]. Then, while continuing to strike Elfman, she threw the cards in front of him.
["Oh, that's a pretty good idea."] Cana's [Armament Spirit] said in an impressed tone. ["But I would have like seeing you fight him head on. Your odds of winning would have been more of a gamble then."]
'I didn't enter this tournament to gamble.' Cana replied internally. 'I'm here to win. And if I can't win, I want someone to push me far enough that I can release your first seal.'
["Yeah, yeah, I know."] Cana's Armament spirit] replied in a bored tone. ["Seriously, you're no fun."]
'Whatever.' Cana shot back while mentally rolling her eyes.
Meanwhile, despite knowing that Cana was up to something after she threw her cards and continued pushing him towards them, Elfman was finding himself unable to do something about it.
'She's exploiting Belcusas' biggest weakness.' Elfman thought to himself. 'This [Take Over's agility is entirely too low. I guess I'll have to switch to the [Beast]. I just hope I can survive one of these punches she keeps hitting me with.'
"[Take Over Magic: Beast Soul]." Elfman chanted right after stumbling forward from another one of Cana's punches.
In the next instant, Elfman was covered in the light of his magic. Then, his size decreased as he transformed into the [Beast]. And lucky for him, because of the [Beast's] smaller size, he was not forced into the cards lying on the ring. Unfortunately, because of the reduced defense from the change in form, Cana's next punch sent him flying out of the ring.
*Boom!*
Even more unfortunate, Elfman was unable to stop himself while airborne. As a result, he slammed face first into the wall separating the ring side area and the spectator stands.
"Oops..." Cana muttered with her right fist still extended as she watched Elfman slide down the wall.
"Elfman Strauss is out of the ring." Ur's voice sounded out. "Winner of the match, Cana Alberona. And with that victory, Team Ultear will move on to the final round."
With Ur's declaration, the crowd cheered loudly. Meanwhile, the members of Team Ultear, with the exception of Ultear, who was still in the medical tent, looked towards Team Steel Threads with the flames of determination burning in their eyes.
"It looks like they're all fired up." Alfonzo said with a smile.
"Hey, that's my line!" Natsu shouted from the distance.
Chuckling in response, Elicia noticed that there was a particularly fiery gaze focused on her. Looking around, she found Cana glaring at her, rather than looking at her challengingly. Tilting her head in confusion, Elicia had no idea why Cana would look at her like that.
Meanwhile, Marin and Sun, after seeing the look Cana was giving Elicia had an idea why Cana was looking at Elicia that way.
"Something tells me the finals are gonna be really intense." Marin said, whispering into Sun's ear.
"Yeah..." Sun replied with a nod. "But I wonder what the match ups will be."
"I get the feeling Lici will end up fighting Cana." Marin said. "I mean, look at the way Cana is looking at her."
"I know, right?" Sun replied. "Well, it's probably better this comes out now rather than further down the road."
"Yeah, you're right." Marin replied. "But I really don't know why Cana held it in for so long, though."
"Hey, what's up with all the whispering?" Alfonzo asked curiously.
"Don't worry about it, Fonzie." Marin replied with a smile. "Just a bit of girl talk."
Shrugging his shoulders, Alfonzo let the girls have their secrets. However, like Elicia, Marin, and Sun, he also noticed the look Cana was giving Elicia. And from what he could tell, there was a bit of grievance hidden behind it. Though, he was not sure what she was unhappy about, exactly. He did have a guess though. And if he was right, then, he was at least partially responsible for how she was feeling.
"The final round of the tournament will commence in thirty minutes." Ur said loud enough for the entire stadium to hear her, despite all the cheering.
With that, Ur stood from her ice throne before making her way to the medical station to check on Ultear's condition. After a few moments, Ur entered the tent and found Ultear quickly. And when she did, Shizuka was standing over her. On top of that, Wendy was assisting with the treatment.
"How is she?" Ur asked, concerned about her daughter's well-being.
"She'll be fine, Master." Wendy said. "Luckily, there were no broken bones. She'll be sore for a while, though."
"*Sigh* If that's all, she should have no problem fighting in the final round."
"Yeah, she's really strong." Shizuka said with a smile. "I couldn't imagine getting hit that hard. it probably hurt a lot."
Smiling wryly at Shizuka, Ur could only nod in agreement.
"Ugh... Where am I?" Ultear asked in a groggy tone.
"Oh, you're already awake." Ur said as she stepped closer to the sick bed. "How are you feeling. You hit the ring pretty hard, after all."
"Like I got hit by Rika's Humvee." Ultear replied while shaking her head. Then, she looked around her surroundings, and when she noticed she was in the medical station, she smiled wryly. "I guess I lost, huh?"
"That's right." Ur replied.
"*Sigh* That's two years in a row I lost to Mira." Ultear said in a frustrated tone.
Hearing that, Ur and Wendy did not know how to console Ultear. Shizuka, on the other hand, also stepped closer to the sick bed.
"Can you teach me how to fly?" Shizuka asked with her eyes sparkling. "I wanna fly like you and Mira did."
At first, Ultear was taken aback by Shizuka's question.
"I'm not sure I can do that." Ultear replied.
Hearing that, Shizuka's mood dropped immediately.
["Did her boobs just shrink?"] Kinsi asked in an astonished tone.
Remembering the conversation she had with Alfonzo and Elicia about what their [Armament Spirits] said about the same topic, Ultear could not help but smile.
"You know, it's because of what Alfonzo made me that I was able to fly." Ultear said while gesturing to the claws lying on the table next to her sick bed. "And who knows, if Alfonzo made one for you, it might evolve into something that can fly, too."
Immediately, Shizuka's eyes lit up. Just the thought of flying was enough to improve her mood. And if it weren't for her duty as a healer, a duty she took quite seriously, she would have run off to ask Alfonzo to make a [Soul Armament] for her.
"Anyway, you should get as much rest as you can, Tear." Ur said with a slight smile. "You'll be facing Alfonzo and Lici's team in the finals."
"*Phew* I guess that means our team won." Ultear said in a relieved tone. "I really need to thank Cana, Meredy, and Laki. Without them, we would be sitting in the stands and watching with everyone else."
Nodding in response, Ur turned around.
"Yeah. Anyway, I'll let you get your rest." Ur said as she started walking towards the medical station's entrance. "I'm sure Shizuka and Wendy will make sure you're in shape to fight. In the meantime, I'm gonna grab a bite to eat. Smelling all that food has me famished."
Smiling at her mother's retreating back, Ultear relaxed as Wendy and Shizuka did all they could to get her ready for the final round.