Chapter 443: An Unfair Fight

"You really do like to cause trouble."

Finn released a long, heavy sigh.

"I-Is it okay?" Meredy and Sorano quickly looked back at him, their eyes wide with expectant hope.

"It’s fine." Finn shook his head helplessly, though he couldn’t deny it was a trivial matter for him. "I already piloted Meredy to an effortless victory once, after all."

"Oh, right!" the two girls chimed in unison. Remembering how Finn had effortlessly hijacked Meredy’s body during the first event to annihilate the competition put them instantly at ease.

"Go."

"Yes!"

As the two girls stepped forward onto the arena floor, Finn extended his consciousness, taking absolute control over their bodies. They were fully prepared to fight—in the most unfair way possible.

Across the battlefield, Beth Vanderwood swallowed hard. Staring down Meredy, the trauma from that first day came rushing back. "You know what? Even with all four of us ganging up on that pink-haired girl, I really don’t think we’re going to win."

"Don’t say that, Beth! We aren’t weak!" Milianna shouted, desperately trying to cheer up her thoroughly depressed teammate.

"I mean it! I faced her before with an entire group of heavy hitters, and in the end, we all still lost..." Beth shuddered. The combined might of the arena had meant absolutely nothing. Gray, Juvia, Eve, Rufus, Lyon, and even that guy from Raven Tail—they had all thrown everything they had at Meredy.

Had Gray and Juvia’s combination magic been weak? Absolutely not. It was a devastatingly powerful attack, yet Meredy had casually swatted it aside and crushed them all anyway.

"Don’t worry. When I finish that one with the rapier, I will come back to help you."

Kagura’s calm, authoritative voice cut through their panic. Her teammates turned to her and nodded firmly.

"Right!"

In their minds, Kagura was virtually invincible. They couldn’t even fathom her losing to someone like Sorano, especially in a duel of blades. Yet, when they looked closely at the beautifully ornate rapier resting lightly in Sorano’s grip, an unsettling feeling washed over them. She didn’t look weak.

"Hm... is she a sword user, too?" Up in the stands, Erza narrowed her eyes in surprise.

"A rapier?"

Confusion rippled through the audience. It was a highly unconventional choice of weapon for an arena brawl, especially since its offensive capabilities were almost entirely restricted to linear thrusts.

"This is going to be interesting," Erza murmured. She wasn’t the only one deeply invested. The entire stadium was on the edge of their seats, wondering how this lopsided tag match would unfold. One bow against four mages. One rapier against a legendary katana.

"You use a sword as well?"

As Sorano sauntered to her starting position, Kagura couldn’t help but ask. Her sharp eyes darted to Sorano’s hands—they were smooth, soft, and entirely unblemished. There were no calluses, no hardened skin. It didn’t look like the hand of someone who had swung a blade a day in her life.

"I don’t train much, but it should be more than enough to defeat you." Sorano smiled lazily.

"Don’t look down on others," Kagura warned, her grip tightening on her scabbard.

Kagura didn’t harbor any inherent hatred for Heavenly Blue—in fact, Finn’s previous words had a huge impact on her future—but she wasn’t about to let Sorano’s blatant arrogance slide.

"It’s just the truth," Sorano replied smoothly. "In front of true power, the weak can’t do anything at all."

Those words carried a heavy irony. Sorano herself knew exactly what it felt like to be weak; she had been utterly crushed by Finn in the past. Yet now, she was deeply in love with that very same overwhelming power, relishing in the strength he was currently feeding into her limbs.

"Then let’s see if you truly possess that power," Kagura declared. She would show this arrogant woman that she wasn’t someone who could be brushed aside. She had spent years honing her blade to avenge her brother. She would do whatever it took to claim victory.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the arena, Beth pointed a trembling finger at her opponent. "We meet again."

"Who?" Meredy tilted her head, genuinely oblivious.

"....."

Beth’s eyes twitched, but she forced herself to stand tall. "I know I might not be as strong as you, but I—no, we—will do our absolute best to defeat you, Meredy!"

Beth, Risley, Milianna, and Arana fell into a tight combat formation, their expressions hardened with fierce determination. Individually, it was impossible. But together? Nothing is impossible!

"Well then, let’s test this ’Power of Nakama’ of yours, shall we?" Meredy giggled.

Up on the Fairy Tail balcony, several members winced, displaying strangely uncomfortable expressions at hearing their trademark guild philosophy being weaponized as a taunt. Still, looking at the fierce aura radiating from Mermaid Heel, it was clear that Heavenly Blue wouldn’t have an easy time!

"START!"

The moment the bell rang, there was no hesitation, no dramatic posturing. Mermaid Heel launched an immediate, devastating, synchronized assault!

"Kitten Blast!" Milianna fired a spiraling barrage of magical binding tubes, aiming to violently restrict Meredy’s movements.

"Carrot Missile!" Beth unleashed a volley of explosive, carrot-shaped projectiles that tore through the air like homing rockets!

"Heavy!" Risley slammed her hands down, violently intensifying the gravity directly beneath Meredy, anchoring her to the floor!

"Web Shot!" Arana crossed her arms, firing a thick, expansive barrage of sticky spider silk designed to capture anyone trying to dodge mid-air!

Four overlapping, inescapable attacks. They knew how terrifyingly agile Meredy was, so they completely locked down the arena, leaving her with absolutely nowhere to run.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

They poured every ounce of their magical reserves into the strike. This time, they were going to win!

Meanwhile, fueled by her team’s roaring spirit, the typically aloof Kagura completely tuned out the chaos. Her eyes locked onto Sorano, her aura exploding with lethal intent. She was going to end this instantly.

"It might go against my character, but as you wish, I will show you my power. Blame yourself for overestimating your own ability."

Kagura dropped her stance. "Zan no Kata!"

With blinding, explosive speed, Kagura lunged forward.

"This is—!" Erza gasped, her eyes widening in shock. She knew the technique. By concentrating overwhelming cutting force into the sheathed blade, Kagura could rend space itself. It was an attack powerful enough to cleave straight through Erza’s defense-heavy Adamantine Armor in the original story.

And now, that unstoppable force was hurtling straight toward Sorano.

As the powerful strike descended, Sorano casually raised her thin, flexible rapier directly into the path of the devastating blow.

"It’s useless!" Kagura thought. In the face of her overwhelming kinetic force, that frail blade would shatter like a dry twig.

Yet the moment of impact defied all logic. Instead of a deafening clash of metal, Kagura felt a bizarre, sickening shift in momentum. Sorano didn’t block the strike; she caught it. The rapier acted as a fulcrum, catching the current of Kagura’s raw power and redirecting it perfectly.

Unable to stop her own momentum, Kagura was violently shunted to the side. Her sheathed sword completely missed its target, violently crashing into the arena floor instead.

SPLIT!

The earth ruptured, carving a massive, jagged canyon through the solid stone. The sheer destructive power frightened the audience silly, yet the stadium was utterly silent.

No one dared to breathe, their eyes glued to the center of the dust cloud.

Kagura stood frozen. The razor-sharp point of Sorano’s rapier was resting just a fraction of a centimeter from her throat.

"You lack grace, girl," Sorano purred.

While her voice was the picture of aristocratic elegance, inwardly, Sorano was screaming with ecstatic excitement. Finn’s power is amazing!

BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM!

A chain of massive explosions suddenly rocked the other side of the arena, tearing through Mermaid Heel’s combined ultimate attack. As the smoke cleared, Meredy stood entirely unscathed, a terrifyingly bright smile on her face.

"Are you ready?"