"BOOM!!!"
The group had barely exchanged a few words when the fight between Gray and Lyon reached a fever pitch.
Both unleashed their full arsenal, and the battle grew increasingly fierce.
"Ice-Make: White Tiger!"
Lyon rolled across the ground and swung his hand forcefully.
A majestic, menacing ice tiger with bared fangs roared, charging ferociously at Gray amidst a biting blizzard!
"Boom!"
However, what answered Lyon was a heavy blow that was almost too fast to see.
The ice tiger didn't even have a chance to fully display its might before it was brutally smashed into a sky full of glittering, star-like ice fragments with a deafening explosion.
This devastating scene made Lyon's eyes burn with fury.
By now, his helmet was long gone, his face was covered in ice shards and sweat, and his clothes were torn in several places, leaving him in a sorry state.
Lyon couldn't accept it.
Gray's strength had already far surpassed his own.
His previous arrogance and confidence had vanished, replaced by a sense of disbelief and defeat that he refused to face.
"Lyon! Wake up! You're too stubborn, too obsessed! You say I didn't listen to Ur, but you're the one who was most disobedient! Have you forgotten the drawbacks of using single-handed molding magic?! Ur stressed so many times to use both hands, but you refused to listen. That's why you can't beat me!"
After effortlessly shattering the ice tiger, Gray's figure emerged from the icy mist.
He shouted loudly, bringing up Ur's teachings from the past, trying to use their shared memories to snap Lyon out of it.
"What nonsense are you talking about?! Are you even using Ice-Make Magic?! Why don't I remember Ur teaching me any of this?!"
However, Lyon was not receptive.
He wasn't moved by Gray's words, nor did he reminisce about the days they spent learning under Ur's guidance, because Gray wasn't using Ice-Make Magic to fight him at all!
"This suit of armor, this strange fist technique of yours, what kind of Ice-Make Magic is this?! I've never seen Ice-Make Magic like this!"
Lyon glared at Gray, one hundred percent certain that this was not something Ur had taught.
He had become Ur's apprentice before Gray, and after Gray joined, the three of them had always been together.
There was no reason Gray would know something he didn't.
At this moment, Gray was wearing the Cygnus Cloth.
He had just performed the "Swan Dance" and used Diamond Dust Fist to shatter the ice tiger.
Star Magic swirled around him; he indeed hadn't used Ice-Make Magic, but the cheat-like Cygnus Cloth.
Lyon's words made Gray's face flush with embarrassment, but he quickly composed himself.
"Ahem, I can beat you just fine with Ice-Make Magic. Your Ice-Make Magic has too many problems. Using a single hand is just not stable enough, and your control isn't agile enough." Gray spoke with great confidence, and it was the truth.
He had only used the Cygnus Cloth to defeat Lyon more quickly.
Even if he only used Ice-Make Magic without the power of the Cygnus Cloth, he could still defeat Lyon, though it would take a bit more effort.
Under Marco's guidance, Gray's strength had naturally surpassed that of Lyon, who had been training alone.
Even without Marco, Gray, who fought with Natsu every day in Fairy Tail, would certainly have grown faster than Lyon.
As Ur's disciple, Lyon was naturally talented, but Gray's talent was greater, and his diligence was greater too.
Gray had grown up alongside the hyper-competitive Marco for the past ten years.
The intensity of his training over the decade was something Lyon could never imagine.
"Such arrogance!" Lyon roared in anger, then once again began to cast his Ice-Make Magic.
"Ice-Make: Cannon!"
This time, Gray directly countered with his own Ice-Make Magic.
Despite casting his spell second, Gray completed his creation before Lyon.
The ice cannon in his hands fired, shooting directly at the shocked Lyon.
"BOOM!!!"
Unable to finish his spell in time, Lyon was hit directly.
The immense impact sent him crashing into the cavern wall, and the entire cavern seemed to shake from the force.
"Pfft!"
Lyon spat out a mouthful of blood and fell from the rock wall, lying motionless on the ground like a discarded rag doll.
He had been knocked unconscious by that single blast.
Gray had intentionally held back; otherwise, that shot would have done more than just knock him out.
The already battered Lyon couldn't have withstood a full-powered attack from Gray and might have been killed instantly.
"Lyon!"
Seeing Lyon "face-plant," Sherry, Yuka, and Toby momentarily forgot about defending Lamia Scale's honor.
They immediately ran over and checked Lyon's condition.
"Phew~ He's still alive."
After confirming Lyon's status, Sherry visibly relaxed, then immediately glared at Gray.
"You bastard!!!" Sherry was enraged.
She stretched out her hands, and the ground surged.
A monster that looked like a slime ooze emerged. Under Sherry's control, the monster immediately charged at Gray.
"Sherry! Don't be rash!" Yuka shouted, trying to stop her, but it was clear that Sherry, who harbored a secret crush on Lyon, wouldn't listen.
She was determined to teach Gray a lesson.
"Are we really going to fight the people from Fairy Tail?"
The ears on Toby's head drooped.
He hesitantly asked Yuka, who still had his hands behind his back.
He could see Yuka's hands trembling; clearly, Yuka's composure was just an act.
"We have no chance of winning!"
Yuka gritted his teeth and spoke the absolute truth.
His gaze shifted to Marco, who was still standing leisurely to the side.
If Marco weren't here, he would have attacked without hesitation.
But in this situation, he had no idea how they could possibly win!
"Boom!"
A fiery red figure shot out.
Natsu, who had been holding back for a long time, threw a Fire Dragon's Iron Fist, directly smashing the mud monster to pieces as fierce flames burned around his body.
"You're finally making a move! Come on! Let's have a good fight!"
Natsu howled, his face filled with an excited battle lust.
He charged toward Sherry, moving so fast she couldn't react.
"Voom!!!"
In the nick of time, Yuka rushed forward and blocked Natsu's attack.
A wall of magic power appeared in front of him.
The flames on Natsu's fist were instantly extinguished, and his Dragon Slayer Magic simply vanished!
"What's going on?!"
Gray, Lucy, and Happy were all astonished.
This skinny guy had so easily neutralized Natsu's attack, seemingly without any effort.
"This—"
Natsu was also dumbfounded.
When his fist hit the magic wall, it felt like all its power had been drained, and his magic had completely disappeared.
It was a completely different feeling from facing Marco's Crystal Wall.