Even though it might mean facing three opponents at once, Lucy felt she still had a shot.
As everyone in the Fairy Tail world knows, every tough battle brings a major power-up. Since joining Fairy Tail, Lucy had been through countless grueling fights and wild adventures.
She'd collected multiple Zodiac keys, battled an ancient demon of unknown age, escaped the claws of the apocalyptic Black Dragon recorded in ancient texts, boldly called out the Celestial Spirit King for his unfair punishment, defeated Phantom Lord's S-Class wizard, and witnessed the power of Lacrima up close.
On top of that, there were all sorts of smaller missions. Each experience was more fantastical than the light novels Kira wrote, pushing her to strive harder and grow stronger. Over time, these trials had quietly boosted her magic reserves.
So, Lucy was way stronger now than in the original timeline. She could open Celestial Gates back-to-back without breaking a sweat and, with a little help from Kira' gadgets, even got a thrill from opening two gates at once. That's why she felt she had a chance.
"Is that Lucy?"
Droy blinked, puzzled by her presence. How had she gotten past Erza and Elfman? Had they… lost? No, that seemed impossible. Were they held up?
"I've heard about you," Evergreen said, eyeing Lucy. "The new bunny girl in the guild. You seem pretty confident."
Noticing the shift in Lucy's expression, Evergreen smirked. "Well then, let me teach you a thing or two about respecting your seniors."
"Ugh, what's with this chick?" Lucy muttered under her breath. "Why do I feel like I'm her punching bag…"
Lucy wasn't wrong. Just earlier, Evergreen had taken a beating from Erza and was still fuming. Now, here was Lucy—someone close to Erza and, conveniently, an enemy in this match. Evergreen wasn't about to let this chance to vent slip by.
Of course, with her personality, she wouldn't do something as extreme as killing a guildmate. But giving her a good thrashing? That was fair game.
'I'll make her pay tenfold—no, a hundredfold—for what Erza did to me!' Evergreen thought. 'I heard this bunny girl's got some skills. Perfect! It'll be way more fun to crush her. First, I'll petrify her, then take my time breaking her…'
Lost in her thoughts, Evergreen unconsciously licked her lips. Good thing her fan covered the lower half of her face, or the crowd might've gotten the wrong idea. If some weirdly inspired hack writer in the audience saw that, Magnolia might soon have a new bestseller on its hands.
Sensing something off about Evergreen's vibe, Droy cautiously offered, "If it's just Lucy, why don't I handle her?"
Compared to Evergreen's Fairy Magic, Droy's Plant Magic was less aggressive. It leaned more toward control than raw power, making it ideal for fighting guildmates—especially women—without going overboard. Well, except for the really tough ones.
But Evergreen wasn't having it. "No way, she's mine!" she snapped. "Interfere, and I'll take you both down too."
Droy: "…"
Alright, I'm out… he thought. Everyone's watching, so if she goes too far, the Master will step in, right?
In Droy's eyes, Lucy's arsenal of Celestial Spirits gave her a slight edge over him, but she was no match for Evergreen. So, he stepped back, deciding to stay out of it unless things got out of hand. He also pulled Noz, the weaker of their trio, back with him. No point in letting him get wrecked.
Evergreen stepped forward, removing her transparent glasses. Her magic surged, channeling into her eyes, which glowed with golden light.
Her Stone Eyes magic could petrify anyone who met her gaze. Once petrified, she could shatter her target at any moment—a brutally effective spell.
She was confident she could "tame" Lucy in no time. "Turn to stone!" she commanded.
The golden light shot out, but to her surprise, Lucy didn't petrify—she'd closed her eyes.
As one of the guild's newer members, Lucy had gotten a full rundown from Gray at the start of the competition about the other teams, especially the Red Team. That included Evergreen's magic and the counter: don't look into her eyes.
"What? She didn't turn to stone?" Evergreen muttered, frustrated.
Her go-to "insta-kill" move had failed, which only fueled her competitive streak. Seeing Lucy's closed eyes, she realized her magic had been exposed.
"Looks like someone spilled the beans about my magic," Evergreen said with a sneer. "But thinking you can fight me with your eyes closed? That's just naive!"
She crossed her palms in front of her chest, then flung them outward. "Fairy Bomb!"
A burst of magical scale powder shot out, quickly surrounding Lucy.
Hearing the sound, Lucy snapped into action, opening her eyes and bolting backward. But the powder moved faster, enveloping her in a cloud she couldn't escape.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The dust detonated, swallowing Lucy's figure and kicking up clouds of smoke that billowed outward.
"Oh no!" Droy gasped, covering his mouth and nose with one hand while frantically waving away the dust with the other. "Evergreen, can't you be more careful?!"
"Shut it!" Evergreen shot him a glare, her magic flaring. Droy quickly lowered his head and closed his eyes, not daring to say another word.
"Hmph!" Evergreen smirked, confident in her attack. Few could withstand a move like that.
But as the dust cleared, she froze. Something was off.
Lucy stood unscathed, shielded inside Horologium, the Clock Constellation!
"A defensive Celestial Spirit?" Evergreen muttered.
Thanks to Horologium, one of the most broken defensive spirits in the series—second only to the Fairy Sphere—Lucy had come through the explosion unharmed. Emerging from Horologium, her eyes gleamed with resolve. Her opponent was strong, so brute force wouldn't cut it. She'd have to outsmart her.
Lucy darted into the nearby bushes to conceal herself, thinking fast. 'Leo's not here, so I'll have to use another spirit. But who?'
Against a long-range magic user like Evergreen, Aquarius would've been ideal, but there was no water here to summon her. Taurus was too slow, Cancer's attacks weren't strong enough, Sagittarius couldn't handle this kind of opponent, and Pisces was too bulky against Evergreen's speed. Libra's gravity wouldn't catch her either. That left…
"Virgo!"
The Celestial Gate opened, and Virgo, the Maiden, appeared on the battlefield. "Please punish me, Princess!" she declared, kneeling in her maid outfit, wrists bound in handcuffs. Her serious expression clashed hilariously with her… unique preferences.
Lucy drew the whip from her waist. "Let's do this, Virgo! Fight with me!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Virgo replied.
Knowing this could be a tough battle, Lucy had summoned her strongest spirit. Virgo wasn't just a master of hand-to-hand combat—her Earth Magic was top-notch, and she was a pro at digging and tunneling.
"Go, Virgo!" Lucy commanded.
"Leave it to me!"
Virgo bent her knees, gathering strength, then launched herself from the bushes toward Evergreen with startling speed. Her right fist, still cuffed, swung straight for Evergreen's face.
Evergreen flapped her wings, dodging backward, and aimed her gaze at Virgo.
Lucy realized the danger and shouted, "Oh no! Virgo, don't look into her eyes!"
Virgo reacted instantly, closing her eyes at Lucy's warning.
"Think you can hit me like that? Too naive!" Evergreen scoffed. Golden scale-like particles materialized in the air. "Fairy Bomb!"
Virgo's punch missed, and she sensed the magical bombs surrounding her. Curling into a ball to minimize damage, she dropped toward the ground.
Boom!
The Fairy Bomb exploded midair, but Virgo used the shockwave to accelerate her descent, landing perfectly with a thud.
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