The stadium was a pit of roaring energy. The 4v4 matches were a spectacular success, ending with two clear winners: Team Strauss and Team Blake. The eight mages who had proven their superiority were now being called to the center of the field for the next, most chaotic stage.
"HO HO HO! WHAT A BATTLE!" Makarov's voice boomed from the announcer's box, his commentary filled with gleeful pride. "BUT IT ISN'T OVER YET! The four-man teams were just the qualifier! Now, our Final Eight will be tested on their adaptability and luck! It's time to draw lots, where their teammate will be decided!"
A massive, magical lottery-tumbler appeared on the stage. The eight names were placed inside.
"This," Makarov cackled, "is where it gets interesting! The rules of the 2-on-2 are simple: if either of their teammates gets knocked out, defeated, or surrenders, then the team loses the match!"
The crowd roared, loving the high-stakes rule.
"OUR FIRST PAIRING!"
The tumbler spun.
"...LISANNA STRAUSS... AND CANA ALBERONA!"
Cana, who was taking a celebratory pull from a flask, nearly choked. She looked over at Lisanna, who gave her a bright, cheerful wave. "This'll be fun, Cana-san!"
"Next pair!"
"...MAX ALORS... AND REEDUS JONAH!"
Max and Reedus looked at each other.
"Our third pair!"
"...MIRAJANE STRAUSS... AND ELFMAN STRAUSS!"
A massive "OOOOOH!" went up from the guild. The Sibling-Power-Combo. Elfman beat his chest. "A MANLY TEAM, SISTER!" Mira just giggled, her eyes already on Blake.
"WHICH MEANS OUR FINAL PAIRING..." Makarov paused for dramatic effect. "IS BLAKE CORVUS... AND... VIJEETER ECOR!"
The entire stadium and the guild fell silent.
Blake, who had just demonstrated reality-breaking speed... was paired with Vijeeter, the lanky, fast-footed dancer.
Vijeeter looked at Blake. Blake looked at Vijeeter.
Then, Natsu's voice cut through the silence. "HAHAHA! HE'S TEAMED UP WITH THE DANCING GUY! THAT'S THE WORST LUCK EVER!"
"AHEM!" Makarov cleared his throat, calling for order. "The matches are drawn! First up! Team Cana and Lisanna versus Team Max and Reedus!"
Match 1: Cana & Lisanna vs. Max & Reedus
"This is bad," Max said, his hands shaking as he and Reedus took the field. "We're two B-Class mages against the A-class mages!"
"P-p-patience, Max-san!" Reedus said, his brush already flying. "We must rely on strategy! I shall draw us a fortress! Picto Magic: Iron Golem!"
A massive, crudely-drawn but very solid-looking golem materialized, standing guard over them.
"And I," Max said, "will control the field! Sand-Make: Quicksand Pit!"
"BEGIN!" Makarov roared.
The ground in front of the golem instantly turned to swirling, treacherous sand.
"A perfect defense!" the crowd cheered.
"How boring," Cana said from the other side. She looked at Lisanna. "You're fast. Can you fly?"
"You bet!" Lisanna grinned. "Animal Soul: Bird!"
She transformed, wings sprouting from her back, and took to the sky, soaring high above the battlefield.
"Wha—! She's in the air!" Max yelled, unable to turn his quicksand upward. "Reedus, draw a cannon!"
"I'm on it! I'm on it!"
"Too slow, boys!" Cana's voice called out. Lisanna, from her vantage point, was a perfect spotter.
"Cana, now! They're both clumped by the golem!"
"Right!" Cana slammed her hands on the ground, a massive magic circle appearing. "This isn't just a booze-holder, you know! Card Magic: The Tower!"
A colossal, stone tower erupted from the earth directly beneath Max and Reedus. The two support mages were thrown off their feet, the tower's sudden appearance shattering their golem and dispersing Max's quicksand.
"Now, Lisanna!"
Lisanna dove, shifting in mid-air. "Animal Soul: Cat!"
She was a blue-and-white blur, landing with perfect, feline grace on the stunned Reedus, who was still trying to get his bearings. She delivered a single, precise, paw-chop to the back of his neck.
Thwack.
Reedus was out cold.
Max, who had landed 20 feet away, scrambled to his feet. "Reedus! Get up! Get—"
"STOP THE MATCH!" Makarov's voice boomed. "Reedus Jonah is unable to battle! The winners, by knockout, are Team Cana and Lisanna!"
The crowd cheered the swift, clever victory. Cana and Lisanna high-fived.
"See, Blake?" Cana called out, winking at him in the stands. "That's teamwork."
Blake just nodded, a small, proud smile on his face.
"AND NOW!" Makarov roared, his excitement building. "THE MATCH WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! TEAM MIRAJANE AND ELFMAN VERSUS TEAM BLAKE AND VIJEETER!"
Match 2: Mirajane & Elfman vs. Blake & Vijeeter
A new kind of hush fell over the crowd. This was the real deal.
"This is gonna be brutal," Gray muttered, rubbing his hands together.
"Kick his butt, Blake!" Natsu yelled.
"Crush him, Mira! You're the real S-Class!"
The two teams took the field. The Strauss siblings were a wall of power—Elfman, already cracking his massive knuckles, and Mira, smiling sweetly, her demonic power a sleeping dragon.
Opposite them, Blake stood calm and steady, Tensa Zangetsu at his hip. Vijeeter, beside him, was literally shaking in his dancing shoes.
"B-B-Blake-san," Vijeeter stammered. "That's... that's Satan Soul and The Beast. W-what's the plan?"
Blake put a massive, reassuring hand on his shoulder. "The plan is simple. You have one job, Vijeeter. Stay as far away from me and them as possible. Your magic is 'Speed Dance,' right? Just... buff me from a distance. Do not engage. Do not get close. Just make me fast. Can you do that?"
Vijeeter nodded frantically. "Y-yes! I can do that! I'll be the best support ever!"
"Good," Blake said, turning to face his opponents.
"Elfman," Mira said softly. "This won't be like the last match. Blake is not Erza. He's... different. He's too fast and too strong to fight alone. We double-team on Blake to defeat him. I'll go full-power to pin him. You wait for any opening—a flicker, a pause—and you hit him with everything you have. We have to crush him before he gets a rhythm."
"A MANLY AND STRATEGIC PLAN, SISTER!" Elfman boomed.
"THIS IS IT, FOLKS!" Makarov screamed into the mic. "THE BATTLE OF THE MONSTERS! BEGIN!"
The field exploded.
"TAKE OVER: SATAN SOUL!"
"TAKE OVER: BEAST SOUL!"
Mira and Elfman didn't waste a nanosecond, transforming instantly. The combined magical pressure of the two Take-Overs washed over the stadium, a wave of pure, dark power.
"NOW!" Mira shrieked, her voice a demonic echo.
The two siblings charged Blake from opposite directions, a pincer movement of devastating force.
"Dance of the Gale!" Vijeeter yelped from the back line. He started his frantic, looping dance, and a green aura immediately flowed from his body and enveloped Blake, making his cloak whip and snap.
Blake felt the buff kick in—a light, tingling sensation that made the world seem to slow down just a fraction.
It was enough.
He met the charge. He was a black blur. He ducked under Elfman's 'Beast Arm' punch, the wind of the blow ruffling his hair. He spun, his Haki-coated forearm meeting Mira's 'Satanic Blast' head-on, deflecting the dark energy into the sky.
The fight was intense. Blake was in the center of a whirlwind, fighting a true 2-on-1 against two of the most powerful Take-Over mages alive.
"He's... he's smiling?" Lucy whispered from the stands, horrified.
Blake was smiling. This was the most fun he'd had in years.
He was a phantom, his Haki-infused Soru making him flicker in and out of existence. He was parrying Mira's claws with Tensa Zangetsu, blocking Elfman's punches with his free hand, and countering with internal-destruction Haki blows that made the siblings roar in pain.
"He's too fast, sister!" Elfman grunted, his Beast Soul hide already cracking from Blake's advanced Haki.
"He's just one man, His stamina can't last! Keep pushing!" Mira roared, launching a 'Soul Extinction' blast.
Blake met the blast, not with his sword, but with a new technique. He held his palm out, coated in Anti-Magic. The massive orb of dark energy hit his hand... and simply vanished.
Mira's eyes widened in genuine shock. "He erased it?!"
This was the opening Elfman was waiting for. With Blake's attention on Mira, the Beast Soul charged, his fist raised for a final, crushing blow.
But Blake was already turning, his Observation Haki having seen it seconds in advance.
"You're right, Mira," Blake said, his grin widening as he faced Elfman's charge. "I am just one man."
He was being pushed. He was being tested. As they were fighting seriously, his blood was singing. The sheer, joyous thrill of a real fight, a fight against his own family, his nakama, was overwhelming. In his excitement, he decided to stop playing. He decided to end it.
He planted his feet, his Haki exploding from his body.
"And one man is all I need!"
He took a deep breath and released his Conqueror's Haki.
It was not a sound. It was not a light. It was a wave of pure, suffocating pressure.
It was the will of a King, the spirit of a giant-feller, the dominance of a man who had faced down gods and demons. The black-red lightning of his aura exploded outward, a silent, invisible tsunami.
The effect on his opponents was immediate.
Mira and Elfman were hit by it head-on. They staggered, their transformations flickering. The sheer, unexpected dominion in that blast shocked them to their core, their knees buckling.
"What... what is this pressure?!" Mira gasped, her Satan Soul form struggling to maintain itself.
"SO... HEAVY...!" Elfman grunted, his Beast Soul form visibly shrinking.
In the stands, the audience was not so lucky. The weaker-willed civilians and low-level mages in the front rows just... went to sleep. Their eyes rolled back, and they lost consciousness, slumping over in their seats.
Natsu and Gray were on one knee, gritting their teeth. "That... bastard...!" Gray panted. "He's not even aiming it!"
Laxus, Erza, and Makarov were the only ones who seemed unfazed, though their expressions were a mix of shock and respect.
Blake stood in the center of the arena, his Haki rolling off him in dark, crackling waves. He raised his hand, ready to deliver the final, double knockout blow.
"ALRIGHT! STOP! STOP THE MATCH!"
Makarov's voice was a frantic roar, cutting through the spiritual pressure.
The Haki dissipated instantly. The stadium was eerily silent, save for the snoring of the front row.
Blake, his adrenaline still pumping, his battle lust at its peak, looked at the Master in pure, unadulterated confusion.
Hearing that, Blake, with a shocked expression, asks, "Master, what's wrong? I had them! I was about to win!"
Makarov didn't answer. He just sighed, his face a perfect, tragicomic mask of pride and exasperation. He simply pointed one tiny, shaking finger... not at Mira and Elfman, but behind Blake.
Blake turned, confused. "What...?"
He followed the Master's finger.
There, on the ground, in a heap, was his partner.
Vijeeter was knocked out cold, foam bubbling lightly on his lips.
Blake stared. He looked at Vijeeter. He looked at Makarov. He looked back at Vijeeter.
"Wha... I... I didn't even... He wasn't even near them..."
"The rule, my boy..." Makarov said, his voice laced with an almost hysterical amusement.
Makarov took a deep, shuddering breath. "The winner of the match... by accidental knockout... is Team Strauss!"
The Aftermath
Seeing that, Blake had a crestfallen face. His shoulders slumped. He, the strongest S-Class mage in the guild, had just lost. To himself.
The stadium was silent for a beat, processing the sheer, anti-climactic, comedic irony of the situation.
Then... there were a few snickers.
When Blake saw who it was, they were Natsu and Gray, who were trying (and failing) to hold in their laughter, their shoulders shaking violently. Laxus, in the stands, let out an actual, bark-like laugh. Even Erza had a smirk.
"HE KNOCKED OUT HIS OWN PARTNER!" Natsu finally roared, pounding the floor, weeping with laughter.
"THAT'S THE DUMBEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN! HE BEAT HIMSELF!" Gray howled.
Blake glares at them, a murderous, dark aura rising... which only made them start laughing even harder, completely unintimidated.
"HO HO HO!" Makarov cackled into the mic. "LET THIS BE A LESSON TO YOU ALL! KNOW YOUR OWN STRENGTH... AND YOUR PARTNER'S WEAKNESSES! WHAT A FINALE!"
Blake sighed, the anger vanishing, replaced by pure, defeated embarrassment. He walked over to his fallen partner. He picks up Vijeeter, flinging the unconscious dancer over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and returns to the stand, walking past a giggling, victorious Cana and a sweetly smiling, victorious Mirajane.
"A truly... manly... accident?" Elfman offered, trying to be supportive.
Blake just glared at him, and the entire guild erupted in laughter again. The strongest man in the guild had just been eliminated by a technicality of his own making.