"Begin——!!"
Happy flew between them, shouted the start of the duel, then darted away.
The moment he did, Erza charged at Kaien with her sword raised.
Kaien matched her with his blade.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their weapons clashed fiercely, evenly matched for the moment.
Kaien had spent the past six months sharpening his swordsmanship. After all, in his normal state, he couldn't use magic. Using Take Over Magic to deal with minor thugs felt like overkill.
No need to use a rocket launcher to swat a fly.
With his body refined through Sun Breathing, Kaien was now in peak physical condition. Combine that with his five-and-a-half-star magic power, and even without channeling any anime character, his base combat strength was just a step below that of an S-Class Mage.
"Whoa!!"
Lucy was awestruck—she couldn't even track their swings.
Elfman crossed his arms, proud. "Told you it'd be amazing!"
Natsu shouted, practically breathing fire, "I wanna fight too——!!"
CLANG—!
The two clashed again and stepped back.
"As expected of Erza."
Kaien let out a breath. She really was a natural. He could train for six more months and still not match her instincts.
But Kaien didn't feel discouraged. He had long accepted a simple truth:
Not everyone starts from the same line.
Some people breeze through elite schools; others struggle to graduate.
Some players hit Grandmaster in ranked; others can't even break Platinum.
That's just how it is.
He wasn't born a genius. He was just… average. The only reason he'd managed to learn Sun Breathing was because he had received Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
But even if he wasn't a genius, the characters he took on through Take Over Magic were nothing but geniuses—legends, prodigies, freaks of nature.
"You're the real surprise. To get this far with the sword in just six months... it's honestly impressive."
Erza was more than surprised—she was stunned.
She was one of the few who knew Kaien's power came from Take Over Magic, not personal technique. But now, even without relying on that, he was already on par with the top mages in the guild.
His growth was just… unreal.
Her own skills had taken years of hard-fought battles to earn.
"It's time to stop holding back."
Erza's eyes sharpened.
"Agreed. Let's go all out."
"Full Take Over: Yoriichi Tsugikuni!!"
Kaien's hair grew long and dark red, tied into a high ponytail.
His outfit morphed into a samurai uniform—flowing red haori, traditional garb, and a katana at his side.
His eyes turned crimson. His features shifted slightly. Sun emblems dangled from his ears, and a strange red mark etched itself across his forehead.
Just standing there, he radiated terrifying pressure.
Gulp!
All around, people swallowed nervously.
Most of them had only seen Kaien transform once—during his last fight with Erza. A single blow had taken down an S-Class Mage. It left a deep impression.
Kaien's other forms were strong too—but Yoriichi?
That one gave off the kind of pressure that made people feel exposed, like he could see straight through them.
And Erza… felt it most of all.
"Even after all this time, that presence hasn't changed at all!"
"Requip: Flame Empress Armor!!"
Erza donned a red fire-resistant armor and drew a blazing sword.
"The Flame Empress Armor! It's made to resist fire!"
The crowd instantly recognized it.
Kaien smirked. "You think that'll block me?"
"Of course not. But it makes me feel just a bit better."
She knew it couldn't stop Kaien's attacks. His strikes could pierce the hide of dragons.
"Is that so? Then here I come."
"Sun Breathing, First Form: Dance!"
Kaien shot forward and slashed a flaming arc toward Erza.
She quickly brought up her sword to block.
CLANG!
"Second Form: Clear Blue Sky!"
Kaien leapt, blade spinning in a wide overhead arc like a blazing sun descending from the sky.
Erza gritted her teeth and blocked again.
"Third Form: Raging Sun!"
His blade traced a looping infinity symbol, attacks coming from unpredictable angles.
"Fourth Form: Burning Bones, Summer Sun!"
Erza saw her chance and lunged to counter—only to slice through an afterimage. The real Kaien had already moved.
"Fifth Form: Setting Sun Transformation!"
Kaien flipped midair, circled behind Erza, and slashed at her back. She barely dodged.
"Sixth Form: Solar Heat Haze!"
He unleashed a spiraling burst of flame from his blade.
…
Kaien flowed from form to form, each one striking with deadly precision. The pace was overwhelming—Erza could only defend.
"Twelfth Form: Flame Dance!"
Two swift, sweeping arcs slashed toward her.
Erza blocked with everything she had—and finally stopped them. She exhaled deeply, relieved.
Her hard training was paying off.
Last time, she couldn't even defend against one strike. Now, she'd finally held her ground.
Finally… progress.
CRACK—!!
BOOM—!
Her sword and armor shattered simultaneously, crashing to the floor.
"When did—?!"
Erza's eyes widened in shock.
When had he struck? At what point had she been hit?
She thought she'd blocked his attacks. But in reality, Kaien had landed his blows long ago—multiple times. She hadn't noticed at all.
And what's more—he'd hit her precisely enough to break her armor without her even sensing it.
That level of swordsmanship…
Erza shivered.
If she were truly his enemy—
She might never even know she'd been killed.