The two titans were locked in fierce combat when a sudden shout cut through the rain. Ankh's movements faltered, and he quickly glanced over his shoulder.
Erza, clad in her Heaven's Wheel Armor, hovered in the air with steel wings spread wide.
Dozens of floating swords aimed directly at Laxus.
"Heaven's Wheel: circle Sword!"
A barrage of steel flashed toward him like a seamless curtain of death.
Laxus, already high on the adrenaline of the fight, grew even more furious at the interruption.
His eyes burned crimson.
He didn't even look at her as he roared.
"Get lost!!"
He threw a punch in her direction.
Lightning twisted into the shape of a dragon's head, roaring as it flew to intercept her.
Unfazed, Erza leaned forward and gracefully sidestepped the dragon.
She didn't retreat; she pushed forward, unleashing the rain of swords.
Faced with genuine blades, Laxus couldn't ignore them. He erupted in a brilliant dome of lightning, repelling the iron instantly.
But that was the distraction Erza needed.
She seized the opening, rushing through the sparks and landing a solid, armored punch squarely on Laxus's jaw!
WHAM!
Even someone as powerful as Laxus was forced back several steps by the impact.
He wiped a drop of blood from his lip, looking at the imposing redhead with a mix of shock and rage.
"Do you want to die?" he laughed, his voice shaking with anger. "Fine! I'll grant your wish!"
Erza smiled confidently at the charging monster while a dazzling light enveloped her body.
"Re-Quip!"
As the light faded, her appearance had transformed completely.
She now wore a sleek, pale green armor etched with intricate lightning patterns.
The sword in her hand was replaced by a jagged lightning spear.
Her crimson hair was tied back in a long ponytail with a flowing ribbon, giving her a heroic, spirited look.
The Lightning Empress Armor.
Erza brandished the spear, gathering cyan electricity along its shaft.
Laxus's golden lightning struck first, a direct hit to her chest. But to his surprise, the armor absorbed the charge, neutralizing it instantly.
Meanwhile, Erza lunged.
Her spear pierced his defense, leaving a shallow but undeniable cut across his chest.
"This is my Lightning Empress Armor," Erza declared, her body shimmering with cyan static. "I prepared this specifically for you, Laxus. Your lightning is useless against me!"
Laxus's vein popped.
Utterly infuriated, he abandoned magic for a moment, raising his fists to engage her in a brutal melee brawl.
Standing to the side, the neglected Ankh blinked awkwardly.
'The fuck... You charged in shouting about teamwork, then immediately started 1v1ing him yourself?'
He watched Erza grow more exhilarated with each exchange, while Laxus seethed with rage.
Neither of them was paying him any attention.
Ankh sighed.
'Well, might as well find something to do.'
His gaze shifted toward Cana, who was trembling on her hands and knees under the heavy gravity.
"Something is better than nothing," Ankh muttered.
He snapped his fingers.
The gravity pressing down on Cana vanished abruptly.
Due to the sudden release of pressure, Cana—who had been straining just to lift her head—whipped it back with such force she nearly gave herself whiplash.
"Ah—ow!"
Cana clutched her neck, crouching on the ground. She looked up at Ankh with teary, fearful eyes.
Ankh casually dissipated the magic circle on his hand. "They're getting carried away over there. Keep me company for a while."
'Hmm... That sounded downright thuggish.'
Cana immediately grew wary.
She swiftly pulled a deck of cards from her pocket, fanning them out like throwing knives.
"Don't underestimate me!"
She flung the cards.
Ankh almost laughed. Is that it?
He moved with lightning speed, his pale hand becoming a blur. He caught the cards between his fingers mid-air, looking utterly bored.
"Cana," he sighed. "Your Card Magic is versatile, but none of it is top-tier. In a normal guild, you'd be a genius. But here? In Fairy tail?"
He shook his head.
With an anxious wave of her hand, Cana detonated the cards trapped in Ankh's fingers.
Pop.
A small explosion of smoke puffed out. It wasn't even strong enough to singe his skin.
Ankh tossed the charred fragments away and dusted off his hands.
"Your path is too scattered," he lectured. "Instead of chasing raw power you don't have, you should be mastering the rules and combinations of your magic."
Cana stared blankly. "If I don't raise my destructive power to your level, how am I supposed to fight monsters like you?"
'Good grief. You're comparing yourself to anomalies.'
Ankh didn't answer.
Instead, he slipped two fingers into Cana's pouch and pulled out two of her own cards before she could react.
He threw them back at her instantly.
His technique was faster, sharper, and far more severe than hers.
One card vanished into the ground. The other soared into the sky.
Rumble.
The ground beneath Cana's feet liquefied. She shrieked as she fell into a pit, buried up to her waist in quicksand.
Simultaneously, the sky darkened as the second card activated. Rolling thunder echoed above her head, locking onto her position.
Cana looked up, despair filling her eyes. 'Am I really going to be eliminated by my own cards?'
Ankh smiled faintly.
He waved his hand, dismissing the spell before the lightning could strike. He reached out and pulled her from the pit.
Defeated by her own magic, Cana knelt on the ground, head bowed in shame.
Ankh crouched down, his voice gentle. "Card Magic isn't just about throwing elements. It's about strategy. Combinations. Rules."
"Think of it like a game," he whispered. "I believe you can understand... after all, you're Gildarts' daughter."
Cana froze as her face turned pale.
Her eyes widened in sheer panic. "H-How do you—"
Thud.
Before she could speak, Ankh struck the back of her neck with a precise chop.
Cana slumped forward, unconscious and Ankh caught her gently and laid her on the grass.
Her exam ends here.
Ankh hoped the shock would push her to develop her magic properly.
As for the Gildarts secret... Ankh didn't want to get involved in a soap opera. He just wanted her to know she wasn't alone in carrying the burden.
'Do you really have to make this as dramatic as a Korean drama? Just talk to your dad when he gets back.'
Having dealt with the "support," Ankh shifted his attention back to the main event.
Erza was struggling.
Although the Lightning Empress Armor granted immunity to electricity, relying solely on physical combat against a Dragon Slayer was a losing battle.
Laxus was a monster, second only to Gildarts in the original timeline.
Erza, who had fought with ferocity moments ago, was slowly being overwhelmed.
Crack.
Spiderweb fractures appeared on her armor.
Laxus saw the opening.
His face twisted into a savage grin as he wound up a punch wrapped in condensed magic power, aiming straight for her head.
Ankh's heart leaped.
'That hit will kill her.'
He moved instantly.
Using Titan Gravity to accelerate, Ankh blurred across the battlefield, rushing into the fray to shield Erza.