Time passed minute by minute, with Lucy and Cana continuously attempting to ambush Ankh and touch the bell.
Unfortunately, even without using Magic, Ankh's superb physical skills, combined with his neural reflexes and overwhelming physical strength, made it incredibly difficult for either of them to get close.
Scorpio, the Celestial Spirit of the Scorpion, had transformed the cave interior into a swirling desert environment, with sandstorms constantly obscuring Ankh's vision.
From time to time, there were ranged attacks from Cana's cards and Lucy's desperate physical attempts to steal the bell.
Regrettably, these moves were either effortlessly dodged by Ankh or kicked away.
Standing helplessly at the center of the sandstorm, the bell at his waist jingling clearly, Ankh called out to the unseen duo outside:
"Three minutes left. You're running out of time."
From their perspective, this strategy wasn't fundamentally flawed.
When trying to steal an item from a highly skilled Mage using two people, there were essentially only two viable approaches.
Either Cana created continuous attacks to distract Ankh's defense while Lucy attempted the theft, or Lucy used her Celestial Spirits to create environmental cover, allowing both to exploit Ankh's perceptual blind spots.
They had tried both methods, yet neither proved effective.
Their attacks weren't sufficient to distract Ankh's focus, and environmental obstacles like sandstorms or water mist couldn't fully block his sharp perception.
The situation seemed to have reached a complete deadlock.
Cana gritted her teeth while watching the shadowy figure in the sandstorm.
Her right hand was trembling violently without her even realizing it.
Lucy, clutching her once-again kicked backside, urgently said, "Cana, we're running out of time! We need to change tactics!"
With a grave expression, Cana nodded heavily and looked down at her swollen right hand.
'The Magic Power preparation is nearly complete...'
Ankh waited bored at the center of the sandstorm when suddenly he noticed the surrounding dust settling, revealing the two girls outside.
"Giving up?"
Neither spoke.
With solemn determination, Cana raised two aqua-blue cards, from which raging tidal waves instantly surged forth.
Ankh stood rooted like a tree, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he withstood the heavy impact of the colossal waves.
Then, brilliant golden light erupted as Lucy desperately plunged her Celestial Spirit Key right into the seawater, shouting loudly:
"Open, Gate of the Water Bearer! Aquarius!"
A graceful mermaid emerged from the golden light radiating through the seawater, glaring darkly at Lucy.
Lucy quickly explained anxiously, "Don't scold me yet, Aquarius! Just fill this entire cave with water!"
Aquarius clicked her tongue, but her expression turned deadly serious.
She naturally understood Lucy was assisting her companion during a major exam.
At critical moments, Aquarius wouldn't cause trouble for Lucy... probably.
With a roar, Aquarius raised her urn, drawing all the water summoned by Cana into the vessel before releasing it with an even greater, more violent force.
Like an inverted ocean, endless seawater instantly flooded the cave, sealing both exits.
Ankh frowned slightly and silently held his breath.
Within the deep blue currents, Ankh watched as Lucy waved her key again, actually sending Aquarius back.
'To conserve Magic Power?'
'Summoning Aquarius just to create a suffocating psychological pressure for everyone?'
'But they must be suffering even more themselves.'
The two breath-holding figures remained silent as Lucy, having summoned multiple Celestial Spirits consecutively, pulled out yet another key.
Gate of the Ram - Aries.
Silently summoning the adorable Aries, the Celestial Spirit instantly understood the plan through Lucy's frantic hand gestures.
Aries raised her hands and summoned vast amounts of pink wool, immediately covering Ankh's body.
Ankh pushed off with his feet, trying to swim out of the enervating pink wool, but the surrounding currents suddenly began to rotate, firmly trapping him in place.
'Is this Cana's wind-attribute card manipulation?'
The combination attack of the two girls had indeed temporarily trapped Ankh within this underwater waterspout.
'What should come next would be...'
After the pink wool, a muscular, wheat-colored arm suddenly reached out and grabbed Ankh's arms.
'Cana's coming to restrain me?'
Just as Ankh was puzzled, the expression on the figure before him suddenly turned extremely peculiar.
Crackle, crackle...
Ankh's eyes widened as he watched Cana's body emit golden light, transforming in an instant into a massive, muscular figure.
"Manliness!"
The Gemini Celestial Spirit had transformed into Elfman, its robust body wrapping around Ankh like a giant octopus.
'Heh... Good thing I had Gemini copy Elfman on the ship earlier...' Lucy, who had unknowingly knelt pale-faced on the cave floor with bubbles escaping her mouth, thought with secret relief.
Ankh slammed Gemini hard against the ground, trying to force it to release its grip.
Though Gemini showed pain on its face, the surrounding water currents absorbed much of the physical impact.
At that moment, Cana—whose whereabouts had puzzled Ankh—suddenly appeared right behind him!
Dressed in her maid attire, Virgo was carrying Cana as they burst through the ground like a sea dragon!
'Double Gate opening?!'
Ankh felt genuine surprise—had Lucy already mastered this advanced ability?
Not far away, Lucy felt completely drained of Magic Power, her face ghastly pale.
As her consciousness gradually faded, she decisively sent the mission-completed Virgo back to the Celestial Spirit World.
Though this move could only be maintained briefly, it was enough...
'Go! Cana!'
As if hearing Lucy's mental shout, Cana gathered a dazzling, silver-white light in her right hand.
Her eyes were fierce as she struck directly toward Ankh.
Reacting quickly, Ankh—unable to use his bound arms—swiftly raised his leg, delivering a vicious spinning back kick toward Cana.
Though struck and bent over like a shrimp in intense pain, Cana stubbornly kept her hand extended, aiming squarely at Ankh's side.
Right where the bell was tied.
'This is the trump card I begged Gildarts to teach me during special training!'
'Ankh! Hand over that bell!' Cana made her all-out effort, roaring in her heart.
"Crash!!"
Brilliant white light erupted as Crash's signature checkered light wave burst forth violently.
The incredibly powerful crushing strike even temporarily shattered the ocean current into fragments.
Ankh instinctively twisted his body to evade, but the nearly undefendable Crash Magic still tore through the clothing at his waist.
Including the cord tied to the bell.
The bell slipped from Ankh's control, immediately swept away by the turbulent currents into the distance.
At that moment, Lucy, who had been collapsed on the ground, mustered her final ounce of strength.
Erupting with inner power, she lunged toward the drifting bell in a comical, desperate posture!
'Success!'
Just as Lucy and Cana felt simultaneous joy in their hearts, a pale hand swiftly reached out and seized the bell out of the water.
Another hand restrained Lucy, gently pressing her down to the ground.
Under their astonished gazes, the mysterious owner of the bell revealed her face.
The Thirteenth Zodiac Celestial Spirit: Ophiuchus.
Just then, the hourglass—completely unaffected by the ocean currents—seemed to have run out...
The test was over.