Bonus Chapters every 200 Power Stones
"Normal Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
[Year X791]
~ With Shisui ~
"Let the battle, BEGIN!"
Chapati's announcement echoed through Domus Flau, but the two figures in the arena remained perfectly still. Shisui and Jura faced each other across the wide expanse of the battleground, neither moving so much as a finger. The seconds ticked by, and what had started as anticipation in the crowd began shifting toward restlessness.
"Come on already!" Someone shouted from the stands.
"What are they waiting for?" Another voice called out.
Even Natsu's distinctive voice carried across the arena from Team A's section. "Hey! Why aren't they moving? Are they too scared or something?"
Despite the growing restlessness, the standoff remained.
Then Jura blinked.
In that fraction of a second when his eyelids closed, Shisui moved.
By the time Jura's eyes opened again, completing what should have been an insignificant moment, Shisui had vanished from his position entirely.
Jura's eyes widened slightly. Behind him, Shisui stood with a kunai pressed directly against the Wizard Saint's spine.
"I told you I would end this quickly." Shisui said in the suddenly silent arena. "Now surrender."
It took several seconds for most spectators to process what had happened. From Shisui disappearing from his spot, to suddenly reappearing behind his opponent without being seen moving.
Only three people in the entire arena had managed to track Shisui's movement, albeit crudely and only in instances. In Sabertooth's section, both Sting and Rogue sat forward, their enhanced Dragon Slayer senses having caught the instance of motion. Up in Fairy Tail's area, Laxus watched with a knowing smirk, his own heightened reflexes allowing him to follow the technique he'd experienced firsthand.
"I couldn't even see him move…" Gajeel muttered, his jaw hanging open.
Natsu nodded vigorously beside him. "Yeah! One second he was there, then he just wasn't!"
In the Fairy Tail supporters' section, Asuka bounced excitedly in her seat.
"Shishi-ni is so cool!" She squealed, while Happy pumped his tiny fists in the air.
But Jura wasn't one to be caught off guard for long. Even as Shisui spoke, the earth beneath them began to rumble. Shisui's danger sense kicked in, and he body flickered away just as two massive stone pillars erupted from the ground, slamming together where he'd been standing with bone-crushing force.
When Shisui reappeared in his original position, both fighters were smirking.
"I see you've earned your title, Iron Rock Jura." Shisui commented, raising his hand. The kunai he'd been holding was now snapped cleanly in half. On the ground beneath Jura's feet lay the other piece of the blade.
Jura glanced down at the broken weapon, understanding immediately. In that split second behind him, Shisui had attempted to leave a cut on him, a demonstration that he could have ended the fight if he'd chosen to. Instead, the kunai had shattered against his iron-hard skin. Although he could not react to it, his defence was still something not to underestimate.
"And you live up to yours, Shisui the Teleporter." Jura replied.
The crowd cheered again, and the announcers buzzed with excitement over the brief but telling exchange. In just those few moments, both fighters had shown glimpses of their capabilities.
"Since you are the ultimate defensive mage, how about a bet?" Shisui offered.
Jura raised an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"
"I'll perform two attacks. If you can successfully defend against both attack without moving from your spot or passing out, then I'll consider the fight a victory in your favour." Shisui announced, his words cutting through the ambient noise.
The arena fell dead silent.
Then pandemonium erupted. Voices rose from every section, spectators shouting their disbelief and outrage.
"Is he insane?!"
"Two attacks?! Against a Wizard Saint?!"
"Who does this guy think he is?!"
In the competing guilds' sections, the reactions were mixed but largely sceptical. Several Raven Tail members laughed mockingly, while even some of the other prominent mages shook their heads at what they saw as incredible arrogance.
Makarov's head swelled to twice its normal size as he screamed across the arena. "SHISUI! WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU THINKING?!"
But not everyone was shocked. In Team B's stand, Laxus's smirk widened.
"Is he going to use that attack?" He muttered to himself.
Meanwhile, in Fairy Tail's supporters section, the old Team Fairy Tail exchanged knowing looks as Max was explaining to the rest of the guild why they were waiting in anticipation. "It was unlike any attack we've ever seen. Almost as if judgment was passed down from the heavens itself."
Those words stirred something in Makarov's memory. If Shisui was planning to use the same attack he'd used against Laxus and Gildarts, then victory was all but assured. The old guild master's expression shifted completely, his anger transforming into cunning enthusiasm.
"JURA! ACCEPT THE BET! SHOW EVERYONE WHY THEY CALL YOU IRON ROCK JURA!" Makarov shouted, completely changing his tune.
The sudden reversal confused most spectators, but those who understood what Shisui might have planned recognized Makarov's strategic encouragement for what it was.
Jura studied Shisui carefully, noting the confidence in his stance and the absolute certainty in his voice.
"It seems that your guild master has put a lot of faith in you," Jura said finally before removing his outer robe, the heavy fabric falling to the ground, leaving cracks.
"Very well. I accept."
"WHAT A SHOCKING TWIST OF EVENTS, JURA NEEKIS HAS AGREED TO SHISUI'S PROPOSAL!" Chapati's voice boomed across Domus Flau, his excitement barely contained.
"If he can withstand two attacks from Shisui, then he would be crowned winner of the battle! Will Shisui be able to break the ultimate defense of Iron Rock Jura?!"
The crowd's energy shifted from sceptical murmurs to anticipation. Although many anticipated a prolonged duel between the two mages, the intrigue over whether Shisui could truly overcome a Wizard Saint with just two attacks had captivated them even more.
"Alright, brace yourself Jura. I won't be holding back on my attacks." Shisui called out.
Jura nodded as he removed his heavy outer robe. The garment hit the ground with a solid thud, revealing the full extent of his muscular frame.
Instead of immediately launching into his attack, Shisui turned toward Fairy Tail A's section in the arena.
"Natsu! You're a Fire Dragon Slayer, right?" He called out.
Natsu leaned forward in confusion. "Yeah? What about it?"
A smirk crossed Shisui's features. "Watch closely."
Without further explanation, Shisui reached into his pouch and withdrew several small spherical objects. He tossed them onto the ground around his position, and they erupted in thick grey smoke that obscured his entire section of the arena from view.
The crowd murmured uncertainly. From within the smoke cloud came the sound of movement, though no one could see what was happening.
Fire Style: Great Flame Flower!
What followed defied the expectations of nearly everyone watching. Within the smoke screen, multiple points of orange-red lights began to form, growing brighter and larger with each passing second. The heat radiating from within the cloud was intense enough that even spectators in the lower sections could feel something was happening.
Jura's eyes narrowed as he sensed the rising heat. His experience told him a fire attack was coming, but the scale of what he was detecting made him tense. Then his eyes widened in genuine surprise as not one, not two, but seven massive flaming orbs burst from the smoke screen, each one the size of a large boulder.
They fell through the air, trailing fire and leaving smoke in their wake as they hurtled directly toward him like a meteor shower of pure flame descending from above. In the stands, Natsu's jaw dropped.
"Those flames…" He breathed, his enhanced senses picking up the quality and intensity of the fire magic.
"They're incredible!"
~ End of Chapter 108 ~
You can read advanced chapter on [email protected]/The_Editor982
A/N: BOO! Another cliff! I can't help it because the chapter is long enough as it is :D I hope you enjoy waiting another day for AHHHHHHHHH- (author gets pushed off the cliff by his readers)