"Sand Dance!"
The battle kicked off with Sol taking the first move. A flurry of fine yellow sand surged toward Lucy, threatening to engulf her completely.
Lucy swiftly drew a newly acquired Celestial Spirit Key. "Open, Gate of the Pisces! Pisces!"
A pair of massive, catfish-like spirits—one black, one white—materialized on the street. This was Pisces, the Celestial Spirit.
"A Celestial Spirit Mage? That's rare," Sol remarked, surprised. He hadn't expected this wealthy heiress to have such magical talent. Only now did he notice the bundle of Celestial Keys at Lucy's waist.
"So many Golden Keys?!"
Pisces treated the air like a swimming pool, gliding effortlessly through it. Their massive bodies carried terrifying momentum, shattering the sand barrier with a single charge.
Though this was only Lucy's second time seeing her new spirit partner (the first being when they formed their contract), the bond between a Celestial Spirit Mage and their spirits made Pisces feel oddly familiar to her.
"Using sand magic here was your mistake!"
Following the charge, Pisces unleashed their magic—a water-column attack similar to Aquarius's, but while Aquarius's attacks were wide-ranging, Pisces's were focused and precise. Absorbing the surrounding rainwater, a pillar of water shot up, soaking the dry sand swirling around Lucy.
The damp sand became harder to control, and Sol instantly felt his magic falter, like pushing a boulder with his bare hands.
"It's that rain from Juvia… Damn it, I knew I shouldn't have teamed up with her!"
His first attack thwarted, Sol twisted his body and launched another. "Rock Concerto!"
Countless stones hurtled toward Lucy from all directions. Rocks were harder to manipulate than sand but unaffected by water, and their destructive power was greater. Even if Sol was only an S-Class Mage from Phantom Lord, he was still S-Class—his magic reserves and mastery far surpassed the average mage.
As Sol switched tactics, Lucy countered smoothly. "A projectile rock attack? Let's try this… Open, Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!"
"Moshi moshi!" A man in a horse costume, wielding a longbow and quiver, saluted as he appeared.
"Sagittarius, please!"
"Leave it to me!"
Sagittarius, the premier marksman of the Celestial Spirit World, nocked his arrows and fired in rapid succession. Each shot was unerringly accurate, piercing the incoming rocks and shattering them into harmless fragments that scattered across the ground.
"What?!" Sol's shock deepened as his attack failed again.
"This rock magic is way weaker than Kira's!" Lucy taunted.
"Damn it! If that's how it is, I'll pour my strongest magic into a gentleman's ultimate move! Gypsum Concerto!"
Harder than rock, a massive gypsum fist formed in the air. Sol seemed to have forgotten his mission was to capture Lucy alive, unleashing his most powerful spell without hesitation.
Lucy, unfazed, drew another key. "Open, Gate of the Scales! Libra!"
Libra appeared—a dancer with an Egyptian flair, wheat-colored skin, black hair, and a green skirt, adorned with a white veil, countless golden bangles on her arms and legs, a thick necklace, and sandals. She held two scales and exuded a calm presence.
Libra's hands danced, her fingers manipulating invisible threads to control the scales, casting gravity magic. The already heavy gypsum fist crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom under the amplified gravity.
"How are this woman's spirits so strong?!" Sol muttered, stunned.
With his magic attacks failing, Sol resorted to close combat. Thanks to his highly flexible body, his melee skills were top-notch among the Element Four.
Opening multiple gates in quick succession was taxing for Lucy, so she decided to end it with a big move. She pulled a dark, curved Celestial Key from her pouch. "Open, Gate of the Serpent Bearer! Ophiuchus!"
The gate opened, and a massive mechanical snake appeared.
Its long, thick, black body radiated a dark aura, yet it coiled protectively around Lucy like an obedient child.
"Nani?! That's a Celestial Spirit too?!"
Ophiuchus encircled Lucy, blocking Sol's flying kick with its body. Then, with a flick of its tail and a powerful headbutt, it struck.
"No, no, no, NO!!!"
BOOM!
The immense force sent Sol spinning through the air, crashing to the ground with a thud and passing out.
Guild Showdown: Fairy Tail vs. Phantom Lord
Location: Fairy Tail Guild Entrance
Combatants: Lucy vs. Sol
Winner: Lucy
"I won…"
Recalling Ophiuchus, Lucy stared at the scene, hardly believing her own accomplishment. "I won! I actually beat an S-Class Mage from Phantom Lord!!"
After the thrill of victory, her thoughts turned to her comrades. "Oh no! Mirajane!!" She sprinted toward another battlefield.
---
Ten minutes earlier…
Mirajane, swept to another battlefield by Juvia's water currents, pushed herself up with her slender arms. She offered Lucy some comforting words before turning her attention to Juvia, who had followed her.
"You were an S-Class Mage once, so your strength must be considerable," Juvia said, her voice cold and her expression distant as she formed water in her hands. "Let Juvia see the difference between an S-Class Mage of Fairy Tail and one of Phantom Lord!"
This was a far cry from the lovesick Juvia who'd later join Fairy Tail. Now, she radiated an aura that screamed "stay away."
"What's with this woman?" Mirajane wondered, puzzled by Juvia's demeanor. But there was no time to dwell—she had to hold her off… no, she had to defeat her.
She couldn't let Lucy or the guild down.
And she had to avenge her guildmates.
"Water Bind!"
Eager to test Mirajane and complete her mission to capture Lucy, Juvia unleashed a binding spell. Though Lucy had escaped it with her spirits' help, Juvia was confident no one else could break free. Her claim that "no one has ever escaped Juvia's Water Bind" wasn't empty boasting—it was backed by battle data.
But for Mirajane, a veteran of mage battles, breaking this spell was child's play, even if she couldn't access her full power.
In just three seconds, she devised a counter.
Boom!
A puff of smoke erupted inside the water sphere, and Mirajane vanished. In her place was a blue fish, resembling the kind Happy often ate.
Transformation Magic wasn't uncommon in the Fairy Tail world, but it required talent and was notoriously hard to master. In the original story, Lucy had asked Mirajane to teach her, only to discover she lacked the aptitude, as her magical talent was entirely focused on Celestial Spirit Magic.
Natsu, on the other hand, had a knack for it, transforming into Lucy effortlessly, even mimicking her body. Even Happy could turn his cat head into Lucy's.
Transformation Magic had three stages: basic transformation altered appearance; intermediate transformation changed appearance, clothing, and voice; and advanced transformation modified physical attributes. With deep mastery, one could even alter their strength—though that was mostly theoretical and usually meant weakening oneself.
The higher the stage, the greater the difficulty.
Unable to use her Demon Take-Over after her magic became unstable, Mirajane had turned to Transformation Magic. Perhaps due to her natural talent, she'd reached the advanced stage in just a few years.
Advanced transformation allowed a mage to gain some abilities of their new form. Turning into a bird granted flight; turning into a fish enabled swimming.
Truly at home in the water, Mirajane briefly regained her breath in the water sphere before transforming again—this time into a massive shark. Its enormous body burst Juvia's Water Bind apart.
"Nani?!"
Juvia gasped, stunned that her binding spell had been broken in such a way.
Landing and reverting to her human form, Mirajane smirked. "I've never heard of a fish being trapped by water."