"How many more cards does Ace have up his sleeve?!"
Natsu and Gray stared wide-eyed, their fists clenching unconsciously.
Both were hyped by the spectacular showdown and burning with fighting spirit seeing the insane power WereGarurumon was showing off.
Mirajane, who had arrived late, stood at the edge of the crowd with her arms crossed, her eyes locked on the field.
Her expression was neutral, but her slightly pursed lips gave away the turmoil inside her.
Lisanna nervously gripped her sister's arm and whispered, "Garurumon is so powerful... but Erza won't lose, right?"
Yet Erza, standing in the eye of the storm, showed zero surprise or fear.
Hovering mid-air with the light wings of her Heaven's Wheel Armor fluttering gently, her eyes burned with an even fiercer fighting spirit.
The stronger the opponent, the more it fired up the Fairy Queen!
"Try this!" Erza shouted clearly, her empty hands gripping the air again.
The magical swords around her didn't disappear but rapidly shifted, connecting end-to-end to form a giant, high-speed rotating ring of blades in the air!
The edge of the wheel gleamed coldly, slicing through the air with a sharp whine.
"Heaven's Wheel: Trinity Sword!"
Like a circular saw of death, the blade wheel descended with tearing force toward WereGarurumon on the ground!
Its massive size blocked most of his escape routes—this was the Heaven's Wheel Armor's signature move for dealing with hard-to-dodge enemies.
Ordinary opponents, having just burned their energy blocking the dense rain of "Circle Sword," would struggle to counter such a huge attack immediately.
But WereGarurumon was no ordinary foe.
A blue glint flashed in his cold eyes as he faced the descending blade wheel.
Instead of dodging, his massive body instantly crouched, powerful leg muscles tensing like steel springs before exploding into motion.
He didn't jump at the wheel, but launched himself at a low angle into a high-speed slide tackle right toward the front.
At the same time, his legs turned into a blur of kicks in mid-air, striking like a storm at the wheel's vulnerable connection points.
A name randomly flashed through Ace's mind.
These relentless, lightning-fast kicks reminded him of the legendary Shadowless Kick.
Maybe WereGarurumon's fist technique should be called 'Wolf Fang Wind Fist'.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
A series of impacts as dense as drumbeats exploded through the air.
Each kick from WereGarurumon landed precisely on the weak points of the rotating sword wheel, his force concentrated and unyielding.
The seemingly unstoppable wheel abruptly slowed down under the storm of accurate strikes, its structure starting to wobble!
Ssshh! Ssshh! Ssshh!—
Finally, several of the magical swords on the outer ring couldn't take the abuse anymore.
They let out mournful cries as they were violently kicked off their path, shooting out in all directions like cannonballs.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The stray swords slammed into the reinforced magical barriers at the edge of the arena, blasting deep craters and sending debris flying.
The spectators scrambled backward in alarm.
Meanwhile, WereGarurumon used the recoil from his kicks to twist his body mid-air with insane agility.
He slipped through a gap that had opened up in the damaged wheel, escaping by a hair's breadth.
The moment he landed, he didn't pause for a second.
His hind legs kicked off the ground again, propelling him like a blue lightning bolt straight toward Erza in mid-air.
A devastating Garuru Kick aimed right at her chest!
The entire sequence—dodging, breaking the technique, and counterattacking—was smooth as flowing water.
"So fast!" Erza's pupils contracted.
WereGarurumon's adaptability and combat instincts were way beyond her expectations.
Facing this swift kick, the Heaven's Wheel Armor wasn't agile enough.
"Requip: Black Wing Armor!"
In a flash of light, Erza's armor transformed instantly.
A suit of jet-black armor with silver crosses now covered her body, and a pair of massive black bat wings unfurled from her back.
In her hand, she gripped a sleek, ominous black sword.
Now clad in the Black Wing Armor, Erza's speed skyrocketed.
She blurred like a phantom, swiftly retreating backward and to the side, narrowly dodging WereGarurumon's flying kick.
WereGarurumon landed heavily, creating a shallow crater and kicking up a cloud of dust.
"It's not over yet! Black Wing: Moon Flash!" Erza steadied herself, flapped her wings, and turned into a streak of black light.
She charged forward so fast she was barely visible, her sword slicing the air with a sharp, space-rending sound as she unleashed a fierce cross-slash at WereGarurumon.
WereGarurumon let out a low growl.
Instead of dodging, he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
His sharp claws gleamed coldly as he swung them forward to meet the slash head-on.
He was going for a direct clash!
Clang—!!!
A piercing screech of metal on metal echoed across the arena.
The black sword and beast claws collided violently, sending sparks flying everywhere.
A shockwave erupted from the impact, kicking up a storm of dust!
As the dust settled a bit, the crowd watched in awe.
WereGarurumon's crossed arms had two shallow white marks, while Erza was forced back several steps by the recoil, her sword hand slightly numb.
WereGarurumon had actually blocked Erza's Black Wing attack with his bare flesh and blood!
"Impressive... but Fairy Tail mages doesn't surrender easily!" Erza's fighting spirit burned brighter than ever.
Using the high speed of her Black Wing Armor, she launched a barrage of attacks from every tricky angle.
Sword flashes like black lightning enveloped WereGarurumon, leaving him no room to breathe.
WereGarurumon fought speed with speed, his sharp claws constantly clashing against the black sword.
The clanging sounds were nonstop as the two turned into blue and black phantoms, creating a dazzling spectacle.
A fierce glint flashed in WereGarurumon's eyes as he suddenly leaped back to create distance.
Crossing his claws over his chest, the raging energy inside him converged on his hands, making them glow with a chilling light that struck fear into anyone watching.
"Kaiser Nail!"
He swung his crossed claws, releasing two massive, cross-shaped frozen energy slashes that howled through the air.
Wherever they passed, the air froze and the ground cracked.
Even those who knew nothing about Digimon could tell this power was on a whole other level!
Erza sensed the danger instantly and performed another requip without hesitation.
"Requip: Adamantine Armor!"
The black faded away, replaced by a massive, heavy suit of armor that looked like a mobile fortress, painted white and dark blue.
Erza gripped a towering shield—nearly as tall as she was—with both hands.
The Adamantine Armor possessed absolute defense!
BOOM!!!
The Kaiser Nail struck the Adamantine Shield dead center.
Amid the deafening roar, ice shards and light sprayed everywhere.
Erza grunted, pushed back several meters by the massive impact, her boots plowing two deep trenches in the ground.
But she held her ground.
Two clear cross-shaped white marks were left on the shield, but it hadn't shattered.
However, Erza noticed something.
The force hitting the shield... seemed to hold back slightly at the very last second.
As the dust settled, WereGarurumon held his pose as his eyes fixed on Erza and he slowly lowered his claws.
Erza dismissed her Adamantine Armor, revealing her true appearance.
She was panting slightly, but her eyes were bright.
She looked at the marks on her shield, then at WereGarurumon, whose aura was still far more powerful than her.
It was clear he still had a lot of energy to spare.
The training ground fell dead silent.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the result.
Seconds later, Erza dismissed her magic and sheathed her sword.
Taking a deep breath, she looked toward Ace at the edge of the field and spoke clearly.
"If you hadn't held back on that final strike, even if I defended it, I would have drained all my magic power and been unable to fight for a while. And your Summoned Beast clearly still had strength to spare."
She paused, her tone honest.
"In this battle, I admit i lost."
"Whoa—!!!" The guild erupted instantly!
Erza actually admitted defeat?!
Even if it was just a spar, and even if the opponent was a powerful Summoned Beast, this was huge news!
Ace breathed a sigh of relief and quickly spoke up.
"You're too kind. I should thank you for this fight. It really helped WereGarurumon adapt to his evolved body."
With a thought, he recalled WereGarurumon, who had just finished his battle.
Erza shook her head, walked up to Ace, and extended her fist.
Ace was slightly startled but extended his own, gently bumping it with hers.
"A splendid battle, Ace," Erza said with a faint but approving smile. "I look forward to sparring with you and your partners again next time."