Wait, something's not right. I just got to the guild. How does Gray know I'm here?
Just as this question flashed through Shane's mind, he caught a glimpse of Cana sneaking around in the crowd out of the corner of his eye.
The girl was craning her neck to look over, and her eyes met Shane's perfectly.
She shrank back guiltily, then stuck out her tongue playfully, her face written all over with the smugness of a successful prank.
Alright, mystery solved. The culprit is right here.
Gray swept his gaze around and immediately locked onto Shane standing next to Macao.
His eyes lit up instantly, like a hunting dog spotting its target. He rushed over in three steps. "Shane! Let's have a showdown!"
He felt his strength had improved these past few days. He had been practically camping out in the guild every day waiting for Shane, but he missed him every time. Today, he finally got the news from Cana; he couldn't let this opportunity slip no matter what.
Macao, who knew Shane had a "Phase Two," immediately revealed a wicked grin of anticipation. He very sensibly stepped aside, yielding the floor to these two young men.
He strolled over to Cana and whispered, "Didn't you also see that kid's transformation? Why did you still deliberately leak the news to Gray?"
Cana flipped the hair on her forehead nonchalantly and curled her lip. "Who asked him to pester me all day about Shane's whereabouts? It was annoying as hell. If he really wanted to know that badly, shouldn't he have asked Erza or just gone to block his door?"
"You've gone bad, Cana." Macao laughed mischievously, then turned his head and shouted expectantly toward the center of the hall, "Gray! Do your best! I'm rooting for you!"
Several other guild members who also knew the inside story exchanged knowing glances and raised their glasses to jeer, "Oh oh! Go Gray! Get him!"
Under everyone's fanning of the flames, cold air surged around Gray, his fighting spirit rising higher and higher.
Shane sighed lightly, knowing he couldn't dodge this fight. He shook his head helplessly, thinking of it as rehabilitation training, and assumed a fighting stance. "Come on."
"Witness the results of my training these past few days!"
Seeing Shane accept the challenge, a flash of confidence appeared on Gray's face, and he attacked first.
It was still the familiar "Ice-Make: Floor!"
But this time, the ice didn't spread under Shane's feet; instead, he cleverly paved a layer of ice under his own feet.
Instantly, the smooth ice surface greatly reduced the friction of his sprint, causing his dash speed to increase abruptly!
At the same time, cold air condensed in his hands, instantly forming two translucent ice blades.
Borrowing the momentum of the high-speed slide, Gray danced with the dual blades, bringing up a dazzling glint of cold light. "Ice-Make: Seven Slice Dance!"
The fierce offensive was like a sudden storm, the ice blades tearing through the air with a faint hiss.
Erza, watching from the side with her arms crossed, nodded slightly.
She could tell that Gray's hard training these past few days hadn't been in vain. Whether it was the usage of Magic Power, speed, or close-combat skills, he was much stronger than when he fought Shane before. His attacks were more decisive, and the transitions were smoother.
However...
"Still not enough..."
Facing this rapid chain of attacks, Shane just sighed faintly.
Once again, two unsharpened black Tachis materialized in his hands.
His feet shifted slightly, his figure weaving through the blade light like a ghost. The Tachis parried, blocked, or deflected, precisely neutralizing every slash into nothingness.
Metal and ice blades clashed, making crisp ding ding sounds.
Shane didn't rush to counterattack; he just maintained this passive stance, carefully feeling Gray's progress.
He had to admit, Gray had not only taken Erza's advice to heart but his talent in Ice-Make Magic was indeed outstanding.
Combining magic and taijutsu to this extent in just a few days was truly rare.
But precisely because Gray was talented and improved quickly, Shane found it troublesome.
With this kid's unyielding nature, if he came looking for a fight every time he improved a little, wouldn't that be endless?
For the sake of future peace and quiet, Shane decided he had to settle this once and for all today, making him thoroughly recognize reality.
At this moment, Gray, unable to break through after attacking for a long time, gave a low shout, attempting to increase his Magic Power output for a new variation.
However, before his subsequent cold air could fully condense, his movements froze abruptly.
An aura—warm, yet carrying an indescribably oppressive feeling—quietly diffused from Shane's body like the rising morning sun.
The surrounding air seemed to stagnate with it.
Under Gray's astonished gaze, Shane calmly raised his hand. The movement seemed slow, yet it arrived first, his thumb and index finger precisely pinching the thickest spine of the ice blade.
The action was as gentle as picking a flower petal.
Gray's expression changed. He subconsciously wanted to pull the ice blade back, but was horrified to find it wouldn't budge an inch. Shane's fingers weren't even covered with any Magic Power; he just pinched the edge of the ice ordinarily.
"Keep working hard, Gray," Shane looked at him, his tone devoid of condescension, merely stating a fact. He hoped the other party could understand the gap between them.
Immediately after, the fingers pinching the ice blade pressed inward slightly.
Crack—
A crisp shattering sound rang out. The two ice blades, which had condensed quite a bit of Gray's Magic Power, along with the ice armor extending up his arms, were instantly covered in spiderweb-like cracks, then crumbled into countless ice crystals, falling down with a rustle.
Gray froze in place, staring blankly at his empty hands, then looked up at Shane, whose aura was completely different now, as if shrouded in a faint halo.
He had never seen Shane in this state. It was like a different person from the one who relied on technique and speed in their previous fight!
No, "different person" couldn't describe it anymore. This was completely... a gap in power of a different dimension! Even with his competitiveness and denseness, he recognized this incredibly clearly at this moment.
The surrounding onlookers, who had been waiting for this scene, finally couldn't hold back anymore seeing Gray's dumbstruck look of having his worldview shattered, and burst into laughter.
"Pfft—hahaha!" Macao laughed the loudest, slapping his thigh hard. "I knew it would be like this!"
"Did you see Gray's expression? Too brilliant!"
Gray was startled awake by this burst of laughter and instantly understood. His face turned beet red, and he pointed at this group of unscrupulous seniors in shame and anger.
"Ba-Bastards! You all knew Shane's true strength, right?! And you didn't tell me!"
Macao took a big gulp of alcohol with a grin. "Oh, so what if we told you? With your personality, would you not challenge him if you knew?"
"That's no excuse!" Gray jumped in anger. Although he knew the other party seemed right, he still felt his IQ and dignity had suffered a double insult, and immediately shifted targets. "Uncle Macao! Duel me!"
"Go away, go away," Macao shooed him away disdainfully. "You're a few years too early, kid."
Shane looked at the guild full of vitality and shook his head helplessly. The aura on his body quietly retracted, returning to his usual appearance.
He wanted to take advantage of the chaos while Gray was distracted by Macao to slip away to the library—he hadn't forgotten his main purpose for coming to the guild today.
However, just as he took two steps, the guild gate was pushed open again with a bang.
A figure walked in against the light.
Short, neat blonde hair, black headphones on his head, a cold expression, carrying an aura that said "strangers keep away."
He glanced at Gray, who was making a racket blocking the center of the aisle, and frowned imperceptibly, seemingly finding it very troublesome.
He walked straight over. "Move, you're noisy."