In Magnolia's merchant district, Lucy Heartfilia stood among the wreckage of what used to be a peaceful shopping street. Her keys gleamed in her hands as she faced her opponent across the debris-strewn plaza.
Across from her, Kagura Mikazuchi drew her sword.. The blade sang as it left its sheath—the Asauchi that Aiden had given her years ago, now transformed by her soul into something uniquely hers.
"I've been waiting for this chance," Lucy said, raising Loke's key. "Open, Gate of the Lion! Leo!"
Golden light flashed as Loke materialized, his suit immaculate despite the chaos around them. "My lady calls, and I answer," he said with his usual charm, though his expression grew serious as he studied their opponent.
Kagura simply stood there, her Zanpakutō at her side. The sword had become magnificent, its blade seemed to bend light around it, and the very air grew heavier in its presence.
Then before Lucy and Loki can say more.
Kagura moved.
She didn't even draw her sword.
With a subtle gesture of her free hand, the gravity around Lucy intensified tenfold. The blonde mage dropped to her knees, gasping as the crushing weight pressed down on her. Her keys scattered across the cobblestone.
"What?" Lucy struggled to breathe. "I can't... move..."
Loke tried to reach her but found himself pinned as well, his celestial form flickering under the intense gravitational pressure.
Kagura walked forward slowly, each step measured and precise. "Gravity Magic: Crushing Field."
The weight increased again. Lucy's face hit the ground, stars dancing in her vision. She could hear her bones creaking under the pressure.
Loke's form began to waver. "Lucy... I'm sorry... can't maintain..."
The golden light faded as her strongest spirit was forced back to the celestial world.
Lucy lay there, defeated, tears mixing with the dirt on her face. She'd trained so hard since joining Fairy Tail. She'd gotten stronger. But against Kagura, none of it mattered.
"You're not worthy of making me draw my blade," Kagura said, her hand still resting on her sheathed Zanpakutō. "Perhaps next time, train harder."
She turned to walk away.
"Wait!" Lucy gasped, forcing her head up despite the crushing gravity. "I'm not... I'm not done!"
Kagura paused. "You can barely speak."
"Open... Gate of the..." Lucy's hand finally closed around one of her keys. "...Archer! Sagittarius!"
Golden light exploded upward as the centaur spirit materialized, his bow already drawn. But even Sagittarius struggled against the gravity, his legs shaking under the pressure.
"Moshi moshi! This is quite heavy!" the horse-man spirit called out cheerfully despite his obvious strain.
"Now you're just embarrassing yourself," Kagura said with a sigh.
She increased the gravity again. Sagittarius collapsed, his bow clattering to the ground.
"Lucy!" a familiar voice roared from across the plaza. "What the hell's happening here?"
Pink hair flashed as Natsu Dragneel came charging through the debris, flames dancing around his fists. His Charmeleon kept pace beside him, fire building in its throat.
Kagura glanced at the newcomer with mild interest. "Natsu Dragneel. The Dragon Slayer."
"Let her go!" Natsu demanded, his magic flaring hot enough to melt the nearby stones.
"Or what?" Kagura asked calmly.
"Fire Dragon's—"
"Roar?" Kagura finished for him.
Before Natsu could complete his attack, gravity slammed him into the ground beside Lucy. His flames sputtered out as the crushing force held him down.
"Impossible," Natsu grunted as he suddenly found himself pressed into the ground beside Lucy. "How are you this strong?"
"Years of training," Kagura said simply.
She looked at both fallen mages with something like disappointment.
"This battle royale was meant to test how far we've all grown." Her grip tightened on her sword hilt. "But if this is your best effort..."
That's when something changed in Natsu's eyes.
Fire erupted around him, not the usual orange flames, but a deeper, more intense heat. His magic pushed against Kagura's gravity field, fighting it with raw determination.
"I'm not done yet!" Natsu roared, pushing himself up onto one knee despite the crushing weight. "Fire Dragon's Secret Art: Crimson Lotus Blazing Dragon King Mode!"
"I'm not done yet!" Natsu roared, pushing himself up onto one knee despite the crushing weight. The flames around his body intensified as he forced himself to stand.
The gravity that had pinned him moments before was now being contested by sheer magical pressure and stubborn determination.
Kagura's eyes widened slightly. "You're forcing yourself up through willpower alone. Impressive."
The pressure around Lucy lessened as Kagura focused more of her power on containing Natsu's explosive magic. The blonde mage gasped, finally able to breathe properly.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu unleashed a torrent of flames that carved through the plaza, forcing Kagura to leap backward.
For the first time since the fight began, she had to dodge.
"Better," she admitted, landing gracefully. "But still not enough."
She gestured, and the gravity around Natsu shifted direction, pulling him sideways toward a building wall. But he planted his feet and pushed back with his flames.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
His flaming punch cut through the air as he charged forward. Kagura used gravity to accelerate her own movement, appearing to his side.
"Gravity Magic: Directional Crush."
The attack should have slammed Natsu into the ground again. Instead, he twisted around, his flames roaring to life.
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"
His arms spread wide, flames extending like wings as he tried to catch Kagura in the fiery embrace. She simply increased the gravity around her own body, dropping beneath the attack.
What followed was an intense ground battle. Natsu used every technique he knew—Iron Fist, Wing Attack, Roar—while Kagura controlled gravity to counter each move. They clashed again and again, fire meeting gravitational force in brilliant displays.
From her position on the ground, Lucy watched in amazement. This was what real Fairy Tail determination looked like. Natsu was giving everything he had, and yet...
Kagura still hadn't drawn her sword.
"Fire Dragon's Claw!" Natsu's flames wrapped around his hands as he slashed at the air, sending crescents of fire toward Kagura.
She caught them with a gravity field, redirecting the attacks harmlessly into the sky.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" He followed up immediately, his flaming punch aimed at her center mass.
Kagura caught his wrist, her gravity magic making her impossibly heavy and immovable. "Your form has improved,"
They fought for several minutes, with Natsu throwing everything in his arsenal at her. Every basic Dragon Slayer technique he'd mastered, every combination he could think of.
And Kagura countered it all without drawing her blade.
Finally, both mages stood on opposite sides of the plaza, breathing hard. Natsu's flames flickered around him, his magic reserves clearly running low. Kagura looked barely winded.
"You've improved since joining Fairy Tail," she said, genuine respect in her voice. "That display was worthy of our guild's name."
"I'm just getting started!" Natsu panted, raising his fists again, though his flames were noticeably weaker.
Kagura shook her head slowly. "No. You're not. You've given me everything you have, and it was admirable. But now I think it's time to end this."
Her hand moved to her sword hilt.
The air around them grew impossibly heavy. Not just gravity—something deeper, more fundamental. It was as if the very concept of weight was pressing down on them.
"Collapse, Enko."
The technique activated without her blade leaving its sheath. The gravitational force that slammed into Natsu was beyond anything he'd faced before. It wasn't just crushing him down—it was affecting his magic itself, making his flames heavy and slow.
He tried to stand, tried to fight back, but even his fire felt like it weighed tons.
"This is the difference between us," Kagura said softly. "You fought well, Natsu. But it's not enough."
Natsu collapsed, his flames finally extinguishing. The crushing gravity held him pinned, unable to move.
"And you, Lucy," Kagura turned to the celestial mage, who was struggling to even lift her head. "You showed courage, but courage alone isn't enough."
She looked at both defeated guild members with something like regret.
"Train harder. Both of you. And maybe next time, you'll be worthy opponents."
The gravity field vanished, leaving Lucy and Natsu gasping on the ruined plaza floor.
Kagura turned to walk away, her sword still sheathed, heading toward the sounds of other battles across Magnolia.
Behind her, Lucy stared at her guild key, tears of frustration burning in her eyes. She'd thought she was getting stronger. She'd thought she belonged here.
But against Kagura, she'd been nothing more than a child playing at being a mage.
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