The scene turned awkward, the three of them standing in silence, trying to wrap their heads around what was happening.
"Why'd you come to our Red Team's territory? Declaring war?" Erza sneered, drawing her iron sword. "Didn't expect Mira to be this bold, taking on both me and Laxus at once!"
"N-No, that's not it!" Jet said cautiously. "I was running straight ahead, and the path was supposed to lead to the Yellow Team's territory. Wait—hold on! Put the sword down first! We can talk this out!"
"No need for words. Let's fight!" Erza declared.
With a swift swing, Erza summoned a massive sword from midair and brought it down hard. Jet didn't stand a chance to react, and with a boom, he was knocked out cold on the ground.
Elfman flinched, not daring to say a word, thinking to himself, 'Man, that was brutal!'
The two pressed forward, but Elfman couldn't hold back any longer. "Erza, what Jet said just now—"
"I know he was telling the truth," Erza cut him off. "Even if the Green Team wanted to attack our crystal, they'd come from the right path, not the middle."
"So, either the canyon itself has a trap designed to mess with all six teams' strategies, or Kira pulled something and redirected the middle path."
"Uh…" Elfman caught the tone in Erza's voice—she was almost certain Kira was behind it. "Then why'd you attack Jet? Couldn't you just let him go back—"
"What kind of talk is that?" Erza interrupted again, her voice cold. "They're not our teammates. If we run into them, of course we fight!"
Her reasoning was solid—and intimidating. Elfman had no comeback.
Not long after, the two ran into Mira and her group of three coming from the opposite direction.
"Erza? Elfman?" Mira's group was visibly shocked, clearly not expecting to see them here.
This only confirmed Erza's suspicions. "Just as I thought—the middle path's been tampered with!"
"What's going on?" Cana asked, sensing something was off. "Why are you coming from the Yellow Team's territory?"
"It's probably Kira," Erza replied. "He must've altered the middle path's route to lead you guys straight to us."
Mira's team exchanged glances, doubt flickering in their eyes. No one could be sure if Erza was telling the truth, though it did sound like something Kira would do.
Seeing that the Green Team wasn't backing down, Erza stepped forward, sword in hand. "The path ahead leads to the Red Team's territory. If you keep going, we'll have to fight!"
Faced with her threat, Cana and Wakaba started considering retreat. They knew there was no way the Red Team could've reached the Yellow Team's territory this early in the game. They turned to Mira for her call.
Surprisingly, Mira kept her sweet smile, her voice as gentle as ever. "Perfect! It's been a while since I've sparred with Erza."
"Huh?!"
"Whoa, Mira, maybe think this through?" Wakaba said nervously. "Now's not exactly the time to pick a fight with the Red Team, right?"
Mira tilted her head, her brow furrowing slightly in mock confusion, her tone innocent. "But we don't know if what they're saying is true, do we?"
You just want to throw down with her, don't you?! Cana and Wakaba thought in unison.
"Wait, hold on, Sis!" Elfman interjected. "We're not enemies in this competition, right?"
"Oh, sorry, Elfman," Mira said, giving her brother an apologetic look. "But since we've run into each other, it'd be such a shame not to have a little fight, don't you think?"
Cana's mind was reeling. What kind of mindset lets you say that so casually?!
Wakaba, sweating, squinted nervously. 'That's terrifying! Saying she wants to fight Erza with that smile—Mira's serious, isn't she?'
"How about this?" Mira offered calmly. "Let Cana and Wakaba go check if the crystal up ahead is the Yellow Team's. If it's not, we'll leave right away." In her head, she added, 'Freed's runes are already protecting our territory, so I've got plenty of time to play.'
Erza shut it down immediately. "No way. I don't have time for that."
"Would it take longer than fighting me?" Mira shot back.
"Want to find out?" Erza challenged.
Despite the icy tone, the air between them seemed to crackle with fiery sparks as their gazes locked.
"How about letting Cana and Wakaba check it out? If you're worried, Elfman can go with them," Mira suggested.
Elfman jumped in. "That's a great idea! I'll take them, and you and Erza can—"
"Like I said, no way!" Erza cut him off again. "We don't have time for that!"
She knew letting Cana and Wakaba through was risky. If they got any ideas like, 'Well, we're here, might as well smash the Red Team's crystal,' it could spell trouble. And if the Black Team snuck in from the side path, the Red Team would be in serious danger.
Mira wasn't backing down either. "Then I'll say it again—will it take longer than fighting me?"
The tension skyrocketed. In the next moment…
"Re-equip!"
"Takeover!"
Erza donned her armor, and Mira transformed into her demonic form.
Two years ago, after Lisanna's "death," Mira and Elfman had been devastated, their magic unstable due to their shaken resolve. Kira had once mentioned to Mira that Lisanna might have gone to Edolas, but she hadn't believed it at the time, thinking it was just a story from one of his fantasy novels to comfort her. It wasn't until Dispel's unexpected appearance during the Fairy Tail-Phantom Lord war that hope sparked in her heart, and her strength had been steadily returning since.
"Mira, you…" Erza started.
"Less talk! Let's see how strong you are now!" Mira's aura had shifted, her tone sharp and commanding, catching everyone off guard. "It's been two years since we've seen this Mira," someone muttered.
Clang!
Erza's greatsword clashed with Mira's demonic claw. A faint smile of satisfaction crossed Erza's face, thrilled to face her old rival again. In Mira's eyes, a wild intensity burned brighter with every second.
Their attacks grew fiercer—one sword sharper than the last, one punch heavier than the one before. It was a brawl too intense for even "Ora" or "Muda" to describe.
The three onlookers shivered, memories of the guild's old days flooding back. Back then, the guild's biggest troublemakers weren't Natsu and Gray's antics—it was these two ferocious women.
The crowd outside was just as hyped.
"It's 'Titania' Erza versus 'She-Devil' Mira! They're going at it—this is awesome!"
"Worth every penny for today's ticket!"
"I love watching badass girls throw down!"
Seeing Mira keep Erza occupied, Cana and Wakaba exchanged a glance and bolted forward. Whether it was the Yellow Team's crystal or the Red Team's, they had to see for themselves!
Erza shouted, "Stop them!"
Her voice snapped Elfman out of his nostalgia. Activating his Beast King Takeover, he blocked Cana's path. With his full-body Takeover potential and his renewed confidence, his strength had grown even further.
"A real man stops the enemy's sneak attack!" he roared.
"I'll hold him off—go!" Cana called to Wakaba.
"Got it!"
Wakaba transformed into a cloud of pink smoke, slipping past Elfman and racing ahead at a speed Elfman couldn't match, especially with Cana blocking him.
"A real man strikes with heavy fists!" Elfman bellowed, swinging his massive beastly fist.
Cana dodged nimbly, her hand reaching for the card pouch at her waist. "To deal with a tank like Elfman, you need speed. That's what Kira said, right?"
Her pouch held the cards Kira had recently upgraded for her. After days of convincing, Cana had embraced the new fighting style he'd designed for her—card summoning.
"Come forth, Wind Weasel!"