Sherria swung her arm as if the God of the Sky Himself were unfurling a pair of black wings.
But the final strike wasn't the simple clap the audience expected.Instead, the two wings merged into one, spiraling forward like a massive black python.
Han still chose not to dodge.
He shifted into a defensive stance, activating his defensive magic circle at full power.
The "python" of compressed wind slammed into him head-on. The magic circle shattered in less than a second.
Han, heavy armor and all ], was immediately lifted off the ground.
The overwhelming force bent his arms back against his chest as he was hurled into the air.
His red-gold armor traced a smooth arc before crashing violently to the ground, rolling several times with loud iron-clanging thuds.
During the tumble, the gauntlet on his right hand flew off, and one of his armored boots rolled away across the arena floor.
Sherria exhaled softly.
Ordinary spells were fine, but using the God Slayer's secret techniques was taxing, and that one had taken a lot out of her.
Fortunately, it had done its job.
Pumpkin Man looked at Han, who wasn't moving, and was just about to announce the results, when Han suddenly lurched upright.
He groaned, touched his helmet as if checking whether his head was still attached, then noticed his missing gauntlet.
Trying to stand, he realized one boot was gone too. He awkwardly limped over, grabbed the boot, forced it back on, then stumbled to retrieve his gauntlet.
"You've got to be kidding me…" Sherria stared in disbelief.
"It didn't work at all?"
"No, my head's a little dizzy," Han admitted honestly.
"If you'd taken the chance to remove my helmet just now, you could've finished me off. That's why you Magicians..."
He stopped abruptly.
He had meant to lecture Magicians from the perspective of a seasoned mercenary, until he remembered he was currently participating in the Grand Magic Games, a festival for Magicians.
And technically, wearing magic armor made him a kind of mage too.
Han thumped his chest twice for the cameras to show the armor was still "fine," then charged straight at Sherria.
Sherria's close-combat skills weren't on his level. Even with her smaller frame and nimble movement, she still took a few hits.
Each time she fell and rolled across the arena, many spectators winced in sympathy.
But every time Sherria stood, her injuries visibly faded.
Sky God Slayer Magic worked differently from Dragon Slayer Magic, Sherria could heal herself, whereas Wendy couldn't.
But healing consumed a lot of magic power, so Sherria gradually stopped using it and focused purely on combat.
Instead of trying to brute-force her way through the armor, she switched to tight, compact strikes, aiming for the joints, trying to pry off the helmet, shoulder plates, anything she could loosen.
Unfortunately, time ran out before she could break through.
Sherria's magic was nearly drained; even "eating air" barely replenished anything.
Han wasn't much better off, the armor was clearly grinding down his stamina.
"Sherria versus Han- draw!
Lamia Scale and Dragon's Treasure each earn five points!" Pumpkin Man declared.
Wendy let out a relieved breath.
"Thank goodness that guy didn't have strong offensive magic."
Rhodes shook his head.
"Hard to say. Maybe he doesn't… or maybe he just never used it."
"Why?" Wendy asked.
Laxus answered, "Because a longer fight gives that guild more time to show off."
Rhodes nodded.
"That armor can definitely be fitted with offensive magic crystals. Maybe even interchangeable modules, offense and defense combined."
"What an annoying guy," Gajeel grumbled, sounding almost disappointed he hadn't gotten to fight Han himself.
He really wanted to know what that armor tasted like.
Juvia ignored all that.
"It's Team A's turn next. Will Gray-sama be fighting?"
Rhodes doubted it, Gray already fought Lyon the previous day, but wisely kept quiet.
"Grand Magic Games, Day 3! The final match: Fairy Tail Team A's Cana versus Sabertooth's… Minerva!"
"Finally, my turn."
Cana's drunken haze vanished like mist. She stretched, then casually shoved her liquor bottle directly into Lucy's arms.
"Why give it to me?" Lucy sniffed the bottle and almost jumped. "That alcohol content! Are you really okay to fight like this?"
"Leave it to me!"
Cana flipped over the railing with a graceful arc and landed lightly in the arena.
On the opposite side, Minerva stepped forward slowly, wearing a blue qipao that hugged her figure.
Every movement radiated poise and elegance.
The contrast between the two women couldn't have been sharper.
Yet whether it was Cana's casual, revealing top or Minerva's high-slit, low-cut qipao, both drew appreciative murmurs from the audience.
No doubt, this was going to be a crowd-pleasing fight.
The spectators erupted in cheers, though most of them favored Minerva. Compared to Cana's relative "under-the-radar" presence, Minerva had accumulated quite a fanbase in recent years.
"Match start!"
At Pumpkin Man's command, Cana immediately pulled a large handful of cards from her cross-body bag and scattered them into the air.
Each card glimmered with golden light, fanning out in calculated trajectories that seemed to block every possible escape route.
For Cana, this was a standard opener, a way to probe her opponent's defenses and speed.
"Hehe… such an attack is a bit too condescending toward this young lady," Minerva said with an indulgent, arrogant smile. Her feet didn't move at all; she simply lifted one hand.
A multicolored sphere of light appeared in her palm, and the several cards that should have struck her were instantly sucked inside, disappearing as if swallowed whole.
The rest sailed past her. Some detonated against the ground with small bursts, while others simply embedded themselves into the arena floor.
Minerva tilted her head slightly, noting the positions of the cards stuck in the ground with quiet interest.
Cana narrowed her eyes at the magic she just witnessed.
"Spatial magic?"
Minerva chuckled. "A keen insight. Praise-worthy."
"That smug attitude is seriously annoying!" Cana flicked her right hand, two cards appearing between her fingers like sleight of hand.
"Emperor's Wind Blade! Sun's Blazing Explosion!"
The cards shot forward, transforming into a slicing wind blade from one side and a burst of blazing flame from the other.
Yet again, Minerva casually raised a hand.
In an instant, both the wind blade and the fireburst were blocked by the same shimmering spatial magic.
This time, it wasn't absorption, it was deflection.
Cana frowned. Were these two different spells? Or was it the same one used in multiple ways?
From the outside, there was almost no visible difference.
A moment later, Minerva stepped backward, and vanished.
The space behind her twisted into a kaleidoscopic vortex and blinked out of existence.
Cana froze for a split second, then launched herself forward.
Almost simultaneously, a long leg emerged from the void beside her, sweeping across with such force that the wind from the kick whipped Cana's long hair aside.
Minerva flicked her hand, releasing several small, multicolored orbs.Cana rolled and dove across the arena as the orbs detonated with sharp cracks, blasting deep holes exactly where she had been a moment earlier.
Cana steadied herself, breath quick but focused.
"Spatial magic… what a pain in the ass."