Lucy Defeated

A golden magic circle appeared behind Lucy, and with a flash of light, a scorpion tail shot out from her lower back.

The metallic tail lashed out in an arc through the air, striking Natsu precisely in the face as he was about to charge.

Snap!

Natsu was sent flying, tumbling twice in the air before crashing into the fence at the edge of the training field with a bang, cracking the stone fence.

Riyao, holding up a megaphone, instantly switched to a commentary style, his voice filled with passion.

"Wow!! Lucy, that was a brilliant move! She instantly unleashed Nerfed Star Dress, sprouting a scorpion tail and sending Natsu flying! Natsu is such a loser, haha!"

Gray crossed his arms, a smirk playing on his lips; he would never miss an opportunity to mock Natsu.

"That idiot underestimated Lucy. Well done, Lucy! Fight me later!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Juvia, who was standing next to Gray, instantly switched to a fighting expression, exuding a sinister black aura, and staring intently at Lucy.

"Rival in love..."

Lucy felt a chill run down her spine under Juvia's gaze. Just as she was about to explain, Natsu sprang to his feet with a somersault.

He twisted his waist and stretched his neck, a red mark from a scorpion's tail imprinted on his face, yet he smiled even more broadly than before.

"Lucy's amazing! Then I won't hold back!"

Natsu slammed his fists together, and flames exploded from his fists, burning even brighter than before.

A hint of blue shone through the orange-red flames, and the heat was so intense that even the audience could feel it.

"Be polite, you idiot!"

Lucy's lips twitched when she saw Natsu's expression.

Oh no, this guy's getting serious.

She dared not delay, raising her hand to summon Scorpio back, while simultaneously taking out another key from her waist.

My finger traced across the keychain, and there it was—you.

"Leo, Leo! Open the door!"

A golden magic circle spread out on the ground, its light even more dazzling than before.

Leo emerged from the light, impeccably dressed in a suit and wearing sunglasses.

As soon as he stepped onto the field, he calmly waved to the sidelines.

"Long time no see, everyone! Did you miss me?"

"Loke, you bastard, you never even come back to check on things!"

"He's not called Loke anymore, he's called Leo."

Lucy kicked Leo in the shin, almost making him lose all his elegance.

"Natsu is charging! Stop talking!"

Leo immediately stopped smiling, turned around and assumed a standard fighting stance to meet Natsu's attack head-on.

Their fists collided in the air, producing a dull thud.

Leo's physical skills are among the best in the Twelve Gates of the Zodiac, and he held his own against Natsu.

Lucy wasn't idle either.

She spread her hands in front of her, and two golden magic circles appeared, with Regulus surging from her palms.

One person and one Celestial Spirit ganged up on Natsu.

"Great! Lucy and Leo have executed a beautiful teamwork! But!"

Riyao changed the subject, his tone full of regret.

"Generally speaking, two fists can't beat four hands, but unfortunately, Lucy's physical skills are really a bit lacking. In just a few rounds, she's already got a pair of black eyes from Natsu's punches."

Lucy did have a dark circle around her eye, which contrasted sharply with her fair skin.

Lisanna shook her head and sighed from her seat in the audience.

"That idiot Natsu, he doesn't even know how to be gentle with a woman."

Levy waved her little fists and jumped higher than the cheerleaders had just been.

"Lu-chan! You absolutely have to beat Natsu down!"

Jet and Troy echoed this sentiment, one on each side.

"Beat him down!"

"Yes, beat this fire idiot!"

Lucy gritted her teeth and took a few steps back to create some distance.

She took a deep breath, summoned her remaining magic, and pulled out a second key.

"Sagittarius, Sagittarius! Open the door!"

A second golden magic circle lit up, Sagittarius Celestial Spirit emerged from the light, holding a simple longbow in her hand.

Lucy gritted her teeth, maintaining both doors and the Nerfed Star Dress at the same time.

Magic surged out of her body like water from a burst dam, and she could feel her magic pool emptying at a visible speed.

Leo engaged Natsu in close combat, each punch landing squarely.

Lucy and Sagittarius Sagittarius a ranged attack from the rear.

Riyao's voice also became excited.

"Lucy actually did it!! The advanced technique of Celestial Spirit Mage, Double Gate Opening! And she maintained Double Gate Opening and the Star Dress simultaneously! Although it's a watered-down version, it's still incredibly impressive! However! Lucy's mana obviously won't last much longer, and the battle is entering its final countdown!"

Makarov stood in the front row of the audience, his hands behind his back, and nodded in satisfaction.

"As expected of the child I have high hopes for."

Riyao ruthlessly undermined them.

"You're clearly looking at someone's thigh... okay."

A burst of laughter erupted from the sidelines.

Makarov raised his short legs and kicked Riyao twice, but Riyao didn't budge.

"I'm just appreciating it! Appreciate it, don't you understand!"

"Yes, yes, I appreciate it."

Riyao's expression clearly said, "I understand, I understand everything."

At that moment, Natsu was completely excited.

The blue portion of the flames on his body grew even more intense, and the heat of the flames even distorted the air itself.

Natsu grinned, his whole being like a lit bomb.

However, the next second...

Leo transformed into a beam of light and vanished into thin air.

Sagittarius gone too.

The constellation mark on Lucy's body, representing her Star Dress, flickered twice before disappearing completely.

Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, slumped in a classic posture of dejection on the training field.

Orz

"No, no... I'm out of magic... The Double Gate Opening and the Star Dress are draining me dry..."

Lucy's voice was so weak it was like a mosquito's buzz; her face was pressed against the ground, and she didn't even have the strength to lift her head.

"Huh?! Lucy, play a little longer!"

Natsu had just ignited his flames, his blue flames still burning, when he saw Lucy lying motionless on the ground.

He froze on the spot, the fighting spirit stuck in his chest, unable to go away or come down, making him so uncomfortable that he spun around twice.

"I haven't had enough fun yet!"

"I'm not fighting anymore... If you want to fight, you do it yourself..."

Lucy waved her hand, then sprawled out on the ground, completely giving up the struggle.

Seeing Lucy's state, Natsu had no choice but to give up the idea of continuing the fight.

But the flames on his body were still burning, and his fighting spirit had nowhere to go. He turned around twice, his gaze sweeping across the audience, finally locking onto Riyao.

"Anyone else want to come up and fight?!"

He raised his burning fist and pointed it at the Riyao.

"Riyao, get down here! I'm going to teach you a lesson!"

Riyao expressed no interest in this.

He leaned gracefully against the railing, legs crossed, speaking with an air of world-weariness.

"As an intellectual, I have no interest in violence."

Before he could finish speaking, Mirajane kicked him from behind and sent him crashing to the ground.

"Come on!"

Riyao did a somersault in the air and landed steadily on the training field, turning back to look at Mirajane with accusatory eyes.

"Hmm, so love disappears?"

Mirajane turned her head away, pretending to admire the scenery.

Riyao turned around, dusted off his knees, and faced Natsu's flames with an expression as calm as if he were waiting for a bus.

"Alright. Since we're already here..."

He flexed his wrists.

"Natsu, the infirmary was just cleaned today. You can choose a bed yourself. I won't be treating you."