Titania's Trial
"Moo--!"
A powerful bellow rang out, Taurus Celestial Spirit, the muscular bull wielding a massive Taurus -bladed axe, appeared majestically before Erza.
"Miss Lucy still has the best figure, moo~!"
As soon as Taurus appeared, he whistled loudly at Lucy.
On the other side, Cana had already drawn several magic cards and held them between her fingers.
"Lucy, I'll lead the attack. You'll cover and look for opportunities!"
"Clear!"
The two quickly devised a battle plan.
Cana launched the first attack, her cards transforming into sharp streaks of light, like shuriken, shooting towards Erza from all directions.
"Too naive."
Faced with this barrage of attacks, Erza didn't even bother to move.
"Requip: Adamantine Armor!"
A flash of light appeared, and a set of incredibly thick, indestructible silver armor, as solid as a mountain, instantly covered her entire body.
"Jingle bells!"
Cana's card struck the armor with a crisp sound, but it didn't even leave a scratch before falling limply to the ground.
"Now! Taurus!"
Lucy seized the opportunity while Cana was distracted.
"Axe Home Run!"
Taurus roared, his muscles bulging instantly, and the giant axe in his hand, carrying immense force, slammed down towards Erza's head.
Erza raised her head, and facing this blow that could split mountains and shatter rocks, she merely extended one arm encased in armor.
"Bang!"
The giant axe was firmly blocked.
No matter how hard Taurus tried, he couldn't move the axe blade forward even an inch.
"Moo! How... is this possible!" Taurus's bull eyes widened in disbelief.
Is this all there is to it?
Erza's voice came from beneath her armor, tinged with disappointment.
"If that's all, then you're seriously underestimating S-Class Mages."
Before he could finish speaking, a tremendous force came from his arm. Taurus didn't even have time to react before he and the axe in his hand were flung away and crashed heavily into a tree in the distance.
"Lucy, while your Celestial Spirit is powerful, your attack methods are too predictable and easy to understand."
As Erza spoke, she removed her Adamantine Armor and returned to normal.
"Cana, while your Card Magic is versatile, its power is insufficient to pose a threat to truly strong opponents."
She was like a strict teacher, pointing out their shortcomings without any mercy.
"Damn it..." Cana gritted her teeth, unwilling to give up, and launched another attack.
"How about this! Magic Card: Thunder!"
Several cards combined in mid-air, transforming into a thick bolt of lightning that struck Erza directly.
"Requip - Heaven's Wheel Armor!"
Erza remained calm and composed. In an instant, four enormous metal wings unfurled from her back, and countless sharp swords hovered behind her, radiating a chilling light.
Faced with the incoming lightning, she simply waved her hand lightly.
"Heavenly Wheel - Circle Sword!"
Several sharp swords spun rapidly, forming a shield of swords in front of her, easily diverting the lightning elsewhere.
"It's not over yet!" Lucy joined the battle once more.
"Open! Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!"
An archer dressed as a horse-headed mascot appeared in the arena.
"Hey, Sagittarius, reporting for duty!"
"Sagittarius! Cover fire!"
"Yes, sir! Hey, hey~"
Sagittarius immediately drew back his bowstring, and a barrage of magical arrows rained down on Erza.
"With the addition of ranged attackers, the tactics have indeed become more comprehensive."
Erza nodded, acknowledging their progress.
"But that's not enough."
"Heavenly Wheel - The Blazing Sword!"
All the swords behind her were drawn at that moment, transforming into streaks of silver light that drew dazzling yet deadly trajectories in the air.
"Ding ding!"
A series of rapid metallic clanging sounds rang out.
All of Sagittarius's arrows were shot down.
The chaotic rain of swords showed no sign of stopping, and instead turned its attack towards Lucy and Cana.
"Not good!"
"Get out of the way!"
The two rolled to either side in a disheveled manner, dodging the deadly attack.
"Hey! That's too dangerous! Hey!"
Sagittarius was also startled by the terrifying sword dance and quickly jumped aside.
"That's too strong..."
Lucy got up from the ground and looked at the figure that resembled a Valkyrie on the battlefield. For the first time, she felt a sense of powerlessness.
"Is this the Titania's power?"
Have you given up?
Erza's voice rang out again, earnest and with a hint of instruction.
"The enemies I encounter on S-Class missions are far more dangerous and ruthless than I am."
"If even I can't defeat you, how will you protect your comrades, how will you shoulder the responsibility of an S-Class Mage?"
"I haven't given up!" Cana stood up again, her eyes filled with unwavering determination.
"I promised my dad I'd show him what it's like to become S-Class Mage!"
"Me too!" Lucy took a deep breath, and her magic surged once more.
"I promised Cana I would help her become S-Class! Celestial Spirit Mage will never break a promise!"
The two looked at each other and saw an unwavering determination in each other's eyes.
"Cana, unleash your strongest attack!"
"Good!"
Cana took out all the magic cards and spun them rapidly in front of her, forming a complex magic circle.
"Lucy, I'm counting on you from now on!"
"Leave it to me!" Lucy nodded and took out two golden keys from her key pouch at the same time.
"Double Gate Opening!"
"Open! The Gate of Scorpio! Scorpio!"
"Open! The Gate of Virgo! Virgo!"
Accompanied by two golden lights, Scorpio, with a human body and a scorpion tail, and the pink-haired maid Virgo appeared on the field at the same time.
"Your Highness, are you going to punish me?" As soon as Virgo appeared, she struck a pose that suggested she was at his mercy.
"This is not the time to talk about this!"
Fine beads of sweat had formed on Lucy's forehead; maintaining two powerful Celestial Spirits simultaneously was a huge drain on her magical energy.
"Scorpio! Virgo! Buy me some time!"
"No problem!"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Virgo slammed her hands on the ground, activating earth magic to create earthen walls around Erza and restrict her movements.
Scorpio then took the opportunity to use his Sand Magic – Sand Binding.
"Double Gate Opening? You've certainly grown, Lucy." Erza watched this scene, a hint of approval flashing in her eyes.
"But this level of attack means nothing to me."
"Requip: Purgatory Armor!"
An even more terrifying and suffocating magical power erupted from Erza's body.
A set of ferocious armor, entirely black and covered in sharp spikes, replaced the ornate Heaven's Wheel Armor.
In her hand, a similarly enormous black serrated greatsword, filled with an ominous aura, appeared.
"I'm going to start pushing."
Erza's voice was like that of a demon king from the deepest abyss, cold and filled with despair.
She merely swung the greatsword in her hand casually.
A pure, unparalleled, terrifying power erupted instantly.
The earthen wall that Virgo had built was torn apart instantly, as if it were made of paper.
Taurus and Virgo didn't even have time to scream before they were blasted back to the Celestial Spirit World by that force.
Meanwhile, Cana was finally ready with her strongest attack.
"Card Magic: The Fate of Summoning Lightning!"
However, before she could release this power, Erza's figure appeared before her like a ghost.
The black, serrated greatsword was stopped less than a centimeter from her neck.
The chilling sword aura made the hairs on her body stand on end.
The light in Cana's hand vanished instantly.
"It's over."
Erza removed her Purgatory Armor, and her voice returned to its usual cool and aloof tone.
You've lost.
Lucy and Cana collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, their faces filled with resentment.
"Why..." Lucy asked, puzzled.
Why do we have to be so strict? Wasn't it said that it would be waterproof to some extent?
"Because S-Class means responsibility."
Erza turned around, looked at them, and said seriously, "Once you become S-Class, you will receive more dangerous missions and face more powerful enemies."
"If you lack sufficient strength and awareness, not only will you yourselves be in danger, but your clients and even the entire guild will be put in peril because of your weakness."
"My strictness is out of responsibility to you, and also to all my fellow members in the guild."
"I acknowledge your determination to become stronger, but you are not strong enough yet."
After saying that, Erza stopped looking at them and walked straight to the other side of the passage.
Although they lost the match, Lucy and Cana felt less disappointed after hearing Erza's words.
They understood.
Erza's strictness is a manifestation of her gentleness.
"Erza, next year, we'll definitely be stronger!"
Lucy shouted loudly at Erza's retreating figure.
"Then, I'll defeat you fair and square!"