The Demon Descends

With the bet settled, the playful banter in the center of the ring completely subsided.

Chapati, in the commentary booth, gripped the microphone tightly, pounding the table with excitement.

"Unbelievable! What was supposed to be a peaceful beauty pageant turned into a high-stakes gamble that could cost a person's entire career!"

Will Jenny defend her weekly champion title, or will Mirajane reclaim her former glory? The outcome hinges on this!

In the front row of the Blue Pegasus stands, Hibiki, Ren, and Eve were leaning on the railing, waving folding fans with Jenny's name on them.

"Miss Jenny, let's secure the victory decisively!"

Across the ring, Jenny stood with one hand on her hip, a smile playing on her lips.

Magic surged around him, forming a pale blue magic circle.

Jenny crossed her arms in front of her chest and let out a soft shout.

"Take Over Magic - Machina Soul!"

Countless metal parts appeared out of thin air and quickly assembled and covered the body surface.

The heavy steel breastplate fastened to the chest, the silver-white arm armor tightly wrapped around the arms, and the mechanical eyes lit up with cold, eerie blue light.

The two giant mechanical fists slowly tightened, and the power gears meshed and rotated rapidly at the joints.

Jenny raised her mechanical right arm and pointed it at Mirajane across from her.

"Take this, Mira!"

Mirajane looks slender and gentle, and she probably just serves tea and water at the guild. She would never have guessed that she was hiding the trump card of melee armor.

That punch would definitely make the other person cry their eyes out and obediently go and take nude photos.

Jenny's steel combat boots slammed into the ground.

The hard granite floor tiles dented and cracked on the spot.

Jenny's body, propelled by the recoil, transformed into a silvery-white steel afterimage, sweeping across the center of the arena.

The mechanical right fist, brimming with kinetic magic, hurtled straight towards Mirajane's chest with a piercing whistling sound.

Faced with this swift and fierce close-range punch, Mirajane didn't even take a single step back.

Mirajane stood there, a gentle smile still on her lips.

A profound and immense dark magic erupted from Mirajane's body.

Black magical marks spread rapidly along her slender neck to her cheeks, while her once smooth, flowing white hair fluttered and danced in the air.

A massive phantom of demonic bone wings unfurled behind Mirajane.

"Take Over the Satan Soul, Shuttley!"

The demon form has fully arrived.

Mirajane's clothes instantly transformed into a tight-fitting dark battle suit, a pair of sharp black demon horns sprouted from his forehead, and his feet transformed into sharp demon claws.

The magical barrier surrounding the entire arena rippled violently in that instant.

The immense pressure descended from nowhere, causing the stone bricks on the ground to crack and creak repeatedly.

Jenny's charging figure was momentarily halted by the violent magic, but the charged mechanical fist had already been released and there was no turning back.

Stop bluffing!

Jenny shouted and unleashed her full power with her right fist, slamming it forward without holding back.

Mirajane remained calm, casually raising her right arm, her slender demon claw outstretched in front of her.

Snap!

A crisp sound.

The heavy mechanical fist struck the demon's palm with pinpoint accuracy.

The stone bricks in front of him shattered and flew everywhere, but Mirajane did not retreat an inch.

The seemingly slender hand firmly grasped the steel mechanical fist weighing hundreds of kilograms, and five black demonic claws dug deep into the gaps in the armor.

Jenny's mechanical eyes flashed wildly, and the power wheel of her arm spun and smoked, yet it couldn't move forward an inch.

Mirajane tilted her head slightly, a dangerously curved smile playing on her lips.

"He hit really hard."

"Well then, it's my turn."

A clear, crisp voice rang out from close range.

Mirajane tucked his left arm to his waist, and a surge of dark purple, violent magic power gathered and compressed wildly at his fist.

Without any preparatory movement, the left fist slammed out from below.

Bang!!

The dull, muffled sounds of flesh colliding echoed throughout the entire venue.

The demonic fist slammed head-on into Jenny's chest and abdominal armor.

The sturdy alloy breastplate developed numerous cracks the instant it made contact, and then shattered into countless sharp metal fragments.

The immense impact force passed right through his body.

Jenny's mechanical armor disintegrated and scattered piece by piece, and she was thrown backwards for dozens of meters.

Jenny flew in a high arc, crashing heavily against the stone wall at the edge of the ring before rolling into the pit.

The [Machina Soul] armor covering his body completely vanished, returning him to his original thin clothing.

Jenny lay motionless in the rubble, completely incapacitated.

From the start to the end, it only took one punch.

The entire audience fell into a brief silence.

The referee rushed forward to check on Jenny's injuries, confirmed that she was completely unconscious, and immediately raised the green flag and blew the whistle with all his might.

The outcome is decided!

"Down! Winner— Fairy Tail Team B, Mirajane!"

The roar of the audience was like a flash flood, lifting the roof off.

Mirajane's demon horns and black wings faded rapidly, and she transformed back into a gentle and elegant beauty in a white dress.

Mirajane walked lightly across the ring and stopped in front of Jenny, who had just struggled to sit up.

Mirajane bent down, placed her hands on her knees, and looked at the other person with a smile.

"Miss Jenny, I'm really looking forward to your photo in the next issue of 'Weekly Sorcerer'!"

Jenny's mind had been blank until she heard those words, at which point she snapped back to reality.

The bet...

Full nude photos...

The next issue of the nationally distributed weekly magazine...

Jenny was struck dumb, clutching her blonde hair tightly with both hands, and collapsed onto the ring, sobbing uncontrollably.

"No!!"

"Publishing nude photos would mean everyone would see everything!"

"That's terrifying! How could someone possibly do something like that?! Waaaaah!"

In the stands of the Blue Pegasus, Hibiki, Ren, and Eve were completely petrified, turning into gray-white statues.

Three folding fans fell to the ground with a clatter.

"Miss Jenny... she actually lost..."

"And the consequences of losing are..."

In the commentary booth, Chapati gripped the microphone, repeatedly wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Unbelievable! This is absolutely incredible!"

"The second singles match of the second day of the Grand Magic Games ended in such a crushing defeat in an instant!"

"Jenny, the Blue Pegasus fighter, unleashed a full-force attack, which was completely blocked by Mirajane with a single hand. She couldn't even withstand a single blow!"

The former councilor next to him Yajima, picked up his teacup and spoke with a smile.

"Hehehe, young people are just too easily deceived by appearances."

"Although Jenny has gained considerable fame in the magazine industry in recent years, Mirajane is a true top-tier fighter on the real battlefield."

"You should know that seven years ago, Mirajane was also a top-tier S-Class Mage within Fairy Tail."

"Back then, the entire magic world called her 'Miraja'."

The expressions of the members from various guilds in the stands also changed.

In the stands where the Quatro Cerberus, Bacchus touched the gourd at his waist and whistled.

"Wow, what a dangerous woman. The purity of her demonic transformation just now was no less than Erza's."

On the Lamia Scale side, Jura also nodded solemnly.

"Fairy Tail is indeed unfathomable. Even after seven years of silence, everyone in the guild still possesses monstrous strength."

The audience was abuzz with discussion.

"Are you kidding me?! That stunningly beautiful woman who looks like she's serving tea and water actually killed a heavily armored mage with a single punch?!"

"She looks so gentle, but after transforming, she's a terrifying demon?!"

"What kind of monsters are these guild members made of?!"

Fairy Tail stands.

Lucy braced herself on the edge of the stone platform, staring blankly at Mirajane was gracefully waving from below the arena.

"Sister Mira... you resolved it so quickly! I thought it would take at least several rounds."

Gray crossed his arms and snorted coldly.

"Of course, when Mira gets serious, apart from Jiang Bai, there are very few people in the guild who dare to confront her head-on."

Natsu leaned over the railing and shouted loudly.

"Damn it! I want to join the fight too! Why are all the girls showing off their skills on the sidelines?!"

Jiang Bai sat on the bench, took a sip of juice, and remained completely calm.

"I told you long ago, Jenny has no chance of winning."

Lucy turned her head and looked at Jiang Bai.

"But Jiang Bai, were you serious about the second half of what you just said? If Sister Mira really loses, are you really planning to get rid of everyone in the know?"

Jiang Bai turned his head, looked at Lucy, and slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

What do you think?

Makarov on the platform was already dancing with joy, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Ten points! Another full ten points in the account!"

"Men! Get me the highest score! All the drinks tonight will be on the kingdom's tab!"

"Shouldn't it be in the guild account? What a stingy guild leader!"