A Duel Between Fellow Disciples!

In the center of the arena, two streams of ice-attribute magic collided head-on.

Lyon raised one hand, his fingers spread wide.

"Ice! Make! White Tiger!"

The ice rapidly solidified on the ground, transforming into a four-legged beast that opened its massive jaws and pounced directly at Gray.

Gray clenched his right fist and slammed it into his left palm, lowering his center of gravity.

"Ice! Make! Shield!"

A massive, round shield of ice flowers rose from the ground, firmly blocking the way.

The White Tiger crashed into the Ice Shield, scattering shards of ice everywhere.

Lyon touched the ground with one foot, leaped into the air, and swung his arm.

"Ice! Make! Ape!"

The giant Ice Ape swung its ice fist from the air, slamming it heavily onto the top of the Ice Shield.

Gray dispelled the Ice Shield with a backhand motion and then slammed his right fist upwards.

"Ice! Make! Lance!"

Dozens of sharp ice spears shot out from the ground, instantly piercing the Ice Ape in mid-air.

The Ice Ape shattered into countless ice shards in mid-air.

Lyon tumbled backwards onto the scattered ice, his feet sliding several meters across the stone slabs.

Gray didn't stop; he charged forward, his hands rapidly changing stances.

"Ice! Make! Battle Axe!"

A giant ice axe formed overhead, and Gray grabbed the handle and brought it down on his head.

Lyon dodged to the side, and the ice axe cleaved a crack several meters deep into the ground.

Lyon flicked out a stream of ice with his backhand.

"Ice! Make! White Dragon!"

The Ice Dragon circled and roared along the ground, crashing into Gray's side.

Gray tossed aside his Battle Axe and clasped his fists together in front of his chest.

"Ice! Make! Ice Wall!"

The thick ice wall blocked the Ice Dragon's charge, and the two magical forces were locked in a stalemate and neutralized each other in the center of the arena.

In the commentary booth, Chapati slammed his fist on the table.

"Both sides displayed an extremely high Molding Magic attack and defense from the very beginning!"

"The tactical counterplay between fellow disciples is absolutely brilliant!"

In the stands, Natsu leaned on the railing and shouted.

"Gray! Use your ultimate move to freeze that guy into an ice pop!"

Lucy reminded her from the side.

"Don't shout. Lyon is an ice mage; how could he be frozen so easily?"

Juvia clasped her hands together, her eyes fixed intently on the field.

"Go, Lord Gray! Juvia will always be on Lord Gray's side!"

In the Lamia Scale stands, Sherria waved.

"Lyon Leon, you absolutely cannot lose!"

Gray assumed a fighting stance, pressing his palms to the ground once more.

"Ice! Make! Hammer!"

A massive ice hammer materialized out of thin air above Lyon's head and slammed down with immense pressure.

Lyon braced himself with one hand on the ground and slid backward to dodge.

The ice hammer struck the ground, shattering the stone bricks within a ten-meter radius.

Lyon raised his arm as he glided.

"Ice! Make! Flock of Eagles!"

Dozens of eagles made of solid ice flapped their wings and swooped down in dense formation.

Gray clasped his hands together, and magic surged through his meridians.

"Ice! Make! Ice Scattershot!"

Countless ice projectiles rose into the sky like a torrential rain, precisely intercepting each Ice Eagle.

A series of loud crashes echoed through the air, and ice shards rained down across the entire arena.

Gray broke through the icy mist, conjuring an ice sword in his right hand, and thrust it straight at Lyon's face.

Lyon conjured an ice blade with a wave of his hand, blocking Gray's sword.

The swords clashed, producing a crisp, clear sound.

Lyon gripped the knife in one hand and pressed forward.

"Gray, your styling speed has indeed improved, but at this rate, you can't beat me."

Gray gripped his sword with both hands and pressed down, suppressing Lyon's blade.

"In seven years, besides talking more nonsense, you haven't improved your skills much."

Lyon stretched his left hand outward.

"Then you'll see clearly."

The shards of ice on the ground suddenly reformed, transforming into two ice snakes that lunged at Gray's legs.

The most distinctive feature of Dynamic Molding Magic is that it grants ice creatures the ability to move.

Gray was prepared and stomped his right foot heavily on the ground.

"Ice! Make! Ice Armor!"

A layer of extremely hard ice covered the surface of her legs, and the ice snake snapped its sharp teeth instantly when it bit into it.

Using the momentum, Gray twisted his body, his left fist imbued with magic, and slammed into Lyon's chest with a straight punch.

Lyon reacted extremely quickly, holding his ice blade across his chest.

The fist slammed into the ice skate, and the skate shattered instantly.

Using the force of the impact, Lyon flew backward for more than ten meters, leaving two white marks on the ground with his feet.

Gray flicked the ice shards off his fist.

"Animal designs are indeed diverse, but the stability and rigidity of casting spells with one hand can never match that with two."

Lyon steadied himself and brushed the ice shards off his shoulder.

"I have never forgotten Ur's teachings for a single day. One-handed spellcasting is my pursuit, but that doesn't mean I can't use both hands."

Gray paused for a moment.

Lyon raised his left hand, level with his right, and interlocked his fingers in front of his chest.

That's the standard starting stance for Ice-Make Magic.

Hands form a mudra.

Gray's heart sank.

This guy has always stubbornly insisted on performing hand seals with only one hand.

Now, they've actually taken the initiative to pose with their hands.

Lyon mobilized all his magical power, and a huge magic circle lit up under his feet.

"Ice! Make! Two-Headed Dragon!"

Two enormous ice dragons, several times larger than before, surged up from the magic circle, their scales clearly visible, radiating an overwhelming sense of oppression.

The Two-Headed Dragon not only possesses lifelike movements, but its hardness has also increased several times.

Gray no longer held back, clenching his fists tightly.

"Ice! Make! Ice Rampart!"

The massive iceberg defenses rose in layers, reaching a height exceeding halfway up the arena.

The Two-Headed Dragon crashed into the iceberg.

The first layer of Ice Wall broke.

Cracks appeared in the second layer of Ice Wall.

Gray channeled all his magic into his arms, forcefully stabilizing the third core Ice Wall.

The Two-Headed Dragon's head Crush upon impact, and its massive body disintegrated.

The shockwave swept away all the surrounding rubble.

Gray withdrew his hands and adjusted his breathing slightly.

"The power has increased by such a large amount?"

Lyon swiftly approached, stepping across the broken ice, his hands forming hand seals once more.

"Ice! Make! Snow Tiger Pack!"

Three enormous snow tigers attacked from three directions.

Gray pressed his hands to the ground.

"Ice! Make! Ice Holy Sword!"

Two enormous Ice Blades rose from the ground, swept across the front, and cut the two snow tigers in half at the waist.

The third snow tiger pounced on Gray.

Gray dodged the attack by tilting his head, and with a backhand chop, shattered the snow tiger's head.

Lyon had already closed the distance to within three meters of him.

Lyon pushed forward with both hands.

"Ice! Make! Giant's Arms!"

A gigantic ice fist slammed into Gray's face.

Instead of retreating, Gray advanced, pushing both palms forward as well.

"Ice! Make! Giant's Arms!"

The two enormous ice fists collided head-on.

The two ice fists exploded in mid-air, turning into a sky full of icy mist.

The two simultaneously unleashed close-combat techniques within the mist.

Fists and feet clashed, Ice Blades crossed.

Gray shattered Lyon's foothold with a sweeping kick.

Lyon used the momentum to leap into the air and delivered a knee strike to Gray's chin.

Gray crossed his hands and pressed down to block the knee strike, then grabbed Lyon's ankle and slammed him to the ground.

Lyon conjured an ice rope in mid-air, wrapped it around a pillar at the edge of the arena, forcibly pulled himself to change his landing direction, and landed steadily ten meters away.

The audience erupted in cheers.

In the commentary booth, Chapati's voice trembled with excitement.

"Neither side showed any hesitation, and the speed at which offense and defense shifted was unbelievable!"

"Whether it's long-range aerial combat or close-quarters melee, they're evenly matched!"

In the Fairy Tail rest area, Erza, holding a longsword, gave her evaluation.

"Lyon has overcome the instability of his one-handed stance, and his strength has improved significantly compared to seven years ago."

Mirajane smiled and nodded.

"Gray hasn't used all his cards yet either; the two of them are too familiar with each other's moves."

Jiang Bai leaned back in his chair, watching the flow of magic within the arena.

"A duel between magics of the same origin is a contest of understanding ice and magical endurance; whoever reveals a weakness first will be at a disadvantage."

On the field, Gray and Lyon each created some distance between themselves.

Both of them were expending a great deal of energy, and their breathing became heavy.

Lyon wiped the icy water off his chin.

"Gray, let's finish this with the final blow."

Gray clasped his hands back together in front of his chest.

"That suits me perfectly."

Their magical powers simultaneously reached their peak.

The entire stone slab inside the arena was covered with a thick layer of white frost.

Lyon raised his hands, and a magic circle expanded above his head.

"Ice! Make! Absolute Zero Bird!"

A colossal ice bird with a wingspan exceeding twenty meters gathered in mid-air, its body surrounded by piercingly cold air. It emitted a sharp cry and swooped down with destructive pressure.

Gray's feet sank deep into the stone slabs, his hands forming the most intricate hand seals.

"Ice! Make! Seven Consecutive Stars of Ice!"

Seven enormous ice pillars rose from the ground in the formation of the Big Dipper, their tops radiating blinding magical light that transformed into seven beams of light that shot into the sky, directly meeting the ice bird's attack.

The bombardment erupted in the very center of the arena.

The ice bird was pierced through its body by seven beams of light, and the huge block of ice shattered in mid-air.

The remaining power of the beam was also completely frozen and sealed off by the ice bird's extreme cold.

Shards of ice rained down on the entire arena like Tempester.

Gray and Lyon charged at each other the instant the ice shards fell.

Gray's right hand transformed into a fist of solid ice.

Lyon also conjured a blade of ice.

Fist clashed with Ice Blade.

The ice shattered, and the two figures flew backward simultaneously, crashing heavily into the ruins behind them.

The smoke and icy fog slowly dissipated.

Gray braced himself with one hand on the ground, swaying as he straightened up, his right arm hanging at his side.

Lyon leaned against a stone pillar, barely managing to stand, his right shoulder covered in a layer of frost.

The two stared at each other, their magical energy completely depleted, neither possessing the strength to unleash another powerful attack.

The Pumpkin -headed referee jogged into the field, checking the condition of the two players from both sides.

The countdown on the magic crystal on the high platform reached zero, emitting a clear chime.

When--!

Time has run out.

Chapati, in the commentary booth, grabbed the megaphone and announced loudly.

"Time's up! Neither player has lost consciousness, but neither is able to continue their effective attack!"

According to the rules of the Grand Magic Games, this match is declared a draw!

"Gray from Fairy Tail Team A and Lyon from Lamia Scale have each scored 5 points for their respective guilds!"

The audience immediately erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.

In the stands, Natsu, though somewhat disappointed that the match hadn't ended in a draw, still pumped his fists in excitement.

"Well played, Gray!"

Juvia clutched her heart with both hands, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Lord Gray is safe and sound! That's wonderful! Lord Gray is so cool!"

On the stands of Lamia Scale, Obaba spun around and shouted.

"A draw is good too! Five points are still points! Well done, Lyon!"

Inside the arena, Gray walked up to Lyon and extended his right hand to Lyon.

Lyon glanced at Gray's hand, then raised his hand and shook it firmly with Gray's.

"How does it feel to form hand seals?" Gray asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lyon curled his lip.

"It is indeed a bit stronger than one hand, but I haven't given up on Juvia."

Gray was immediately speechless and flinched away from Lyon's hand.

"Can you please stop bringing that up?"

Lyon straightened his tattered collar and turned to walk towards the passage to the Lamia Scale.

"I'll definitely beat you next time."

"You bastard! Don't come here again!"