"I've finally waited for this moment... Father, let me show you the fruits of my labor all these years." Cana murmured to herself, her aura growing ever stronger as she channeled all her Magic Power into herself.
The cards spun around Cana's body, controlled by Magic Power.
"Oh, not bad! Looks like you're ready. Well then..." Gildarts's eyes narrowed slightly, and he immediately assumed a fighting stance, waiting for Cana to attack.
Cana turned to Lucy and gestured, Lucy immediately understood and nodded, ready to go.
"Fountain of Prayer"
"The Ice Pillar of the Grim Reaper"
Cana then flicked two cards with her fingers, one after the other, and flew rapidly towards Gildarts.
In the instant they approached Gildarts.
Countless water whips radiated outwards from the card as the center, launching Magic wide-range attack, but Gildarts remained calm, reaching out a hand in a flash of white light.
It was instantly bounced away and disintegrated.
Lucy, however, seized the opportunity and plunged the Aquarius key into a drop of water.
"Now... open the Gate of Aquarius — Aquarius!"
"Ding-dong!" As soon as the door opened, Aquarius stepped out of the star gate, carrying a treasure bottle.
"Aquarius, take down the enemy over there..."
"Hey... Lucy... don't you know I'm on a date... do you want to die..." Aquarius was about to unleash her anger the moment she came out, but before she could finish speaking...
But suddenly she felt a powerful Magic Power pressing down on her.
Aquarius also realized in an instant that now was not the time to discipline Lucy. The oppressive feeling made her understand that the battle in front of her was extremely serious and not something she could joke about.
"We're free now, Aquarius! This battle is crucial!"
"Tch~ I know! Your Magic Power is too weak. I'll disappear after this attack, so be careful afterwards!"
After Aquarius finished speaking coldly, her expression also became solemn, and the water in the treasure bottle she held up seemed to flow endlessly.
"Hydrological Storm"—under its control, the water flow formed a waterspout at Gildarts' feet, completely engulfing Gildarts, during which Gildarts remained completely still.
"Poof!" Cana snapped her fingers, and the Death Ice Pillar card was activated instantly, forming ice spikes from a water tornado.
"Did it work?" Lucy asked, noticing this.
"Still far from it. That man... it would be good if his attacks could even restrict his movements a little bit." Aquarius said with one hand on her hip, her tone heavy.
She knew about that attack when she was manipulating the water flow. The water flow was immediately broken up as soon as it got close. There's probably an empty space in the center now, and the person is standing there perfectly fine!
"Okay, I have a date with my boyfriend, remember, my boyfriend... Goodbye... Hahaha." After explaining, Aquarius glanced at her boyfriend and showed off, then covered her mouth and laughed wildly.
"Why do you have to say it twice! Ugh, it's always like this." Lucy was clearly hit where it hurt, and she was jumping up and down angrily, venting her anger with both hands and feet.
Cana's figure flashed, and Armament Haki immediately covered her left foot, her Magic Power condensing into a single point.
In an instant, it reached directly above Gildarts and kicked downwards.
"Painful Sky Leg!"
"Oh, I accept this attack!"
Gildarts grinned, pleased that another promising talent had emerged in the Fairy Tail. He clenched his fist and clenched it forcefully.
The instant of contact.
"Bang!" The icicle exploded.
"Boom~"
The entire cave began to tremble under their power, and cracks spread across the ground like a spider web, as wind pressure instantly swept through the cave.
Gildarts's feet trembled slightly, and the ground shattered instantly, acting as a cushion.
"Ahhh~" Lucy quickly hugged a stone pillar, her whole body was already being blown up, barely managing to avoid being blown away.
"But you're still too hasty!" Gildarts said, and a flash of white light appeared in his hand.
A violent explosion erupted inside the cave.
Lucy's hands were thus about to break free.
Smoke billowed up.
Cana had already used the momentum to jump away, grabbed Lucy, and stood in front of Lucy, where a golden Holy Shield rose up.
With a flick of his wrist, a card shot out instantly, transforming into Wind Blade that attacked Gildarts.
The smoke was thus dispersed.
"Are you alright, Lucy? I'm sorry, I didn't pay attention to you just now." Cana asked Lucy with concern.
"N-nothing... Cana, you... you're so strong!!" Lucy looked at Cana in shock. That attack just now really hit her hard. It was so cool.
This was the first time she had ever seen Cana so rough.
"Clap clap~" Gildarts clapped his hands, his expression full of admiration, for being able to abandon his next attack in an instant to help his comrade.
Logically speaking, this hurdle can be considered cleared; the attack power has reached a certain standard, and the character has passed the test.
However, he now inexplicably wanted to see what the girl would do next, and he was very excited, as if his own child had performed exceptionally well, and he felt very proud.
Gildarts was also slightly puzzled by this inexplicable mental barrier, but he didn't dwell on it, simply taking it as an expectation he had for the younger members of the Fairy Tail.
"Lucy, I might not be able to look after you much from now on. Take these cards; they'll protect you." Cana took out a few "Holy Shield" cards from among the cards around her and handed them to Lucy.
"Okay... Cana, when will you tell me..."
"I don't want him to go easy on me because of this. I want to become S-Class Mage through my own strength!" Cana said softly, slowly standing up, her resolve growing stronger.
Thank you, Lucy!
After Cana finished speaking, her body sank slightly, and she stomped her foot with a loud thud.
The sound ceased, and he was already on Gildarts's right side, unleashing a punch. "Superhuman Strength!"
Gildarts dodged to the right, but the next attack came from the right.
With a punch thrown, the wind pressure surged again the instant they met, causing Gildarts to pause. The two then began a Physical Arts clash.
Fortunately, with the card given by Cana, a Holy Shield enveloped Lucy, preventing her from being affected by the aftermath of the battle.
"Your Physical Arts are really impressive! And that strength is truly remarkable!"
Gildarts sighed inwardly. He crossed his arms and blocked Cana's right straight punch.
The ground collapsed again, and the pain in my arm was extremely intense.
Cana seized the opportunity to activate several Magic cards, which, even if they had no effect, could still cause a slight disturbance.
The Magic and Physical Arts attacks, and the resulting destruction, left Lucy stunned.
She really hadn't expected Cana to fight Gildarts to this extent; the way she combined Magic and Physical Arts attacks was so seamless. If her opponent were her...
She had long since finished her game, and now she was starting to admire Cana, silently cheering Cana on in her heart.
The frequent vibrations also reached several nearby channels.
On Zorn's side.
The passageway trembled slightly, and loose stones fell down.
"What's wrong, Natsu? Your strength should be more than this!"
"Damn it!"
Everything around was already riddled with holes, and the ground had collapsed into a large crater.
Natsu was lying right in the middle of the crater, straining slightly as he tried to stand up.
Zorn was also crouching beside the pit, propping his head up with one hand, teasing Natsu with a playful expression.
"Natsu..." Happy looked at Natsu with a worried expression, silently cheering him on in his heart.
To be continued~