Fading Is the Fate of Love and Life

As he spoke, Udal stomped his guitar to pieces, tore off a thin string, and wrapped it around his neck.

"Don't."

Udal looked at Ifrit with pleading eyes.

Yet his hands suddenly tightened.

Hiss—

Lucy and Juvia hurriedly turned away.

"Rest for a while before moving on. In your condition, it'll be troublesome if you run into a powerful enemy. There's no need to worry about Natsu and Gray."

"The potion is in your pockets. Lucy, you know how to use it."

After saying that, Ifrit left.

"Ifrit feels really scary," Juvia said.

"Well," Lucy sighed, "in a situation like this, I suppose we can trust him."

"Gray..." Juvia placed a hand over her chest and prayed devoutly. "I hope you'll be safe."

"Natsu," Lucy murmured as well, "you won't lose, right?"

Cough, cough.

Coughing came from ahead.

Ifrit passed through the corridor, and the space suddenly opened up.

It was a vast room, with many birdcages hanging in the air from iron chains.

An enemy stood ahead.

A muscular brute with an owl's head.

There were remnants of ice nearby. It seemed he had just been defeated as Gray's opponent.

"Such a defeat..." Owl struggled to prop himself up. "It cannot be called justice!"

"Only true justice—the justice I acknowledge—can defeat me!"

Tap.

Footsteps approached.

Owl turned toward the newcomer. "Are you a companion of that ice user? Wait a moment. I'll be back on my feet soon!"

"Your resolve is admirable, but..." Ifrit slowly drew his sword.

"Taking advantage of someone like this cannot be called justice!" Owl's heart jolted. He unleashed his potential and stood up.

But then he took a vicious kick to the stomach!

He stared in confusion at the enemy walking toward him from afar. Who had kicked him?

Still bewildered, Owl flew out through the passage and fell downward.

He was not a real bird, and his flying magic item was already gone.

"This is no ending befitting justice."

Splat.

A long wooden bridge.

Cherry blossoms drifting down like snow.

The sounds of battle continued without end.

This swordsmanship master who spoke with a Kansai accent put Erza under immense pressure.

She had equipped several sets of armor in succession, yet every one had been cut apart by her opponent.

What a powerful woman. As expected of the Fairy Queen—her magic power was enough to inspire fear!

But the Mugetsu Style my master taught me is no weaker!

The ultimate swordsmanship can cut through magic!

"Even in a world of magic, swordsmanship will not decline. There are simply fewer people willing to train in it seriously."

"Everyone wishes to become a great mage, believing that there is nothing besides magic that can change their fate."

"But—"

"They have overlooked the path of weaponry—the power belonging to those without magical talent—which has been passed down since the dawn of human civilization, since people first forged cold weapons from bronze and iron."

Banjou gripped her sword hilt while Erza's expression turned grave.

"Magic is dazzling, like the sun in the sky."

"The radiance of swords can also reflect the moonlight in the heavens."

"Fairy Queen, my name is Banjou. Mugetsu Style—Banjou!"

In nearly an instant, Banjou appeared before Erza!

Requip!

Erza hurriedly switched into another set of armor, a longsword in hand.

But Banjou was too fast!

Slash!

In an instant, Erza's armor was cut apart!

Erza quickly retreated.

Heavenly Wheel Armor!

The magnificent Heavenly Wheel Armor had four steel wings. Not only did it boast exceptional offense and defense, but it also came with many weapons.

Heavenly Wheel—Cycle Sword!

Dozens of swords spun as they flew toward Banjou.

Banjou remained completely calm. Holding her sword hilt, she elegantly stepped half a pace back.

Mugetsu Style: Yasha Senku.

In an instant, countless flashes of blades filled the air.

Every one of Erza's Cycle Swords was shattered!

So strong!

Erza's heart skipped a beat.

Banjou leaped before her.

This is bad!

Erza hurriedly raised her sword to block.

Crack!

Her armor shattered on the spot.

Her sword was too fast!

And far too sharp!

Erza hurriedly retreated.

Mugetsu Style— Banjou held her sword hilt and spun once. Garuda Flame.

The sparks bursting from her blade transformed into towering flames!

Fire Emperor Armor!

Erza hurriedly changed into armor with high fire resistance.

Yet the razor-sharp sword force of the Mugetsu Style still drove her back. The Fire Emperor Armor on her body creaked and cracked, letting out a mournful cry of breaking apart.

Requip!

Black armor appeared on Erza's body, and she wielded a massive serrated blade.

"I can't hold back with this armor," Erza said.

"Come at me," Banjou replied fearlessly.

Boom!

The fierce battle erupted.

Erza's strikes were heavy, and Banjou dared not take them head-on.

But Banjou was fast, and Erza suffered quite a few setbacks as well.

The intense battle nearly destroyed the entire area.

In the end, Banjou held a slight edge.

Boom!

Erza was forced back to Sho's side. Her armor was in tatters, and her serrated greatblade had broken as well.

"Big sister!" Sho cried in alarm. "Even someone as powerful as you can't defeat her?!"

"That's not it, Sho." Erza recalled her Purgatory Armor.

She walked straight toward Banjou.

"Have you given up resisting?" Banjou frowned slightly.

"I'm not powerful..." Erza requipped.

The new outfit was not armor. It was merely a pair of red trousers, with only strips of cloth covering her upper body—she had abandoned all defense!

"But whether it's your lives or Natsu's lives, I have to bear them with me and keep moving forward—"

"I will never fall!"

Two longswords appeared in Erza's hands. She stared at Banjou with unwavering eyes. "Your swordsmanship is incredibly powerful, but... I have a reason I absolutely cannot lose to you!"

Banjou smiled faintly, her hand gripping the hilt as her red lips parted. "Fading is the fate of love and life."

Boom!

Erza unleashed her magic power with all her strength and leaped toward Banjou!

Emily must survive.

Raid... must become an example for his younger siblings.

Banjou smiled faintly. As she swung her sword at Erza, her fingers loosened from the hilt.

Slash!

In an instant.

The victor was decided.

Banjou's long sword shattered, and her beautiful kimono was completely dyed red with blood.

"Why?" Erza turned around, frowning at Banjou's back.

"Because cherry blossoms bloom for only a week, they are all the more precious."

Banjou fell.

Her consciousness gradually blurred.

Memories of the past flooded into her mind—

A cute little girl asked, "Master? Why is our swordsmanship called the Mugetsu Style?"

Lying in bed, a thin woman with a pale face smiled. "Magic is like the miracle of the sun—"

"It makes flowers bloom in spring; makes leaves flourish in summer; makes fruit ripen in autumn; and brings warmth to people in winter."

"Such a wondrous power, isn't it?"

"But not everyone possesses powerful magic."

"Does that mean those without powerful magic, those without the talent to become mages, cannot create miracles?"

"No."

"The moon can create miracles too!"

"When the sun is absent, it can dispel darkness and guide those traveling at night. It can also move the seas and form beautiful tides."

"The Mugetsu Style, this swordsmanship—allows every practitioner to become that gentle moon, then pass on the miracle of that gentleness—letting countless moons illuminate a world without the sun, so that the one moon in the sky will no longer be alone."

"When there are more moons, when those moons accomplish miracles like the sun's, then—what would there be to grieve over, even if I no longer existed?"

"Banjou, you are very much like me. I never intended to teach you, but this was your choice."

"Perhaps one day, like me, you will become a moon that quietly fades in a world where the light of countless moons has driven away the darkness."

"Like this beautiful flower, a thing that can convey and preserve love—it will always fade. That is its fate."

"But new love can grow beside it."

"Banjou, are you afraid of fading like it?"