Minerva's scream rang out from within the flames.
She was struck head-on by Explosive Flame and sent flying backward off the ground.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Her body scraped across the ground the entire way.
Rubble and blood scattered in her wake.
At last, she crashed into the wall at the edge of the plaza.
Boom!
The wall caved inward.
Minerva slid down from the wall and collapsed onto the ground.
She never got back up.
Her tattered clothes were still smoking.
The magical response from her body had completely vanished.
Minerva lay on her side, tears silently streaming down her face.
No one knew whether she was regretting her actions or unwilling to accept defeat in this battle.
The flames gradually dispersed.
Lu Chongwei stood amid the ruins.
He raised his right fist high above his head.
The announcement overhead followed.
"Fairy Tail's Lu Chongwei has defeated Sabertooth's Minerva!"
"Fairy Tail earns points!"
"With a total of seventy-five points, they remain firmly in first place!"
After a brief silence, the entire arena erupted.
One hundred thousand spectators rose to their feet, their cheers bursting from the stadium.
"Lu Chongwei!"
"Fairy Tail!"
"Champions!"
Chapati Lola stood at the commentator's desk, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"They won!"
"Contestant Minerva has completely lost her ability to fight!"
"With overwhelming strength, contestant Lu Chongwei has once again secured crucial points for Fairy Tail!"
Yajima looked over the scenes from around the arena.
Very few contestants remained.
He quickly noticed a problem.
"It isn't over yet."
Chapati Lola froze for a moment.
"What?"
Yajima pointed at the scoreboard.
"Sabertooth still has one contestant on the field."
The broadcast director immediately switched the view.
In a secluded alley, Sting sat on the ground with his back against the wall.
He had no obvious