The Battle Begins, Are You Trying to Kill Me, Friend?

Seeing this, Gray grew serious as well. He held one hand in a fist and the other open, overlapping them before his chest as he assumed the opening stance for his Ice Make magic.

"Then, 3... 2... 1! Duel start!" As the surrounding countdown reached zero, their duel officially began.

"Ice Make... Ice Make: Lancer!" Gray swept out his hands, sending frost flying as several ice lances formed in the air and shot toward Ed.

"A simple probe won't decide the winner." Ed casually tossed out a Flying Thunder God Kunai, which slipped through the gaps between the lances and flew toward Gray.

"Wait, isn't that newcomer planning to dodge?" Mira was puzzled when she saw that Ed had no intention of evading. He had even thrown some strange dart at Gray. "Maybe he has some kind of defensive method," Lisanna casually replied as she watched the scene.

Gray slightly turned aside to dodge the incoming kunai. Seeing that Ed was about to be struck by the ice lances yet still had no intention of dodging, he could not help saying, "Ed! Be careful! Don't get distracted! Focus on the duel!"

"Don't worry." Ed seemed to be paying no attention at all to the approaching lances. Instead, he stared at the kunai he had thrown and opened his mouth. "I am..." "Whoosh!" A flash of golden light passed, and Ed vanished from where he stood. "Very focused!" His voice came from Gray's side. "What?!" Gray had barely turned his head when a fist appeared before his eyes. In that split second, Gray had no time to dodge or activate his magic. He could only lean his upper body back and raise an arm in an attempt to block the blow.

The instant the fist met Gray's arm, an enormous force surged from Ed's punch. Gray instantly lost his balance and was sent flying.

What's with that strength? Isn't his magic spatial? How can he have so much power? But don't think you can beat me just because you're strong! Gray flipped through the air, adjusted his posture, and once again assumed the stance for his ice magic.

"Ice Make... Ice Make: Rocket Launcher!" Gray materialized an ice rocket launcher, aimed it at Ed, and decisively pulled the trigger. An icy cannonball shot toward Ed. At the same time, using the recoil, he cast again. "Ice Make... Ice Make: Spear Lancer!" More ice lances materialized and shot toward Ed's position.

"I'm not done yet!" Gray suddenly unleashed his magic power. "Ice Make... Ice Make: Siege Hammer!" A massive ice hammer formed in Gray's hands. He gripped its handle with all his strength and smashed the giant hammer down!

The billowing smoke obscured where Ed had just been. "Did I hit him?" Gray waved a hand, trying to disperse some of the smoke before him.

"Not at all." Ed's voice came from behind Gray. Gray's body instantly stiffened. "When?!" Before he could turn around, an immense force struck him in the butt.

Gray flew into the sky again. Enduring the sharp pain, he looked back and saw Ed withdrawing his kicked-out left leg. "Damn it, Ed! You actually kicked me in the butt! Ice Make... Ice Make: Great Axe!" Gray angrily materialized a gigantic axe and chopped it down at Ed.

"Come to think of it, you should have realized by now that you can't hit me like this." Accompanied by another flash of golden light, Ed appeared behind Gray again and kicked him from the air toward the ground.

Gray crashed heavily onto the ground and even bounced once. He appeared at that dart's location the first time he threw it. Then the next two times, he appeared behind me. Wait, could it be...

Gray climbed to his feet and turned to look at the arm he had used to block Ed's punch. There, he saw a strange black mark clearly imprinted on it, with unfamiliar magic power still clinging to it.

"So this is your magic, Ed! You teleport to places marked with an imprint, which is how you avoided those attacks just now. You marked me when you threw that first punch, didn't you?" Gray said in sudden realization.

"That's right, but knowing doesn't mean you can defend against it. Don't blink from here on out. It might be over in an instant." Ed took out six more Flying Thunder God Kunai, holding three between the fingers of each hand, then forcefully flung them out.

"Flying Thunder God! Pseudo Spiral Flash Super Round Dance Howl Third Style: Combo!!!!" With Ed's shout, he began his offensive.

Just as the kunai were about to hit him, Gray was preparing to dodge when a familiar flash of golden light appeared before him, followed by an immense force that sent him flying again.

"Damn..." Just as Gray prepared to adjust himself in midair, he suddenly noticed that the kunai Ed had thrown were flying backward around him as well. "Could it be..." Before he could finish, golden light began flashing continuously around him. The rapid flashes practically formed a line, and every flash was accompanied by a dull thud of impact.

"Oh~ That's amazing! Gray looks like he's about to lose. Is this newcomer going to win?" The onlookers exclaimed at the sight. "In a one-on-one situation like this, it seems really hard to win. Once you get touched, you're marked, and then it becomes even harder to dodge the attacks afterward."

"But Ed doesn't seem to have any other offensive magic right now. He just looks somewhat stronger than usual. If that's the case, Gray should still have a chance to win if he finds the right opportunity." Some armchair analysts also tried to find an opening for Gray.

"True, uncharged Monster Strength is still a little lacking. Then it's time to go all out!" Ed flashed to one side, clenched his right hand into a fist at his waist, and magic power surged throughout his body, gathering toward his right arm as he began charging Monster Strength.

Gray had only just landed and recovered from the barrage of attacks when he saw magic power surging around Ed as he assumed a charging stance. His hairs instantly stood on end, and he immediately activated his full defensive power. "Ice Make... Ice Make: Icebox!" A series of ice walls rose up, tightly enclosing Gray within. Seeing the ice walls around him, Gray let out a slight breath of relief.

Seeing that Gray had prepared his defense, Ed finished charging as well. He leaped high into the air above the Icebox and threw a punch. "Don't worry, I promise I won't kill you!"

As Ed's fist came down, the ice walls shattered and exploded like potato chips crushed beneath a foot. Boom—!

Ed's fist grazed past Gray's face and smashed into the ground. The instant it made contact, it was as if an earthquake had struck. First, spiderweb-like cracks appeared beneath Ed's fist, followed by a terrifying shockwave that roared outward in every direction.

Huge chunks of ground shattered and were blasted into the air. With a tremendous Hibiki, the entire street split apart as if it had suffered a magnitude seven or eight earthquake. Gray sat collapsed in a fissure in the ground, trembling as he said, "Isn't this a bit much, Ed? Are you trying to kill me?"

Ed waved a hand and eased the discomfort caused by the charging method he was not yet used to. "Don't worry. I didn't aim at you, so you won't die."

"What the hell have you done?!!!!!" Makarov, who had been watching, shouted in despair. "You tore up the entire street! Do you know how much the repairs will cost? Don't expect to see any of your income for the next year!!!" Looking at the ruined street, Makarov seemed on the verge of tears, his whole body appearing drained of color and turned gray-white.