Minerva chased forward, her right hand holding a colorful light ball, swiping it forward.
Kana raised her hand to block, not expecting the light ball to suddenly expand, exploding violently when it reached a height taller than a person.
The intense shockwave sent her flying.
Kana grunted, flying back twenty or thirty meters before crashing to the ground, rolling backward and quickly adjusting into a crouching position while rolling.
The knees of her capri pants were torn, revealing shallow scratches, and there were bruises on her shoulders and elbows. Her messy long hair was dusted with dirt, making her look a bit disheveled.
However, Kana's face showed no sign of discouragement: "It seems you're not someone who can be defeated easily."
Minerva smiled, "You also appear to be someone who can at least give this girl a little thrill."
Kana retrieved two cards and charged forward, tossing them left and right to create an opening to get close.
Minerva effortlessly dealt with the flying cards, occasionally paying attention to where the unexploded cards landed.
As Kana was about to approach, Minerva waved her hand, and a semi-transparent sphere taller than two people enveloped Kana.
"So heavy! It's like my body is filled with lead..." Kana's steps slowed, her knees slightly bending.
But after a brief adjustment, she quickly sprinted again: "I just need to get out of this space!"
"That's right, but..." Minerva flipped her palm, and the sphere covering Kana gradually turned red, finally exploding with a loud bang.
BOOM...
An exaggerated explosion sounded in the arena, the ground shattered, and flames shot into the sky.
"Ugh..." Kana let out a soft cry of pain, charging out from the firelight, her pants frayed, her hair singed, as two golden glowing cards in her left hand disintegrated into light.
Those were her two defense cards: Wall of Strength and World Guardian.
"Let's see how this move fares?" Kana swung her right fist heavily towards Minerva, "Smash!"
Minerva once again conjured a colorful light ball for defense.
But unexpectedly, as soon as the small ball touched Kana's fist, it shattered into small pieces from the inside out, as if it had been sliced by the most masterful swordsmanship.
Minerva herself was also hit by a powerful magic power.
"Ah..." This time it was Minerva who flew backward, falling to the ground, her white shawl shattered, the hem of her qipao torn, the white long gloves on her hands scratched with holes from the ground.
At this moment, a scruffy uncle who was watching the broadcast of this match from afar burst into laughter with delight.
In a moment of unwary glee, he caused the ground beneath him to crack like a cobweb, startling those around him who thought it was an earthquake and crouched down nearby to avoid it.
Yet the battle had not ended, Minerva's body once again melded into that peculiar space.
Kana took two steps forward, vigilantly observing her surroundings.
Minerva, precisely two steps behind her, appeared.
A smile tugged at Kana's lips, and she pointed down at her feet: "The Summoned Thunder of Fate!"
However, the pre-positioned card failed to activate, and upon closer inspection, it was already enveloped by a tiny colorful light ball.
Minerva reached out her right hand, the colorful light ball in her palm rapidly extending to ensnare Kana's ankle.
With a flick of her arm, Kana's body lost balance, being swung and hurled towards the arena's wall by the 'Light Belt'.
The wall shattered, and Kana landed on the ground surrounded by falling stones.
Panting heavily, she stood up, gritting her teeth: "Your magic is really versatile."
Minerva replied: "Your endurance to being beaten is also somewhat surprising."
"I'll return the same words to you." Kana drew a bunch of cards, preparing a feint to buy time to think of a countermeasure.
The woman in front of her seemed to be just like her, an almost flawless all-around mage.
In terms of defensive abilities and surprise attack tactics, she might even be above her.
What kind of magic is that anyway?
The two resumed their battle, trying a few moves with long-range attacks, close combat, and trap ambushes...
Those powerful explosion and smashing magics alike were also used by both at opportune moments.
The spacious, flat arena was torn to shreds by the two combatants.
Their clothes were similarly tattered, both of them bearing wounds.
Overall, Kana seemed to suffer more — Minerva's magic was incredibly convenient.
Throughout the entire arena, no matter where Kana hid, near or far, it all seemed within her attack range.
Nearly twenty minutes passed, and Kana clutched her left arm while Minerva no longer wore a casual expression, both standing twenty meters apart.
After a brief standstill, Kana seemed to have thought of something and charged forward.
Glancing at Jerman in the spectator stand, Minerva stood her ground, casually responding to the swiftly approaching Kana.
"Smash!"
Feeling the distance was just right, Kana directly punched the ground.
A hum of white light flashed, and the ground within tens of meters shattered into blocks of earth and stone.
Under Kana's deliberate control, the blocks were not evenly shattered this time, tumbling towards the middle with a crash.
Minerva's footing faltered, causing her to fall toward the center of the pit with the stones.
She suddenly saw many untriggered cards mixed with the stones rolling towards the center and realized Kana's plan.
Thus, when she fell down, she 'unintentionally' pressed a 'Death God' card.
"Death God's Ice Pillar!"
The Death card successfully activated, freezing Minerva inside.
Kana leaped forward over the debris, punching the ice pillar.
The ice shattered, and Minerva cried out, her body flying backward before landing on the ground and closing her eyes.
Pumpkin Man confirmed Minerva's condition and announced, "The match is over, Fairy Tail A Team, Kana wins!"
Kana was puzzled, but since the referee had declared the result, she had no choice but to smile and raise her right fist, welcoming the applause and cheers from the audience.
Rhode looked at Minerva, puzzled: "An actor?"
Some more observant people were equally baffled; they thought Minerva's final act would be some tactic, but she lost just like that?
Minerva was carried off by medical personnel, and Kana went directly to Team B to find Wendy.
The commentators were already reviewing today's spectacular scenes, summarizing the results of the three days of competition.
Jabadi: "Fairy Tail B Team has already scored a total of 56 points, while A Team has 42 points. The third place, Dragon's Treasure, just has 24 points... Truly incredible."
Lahar: "Actually, Fairy Tail still has Mr. Kildas who hasn't appeared. If he were here...
"It's truly like the previous Fiore's First Guild, such a landslide lead almost securing first place, right?"
Jabadi: "You can't say that, the upcoming events may not necessarily favor Fairy Tail, other teams still have a chance."
Yajima: "Hmm... Keep it up."
As the commentators continued their exchange, both participants and the audience orderly exited, and the construction crew was once again called to work overtime.
Sitting in the spectator stands, Jerman, the president of the penultimate ranked Sabertooth, sat motionless with a somber face, not leaving for a long time.