Looking at the sturdy armor, Rhode hesitated to make a move.
It wasn't that he couldn't break through the defense, but it seemed a shame to damage it.
Breaking ordinary armor in training isn't too bad, but this one looks really expensive, not worth going all out.
However, he thought Erza wouldn't maintain her defense state for long.
Indeed, Erza had ambition. Seeing Rhode not immediately pursuing, she actively switched to the Flying Armor and quickly charged towards Rhode.
Rhode was calm and unhurried, his right hand transformed into a black-red Dragon Claw, and he punched forward with force:
"Big Fireball!"
Bright red light shone from Rhode's fist, and streams of scalding lava surged forward, forming a gigantic fist like a mountain.
The scalding lava emitted astonishing heat; at such close range, even with the Flying Armor's speed, there was no escape from the coverage of this huge fist.
Even the companions watching from afar could feel the power of that gigantic lava fist.
"Hey, is Rhode trying to kill Erza?"
"This move is too exaggerated!"
"Don't worry, if it's a fire-type attack, Erza has the Flame Emperor's Armor!"
"I think we should move back a little more..."
The lava fist surged forward, and Erza was engulfed in a sea of red.
But soon, a figure with twin red ponytails, clad in a red armor, carrying a red great sword, leaped out; it was Erza, who had switched to the Flame Emperor's Armor.
However, even after switching to an armor that can resist Fire Magic, Erza still had burns on her body, and she showed a slight pained expression when she landed.
But she did not pause; wielding the great sword with both hands, she took two steps forward and forcefully swung it.
Some flames and lava still lingered on the blade — she had just used this sword to slice through the lava defense.
Rhode smiled, his left hand also transformed into a Dragon Claw, grabbing Erza's blade as his right hand thrust forward:
"Dragon Fang Red Lotus!"
Rhode's right hand emitted a dragon head formed of lava, which charged directly at Erza's chest.
Erza hurriedly released the sword handle, abandoning the power struggle with Rhode, but only managed to slightly sidestep, with the lava dragon head hitting her left shoulder.
"Ah..."
The Flame Emperor's Armor couldn't defend against Rhode's attack, and Erza cried out in pain, knocked backward.
As she was about to flip in the air, she glimpsed a flash of golden light and quickly shielded her head with her hands.
A fist shimmering with lightning struck Erza's arm, causing her to fly in another direction.
Before she could regain her footing, Rhode's figure continued to pursue...
From afar, everyone watched in astonished silence as Erza was completely suppressed by Rhode and Laxus, almost unable to counterattack.
Li Li exclaimed, "So intense, that Erza actually..."
Carla said, "Probably because those two are too strong?"
"Aye, Natsu would have the same result against just one of them anyway." Kana said, "At least Erza can occasionally change her armor for defense; if it were other mages using the same magic, they might have already..."
Before the words finished, the mountains nearby couldn't withstand the impact, rumbling and collapsing.
Thanks to the mountain, Erza gained a slight respite.
She knew that using conventional combat methods, it was nearly impossible to win against these two.
The aim of today's battle was to see how far she could go by giving it her all.
Hence, Erza decisively made her choice, staking all her Magic Power in a gamble: "Requip·Celestial Armor!"
Majestic war blade, white ribbons, golden shoulder guards, a broad chest...
At the moment of transformation completion, astonishing Magic Power erupted; from the aspect of Magic Power alone, Erza now was not at all inferior to Laxus and Rhode's currently displayed strength.
Makarov was simultaneously delighted and surprised.
Delighted because the children have grown so fast, Erza has improved significantly since the Great Demon Fighting Martial Arts.
Surprised that continuing to let them fight would easily lead to injuries, as well as property loss.
However, given the distance, he was unable to stop them in time, only painfully shouting:
"Everyone, keep retreating!"
Elfman was the most obedient, immediately protecting his sister while fleeing; though others hesitated briefly, they started to move as well.
Before they could run far, they heard a soft call behind them:
"Celestial One God·Starcloth!"
In an instant, the earth shook, and amidst the mountains, brilliance erupted.
Wendy, unable to maintain her stance, directly fell to the ground, simply curling up and shielding her head to defend.
Gajeel, stubbornly tough, covered himself with a layer of Iron Scales, raised his arms over his forehead, deliberately lingering at the rear, enduring falling rocks and fierce winds, fixedly watching the battlefield.
Makarov, realizing the danger, transformed into a Giant, using the Giant stance to deploy the Three Pillars, protecting most of them.
Though the battle occurred in the mountainous region to the west, those in Magnolia felt the tremors.
Initially unaware of the cause, the intense light caught their attention.
At sunset, people suddenly noticed the sky seeming brighter.
"There appears to be an extra sun over there!"
"What's that? Are there enemies attacking again?"
"I heard Fairy Tail has been training there recently."
"Oh... then see you tomorrow."
"Want to go to the tavern for a drink?"
"Forget it, my wife is waiting for me to have dinner at home."
A mere earthquake, and in all likelihood man-made, there's no reason to fear it.
Residents were accustomed to this, after brief discussions, each returned home.
Some even planned to visit Fairy Tail — judging by the timing, it's about the time they'd return.
Wonder how many were carried back today... seems like it's worth setting up a betting pool.
As the residents thought, Fairy Tail members returned soon.
Unexpectedly, today it appeared that the one carried back was Erza.
Familiar individuals couldn't resist going to check on her.
Erza thanked each one, explaining it as a training drill where she exerted too much force.
Several days later, people discovered two mountains missing from the west; nevertheless, nobody pursued responsibility. On the contrary, the city's masons were quite pleased.
…
"It's all right now, just rest for a few days." Wendy had used Healing Magic on Erza, bandaging her arms and calves.
"Thank you." Erza stood up, moving slightly, with a faint frown.
The shoulder still hurt, though elsewhere hurt less.
Mira asked, "Don't want to lie down a bit longer?"
Erza replied, "It's okay, it probably won't affect tomorrow's training."
Mira said, "Sorry, I didn't expect Rhode would go to such lengths."
"No, this is the kind of training I want." Erza was not only unperturbed, she even smiled.
Mira glanced at her bandages, momentarily setting aside the possibility of Erza having strange hobbies.
She pondered, then cheerfully asked, "How does it feel to be defeated?"