"You are so strong, Ultear-san."
"No, you were also quite good."
As Finn retracted his Possession magic, relinquishing control back to Ultear's consciousness, he watched the interaction between the two women. Frankly, it was completely surreal to see how calmly Ultear was smiling and chatting with Millianna. The cause of Millianna's horrific, traumatized childhood as a slave in the Tower of Heaven was standing right in front of her, yet Ultear didn't flinch or show an ounce of guilt on her face.
"What's wrong?" Meredy asked softly, noticing Finn staring at the two women.
"No, it's fine," Finn replied smoothly.
There was nothing anyone could do to change the past. As for how one was supposed to atone for sins of that magnitude? Finn didn't know, nor did he particularly care. Ultear was his woman now. Even if it were objectively morally wrong and completely selfish, he would protect her. He would simply ignore the feelings of those she had harmed in the past. To him, those he was close with was more important, after all.
"It's great..."
Across the arena, Erza Scarlet let out a quiet sigh of relief. Seeing Millianna smiling brightly and geeking out over Ultear's magic meant the cat-girl was finally beginning to heal and move on from her trauma.
"But... plant-type magic, huh?" Gray murmured, rubbing his chin.
With Ultear's brief showcase, every member of the Heavenly Blue had officially demonstrated their magic to the world.
"Let's review," Lucy said nervously. "Meredy is an archer with sensory magic. Flare uses an Obi Magic. Sorano can fly. Ultear uses those magic-draining briar vines. And Finn... uses swordsmanship and light-speed lasers."
"Aren't they invincible?" Wendy whispered, hiding behind Carla.
It was a perfectly balanced, terrifyingly synergistic team. Meredy and Sorano were highly mobile, capable of striking swiftly from unexpected angles. Ultear and Flare excelled at crowd control, restraining targets and tanking damage.
And Finn?
He was the absolute King piece. A complete anomaly. A walking, extinction-level disaster that seemingly possessed no weaknesses and couldn't be defeated.
Yet, even staring down that insurmountable wall, Fairy Tail's fighting spirit didn't waver.
"I will definitely win next time!" Natsu growled, clenching his bandaged fist as he glared intensely toward the Heavenly Blue dugout. He was desperate for a rematch.
Finn, naturally, completely ignored Natsu's burning glare. He was busy discussing the Briar Magic he had just utilized with his team.
"But why briar vines?" Flare asked, tilting her head. "I thought Ultear-san specialized in Time Magic?"
"Have you forgotten about her secondary affinity?" Finn asked, looking at Flare. "What is the shape of her Ice-Make magic?"
"Ah!" Flare realized.
Ultear possessed two distinct magics. The first was her signature Arc of Time. The second was Ice-Make Magic, an ability she inherited directly from her mother, Ur. It allowed her to manipulate freezing temperatures and shape ice into practically anything she could imagine.
According to Ur, Ice-Make was the strongest magic in existence because its only true limitation was the user's creativity.
Finn, however, disagreed. He firmly believed that if Ice-Make was powerful, it was due to the lethality of extreme cold, not the ability to make pretty ice sculptures. A blizzard is a natural disaster that could effortlessly wipe out an entire ecosystem. If Finn were to specialize in Ice Magic, he wouldn't waste time shaping ice swords or eagles; he would simply lower the temperature to absolute zero, creating an area where all molecular movement ceased and living things instantly died.
Unfortunately, the mages of Earthland seemed entirely focused on the aesthetic "shape" of their ice, which Finn found inefficient.
Still, unlike Gray (who shaped weapons) and Lyon (who shaped animals), Ultear's Ice-Make subconsciously mirrored her mother's: she shaped roses and flowers.
Based on that deeply ingrained psychological affinity, Finn had selected Corpse-Hunting Briar for her.
"It might look like just a cluster of vines," Finn explained to his women, "but the thorns are as sharp as high-carbon steel blades. Furthermore, it drains the target's magical reserves upon contact. More importantly, the thorns and the scent of the vines exude a paralyzing neurotoxin."
The vines were practically a localized death trap.
"Though if she faces a high-level Fire Mage, the briars will be incinerated immediately," Sorano noted critically.
"Yes," Finn nodded. "In that specific scenario, Ultear simply needs to shift to her Ice-Make magic to counter the temperature. The dual affinities make her one of the most versatile combatants on the field."
Having finished their tactical review, the group settled back into the sitting area. They didn't leave the stadium, even though Heavenly Blue was done fighting for the day.
Why stick around? Because Ultear had scheduled her "tea date" with Millianna and the Mermaid Heel guild for later that evening.
"Is that really okay?" Ultear asked, glancing at Finn.
"I'm fine with it," Finn replied, leaning back in his chair. "You girls have been cooped up in the hotel suite with me since we arrived in Crocus. You haven't had a chance to actually enjoy the capital. It's a nice change of pace for you to go out and socialize with the strongest all-female guild in Fiore."
"Just make sure you don't do anything weird to them," Finn warned her dryly.
"I won't!" Ultear shot back, genuinely offended by the accusation. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Honestly, I think you are the one plotting something perverted involving all of them, aren't you?"
Finn simply rolled his eyes, refusing to dignify that (entirely accurate) accusation with a response.
Still, Ultear's internal logic regarding Millianna was simple: Even if I robbed her of her past, I could simply provide her with a better future, right?
The stadium's attention was suddenly drawn back to the arena floor for the next highly anticipated matchup.
"Wendy Marvell against Sherria Blendy!" Lola announced.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!!!"
As the two young, incredibly petite girls ran out onto the stage—both of them immediately tripping over their own feet in a display of adorable clumsiness—a specific demographic of the stadium audience erupted into unsettlingly intense cheers.
Finn narrowed his eyes, disgusted by the sheer volume of grown men screaming for the two little girls. He turned to the pink-haired mage beside him.
"Meredy. Take high-resolution pictures of every single man cheering in those creepy voices. Record their faces," Finn ordered coldly.
"Okay. Got it," Meredy nodded obediently, pulling out a lacrima-camera.
Why was Finn doing this? Because there was a high statistical probability that those specific men were active or future criminals. As the Chief of the Fiore Branch of the Magic Council, wasn't it his absolute civic duty to preemptively log potential predators for future "audits"?
Regardless of the creepy audience members, the fight between Wendy and Sherria was fascinating. It was a mirror match: a Sky Dragon Slayer versus a Sky God Slayer.
The core difference between the two ancient magics became clear. While both wielded the wind and possessed a rare healing magic, their applications were different. Wendy's Dragon Slayer healing could heal anyone except herself. Sherria's God Slayer healing could instantly heal her own wounds, but couldn't heal others.
As the two girls traded massive, explosive gusts of wind, Finn's eyes drifted away from the arena floor. He narrowed his gaze toward a dark corner of the stadium corridors.
Why is Jellal walking around out there? Finn thought, deeply annoyed.
Jellal Fernandes had stubbornly donned his "Mystogan" disguise once again, lurking near the spectator exits. Finn couldn't comprehend the sheer stupidity of the man. It was almost as if Jellal wanted to be caught by the Magic Council.
"Hmm..."
As Finn observed Jellal, his peripheral vision caught a fleeting glimpse of another figure hiding in the shadows near a separate exit. It was a woman wearing a heavy, concealing cloak. Despite the thick fabric attempting to hide her features and her notably large bosom, Finn's meta-knowledge immediately identified her.
Future Lucy Heartfilia, Finn noted, before casually looking away. The time travel plotline was beginning to unfold, but he didn't need to intervene just yet.
The spectacular battle between Wendy and Sherria eventually ended in a highly emotional, exhausted draw. With the afternoon events officially concluded, the stadium began to empty out.
Finn and his team stood up, preparing to meet the Mermaid Heel girls by the stadium exits. However, as they walked into the main corridor, they stumbled directly into a highly tense standoff.
Kagura Mikazuchi stood with her hand resting on her katana, her face incredibly pale. Standing opposite her was Captain Lahar, Yajima, several heavily armed Magic Council Rune Knights, and Jellal (still disguised as Mystogan).
Jellal had essentially cornered himself and was actively being interrogated by the Council. Yet, before the situation could escalate into a massive, highly public arrest, Jellal managed to slip away into the crowd with the help of Yajima, the former member of the Magic Council, leaving the Rune Knights confused and Kagura deeply shaken.
Watching this pathetic display of spying skill from the shadows, Ultear let out a long, heavy sigh.
"What exactly is he doing?" Ultear asked, rubbing her temples.
"I have absolutely no idea," Finn replied. "But I'm beginning to think he got brain damage from the Etherion blast seven years ago."