A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

If it were just Lucy and Happy with Natsu, the scene would look like a family of three, which would be very heartwarming. But in this situation, it's not just the two of them who want to get close to Natsu; there's also Wendy, Carla, Stinger, Marcao, Wakaba, Marcus, and a whole bunch of other people, so the scene becomes much more comical.

Gray: "Why does this scene feel so weird...?"

"Oh ho ho ho~ It's summer, but Natsu's body is so popular!"

Kira chuckled mischievously, "How about it, Gray? You've always been at the top of the 'Guild Summer Popularity Ranking,' and you're known as the 'central air conditioner' (meaning someone who's nice to everyone), you must be feeling pretty disappointed seeing things like this now!!"

"Absolutely not!"

"Hehehe...you're just being stubborn!"

"Really do not have!"

But Kira wouldn't listen to Gray's explanation. He slapped Gray on the shoulder, sighed, and said, "It's okay to fool your brother, I can laugh it off. Just don't fool yourself. At night, when you're alone under the covers, don't secretly shed tears..."

"I already told you, I didn't feel disappointed at all!!"

"Lord Gray, don't be sad! No matter what, Juvia will always be by your side!"

"Uh... so I already said it..."

But Juvia wouldn't listen to Gray's explanation. She simply spread her arms wide, and before Gray could react, she grabbed his arm and said in a sweet voice, "If Lord Gray wants to cry, you can cry your heart out in Juvia's arms~ Juvia will definitely not tell anyone!!"

"Ugh! I already said there aren't any! Don't you people understand?"

Feeling the strange touch on his arm, Gray's face flushed red, but he still grabbed his hair and screamed in despair, while trying to pull his arm out of Juvia's arms.

As a result... naturally, it didn't move, after all, Juvia's passion was a flame that Gray could never extinguish!

In fact, Gray even had a vague idea of ​​keeping things in this state.

"Gray, you look so weird... You're enjoying being held by Juvia, aren't you? You're not thinking of staying in this moment forever, are you?" Kira's teasing voice came from the side.

With his secret plan exposed, Gray was once again filled with embarrassment and anger, his face turning bright red: "Shut up! You bastard Kira!! You're the one who caused all this!"

Juvia was immediately shocked upon hearing this: "Huh?! Could it be that Kirasan is also a rival in love?!"

"Hey, hey, hey... Stop, stop!! You can't say things you shouldn't! It'll cause misunderstandings if someone hears you!"

Kira took a half step back in fright, crossing his arms in front of him in a defensive stance. "You lecherous bastard, you only made that face because of Juvia, what does it have to do with me?"

Just then, the announcer's voice interrupted the three's chatter.

"Oh no! Some spectators are starting to give up due to Inbell's magic! How much longer will their duel last? I just hope it ends soon!!"

If their magic during the previous chaos was like the surging waves on the sea, then now it is like the calm before the storm.

It felt oppressive, heavy, stuffy, and even hard to breathe.

Finally, when the magic on the field reached its peak, all four of them made a move at the same time.

The storm that had been brewing for so long finally arrived!

Chapter 671 Talented but Without Morality

When the final move was unleashed, the attack was indeed as fierce as a storm.

Jura suddenly opened his previously closed eyes, and the earth trembled and shook. Countless rocks beneath his feet were detonated, and the explosions traveled through the glacier into the air. He stomped his foot hard, and his entire body, carrying boundless energy, lunged forward.

"The sound of gunfire echoes through the prison!!"

The red light on Erza faded, and she reappeared before everyone as a majestic and awe-inspiring female general, wielding a sword and halberd, like an ancient female general conquering battlefields.

This armor, which no one has been able to wield for decades, and this weapon, which no one has been able to use for decades, seemed to come alive in Erza's hands, trembling incessantly, as if a divine weapon that had been dormant for many years was cheering and jumping for joy because it had met a powerful master.

Ignoring the rapid depletion of her magic power, Erza charged towards Imber with all her might, raising her sword-halberd high before slashing down with all her might, cleaving the magic and energy within her sight in two!

"Heavenly Armor of Gods: Starlight!!"

The Ice God Armor, made from the ice of the Demon Realm, is a suit of armor that combines offense and defense. It can freeze and shatter anything it touches. After Imber pushed his magic power to its peak, it gained unparalleled offensive power and almost impenetrable defensive power. It can completely freeze the target of an attack the instant it is attacked.

As if it had been pre-arranged, Imber did not launch an attack, but instead stood still and used defense as a means of attack, which was actually his best offensive tactic.

He raised both hands forward, ready to catch Jura's explosion with one hand and Erza's slash with the other. The gauntlets attached to the Ice God Armor made him fearless of any form of attack.

Inside his armor, Imber stared intently at Jura and Erza, who were charging toward him, calm and composed, even revealing a hint of smugness.

boom!!!

With a deafening explosion, the three attacks collided.

The explosive energy caused by Jura dissipated rapidly under the slashing of the Heavenly Armor's sword and halberd; Erza's sword and halberd were gripped by the gauntlets of the Ice God Armor and instantly froze and shattered; Imbel's Ice God Armor was bombarded by the endless earth energy and shattered into countless ice crystals.

The powerful energy impact immediately caused rocks to fly, the air to vibrate, glaciers to crack, and violent winds to blow across the entire venue. The audience felt their feet shaking violently, as if the sky were falling and the earth was splitting apart.

"Odo—!!!"

"What an astonishing attack!! What terrifying energy!! Truly worthy of a 'Ten Saints' level battle! Just how strong are they?! Those four..."

At this point, the announcer suddenly snapped out of his daze: "Wait... only three people?!"

Jura, Erza, and Imber, who had just collided, finally realized where that empty feeling, as if something was missing, came from when they delivered their final blow.

At this moment, whether it was the three people locked in a stalemate, the audience in the venue, the guests on the judging panel, or the announcer who was finishing up, everyone had only one question in their minds: Where did Urutia go?!

Just as I was wondering, a familiar voice suddenly rang out.

"Time reversal!!"

The three people's eyes widened instantly, their pupils contracted simultaneously, and they each saw the shock, tension, and disbelief on the faces of the other two.

Just as the three were about to look in the direction of the sound, their feet suddenly gave way to the solid ice that had been supporting them. In its place was something very familiar—water!

At this moment, due to the collision of attacks, Jura, Erza, and Imber were almost one piece together. In addition to the three strategic weapons they wore—the Heavenly Armor, the Blade Battle Halberd, and the Ice God Robe—their combined weight exceeded 800 pounds.

Such weight wouldn't last long even on a less solid ice surface, let alone standing in ordinary lake water that is already unable to support a human body.

Puff-!

Thump—!

Bang-!

In a very short time, three loud thuds rang out in succession, the sound of bodies falling into the lake.

The moment they fell into the water, Jura, Erza, and Imber instantly understood everything and knew that the outcome of the competition was already decided. They closed their eyes in regret.

The reason I closed my eyes was twofold: first, I couldn't believe that my previous steady and methodical approach had led me to lose my temper at the last moment, causing me to become careless and be ambushed; second, I simply didn't want to see the attacker's face.

simply……

Talented but lacking in virtue!!

We are deeply ashamed!

"How...how do I reply?!"

The audience, judges, and members of their respective guilds were all stunned by what they were seeing, speechless for a long time.

"Jurasan actually lost?!"

"Did you get careless during the final move?"

"It's...it's going to start spinning..."

"Erza actually lost?! That's Erza!!"

"Hey, guild master, in that case, is there still the one-tenth that Erza was supposed to get?"

"Well..."

"That guy Imber actually lost?!"

"It seems that Ishgar's mages aren't so useless after all."

"However, judging from this, he really is the weakest among us!"

……

With a smile on her face and an indescribable confidence emanating from her, Ultear strode towards the gloomy-faced Imber, grinning smugly: "Now, can you still say that 'Ice Make Magic is nothing to brag about'?"

Too embarrassing!

Imber gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot. It wasn't that he couldn't accept defeat, but to be ambushed and defeated in front of His Majesty the Emperor by someone whose strength was inferior to his own... was somewhat humiliating.

"You didn't defeat me with ice-shaped magic! If it weren't for this method, you wouldn't have won this competition at all!"

"Hmm? Is that so?" Ultear blinked her beautiful eyes, looking at Erza and Jura. "What do you two think?"

Jura closed his eyes and lowered his eyelids, momentarily lost in meditation like an old monk: "..."

He wasn't wrong, but if I act like this now, at most people will think I made a mistake and was defeated by a strong junior who took advantage of the rules. But if I curse and swear like him, people will undoubtedly think I'm a sore loser, and that would be truly shameful!

After thinking for a couple of seconds, Jura had an answer. She stood up, patted the water off her clothes, and smiled at Ultear, saying, "A win is a win, and a loss is a loss. Miss Ultear, you don't need to think that your victory was unfair."

"On the contrary, I feel very gratified. With a mage like you among the younger generation, the magical world will surely be even more full of talent in the future, and magic will become even more prosperous..."

Ultear returned Jura's satisfied smile, then turned to look at Erza.

Erza paused for two seconds, then withdrew her Heavenly Armor, reverting to her ordinary armor and black skirt. She instantly felt refreshed and cool: "..."

He wasn't wrong, but since he spoke ill of Ice-Design Magic, even for Gray's sake, I have to stand by Ultear's side! Besides, he's a member of the Shield of Twelve, and Ultear and Kira's relationship seems...

"I have nothing to say! I lost this competition. You are very strong, and intelligence is also a manifestation of strength!"

Urutia's smile widened, and the wrinkles around her eyes almost appeared.

Seeing that Jura and Erza readily and frankly admitted their defeat, Imber realized that the situation was a bit delicate. He narrowed his eyes behind his glasses and noticed the strange atmosphere around him and the odd way the audience was looking at him.

Imber wanted to change his mind, but it was too late. The more he said, the more mistakes he would make. He could only keep quiet, snorted, and turned to walk towards his guild's location.

Erza and the other two exchanged glances, smiled knowingly, and walked off the field side by side.

This is a small victory for Ultear, but a great victory for Ishgar!

"Match over!!"

"Today's winner in Arena Mode is... Urutia Mirkovic!!"

"Congratulations on adding 5 points to her score! 'Sin of the Witch' is now the guild with the highest score in this round!!"

As Chapati's emotionally charged voice faded, the lake water on the field was completely drained, and staff immediately rushed forward to rescue those who needed rescue and treat those who needed treatment.

Amidst a commotion that was unclear whether it was cheers or boos, Ultear gracefully returned to the 'Sin of the Witch's' territory. She immediately saw Jellal blushing, head bowed in shame, avoiding eye contact with those around him. He even pulled his hood down further, shrinking back as if he knew nothing.