"All right. This should work!"
Wendy adjusted to her Dragon Force and immediately felt her confidence rise.
Her gaze turned toward Sherria on the other side of the arena.
"Come on, Wendy! Show me your power!"
Sherria called forth a black hurricane with eager anticipation, then charged toward Wendy in high spirits.
Seeing this, Wendy's body moved at once, bursting forward like a gust of wind.
Sherria could not help freezing for an instant when Wendy suddenly appeared right in front of her.
Her fluffy pink hair drifted through the air, and Wendy's tiny fist was wrapped in a clear, brilliant, shimmering gale.
It looked as though a power far beyond what the eye could see was condensed within it.
"Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!"
Wendy punched out, and even the black winds around them twisted under the force.
Sherria could not dodge in time.
Her small body was immediately sent flying by that tremendous power.
Bang!
Sherria crashed into the edge of the arena and fell to the ground.
She quickly propped herself up again, staring at Wendy in amazement as she murmured, "So strong!"
Her physical strength had increased so much. It was almost as if she had really become a dragon…
"In that case, let's test your Magic Power too."
Sherria's eyes sparkled.
She swung both arms forward fiercely, and countless black hurricanes turned into blades, raining down on Wendy from every direction.
Wendy did not back down. She charged straight into them head-on, swinging both arms forward just as fiercely.
A huge tornado suddenly rose from the ground, grinding all the incoming black wind blades to pieces.
"Sky Dragon's Wave Wind!"
In the center of the arena, the tornado Wendy had summoned continued raging without fading.
The ground and surrounding walls began to be affected by the fierce winds, forcing the tournament officials to activate the protective barrier for the audience once again.
Sherria, who stood in the center of the field, was also swept into the Wave Wind in a miserable state.
Her whole body was cut by the sharp storm, the pain nearly unbearable. From beyond the field, Lyon's anxious shout reached her ears.
"I can't lose!"
Enduring the blinding gale, Sherria cried out in her heart.
She clasped her hands together and summoned a spiraling black wind, finally offsetting part of the white tornado.
But Wendy had already been gathering power on the ground for some time.
Looking at Sherria, who had nowhere left to dodge, Wendy released the attack she had been building up.
"Sky Dragon's Roar!"
The dragon's roar came crashing forward.
Unable to resist, Sherria was blown all the way to the edge of the arena like a fragile doll on the verge of being torn apart.
Thick smoke spread through the field. Wendy stopped attacking and rested her hands on her knees, panting softly as she looked in that direction.
"Did that finish it?"
"Cough, cough…"
Clearly, it had not.
Seeing Sherria walk out of the smoke completely unharmed, Wendy's eyes grew more serious.
Unlike Wendy's Sky Magic, Sherria could heal herself. She simply could not restore her stamina.
After taking the full brunt of that attack, Sherria was breathing heavily.
Looking at Wendy's surprised expression, she could not help smiling.
"As expected… you really are amazing, Wendy."
"Even after healing an injury like that, I've almost used up all my Magic Power… Let's decide this with one final attack!"
Sherria drew up her Magic Power.
Black wind and dark magic swirled around her, gradually condensing into a pressure far more terrifying than before.
Wendy took her stance as well, deciding that she had to end the match quickly.
Her control over Dragon Force was nowhere near the level of those two reckless brutes.
If this dragged on much longer, no one else would even need to do anything. Wendy would collapse on her own.
And since her opponent had the ability to heal herself, Wendy had to finish this in one blow.
The two adorable girls began gathering power at the same time. Once again, the arena was filled with raging black and white hurricanes.
"God Slayer Secret Art!"
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art!"
A moment later, the Magic Power on both sides withdrew at the same time, condensing into a physical force that was nearly impossible to suppress.
Their voices rang across the entire arena at once.
"Ame-no-Murakumo!"
"Shattering Light: Sky Drill!"
Sherria's spell clearly activated much faster. Layer upon layer of horizontal tornadoes instantly swallowed Wendy's small body.
But very soon, a pure white wind barrier rose around Wendy, and her Dragon Slayer Secret Art activated in the same instant.
A barrier of wind enveloped Sherria, then rapidly compressed around her.
A powerful current surged upward from below, shooting straight into the sky.
Boom!
The black and white storms struck their respective targets. It was as if the entire sky shook from the collision.
The members of Lamia Scale and Fairy Tail stared fixedly at the arena, each side hoping their companion would stand up full of energy.
The two small figures lay motionless on opposite sides of the field.
The entire venue fell into dead silence.
At last, Wendy, who had been forcibly knocked out of Dragon Force, tremblingly pushed herself up.
Unsteady on her feet, she raised her fist.
Across from her, Sherria still wore a smile on her face, but her consciousness could no longer hold on. It drifted away completely into darkness.
"She… she won!"
After a long silence, the audience finally reacted. Cheers and applause surged like a tidal wave.
Fairy Tail's support team jumped up and down in excitement.
A few grown men were even moved to tears!
The little girl who had always needed everyone to look after her had finally grown to this point…
On Lamia Scale's side, silence fell over them.
Jura sighed and said with emotion, "To think that the little girl from back then could grow this much…"
"Sherria still underestimated her…" Lyon said softly, sounding somewhat regretful.
He had great expectations for Sherria's future, even after her loss to Wendy.
If they fought again, Sherria could absolutely slow down the pace of the battle.
The result might be different then.
But still… Wendy's Dragon Force had far exceeded their imagination.
Listening to the excited cries of the crowd and her companions, Wendy felt her own consciousness gradually drifting away as well.
Only after Chapati announced the result in a tearful voice did she finally relax.
Then she collapsed heavily onto the ground.
"Wendy!"
Fortunately, Natsu and the others had already rushed out in alarm.
Lucy caught Wendy in her arms and looked down at the unconscious girl with pity, smiling through her tears.
"You worked so hard, Wendy."
Chapati, the lolicon, had somehow ended up with tears streaming down his face.
Sobbing uncontrollably, he prepared to bring the day's Grand Magic Games to a close.
"To fight until the very end… What a moving battle! This uncle will be your fan for life!"
"Cough, cough… Mr. Chapati seems to have lost himself a little, so allow me to say it instead. This day of the Grand Magic Games is officially over. Thank you all for watching!"
The emotional Chapati was quickly dragged away by Yajima and Lahar.
Meanwhile, the members of Fairy Tail looked at the rankings, where first and second place were both far ahead of the rest, and their moods instantly improved.
Ankh folded his arms and smiled easily.
"At this rate, the gap should only get wider."
"I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's matches…"
The members of Fairy Tail Team A and Team B regrouped with the rest of the guild, once again planning to hold their customary victory banquet.
Watching everyone gradually walk away, Jellal and the others, who had been keeping watch from a high vantage point, also let out sighs of relief.
Ultear stretched lazily and smiled in relaxation.
"Then we should get going too. Perfect time for a big meal."
"I feel like I've gotten fat after staying in the capital for a few days."
Ultear and Sorano chatted leisurely as they walked ahead, while Jellal and the others followed behind, wandering along with nothing in particular to do.
However, after only a couple of steps, Erik's ears suddenly twitched.
His expression shifted in surprise, and he turned to look not far away.
Seeing that Erik had stopped moving, Team Ram also came to a halt and followed his gaze.
In a gloomy alley, a person wearing a thick black robe that concealed both face and body was staring from afar at Fairy Tail's large group.
This person seemed extremely alert.
The instant they noticed Erik's gaze, they turned and ran without the slightest hesitation.
"This…"
Everyone froze for a moment.
Then Jellal reacted at once.
"That person was spying on Fairy Tail!"
"After them!"
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