"The match has entered its final five minutes! The special rule is now in effect!"
Chapati looked at the two women inside the water sphere, both of them giving off a presence worthy of top-class female mages in the kingdom.
"The Rain Woman, who was among the strongest in the kingdom seven years ago, and the ace young lady of the current strongest guild! Who will claim victory?!"
On Team A's spectator platform, Natsu, Wendy, Cana, and the others had all gone over to protect Lucy.
Only Erza and Gray remained watching the two inside the water sphere.
Looking at Juvia's serious expression, Erza smiled. "Juvia is getting serious."
Gray's expression turned a little awkward.
He mumbled, "Yeah…"
"During those three months, Juvia secretly learned something from you, didn't she?"
"It's already this obvious. Can you really still not see how Juvia feels?"
Erza's tone carried a teasing edge.
Gray turned his head away and muttered under his breath, "It's because I don't know what to do about it…"
…
Inside the water sphere, Juvia no longer had her usual comical stalker-like air. Her expression was focused completely on Minerva.
Minerva only found it laughable.
She snorted and said, "Do you still not understand? My Territory Magic allows me to manipulate space freely. Your low-level water magic can't do anything to me."
Juvia did not answer.
She spread both arms, and Magic Circles unfolded around her. High-speed blades of water shot toward Minerva.
Minerva did not move from where she floated.
She simply swept her bare hands over each incoming slash, and the sharp currents kept veering away as if they had lost their aim, failing to injure her in the slightest.
"What a boring attack."
Minerva was beginning to lose interest. This stiff-faced woman was clearly far less entertaining than that blonde girl.
In water, she could not even torment her properly…
"Forget it. If I want to win, it only takes a wave of my hand anyway."
Minerva's lips curled into a mocking smile.
She raised her hand again, and Juvia's body immediately began glowing.
In the next instant, Juvia was teleported outside the water sphere.
"Hmph… Do you see now? I can make anyone lose whenever I please. It's just that doing it this way is too—"
"Hm?!"
Before Minerva could finish her victor's speech, her eyes suddenly widened.
She stared ahead, her mouth opening in disbelief.
Outside the water sphere, the originally round and regulated mass of water had somehow stretched outward, forming a suspended stream.
Inside that stream, Juvia was calmly floating.
"Hey! Is that even allowed?!"
Sting, watching from Sabertooth's side, was completely dumbfounded and immediately shouted toward the commentator's booth.
"Well… this… um…"
Chapati hurriedly flipped through the rulebook given to him by the tournament committee.
After finding a certain clause, he quickly explained to everyone.
"The rules state that a contestant is judged defeated when they are knocked out of the water sphere and fall to the ground. However, there is also a supplementary rule."
"Contestants with flight or other similar abilities may return to the water sphere on their own after being knocked out, provided they do so before touching the ground. However, they may not remain outside the water for more than three seconds, or they will likewise be judged defeated."
"Contestant Juvia has drawn part of the water sphere outside, but in essence, it remains connected to the original sphere. Therefore, since she has not left the water, has not touched the ground, and has not exceeded the time limit, Contestant Juvia has not been defeated."
Chapati's explanation was clear enough for the whole arena to understand.
Minerva felt as if she had been slapped across the face.
Her cheek twitched as she said, "So something like that is allowed…"
"Of course you don't get to decide who wins and loses. The world does not revolve around you."
Juvia slowly revealed a smile.
She had already asked Future Lucy about Minerva's abilities, and from the moment she entered the field, she had thought of this countermeasure.
Fortunately, the officials recognized it as valid.
"Since you like fighting this way, Juvia will do the same."
A smile appeared on Juvia's face.
She brought her hands into a strange posture, and a water-blue Magic Circle faintly appeared.
'Feel Juvia's love… Gray-sama!'
Juvia silently chanted in her heart.
Then she struck a pose so familiar that it startled everyone in the guild.
Her right fist hit her left palm.
Outside the sphere, Gray and Lyon's eyes widened at the same time.
"Water-Make—"
"Love for Gray-sama~"
A Water-Make Magic Circle rose from her palm.
While Minerva was still stunned, she suddenly felt the water in her vision being rapidly pulled away.
In the next instant, she found herself in the air outside the water sphere.
"What?!"
Minerva was startled and quickly teleported herself back into the water sphere, which had somehow changed shape, before the time limit could pass.
Juvia, however, was incredibly excited.
She immediately waved toward Gray in the distant stands and cheered, "Gray-sama, did you see it? This is Juvia's heart~"
The entire arena fell silent.
Almost everyone stared blankly at the "water sphere" Juvia had reshaped.
The members of Fairy Tail each reacted in their own way.
Gray had turned to stone.
Erza was barely holding back laughter. Mirajane wore the expression of someone enjoying premium gossip. Gajeel covered his face and sighed.
Even Ankh could not help making a comment.
"Damn. Impressive."
The "water sphere" that had plunged the whole arena into silence no longer had its original smooth, round shape.
Under Juvia's control, it had become a huge heart made of flowing water.
And right in the center of that heart, several streams had neatly risen into words.
Love you~
In the petrified silence, almost every spectator was too stunned by Juvia's outrageous move to react.
Only after a long while, when what sounded like an unknown half-naked man's collapsing scream rang out, did the audience finally explode into noise.
After all, gossip was one of humanity's great instincts.
Almost all the spectators began passionately discussing who Contestant Juvia was confessing her love to, completely ignoring the match itself.
Minerva's face turned livid with anger.
She could not believe she had become the background prop for someone else's public confession.
Even more infuriating, the gong signaling the end of the match had just sounded.
She had actually tied for first place with this shameless woman?!
Unfortunately, at that moment, no one was paying attention to Minerva's lungs nearly exploding from rage.
On Lamia Scale's spectator platform, Lyon watched Juvia happily waving her hand.
He suavely brushed back his hair, covered his mouth with a faint blush, and smiled deeply.
"So she learned Molding Magic specifically to attract my attention… Juvia, you…"
Master Ooba and Jura stared at Lyon, who was busy indulging in his own delusion, with extremely strange expressions.
After holding it in for a long while, they finally said.
"Are you sick?"
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