Swan gave a disdainful snort, though there was an unmistakable trace of jealousy in her eyes as her pale-purple lips curled.
They were in the middle of a fight, so why had Erza suddenly started bragging about having a man?
Thoroughly irritated, Swan charged again.
Her tall body twisted and spun with astonishing flexibility as those long legs lashed through the air like whips, each kick producing explosive cracks that made it painfully obvious how much force was behind them.
Erza gripped the greatsword of the Yin-Yang Celestial Armor with both hands and suddenly pulled in opposite directions.
The single massive blade split cleanly in two.
The sword in her left hand was pure white, simple and almost unremarkable in appearance, as though it were an ordinary weapon crafted without unnecessary ornamentation.
The one in her right was pitch-black, its sharp edge radiating a fierce killing intent that made it look far more dangerous.
Swan's kick came crashing in.
Erza met it with the white Yang Sword, smoothly rotating her wrist as the blade caught the attack.
Yet despite the enormous force behind Swan's leg, there was no metallic impact, no violent recoil, and not even the slightest tremor in Erza's arm.
The strike seemed to sink into the sword as though it had fallen into a bottomless ocean.
Swan's confidence began to fade.
She planted one bare foot against the ground, gathered even more power, and launched another devastating kick in an attempt to break through the strange defense.
Again, there was no sound.
Again, the tremendous impact simply vanished into the white blade, while Erza remained perfectly steady.
"What the hell is that sword?!"
Erza smiled faintly.
"The Yang Sword of the Yin-Yang Celestial Armor absorbs any attack it successfully blocks and transfers that power back into me."
She slightly raised the blade, where green patterns were now glowing more brightly than before.
"You should stop wasting your strength. Every bit of stamina and Magic Power you spend attacking it becomes fuel for me."
Swan's eyes narrowed.
If the white sword was effectively an impenetrable wall, then the obvious answer was to avoid it and attack through Erza's other side.
The moment Swan changed her approach, however, a subtle smile appeared on Erza's lips.
There was one part she had deliberately left out.
The black Yin Sword did more than simply pierce through magical defenses.
It could also release all the power the Yang Sword had absorbed in a single concentrated strike.
Swan assumed Erza's right side was the weaker one and committed fully, meeting the descending Yin Sword head-on with her Stellarium greave.
The result shattered her confidence instantly.
The supposedly indestructible armor around her leg broke apart under the blade, fragments of Stellarium scattering through the air as an enormous crescent of sword energy erupted forward with enough force to cleave through a small mountain.
"Gah—!"
Blood burst from Swan's mouth.
A deep slash opened across her chest, spraying blood as she staggered backward with her face twisted in agony.
"You… damn it…"
Her expression darkened.
"I didn't want to use this power, but you've forced me to—huh?"
Her words stopped.
Erza had already rejoined the two swords into one.
Black and white currents coiled around the restored greatsword as overwhelming Magic Power poured from it, powerful enough to make the entire mountainside tremble.
Swan's eyes widened in horror.
"Wait… my demon power…"
She hadn't even had time to release the newly granted evil power within her body.
Erza had already prepared the finishing blow.
Swan could only stare in despair as the enormous sword descended with enough force to shake mountains and overturn seas.
BOOM—!
The entire mountain range seemed to tremble for several long seconds.
The cavern could no longer withstand the impact.
Cracks spread through the ceiling and walls before the entire structure collapsed in a thunderous avalanche of stone.
Some time later, Erza climbed out from beneath the rubble.
She had already changed back into her normal clothes.
After taking a slow breath, she checked the state of her Magic Power and found the expenditure acceptable.
The Yin-Yang Celestial Armor itself consumed a significant amount of energy, but using that much power against the strongest warrior of an entire kingdom was hardly wasteful.
Besides, Erza had barely been injured at all.
The entire fight had lasted less than ten minutes, and by any reasonable standard, it had been an overwhelming victory.
She looked upward.
High above the ruined mountain, Natsu and Zancrow were still battling furiously through the sky, crimson-gold and black flames colliding again and again.
But Erza's thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.
'Bro and Lucy should be dealing with Brandish.'
If their assumptions were correct, the Spriggan 12's Nation Destroyer would be waiting at the final location.
'They should be alright… shouldn't they?'
...
"It's safe now. Get out of here as quickly as you can, and if possible, leave Altair entirely."
Back in the royal capital, Ankh and Lucy were moving through the dungeon beneath Zash's residence, freeing the girls he had imprisoned there.
Ankh crushed the collars around their necks with his bare hands and removed the restraints from their wrists and ankles, while Lucy explained where they should go once they escaped the city and promised that someone would help them return home.
The third location shown in the newspaper—the enormous grinder—was hidden in the deepest part of this very dungeon.
That alone made it horrifyingly easy to imagine how many young women had died here over the years.
When Lucy first saw the prisoners, her chest had tightened painfully.
Most of the girls wore little more than torn, filthy clothes.
Heavy shackles had kept them confined inside cramped cells, and the light in their eyes had long since disappeared.
Years of abuse and humiliation had stripped away even their desire to hope.
Although Ankh and Lucy had finally opened their cells, only a handful showed any immediate sign of understanding that they were actually free.
"Zash… that bastard."
Lucy clenched both fists as she watched the rescued prisoners disappear down the passage, guided by a few girls who still had enough strength to help the others.
Rare killing intent appeared on her usually warm face.
"He died too easily."
"Yeah."
Ankh watched the girls leave in silence.
"Death was probably the kindest thing he got."
Before turning away, he quietly placed several protective enchantments on them, then headed deeper into the dungeon.
Lucy followed close behind.
The two descended a long spiral staircase before eventually emerging into an enormous underground chamber almost large enough to qualify as a palace hall.
The floor beneath their feet was made of solid steel, while the surrounding walls were covered in dried stains of every shade imaginable.
Some were black with age; others were still dark red.
People had been dying here for a very long time.
Lucy's hands slowly tightened.
At the center of the chamber was a huge pit where most of the blood and filth seemed to converge.
Far below, enormous Stellarium-steel blades spun at terrifying speed, forming the giant grinder shown in the newspaper.
Sitting casually on the edge of that pit was a green-haired woman.
Brandish dangled both legs over the opening as though the horrific machinery below didn't exist, staring silently at the golden Celestial Spirit Key resting in her hand.
"Brandish!"
The moment Lucy saw Aquarius's key, she couldn't stop herself from shouting.
Only then did Brandish slowly raise her head, as though she had only just noticed their arrival.
Her gaze was flat and unreadable.
Standing beside her were Bluenote and her subordinate Marin, both of whom wore openly hostile smiles as they watched Ankh and Lucy approach.
Ankh looked at the three of them with equal indifference.
"Only you three?"
Bluenote's temper immediately flared.
"You brat! Don't think that just because you beat me on Tenrou Island you can keep acting so arrogant! I—"
"Shut up."
Brandish cut him off without even looking at him.
Bluenote's face twisted with anger, but after a moment he clenched his teeth and obeyed.
Brandish rose to her feet.
Her attention remained fixed on Ankh.
"Ankh."
Her voice was calm.
"Could I ask you to let Layla's daughter and me settle our personal matter alone?"
Ankh didn't move.
"Her problems are Fairy Tail's problems."
Brandish's expression remained as unreadable as ever.
"I only want to learn the truth."
Before Ankh could answer, Lucy gently tugged on the edge of his clothes.
"Ankh…"
She looked up at him.
"I want to know more about my mother too."
Her voice was quiet but steady.
"Maybe this really is just some misunderstanding."
Lucy's hand tightened around her key pouch.
"I believe in her."
"My mother would never hurt anyone."
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