"Sword of the Underworld!" Rustyrose naturally wouldn't just stand by and let Mira and Belfast trade blows evenly.
He seized the opportunity, aiming for a perceived opening in Mira's guard.
His right hand transformed into a flexible, powerful metal claw capable of tearing through enemies as it shot towards her.
However... not only was it ineffective, but he also took a point-blank Evil Explosion from Mira in return.
Mira pressed one hand against Belfast's chest and the other against Rustyrose's giant metal claw, unleashing dark magical power instantly from both palms.
Using the violent recoil, she created distance between them.
"You know? An opening that's shown on purpose isn't really an opening..." Mira spoke expressionlessly, watching Rustyrose clutch his battered and trembling right hand.
This kind of grueling training against multiple opponents was commonplace for the S-Class Mages of Fairy Tail.
Not just Erza and Kagura, Mira had also been sparring regularly with Raizel and the Three Sword Spirits.
Frankly, the combined pressure from the Three Sword Spirits was far greater than what Rustyrose currently offered.
Rustyrose thought he had caught Mira's opening, but it was actually one Mira had deliberately shown him.
And Mira was disappointed. She had given him several openings in a row, yet Rustyrose only managed to seize one.
Her Evil Explosion had been ready and waiting.
The moment Rustyrose closed in, she unleashed her magical power, blasting it directly onto his metal claw.
If not for the decent defensive capability of Rustyrose's Sword of the Underworld, just this one move would have cost him an arm.
But it was almost the same now. Rustyrose's right hand was dripping with blood, hanging limp and useless at his side.
"Embodiment! Bandages!"
Seeing Mira wasn't making a further move yet, Rustyrose quickly had Belfast continue to stall her.
He took the chance to use the Arc of Embodiment to materialize medical bandages.
The bandages wrapped tightly around his injured arm, as if controlled by an invisible nurse.
But this only stopped the bleeding; his right arm was effectively useless for combat.
"Soul Extinctor!" A massive amount of dark energy gathered in Mira's hands.
An extremely powerful dark shockwave erupted from her palms, shooting towards the approaching Belfast.
The metallic beast plunged headfirst into the dark shockwave.
Slowly, Belfast's form began to dissipate bit by bit, melting under the sheer heat and force until it turned into fine dust.
A heavy rain began to pour down on Tenrou Island. Sweat and rainwater mingled, drenching Rustyrose's hair.
His overcoat was soaked through, adding heavy burden to his already frail, tired body.
For Rustyrose, clothes and aesthetic elegance weren't important anymore.
He had only one desperate thought: 'he could not allow himself to fail!'
Rustyrose was a proud man, especially after mastering the Arc of Embodiment; his pride had grown to arrogant heights.
He had always believed he should be the one leading the Seven Kin of Purgatory, but Jellal's refusal to fight left him with no recourse to prove his superiority.
"Haah... Haah..." Rustyrose clutched his chest, gasping for breath, disregarding the rainwater mixing in as he swallowed it down.
Materializing Belfast earlier had drained a significant amount of his magical power.
He couldn't materialize another beast in such a short time.
Moreover, judging from the beast's brief battle with Mira, any further materialization would only result in him being dominated by her dark magic again.
"It seems the so-called Seven Kin of Purgatory are nothing more than this," Mira mocked, looking down at the thoroughly disheveled mage.
"In that case..." Rustyrose muttered.
He had no choice but to try this move. He generally avoided using it because he felt it lacked his signature elegance.
He much preferred having his Guardian Beast fight on the front lines while he commanded from the rear, maintaining an air of grace and composure.
"Materialize! Armor of Pegasus!"
A full set of Western-style knight plate armor, crafted entirely from golden metal, enveloped Rustyrose's body.
On his head rested a golden helmet with a narrow eye-slit, adorned with a red tassel at the back.
In his hand, he held a golden long spear, its tip connected to the shaft in the shape of a cross.
Encased in the armor, Rustyrose was covered in metal, appearing seamless and impervious.
"Now this is interesting," Mira smiled. "It would be too dull if it were too easy."
Mira wasn't surprised by Rustyrose's attire, it was the standard armor for some of the heavily armored Rune Knights in the Fiore kingdom, though Rustyrose's version was slightly dull.
The use of the Arc of Embodiment had its limitations.
If the object already existed in reality, materializing it was simpler and consumed far less magical power.
Hence, Rustyrose had chosen this set of familiar armor to conserve his draining reserves.
"Holy Spear Arbitration!"
The spear in Rustyrose's hand glowed brightly, unleashing a beam of holy light that shot violently toward Mira.
Of course, Mira wasn't foolish enough to stand still and take the beam head-on.
With a powerful beat of her wings, she accelerated, evading the blast.
Rustyrose adjusted the direction of his spear, closely tracking her aerial movements.
"How will you handle this?" Mira teased, circling through the air and appearing directly behind him.
As Rustyrose turned clumsily, Mira used her superior speed to dart behind him once more.
While Rustyrose's armor offered excellent defense, the full set likely weighed over sixty pounds. This resulted in a severe lack of mobility.
Under Mira's teasing guidance, Rustyrose's beams shot harmlessly through the forest, yet they never even grazed her.
He was merely striking at empty air.
"Damn it!" Any trace of Rustyrose's elegance had vanished.
Beneath the golden helmet, his face was contorted with rage, teeth gritted in sheer frustration.
"I've had my fun. It's time to finish you," Mira declared.
Having fought for so long, she had already vented her earlier anger regarding Elfman.
With another powerful beat of her wings, her speed increased once more.
Rustyrose's eyes could no longer keep up with her movements, from his perspective, he could only capture fleeting, dark afterimages of her.
"Evil Explosion!"
Repeating her earlier tactic, Mira appeared directly behind Rustyrose, her hands pressed flat against his armored back.
Dark magical power gathered in her palms and erupted outward in a violent, concentrated burst.
A dark beam pierced straight through the golden armor, emerging from Rustyrose's chest plate.
The armor shattered into pieces. Rustyrose couldn't utter a single word.
He tremblingly raised his arm with vacant eyes before collapsing powerlessly to the muddy ground.
"Phew. It's over." Mira released her Take Over state with a heavy sigh of relief, returning to her previous harmless, sweet appearance as the rain washed over her.
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