The guild wasn't particularly crowded today.
Gajeel was absent, off training.
Laxus, who had taken on that SS-Class Quest, still hadn't returned.
Upon seeing Mira in the bar, Makarov nearly shed tears of relief.
It didn't matter so much if others came back or not, but Mira had to return.
With Mira here, Makarov was freed.
Finally, someone could help him review the tedious quest requests!
Mira seamlessly resumed her role as the head receptionist. In her own words, she had rested enough, and it was time to get back to work properly.
"For the next two months, everyone should focus on training and prepare for the Grand Magic Games!" Erza declared from the stage, leaning on her magic sword as she delivered her important address to the hall.
"Roooar!!! I'm fired up!"
The members scattered around Magnolia, each seeking out a suitable training spot for themselves.
Natsu and Gray, with unspoken rivalry, headed to the waterfall in the Eastern Forest.
As if by muscle memory, they stripped off their gear and began scaling the slippery cliff face once again to build stamina.
"Lady Lucy, your mental discipline training has become severely lax..." Capricorn's first words left Lucy speechless.
She had spent the entire last month indulging in wild fun, forgetting her magical training entirely.
"Right! On it!" Lucy quickly sat down cross-legged on the grass, preparing to meditate.
Capricorn stood with his hands behind his back, facing away from Lucy, allowing the gentle breeze to caress his goatee.
"The air, the earth, the gentle wind... You must feel them with your skin and your magical container. Adjust your breathing, and strive to become one with nature..."
Lucy took a deep breath, closing her eyes.
Her blonde hair began to stir as if moved by an unfelt wind, and a small, glowing vortex of magical power swirled around her.
"Excellent, just like that. Please continue, Lady Lucy." Lucy furrowed her brow slightly.
Meditation wasn't always smooth sailing; mental setbacks and distractions were common.
"Please persist. Release more of your latent magical power..."
Sweat drenched Lucy's body as she pushed her reserves.
Fortunately, she was only wearing a bikini, so her clothes didn't cling uncomfortably to her skin.
"Though it is painful, you must endure. Only by breaking through these mental shackles can you reach a new realm of summoning."
After finishing her grueling meditation, Lucy collapsed weakly to the ground, gasping for breath.
"This is the true path of a Mage. Lady Layla also endured such trials before she became a powerful Celestial Spirit Mage," Capricorn noted approvingly.
...
"Ice-Make..."
Having finished his physical training at the waterfall, Gray remembered his master's words.
His Ice-Make magic seemed overly focused on close-quarters combat and rapid creation.
He was pondering whether he should follow his teacher Ur's example and develop some massive, large-scale techniques.
His Ice-Make: Lance and Super Freeze Arrow, while considered ranged attacks, lacked sufficient area-of-effect capability for a tournament setting.
Juvia was training in a small pond not far from Gray, manipulating massive amounts of water elements and shaping them into various defensive forms.
Wendy finally picked up the heavy magic book of the Sky Dragon Grandeeney that she had received from Porlyusica a month ago.
"Let me see... How exactly is this ancient character pronounced...? And it's so thick..." Wendy tapped her head with her fist. She wasn't exactly the studious type.
"I should go ask Levy or Lucy to borrow a pair of Galeforce-Reading Glasses."
..
After finishing his own meditation, Raizel heard Wendy's muttering as she leaned against a rock nearby. "I see!" he smiled.
Not far away, Erza and Kagura were still exchanging fierce, high-speed blows with their swords.
Currently, when it came to pure swordsmanship techniques alone, Kagura might even surpass Erza.
Cana had partnered up with Ultear across the clearing, with both engaging in intense, long-range firepower exchanges and rapid evasion drills.
"Fight me Raizel!" Mira, wearing a simple pink dress, stood quietly behind him with one hand on her hip.
"Uh... alright." Raizel didn't know what had gotten into Mira to suddenly propose a spar, but if she wanted to fight, then so be it.
"There's a good show to watch! A good show to watch!" Cana exclaimed excitedly, signaling Ultear to pause their training.
Cana's loud voice attracted everyone's attention, including Levy and Wendy, who had been engrossed in reading for a long time.
Mira and Raizel stood facing each other in the clearing, about thirty paces apart.
Mira closed her eyes, as if gathering her strength for a long time.
Raizel, unsure what trick Mira was up to, took the initiative by using his Take Over with Omnimon first.
He stood in place, encased in the sleek white and gold armor.
"You go first."
Only after Raizel completed his Take Over did Mira slowly open her eyes.
Immediately, Mira's entire body was violently enveloped in a swirling pillar of black magical power.
But her sharp gaze seemed to pierce right through the magical storm and lock onto Raizel.
"Interesting..." Raizel narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Mira beneath the storm of magical power.
The black magical storm gradually dissipated, and Mira, having completed her Full-Body Take Over, slowly appeared before everyone.
"It's different!" Levy couldn't help but exclaim, then covered her lips with her hand upon realizing her loud overreaction.
"What's going on? Isn't this the usual Satan Soul?" Cana scratched her head in confusion.
"She mastered it last year. It's still considered a Satan Soul. I've fought her in it—it's very strong," Erza said without changing her serious expression.
"I've fought her too. In this state, I'm no match for her. But something seems off today," Kagura frowned slightly, resting her hand on her sword.
"Right. I remember when she fought me, Mira could easily control her magic," Ultear murmured while rubbing her chin.
Unlike the usual Full-Body Take Over with her base Satan Soul, in this state, the fierce scar that crossed her eye disappeared.
Golden keratin armor layers appeared on Mira's ears and chin, especially with what seemed like a pair of sharp horns growing beside her ears.
Her originally white hair became curly and long, and the ahoge that was tied with a band grew longer and swept backward.
Unlike the slightly revealing base Satan Soul form, in this state, Mira wore dark blue demon-like attire, with subtle demon flames swirling fiercely around her feet.
A heavy black cloak fluttered in the wind. Most importantly, the absolute contempt and disdain in her eyes were unmistakable.
Full-Body Take Over: Satan Soul: Sitri!
This form was an advanced version of Satan Soul, which Mira had kept hidden for some time.
In Raizel's view, it seemed Mira couldn't fully control her magic yet.
Her gaze was extremely sharp. It didn't feel like a friendly sparring match, instead, it was more like she was scrutinizing an enemy.
The look in her eyes, as if she were looking at trash, was impossible to hide!
Before Raizel could think further, a terrifying aura erupted from Mira, like a slumbering demon suddenly awakening.
The powerful magical power felt almost tangible, pressing down heavily on the surrounding air and causing dull explosive sounds.
It formed distorted waves of forceful wind around her, making her cloak flap noisily and her white hair stream upward.
Mira's figure flickered, traversing thirty paces in an instant as if teleporting to appear directly before Raizel.
'So fast!'
Raizel had underestimated Mira's speed in her Sitri state.
In the blink of an eye, Mira was right in front of him.
Her silver right claw, gathering dense black magical power, formed a fist and struck out.
Although he had initially misjudged her speed, Raizel's muscle memory helped him react.
The Garuru Cannon on his right hand swung up to block the punch.
Not only was her speed remarkable, but the sheer force behind Mira's fist was staggering.
Boom!
The power was so immense that transparent shockwaves rippled out in concentric circles in front of Mira's fist.
The hasty block forced Raizel back more than ten steps in succession, his boots tearing up the dirt.
Even after blocking Mira's punch with his armored arm, Raizel could still feel lingering tremors echoing through the metal.
As Mira closed in again, Raizel noticed that the demonic flames beneath her feet burned even more fiercely.
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