Chapter 25: Let's Form an Alliance

Cana checked her wounds and breathed a sigh of relief. None of her injuries were severe enough to reach her internal organs or bones. She could still hold on.

Distant sounds of battles echoed through the air.

"They're really strong," Cana thought. The sounds of Erza and Mirajane's battles had barely ceased throughout the day.

Cana admired their ability to endure such high-intensity combat. She knew that even if she made it to the end, she wouldn't stand a chance against those two powerhouses.

"But I won't give up," Cana resolved silently. Even if she couldn't win, she wouldn't surrender without a fight.

As night gradually gave way to dawn, the sun rose over the horizon, signaling the final phase of the S-Class promotion exam.

Cana walked cautiously through the forest, constantly on guard against any danger. The shrinking magic barrier behind her made her increasingly anxious.

Sooner or later, she would encounter Erza or Mirajane.

Moreover, in just a couple of hours, the current S-Class mages would join the hunt.

The battle sounds between Erza and Mirajane had stopped in the middle of the night, making it impossible for Cana to locate them by sound.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, Erza and Mirajane stood facing each other, the two most likely candidates to advance.

"Heh, Erza, I didn't expect to run into you here. Looks like you're getting eliminated first," Mirajane said confidently.

She bore no signs of injury, indicating that the island's monsters hadn't troubled her.

Erza shook her head and asked, "Mira, do you really want to become an S-Class mage?"

"Of course I do, and I'll become one before you. Why are you talking so much? Let's continue our fight," Mirajane said, her magic circle flashing above her.

Satan Soul Mirajane emerged once more.

"Wait, Mira. If we fight each other now, neither of us will pass the exam," Erza called out, halting Mirajane's advance.

Mirajane paused and thought for a moment, understanding Erza's point. "You're saying that if we fight here, we might end up both injured."

"Exactly. If that happens, we won't be able to survive the final two hours against the S-Class mages," Erza explained.

Erza continued, "But if we can defeat Alex or Laxus, we both can become S-Class mages."

She extended her right hand, "So let's form an alliance. After the 24 hours are up, we can continue our competition."

Mirajane considered for a moment, then reverted to her normal form, extending her own hand to grasp Erza's.

"Fine, I'll reluctantly form an alliance with you. But my target is Alex. I'm going to beat him into the ground this time," Mirajane declared.

Recalling her first encounter with Erza, Mirajane felt an inexplicable annoyance at how close Alex and Erza seemed. It wasn't just Erza; Alex's friendly nature towards all girls also irritated her.

So she often sought to provoke Erza, and now she looked forward to teaming up with her to give Alex a thorough beating.

"Great, my target is Alex too," Erza said, reminiscing about the time Alex gave her a strawberry cake, filling her heart with sweetness.

She often teamed up with Alex after that, those were her happiest days since waking from her nightmares.

But then she heard that Alex had brought back a girl and even held her hand? Enraged, Erza set out to confront the girl.

She discovered that the white-haired girl was exceptionally beautiful and seemed to have a good relationship with Alex. A strong-willed Erza couldn't stand it, especially when that girl dared to provoke her.

Thus, the guild's second Natsu-Gray rivalry was born. Erza often questioned if it was really just because of Alex, or maybe it was simply that their personalities clashed.

In the sunlight, two people who were never meant to form an alliance shook hands. Perhaps the only thing that could bring two natural adversaries together was a common enemy.

If Alex could see this, he would be utterly shocked, as it seemed impossible.

Unfortunately, Alex couldn't see this, as Makarov had prohibited viewing the live magic crystal three hours before the S-Class mages were to join. This was to ensure fairness, so the S-Class mages wouldn't know the exact locations of the remaining participants, making it more challenging to survive the final two hours.

"So fast!" Erza was astonished at Alex's speed. However, Alex didn't give her time to think; in an instant, he was right in front of her.

With a swift motion, his Zanpakuto, Ryūjin Jakka, was unsheathed.

"Ryūjin Jakka: Flame Slash!"

At such close range, the pressure of Alex's sword enveloped Erza instantly.

"Ahhh!!" Erza screamed as Alex's strike sent her flying. The powerful blow shattered her armor.

Caught off guard, Alex's face reddened at the sight and he quickly turned his head away.

"What are you looking at? Die!!" Mirajane suddenly appeared behind Alex.

Her hands were covered in black magic energy.

"Dark Spark!" Several energy balls exploded on Alex's body.

Smoke and flames obscured Alex's figure.

"Hiss, that hurts," Alex muttered, waving his hand to disperse the smoke. He raised his fist and struck Mirajane, who was hovering too close to dodge.

Mirajane was slammed into the ground, the force of the impact cracking the earth.

Erza climbed back to her feet, looking at her shattered Heaven's Wheel Armor. A flash of light,

"Requip: Giant Armor!"

The light faded, revealing Erza in a yellow armor with a lance, the "Piercing Lance of the Demon." The most prominent feature was the massive right arm of the armor.

Seeing Mirajane in danger, Erza hurled the lance towards Alex with all her might. The power of the armor designed for throwing became evident.

The lance flew with incredible speed and power.

Hearing the approaching sound, Alex dodged to the side.

The lance grazed Alex's face and flew into the distance, causing a loud explosion.

"Hiss, Erza, are you trying to kill me?"

"That wouldn't be enough to kill you," Erza replied, charging at Alex with her massive right arm.

Mirajane, who had gotten up, shook her right hand, channeling dark energy into it, forming a black energy sphere around her fist. She too charged at Alex.

The two formed a pincer attack on Alex.

As their fists closed in, Alex leaned back, using his hands to deflect their punches, forcing them to change their trajectory.

The new targets? Each other's faces.

"Bang! Bang!" The sound of impact echoed as Erza's fist hit Mirajane's face and Mirajane's dark magic-covered fist hit Erza's face.

Both quickly developed bruises. Alex laughed inwardly, "Serves you right for teaming up against me."

He swiftly grabbed their hands before they could retract them.

Erza's eyes widened. Memories of Alex grabbing opponents and slamming them around during missions flashed through her mind.

"Could it be?" Before she could react, she felt herself being lifted and spun. The world around her became a blur.

Considering they were girls, Alex didn't slam them around. Instead, he spun them a few times and threw them.

The two flew back, crashing through several large trees along the way.

"Erza! Stop getting in the way!" Mirajane shouted as she climbed to her feet.

"That's what I should say! Why did I ever think of teaming up with you?" Erza retorted, shaking her sore arm.

"Do you only cause trouble, armored girl?"

"What did you say, you skinny girl?"

"I'll beat you to tears!"

Alex watched them argue, shaking his head. Having a conflict now could be fatal.

"Requip: Flight Armor."

Erza's outfit changed to a beast-skin armor with beast ears on her head.

"An armor that enhances speed?" Alex murmured.

Erza's speed increased dramatically, and she wielded two short swords, closing the distance to Alex in a blink. Alex quickly drew his blade to block.

Sparks flew as their blades clashed, filling the air with a flurry of slashes.

Even Alex found Erza's speed challenging to handle. Concentrating, he covered Ryūjin Jakka with intense flames, significantly boosting its power.

Switching to a two-handed grip, he swung the flaming sword, sending Erza flying with the impact.

Erza slowly got up, her hands trembling and scorched, pain radiating through her body.

"Damn it, you'll never truly understand Alex's strength until you fight him," Erza thought, realizing Alex hadn't even used his full power yet.

His all-consuming flames that could incinerate everything hadn't been unleashed.

Yet, even without that, he had them both battered and bruised.

After repelling Erza, Alex smiled, "Not bad, Erza, but if it's just you, it won't be enough."

Since Erza and Mirajane had started arguing, only Erza had been fighting him, reducing Alex's pressure considerably.

Erza smiled lightly and said, "Who said it's just me?"

"Huh?" Alex turned to see Mirajane flying in the air, her hands positioned at her waist, gathering a massive amount of dark magic energy. It seemed she had been charging it for a while.