Chapter 67 : Mirajane's Punch!!

From a distance, Everit pushed up his glasses, observing the chaotic scene. The icy landscape around him was marred by bursts of fire, as if a battle between frost and flames was raging. 

Magic energy surged and clashed, creating a hazy cloud of steam that blurred the outlines of combatants.

This was the combined magic of Gray and Natsu. Their opposing elements—ice and fire—intertwined, disrupting the structure of the surrounding magic and creating a chaotic field where spells behaved unpredictably. 

The steam enveloped them like a shield, effectively weakening the impact of any attacks that came from the outside.

It was a tactic Natsu seemed to deploy instinctively, perhaps inspired by Jose's use of dark mist to contain Everit's power earlier. 

And Gray, being the skilled wizard he was, intuitively joined in to support the disruption.

Yet, this was not like Jose's controlled mist. While it obscured vision and dampened the effects of magical attacks, it didn't respond to their commands, providing no feedback or information to guide their moves. 

If it had, Everit would have found himself cornered. As it stood, he had to be cautious but not panicked.

The chaotic interplay of magic forced Everit to retreat a considerable distance, far enough to avoid direct attacks but close enough to stay in the fight.

"Is that as far as you can go, Everit?" Gray taunted, his voice steady despite the thick steam. "Your gun isn't ready yet, is it?"

Natsu, never one to back down, chimed in with his own challenge. "Better stay still, Everit. Unless you wanna get punched!"

Everit didn't flinch. "Fine, but don't whine when it hurts." He pulled out a long sword with a deft motion, his eyes narrowing as he prepared for the inevitable clash.

'Boom'

A barrage of ice spears shot toward Everit's position, forcing him to sidestep rapidly. Natsu charged at him, fists alight with fire magic, ready to strike.

Everit moved swiftly, avoiding the ice spears and Natsu's advance. The ground splintered where the spears hit, sending shards of ice flying through the air. 

But the real danger was from Natsu, who lunged forward and landed a solid punch, though it struck what appeared to be an illusion—a fountain of ice.

Realizing he had missed, Natsu shouted for Gray, warning him of the trap. But it was too late.

Everit spun gracefully on his skates, drawing his long blade and a card in a swift motion. He pressed the card against the blade and swung it at Gray's side, the card releasing a burst of energy that added force to the strike.

'Boom'

The magical impact resonated through the field, signaling a shift in the battle's momentum.

Gray was knocked back by the powerful force of the blade, landing hard on his back.

"Damn it," he grunted, clutching his abdomen. The sword strike had nearly shattered his ribs. "How can you hit us from so far away, and with all this chaotic magic in the air?"

The man responsible was Everit, who had accidentally slain a demon and then used its body to create Haven—a sword so sharp it could cut through iron as if it were soft clay. 

Because of this, Everit rarely needed additional tools. But to offset his physical limitations, he developed special auxiliary cards.

Like the one he just used. When attached to an object, it could release a surge of energy, propelling the weapon with incredible force. 

This was how Everit compensated for his relative lack of strength. But with Haven, such tricks were rarely necessary. Even someone like Erza, with her formidable armor, would have to be careful around Haven's edge.

However, when fighting Gray, Everit opted to use the back of the sword, not the blade. This meant relying on older techniques to generate explosive power, techniques he'd long since abandoned but still knew how to use.

Gray's confusion stemmed from the distance and the chaotic magic surrounding them. How could Everit still control his attacks so precisely?

The answer lay in the second level of his deception magic mastery. In this stage, a mage could control the magic seeds within their body, allowing them to manipulate the five senses or influence emotions. 

This kind of power didn't require a direct connection to the surrounding magic—everything was controlled from within.

But Everit kept his knowledge to himself. Instead of answering Gray's questions, he chose to keep his magic techniques hidden. A good magician never reveals all their tricks.

Just as Gray struggled to stand, Natsu came charging back. Everit wasn't about to let the two of them join forces. 

He feigned an attack toward Gray, then quickly pivoted, using his left hand to press a card against the blade. With a swift movement, he swung the sword at Natsu's side, catching him off guard.

"Boom!"

Natsu was sent flying from the impact.

Everit didn't pause to savor his success. He immediately turned back to Gray, knowing that if he kept him off balance, he'd maintain the upper hand. 

With a series of deception layers, he kept Gray guessing, unable to tell what was real and what was an illusion.

If this were a real fight, Everit would have aimed for a kill shot. But against Gray, he chose to use the back of the blade, ensuring he wouldn't cause any serious harm.

After a series of quick slashes, Gray couldn't hold back any longer.

"Boom!"

After finishing a rapid combo of attacks, Everit executed a perfect high roundhouse kick that sent Gray crashing to the ground.

Everit was panting heavily from the effort, almost out of breath.

Gray, despite the beating, was still in relatively good shape.

"Enough," Everit thought to himself, feeling worn out.

Suddenly, there was a blast of hot air from behind—Natsu had caught up.

Everit used deception magic to deceive both Gray's and Natsu's senses. By the time they realized something was off, they had already collided with each other!

"Boom!"

Natsu landed a powerful punch on Gray's face, while Gray's ice spear found its mark in Natsu's stomach. The force of their attacks was immense.

"Boom!"

Gray was sent flying by Natsu's punch, crashing through several walls before coming to a stop. Meanwhile, Natsu was knocked deep into the forest after being hit by Gray's ice, toppling over a dozen trees.

Both of them struggled to get up—Gray clutching his face, Natsu holding his stomach.

Everit kept toying with Natsu's senses, making him run in circles while he calmly walked toward Gray.

Gray was reeling from Natsu's punch, struggling to stay on his feet by holding onto the wall. It was clear that he was barely hanging on, making him an easy target for another attack.

"That was just a warm-up," he thought.

But before Everit could do anything but take a few steps forward. Suddenly, a massive wave of demonic power surged through the air, nearly knocking him off his feet.

Everit froze in place.

In an instant, Mirajane appeared before Everit, her Demon Queen form exuding a dark, menacing energy.

"Hello, Mira—" Everit began to say, but Mirajane's fist slammed into his gut before he could finish his sentence. The sudden impact knocked the wind out of him, and he doubled over in pain.

Everit collapsed, and Mirajane caught him with one arm. She glanced over her shoulder, spotting Natsu in the distance, and gave him a sharp look.

"Great!"

Everit had fainted, his deception magic dissipating. With Everit out of commission, Natsu no longer felt the illusion that had hindered him. 

He lunged forward, ready to strike at the unconscious Everit, but Mirajane's voice cut through the chaos.

"Natsu, go help Erza," she commanded, her chin tilted upwards in a gesture that brooked no disagreement. Her eyes were stern, filled with authority. 

Natsu stopped in his tracks. He might be hot-headed, but he knew better than to cross the Demon when she looked at him like that.

"Okay," he replied, quickly changing direction to find Erza.

Just then, the magic circle that had trapped Lucy and Juvia vanished, releasing them from petrification. They ran towards Gray and Natsu, relieved to be free.

Natsu grinned widely, happy to see his friends, while Gray tried to maintain a cool demeanor, though he couldn't quite hide his awkwardness at their enthusiastic approach.

Mirajane stood holding the unconscious Everit, her expression softening slightly. She cradled him with one arm and gently brushed his hair with her other hand, her touch surprisingly tender for someone who had just knocked him out.

The battle was over, but there was still much to do. The Fairy Tail guild always had a way of making things interesting, and this day was no exception.

Everit opened his eyes and saw two towering mountains looming before him, obscuring most of the blue sky.

Everit licked his dry lips and muttered, 'Miss Mirajane, you hit a bit too hard.'"

"Who told you to provoke everyone while you were sober? That's the fate of a troublemaker." Mirajane's voice came from above him, and she had returned to her usual self.

She knew exactly why things had escalated and was sure Everit hadn't been drunk.

"How long was I out?" Everit asked.

"Not too long," Mirajane replied. "Natsu and Gray went off to find Laxus. Erza and Mystogan are still battling."

"I can't just lie here," Everit said. "If I don't show up, Laxus will mock me for the rest of my life."

Mirajane chuckled and helped him to his feet.

"Hiss—"

Everit winced and rubbed his stomach. Mirajane had already healed him, so the pain was mild and didn't hinder his movements.

"Everit, thank you," Mirajane said suddenly.

Everit didn't respond.

Mirajane watched Everit as he walked away, her eyes glistening with a gentle light.

****

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