"Ha? Then bring it on!"
Facing Mirajane's challenge, Erza showed no fear at all. She also wanted to see Mirajane's so-called demon power for herself.
Everyone said Mirajane was amazing, that she was a genius at using "Take Over Magic," and that she was a seed candidate for becoming an S-Class Mage of the guild. Naturally, Erza really wanted to exchange blows with this girl of the same age.
It wasn't that Erza was combative. But as the previous female magic prodigy in the guild, and someone who awakened magic just like Mirajane, she was naturally compared to her. The two of them were too similar— even their situations when first arriving at the guild were almost the same.
"Buzz!"
Mirajane seemed to have been holding herself back for days. Magic surged wildly from her body, that demon arm shining with light, and all the magic in her body was stained a dark purple.
"Erza! Today I Will to beat you up! For watching me even when I went to the bathroom!"
Raising that demon arm, Mirajane gritted her teeth and spoke.
"Hiss!"
Hearing that, Moen couldn't help but sharply suck in a breath of cold air. Mirajane had said something outrageous, and it perfectly explained why she was so angry.
His gaze turned toward Erza, who stood calmly at the side, and Moen had to admit— yes, that really did sound like something Erza would do.
'Erza… is way too literal…'
Moen sighed inwardly. This one was partly on him. He had known Erza was the type to execute tasks with rigid, absolute precision to the point of overdoing it. He should have warned her beforehand.
"It was Moen who told me to do that."
Erza replied with a completely calm face. She didn't think she had done anything wrong. She had simply carried out Moen's instructions faithfully. And the results already proved she had completed the task extremely well.
"Wait a second!"
Erza's calm statement made both Moen and Mirajane lose their calm. Moen quickly spoke to clarify.
"Mirajane, I only told Erza to keep an eye on you so you wouldn't slip out quietly. I absolutely did not say anything else!"
Moen explained seriously. Erza's wording had too much ambiguity. It made it sound like he had ordered Erza to watch Mirajane even when she went to the bathroom. How could that possibly be okay!?
"…"
Mirajane's face flushed slightly. She didn't speak.
Erza, on the other hand, looked a little puzzled. What was Moen explaining? And how was what he said any different from what she said?
"Are we fighting or not?"
Erza asked. She was already itching to go.
"Of course we're fighting!"
Mirajane answered, adjusting her emotions. She was the one who picked this fight— how could she run away now?
"Big Sis Mira, don't fight…"
Lisanna tugged at Mirajane's clothes from behind, speaking softly to dissuade her. Elfman also looked worried.
Mirajane returning to normal was wonderful, but it came with new trouble— Big Sis Mira always ended up fighting someone.
"Let's leave it for today. Mirajane, you just accepted your magic power. Wait until you've mastered it better before facing Erza. Erza is very strong— you don't want to lose just because you haven't learned to control your magic yet, right?"
At the critical moment, Moen had to step in personally. With just a few words, he hit Mirajane's weak spot. She immediately gave up the idea of fighting— she didn't want to lose to Erza so casually.
"Moen is right. Even if I win like this, it wouldn't mean anything."
Erza nodded earnestly, agreeing completely. She realized it too— winning right now wouldn't be a fair victory.
"You're right, you're right. Then we'll settle things properly another time. But don't think you'll definitely win!"
Mirajane accepted the offer to retreat, without stubbornly pushing forward. She was just a little verbally stubborn. In truth, she knew that although Erza's method had been a bit excessive, she did it out of concern for her.
But she still wanted to compete with Erza— partly to vent her frustration, and partly because she kept hearing others comparing them. Even though she never spoke much in the guild, she always heard what the others said.
"Buzz!"
The magic around Mirajane faded away— and then, something astonishing happened. Her demon arm disappeared as well.
"Wh-What's going on?"
Mirajane stared blankly at her restored arm. She raised it and looked. It had returned completely to normal— the demon arm was gone!
But it wasn't truly gone. With a thought, magic surged again, and that demonic power responded.
"Buzz!"
Mirajane's body changed. This time, it wasn't only her arm— her entire body transformed!
"Full Body Take Over: Satan Soul!"
Roaring waves of purple magic engulfed Mirajane. Her hair flared upward, a pair of black demon wings unfurled behind her, a large tail swayed at her back, and both of her hands transformed into scaled demon claws.
Even her clothes changed— becoming quite revealing. But the girl was skinny, flat, and boyish, so even revealing clothing showed nothing at all.
"As expected, she's strong…"
Seeing Mirajane's "Full Body Take Over," Erza's expression hardened. She now believed it— Mirajane truly had real power!
"So this is the demon's power…"
Mirajane looked at her body, feeling the strength flowing through it. This was actually the first time she had fully entered this state.
"Magic comes from the power of the heart. You always hated and rejected your magic, so naturally you couldn't control it. You couldn't even take back that demon arm. Now that you've accepted it, it'll naturally allow you full control."
Seeing the confusion on Mirajane's face, Moen explained. At the same time, he couldn't help feeling amazed— people who awakened their own magic were monsters. They didn't even need to learn— everything came naturally. They really were born at the starting line.
"So that's how it is…"
Mirajane finally understood. She had accepted the demon power as the strength she would use to protect her family. The magic accepted her in turn. Only now had she truly mastered it.
[Ding! Quest "Mirajane's Heart Knot" completed.
Quest progress: Make Mirajane accept her own power (Completed)
Claim quest reward?]
Moen glanced at the system popup, finally letting out a breath he had been holding. He didn't know if the system had lagged or what, but it only popped up now, making him worry this whole time.
After complaining in his heart, Moen decisively chose to claim the reward.
[Congratulations, skill Diamond Dust Fist unlocked!]
As the popup appeared, a flood of skill-related knowledge poured into Moen's mind. In that moment, he had only one thought:
'Bronze Saints' skill pool really is overpowered!'
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