"Hey—hey, you two. Can you at least remember I'm still standing right here?"
Brandish crossed her arms, irritation clear in her voice as she stared at the pair who looked one step away from slipping into their own world.
"Seriously. If you're going to flirt, at least be mindful of the impact."
She wasn't angry just because she felt ignored. Brandish knew exactly what kind of situation she was in—and she knew these two weren't from her side.
Otherwise, she might've seriously started wondering if someone had tricked her here just to watch a couple flirt—purely to remind her how painfully single she was.
"What are you talking about?" Erza snapped immediately. "We didn't do anything shameless."
"Yes, yes, of course you didn't."
Brandish waved her hand lazily, clearly unconvinced.
"You can explain it however you want. I'll just believe what I saw."
"Well—!"
Erza puffed up her cheeks, her brows furrowing in clear frustration. She shot Rain a sharp glare, eyes blazing.
If it weren't for this guy, things wouldn't have turned out like this in the first place.
So really—this was all Rain's fault.
Unfortunately, Erza's glare meant absolutely nothing to him. Rain didn't even bother responding. He simply ignored it.
After all, today's… encounter with Erza had already been decided by him from the start.
Rain and Brandish locked eyes.
No words were exchanged—but both of them understood.
Terrifying magic power surged silently from their bodies, pressing down on the surroundings like an invisible weight. The air thickened, heavy enough to make breathing uncomfortable.
Then—
A sudden gust of wind swept across the island.
The two moved at the same time.
There was no visible motion. No chanting. No warning.
The island beneath their feet split apart in an instant, reshaping itself violently—stretching, twisting, hardening—before erupting upward as massive spikes that shot straight toward the opponent.
Fortunately, thanks to Brandish's earlier intervention, the people on the island had already been pushed into a distant, isolated section. None of them were caught in the attack.
Otherwise, just this exchange alone would've been enough to wipe them out and sink them into the sea without a trace.
BOOM!
The spikes formed from the island collided head-on.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Shockwaves rippled outward as fragments of land shattered and rained down into the ocean below.
Yet—
Rain and Brandish hadn't moved an inch.
They stood calmly in their original positions, expressions unchanged.
Under the influence of Command T Magic, the entire island had become like soft clay—malleable, obedient—something both of them molded freely, as if it were nothing more than a toy in their hands.
"…That magic…"
Erza, who was being protected within Rain's magic space, couldn't help but stare in awe at the clash before her.
She could tell—this wasn't just about technique.
The real reason these two could perform such exaggerated feats so effortlessly… was their sheer magic power.
After all, magic power was the foundation of everything.
"My armors are powerful… but my magic power isn't enough to fully support them."
Erza clenched her fist slightly.
"If I keep chasing stronger armors without strengthening myself, I'll always be limited."
A spark of realization flashed in her eyes.
Armor was still just a tool.
As long as magic power was strong enough, any armor could be wielded freely.
…
The island continued to twist and reshape violently between Rain and Brandish as they bombarded each other without pause.
"Observation… activate."
Seeing the stalemate, Rain calmly activated his Observation Haki, extending his perception outward and beginning to read the flow of the battle.
Predict. Intercept. Move first.
From that moment on, the rhythm changed.
"…What?!"
What had been an even exchange instantly tipped out of balance.
Once Rain began predicting her movements, Brandish found herself completely on the defensive.
Her expression darkened.
"How…?"
She couldn't understand it.
There was no chant. No visible spell.
Yet every attack she launched was countered before it even fully formed.
"…No. He's predicting me."
A cold thought crept into her mind.
"Mind-reading…? Is that what this is?"
Otherwise, there was no way to explain it.
"Now."
Rain seized the opening he foresaw and launched his counterattack in one clean motion.
BOOM!
"What—?!"
Brandish stumbled back as the ground beneath her feet exploded.
She had misstepped—just once—and Rain didn't miss it.
BOOM!
The spot where she had been standing shattered completely.
"…Damn it."
Even Brandish, who normally couldn't care less about anything, felt her competitive streak ignite.
"Then let's go bigger."
In an instant, her body expanded.
A giant over a hundred meters tall rose above the island, blotting out the sky. She smashed the island-spikes apart with a casual slap and brought her massive foot crashing down toward Rain.
"So you went with size."
Rain smiled faintly, shaking his head.
"I've never really used this before… but this does sound fun."
The next moment—
A giant of equal size stood before her.
"…Seriously?"
From Erza's perspective, the two of them were now towering monsters that seemed capable of crushing the heavens themselves.
She felt her worldview quietly cracking.
"Tch."
Brandish clicked her tongue, clearly annoyed.
Now she'd confirmed it—there was a difference in strength between them.
If Rain was stronger, she could accept that.
But being evenly matched while using the same magic?
That was irritating.
And boring.
"Honestly… this fight's getting dull."
"Boring?" Rain smiled. "Then I'll fix that."
He reached to his waist.
The sword Ace was drawn partway from its place—but the blade remained sheathed.
There was no killing intent.
After all, this wasn't a battle to the death.
"You're pulling out a weapon?"
Brandish scoffed, a hint of ridicule in her voice.
"At this point? What's the point of that?"
She smirked.
"If you swing that thing at me, I can just shrink it into a toothpick, you know?"
"Hahaha—"
Rain's smile darkened slightly.
Good.
I hope you're still laughing in a moment.
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