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The two individuals facing each other exchanged intense sparks in the air.
After Wendy's treatment, Jellal not only escaped his near-death state, but his severely injured body also recovered significantly, now allowing him to use about seventy percent of his strength.
Magic particles, invisible to the naked eye in the air, transformed under the pull of golden Magic Power, condensing into threads of brilliant starlight surrounding Jellal.
Before he even moved, Jellal exuded an overwhelming aura, as if even the air became heavy.
Brain praised his student internally for possessing such strength at a young age, but his opponent was equally not to be underestimated.
Looking at the calm and steady Mystogan, a hint of apprehension flashed in Brain's eyes.
If Jellal was the brilliant starry sky, then Mystogan gave Brain the feeling of a calm yet profound ocean—unfathomable, as if he could never see through him.
However, fortunately, Mystogan was a Holder Mage, and in terms of combat, his upper limit wasn't as high as Jellal, who was a Caster Mage, especially since Jellal used high-level Magic like Heavenly Body Magic.
Magic Power changed abruptly, and the battle began!
Stars inverted in Jellal's pupils, and seven Magic circles arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper appeared above his head, starting with Grand Chariot—the spell that once severely wounded Erza.
Seven beams of light, trailing comet tails, crashed down.
Mystogan, holding his Magic staff, drew a silver trajectory on the ground, and five overlapping Magic circles bloomed like lotus flowers beneath his feet as five-colored torrents of Magic Power surged into the sky.
The clash of Magic created a temporary magical vortex, which was instantly torn apart by a golden light as Jellal created hot, invisible airflow through friction in the air, rapidly approaching Mystogan like a falling meteor.
Typically, Holder Mages who use Magic staves are more adept at long-range magical combat, and once engaged in close combat, they become constrained and their fighting power greatly diminishes.
Having suffered a major loss at Mystogan's hands once, Jellal was very wary of his mental Magic, so he wanted to suppress his opponent through close-quarters combat.
Such a change in combat might be effective against other Holder Mages, but it was destined to be ineffective against Mystogan.
In Fairy Tail, you might not have a Job, but you must know how to fight hand-to-hand.
Looking at the "meteor" so close, Mystogan couldn't help but recall Laxus in the guild, who always clamored to determine a winner with him, and his lightning was much faster than Jellal's current speed.
If even the faster Laxus couldn't be forcibly caught, how could Jellal's speed escape Mystogan's eyes?
Using his Magic staff as a spear, Mystogan instantly jabbed forward more than a dozen times, and the impenetrable strikes forced Jellal to abandon his charge.
Another individual who cultivates both Magic and physical combat. Why does Fairy Tail always produce Mages with this fighting style?
Jellal gritted his teeth, waving his hand to drag out stellar illusions behind him, condensing them into one Heavenly Body Magic orb after another, fiercely smashing them toward his opponent.
Three Magic staves were quickly inserted into the ground, and Mystogan easily deflected the Heavenly Body Magic orbs with Triple Magic Circle: Mirror Water.
In the back and forth, Mystogan suddenly found that his body couldn't move, only to see chain-like magical patterns suddenly entwined around him.
Seeing his binding Magic ambush succeed, Jellal snorted coldly, spread his five fingers, and nine powerful Heavenly Body Magic orbs—different from ordinary ones—were blasted out with intense killing intent.
The immobilized Mystogan took the brunt of this fierce Magic. A muffled groan escaped from beneath his mask, and he was instantly blasted into a cloud of smoke by the powerful Magic.
"Illusion?!"
"Oh no."
When Jellal reacted, he found that his feet were already trapped by a viscous liquid, and Mystogan, who'd just been "destroyed," appeared like a ghost outside the Magic circle.
Realizing he'd fallen into a trap, Jellal immediately exerted his full Magic Power, and twelve golden pillars of light suddenly descended from the sky.
And Mystogan's Magic was also complete, with four Magic circles interlocking and rotating like gears in front, behind, left, and right of Jellal.
Brilliant starlight and ethereal mist engulfed the surrounding ground.
Where the two stood, Magic ignited with a roar, and instantly, dust filled the air and gravel flew.
In the dust, two afterimages flickered, constantly emitting short, rapid, heavy continuous strikes and the violent explosions of clashing Magic.
The impact of two immense forces caused debris to float and tremble in the energy aftermath, making the dust grow thicker and thicker.
Beneath their feet, the ancient city buried for hundreds of years saw buildings continuously collapse during the fierce battle between these two powerhouses.
Until everything settled, the victor appeared amidst the ruins.
That familiar blue hair and familiar mark on his right cheek filled Brain with uncontrollable joy, and his hanging heart finally settled.
The final victor was him.
No... it was him!
The sunlight dispelled the dust, and the young figure that emerged from within was Mystogan, clad in a tattered black robe, finally shedding his strict disguise!
"What the hell? Your face, how could it..."
Looking at Mystogan and the person he held in his hand, Brain showed an incredible look of horror. That Mage named Mystogan actually looked exactly like his student Jellal!
A gentle breeze passed, and Noah's figure appeared beside Mystogan, supporting him as he swayed. "Congratulations, brother. Seems you can also go and be a Ten Wizard Saint for fun."
Putting down the unconscious Jellal, Mystogan shook his head, looking at the two broken Magic staves stuck in the scorched earth, sighing at his costly victory.
"If Jellal were in peak condition, the one who would've lost in the end would only be me."
Mystogan wasn't being humble. As an Edolas native without Magic Power in his body, his combat relied entirely on five Magic staves equipped with different Magic.
And the power of Magical Tools has an upper limit.
Even if Mystogan could combine more powerful Magic by using multiple staves simultaneously, it couldn't change the fact that his strength was capped by the staves' power limit.
Unless there were more powerful Magical Tools, Mystogan wouldn't make any further progress in Magic.
"I knew I shouldn't have acted on a whim. I should've let you deal with Jellal..." Looking at the broken Magic staves, Mystogan suddenly felt some regret.
Because they were made from rare materials, even a master craftsman like Doran might not be able to repair his Magic staves.
Seeing his older brother show a pained expression, Noah understood that losing two Magic staves meant his brother's combat power had decreased to a crippling extent, so he immediately took off the ring necklace from his neck and threw it to him.
Mystogan looked at Noah suspiciously. Even though they were brothers, a man giving him a ring seemed odd no matter how he thought about it.
It wasn't until Noah said the three words "Dorma Anim" that Mystogan realized what his younger brother had given him, and he was momentarily touched.
Unfortunately, the scene of brotherly affection was interrupted by a sudden change before it could even begin.
In the center of the ancient city, black and white light soared into the sky.
Nirvana had activated.