Dawn of Adventure {Book One of The Paths We've Traveled}

Chapter Sixty-One: Fight in the Labyrinth

"Yeah, cause you'll take the first sign of trouble and use it to punch me out."

"No!"

"That's literally what you did to Gajeel during the Grand Magic Games."

"So?"

Gray grinned to himself, mission of distracting Natsu completed. And that was when even he could hear the sound of approaching footsteps coming ever closer.

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Happy grabbed the back of Lucy's top, flaring his wings and yanking her backward. With his help, she narrowly avoided an arrow of magic straight to the gut. She gasped out a thank-you before grabbing her keys, calling upon her diminishing supply of magic.

She changed in an instant, Aries Star Dress replaced by her Taurus Star Dress in the time it took for her to leap forward. Her whip connected with the ground, the weapon channeling Taurus's magic to split the cobbled stone.

Her opponents shrieked, two crashing to their knees as their balance was lost due to the uneven waves of shattered floor. The other three managed to retain their footing, but just barely.

"What the hell, she's just one girl!" Fake Erza glared, two swords clutched tightly in her hands. Her hair was in disarray from the frustration posed by the woman before her. The other four were just simple members of the dark guild, but their strength was on par with Other Erza's. What that said about Other Erza's power, Lucy had no idea. "You shouldn't be this much of a challenge!"

Lucy grinned, wiping sweat from her brow. "Well first off, I'm not alone. I got Happy here with me. Second, light is always stronger than dark. And third, I'm a lot stronger than I look. I can keep proving it if you want." Then her grin slipped into a smirk, and she struck once more.

Her Fleuve d'étoiles wrapped around a woman's leg and dragged her to the floor. She spun through the fight with the grace she had been raised with and the power she had been strengthening for years. Dancing and twisting, whip cracking and flying, she truly was a sight to behold.

Other Erza struck out with her sword, desperate to not lose this fight. Much to her irritation, her weapons had no effect on Lucy's whip, only slicing through the waves of coursing magic. She increased the frenzy of her attacks, swinging faster and faster.

The Fleuve d'étoiles had no effect on the Other Erza either, only stunning and inconveniencing her for a second. The only time her whip actually caused a physical reaction was when it made contact with the floor. But it was driving Other Erza insane.

"Actually hit me!" She yelled, brandishing her weapon above her head. As she swung, her elbow slammed into one of her guildmates, sending her crashing to the floor. Other Erza didn't pause in her attack, not having it in her to care about the fate of her guildmates as long as she succeeded in this fight.

Lucy's eyes narrowed as she watched the dark man fall to the ground, clutching his head as his vision spun. She blocked Other Erza's attack with ease, barely moving as her glare intensified. Happy sniggered, dipping down to drag the incapacitated dark guild member to the side of the hallway. "Oh, you're in for it now."

"You're so determined to beat me that you would willingly injure your own guildmate?"

"They're simply a means to an end." Other Erza tossed her hair over her shoulder, standing tall and returning the Celestial Spirit wizard's glare. "They're replaceable. I am not."

"No one is replaceable." Lucy rolled her shoulders, making eye contact with Happy. She grinned, reaching up to tug at her necklace. She paused when a sharp heat pulsed through her skin, and she glanced up briefly at the ceiling. Be safe, Natsu. She returned her attention to fake Erza and the rage that was beginning to pool in her stomach. She raised an eyebrow as her hand slipped down to hold her keys. "But you want me to take this fight more seriously? Fine. I'll show you just how hard it's going to be to beat me."