Fairy Tail - Twilight Empire

Chapter 120 - Gray vs Wall

Wall let his arms hang low at his sides while he continued to sneer at Gray, his eyes fixed and unblinking. Gray held his stance, ready for his opponent to make a move. Their arena, so to speak, was wider than the average boxing ring, perhaps about double in size. It wasn't the typical amount of space Gray liked to have with his enemies.

Having shown incredible speed and reflexes, Gray was going to need defenses at any and every stage of the fight. He placed his fist into his palm.

"Ice-Make: Cold Excalibur."

The large blade appeared as he separated his fist from his open palm. Wall's eyes lit up.

"Analysis."

The Imperial stood up straighter, and just as fast as the light appeared in his eyes it vanished, the red hue in them dying down.

"Yup, I was right," Wall said. "Alright. You're dead, Demon Slayer."

"Think just by one spell you've figured me out?"

"I have data on every known magic," Wall said. "And I've been equipped to counter every single one. There isn't a path for victory for you, only certain death."

"We'll see about that."

Wall shrugged. "You like to keep things at range, so right now you're trying to fake me out with that sword. I also know you like to use little traps, but you need time to set them."

Hence, the environment, Gray thought.

It was the perfect way to keep him trapped, but Gray didn't solely rely on ranged tactics. Up close, he was going to prove to Wall just how dangerous he was, especially with some of his Ice Demon Slayer abilities. But, he couldn't lead with all of that. He had to keep it simple.

Wall gestured for Gray to attack, and Gray obliged. He swung his icy sword down at Wall, an arc of ice following its path, and all the Imperial did was merely raise his arm. A metallic sheen glossed over his forearm, and the ice shattered on impact. Wall didn't even flinch. Gray, acting on instinct, kicked out. Wall caught his leg and slammed Gray into the ground.

"Ice-Make: Prison!"

The structure fell on top of Wall, who broke it with a mere swing of his arm. He flung Gray away, toward the magic circles. Gray slid to a halt.

Wall raised his hand. Immediately, without warning or magic circle, several bullets materialized in midair and were instantly fired at Gray.

He created a shield to block them and had to pump it full of magic just to hold against the hail of bullets.

He tried to think of his next attack, but a torrent of fire ripped free from where there'd been bullets dotting the ground and nearly engulfed Gray. He dove forward, nearly into Wall's embrace. Gray acted fast, punching out at Wall, who blocked it with ease, then punched Gray straight in the head, a blow that almost knocked him unconscious. Wall reached out to grab Gray, but, on instinct, he flung his shirt aside, leaving Wall to grab air.

"Ice-Make: Ice Geyser!"

He mostly used it as a barrier to get separation from Wall, forcing the Imperial back a step while Gray slid away and caught himself, shaking his head to clear his mind. Wall easily punched through the ice. The metal on one arm began to cover both, as well as some of the weak spots on his body.

Wall didn't give Gray any room to breathe or think. Gray had to once more act on instinct.

"Ice-Make: Ice Impact!"

The hammer appeared in Gray's arms, and rather than take a horizontal swing at Wall he swung just as Wall's head was in range, snapping the Imperial's neck back and sending him flipping away.