The battle was set in the guild's backyard.
Loke actually wanted to take it to the main street out front, but Rhodes immediately refused.
He had only been learning magic for a few days, and the odds of winning were not in his favor. If he got beaten up in public, he'd never live it down.
Unfortunately, moving to the backyard didn't help much.
Someone in the tavern shouted loudly—
"Newcomer Rhodes' first battle! Challenging Loke!"
And just like that, almost everyone from the tavern came out to watch.
"Loke, you lucky bastard! I wanna fight the newbie too!"
Natsu pushed through the crowd, grinning eagerly, a small flame flickering between his teeth.
Loke pushed up his glasses confidently, his signature smirk never fading.
"There's nothing I can do about it. My light just shines too brightly."
Two excited female fans screamed, clutching each other as if swooning from sheer admiration.
Rhodes stared at the scene.
This guy even had a personal fan club at a friendly match?
This wasn't just annoying—he was ruining the guild's atmosphere!
The two stood opposite each other, about four meters apart.
Rhodes looked at Loke seriously and had to admit—this guy was annoyingly handsome.
The guild members lined up in front of the door, watching with full excitement, completely unworried about any collateral damage.
"Alright, both sides are ready—"
Makarov stepped forward, his tiny figure radiating authority.
"Bet on Loke to win, odds are 1:1! Bet on Rhodes to win... odds are 10:1!"
Rhodes nearly stumbled over his own feet.
"P-President?! What are you doing?"
Wasn't Makarov here to act as a referee? To make sure no one got hurt?
Why was he running bets?!
"Ah, well, since Cana isn't here, I figured I'd run the bets instead. Don't worry!"
Makarov waved him off, completely unbothered.
Rhodes rubbed his temples.
So this was why the guild was so chaotic—the president himself encouraged it!
"Alright! Bets are in—let the fight begin!"
Rhodes glanced at the two betting trays in front of Makarov.
Loke's plate was overflowing with cash.
Then, he spotted a familiar one.
Mira smiled sweetly, having placed one of the bets herself—a small but sincere show of support.
"Come on, rookie! Teach Loke a lesson!"
Macao and Wakaba were grinning in amusement. It wasn't just about seeing Loke get beaten up, the high betting odds made it even more exciting.
Rhodes suddenly raised his hand.
"Wait a minute! President, 30,000J! I'm betting on myself to lose!"
The crowd stared at him in disbelief.
Makarov immediately shut it down with a wave of his hand.
"No match-fixing allowed!"
Rhodes felt his chance to make a fortune slip away.
Makarov ignored him completely, clapped his hands together, and grinned.
"Alright! The battle begins now!"
Rhodes sighed, resigned to his fate.
He grabbed his necklace, preparing to chant his summoning spell.
Across from him, Loke smirked and held up a ring on his finger.
"Possession-type magic? I happen to be one too."
Rhodes raised an eyebrow.
"Possession magic or not, you've seen me practice in the guild these past few days. You should know what my magic looks like."
Loke shrugged, his usual confidence never fading.
"Sorry, I don't have a habit of paying attention to men."
Rhodes twitched slightly.
"This guy really deserves a beating."
He exhaled and began his chant.
"I am the one who bridges two worlds, you—"
"Wait! Wait a minute!"
Loke flinched, eyes widening in shock.
"You're a Celestial Mage?!"
Rhodes paused, confused.
"No, not really. But the president said my magic is kind of similar."
He casually held up his necklace.
"See? I don't even use Celestial Keys."
Loke was still frozen, staring at him like he'd seen a ghost.
"Right. Ha... Haha... Hahaha."
His laugh was forced. Sweat started forming on his forehead. He hadn't even noticed that Rhodes wasn't using a key at all, his panic had completely taken over his common sense.
Rhodes tilted his head.
"So? Are we continuing?"
Then, in the most dramatic and suspicious way possible, he backed toward the exit, step by step.
"Actually! You know what? I'm feeling a little under the weather!"
"Yeah! It's not fair to fight ! Let's have a rematch another day! Gotta go!"
Rhodes stood there, completely stunned.
Everyone who had bet on Loke to win was completely dumbfounded.
"What is Loke doing?!" Those who lost money started complaining one after another.
"Loke!" His two devoted fangirls immediately chased after him.
Mira, on the other hand, placed a hand on her cheek, looking quite pleased.
"What a rare opportunity to participate, and I won money right away," she mused happily.
Makarov also raked in quite a bit from the bets, but instead of celebrating, he looked deep in thought. Was Loke really that sensitive just because Rhodes' magic was somewhat similar to Celestial Spirit Magic?
Meanwhile, Macao and Wakaba were overjoyed, throwing their arms around each other's shoulders. With ten-to-one odds, they had won enough to indulge in several days' worth of drinks.
"Good job, rookie! You took down Loke in an instant!"
Happy, floating nearby, waved his little paws and complained, "Aye! But he didn't fight at all!"
"Ahahaha!" Natsu suddenly burst forward, grinning wildly. "Alright then! I'll fight instead of Loke!"
Before Rhodes could even react, a hand landed firmly on Natsu's shoulder.
Her expression was calm, but her grip on Natsu was anything but gentle.
"Rhodes has only been practicing magic for a few days. This match was supposed to test his abilities. You're too reckless," she stated. "So instead, let me fight him."
How did this suddenly escalate?
"Miss Erza, are you serious?" He hesitated, recalling the sheer strength Erza had displayed these past few days.
"Of course," she replied without hesitation. "And since you were kind enough to look after me before, I will give this my all."
"Please don't give it your all!" He immediately latched onto the most important part of her sentence.
Erza paused, then smiled.
"Don't worry. I understand," she reassured him. "I won't be too harsh on my comrades."
Rhodes glanced at Natsu and Gray. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽
The looks on their faces said everything.
She absolutely would be too harsh.
At this point, Rhodes accepted his fate. It didn't really matter who he fought—he was going to lose either way.
But between Natsu and Erza... maybe Erza would actually go a little easier on him.
"President, open the bets! I'm putting my money on Erza!"
"Hurry up, President!"
Makarov crossed his arms and flatly refused.
If Natsu had been fighting, someone might have actually bet on Rhodes, but against Erza? Not a chance. If he took bets on this match, everyone would put their money on Erza, and as the bookmaker, he'd be the one paying up.
"Erza, go easy on him!"
"Rhodes, just try to survive!"
"We'll remember you!"
It was just a sparring match. Why did it sound like they were sending him off to his funeral?
"Do your best, Rhodes!"
Rhodes felt a bit of warmth in his heart. At least Mira was still supporting him like always—
Why was she holding a medical kit?
"Alright! The second match, Rhodes vs. Erza, begins!"
As soon as Makarov announced the match, Rhodes snapped into focus. There was no time to overthink things.
He gripped his necklace and began chanting:
"I am the one who connects two worlds. You, creature of the Summoner's Rift, heed my call and pass through the gate! Rift Scuttle Crab!"
This time, his chant had been adjusted slightly, making it flow more naturally with his magic.
Ripples spread across the ground like water, and a large green Rift Scuttle Crab emerged, its glossy shell gleaming under the sunlight.
"Ohhh~! So this is another one of Rhodes' summons?"
"It actually looks kind of strong!"
"I thought he was gonna throw Warm in there to fight Erza!"
"Don't be ridiculous. Warm is strictly a spectator!"
Meanwhile, Erza, ever the warrior, patiently allowed Rhodes to complete his summoning before lifting her hand.
A flash of light enveloped her, and when it faded, a magic sword rested in her grip.
Rhodes pointed at Erza.
The Scuttle Crab's claws clicked sharply as it surged forward with incredible speed, kicking up dust and dragging a faint afterimage in its wake.
Rhodes had already seen what this thing could do. It could smash through courtyard walls without breaking a sweat. But against Fairy Tail's most destructive maniacs?
This was just a warm-up.
Erza's eyes gleamed as she sized up the incoming creature.