[EVENT} Fairy Festival Battle: Aven v. Leona [Contestants Only]

Now that the parade was officially over, Arcadia  flew down to the platform Master Sorano stood on to address the crowds. The little slayer remaining invisible as she reverted to her human-self. Little Arcadia pulled her iLac from its specially sewn pocket, and quietly texted her friends from the Magnolia Theatre Company to stand ready. After nearly dying on a recent job that probably saved the company's biggest star, she figured they  would be owing her quite a few favors for awhile.  Arranging special non-magical fireworks to light up the skies over the designated  dueling areas around Magnolia was just a small beginning. They'd hang in place long enough to guide people who wanted to watch in person. Arcadia was pretty sure they'd look pretty boss on the screens set up for remove viewing too.

When Master Sorano finished her closing speech on the parade, Arcadia  let herself become invisible, and she walked  forward to introduce those who would be fighting.  She beckoned the floating microphone lacrima down lower, and let her voice be cast all over to be heard by all. ”Thank you, Master Sorano! And now... let me introduce all the those who dare to enter  the Fairy Ring!  We have four matches with brave contestants who will test each other's skill to the limits! Each pair have been chosen to ensure a fair and entertaining match! Who will win! Who will fall! Our contestants will not be just fighting each other, but time as well! If neither has won decisively before the allotted time has won out, our honorable, All-Saints panel of judges will confer and vote on the ultimate winner!”

Keeping her iLac subtly at her side, she texted the signal and fireworks shot up in all the designated dueling areas around the city. When the pyrotechnic rockets exploded their colors made the faces of the wizards who would battling in each designated area directly below.

”Just follow the faces in the sky to the matches that interests you most! Or watch them all the many screens set up  and down the main thoroughfare here! Refreshments, souvenirs and more are available at our sponsor's booths and don't forget the half-priced drinks right here in our own guild hall!”

Little Arcadia announced, ”In Designated Dueling Area: Atlantis! We have the one the only, Fairy Tail's own! AVEN ALVERON! Vs! The great! The fearsome! The bossest boss! Guildmaster of Silver Wolf!! LEONA JARNEFELDT!”

(Please do post here unless you are a constant specified in the introduction/thread title. Thank you!)

The fire works form and hold the colorful portraits of the contestants in the sky above their battlefield. (Vs. Icon by Dezzie)


@Aven Alveron @Leona Jarnefeldt

It was a landmark day for Aven, a momentous occasion in his wizarding career; he was about to have an official duel, audience and all. He wasn't facing just any opponent, either: Leona Jarnefeldt, the Guildmaster of Silver Wolf. Excitement coursed through his body as he stepped into the arena, his eyes sparkling at the crowd. It would be more suave to walk in cool and collected, like he owned it, but such was not his style, and besides, there was a very real threat of loss in the scenario. Not just anyone could lead a magical guild, and Aven had a sneaking suspicion he was about to find out just what it took to do so.

Refocusing his attention on the match at hand, desperately trying to blot out the noise around him, he scanned the perimeter of the ring. It was going to be incredibly difficult planning a method of attack, not knowing the magic of his opponent; however, there was a distinct advantage he held by simple virtue of the arena, and that was proximity. Provided he could establish control of the center of the ring, he estimated his Translocation Glyph could reach roughly to both walls, allowing him to set up a perimeter of Circles to switch with should Leona press the attack, while also providing him assurance that he could do the same should she attempt an extended long range engagement. A small wrinkle appeared in his brow under the stress quick calculation. If she engages a ranged battle of attrition, I'll need to respond quickly and efficiently. Even a few errant strikes from such a powerful Wizard could mean my defeat... There was no easy solution to the frailness of his magical arts, lacking sorely in defensive measures beyond spacial magic. The only effective countermeasure would be an application of his upgraded Translocation Glyph, risky business if done incorrectly, as he'd leave himself wide open. There was one configuration he'd been practicing which might just work...

The miniature angel beside him let out a small chuckle. "A gambit, your first time in the arena? I can't say I'm surprised, knowing your usual fighting style." Aviel did have a persistent talent to read Aven's intentions, though whether it was through experience of his connection to Aven as his guardian angel was undetermined. The gambit in question was a configuration of Circles- six, in Aven's case- equidistant from both each other and a point in the center, to allow instant teleportation to any of the set points on the circle through use of the Translocation Glyph, Sek's unique properties. "You realize how tedious that method is, forming a single point at a time? If your opponent realizes what you're doing, it could very well end the match then and there."

Aven sighed, raising his hands in a small, conceding gesture. 'Yes, I'm well aware how inefficient it'll be without a expedient spell, but my magic isn't as flashy as most other wizards, and this isn't just a fight to win, it's a performance! The very least I can do is give the audience a Show worth remembering." With that, the pair grinned at each other, and with stride, approached the center with gusto. Once he'd reach his starting position, he heard Arcadia's disembodied voice echo through the air. He smiled at the boisterous introduction, chuckling as he imagined the little dragon slayer waving her hands an shouting at that volume. She was simply too adorable, and once the Fairy Festival was over, it was about time for Radiant Light's first official job, for certain.

With a smooth bow and a winning smile, Aven acknowledged Leona, sweeping his polished ivory cane across his chest as he did so. He'd dressed to the nines for the battle, of course, a pearly white suit with golden embroidery, to match his hair, an ascot to match his eyes, and sleek white dress shoes for the finishing touch. It was extravagant, and meaningfully so, to signify the elegance of the battle that was about to take place. "It's an honor to meet you, Miss Leona: I look forward to our bout, I hope to learn from your strength and tactics!" His eyes, normally gentle and kind, were steeled with sincerity, and an earnest eagerness for a challenge. Whether or not he was prepared to face the scion of Silver Wolf, he would clash with vigor all the same.

Leona Jarnefeldt had to break off the conversation with Amalie and Ren to participate in the duel. She politely bade them both farewell and calmly walked to the arena set aside for her duel with a Fairy Tail wizard named Aven Alveron. This was not her first fight. It would not be her last either. However, the duel with Aven would be her very first fight in the public eye.

Leona would have to use restraint with Aven because it was a friendly duel, not a fight to the death. Perhaps entering the contest was a mistake. She had been in so many fights to the death that she might harm him for real out of force of habit. Harming Aven would not make her or Silver Wolf look very good to the public. It would also imperil the tri-guild alliance.

Leona took a deep breath as she walked to the entrance of the arena and past lines of people who were taking glances at the former Rising Star. She was not going to back out now. Quitting would make Silver Wolf look a lot worse than accidentally hurting Aven. The Guild Master would give the duel everything she had. She owed Aven that much.

The blonde momentarily walked into a locker room set aside just for her. She deposited her backpack into a locker under the watchful eyes of staff who promised that it would be there when she returned from the duel. Not having it would be helpful because Aven or his summons would have a harder time grappling the mage without a convenient strap to grab. It also made movement easier because the blonde was not weighed down by supplies like water and extra clothes.

After taking another deep breath, Leona strode into the arena with her Nightshade Machete on her left hip and her Argent Gloves on her hand. The knife made by her brother was concealed in a special pocket in her left boot. Cheers erupted for the blonde from Desierto.

Leona looked across the arena and spotted her opponent, the mage from Fairy Tail named Aven Alveron. He was impeccably dressed for the occasion; his choice of attire made Leona's new green-and-gold outfit look shabby in comparison. He wore a pearly white suit with golden embroidery that matched his hair, an ascot to match his eyes, and sleek white dress shoes to finish the outfit.

She spotted the watchful eyes of Nessa Cordelia Lux, Fairy Tail Guild Master Ivy Sorano, and the world-renowned Wizard Saint Samira Nassar. Those three were the judges of the competition and would be watching the contestants carefully. Leona was starting to feel the pressure from being in the presence of such powerful wizards, especially the pressure from being in the presence of Samira. Samira was currently the most powerful wizard alive. Leona took a deep breath and focused on Aven.

"Hi there, Aven. It's a pleasure to meet you." Leona cordially greeted the mage. She spotted Whitney and Erica in the crowd. How did they get here without being kidnapped or getting lost? That was a mystery that would have to be solved later. Right now the blonde needed to focus on defeating Aven without hurting him too badly.

Aven calmed himself, just like his mother had taught him. In battle, all that matters is you, and the enemy: focus is key, and hesitation breeds disaster. A small breath, and Aven's demeanor shifted from cordial to calm, calculating, before his form blurred in a flash of golden light, dashing to stand in the center of the arena. A twirl of his cane, and a white magic circle appeared beside him, nearly two meters across in size, pointed directly toward him. The first move is mine, I shouldn't waste it. It's time to put on a show! With a small wave of his hand, and a yellow magic circle appeared beside the first, before subsequently shattering, and causing the large white Circle to steadily pulse it's color. Aven twirled his cane once more, and the white magic circle disappeared, teleporting fifty meters directly to his right. With one final consecutive spin, this time above his head as he began to exhibit a showman-like flair, a trio of white, pulsing magic circles identical to the first surrounded him. It didn't exactly conceal him, but that wasn't the point: rather, he wanted to distract Leona as long as possible, to set up his magnum opus. Whether it was to confuse, disorient, or give her pause, any tactic would do the trick, so long as it bought him time.

Step one of six... This was the proving grounds, a turning point for what could either become a tale of genius and victory, or a unbridled failure. A golden aura had begun to build up around Aven, and with the appearance of a golden magic circle on his back, the color only intensified. Simultaneously, the white Circles around him fired off two bolts of arcane energy each, zipping through the air at breakneck speed (150 m/s), homing in on Leona. Each of the magic circles immediately reappeared, as though nothing had happened. It was, perhaps, the largest gamble Aven had ever attempted: in order for the strategy to work, not only was he going to need to execute and predict everything perfectly... He wouldn't be allowed to move a single step.

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Stats:

Damage incoming:

Leona watched Aven make the first move. He put on quite the light show and quite the show with his cane. She tried to anticipate what he was doing, but she could not quite make out what was going on. What she did see was eight balls of magic energy speeding towards her that were summoned from magic circles that had appeared around Aven.

They were moving way too fast to dodge and Leona wanted to save her Ruby Dome for later, so Leona knelt and ate the damage, relying on her Argent Gloves to lessen the blow. All eight balls hit her in the chest and on the body. If she wanted to win, she could not afford too many exchanges like this one. Like on a winter holiday popular in foreign lands, it was better to give than to receive.

Now that she had eaten the attack, it was her chance to return the favor. Leona needed to pick the right spell for the job. She expected this fight to take awhile, so slinging costly big-ticket spells right away might not be a good idea. However, she needed to deal appreciable damage to make the exchange almost even. The blonde decided on Smashing Crescent.

Leona focused her magic into her right hand, then performed a downward chopping motion in Aven's direction and let the wind crescent fly towards him at a speed of 180 meters per second. She hoped that it would hit. She could not afford to eat much more damage without dealing some in return.

---

Leona's Stats:

Smashing Crescent:

Abilities Used:

Aven body tensed in the moment, his vision trained on Leona, trying to get a read on her response. A quick motion, and she gathered energy into her hand, chopping down and rending the air in front of her. A small grit of his teeth was all he could afford, his accelerated thoughts running through a myriad of calculations. The energy had coalesced the air in front of her, exponentially increasing the pressure differential and setting it's velocity at a blinding speed. His thoughts moved much faster than his body, he knew with a rough approximation that it was slightly faster than his Seeker missiles, having watched them countless times, and at that speed, he wasn't nimble enough to sidestep; even if all it would take is a foot of sideways movement. He might have been able to activate Sek in one of the Seeker Circles he'd summoned, but it would be too close to call. Not only that, but it would throw his plan off kilter, and worse yet, prematurely reveal his plans. If Leona was made aware of his ability to switch places with his Circles so early in the fight, she might pull focus off him, and find some way to decipher their code. Above anything, Aven couldn't afford to make the risky assumption that she didn't have the knowledge to read and unravel magical matrices. He'd been taught form a very early age that underestimating an opponent was the height of folly, and he'd taken it to heart.

If he couldn't dodge, then, was it prudent to shield himself with Radiance? Aven's body was glowing softly with golden energy, as he'd already done so a moment before in preparation for such an event, summoning a Judgement Circle aimed directly at his back. Due to Radiance's unique properties, any magical enhancements to the spell would be temporarily reduced, so he could reliably trust the shield to protect him from the brunt, at least. That, combined with the circles he'd summoned had generated a sizable protection... Yes, that was the answer. He'd use this chance to measure the potency of Leona's spells, gauge what he was facing. The wind came slicing in, true to it's mark, and gouged a path straight through Aven and his Circles. The golden aura surrounding Aven flashed briefly, before almost completely fading, the energy around him absorbing the force of the wind, as it continued a ways past in it's inevitable path. He'd no time to daudle, that spell would have left him on his back, or worse, if it weren't for that small bit of foresight with the Judgement Circle. Speed, it seemed, would be the tune of the dance Leona and him were preforming, a ballad he'd prepared all too well to handle.

Aven thrust his cane to the side, teleporting the white pulsing Seeker Circle to his left exactly fifty meters that direction, parallel to the first circle he'd teleported to the right. That's two... He was a third the way there, but he still needed three more Circles to complete the formation. All four of his current Seeker Circles, thanks to Hei, were all inscribed with the Translocation Glyph, Sek, already, so his points of instant movement were fifty meters to the right, the left, one meter in front of him, and one meter behind him, respectively. The front and back wouldn't be much use, if Leona continued to fire off range wind based attacks, as they would likely have a hit radius further than that, but if he moved even a single inch to one side or the other, he would no longer be in range to switch places with the circle on the other side. Precision was critical, and so he had to grit his teeth and bear her attack. For that strategy, further preparation would be needed.

Aven snapped his fingers, and a green magic circle appeared directly over the golden circle on his back, still hidden from Leona's view, followed by an azure circle, which shattered, causing the golden circle on his back to pulse brightly. With a second consecutive snap, three more golden Circles appeared behind him in a triangle formation, all pulsing, forming what was almost looked like a mantle. He could feel his magic reserves dipping lower and lower, but if he'd read Leona's battle tactic correctly, it would be just what he needed for her next assault. After all, with his shield having absorbed the full brunt of her spell, and his Judgment and Seeker Circles pressing the attack, she would inevitably double down the intensity of her next spell to break through. He steeled his will, and prepared the image of a golden bubble in his mind, it was possible he'd need that shortly, was well.

All at once, the Seeker Circles fired off a single bolt of arcane magic each, homing in on Leona just like before; the green circle on his back imbued him with a small burst of restorative magic; and finally, the golden Judgement Circles each launched a great sword of gilded light, three of which sped toward Leona three perfectly straight lines, all converging toward the exact middle of her torso at a blistering two hundred meters per second. The fourth, of course, on Aven's back, passed unseen into him, bolstering the golden aura around him even more fervently than before. Immediately after activating, magic energy the circles had been storing flowed into Aven, and all nine Circles reappeared in all their glory, readying their next barrage.

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Stats:

Seeker Circle:

Judgement Circle:

Damage Incoming:

Leona watched as her attack barely missed and Aven readied his own. He did the fancy show again with his cane, but this time she had caught a few details that his show had hidden. Aven's magic seemed to work on circles that empowered him and channeled magic to launch attacks. She had thought that was the case, but the razzle-dazzle from his show was worthy of a magician had obscured those details. So did the seeker balls that he had employed to hit her.

Aven had launched the seeker balls and three swords of light, so she was going to have to dodge them first. Leona saw the seeker balls coming this time, so she got a running start and sprinted towards them, then performed a slide at the last moment, blinking as the projectiles passed over her head and curved into the ground into a vain attempt to hit her. It was a close call, as were the three golden swords that whizzed by overhead.

Now that she had dodged the attacks this time, she was ready to retaliate. But she had to play it smart. Aven had likely read about her exploits and knew about her propensity for getting in people's faces for some close-range combat. He had likely prepared for that with his magic circles. What was a good way to get around that?

Send in a Summon. But first Leona was going to run her own dazzling display. First Leona focused magic power, then threw a Wind Ball spell right at Aven at a speed of 60 Meters per Second. Then she leaped into the air and used Air Burst to rain eight tennis ball-sized balls of wind down on him at 65 Meters per second. Once she landed, she raised a hand and thought "JACKAL SUMMON!"

Her Black-Backed Jackal companion appeared at her feet.

"You see that guy?" Go annoy him for awhile, bite at his ankles. That kind of thing." Leona telepathically instructed.

"It's that kinda thing, huh? You've got it!" The Jackal telepathically replied before charging at Aven. As callous as it sounded, Leona was using the jackal as a test of Aven's circles. If he had set any of them on the ground and prepared them to explode or trap her when she got near, she would know it. Also, having a jackal charging at one with jaws open made for a compelling distraction.

---

Leona's Stats:

Wind Ball:

Air Burst:

Jackal Summon:

Aven's attention was drawn away from his thoughts for a moment, as Leona made a daring dash toward what might well have been her defeat, then, with expert timing, slid under the Judgement swords and Seeker missiles, recovering with a precision that reminded him just who he was up against. A moment of admiration later, she'd already slung a ball of wind at him, and launched herself into the air, responding to his onslaught with one of her own. He refocused, assessing the situation: eight in the air, one form the ground. If he gave up even an inch, his masterpiece would fall apart, but there was significant magical energy echoing from the approaching projectiles; standing his ground would be risky at best, disastrous at worst.

Still, he'd made preparations for just such a counterattack, and his foresight, once more, paid in dividends. With a small flick of his wrist, the third Seeker Circle teleported away, this time, to his south-east, exactly fifty meters away and approximately seventy-two degrees south of the nearest circle. He'd the option, once more, to show his hand, and teleport away from the danger by switching places with any of the three circles now scattered around the area in a slowly forming circle, but it was still far too early. Instead, he let loose the spell he'd been preparing for her inevitable counter-strike, Orb of Protection! His body was immediately surrounded by a golden orb of light, and he stayed firmly in place, bracing for the impact, as he snapped his fingers, three more Seeker Circles replacing the ones he'd teleported away; one on his left and right, and curiously, one directly attached to the end of his cane, each pulsing with the same white light. As the barrage of wind struck, his magic absorbed a good brunt of the blow, and as it broke, briefly illuminated the area directly around him, revealing any invisible or otherwise hidden magics or objects. The remainder of the wind magic was eaten up by the golden aura already surrounding Aven, except for a small buffet, which ruffled his hair and suit, applying magical pressure to his body. It stung, but nothing that would phase him, his feet still firmly planted as before.

Just as he'd decided on and executed his response, however, she made another move: a summon, though a small one, at that. It was a Jackal, a creature normally referenced in some eastern mythologies. In the way of summons, that particular creature didn't scare him; not after meeting the Valkyrie Court, and watching Agatha tear through solid three inch thick mahogany like tissue paper. Regardless, it was summoned for a reason, and he couldn't well ignore it, especially when it could possibly force him to move. Luckily, it was just about that time, and now that he was surrounded by three Judgement Circles and four Seeker Circles, a frontal assault like the Jackal's was fruitless at best.

Aven's growing collection of Circles, as before, activated all on their own, each Seeker Circle shooting out one bolt each, save the one on his cane. The Jackal had close the meager distance between him and Leona quickly, but that proximity would be its downfall: if one looked closely in the ensuing multitude of six bolts firing from all around the arena, and homing onto Leona along with the three Radiant golden swords flying directly at her core, one might be able to spot a quick barrage of six bolts firing from that one Seeker Circle, locking onto the unfortunate Jackal. At such a close range, Aven doubted the creature would even know what hit him. In the midst of all the chaos, concurrently, his body was imbued with green, restorative energy, repairing the slight damage that had been inflicted by the win, and small fonts of pure magic essence flowed from the myriad of circles around the area into Aven, as every circle reappeared, no different than before.

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Stats:

Orb of Protection:

Damage Incoming:

Leona was getting nowhere fast. Aven kept producing magic circles and kept firing those seeker balls and golden swords. She would have to stop him from doing so, but it was not going to be with the jackal summon. The hapless jackal took all eight of the seeker balls aimed at him and collapsed to the ground before dissipating. Now Leona had to try to dodge or block the incoming attacks aimed at her.

Leona was not sure what to do. Should she activate Ruby Dome now or save the defensive spell for later, when she was about down and out? Leona decided to save it. She ducked under the golden swords just in time but was hit by the seeker balls. She could not afford any more of the exchanges.

Leona was looking for a way to strike back when she noticed something. There were more magic circles on the ground of the arena. She recalled seeing him teleport using those circles. What if she could stop him from teleporting by blocking those circles? It was a risky plan.

She needed her summons for their attack power, but leaving the circles open meant that Aven could just teleport away and make any attacks a waste of effort. Leona could bring four summons to the table, so she would have enough to only block four circles. Blocking the circles meant that she could not use their abilities to attack. Still, she had to try. It beat being whittled down without putting up a fight.

Here went nothing.

Leona focused magic in her hand and threw a Fast Ball at Aven that traveled at a speed of 90 Meters per Second. She then raised a hand in the sky and called upon Pharoah Owl.

"Pharoah Summon!" Leona called out. The small Pharoah Owl appeared at her feet. He flapped his tan wings and took flight. She focused magic in her hand and flung her hand outward, throwing an Air Disc at Aven that traveled at 60 Meters per Second. Now for the big summon. She was playing one of her trump cards.

"O FABLED HARPIES, O SISTERS THREE! LEND YOUR STRENGTH UNTO ME!" Leona thought. Moments later the harpies materialized at her feet and took flight in unison to cheers from the crowd. To further distract the Fairy Tail mage, Leona cast a Crescent Wave that fired a wind crescent that traveled at 65 Meters per second.

"Harpies, land on the three circles on the floor!" Leona mentally commanded. The harpies took flight and landed on the circles moments after one another. They remained on the circles and waited for further instructions.

"Ramses, use Feather Storm!" Leona telepathically ordered. The small bird gained a little altitude, flapped his wings, and fired a cloud of feathers point-down at the mage at a speed of 60 Meters per Second. Leona backed up to put some distance between them because she was going to have to dodge again soon. This situation was where a lack of specialization hurt the blonde. Aven was in his element while Leona was out of hers.

---

Leona's Stats:

Fast Ball:

Pharoah Summon:

Air Disc:

Harpy Sister Summon:

Crescent Wave:

Feather Storm:

The thrill of battle was not a foreign feeling to Aven Alveron; he'd grown in a household that expected nothing less than dominance, a practice his gentle nature wasn't generally suited for. He couldn't count how many times he'd been scolded in his Swordsmanship lessons for backing off, not pressing the advantage, showing weakness. In the end, of course, his Mother had gotten her way; and somewhere along the line, Aven had begun to enjoy predicting his opponents, manipulating their moves with strategy. It'd been a subtle change, but the effects had grown over time. It would be a stretch to say he became a different person on the battlefield, but his softer side was heavily suppressed, and he often felt bad afterward.

His surprise was palpable on his face as Leona counterattacked in a way he never imagined, in all his calculations and speculations on possible counter-strategies to the Hex Circle formation, it had never crossed his mind that an opponent could viably stand on the Circles to prohibit the activation of Sek. The reason being was not a lack of analysis of the strategy, but rather, a loophole only recently created by his own design: in an attempt to cover the inherent weakness his Circle Magic bore to long range attacks prematurely breaking the Circles, Aven had worked a new Glyph into each Circle's coding, which caused them to phase out of causality until interacted with a certain frequency of magic. For the longest time, his Circles would have activated under an object's physical touch, making his current predicament an impossibility, and he'd operated under the strict assumption of that impossibility. A mistake, he'd admit, as he was caught so off guard that he lost his bearing, and with that, the small amount of control he fostered over the Circles, which normally acted autonomously. At that moment, the previously tame white pulse of all seven Seeker Circles around the arena became exponentially brighter, their matrices once again allowing maximum output.

Aven's master plan was in the rear view, of course, but that wasn't exactly a concern of his at the moment. In a panic, he attempted to re-establish control over the circles, but a wind ball impacted his aura-shield, and broke his train of thought further. Feathers were raining down, and with the thrashing he was about to take, coupled with the confusion Leona's errant strategy had put him in, he'd not the presence of mind to feel the ability to translocate another circle refresh. Rather, he resorted to his previous method of defense, once again manifesting an Orb of Protection. The volley of magic hit him like a wave, but the Orb of golden light stood fast, unbroken in the onslaught. With the threat temporarily neutralized, Aven tried to regain his bearings. The situation was more dire than most spectators would likely realize, but he was more than painfully aware what was about to happen: after all, the reason he'd been shocked at Leona's strategy was not because it would have led to his defeat. No, it was the simple fact that standing in an empowered Seeker Circle was akin to suicide.

What was Seeker Circle's matrix code, he had to re-establish control before they triggered at full blast! The Circles pulsed dangerously; he didn't have enough time, there were too many! His throat went dry, as the Circles reached their prime once more, and in an instant, all hell broke loose: the harpies that had been standing in the Circles would be instantly obliterated by the full brunt of Twenty Seeker missiles, not even a split second to react. The Judgement Circles fired off at Leona, and the remaining four Seeker Circles also fired off twenty missiles each, five speeding towards the Pharoah bird, but the rest of the seventy five hurtling toward Leona, who already looked in bad shape. If she didn't have a way to stop it, that amount of magical power could kill, and without a connection to his Circles, the missiles wouldn't stop striking after she was unconscious. They would follow their last given order, which labeled her a target...

The world slowed to a crawl, a the human defense mechanism overcharged with magic and adrenaline. Aven had to stop them, how could he have let this happen? There had to be something he could do, the missiles were drawing ever closer to their targets. The failsafe! In case another magician ever tried to temper with his work, he'd worked a failsafe into the magics, so that he could reset their code or destroy them by activating their Destruction Glyph, Rho. With a herculean effort, he reached out with as much power he could muster, and shattered his own magical signatures around the arena, the Seeker missiles dissipating fractions of a second before they could reach Leona, along with all the circles. The force of of the shattering caused a deep wave of sound, followed by a magical backlash which threw Aven into his back, his magic Power completely depleted.

In the silence that would follow, Aven croaked out a single sentence, almost unable to believe his own words. "I surrender."

Now that she had played one of her big cards, Leona was trying to think of her next big play. She was sure that Aven had already foreseen her ploy and was working to counter it. That degree of preparation was why he made such a formidable opponent despite his slightly lower level of power. His spells had a respectable level of power, another thing which made him a dangerous opponent. As it turned out, what happened next was something that even Aven himself could not predict or control.

Putting the harpies on the circles had initiated a magical overload that the Fairy Tail mage had not predicted and could just barely control. Leona saw that there were seventy-five seeker balls headed her way and panicked. She was not sure that even the reliable Ruby Dome could save her from that much magical firepower. They were coming in way too fast to dodge, so the blonde braced for impact and prepared to activate Ruby Dome and hope for the best when the projectiles had disappeared... Aven had used the remainder of his magic power to stop his spells mere seconds before they flattened Leona with their combined force.

The backlash was so strong that it had thrown Aven onto his back. Moments later he vocally communicated his surrender. Just like that, the duel was over.

Leona was stunned by everything that had transpired. Her risky gamble had ended up winning the match for her, but she did not feel like she had reason to celebrate. If he had not taken action when he did, her victory could have cost Aven a lot more than a duel. If he were a mage of lesser character, he could have let the magical attacks hit Leona and claim a victory by definitely hurting her and possibly killing her. The blonde was not sure how to feel, but she would deal with her own feelings later.

"AVEN! Are you OK?" Leona asked him after rushing to his side. She dispelled the owl and the harpies to focus on the Fairy Tail mage. Her adrenaline-fueled thoughts were racing out of control.

Aven's thoughts were a jumble, not the least of which due to a complete draining of magical power. The failsafe wasn't efficient by any means, requiring him to expend just as much magic energy to cancel each circle as it would take to cast it. Needless to say, he'd cut it very close, his spectacular failure to control his own magic weighing heavily on his shoulders. He didn't know what Master Sorano would say about, but he was sure the consequences of endangering the life of an allied Guildmaster was more than grounds for expulsion. Perhaps, worse yet, there was a good chance Master Sorano wouldn't need to dirty her hands: his mother had been in the crowd. He could almost feel her eyes boring down on him, judging the loss with extreme prejudice. What would she say... what would Nessa say? She'd been watching, too, and Samira! He'd made a complete fool of himself in front of the strongest Wizard on the continent, perhaps even the world.

Residual magic began to flow back to Aven, the energy that the Circles had been absorbing. The backlash had scattered it, but it had since coalesced, flowing into Aven from various parts of the arena. He found his strength recovering, his senses restored, and the world no longer spinning: but it wasn't the same, not as it was before. There was something missing, a spark that he hadn't even known he possessed until it'd vanished. He could feel magic flow through his veins, but along with it ran... fear. Could he trust his magic? He'd developed Circle Magic to protect others, to help the people of Fiore and shield them from the catastrophes of the world. Yet, here, only moments ago, his magic had betrayed him, bared its fangs at an ally. Doubt rose in his chest; the spark of confidence he'd worn on his sleeve for so long, that everything would be all right, was gone without a trace.

Despite that, it wasn't Leona burden to bear. Aven gave her his usual gentle smile, and sat up slowly. "I'm alright, just a small headache, believe me. More importantly, it looks like you're doing fine; thank goodness. Here, this should help," He reached out to set a healing circle on her, but nothing happened. No words came out, but the look on his face told the story. A small, nervous laugh echoed from his chest, hollow, "That's weird, I'm sure it's nothing. Anyway, that was a wonderful match, I'm sorry about all that. I guess, that's why you can't underestimate Silver Wolf, huh?" The hand he extended turned to the side to shake Leona's hand, the soft smile on his face a bit faded from the creeping worry, though he hid it as best he could. His eyes seemed less bright than they'd been before, somehow.

Aven was slowly beginning to come around. That was a relief to Leona, who grew concerned that her gamble had ended up killing Aven after all. She was not sure what the audience thought of her because even the exuberant Whitney and Erica had went quiet. She did not care what the audience thought. She was more concerned about the condition of Fairy Tail mage in front of her... he clearly regretted what had almost happened to everyone, especially Leona.

"It's no problem, Aven. I'll be fine." Leona assured him when his circle had failed to activate. She had been through worse. The job of fighting ninjas in Shirotsume came to mind. So did the job of rescuing the Blue Sky Clan villagers from the Red Sand Bandits. Leona had been poisoned by her adversaries in both jobs but had managed to recover. She would recover from this duel like she had recovered from the other injuries she had taken from hazardous jobs in the past.

"Your magic packs quite a punch, Aven. Fairy Tail's not to be underestimated either." Leona returned Aven's compliment while shaking his hand. The Silver Wolf Guild Master had dodged quite a bullet. Aven had seized the upper hand and was on track to winning the duel when Leona inadvertently threw a wrench in the works with her hastily conceived plan to stop his teleportation so that she could hit him. She wondered what Nessa, Ivy, and Samira had thought of her actions. They were likely upset that she could have doomed everyone were it not for Aven's timely actions.

Leona was particularly worried that Nessa and Ivy would request to end the alliance because of what had nearly happened. She could not blame them for wanting to disassociate themselves from that kind of risky behavior. For now she would take some comfort in the fact that no one was killed today. That was a rare thing for the blonde to experience.