The Grand Magic Games in the seven years hence had a more refined and complex set of rules. Ivan, in order to achieve his goals, would have been forced to conceal his identity.
But here he was, standing before Drake with his lackeys in tow.
Ivan, a revolting grin plastered on his face, addressed Drake: "It seems this is our first meeting! Allow me to introduce myself: I'm Ivan Dreyar.
Yes, Makarov is my father. Though I doubt he's ever mentioned me to you lot!"
Drake, however, remained indifferent, saying: "Spare me the pleasantries. Since you've been expelled from the guild by Master Makarov, you're nothing but an outsider.
So, what's your game? What's the point of all this nonsense?"
Ivan's smile remained fixed as he replied: "I admire your bluntness.
Lumen Histoire; that has always been my objective. As the sole survivor of the Tenrou Island incident, the old man must have entrusted that secret to you, wouldn't you say?"
Lumen Histoire, the forbidden magic that surpassed even Fairy Sphere, Fairy Law, and Fairy Glitter, the three great Fairy Tail magics.
In fact, it was on an entirely different level. Lumen Histoire's true name was concealed, known only to each successive guild master of Fairy Tail.
Its true name was Fairy Heart, and its true form was the body of Mavis Vermillion, the guild's First Master, an extraordinary being burdened with immortality, yet robbed of her life by the curse of Ankhseram.
The Fairy Heart, possessing limitless magical power, was sealed beneath the Fairy Tail guild hall.
Drake surmised that Ivan's expulsion from the guild stemmed from his attempts to claim the Fairy Heart.
And the information Makarov claimed Ivan possessed that could be detrimental to Fairy Tail was likely the existence of the Fairy Heart itself.
While Drake's mind raced through the relevant information, he said aloud: "Even if I did know something, why would I tell you?"
Ivan smirked: "Makarov and all of Fairy Tail's elite members have vanished. You wouldn't want to see Fairy Tail fall into decline, would you?
The best way to prevent that is to win the Grand Magic Games. Just hand over the information on Lumen Histoire, and victory will be yours!"
Drake said playfully: "And if I refuse?"
Ivan's face darkened, his voice turning cold: "Then I'll simply have to crush you here!"
Drake scoffed: "With this collection of riffraff?"
Ivan raised a hand to halt his subordinates, saying: "I admit, you're stronger than I anticipated. But how much magic power do you have left?
And let me remind you, Raven Tail is a guild specifically designed to counter Fairy Tail; every member specializes in magics that Fairy Tail mages are weak against.
The ones behind me are our elite core; even you can't stand against us!"
Drake, however, smiled with uncharacteristic ease, saying: "Putting aside whether you're overestimating your guild, have you forgotten that I'm not competing alone?"
Ivan sneered: "It's useless; you're trapped within our illusion. Your comrades won't even realize what's happening."
Drake shook his head: "Don't underestimate my comrades."
Ivan took a step forward, saying: "Then there's no other choice; I'll just have to take you down here!"
But a torrent of flames rained down from above, blasting the members of Raven Tail away.
It was the Sky Scorching Dragon King Flame, a magic Drake knew all too well, the raging flames incinerating the dark magic that powered Ivan's illusion.
Stella descended beside Drake like a fiery angel, her expression fierce: "I knew something was off! So there was a problem!"
While Stella's magic sense wasn't as acute as Drake's, she had still detected the anomaly in the arena.
Sting and the others, eager to make up for their earlier failure to notice the illusion, cracked their knuckles and approached.
Drake took a step back, saying: "You're a lifesaver! I'll leave these guys to you; once you've dealt with them, let's go claim our championship!"
The four responded in unison, then charged towards the five members of Raven Tail.
"Honestly… so brutal!" Drake shook his head, regretting that he hadn't stored some snacks in his ring.
Watching Stella and the others beat down their opponents just didn't feel complete without something to munch on.
Despite Ivan's claims that Raven Tail was specially designed to counter Fairy Tail, it was clear that they were no match.
They'd been easily swept aside by Laxus in the original timeline; there was no way they could stand against Stella and the others now.
After watching for a bit, Drake moved.
Placing himself in front of Sting, he raised his hand to block an attack from Obra, the top-hatted, masked mage.
Sting said in confusion: "Drake, why did you step in? I was about to finish this guy off!"
Drake replied: "Go and deal with the others; this one's too dangerous for you right now!"
Although Sting didn't understand Drake's reasoning, he trusted him and went to find another opponent.
Drake had a reason for his actions. Just as he spoke, his magic power had begun to drain rapidly, as if a dam had burst.
But then, as quickly as it had started, the drain stopped. Obra tilted his head, as if he hadn't understood what had just happened.
Drake said: "Obra… well, it's just a fake name anyway. Go back and give Zeref a message for me… no, never mind; I have nothing to say to him!"
Indeed, the mage known as Obra was a mere puppet; he was nothing more than a vessel.
His true form was a small, monkey-like imp, a demon from the Books of Zeref.
He possessed a unique ability: to erase an opponent's magic power.
In the original timeline, he had ambushed Wendy and Carla before the start of the Grand Magic Games seven years later.
He had also assisted Raven Tail in cheating during the first day's competition, secretly draining Lucy's magic power, causing her to fail in casting Fairy Sphere and lose the match.
But this time, Drake wouldn't let him escape!
Obra burst into flames, but offered no resistance, simply collapsing to the ground.
Drake wouldn't be fooled; the demon's magic power hadn't disappeared.
A black shadow darted from the flames, attempting to flee the arena. But it didn't get far before a torrent of flames overtook it.
While it wasn't Devil Slayer magic, specifically designed to eradicate demons, Drake's flames were the sanctified flames of the Holy Land, possessing a powerful purification effect.
The grotesque imp shrieked in agony as the flames consumed it, reducing its body to ashes.
The true form of the demon from the Books of Zeref was said to be a magical tome, and the ashes did indeed resemble the remnants of a burned book.
This reminded Drake that he needed to find the "END" book sooner rather than later. After all, it concerned Natsu's destiny.
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