The preliminaries concluded, and after Fairy Tail was the first to advance, several other guilds also passed the trial.
These included Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel, Raven Tail, Sabertooth, Quatro Cerberus, and Twilight Ogre.
Of those, Raven Tail and Sabertooth muscled their way through at the last minute by forcefully seizing platforms others had defended till the end, while the remaining guilds earned their spots through sheer strength.
Twilight Ogre, however, lucked their way in—squeezing past the chaos and stealing a qualification slot amid the disorder.
Charles had a distinct impression of this guild. They had previously come to Fairy Tail to collect a debt.
Back when Makarov was managing the guild, it was true that he'd accumulated quite a bit of debt, and Twilight Ogre was among the creditors.
But Charles didn't believe Makarov would be foolish enough to sign such an exploitative contract. It was clearly Twilight Ogre trying to kick them while they were down—trying to extort a hefty sum from Fairy Tail.
At that time, Charles had been neck-deep in financial stress. There was no way he'd put up with something like that—he tossed them out on the spot.
He hadn't expected they'd earn a slot in the Grand Magic Games and now share the same battlefield as Fairy Tail. A perfect opportunity to settle old and new scores alike.
Following the preliminaries, the first day of the main tournament began immediately.
Eight platforms floated above the mountaintop coliseum of Crocus—Domus Flau—and those standing upon them could clearly see the grand venue of the Grand Magic Games.
Four colossal statues stood like guardian deities around the vast arena, and the spectators had already taken their seats. The contestants returned to their respective guild stands.
Charles paid close attention to the venue. Upon arriving, he suddenly recalled that there was supposedly a dragon graveyard beneath this place.
In the original story, Gajeel had been knocked underground by Natsu during the Games and discovered the resting place of dragons.
There, he borrowed Wendy's Dragon Slayer secret art—Milky Way—to communicate with the soul of a dragon slain by Acnologia.
Charles's curiosity was piqued. He was currently short on test subjects, and what could be more perfect than the soul of a dragon?
Unfortunately, the method for harvesting souls wasn't perfected yet, or he'd have loved to explore that dragon graveyard immediately.
Speaking of Wendy's unique secret art, if he could study it, it might be a great boost to his research.
He also recalled that Grandine had handed over the two Dragon Slayer secret arts she hadn't yet taught Wendy to her counterpart in Edolas—Poluchka, Makarov's old friend.
Poluchka lived in the forest east of Magnolia. Maybe he could visit her soon and obtain the records of those Dragon Slayer arts.
As Charles drifted into thought, the pumpkin-headed creature appeared in the arena with a microphone, shouting enthusiastically:
"Ladies and gentlemen, the preliminaries of the Grand Magic Games have concluded! The qualified guilds have entered the competition!"
He continued, "This year's Grand Magic Games will take place over five days. The first four days will include both a competition segment and a battle segment. Points will be awarded based on placement.
In the competition: 1st place earns 10 points, 2nd gets 8, 3rd gets 6, 4th gets 4, 5th gets 3, 6th gets 2, 7th gets 1, and 8th gets none.
In the battle segment: four matches per day, winners earn 10 points, losers get nothing, and in the case of a draw, both sides receive 5 points.
The final day is a free-for-all. All guilds participate, and defeating a member of another guild earns you 1 point, while defeating a team captain earns 5 points. Final scores after five days will determine the winner!"
"Now then, let's introduce the competition event for Day 1...!"
As he spoke, a giant magical screen appeared above the arena.
"City Circumference Race!"
The text soon transformed into a map of Crocus. A looping path began at the arena, circled the entire city, and ended back at the arena.
Pumpkin Head announced the rules: "Each guild will send two participants to run the designated course.
Along the path, signposts bearing each guild's emblem will be set up. Contestants must destroy these markers as they proceed.
Missing even one will add ten minutes to their final time. The adjusted time will be the official race result.
And here's the twist—this isn't a safe path. Magical traps are scattered throughout the route.
Also, the race only counts as complete when both team members cross the finish line!"
Charles glanced at the map. The rules were interesting enough, with no obvious loopholes. It was a well-rounded challenge that tested various aspects of a mage's capability.
It seemed that even if the Kingdom's real goal was to gather magical energy, they weren't just throwing together some lazy event.
Charles didn't plan on running himself. "Sting, Rogue, I'll leave this one to you. You're good, right?"
Sting exclaimed, "Charles, you can count on us!"
Rogue nodded, "We'll win clean and fast."
The two of them leapt from the stands and joined the others at the starting line.
Pumpkin Head waved a small flag and shouted, "One more time—any type of magic is allowed in the Grand Magic Games!
With that... On your marks!"
As he waved the flag, a buzzer sounded.
"The City Circumference Race begins!"
From the starting line, all participants activated their signature magic.
Some used speed-enhancing spells, some elemental buffs, others used transformation magic to turn into swift beasts and carried their partners on their backs.
One even used Creation Magic to conjure a running car and sped off, pressing the gas.
Creating a functioning magical vehicle with Creation Magic required precise control and advanced skill. It wasn't just about appearance.
Charles couldn't help but be impressed—every mage, no matter how unimposing they looked, had unique strengths.
Like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each relied on their own powers. Everyone cleared the starting line, but the distances between them quickly grew.
Sting and Rogue didn't possess specialized movement magic, but the boosts from their Dragon Slayer abilities let them sprint with power comparable to the lead group.
While dashing at full speed, Rogue suddenly tilted his head—bang! A bullet grazed his cheek.
He turned and spotted a mage riding atop his beast-transformed partner. The guy held a pistol, clearly aimed at Rogue.
Back in the stands, Stella slammed the railing. "What the heck?! They're attacking the other participants? Isn't that against the rules?"
Charles remained calm. "Didn't the pumpkin guy say it? Any magic is allowed. That includes offensive magic."
Stella worried aloud, "But will Sting and Rogue be alright?"
Charles smiled. "Relax. That kind of ambush is nothing for them. And now they've learned there's another 'style' to this competition.
Those two are about to show everyone what it means to dominate a game!"
As expected, Sting and Rogue quickly caught on to this alternate strategy.
"Shadow Dragon's Roar!"
Rogue retaliated with a dark cyclone that swept away the pistol-wielding mage and his transformed partner, conveniently destroying one of the Fairy Tail-marked signposts as well.
Sting targeted someone ahead and fired White Dragon's Fang, a beam of light that pierced through the magic car made via Creation Magic.
Chaos erupted along the course. Competitors were sent flying left and right.
Like two tyrants, Sting and Rogue dominated the competition.
(End of Chapter)
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