"Your strength has passed this stage! Move on from here!"
Laxus crossed his arms and turned slightly to the side, his voice deep and commanding.
Before him, Gajiru, his body scorched black from the battle, and Levy, sheltered under him, froze in surprise. There was no time to celebrate; Levy hurriedly crawled out, tears welling in her eyes as she helped Gajiru to his feet.
"Levy, your strength still has a long way to go. Make sure you thank Gajiru properly!"
Passing by Laxus, those words caught Levy off guard.
She glanced at Gajiru, who was now barely conscious, guilt and determination welling up inside her. She silently vowed to herself that one day she would be strong enough to fight alongside him as an equal.
"I understand~" Levy's resolute voice echoed through the corridor. But by the time she said it, Laxus had already disappeared from sight.
"Levy, congratulations!"
As Levy struggled to lift Gajiru out of the corridor, Lucy dashed forward and hugged her tightly, overjoyed.
Gajiru was caught by Natsu, who helped him steady himself. When Gajiru opened his swollen eyes and met Natsu's gaze, they shared a quiet, knowing smile.
Fried and Biguslow, leaning against a tree nearby, smiled warmly for the pair, happy for their success.
A few minutes later, those who had passed their stage of the assessment now anxiously watched the corridor ahead, still emitting icy air but no longer trembling from recent chaos. They silently hoped Gray and his companion would make it through as well.
"Step… step… step~"
The faint sound of footsteps echoed from within the corridor.
"Gray, hang on a little longer! Almost there!" Loki's voice called out.
Two figures emerged, their bodies coated in frost, shivering as they carefully stepped out. Gray shaded his eyes from the glaring sunlight, feeling its warmth. The two exchanged a small, understanding smile.
"First, congratulations to you both!" Kana stepped forward to offer her greetings, and everyone else joined in the celebration.
Gray and Loki, recognizing the voice, lifted their heads to respond. But when they saw who it was, both froze in shock.
"Gi… Gildas! How is he here?!"
They exclaimed in unison. From childhood until now, they had never seen Gildas wear such a look.
Gildas, meanwhile, was staring at Kana with a blissful smile.
"Yo~ congratulations! But keep your distance from Kana—she's still radiating cold. Wouldn't want my daughter catching a chill," Gildas said, flicking his cloak with precision, pushing the two several meters away while carefully draping the cloak over Kana. The attention made her blush.
"D…daughter?" Gray and Loki stood dumbfounded.
Everyone else already knew, nodding in confirmation, verifying the truth.
"Alright, it seems most people have arrived. Time to announce the results!"
Master Makarov jumped down from a large stone, hands clasped behind his back, preparing to declare the assessment outcomes.
"Fried and Biguslow, inside the Battle Corridor, defeated Wendy and Meister. They advance!"
The two exchanged smiles, Biguslow even sticking his tongue out in laughter.
"What! Meister lost?!" Gray and the others gasped. In their memory, Meister had been almost unbeatable, narrowly missing the S-Rank assessment previously. But considering Fried and the others had trained diligently these past years, it was understandable.
"Natsu and Happy, as a team, broke through Kael's corridor and earned recognition for their strength. They advance!"
"Yay!" Happy cheered, while Natsu, sitting beside Gajiru, sank into thought, ignoring the celebration.
"Kana and Lucy passed through Gildas's corridor, their strength deemed sufficient. They advance!"
"Yay!" The two girls hugged in joy.
"Levy and Gajiru passed through Laxus's corridor, their strength recognized. They advance!"
Levy, hearing this, felt no joy, guilt weighing heavily as she cared for Gajiru.
"Gray and Loki, through Uru's corridor, passed and earned recognition. They advance!"
"Huh? What about Juvia and the others? Did they fail?" Gray looked around, puzzled at the absence of Juvia.
"Unbearable! Ahhh~" The Master's face fell, hands clutching his head as he screamed in frustration. He lowered himself in despair. "They faced that merciless female knight! Ahhh~"
In the distance, Erza carried one of the girls on her shoulder, heading toward the assembly tents, while the other assessors waited for the next instructions.
Juvia and Lisanna, perched on Erza's shoulder, rolled their eyes in unison, murmuring, "We… we give up…"
Those who passed looked on, half amused, half incredulous. Erza's strict standards meant only those who defeated her could succeed. She didn't realize that, with her current power, only fellow S-Rank mages could consistently match her.
"So, that leaves Elfman and Evergreen…"
Everyone considered the remaining paths. A certain demonic figure came to mind—a near-impossible hurdle. Mirajane's Demon Soul transformation drastically altered her personality; while she now appeared ladylike, beneath it remained the same formidable fighting spirit she shared with Erza.
Her unleashing of that power was catastrophic. The others quickly shook their heads, trying to forget the scene.
"Wait! We… we passed the assessment too!"
Evergreen helped Elfman step out from the forest, both severely injured, a testament to Mirajane's relentless attack.
"We managed to defeat her!"
"Passed the first stage!"
"Eh? How did you beat Mirajane…" Gray asked, curiosity piqued after just a few minutes of intense observation.
"That… that's… something a man cannot reveal under any circumstances," Elfman said, blushing, looking uncomfortable.
"Just know that we struck during a brief opening—that's all you need to understand."
The more they tried to downplay it, the more Gray and the others grew curious.
"Ahem, ahem… next, it's time to announce the second stage of the assessment!"
Master Makarov cleared his throat, bringing everyone's attention back before continuing.
Meanwhile, in the assessor tents:
"What? Elfman and Evergreen are getting married?"
Erza paused, spoon in hand, shocked, and turned to Mirajane.
"Haha, I was startled when I heard that too, which is probably why they managed to sneak up on me," Mirajane explained, rubbing her face. "But I think that was their strategy all along… we just underestimated them, hahaha."
"Ah, what a shame. I wanted to see their kids someday!" Mirajane sighed, resting her head on the table.
Nearby, Laxus overheard the marriage comment, staring thoughtfully at the sky, ears alert for gossip.
Uru smiled knowingly, gazing in the direction where his daughter, Ulutaya, might appear.
Kael, meanwhile, was searching the island for Gerf, intending to teleport him away immediately. He extended his Observation Haki fully, but found nothing—as though some energy barrier shielded Gerf.
"Damn it… where are you?" Kael muttered, perched atop a tree, eyes closed in concentration.