"Now, announcing the first place from the preliminary round…"Chapati paused, staring at his cue card in disbelief before blurting out:
"Unbelievable! First place in the preliminaries goes to, Fairy Tail Team B!"
"What?!" Natsu's eyes almost shot out of their sockets.
Lucy wasn't any calmer. "Didn't they say they were out on an urgent mission?!"
In the cheering section, Makarov practically launched off his seat. He climbed onto the railing with his hands on his hips, laughing like a general who just conquered a nation.
"Hahahahaha! THAT'S Fairy Tail! Scared now, aren't you?!"
He was yelling at both Team A and his old Wizard Saint friends.
Bob chuckled, "Oh my~ So many adorable children~"
Goldmine looked absolutely miserable.
His own ace, Bacchus, wasn't fielded in the prelims… and they failed to make it into the finals at all.
Now Makarov was going to roast him alive at their next guild leaders' meeting.
It was a dreadful thought.
Chapati dutifully explained to the audience:
"This is part of this year's newly revised rules, each guild is allowed to send two teams!"
Yajima confirmed, "Yes, and many guilds did send two teams… but only Fairy Tail has managed to get both teams into the finals."
"In that case," Jenny said excitedly, "the rumor of Mr. Rhodes participating wasn't false after all! Could we be looking forward to a duel between Mr. Rhodes and Mr. Jura?"
The audience detonated, this time with pure excitement.
A duel between two Ten Wizard Saints was something they could actually witness live!
Gray finally pieced together the truth about the so-called "urgent mission" and muttered, "They totally tricked us…"
Cana's eyes locked onto the three walking proudly at the center, Rhodes, Mira, and Laxus. She draped an arm around Erza's shoulders.
"So, uh… how about we surrender?"
Erza scolded her. "Don't say such defeatist things. No wonder the Master kept telling me, 'Teamwork is more important than individual strength.'"
Lucy grabbed onto Erza's words for emotional support.
"Right! Even if it's Mr. Rhodes, as long as we work together..."
Cana cut her off dryly, "You've teamed up with Rhodes before, you know. That guy has probably already prepared Plan A, Plan B, and backup plans for how to beat every one of us. I'd rather quit drinking for a month than fight him."
"…"An uncomfortable silence spread.
Because that sounded… very plausible.
The other guilds were confused.
It was understandable if they didn't know what Team B had done, but how did Fairy Tail's own people not know?!
Rhodes strolled over with a grin.
"Morning. Did you enjoy yourselves in the labyrinth?"
Gajeel sneered, Juvia sparkled, and Natsu sulked.
Everything was business as usual.
Jura, Kagura, Simon, Jeni, and several other acquaintances came over to greet them.
Everyone exchanged warm words, promising to compete with full strength.
As a result, six of the eight teams ended up naturally clustering together, leaving the remaining two sticking out like sore thumbs.
Over at Sabertooth's side, things were awkward.
Sting, Rogue, Orga, and Dobengal had all lost to Rhodes and Mira before, very decisively.
Everyone in Sabertooth's cheering section, except their Master, including the two Exceeds, started sweating bullets when they saw Team B.
They wanted to call them lucky. They wanted to mock them.
But the words died in their throats.
Dobengal even raised a hand to wave, then slowly lowered it when he remembered their humiliating past.
Sting, gathering what was left of his pride, stepped forward.
"We're not the same as before. Just watch, the performance of Fiore's strongest guild!"
"What'd you say?!" Natsu instantly bristled, until Rhodes casually pressed a hand on his head, holding him in place like a misbehaving child.
Rhodes gave Sting a big thumbs-up and a bright smile.
"Good luck. Put on a good show."
"You...!"
Sting trembled with rage.
He couldn't fight back, couldn't retort, and couldn't do anything but seethe.
Seeing that everyone was in place, Chapati resumed his role:
"All teams have arrived! We will now announce the schedule for the Grand Magic Games!"
"The entire tournament lasts five days!
For the first four days, each day will consist of an Arena Event and a Battle Event!"
"The competition uses a point-based system, and the team with the highest score at the end will be the champion!"
"Arena event participants will be chosen internally by each guild, but the matchups for the battle events will be decided by votes from the audience, and the organizers will finalize the selections based on the results!"
The selected contestants stood on the field, listening intently as Chapati explained the structure of the tournament.
Everyone was busy analyzing the pros and cons of the new system.
Everyone except Rhodes.
Rhodes only heard one thing: the battle segment was tailor-made for shady manipulation.
"Based on audience votes," they said.
But the votes weren't anonymous. Nor were the results publicly displayed.
Meaning, the organizers could do whatever they wanted. This entire rule was practically a neon sign that said 'behind-the-scenes interference welcome.'
After finishing the summary of the format, Chapati continued:
"The opening event of the Grand Magic Games, Hidden, is about to begin!
Each team, please select one representative. Detailed rules will be announced after selections are complete!"
Mermaid Heel sent Beth, the vegetable magic user.
Blue Pegasus sent Simon.
Sabertooth sent Rufus, dressed like a wandering bard.
Shining Sun surprised everyone by sending the muscle-bound Tyrant.
Dragon's Treasure sent Silas, his face hidden beneath a camouflage cloak.
Lamia Scale sent Lyon.
From Fairy Tail's A Team, Gray immediately stepped forward the moment he saw Lyon.
His rivalry left him with no choice.
On Team B's side;
"Juvia wants to participate!" she declared, eyes sparkling.
Bonk.
Rhodes flicked her lightly on the head.
"Denied. Against Gray? Can you even hide?"
Juvia clutched her head pitifully.
"Juvia hides to follow Lord Gray every day…"
Rhodes sighed and placed his staff, his decorative staff, into Mira's hands with a smile.
"I'll go. This event suits me perfectly. Let me secure us the opening victory."
Team B didn't even try to argue. There was no point.
Once the eight participants stood on the field, everyone else returned to the waiting area.
Simon scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Mr. Rhodes… starting from the very first match, huh?"
Rhodes shrugged. "I really want to win. And, honestly? Your magic feels very fitting for something called 'Hidden.'"
Gray scowled but said nothing.
This was a competition, he'd never withdraw just because Rhodes joined in.
Rufus's lips curved into a confident smile. Rhodes was one of the few he hadn't crossed blades with, and defeating a Wizard Saint on stage would be the perfect way to display Sabertooth's might.
Silas's eyes gleamed from beneath his hood. Beating a Wizard Saint in public?
The bonus he'd get from his guild's corporate backers would be enormous.
Their behind-the-scenes sponsor was notoriously generous.
At that moment, the Pumpkin Man from the previous night materialized on stage.
"Now, I'll explain the rules. But first, open the venue, Pumpkin!"
Before Rhodes could even blink, the world shifted.
The arena vanished.
The contestants who stood only a few steps away were nowhere to be seen.
In their place appeared;
Clean, modern streets. Carefully arranged buildings. Overpasses. Vendor stalls. Street signs.
An entire miniature cityscape.
Just like a real city come to life.