With the first group finished, the second group stepped onto the stage.
Fairy Tail wasn't involved this time, but there were still two matchups worth watching. Hibiki Lates of Blue Pegasus faced Minerva of Sabertooth, a pairing the organizers clearly believed would be evenly matched.
They were wrong.
Minerva dismantled Hibiki without mercy, leaving him gravely injured before the match was called.
The other highlight pitted Lyon Vastia of Lamia Scale against Bacchus Groh of the Four Hounds. Lyon, Gray's senior disciple, wielded ice make-magic, shaping frozen beasts to attack. Bacchus, on the other hand, used an unusual style of magic that fused raw physical power, martial skill, and magic into brutal close-combat strikes. The drunker he became, the harder he hit.
Watching him fight, Rowan almost mistook him for a pure martial artist rather than a mage.
The two were evenly matched. They fought until their magic ran dry, trading blows by sheer physical endurance. In the end, neither could finish the other, and the match was ruled a draw. Both guilds earned five points.
The third group draw followed.
This time, Fairy Tail's Laki appeared on the screen.
Judging by the matchup, the organizers clearly still rated her as low-tier. Her opponent wasn't a famous name, just Beric from the Earth Spirit Wheel guild.
"Go," Rowan said calmly as Laki tensed beside him. "Don't worry. He's not your opponent anymore."
Rowan fluttered over to Bisca's shoulder and settled in.
Before today, Laki would've struggled. Beric was one of the stronger mages in his guild. But now?
Fully equipped, she had nothing to fear.
"I won't embarrass Fairy Tail," Laki said, gripping the wand Rowan had given her as she stepped onto the platform.
The gong sounded.
"Hah! Fairy Tail, huh?" Beric laughed, his short frame buzzing with excitement. The guild mark was stamped boldly on his face. "If I beat you, I'll be famous overnight!"
Among the contestants, it was common knowledge. Fairy Tail's core was gone. The cat was terrifying. The other four? Supposedly average.
The audience didn't know that.
To outsiders, Fairy Tail was still a legendary guild. Beating even one of its members meant prestige, contracts, and attention.
"I'll shock you until you can't stand!" Beric cackled as lightning wrapped around his body. He was a lightning mage too, though a very ordinary one.
Electricity surged through his muscles, boosting his speed. He vanished in a blur, leapt high, and came crashing down with a lightning spear aimed straight at Laki.
She inhaled slowly and raised her wand.
"Wood Make: Bashful Love Barrage."
A green magic circle bloomed.
Dozens upon dozens of massive wooden weapons materialized in midair and slammed downward like swatters. Beric was smashed out of the air before he even understood what happened.
He hit the ground unconscious.
"One-hit knockout!" the host shouted, leaping to his feet. "Fairy Tail's Laki Ohlietta defeats Beric of Earth Spirit Wheel and earns ten points!"
The arena exploded.
Cheers for Fairy Tail grew louder than ever.
Even the other competing mages stared in disbelief. They hadn't expected anyone from Fairy Tail besides Rowan to be this strong.
The third group ended.
The fourth and fifth passed without Fairy Tail.
In the sixth group, Marcus's name appeared.
His opponent was Nobarly of the Four Hounds, a far cry from the unknowns Laki had faced. The organizers had clearly revised their estimates. Fairy Tail's remaining members were no longer being treated as filler.
The fight was brutal.
Even with the wand amplifying his magic, Marcus struggled. In the end, he activated his cloak, endured the assault under its protective barrier, and seized the opening to land a decisive blow.
Victory. Ten more points.
The seventh, eighth, and ninth groups passed.
Then the tenth.
Bisca's name appeared.
Her opponent was Jenny Realight of Blue Pegasus. A magazine darling second only to Mirajane in popularity. More importantly, Jenny was a legitimate Saint-class mage, wielding Take Over magic to summon mechanical heavy weaponry.
Beauty versus beauty. Artillery versus sniper fire.
Under normal circumstances, Bisca wouldn't stand a chance.
But her upgraded rifle changed everything.
Near-Saint-level firepower. Defensive barriers from the cloak. Steel puppets disrupting the battlefield. Invisibility allowing precise long-range shots.
Against all expectations, Bisca won.
By that point, Fairy Tail had accumulated forty points from the individual matches and sat firmly at the top of the leaderboard. They hadn't lost a single bout. Other elite guilds had already taken losses. Blue Pegasus alone had lost twice.
The eleventh through fourteenth groups passed without Fairy Tail.
Finally, the fifteenth draw appeared.
Alzack's name lit up the screen.
Rowan's brow furrowed when he saw the opponent.
"Don't pressure yourself," Rowan said quietly. "Do your best. Even if you lose, we're still in first place."
Alzack's opponent was Sabertooth's leader.
Jiemma.
Against Rowan, the old man was nothing special. Against Alzack, he was an immovable wall.
Rowan could feel it clearly. Jiemma's magic was at the peak of Saint-class. Not the kind Bisca had scraped past. The real thing.
With Rowan's upgrades, Fairy Tail's four could challenge ordinary Saint-class mages and even win on a good day.
But against the very top?
That was another story entirely.
...
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