The final day of the Grand Magic Games arrived.
When Rowan Mercer entered the arena with Lucy and the others, they immediately noticed something different. The cheers were louder than ever, but now the crowd was waving small flags as well. Each banner bore a guild emblem.
At a glance, nearly eighty percent of them carried the Fairy Tail crest.
"Captain… it looks like everyone's on our side," Lucy said softly.
The four of them stared up at the stands, momentarily overwhelmed. People were shouting Fairy Tail's name, waving flags, chanting until their voices cracked. The contrast was almost surreal. On the first day, hardly anyone had recognized them. Now the arena felt like it belonged to them.
They all knew why.
Without Rowan, with Fairy Tail's main force gone, the guild would have faded into obscurity. This scene would never have existed.
Rowan, however, remained calm.
"Admiration follows strength," he said evenly. "That's all this is. Don't get drunk on applause. Power is the only thing that matters."
It wasn't bitterness. Just clarity.
He understood the rule of the world too well. Cheers were a byproduct, not a foundation. Lose your strength, and the crowd would turn away without hesitation. He had no intention of forgetting that.
"Welcome, everyone, to the final match of the Grand Magic Games!" the announcer shouted. "Now, let us invite Pumpkin Man to explain today's rules!"
The floating projection of Pumpkin Man appeared once more above the arena.
"The third and final event is a full free-for-all," he declared. "Thirty guilds will be randomly deployed into a temporary town constructed at the center of the arena. Once the match begins, combat will be unrestricted."
He continued calmly.
"Defeat a mage from another team and you earn one point. If you're defeated, your points reset to zero and you're eliminated. The match lasts four hours. When time expires, total scores from all three events will be tallied. The highest-ranking guild will be crowned the strongest in the kingdom and awarded the championship trophy, along with a thirty-million jewel prize."
The arena buzzed with discussion.
This wasn't about individual brilliance anymore. This was a test of overall strength, endurance, and judgment. One hundred and fifty mages fighting inside a simulated town. Power mattered, but strategy would decide everything.
Lucy glanced at Rowan. "Do we move first, or wait it out?"
There were two obvious approaches. Strike early and build points fast, or stay hidden and hunt down high-scoring targets later. The first burned stamina. The second risked finding nothing when time ran out.
Rowan answered without hesitation.
"You four stay defensive. I'll move first. I won't be subtle. When you hear or sense me, regroup in my direction."
Simple. Direct. Brutal.
If he eliminated more than half the field, the result was guaranteed.
As the mages finalized their plans, a massive magic circle ignited in the center of the arena. In moments, an entire town materialized. Streets, buildings, rooftops, alleys. A battlefield large enough to swallow a city.
For many guilds, winning the championship was unrealistic. But rankings still mattered. This scoreboard would define guild reputations across the kingdom. No one planned to hold back.
The gong sounded.
One hundred and fifty mages, blindfolded by magic, were guided into the town and placed inside various buildings.
"Match start!"
The blindfolds vanished.
Rowan found himself in a second-floor bedroom of a residential building. He tossed the magical blindfold aside, stretched, and stepped onto the balcony.
With a beat of his wings, he rose into the air.
He expanded his perception.
Almost immediately, he sensed movement nearby. A mage cautiously peeked out from a window across the street.
Their eyes met.
The mage's face went white.
Without hesitation, the man wrapped himself in wind magic and fled.
"Stupefy."
Rowan flashed forward and dropped him instantly.
"Steel Fang Guild's Asiba has been defeated by Fairy Tail's Rowan Mercer and eliminated!"
The announcement echoed through the arena.
Rowan turned, already searching for the next target.
Then four more announcements rang out almost simultaneously.
His eyes narrowed.
"…So that's how it is," he muttered. "I'm being targeted."