The first four battles of Ishgar's Strongest came to a close. Pergrande was currently in the lead with 15 points, while Alvarez, Midi, and Minstrel followed closely behind with 10. Bosco, Fiore, Seven, and Joya currently had 0, but that could all change with the event that was about to be presented. "Now then…" Count Waltz began. "I've touched upon this before, but I'll repeat myself so you can understand the importance of events in this tournament. First off, if you've participated in a fight on the same day, you cannot participate in the event."

"Not like that'll be an issue for Erza." Reve scoffed.

"Reve…!" Lucy cut her eyes at Reve. Luckily Jellal had gone to keep watch over Erza; she was certain he wouldn't enjoy hearing that comment. The others could also agree that his comment was poorly timed and intentionally malicious.

"First off, there can only be one winner." Waltz clarified. "The winning team will be awarded 10 points, the others, 0. Furthermore, future events will require more than one person from a team to participate. But for the events that aren't a requirement, teamwork is still a viable option if you should so wish."

"Minstrel's gonna have a hard time with that…" Luke remarked with a quiet chuckle. Minstrel may have had strong mages, but the team itself was on thin ice that was rapidly breaking underfoot. No one believed they would last even half the week.

"Now, with the event proceedings made clear, one member from each team must step into the arena." Waltz said. It seemed that he wasn't spoiling the event before anyone made their decision.

"Leave it to me." Reve said, walking off. "Someone has to clean up Erza's mess and put Fiore on the board. I'm the best person to do it."

"You can't be serious." Lector held a deadpanned look. "Sting-Kun should be the one to go first!"

"Lector..." Sting began.

"I'm going to nip this in the bud before it begins." Minerva crossed her arms. "If we start arguing now, we'll seem rather hypocritical after criticizing Minstrel. So if the gunslinger wants to go first, just let him."

"Thank you, Minerva." Hisui let out a quiet sigh.

"I don't like what he said about Erza-chan, but if he can get the win, I'll let it slide this one time." Zelos shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't look at me." Renae told the rest of Minstrel's team, who, once again, argued over who should go first. "I already had to carry you all out of disqualification for pointless arguing." This Martell was already tired of the nonsense. In fact, she had half a mind to knock everyone out.

"Hmmm…" Verona tilted her head to the side. "All this arguing over such petty things. It's like all the humans of this world haven't evolved at all since I was last here…"

"Er…what does that mean?" Hiruka tilted his head at Verona's words.

The woman smiled and waved her hand, brushing her red locks aside. "You don't need to worry about a thing you adorable little cat you." Verona presented a sweet smile.

The eight contestants for the unknown first event were: Reve, Diamond, Rob, Ragen, Yumia and Yukia, Mii, Magnus, and God Serena. Clearly Minstrel wasn't so happy that yet another Martel was taking the stage on the first day, but this was the executive decision made by Queen Raha, so as much as the others disagreed, they had no choice but to obey. "Oh, look at this." Reve said with his usual smug tone. "7 losers."

"Wow…" Yumia nudged her sister's shoulder. "Get a load of this guy."

"What a loser, using his large ego to overcompensate." Yukia giggled.

"I'm Reve Volver. You'll see why White Eclipse is Fiore's strongest guild soon enough." Reve said with his everlasting confidence. His attention then turned to Mii, who yawned. "That sword. I'll prove it's nothing compared to what I can do." Yes, the Eternal Sword.

"Eh?" Mii's green eyes glanced at Reve as if he were crazy. "Do you know what this thing is?"

"Inferior to me." Reve responded on a dime.

"…Wow, okay." Mii shrugged. There was absolutely no point in arguing with Reve's massive ego. "You're more than welcome to beat its power, then. I'm just here to get my event over with, I'm not gonna feel like it later."

"Hup!" God Serena struck several poses while staring at the rest of the competition. "You mortals may bicker amongst yourselves all you wish! You are in the presence of a god!" His attention then went to Ragen. "So you are among the new 12 that dear Emmeraude has recruited! Unfortunately for you, your power pales in comparison to my own!"

"…" Ragen took a passing glance at God Serena. "I will do what is needed for Her Majesty." Was all he had to say. He was not the talkative type.

"Yeesh…feeling a little overwhelmed here…" Diamond swallowed the nervous lump in her throat. Ragen and God Serena's magic power was off the charts and they were so close to each other.

Magnus glanced around at his competition. Depending on this event, he would either succeed with flying colors or fall short, there was no inbetween. "I know what some of these mages are capable of. My foresight will allow me to predict what these mages will do in the future, so even if I lose, it will be a victory in the long run…"

Rob took a quick drag from his cigarette before tossing it on the ground, stomping on it to put it out. "So, what is this event?" It could be anything and he wanted to be prepared.

"The first event is rather simple." Waltz began. "We can call this a test of power, so to speak." He then snapped his fingers, causing several Joyan knights to lug in a black and gold square that was roughly the size of a large box. "The first event of Ishgar's Strongest is Damascus Demolition."

"Damascus?" Lucy tilted her head.

"How did he get a hold of Damascus?" Ace was relatively impressed by Waltz' work.

"For those unaware, allow me to explain what Damascus is." The Count could feel the mixed reactions of confusion and awe, so it was best to inform those who were not in the know. "As you know, diamond is often considered the strongest element in the world. In truth, it is the second strongest; however despite its rarity, it is still more common to find than Damascus. Damascus is truly the world's strongest element."

"And despite how rare it is, he somehow has a large brick of it…" Emmeraude remarked quietly.

"The first event is simple. Every team has one chance to attempt to break this Damascus square. If anyone is unable to break it, then we will simply use the power scaling system to see who dealt the most damage. The competitor who manages to break it entirely wins. The rules are simple as that. Now then, whoever wishes to go first may do so."

"This event would've been perfect for Strong." Spark said, staring up at the green haired musclehead.

"Dunno about that, kiddo…" Strong admitted. "I'm, well, strong, but Damascus is a different beast entirely. I don't think anyone has the power to damage that thing as severely as they think they do. I could probably chip it…"

"Okay, stand back everyone." Yumia said while walking forward with her sister. "We'll break this thing and send you all home crying. Ready?"

"Of course~!" Yukia held a smirk. "Boss is watching, so we can't disappointed." The two of them held their hands together, water and fire beginning to bubble within their palms, swirling together to create an orb of nature's most bitter rivals. The magic power the two of them could exude together was surprisingly high and caused the arena to shake a little bit.

"Ah, look at my girls, doing their best." Lucia held a smile filled with pride.

"Here's the big one! Inferno Tide!" The twins of the Wizard Hunters exclaimed in unison. They condensed the power of this infernal tidal wave to reduce its size, but not its power. A large wave of fire and water crashed down on the Damascus, submerging it completely within the fiery depths. It was a strong impact and the drenched arena had wisps of flame lingering around it. The two girls stared intently at the Damascus to see if any damage had been dealt at all. The eventual scale came up and their total damage output against it was…25. "25?!"

"Is that all?" Reve nearly laughed.

"I think it's rather impressive." Waltz said with a small chuckle. "The 25 means that you'd simply have to strike with 4x more force than you did in order to break it."

"WHAT!?" The two girls stared at each other in other disbelief. "There's no way…!"

"That element remains as strong as ever, I see." Helena rested her face against her chin while watching. "I want to try my hand at it, honestly…"

"And destroy everything within the arena aside from it, weirdo?" Calium said teasingly.

"…" This comment only annoyed Helena and she was a few seconds away from choking the life out of Calium.

"It's not called the strongest element in the world for nothing." Reve waved a hand, practically pushing the two girls aside so he could get his turn. "Now, allow me to show you how it's really done." A bright glow appeared around Reve's body, donning a white coat with the symbol of White Eclipse on the back. In his hands, the ever powerful Eclipse Cannon, resting firmly on his shoulder as he took aim. "Eclipse Cannon…FIRE!" A click of the trigger sent a massive orb of Eclipse Magic rocketing towards the Damascus. As soon as contact was made, an explosion occurred, creating a thick cloud of smoke that obscured the element from view.

"And Reve goes for a devastating shot, but will it have any effect!?" Chapati asked.

As the smoke cleared, the Damascus still seemed relatively unfazed without a single scratch on it. Reve narrowed his eyes for a moment, using his vision to see if he had done damage. After a moment he held a slight smirk and the score said it all…30. "…30?"

"Ha!" Yumia laughed at Reve. "All that big talk and you barely scored higher than us!"

"That just means my overall power is stronger than the two of you combined." Reve replied without missing a beat. The damage he dealt to the Damascus was barely noticeable, but it was damaged nonetheless. He was hoping to break it, but clearly that was out of the question now.

"I hope that's enough to keep him in the lead..." Lucy said.

"I dunno…Mii-chan is right there." Zelos pointed out.

"You think she's going to win?" Kagura asked Zelos.

"If someone else doesn't break it before she decides to go, I'm pretty sure she will." The magic swordsman shrugged.

"Way to have faith…" Lector said with a sweat drop.

"I guess I'll go next, then." Rob said while lifting a hand up. His magic was shown to all, fire magic. But this magic was a little different than your average fire magic. Flames wrapped around the Damascus, entrapping it in what could be considering a large sun. The heat was nearly unbearable for anyone who did not have any affinity for fire.

"It's so hot…" Diamond could barely keep up and keep herself 'cold'. Rob's heat was extremely oppressing and it made her feel dizzy.

"Supernova." Rob snapped his fingers, enveloping the Damascus in a gigantic explosion, one even larger than Reve's Eclipse Cannon shot. He was trying to melt it, but noticed that his flames hardly had any effect in that regard. So the ace of Royal Viper simply awaited the results as the smoke cleared. He did manage to leave the Damascus with a noticeable burn mark, and the scale he received out of 100 was a solid 35. Higher than Reve's. "I'll take it."

"And Rob Martell swoops in to take Reve's leading score!" Chapati exclaimed. Knowing Reve, he figured that this had to sting a bit!

"…" Reve's blue gaze turned to Rob. The two of them held locked eyes before turning away from each other.

"That's it!? I'd score higher than that in my sleep." Tyson scoffed.

"So much for our lead…" Minerva pinched the bridge of her nose. If this were like Fiore's GMGs, they wouldn't be out completely.

"Ugh…" Diamond rubbed the back of her head. The heat had died down but it still made her feel somewhat dizzy. "Right then. I'll take care of this next." Holding both hands out, a golden light manifested within her hands, taking the shape of a large hammer that required both hands to wield, her trusty Break Hammer. "Okay, let's do this. HAAAAH!" Diamond took a high leap into the air, swinging this hammer down onto the Damascus for an impact that shook the earth. This hammer's name implied it was specialized in breaking objects! Diamond jumped back after the impact, hoping for a crack to appear on the Damascus. Her overall score was…a 20, less than Yumia and Yukia's and the lowest score thus far. "Ouch…"

"How unfortunate." Ice remarked. "It seems she was unable to muster the same level of strength as those twins."

"I could probably muster a 30, too…" Strong said after Diamond's attempt.

"That Damascus is not breaking." Joker said firmly. "The mere idea of breaking it is a fantasy, let alone chipping it. A scratch is the most impressive feat that most of these mages can pull off in this scenario. Even I wouldn't be able to put a dent in it, but I'd be able to do more than the rest of you lot."

"I was about to say how modest you were, but then you pulled the usual." Tia groaned.

Magnus stepped forward, letting out a sigh. "Brute force is not my forte." The gray haired male shook his head. At the very least he had to give it his all, even if he was fully aware of the outcome the minute the event was announced. "Very well. I'll give this an honest try." A blade of ice appeared within his right hand and he dashed forward, swinging is sword in an arc. "Frost Arc!" His blade slashed the Damascus, leaving a mark of frost that shattered. It wasn't a very impressive strike on a non-living foe, and it showed as his score was a 10. A strike that required 10x the amount of force from him to break it? That wasn't happening.

"Ooooh! And that's the lowest score so far! A 10!" Chapati recoiled.

"Tch, of course." Lore shook his head. "The circumstances were not in our favor this time around."

"Move, mortals!" God Serena stepped forward, striking a pose. "Allow me to show you the full extent of my godly powers!" With a smirk that bared his fangs, God Serena pointed one hand up into the skies, causing the ground to tremble violently. Seven serpentine dragons rose from the arena, each one representing a different element within his arsenal. "Say God-Bye Bye, Damascus! Wrath of the Dragon God!" The seven dragons circled the skies before slamming into the Damascus for a brightly colored explosion that fit God Serena's eccentric personality. God Serena posed in front of the Damascus which had small, noticeable cracks on it from his attack. His score was an overwhelming 50! "Only a 50!? I could easily strike with that much force if need be!"

"You get one chance." Waltz nipped God Serena's excitement in the bud. "Considering it's the highest score so far, you may win. Who knows."

"He's still that strong, even in death…" Luke grit his teeth. Midi was a force to be reckoned with. Having most of the deceased Spriggan 12 among their ranks was nothing to take lightly and it showed.

"I would've broken it…!" Ajeel shouted. As if anyone believed him.

Next was Ragen. The silent masked man calmly walked towards the Damascus, placing a hand on it to get a feel for what he was dealing with. "So I just have to break this, then? Very well." He had no flashy attacks like everyone else. The new Spriggan drew his fist back and simply punched the Damascus in the center of the side that was currently facing him. As soon as his fist made impact, there was a dent on that side, along with cracks that spread out throughout the square itself! Ragen's score was a 55! "Hm…"

"A-And just like that, God Serena's score has been beaten…!" Chapati gasped along with most of the ground.

"How did he…" Polka questioned. It was so shocking because all Ragen did was punch the thing!

"That's my Ragen." Emmeraude clasped her hands together. "Always impressing."

"So striking Damascus with something as hard as itself isn't enough. It truly is a tough element." Ragen then went silent with this new information, walking off since he was done.

"There's only one person left." Waltz stared at Mii, who was hardly paying attention to the event at hand.

"Huh? Oh, is everyone done flexing already?" Mii shrugged her shoulders, walking towards the Damascus. "Okay then." And to some people's surprise, the first thing she did was reach for the hilt of the sword sheathed on her back.

"She wouldn't…" Lucy's brown eyes widened.

"Of course she would." Zelos nodded.

"I wanted to give everyone a chance to show off.' Mii said while unsheathing the Eternal Sword. Using the legendary relic for an event such as this? Right up her alley. The purple blade was held up with both hands, a heavenly light shining from the sword. "Nothing else I could do would work well, so I might as well do this."

"Koryuji…" Emmeraude's gaze narrowed. Emmeraude was the only other person outside of the Wizard Hunters aware of the numerous scars hidden under Mii's clothing.

A magic circle appeared under Mii's body, empowering the Eternal Sword. The purple blade shone brightly as a beam of light shot into the sky, piercing through the clouds above. "Angel's Crest!" Mii swung the sword down, aiming right for the Damascus! Even with the power of the Eternal Sword, it took a bit of effort and a massive amount of magic power, but in the end, Mii was able to slice the Damascus in two. For those that didn't know her, and even for those that did, the outcome was still surprising. The Damascus never stood a chance against the power of the Eternal Sword.

"U-UNBELIVABLE! MII DESTROYED IT!" Chapati gasped.

"That sword…" Song took some interest in the red head.

"Tch…" Emmeraude grumbled. Outdone by Mii…outdone by Pergrande as a result.

"Sorry Em." Mii waved to Emmeraude with a cheeky smile.

"There you have it." Waltz snapped his fingers. This action called numerous royal guard to come in and pick up the broken Damascus and carry it off. "The winner of Damascus Demolition is Mii Koryuji of the Pergrande Kingdom."

"That seemed a bit excessive if you ask me." Minerva pointed out.

"A-Aye…" Happy nodded in agreement.

To make matters even worse, Ashnard gave Emmeraude a coy smile. Despite her calm exterior, he knew that she was internally fuming. "Excellent work."

Mii waved to the crowd that now cheered for her victory. She then looked at Reve, a wide smile crossing her lips. "Looks like you're among the seven losers, haha~" And right after her comment, black sparks briefly appeared round her body. She held her composure but grimaced a bit. "Whoops…"

"Mii!" Lucy gasped. She remembered what happened last time she saw those sparks around Mii.

"And with that, the first day of Ishgar's Strongest has come to a close!" Chapati shouted. "These are the scores at the end of the day!"

Pergrande: 25

Alvarez: 10

Midi: 10

Minstrel: 10

Fiore: 0

Bosco: 0

Seven 0

"Tomorrow will only get more exciting from this point on! I hope to see you all tune in again!"

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Next Time: The End of Day 1.