Ready or not, Count Waltz was on lacrima screen, speaking to the whole of Joya in what everyone assumed to be preparations for the Final event of Earthland's Strongest. Natsu and Lucy were having an actual civil conversation with Emeraude until Yeager interrupted to tell them about this. So they had to set this to the side for the time being and listen to what was to come. "Attention, people of Joya and competitors of Earthland's Strongest. I'm aware this announcement may seem out of place, but there is a reason for that. Tomorrow will be the start of the final event, and it is something that will be explained now so everyone can properly prepare" Waltz began.
"I wonder what it is…" Lucy was a bit nervous. They fought this hard to win. The stipulation the Wizard Hunters put over both Fiore and Alvarez was ironically mitigated by Mii's efforts, meaning they could finally focus on the fun and competitive aspect.
"The final event of Earthland's Strongest is…The Strongest Team." Waltz said, a map of Joya appearing beside him. "This event will be a free for all between the 7 remaining teams. As I said before, this event will encompass the entirety of Joya as a battleground. I'm sure such an event doesn't come as a surprise to most of you."
"A free for all!? Awesome!" Natsu grinned, slamming his fists together excitedly. "A chance for more action!"
"Jaja." Yeager waved his hands. His presence was largely ignored by the trio, but they couldn't ignore his voice since it was so unique. "70 mages having an entire country to duke it out. Surely this is more spacious than using Crocus for 50, don't you think?"
"No one is talking to you." Emeraude snapped at Yeager. Even if her mother had a strong chance of being freed from the grip the Hunters put, the mercenaries wronged her more than enough for her to be petty and snippy with them.
"Allow me to explain how this will work." Waltz continued. "First, regarding the point system. There will be no inflation of points this time around. For each team, there are 60 enemies to dispose of. Captains will be worth 10 points, while everyone else is worth 5. If you can defeat an entire team, that's 55 points right there, so I thought it unnecessary to up the point totals. There will be more than one way to defeat a foe." A ring appeared on the borders of Joya, mostly being used as a display. "This ring will serve as an out of bounds area, which will slowly close in as time passes. If you touch this ring with your body, it will be considered a ring out."
"A ring that closes in over time? I wonder…" Emeraude began.
And Waltz was about to answer the obvious question that many people had. "Now, if the ring encloses over time, how much time do you have, you wonder? That's simple. The event will begin tomorrow at 7AM, and it will end on 7AM the following day. You have a full 24 hours for this event. The outer edge of Crown City will be where the barrier stops, leaving this fair city as the final battleground for everyone."
"A full day…!?" Lucy's eyes widened. Fiore's Grand Magic Game took at most an entire evening.
"Sounds simple enough. I wonder where the excitement is…" Yeager said while moving the strand of spiky hair that was over his eye.
"You don't think fighting over 60 other people is excitement enough?" There was an exact number, but Emeraude was not going to say that out loud. Despite that, she scoffed and shook her head. She was already formulating a strategy for her Spriggan to undertake.
"First, no form of communication is allowed unless via magic, like telepathy. No lacrima devices. Of course, the no killing rule applies, and the last person to touch a person before defeat, physically or magically, will get the points. So it is very possible to steal." As Waltz laid down the basic rules, there was a hint of a smile on his face. "But there are going to be three new rules for this event specifically. Rule number 1: competitors are allowed to prepare however they see fit. The only thing I require is an updated confirmation of every member taking part, so I can be aware of any last minute substitutions. That is due in one hour. Once you have done that, you are free to prep for the event however you wish."
"Oh ho…" Yeager snickered quietly.
Lucy heard that. But it bothered her more how intentionally vague that rule was. Prepare how you see fit? "Mm…"
"Secondly…this is my personal favorite. The Alliance Battle." Waltz was grinning widely now. "With a cast this large, no doubt that battles of three or more are bound to occur. While it is fun to battle it out for dominance, I've decided to at a stipulation. At random, groups of three or four mages will be forced to make an alliance with others, to defeat the opposition. How you wish to team up is completely up to you, but you cannot bring harm to your partner. Taking them out of the fight will result in not only your disqualification, along with your point value being added to every other team taking part, but your partner's point value going to the opposition as well."
"Forced team ups…? I see…" Emeraude mumbled while starting to walk off. She didn't have time to waste standing near anyone right now. "That's one way to force people to get along…"
"Ah, Emeraude, wait…!" Lucy wasn't done talking to Emeraude; she still had questions about Sophie! But unfortunately…
"I don't have time to waste talking to you any longer. Be thankful I spared a few minutes to talk with you." Emeraude shot.
Every time it felt like Lucy was getting even a little bit closer to talking to Emeraude like a normal person, she was shot down. As expected…that healthy disdain they had for one another was still strong, which is why she cursed under her breath. "Egotistical…." Mumble mumble.
"And for the third and final rule, something else that will make this final event interesting: The Survival Rule." Waltz went on. "Naturally, defeating your foes is important. But what of the fighters that manage to remain standing when time is up? Simple. For every fighter that is active when the time limit expires, their point value will be added to the team's point total. So if an entire team manages to survive the day, that's 55 points. A massive jump, wouldn't you say? Combat is important, just as survival. How everyone wishes to tackle this event is entirely up to them. With those three rules in place, there will be one hour before the updated team lists is due. Lastly, once those lists are given, every competitor will have a map of Joya show up before them, allowing you all to pick your specific starting location. If you wish to go as a team or go alone, that is your decision. Good luck, everyone." With the explanation finished, the lacrima screen flickered off.
"Well well, quite a daunting challenge we have ahead of us, no?" Yeager spoke to Natsu and Lucy, who admittedly almost forgot he was there. "A clash of brain and brawn across the whole country. Do you think you are up for it?"
"Of course we are." Natsu said with a widening grin. "Things are gonna go differently this time! We're not gonna get held up by you or anyone else. This is Fiore's to win!"
"And while you're here, what do you steal from Emeraude in the first place?" Lucy asked. That event was the beginning for most of the situation Fiore found themselves in.
"Information. A moot point by now." Yeager waved his hand casually. "It doesn't matter what we took from the Empress then, because we're going to take victory from her now. You as well." The hunter then winked at Lucy. "Your gunslinging ally may have protected you against me before, but I will not allow you escape again." With that said, Yeager proceeded to walk off.
"…" Lucy clenched a hand into a fist. Now that the Hunters didn't have any power over them, she couldn't wait to show them what's what. "All we have to do is save Mii now. I won't let them stand in our way."
"That's the spirit!" Natsu was grinning. The competitive spirit was burning within him. "I'm getting fired up!"
"Oi! Natsu! Lucy!" Gray called out to the two of them. "You guys should be getting back!"
"Yeah, there's only an hour and you have a lot to discuss!" Wendy said.
"Right, right…we're going." Lucy nodded.
Team Pergrande was gathered together, including Mii, after the announcement. Ashnard crossed his arms while looking over everyone. "Well, does anyone intend on backing out?" It was a rhetorical question; he wasn't going to allow anyone to back out at this point. "Very well. The list remains unchanged. Do whatever you all need to prepare."
"I'm going back then…" Mii rubbed her eyes. They were red and puffy since she had been crying, slowly trudging her way back to her room. It made Elly feel bad, watching Mii walk off like that…but there wasn't really anything she could do about it.
"I'm going to bed." Aki said, turning around and going right to his room. "I know I promised I wouldn't do this again to people, but it's for you…so…"
"What? He's going to bed?" Rajaron looked confused. "Humans continue to astound me…"
"Don't worry about it. This is how he does things." Keele scoffed at the people underestimating his brother. "Just sit back and look menacing, we'll be doing the heavy lifting."
"Yeah, sure." Blair rolled her eyes.
"We're all good, Your Majesty." X bowed to Ashnard. Unlike most other teams, there was no friendly banter or anything. Pergrande was a nation of strength and it showed with this team composition. The only bond this team had was simply being on the same side, yet they were in the lead so far.
"Then you all know what you must do. I expect nothing less than total victory tomorrow." Ashnard's words weren't just encouragement, but a demand as well. Pergrande was known as Ishgar's largest nation and he intended to remind people why it was the strongest as well.
After hearing the final announcement, Minstrel's Team was more than prepared to get started. "So, are we all prepared?" Rob asked.
"Of course, dear brother." Renae said with a firm nod. "Victory hinges on our peak performance tomorrow."
"You can count on me, Rob." Asbel was leaning against the wall in the corner, giving a nod. After his setback in an earlier day, he intended to make up for it in this last event.
"We've a tall mountain to climb after that setback…" Byrnhild said.
"I hope the climb doesn't intimidate you, Mummy's girl." Medusa said with a venomous smile. "If it does, you may as well drop out of the race to be Ace…as if you had any chance."
Byrnhild was about to retort, but David stepped in to stop it. "I've had enough of you two ladies arguin'. We got more important things to be focusing on at the moment. So set aside those differences and think about what's important. We're in last place with a 60 point gap between us and first. If we want Minstrel to be known as the strongest country in Ishgar, we have to get our act together. All of us." He turned to Tyson, who just narrowed his eye at him.
"He is correct." Amadio said quietly.
"That's what I've been trying to say this whole time…" Felix sighed. At least the message was finally getting across now.
"Just leave it to me." Raku said confidently. "I'll give them all a shock to their system."
"I'll crush them all!" Tyson said loudly, turning to David shortly after. "And then I'll crush you!"
Raha was watching apprehensively. Minstrel was still staking on thin ice, but at least they had enough ground to stand on. The young empress felt a bit better about the team's chances compared to when the tournament first began, so maybe there was a bit of hope here after all…
"We ready for this!?" Ace asked while trying to hype up his team. "The final stretch of this tournament! I know we have the tools to take everyone down!"
"You bet!" Strong pumped a fist into the air.
"Since we not making any changes, we should use this time to discuss strategy." Heartless suggested. "We have 60 other foes to deal with…and we have seen all of them in action. Now is the time to discuss the best course of action for dealing with them and all the possibilities that could follow."
"Do we have time for that? We do have to sleep…" Tia had a sweat drop. "Everyone is a threat in their own way, and since survival is important as well, we should keep in mind that retreating is a valid tactic."
"Sis is right." Jack nodded. "Though I don't much like the idea of runnin' away…we gotta be smart."
Spade pulled up a lacrima recording of all the events and fights that took place over the tournament. "So, here's what we'll do to save time. All of us will watch individual days, take notes of what we think is important, and compare them later. It should take no longer than 2 hours and give us plenty of time to rest."
Spark vigorously nodded. "I like that plan! I wanna be ready!"
"I don't require sleep." Joker stated. "So my energy levels will always be at maximum."
"Yeah, Joker is undoubtedly one of our keys to victory." Diamond admitted. "But we're not going to let him do all the heavy lifting either."
"Divide and conquer. Numbers are strength." Daigo said.
"I'm not worried." Ace waved a hand. "We got the best team in all of Ishgar! There's no way we're gonna lose!"
"Leave the tactical setups to me." Magnus told Team Bosco with a firm nod. "We have all the tools we need to gain the advantage over everyone else. My telepathy, Hiruka's aerial mobility, Gaia's earth sense, Nasir's airflow…we have everything we could ask for."
"Sounds great…so I don't need to be here for this, right?" Edna yawned, the lazy crystal dragon already drifting off to sleep.
"Stay awake." Gaia warned Edna. "There are still plenty of dragon slayers and even other dragons roaming about. They will likely be our most powerful competition."
"I'm still concerned about Alice…but there is nothing we can do about that for the time being." Nasir sighed. "So I will do my part as a member of this team to win."
"We got this!" Daryan slung his arms around Yakuza and Lore's necks. Lore was ecstatic while Yakuza was far from it. "Right guys!?"
"No one shall stand up to my might!" Lore exclaimed proudly.
"Yeah…we got this…" The ice god said with a strong lack of enthusiasm.
"You can leave the regular mages to me. They won't be able to touch me." Verona said confidently.
"So, Magnus? What's the plan?" Alex questioned. "You're the boss in this case."
Magnus wore a wide grin, rubbing his hands together excitedly. With this team here, he knew they could win it all. "Now, listen closely…"
"Oh, Em! You're back! Did it go well?" Emerald asked as Emeraude walked inside after calling the Spriggan together.
"I wish I could say that." Emeraude sighed. "But there are more important things to focus on. Such as winning this last event. We are not far from victory. Most mages cannot take my Spriggan on in a single confrontation…but these rules provide interesting opportunities."
"So what will you have us do, Your Majesty? We will follow your plans to the letter." Julius said, keeping his book in one hand.
"And we won't fail either." Oriana added. "Not a second time."
Emeraude took a deep breath. She was a bit riled up from the news about Mii, but she calmed herself to address her Spriggan like the leader she was. "This final push is not intended to be easy, but I know with your abilities you can make it a walk in the park. So I'm relying on your strengths to make short work of the competition. I'm expecting nothing less than your best."
"If I have to…" Brandish sighed. Even though she was complaining, she would follow through on this.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Alice nodded fervently.
"And what of the other mission?" Jacob asked. "We've managed most of Sophie's magic. I managed to sneak some from Fiore's Queen during the water park day as well, but…"
"Lucy and Koryuji are the only two that remain." Emeraude sucked her teeth in annoyance. Of course they would be the last two. "If you are able to find them and extract from them, do that. This goes for all of you." Every Spriggan nodded.
"One last round, huh? This'll be excitin'." Ken chuckled, punching the air a few times to practice his jabs.
"We'll succeed." G's words were short, but he meant them as well.
"This is the final push. I will not lose to Fiore or Pergrande." Emeraude told herself. She couldn't lose to them or anyone else…
Count Waltz was on his throne, in front of every Joya team member. The team was unchanging and he was just finished giving out their orders. "Those are your orders, understand? I will not accept anything less than victory. I know you all have the capacity to overcome; you know this land better than anyone."
"Yes, Count Waltz!" Everyone exclaimed.
"Dismissed." Waltz waved his hand. The Joyan team spread out to prepare for the following day; it was going to be a long one. Shortly after they were dismissed, Cain and Weavel were bringing in Zelos, who had magic sealing handcuffs on his wrists. "…Oh, joy."
"He wanted to speak with you." Cain said. "And to entice the deal, he made us put these on him."
"Long time no see, Waltz!" Zelos beamed.
"What do you want? I'm busy." Waltz sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Prisoner exchange." Zelos cut right to the chase. "Me for those two ladies. Surely that will suffice, right?"
"You may be higher than me in Pergrande, but in Joya, this is my country." Waltz snapped. "I am the King here. So you are under me. One of you for one of them, that's all I'm going to offer."
"Told you." Cain rolled his eyes.
"Well, I figured you might say that. Being so short, you just have to lord it when you're above someone…" Zelos' remark clearly struck a nerve and he knew it. "Which is why I have to pull out another card up my sleeve. I know far more about you than those two women…so what would you do if I told Fiore about this?"
"…." Waltz was silent. "Throw him in the dungeon."
"Wh…what?" Zelos blinked.
"Did you really think you could come in here and make a bargain with me? I'm the one who decides how things are done around here. I'll have Ashnard decide what to do with you for your flippant attitude. Maybe you'll get that demotion you finally deserve." Waltz waved his hand, ordering Cain and Weavel to remove him from the area.
"You heard him." Weavel was tugging Zelos along.
"Wait, this isn't how it was supposed to go?" Zelos did not expect Waltz to be like this. This was a major bust for a rescue operation. He was then carried off to the dungeon, thrown into the same cell as Meredy and Ultear. "Ooof!"
"Zelos!?" Meredy and Ultear's eyes widened.
"…Hey, ladies~" Zelos gave his usual smile.
"You have a new roommate." Weavel dusted his hands off and walked off.
"What are you doing here!?" Meredy asked.
"I told Jellal to take my place. Also, I'm here to rescue you!" Zelos beamed.
"…So why are you in handcuffs like us?" Ultear lifted a suspicious brow.
"My handsomeness made Count Waltz so jealous, he decided to throw me in here! It was so unfair! I was only asking for one simple thing, too."Zelos shook his head. Ultear and Meredy weren't buying it.
"….Gee. Our knight in shining armor has arrived…" Ultear just sighed. What were they going to do now…
"So that's what's happening." Jellal just finished explaining why he was Zelos' replacement.
"To think they'd been captured all this time…" Hisui crossed her arms. "I should have known. I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault." Jellal responded. "Zelos entrusted his role on this team to me. I hope that won't be an issue."
"Going from you to Zelos is unfortunately not a big change in my book, at least personally…" Minerva wasn't really fond of either of them. "But at least you have the magic power to back up your words…so I can tolerate that for the time being."
Jellal was sweating. Minerva was giving off the impression she didn't really want him here… "R-Right…"
"We'll just have to ensure victory. We are within the top 3, but that is no reason to be lax." Erza told everyone. "No doubt everyone else already has their own plans. We have 60 enemies to deal with; at least one of them will try to deal with us."
"I'll take 'em all down!" Natsu roared. "The Hunters don't have us under their rules anymore!"
"They still have Mii-san, right?" Sting said. "But Zelos halted the order on her life…"
"As it stands, we have to be careful no matter what. Survival is just as important as winning a fight, if not more." Kagura pointed out. "Anything can happen when the entire country is the field for battle."
"It reminds me of our fight with Alvarez." Bacchus said. "But we ain't fightin' on our home turf. Even if we've got a lay of the land with all the events that've taken place…"
"Wow, the drunk is right." Luke couldn't believe it.
"Everyone study the map of Joya as best you can." Erza turned to Reve. "And speaking of the map, I have a plan that requires your assistance."
"Oh? What's this? The mighty Titania needs my help?" Reve held his usual cocky grin. "I can't say I never saw this day coming. It was just a matter of when."
"Seriously, Erza? Him?" Minerva was pointing at herself. "I'm right here."
"I have plans for you too, Minerva." Erza said so Minerva didn't feel excluded or insulted, but the latter was already too late. "But my first plan involves Reve, as he's the only one who can pull it off. Since he's been so confident in his skills this entire tournament, I'm certain he'll have no issues proving me right in that case, hm?"
Oh. Erza played him by using his ego against him. Well played. But he wasn't going to admit that. Reve just held his grin. "I don't need you to goad me into playing my best, I already intend to, and I'll still be better than everyone here."
"Nice save." Lector snickered, he knew the truth.
"Will you all be alright?" Hisui questioned. "This is going to take a full day. Resting will be very important in between fights."
"We'll manage!" Sting was confident. "We've come out of tougher battles."
"Mhm. This is our chance to turn things around. We won't fail!" Lucy exclaimed.
With that said, Erza sat down. "Then let's use this time to talk strategy. As soon as we're done, head straight to bed. We need every minute of sleep we can get."
Pergrande: 130
Alvarez: 125
Fiore: 115
Seven/Joya: 105
Bosco: 90
Minstrel: 70
Midi: DQ'ed.
The final day had arrived. 7AM, bright and early with the sun rising off in the distance. "GOOD MORNING ONE AND ALL!" Chapati exclaimed in the mic to the audience. "TODAY IS THE FINAL DAY OF ISHGAR'S STRONGEST! This is the day that will decide which country is strongest in the continent!"
"It's been a long road to get to this point." Song leaned back in her seat. "I do wonder who will end up victorious in the end. No doubt it will be entertaining until the time limit expires, or until the last person falls."
"70 mages battling it out. That's a lot to keep track of." Helena admitted. "But something tells me this will be a smooth free for all as well."
"This is going to be exciting." Ice said calmly.
"Indeed." Ashnard was once again in the commentators booth; a rarity, but he figured he may as well join for the finale. "I have no doubts that Pergrande will win it all. We are the strongest military nation in the world."
"Oh, Ashy…come on…" Calium gave Ashnard a look many would consider to be annoying. "Don't go underestimating countries like Fiore now. They've beaten some pretty strong threats…so I wouldn't be surprised if they manage to beat you out too." Calium was playing the devil's advocate and loved every second of it.
"Every fighter has taken their desired starting position." Waltz showcased a map of Joya once more. The barrier started at the border of the country. "The barrier will begin moving in one hour. After that, it will slowly enclose, stopping at random intervals along the way. The rules were explained last night…so without further ado…let the final round of Ishgar's Strongest begin! 24 hours starts now!"
Natsu's starting position was the edge of Celestia Forest. He lifted his head up into the air slightly, his nose picking up multiple scents around him. Some were far, while others were close. "Looks like there are a few more people around here too…" Naturally, this made him grin. "I'll take them all on!" Now he had to carefully advance. It was only a matter of time until he could keep up the quiet approach, but he didn't want to jump the gun too early. Once his fists started flying, though? That was a completely different story. A story that would change not even two minutes into the Event beginning, as a purple flame exploded nearby. Natsu sensed it coming and was able to duck and roll, avoiding the explosion with a grin. "I knew you'd be here!"
The first attack of the event belonged to Jack Corvus, already donning his armor. With a malicious grin, he flew towards Natsu while rearing his arm back, purple flames wrapped around his fist. "You were my first target, Natsu! Wicked Impact!"
Natsu was already rushing towards Jack, rearing his own arm back as orange flames blazed around his fist. "Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu swung his arm at Jack, the two colliding in the middle. This created a fierce shockwave that threatened to knock a few trees over. Seeing as their punches were in a stalemate, Natsu flipped over, swinging his now blazing foot down at Jack's skull for a fierce axe kick, but Jack blocked it. Natsu flipped back, landing in a crouched position. "I could smell you comin' a mile away!"
"You wanted that rematch, right? Well, here it is!" Jack said while holding his hands up, purple wisps of flames flaring around his body. "And just like before, it's going to end with you on your back!"
Truth be told, Jack was one of the most dangerous opponents to encounter in this free for all; his Wicked Flames sapped magic away from someone continuously if even a spark touched them. No matter which stage of the free for all you encountered him in, it would be dangerous to your longevity. If Natsu got touched by even a single ember, his magic would drain away for the rest of the day…but it was the thought of that challenge that excited him. Jack already bested him once before when it counted…and Natsu swore he wouldn't allow that to happen again. Natsu held his hand out, his fingers extended as flames wrote the words 'come on' on his fingertips. "I'm all fired up!"
.
.
Next Time: The Heat of Battle.
Writer's Note: 2020 is nearly over! I know it's been a rough year, but I hope everyone managed to have a good holiday, and that 2021 is an improvement over this one. See you all next year for the final stages of this fic series!
