Chapter 109: Potential and Dominance.
"So...is that it?" Cygnus asked. Everyone looked on as the beast remained surfaced, belly full of Kuro and the Ace of Twilight Zone, Evanee Carlisle.
Suddenly, the beast coughed once, then again. Upon the third time a beam of light was seen shooting from its mouth. "Ladies and Gentlemen." Rylo began as that same light shined from every which way in the beast until finally it exploded into a plethora of sparks that fell harmlessly into the lake. Loud gasps came from the audience as they watched, and seconds later, Evanee was seen walking out of the lake with Kuro hung to her arm, pale faced. "...May I introduce you to..the Nymph."
"What the hell just happened?" Kuro Chi asked himself. Before the could even gather information, he found himself pulled along into the forest section of the trials with Evanee leading the way ten feet ahead in a full sprint. Finally; he was able to regain his bearings both mentally and physically. "She destroyed that thing in one hit. One moment I was in that beasts belly and the next...we're in the forest. Just how fast are we going?" A little of questions circulated Kuro's mind, but he head no time to answer them as the Nymph who led the way turned to her peripherals — to the right as a large figure was coming in quickly. As it came closer, a loud buzzing was heard and finally, knocking over a few tall trees, a giant red eyed hornet appeared stinger first, aiming directly for Evanee herself. She leapt out the way, leaping high into the air to avoid the stinger.
"Water God Slayer's — Ack!" Kuro was preparing for an attack, but the strength behind Evanee's leap into the air brought him with her, destroying his focus to conjure his attack. "Hey! How about working..."
Before he could finish his statement, Evanee came down, heels first before the giant hornet could even react. The double heel impact crushed its skill into the ground, and before Kuro even realized, he was being pulled along once more. "Keep up or I'll carry you to the finish line." She said without looking his way. "The least you could do is be thankful for the free ride to second place."
"I don't know whether to be offended or just go with it.." He murmured to himself as he remained ten feet behind just by the simply gap in their speed. Finally clearing the last of the forest, Evanee and Kuro were now in the open plains. Just like the competitors before them, there wasn't a monster in sight. Even as they reached the end in record time, there was nothing around them. This caused Evanee to "tch" as she looked around. "U can't move on until we defeat it, correct?" She asked Mato who appeared on the screen to answer her question. "That's correct, Kabo! But...this is new. It is out there, but it's programmed to attack. I don't know where it could be.."
"Is...is it really...cowering?" Kuro asked as water released from his feet. Evanee turned to him with an arched brow as the water would quickly spread outward. "What are you doing?" She asked. "I'm looking for it." Kuro replied. "That White Eclipse kid isn't the only one with varying abilities when it comes to the water element... Over there!"
Kuro pointed off to the East, and Evanee didn't hesitate to trust the God Slayer, lunging that way in a full sprint until the duo finally caught up to a fleeing four legged beast. And it was true, it was in full fear — something rare to be seen in a lacrima created creature.
Firenze was in full laughter back at the starting station. "No way! Is it really afraid!? That's amazing! That Nymph Mage has placed fear in an artificially created beast! Oh man she's one to look out for!"
"At least it's cowardliness has bought us some time." Miya said, sighing in relief. "Not necessary, but it's welcomed." Reve added, never taking his eyes off the time. Miya rolled her eyes. "I can't wait for us to go. I better see some superhuman feats from you with all this confidence you hold."
"There's nothing super human about me." Reve replied. "Just because others can't do what I can doesn't make me super human. It makes them subpar ones."
"...I'm gonna barf." Miya held her stomach, feigning sickness before turning back to Evanee and Kuro to see a defeated four legged beast. "I don't know about you, but that Evanee girl might be the pinnacle of humanity's abilities. I've never seen such decisive victories back to back like this. They've just passed the three minute threshold. And she's running at a speed I've never seen anyone accomplish. That plus the quick conquests against her prey... Twilight Zone sure does have a frightening one."
It was the last obstacle for the two, with Kuro barely pulling his weight, the audience began to have a one sided discussion about the Ace of Twilight Zone after watching her carry this duo up the mountain in less than ten leaps. With one more massive launch into the air, Evanee landed first, directly in front of their final target. A giant golem like creature made of rocks stood before the two, refusing to back down as it let out a powerful roar — beating on its chest.
"Alright. I have to do something! I can't just be carried this entire event!" Kuro Chi reached deep down for some resolve, taking in a deep breath as he readied an opening attack. Before he could move however...
"Holy..."
"What did she just do?"
"Amazing..."
Kuro looked up, only to see the golem shining brightly from within before finally...
"Sucks for the golem. Nature is my specialty, so this was an easy victory."
"Easy..." Kuro began to himself, watching as the golem literally exploded from within, turning into nothing but a sparkling mess of Ethereal. "What part of this wasn't easy for you...?"
Chapati: And there it is! At Six minutes and thirteen seconds, its Evanee Carlisle! And at six minutes and fourteen seconds, Kuro Chi!
"I want to cheer for Kuro, but...he literally didn't do anything." Bacchus admitted. The rest of Quatro Cerberus nodded in agreement simultaneously.
"Wow." Xavi whistled. "Half the time as Olivia, and I don't think she really showcased anything. She's definitely hiding a lot."
"Hmph. Well she is an Ace after all." Said Crisdelin. "Which is subjective to whatever guild you belong to. Ace is just a title based on your guild's prestige and strength, and if Miss Evanee Carlisle is that strong, then that guild must be hiding some strong mages in that little vicinity."
"Think you can take her?" Correll asked. Crisdelin smirked, chuckling once. "Relax, puppy. I fear no one, but I'm not stupid enough to take on such a beast alone. Not in a fair fight at least. But still..." The blonde council captain would then lick her lips, chin perched on the back of her hand as she kept eyes on Evanee who returned to her team. "The bigger hunt always seems more enticing."
"Amazing as always, sis." Aubry congratulated her older sister with a simplistic nod and tone. Evanee replied with one of her own, turning to the rest of her cheering guild. Rylo tipped his top hat, giving her a smile, to which she managed to return with an eye roll and a small curve of the lips of her own.
As silence continued on, Miya finally broke it as the next pair of competitors stepped up tot the plate. "Six minutes, thirteen seconds..."
"Not an issue." Reve replied.
"By an Ace of a guild." Miya returned fire, to which Reve bluntly replied once again. "Seen better."
"..." The two stood side by side, both with their arms folded over their chest and their stance widened as they watched two more mages plummet from the ship.
"...I'm not a fan of this." Miya said.
"What's that?" Reve asked in return as an ominous wind blew past them. Miya then cracked a smile as they wind continued around them. "This. I'm not a fan of this confidence brewing within me. It's different...powerful, completely unhinged. And..." She continued to grin, growing an expression filled with a mix of emotions. "And..."
"And I'm the one powering this newfound confidence." He said without flinching, or even turning to gloat. "It's nothing new for me, but welcome to standing within my aura. This is how White Eclipse feels every day."
Miya groaned, but she couldn't wipe the grin of her face to save her life. "You're impossible.." She admitted, attempting to straighten herself once more.
"I'm glad you're feeling that way." Reve admitted as well. "Now I have enough trust in you at least to not drag me down."
"Oh I'm going to do more than that! I promise it!"
The two's exchange didn't last long as gasps of horror were heard all around the audience. Admittedly they weren't paying attention until this moment, but as they took a second look, Firenze was seen walking towards the finish line with a battered and beaten Sting Eucliffe dangling in the clutches of his giant right hand. With that, Firenze stopped at the finish line, holding Sting up like a trophy as he pointed him towards Sabertooth. Minerva's eyes zeroed in, and all she could see was a flashback of how she treated Lucy in the naval battle a few games ago. Everyone we in complete silence, but Sabertooth's silence was completely different. The scenes that played out beforehand were perfectly missed, because those who saw what happened to the guild master of Sabertooth were horrified. It was a train wreck they couldn't look away from. Sting was marred, nearly unnoticeable with the bruising and scratches he took from Firenze. That's when he shouted again. "Hey! Sabertooth! I asked you! Does this belong to you!?"
Laughing out loud, the rest of Empyrean Dawn joined Firenze, which caused Sabertooth to look their way with rage filled eyes. That's when Firenze threw Sting to the ground, dragging him across the finish line.
"Ah..." Chapati hesitated to begin after watching what happened. "Firenze finished with ten minutes and three seconds. And Sting finishes with ten minutes and thirteen seconds."
"And he didn't even use his magic!"
Laughter ensued from the outlaws, and suddenly, Minerva had enough. "What's so funny!? What about that is humorous to you!?"
As angry as she was, Empyrean Dawn continued to have even more of a good time as she showed her anger. It only sparked they're enjoyment more, and as they roared in laughter, Minerva's rage rose until her grip cratered the barrier beneath her fingertips. "I'll kill them! I'll kill them all!"
"Mi'Lady." Rogue started, placing a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "Don't try to stop me Rogue!" She exclaimed.
"Stop you?" The Shadow Dragon Slayer asked. "No, Mi'Lady. We won't be stopping you..."
Minerva looked back to see her entire guild just as pissed off as she was. "But lets just do what we always do, and hunt them down together like tigers would."
"They're really making the wrong enemies here." Erza murmured, to which Gray and the others nodded in agreement.
As Sting was ushered off to the infirmary, Chapati announced the next to competitors. "Alright! Lets get back on track folks! Up next, it's Ilaria and Cana! White Eclipse B and Fairy Tail!"
"You sure you can keep up?" Cana asked her impromptu partner, giving her a wink. Ilaria returned the gesture, grinning with a mirror like image of Cana's thumbs up. "Oh yeah! Don't worry about me, because I'll be the one carrying you to the finish line!"
"Competitors ready!? Go-Kabo!"
And just like that, Ilaria and Cana's event began. The drunkard and the Soul Binder leapt from the ship, freefalling towards the body of water below as a shadowy figure from beneath showed itself. Cana then revealed a hand full of cards as she gave a smirk towards the mystery monster beneath. "Whatever it is, I'm ending it quickly!" She shouted, tossing her cards towards the lake. A plethora of her magic cards submerged beneath the lake, surrounding what was a giant alligator looking beast. Those cards then remained suspended around the croc whilst glowing brightly and before they knew it, the giant alligator found itself sealed within Cana's cards. The card retracted into her hands, Cana swiping it with a cheeky grin and a smug expression. "One down! Too bad we still gotta swim for it!"
"Not yet!" Ilaria shouted. A magic seal then appeared at the shoreline, and from it, a spirit was summoned. That spirit took the shape of an old-timey warrior, waiting in anticipation as Ilaria then summoned a pair of chained scythes within her own hands. As quick twirl and the soul binder launched them the Warrior's way where he would catch them, creating a tight grip as he yanked both Ilaria and Cana towards him. The plan to avoid the water completely was a success as the two landed well off away from the lake, breaking record of even Evanee's time so far. That caught cheers from the audience as well.
"Wow! Within seconds!" Chapati announced.
"Five seconds, to be exact." Reve noted with a proud smirk as he watched Ilaria run. Next, they entered the forest portion of the trial. The two turned with a wink to each other, quickly dismissing it as they could hear the incoming beast in question. Eyes lingered left and right before finally both Cana and Ilaria turned to their right, preparing themselves as a giant fox revealed itself for only a second before darting off into the trees again just to repeat the process.
"Is it ever going to attack us?" Cana asked, watching it, ready just in case it does. Ilaria sighed as well, holding out a hand as a magic seal appeared before her. "I don't think so! But I'm tired of waiting around! Soul Shackles!"
Suddenly, like a spider web, ilaria created a plethora of chains that wrapped around the trees to create a trap for the fox. Just in time to as it darted around once more, only to find it wrapped around in her doing. "Alright! You can take it from here!" The White Eclipse representative graciously gave Cana the final blow, where she would gladly take it with a fling of her cards, creating an explosive array that would eventually cause the fox to succumb to defeat.
"They're still moving!" Chapati announced, pointing to the timer! They were flirting with the leader's time now since the fox ate up all of the advantage they held from their opening stint. Yet, the girls took off, leaving the forest and joining the open field at a full sprint.
"...That rookie of yours is pretty impressive so far, being on par with a Fairy Tail mage." Miya noted, never taking her eyes off the event. Reve audibly smirked. "Yeah, Ilaria is something. Before this makeshift team was made, I actually had Ilaria joining my team. Her and another rookie, Lluvi."
"That's bold after watching her match with that Empyrean Dawn member." Miya mocked, turning her eyes to Reve who remained unfazed by her comment. "Lluvi was the second choice of course, but as I watch Ilaria right now, I know I made the right decision in believing in her. The others still need a bit of a push, but Ilaria..."
Reve smiled as he watched Ilaria and Cana double team the remainder of the course; the two remaining beasts and dart towards the finish line. "...She's special. I'm looking forward to her growth the most."
"Favoritism..." Miya said with accusation.
"...Is earned." Reve added, causing Miya to lower her eyes his way.
"You were a great partner!" Said Ilaria as she smiled towards Cana. The fairy returned the smile with one of her own. "You too! It's too bad that we have to split ways here!"
Before Ilaria could react, Cana launched a car her way, pressing it against Ilaria's skull. The card then sucked the wide eyed girl right in, capturing her. "Heh!" She gave a cheeky grin as she was now only a few steps away from finishing the event.
"Oh. Well, looks like all that bragging you did about her backfired." Miya said with a slight chuckle. "Against a rival guild too? That's saddening."
Reve didn't even have to reply, because just before Cana could pass the finish line. That same card Ilaria laid trapped in began glowing. A second later, Ilaria phased through the card like a ghost, tumbling past the finish line just before the Card Mage herself. "H-How!?" Cana screamed, unable to believe what just happened. "Whew! Thanks, Sidney-Sama! I'm still learning to master that, but it sure came in handy!"
"As I said before." Reve didn't even have to finish, now being tugged along to the starting point by an annoyed Miya Crosse.
"Amazing! At six minutes and twenty five seconds, it's Ilaria Verdone, and at six minutes and twenty seven seconds, Cana Alberona! That means Evanee and Kuro are still in the lead with one more team left!"
Laxus huffed. "You know, in hindsight. If she and that girl would have just kept running instead of that little stunt just now, they'd probably be in the lead right now."
"Ara Ara..." Was all Mirajane managed as the others couldn't help but agree. For now, fourth place was the best Cana could hope for.
"And finally! Up now, it's Reve Volver of White Eclipse, and Miya Crosse of Mermaid Heel!"
The two stepped up, standing side by side as they awaited the starting bell. "Just follow my lead, cowboy, and we'll manage to take first." She said confidently, but a certain word in her sentence caused Reve to hesitate for once, turning away as he kept his visage upon the horizon to the right. "Don't call me that." He murmured, causing Miya to turn to him with a confused raise of her brows. She dismissed it, turning back forward as Kabo counted them down.
"Three...two...one...Go-Kabo!"
And they were off. As they plummeted, like everyone else, Miya turned her attention to the water, holding her blade close as she waited for their aquatic beast to show itself. Finally, a shadowy figure did indeed appear just beneath the surface, and Miya grinned Ruth anticipation. "Watch and learn, and fear the awesome might of Miya Crosse! Mermaid Heel's newest swordsmen! Hey! You're paying attention right—"
As Miya looked back to her partner, she was silent yet confused as Reve was already in possession of one of his many firearms. A long sniper rifle, and Reve already had his eye through the scope, aiming at the peak of the final obstacle; the mountain. Miya furrowed her brows. "Is he already aiming for the last beast? There's no way he could..."
"Bang." Reve pulled the trigger, sending a single bullet flying towards its target. Both Miya and the rest of Fiore watched in awe as the bullet traveled, and what happened next really set the tone for the rest of the Grand Magic Games...
As that magic bullet pierced right through the chest of the Wyvern that circled the mountain top.
