(Edited 11/04/24)
I do not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does.
The Grand Magic Games Day Three
***POTD***
Natsu arrived back at the Honey Bone in around midnight, quietly making his way inside. His hopes to avoid having to deal with anyone were dashed, as Makarov sat alone atop the bar counter, quietly drinking.
"You're back awfully late my boy?"
"Had some … business to take care of."
"You know that storming a Guild Hall has consequences, right?"
"Did you hear what they did to the girl I sent here," Natsu countered firmly. "You'd have done the same."
"Yes, I suppose you're right," Makarov sighed, taking a sip from his mug before asking the obvious question. "How did it go?"
"Knocked out their Guild Master in one hit, took out a bunch of their Mages as well until one of their S Class Mages gave me what I came for."
"Yukino's key and clothes?"
"Yeah. We parted on fair terms, even the Sabertooth Mages were disgusted by what he did to Yukino."
"I see. Well, at least it sounds like there won't be any consequences over this mess, and I'm glad you brought Yukino here. She's with Erza, Mira, Elise and Wendy at the moment," Makarov replied with a deep sigh. "It truly baffles me how a legal Guild could behave in such a manner, but its heartening to know that they detest what their Guild Master did."
"Are the girls still awake?"
"Last I heard they were," the old man shrugged in response. "Last I heard, you were the main topic of conversation."
"Oh boy, sounds like I'm in for a fun time," the Dragon Slayer chuckled. "Well, hopefully I can go get some sleep-."
"Hold on a moment Natsu. There is one other thing I need to ask you," the old man replied quickly, halting Natsu in place. "That battle outside Crocus that went down today… You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
"Mystogan may or may not have been involved in the incident…"
"Ah… So, it relates to THAT does it? Any new information on that front?"
"The Leichart Twelve are operating within Crocus, and one of them was the foe Mystogan fought."
"I see… I'll need to think on that," the old man sighed. "Have a good rest Natsu."
"Night old man," Natsu smiled as he made his way down the hallway, stopping near one of the rooms as he heard several voices speaking quietly.
"-he always do things like this for people he meets?"
"Natsu is probably one of the kindest, bravest men you'll ever meet Yukino. He always makes sure that everybody can remain happy and cheerful, even at the cost of his own happiness."
"Yeah. He hasn't been looking too happy lately, has he? His smiles seem rather forced, and the only time I've seen him smile for real since we got back from Scarlione was when Wendy beat the crap out of the Twin Dragons. Do you have any idea why he'd be like that Erza?"
"He hasn't mentioned anything to me Elise, though we've all been rather busy as of late, so there hasn't been any time… Hey, I have an idea! We should all do something nice for him for a change!"
"That's a great idea Erza! Natsu's always doing things for us, so it's our turn to give back!"
"But what should we do for him though Mira? That whole shoot we planned to do with him for Sorcerer Weekly is fun, but its also kind of work too, so I feel like we should do something else, right?"
"You're right Mira. Though, now that you mention it… I don't know what he'd really like?"
"Damn… You know, that's actually kind of sad if you think about it? He knows each of us so well down to our favorite hobbies, yet we don't even know what kind of gift he'd like…"
"Elise is right. We need to really think about this and find something we can do for Natsu that he'd appreciate-!"
Natsu smiled to himself and decided not to listen in anymore, since they were planning on doing something nice for him.
Making his way down toward his room, he quietly opened the door, only to smile upon seeing Wendy sprawled out across his bed. Shaking his head, knowing full well he still had to fit Erza in there, he gently used Gravity Magic to reposition her under the covers, before sliding in himself, as she immediately latched onto his arm.
"Still a little one after all," the Dragon Slayer chuckled quietly to himself, as he slowly drifted off to sleep, the fatigue from the past few days catching up with him.
***POTD***
After a rather slow start to the morning, one where Natsu had found himself being crushed by a sleepy Erza who was adamant she receive her eight hours, the Guild finally managed to make their way over to the arena.
By the time they arrived, the announcements for the day had already begun. As they ascended the stairs to Domus Flau, they could hear the announcers addressing the vast crowds in both the arena and beyond.
"-and we also have King Toma E. Fiore with us once again folks as one of our distinguished guests! So, let's all make sure he's made welcome once again!"
"That's right Chapati. And I think it may surprise everyone here today to hear that King Toma isn't the only one here as a special guest today. That's right folks, with us today we have the Magic Council who've come to oversee an exciting exhibition match! More on that one later…"
"That's right Mister Yajima, we still have many other action-packed battles and even a fan favorite game for you all today! Making its triumphant return for the third year in a row… it's time for PANDEMONIUM!"
The crowd roared as a massive black Magic Circle appeared around the circumference of the arena floor, rising upward as a massive construct seemed to manifest from it. The crowd watched in amazement as a gothic styled castle was formed right before their very eyes, the structure looming over spectators and competitors alike, as a Lacrima projected a blank competitor list for all to see.
"Alright everyone, time to break down the rules of Pandemonium for all of you watching who might not know about it. Pandemonium is a game where one Mage from each Guild is randomly chosen by Castle Pandemonium itself. Each Mage will get the opportunity to enter Castle Pandemonium and slay some fearsome monsters, with each varying in strength and the amount of points given."
"That's right Chapati. All up, there are a hundred monsters inside which total up to one hundred points. Now, here's the kicker… There are only one hundred monsters, and those one hundred monsters are all that will be available to them. So, theoretically speaking, one Mage could claim one hundred points? Or, they might only score ten?"
"Who knows how many points we'll see each Mage claim Mister Yajima? But, more importantly, who will be our competitors in Pandemonium!? Let's find out right now!"
The previously blank slots on the scoreboard were filled with the names of a Mage from each Guild.
Erza Scarlett and Mirajane Strauss appearing side by side had the crowd jittering in anticipation. The rival between the two women was legendary, and the crowd couldn't wait to see what would come from those two taking part in the same challenge.
Not only that, Jura Neekis was another name on the list. One of the Ten Wizard Saints taking part alongside the legendary rivalry…
It was Magic.
Once the Mages who had been selected reached the arena floor, one of the tournament officials approached them, holding a cardboard box with a hole in the top of the lid.
"Now then, can the Mages who have been selected please each take one of the pieces of paper in the box?"
Doing as Chapati instructed, each Mage dipped their hand into the box, pulling out a ticket as the order of who would go first was decided.
"And it seems like Erza Scarlett drew the first ticket, so she'll go first!"
"All Erza needs to do now is walk up to the small Lacrima and place her hand upon it, and she'll be transported into Castle Pandemonium. Once inside, all she has to do is declare how many monsters she desires to face within Pandemonium.
Doing as Yajima and Chapati instructed, Erza stepped forward and placed her hand upon the Lacrima, being whisked away from the arena and appearing in a large, open corridor.
***POTD***
Erza looked around briefly, taking a deep breath as she steeled herself for what she was about to do. Her eyes shot open, as the S Class Mage looked up into the camera, a confident and firm gaze present for all to see.
"My name is Erza Scarlett of the Fairy Tail Guild! And I choose to challenge… ALL ONE HUNDRED MONSTERS!"
The moment she declared the number of foes she wanted to face; the entirety of Castle Pandemonium began to shake violently. And then, dozens of large monsters began to manifest before her, their Magical Power varying wildly.
The monsters froze for a moment, before slowly turning their attention toward Erza, the Requip Mage standing tall as they slowly started advancing in her direction.
"One hundred monsters," Erza muttered to herself, a small smirk etching its way onto her face, her body beginning to glow a bright white color. "Almost a fair fight… REQUIP-!"
The monsters at the front of the horde leapt toward Erza's position, roaring… only to be torn apart by multiple blades. Erza's glowing form shot up into the air, the blades moving to sit behind her, forming a circle that slowly rotated in a clockwise motion.
Once the light faded, everyone in the crowd found themselves shocked at her appearance.
"-Heaven's Wheel … Mark Two."
Where the original Heaven's Wheel Armor had an angelic motif to it, this new and improved version took it to a whole new level.
The most immediate and notable change to the outfit was the addition of another four wings at her back, totaling eight, as well as the lack of the skirt that the outfit once possessed. In place of the skirt was a pair of thigh length greaves with razor sharp, wing-like protrusions jutting out from her calves.
Likewise, her small breastplate was also gone. Shrouding Erza's form from her chest down to her groin area was a strange ethereal white cloth that flowed like the wind, yet revealed nothing of what lay beneath, almost like it were made from an otherworldly source.
Atop her head sat an improved tiara, now with four wings spread out both to the side, and behind her head. But the most striking difference overall to the design was the evenly woven gold added to the silver color scheme of the outfit, adding further to the angelic design.
Two swords manifested into her waiting hands, one made of pure gold, and the other, pure silver. The rest of the blades behind her shone brightly as their clockwise circling picked up in speed, eventually forming a white ring behind her.
Erza Scarlett (PTS + Heaven's Wheel Mark II + Suppressed) – 1.75 Million MPI
Before the beasts could even attempt a counterattack, the area was lit up by bright flashes of light, as the ring behind Erza vanished, ripping through the horde in a matter of moments.
***POTD***
"INSANITY! Erza Scarlett has just dispatched no less than FIFTEEN of the one hundred monsters within Castle Pandemonium in a matter of moments! I have to wonder Mister Yajima, will we see the record of Castle Pandemonium be broken today!?"
"I'd say there's a good chance of it Chapati. Either way, we're seeing Miss Scarlett showing us all why she bears the title of Queen of the Fairies!"
"Now would probably be a good time to introduce today's special guest announcer up with us in the box, because this lovely lady has ALL the answers we need and more! Let's have a cheer for the ever-graceful Matriarch of the Heart Kreuz Company, Jessabelle Kreuz!"
"Thank you Chapati, and thank you as well Sir Yajima, I'm honored to be here today."
"So, tell us Jessabelle, a Mark Two variant of Miss Scarlett's most iconic Armor? What can you tell us about it?"
"Well, there are obviously things I'm legally not allowed to discuss. However, like our press release stated prior to the games, Heart Kreuz planned on fielding some new prototypes during the games. Naturally, who else could we have possibly picked to push both new, and enhanced designs to their absolute limit?"
"I couldn't agree more Miss Kreuz! Out of all Mages who utilize Heart Kreuz products, Erza would have to be one of your most valued customers!?"
"She is indeed Chapati. The Mark Two Heaven's Wheel Armor is just one of a whole slew of new designs Erza is testing for us. In fact, I'm hoping to see another used during this event?"
"And there you have it folks, straight from Miss Kreuz herself! I hope all of you are on the edge of your seats like I am folks, because this is about to get interesting!"
***POTD***
Back within Castle Pandemonium, the unthinkable was occurring, as Erza tore apart the various monsters in her path with little resistance.
"I see… So, they aren't elemental based creatures," Erza mused, tearing apart several more creatures before gently descending to the ground, though she didn't land outright. "That leaves me with options…"
Erza knew not to grow overconfident just yet. The creatures she was dealing with were the weakest of the lot, and thus, much easier to kill. She could feel the power of multiple S Class Beasts deeper inside Pandemonium, and knew she'd have to conserve the bulk of her power for them.
"Let's get this over with quickly then," the Requip Mage huffed, as the bright ring of blades re-manifested behind her, the wind in the area picking up as it shot toward the charging creatures. "Spherical Slasher!"
The attack behind her vanished as she pointed her golden sword toward the charging beasts, as another slaughter commenced. Bits and pieces of the magically conjured monsters were thrown about, as the deadly attack tore through their rank, before returning to her back.
"That should be the last of the weaker ones," the Requip Mage sighed, floating down the corridor and into another open hallway where some significantly more powerful beasts were waiting.
Blades soared into the room from behind her, striking the beasts as they moved to attack. However, unlike the ones in the previous room, the ones here weren't slain immediately by the barrage, though some still found themselves going without several of their limbs.
Flying up above the area, the white circle behind Erza began to change shape, now forming a pentagram. With a flick of both the swords in her hand, the white pentagram behind her vanished, reappearing right in front of the group of beasts, seemingly catching them off guard.
"Pentagram Sword!"
The pentagram shaped attack took no prisoners, casually ripping through the beasts as body parts flew across the room. Erza floated behind the attack as it carved her a path down the next corridor, the attack so wide it prevented the beasts from getting around it to strike at her through the narrow corridor.
Once she reached the next room however, things began to change…
A massive beast stepped forward, putting itself in front of her attack. Her eyebrows rose considerably as her pentagram sword bounced off of its form, the blades immediately vanishing and returning to her back.
Taking a moment to survey the room, she was happy to see the vast majority of the beasts had been taken down. All that remained were A and S Class Beasts, the latter type seemingly strong enough to stop an attack from her Mark Two Heaven's Wheel Armor.
"It seems like I'm going to need to change things up for the finale," the scarlet haired Mage huffed, as her body became enveloped in a bright white light. "Requip-!"
The beasts that remained were cautious, remembering how quickly she'd decimated their brethren as they tried to attack her in that state last time. And so, she was able to shift her Armor without interruption.
Upon emerging from the light, the heavy clanging sound was already a sign that this Armor was vastly different from the one she'd just been using. Clad in a full set of what could only be described as full-plate Armor, this set seemed to fully embrace what being a Knight truly meant.
The Armor itself was clearly once a pure white color, but the left side appeared as if it were charred black by something, yet the Armor itself showed no sign of weakness. In fact, with not a single ounce of skin being visible on her form, and the way the Armor thudded with each step, it clearly suffered from no weaknesses at all.
Her helmet alone gave off a fearsome look, red glowing sockets where the eyes should be that matched some of her scarlet hair that was draped loosely over her shoulders, spilling out from the back of the helmet.
The gauntlets, greaves, breastplate and pauldrons were form fitting, but gave off a sense of strength that made the beasts wary. This was especially true when one looked at the massive tower shield in Erza's left hand, the charred black shield itself almost matching her height, and most likely weighing a tonne, a strange swirling black and white Magic Circle embedded into the center of the shield itself.
In her right hand, Erza held a charred black weapon that looked like a cross between a spear and a staff. The tip of the weapon contained a blackened blade, a strange swirling white and black circle embedded into its surface.
"-Twilight Armor!"
***POTD***
Up in the stands, many of the competing Mages were confused as they watched Erza stand confidently before the most powerful beasts of Castle Pandemonium. Over in the Fairy Tail section, many of the Mages who didn't know this strange new Armor, likewise sported confused looks.
"That Armor must weigh a tonne? Erza must have done some serious strength training to even be able to move with all of that…"
"The Armor does have some weight to it, but trust me, its not as heavy as it looks Natsu."
"What do you know about it?"
"Know about it? I helped MAKE it," the God Slayer grinned. "I can tell a lot of people here are underestimating it right now because of how much weaker it feels compared to her Heaven's Wheel Mark Two."
"You helped make it," Natsu asked with a raised eyebrow, looking up toward Jessabelle in the commentator's box who seemed almost giddy to see the creation in action. "Is that why its got that charred black over part of it?"
"Yeah. We wove my Ebony into the Armor itself as we were making it and it produced that strange effect. The entire thing is as sturdy as one of the Armor sets that I wear. The shield was a bit trickier, but its an offshoot of the shield Jessabelle used to create the Armadura Fairy Armor, or a prototype, I guess you could say?"
"Wow," Natsu hummed thoughtfully, as he watched Erza on the screen enter a defensive stance. "So, what kind of Armor is it?"
"You'll see," the God Slayer smirked, as all eyes moved back to the action.
***POTD***
Back inside Castle Pandemonium, Erza had just entered a defensive stance, as one of the S Class creatures rushed her position. The fearsome beast roared loudly, bringing its fist down upon her, only for the Requip Mage to block with her shield.
The moment the S Class Beast's fist made contact with the shield, a black and white pulse shimmered across its surface, as the beast found itself instantly parried. Staggering backward, everything seemed to move in slow motion, as the spear Erza held in her right hand suddenly began to put out an enormous amount of Magical Power.
Cocking back with the spear, the tip shook violently as she slowly began to perform a thrust in the air, right in the direction of the parried beast.
"Twilight's Holy Ray!"
In the blink of an eye, the S Class Beast's entire upper body was blown away, as a colossal blast of black and white energy was fired from the tip of Erza's spear. The attack blew a gaping hole in Castle Pandemonium itself as the crowd thundered with renewed excitement.
As soon as the rest of its body faded away, Erza expertly twirled the spear in her fingers, bringing it behind herself, before shooting off toward the hole left in the castle by her attack. The beasts however were immediately in pursuit, scrambling outside the castle as Erza expertly scaled the titanic structure, much to the delight of the spectators in Domus Flau, who could now watch the action directly.
Reaching the top of the castle, Erza raised her spear, before slamming the butt end of it into the ground, shaking the entire castle. The tip of the spear began to glow the same black and white color, before firing something up into the clear skies above the arena.
"Let's see how many of you survive this! Twilight's Holy Shower!"
Just as the beasts began to reach the top of the castle, the skies themselves seemed to darken, as black clouds rolled on in. Moments later, hundreds of black and white magical projectiles rained down from the skies above, smashing into the beasts as they scrambled to either avoid being struck, or to try and strike at Erza before they died.
Twirling her spear around as some of the beasts got past the barrage, Erza began slashing away at them whilst blocking blows using her shield. Despite how bulky her Armor and weapons seemed, Erza moved as if they were almost weightless, darting about the place and stunning the crowd in the process.
As the last of the beasts fell, Erza smirked inwardly, knowing that it wasn't quite over yet. Slowly rising to her full height as the entirety of Pandemonium shook, a massive Demon-like creature slowly rose up behind her.
"Just one more," Erza muttered to herself, slowly twirling the spear behind her as she turned to face the giant beast. "I won't falter now… I'll win this for Fairy Tail!"
The beast let loose an arena trembling roar as Erza's form became coated in a black and white aura, both her shield and spear glowing so brightly, many in the crowd were forced to avert their gazes.
"This is our victory," Erza roared, the creature moving to strike her as Erza's Magical Power skyrocketed. "One strike to end it!"
Erza Scarlett (Twilight Armor + Energy Absorbed + Suppressed) – 4.42 Million MPI
The light dimmed rapidly, revealing itself to have condensed to the tip of her spear. The entire arena shook as Erza's tower shield faded away, and the Requip Mage launched herself toward the beast.
"Twilight's Holy Percipience!"
Thrusting the spear forward, the beast was completely engulfed by a massive attack. One so large that it eclipsed the entire top of Castle Pandemonium itself, nearly blinding the audience in the process.
Dropping to the ground in a perfect landing, Erza slowly rose to her full height, standing on the other side of the black spot that had once been the strongest S Class Beast, her eyes quickly surveying the crowd until they met the only ones she cared about in that moment.
Natsu's eyes were wide, his lips slightly ajar as he fought off a beaming grin. It was obvious to her that he was awestruck by her battle…
'There it is… That's all I needed to see. All I wanted was that smile of yours,' Erza thought to herself as she reverted to her base Armor. 'I hope you enjoyed the show… Natsu.'
***POTD***
The crowd exploded into a cacophony of cheers and celebration at Erza's achievement, as her time beating Castle Pandemonium appeared across all the Lacrima Projectors.
"Erza has done it folks! Erza Scarlett has just defeated all one hundred monsters inside Castle Pandemonium!"
"Not only that Chapati. Erza has just broken the record for the fastest time beating Castle Pandemonium's one hundred monsters. In light of this amazing achievement, the judges have decided to award Erza an additional twenty points for a total of one hundred and twenty points for Fairy Tail Team A!"
"Now then, time to move on to the rest of the competitors folks! Since Erza defeated all the monsters of Castle Pandemonium, the judges have come up with a plan to quickly determine second through eighth place using a device known as a Magical Power Finder!"
"That's right Chapati. Now we know you might not all know what a Magical Power Finder is, so for those of you at home, we've got someone from the Rune Knights to explain it for you all. Down on the ground we've got a Captain of the Rune Knights, Lahar!"
***POTD***
Erza had just returned to the ground, joining the rest of the competitors right as Mister Yajima announced that Lahar was going to explain what an MPF was. Her eyes narrowed as she looked toward the entrance to the arena, the man strolling out with his head held high.
"Bastard," Erza hissed, only to suddenly hear Elise call out something from the Fairy Tail section of the stands, her eyes widening as she saw Elise trying to stop Natsu as he leapt off of the stands and into the arena. "Oh no…"
Erza quickly moved toward him as Natsu started marching over toward Lahar's position, Mira quickly joining her as both girls blocked his path.
"Stop!"
"Don't Natsu," Mira hissed, both girls placing a hand on his chest. "Not here!"
"Move."
"No," Erza snapped back, as Elise ran up behind him, grabbing his hand.
"Come back to the stands Natsu, you don't have to do this!"
"Just one punch-."
"NO," all three girls snapped, as Lahar shot a glare in their general direction.
"Come on Natsu," Elise muttered quietly. "Let's just go back to the stands…"
Shooting one last glare at Lahar, Natsu gently squeezed Elise's hand as she pulled him away. Erza and Mira sighed, shaking their heads before glaring over at Lahar, who simply ignored them as he moved to stand next to the MPI machine.
"With that pathetic display aside," Lahar began, garnering him a scowl from the four Fairy Tail Mages. "Allow me to explain to you all how the Magical Power Finder, or MPF, works."
Pressing a button on the side of the MPF, it projected a large blank display up for the entire arena to see. Pressing several more buttons, the remaining competitors appeared on there in no particular order.
"A Magical Power Finder is a device the Magic Council, as well as other organizations, use to register the Magical Power of Mages. However, recent breakthroughs in this technology thanks to the Council's Science Teams have created the possibility to register the Magical Power of not just the Mages themselves, but their attacks as well."
Summoning a small blade from thin air, Lahar threw it at the device, as it projected a number before them.
"Observe. This ordinary dagger has a Magical Power Index of three, as you can all see. This device shall be used to measure the Magical Power Index of attacks from every remaining competitor to determine second through eighth place."
Finishing his speech, Lahar adjusted his glasses and moved away from the device, as pictures of the contestants flashed through randomly, before finally landing on the hooded Mage from Mermaid Heel.
The hooded Mage stepped forward, before suddenly lifting her hood to reveal an all too familiar face.
"Milliana," Erza gasped, as the cat-like Mage shot her a cheeky grin in response. "You're part of Mermaid Heel!?"
"Hi Erzy! Surprised, aren't ya," the Mermaid Heel Mage smirked, poking her tongue out as she stepped up to the MPF device. "Sorry I didn't come and say hi earlier, but things have been real busy. Meet up after the games, kay!?"
Erza nodded, clearly excited and overjoyed to see one of her old friends again, as she stopped before the MPF, a pink aura surrounding her hands.
"Binding Magic – Kitten Blast!"
Firing a pink, tube-like attack at the MPI, it struck it hard, setting off a small explosion. The device began to ping before spitting out the relevant data.
Milliana (Kitten Blast) – 32,504 MPI
"Aww yeah," Milliana cheered, as she automatically moved right to first place on the leaderboard above, the title of Squad Captain being placed next to her name. "Uh… wait? Um, is that good?"
"Ah, I probably should have given a basic guide on what constitutes a good Magical Power Index," Lahar sighed. "Milliana has actually done exceedingly well. If she were applying to be in the Magical Enforcement Unit, she would be granted the rank of at least Squad Captain with an attack of such power, hence the title next to her name."
"What's the highest number you've seen?"
"Well, it hasn't been tested by anyone outside of the Magic Council. However, one of its creators, Saint Wolfheim, scored over two hundred and forty-four million on the device with an attack."
This surprised many, not just in the crowd, but among the gathered Guild Mages as well, though Lahar continued his explanation regardless.
"When an attack is performed, it will assign you what the device believes you attack qualifies you for. In the case of Milliana, her attack qualified her for Squad Captain, and assigned it accordingly."
With that explanation, Hibiki of Blue Pegasus was selected next by the device and stepped up.
Archive Magic – Overload!"
Projecting several screen-like apparitions, they shot toward the MPF before exploding, as they device quickly scanned their power.
Hibiki Lates (Overload) – 12,026 MPI
Despite shooting up to second place, Hibiki appeared utterly devastated as he began to cry dramatically. Despite his attack only being half the power of Milliana's, he was still surprisingly assigned the same ranking of Squad Captain.
"Heh! You wimps should all just quit now," Orga smirked as he confidently stepped up, his picture appearing next. "Let me show you lot some REAL power!"
Holding his hands out in front of him, black lightning began to spark and crackle, before forming a solid attack.
"Lightning God's One Hundred and Twenty-Millimeter Black Lightning Cannon!"
After declaring his mouthful of an attack, Orga fired a sizeable torrent of raw, black colored lightning directly at the device. Many had to cover their ears at the sound of the attack making contact with the device, the roar of thunder shaking the entire arena.
Orga Nanagear (120mm Black Lightning Cannon) – 22.73 Million MPI
The entire arena was stunned into silence at the number that popped up next to Orga's name, though the Sabertooth Mage seemed to have already held confidence it would be that high, flexing his right arm proudly as Grand Wizard appeared next to his name.
"Heh! As if there were any doubt," the confident Sabertooth Mage boldly proclaimed, as Mira's picture appeared next.
"Oh my, such a high number for me to follow up on," Mira pouted cutely, drawing many cheers as she turned to look toward one of the tournament officials. "Excuse me? I don't have to hold back when using this, do I?"
"No ma'am."
"Oh, that's a relief," Mira smiled, the warmth draining from her face as her eyes turned almost hollow. "I would hate to accidentally kill everyone in the entire arena because safety precautions weren't taken…"
***POTD***
"I know that look," Natsu sighed, shaking his head. "You'd better watch gramps Laxus, he might have a heart attack in a minute?"
"That's putting it lightly, Laxus grunted in agreement as they all looked toward where the rest of the Guild was seated, noticing Makarov already beginning to pale. "We'll be lucky if he doesn't pass on outright…"
"What are you two talking about? Mirajane's Satan Soul isn't so bad," Freed chimed in curiously, only for Elise to shake her head.
"There's more than one of them Freed, as you know. Hecate and Halphas are strong, but friendly. But as you know, she has two others…"
"Wait… Are you saying that Mirajane has regained access to-!?"
***POTD***
The entire arena was suddenly brought under an intense pressure, as a black Magic Circle appeared underneath the smirking Mira. The Magic Circle slowly rose up her body, morphing it, until a powerful Demoness stood proudly in her place.
Standing twelve feet tall, her body had bulked up significantly, along with her bust size. Wearing only a dark blue overcoat with a high wide collar over her upper body, one that was left undone to almost expose her bust. It was fastened in place by a golden belt just under her breasts, the blood red jewel partially obscured by them.
Fastened to the collar was a long, black tattered cape, one not to dissimilar to the one Gildarts often wore. Her entire lower body was clad in a pair of skin tight white and dark blue pants that left almost nothing to the imagination, and wore no boots but instead, her calves were aflame, obscuring her feet from sight.
Leaning forward for a moment, the Demoness ran a hand through her now extremely long, scruffier white hair, revealing a sinister looking older faced Demonic version of Mirajane. Possessing a more angular face, her jawline and ears were covered by a golden chitinous plating that granted her horn-like protrusions.
Slowly opening her now slightly more angular eyes, revealing lighter, sky-blue eyes as her cross look slowly morphed into an amused smirk, her mouth opening slightly to reveal her canines had lengthened considerably, as a forked tongue slowly slid out of her mouth.
"Ahh… Once again, free to enjoy myself…"
One Of Mira's Demonic Allies
Demon From The Books Of Zeref
Volume MCCCXII
The Mother Of Endymion
SSSS Rank Dark Mage (Rescinded)
Sitri Almon-Carnale
The appearance of the Demoness frightened many, though this only seemed to amuse her, as she looked around the arena, running a hand across her exposed abdomen and the scarred six pack she possessed there.
"Ahh… Its good to have a stretch every once and awhile," the Demoness purred, before suddenly vanishing and reappearing at the Fairy Tail competitors' box, sitting on the ledge next to Natsu. "Hello L-I mean, Natsu…"
"Stop trying to cause a scene Sitri," Natsu replied bluntly, eliciting a deep, effeminate giggle from the older Demoness. "Though feel free to cause one if you hit that MPF over there with an attack."
"As you command… Sir," Sitri purred, vanishing and reappearing back in her original spot before looking toward the MPF device. "Hardly a workout… but it'll do."
A monstrous amount of power smashed down onto Domus Flau, as Sitri slowly levitated up above the arena. Conjuring a small sphere of pitch-black Magic, the Demoness gently caressed it with her free hand, before lazily tossing it down to the MPF below.
"Whatever Darkness Bomb Thingy," the Demoness giggled, as the entirety of Crocus was suddenly struck by a catastrophic earthquake.
Domus Flau, and the entire mountain it was housed upon, were engulfed in a pitch-black bubble that generated catastrophic wind gusts that cleared the skies of all clouds in a ten-kilometer radius.
And then, suddenly, everything stopped.
Domus Flau and the mountain reappeared, looking no worse for wear, and the earthquake and catastrophic winds abruptly died.
Standing next to the MPF was Mira, now back in her base form, a slight blush on her cheeks as she scratched the back of her head, laughing awkwardly.
Sitri Almon-Carnale (Joke Attack) – 88.13 Million MPI
"Ehehehe… Looks like she went a bit overboard," Mira laughed awkwardly, seeing the utterly gobsmacked looks of the majority of competitors, her picture and score instantly smashing its way to the top.
There were some present who weren't fearful, but rather, some found Mira's display exciting. Jura was grinning from ear to ear, almost trembling in excitement. Natsu wasn't smiling, but he simply shook his head, with Elise simply opting to laugh twice as hard in his stead.
What caught everyone off guard though, was that next to Mira's score, her rating said Wizard Saint, leading to many a hushed whisper among the crowd.
"That was a fantastic display," Jura crowed, shaking Mira's hand, eliciting a deep blush from the now thoroughly embarrassed Take Over Mage. "I certainly didn't expect that, well done!"
"Oh my… Uh, thank you," Mira stuttered, as Jura moved up to perform his attack. "Good luck!"
Jura smiled as he stood before the MPF, clasping his hands together as the arena began to shake once again. Everyone knew this would be another massive attack, since Jura was an actual Wizard Saint.
"Earth Magic – Rumbling Mount Fuji!"
The moment he'd declared his attack, a monstrous pillar of raw Magic erupted from the earth below, engulfing the pillar as Crocus was once again shaken to its core. Once he was satisfied, Jura ceased the attack, as the MPF spat out the results.
Jura Neekis (Rumbling Mount Fuji) –93.2 Million MPI
Jura smirked as his name went past Mira's to become the highest ranked competitor so far, with Wizard Saint naturally slotting comfortably next to his score.
The screen flashed several times, as an image of the next competitor appeared.
A man with long shaggy blonde hair, hard orange eyes stepped up. He wore an orange overcoat with a pair of black suit pants, a white button up shirt and orange tie, complete with a matching pair of orange loafers.
Standing before the MPF, he looked toward the Highfather Guild, who gave him several affirmative nods in return.
S Class Mage Of The Highfather Guild
A Member Of Team Highfather
The Solar Sorcerer
Yamata Asahi
Extending his right hand, everyone felt a sudden surge of explosive power, as a massive, dark orange colored Magic Circle manifested high above the arena.
"Solar Magic: Judgement Ray IV – The Midday Sun!"
From the Magic Circle came a blast of pure solar power, smashing into the ground as it melted right through the floor beneath it. The heat generated was so intense, everyone had to step backward.
Once the attack was done, the MPF spat out the number, though at this point nobody was even shocked by it.
Yamata Asahi (The Midday Sun) – 79.94 Million MPI
Yamata simply nodded at his result, clearly satisfied, as Wizard Saint also appeared next to his score, leaving only one final competitor.
Everyone watched with baited breath as Obra from Raven Tail stepped up, only for a small, monkey-like creature to leapt out and headbutt the MPF for a measly five points.
***POTD***
"Well that was… anticlimactic, wasn't it?"
"I can't help but agree Chapati. But let's be glad we got to see some really powerful attacks out there from some of the others, eh?"
"That's right Mister Yajima! And, speaking of powerful, its time for the last match of the day before our special event! Would Laxus Dreyar of Fairy Tail Team B and Alexei of Team Raven Tail please take to the field!"
The crowd seemed rather excited as the two large men made their way down toward the arena as the competitors from the last match made their way back up. Once the pair stood opposite one another, the commentators continued to address the stadium.
"Let's hope we get another red-hot battle folks! These two are both notoriously powerful, so we'll be in for a treat!"
"That's right Chapati! Let the match begin!"
***POTD***
From the moment the fight started, fans cheered as Laxus and Alexei clashed, exchanging a fierce flurry of blows…
Or, so they thought.
As the fight occurred, it was being observed by two figures down in the arena who had yet to leave their respective starting positions…
Laxus and Alexei.
"What is this," Laxus asked with a deep frown, as he crossed his arms whilst observing the strange purple hue around him. "What's your game?"
"Come now Laxus, I know you aren't this foolish," Alexei replied in an all too familiar voice. "All these years and you haven't got a single good word for me?"
"…You!?"
"Me," came the amused response, as Alexei reached up to remove his helmet, tossing it aside to reveal his own Father… Ivan Dreyar. "Hello Son-."
"Don't call me that."
"Come now Laxus, why so hostile? You were more receptive to me seven years ago," Ivan smirked in reply. "What-?"
"What do you want?"
"Heh. That's one of the things I've always liked about you Laxus. You don't mess about, always straight to the point. Observe."
Motioning for Laxus to look toward the fake fight going on, Laxus watched as Ivan made several motions with his fingers, and suddenly, the Laxus illusion began winning.
"As you can see, I can give you the victory here Laxus. However, in exchange, I'll need some information."
"That depends on what the information is," Laxus replied neutrally, eliciting a dark chuckle from his Father.
"Oh, its nothing big really… I just want to know the location of Fairy Heart?"
"This again? Look, I don't know what this Fairy Heart thing is that you always keep harping on about, but I don't know anything about it-."
"Come now Laxus, there's no need to play games with me here," Ivan replied, his tone becoming slightly more forceful. "You and I both know that Makarov would tell you everything, even the Guild's deepest, darkest secrets…"
"You really haven't changed at all, have you," Laxus sighed, shaking his head. "Maybe in the past I'd have told you what you wanted to hear, but not anymore. What I did to the Guild was unforgivable, and I'm doing everything in my power to earn their trust again…"
Laxus lowered his arms and clenched his fists, shooting a fierce glare toward his Father, who was momentarily taken aback by Laxus' hostility.
"I'm a Mage of the Fairy Tail Guild! The day I tell you a damn scrap of information is the day I die!"
"Is that so… Well, your death can certainly be arranged Laxus," Ivan hissed in response, as the entirety of the Raven Tail Team slowly manifested around him. "I'll not let anyone get in the way of my ambitions Laxus! Not even you…"
Laxus eyed the Raven Tail Mages around him, quickly assessing each of them. As his gaze fell onto the only female of the group, though she clearly looked insane, her eyes kept shifting off of him, and onto his Father and the other Raven Tail Mages.
When her eyes met his, they widened and dilated slightly. She knew at that moment she'd been caught out by him and, although she shuddered slightly, grinning away like a mad loon, he could tell there was a message there…
"So, this is how you really do things," Laxus muttered, giving a barely noticeable nod to the girl before looking back toward Ivan directly, not noticing her surprised look. "You're pathetic."
"Enough of this Laxus, don't be so foolish as to side with that old fool Makarov! He doesn't care about you; he only cares about hiding all that power from you! Think of all the good that could be done with the kind of power that old relic is hiding!?"
"All the good? Yeah right, you're nothing but trouble, just like the old geezer always warned me you were," Laxus scoffed in response, angering his Father even further. "I don't know why I ever stuck up for you all those years? Oh, wait, actually I do remember why I did! Because back then, I was a smart mouthed little brat who thought he knew everything just because I had a bit more power than most-."
"Laxus…"
"Now, who does that statement remind me of," Laxus hummed to himself, as yellow lightning crackled around his form. "Oh yeah, it reminds me of you."
"You ungrateful little bastard," Ivan snarled, as strange cards rapidly began to flow out of the sleeves of his Armor. "If you won't tell me the location willingly, then I'll just have to take it by force! You know something Laxus, and I'll find out what!"
"Maybe I know something, maybe I don't? Why don't you try and find out old man," Laxus smirked, as Ivan made a sweeping motion toward Laxus.
"Raven Tail! ATTACK!"
Laxus prepared himself to confront the entire Guild, when suddenly, four of the Raven Tail members were suddenly wrapped in in a sea of red hair and set alight, screaming as the girl started cackling madly.
Both Laxus and Ivan looked over at her in shock, the former locking eyes with the girl as she focused her unblinking gaze on his, several tears spilling free as she cackled with glee at burning her fellow teammates.
"Flare! You disobedient little whore," Ivan snarled hatefully as his cards shot toward her. "I'll kill you for this-!"
Before the cards could make contact with Flare, a bolt of lightning tore through them, as Laxus reappeared in front of her, towering over the girl as he got a closer look at her. Upon closer inspection, his eyes momentarily widened, before narrowing as he slowly turned back to face his Father.
"You monster," Laxus growled, sparks flitting across his form as he clenched his fists so hard the veins in his arms became much more pronounced, before looking back to the girl once again. "Flare, right?"
The maniacal girl's eyes widened as Laxus addressed her directly, but she stiffly nodded to his question, her mouth still twisted into a sadistic grin.
"Let those four idiots down," the Dragon Slayer muttered, surprising Flare somewhat as she did as he asked, tossing them at Ivan's feet.
Rubbing his hands together, sparks danced between his fingers before he suddenly opened his arms wide and clapped, a large lightning bolt shooting down and striking the remaining members of Raven Tail, frying them on the spot.
"Y-You defeated all four of them… in one attack!? B-But that can't be right, my Guild was created to perfectly counter Fairy Tail!?"
"Oh yeah? And who was your contingency plan for Elise? Or Gildarts? Or even Natsu!? Any one of them could wipe these losers out just as easily as I did! Hell, even Wendy could have taken these clowns down by herself after seeing the way she folded the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth! If you seriously thought these clowns were actually enough then you're hopelessly insane!"
"These fools may have fallen… and Flare might have betrayed me the first chance she got out of my grasp… but I'm MORE than a match for the likes of you-!"
Before Ivan could finish, Laxus was already in front of him, his fist slowly making contact with his face, as the illusion covering the arena shattered, revealing the truth.
"Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"
Ivan flew across the arena, smashing into the far back wall, as many tournament officials and Guild Masters rose from their seats in shock. Laxus huffed and shook his head, the sparks dying down as the dust cleared to reveal Ivan having been the one knocked out by Laxus.
***POTD***
"Uh… I'm not quite sure what just happened here folks, but it looks like Raven Tail has cheated by using all of its members to attack Laxus!"
"Seems like it Chapati, and that's an immediate disqualification for their entire Guild!"
"That it is Mister Yajima, and here are the Rune Knights now to arrest the entire Guild! Hopefully they'll clear this strange mess up?"
"Yes, indeed. A truly shameful display of sportsmanship by Raven Tail. However, Ladies and Gentlemen, we have what will undoubtedly be the complete opposite coming right up!"
"That's right Mister Yajima! We'll hand over now to the Chairman of the Magic Council, Org, who wishes to explain the details of what this special event shall entail!"
"Take it away Org!"
***POTD***
As Laxus arrived back in the Fairy Tail stands, he turned back toward the arena and saw Flare being arrested by the Council and taken away. Their eyes met briefly, the psychotic grin still on her face, as Laxus felt something strange stir within him.
"Something the matter boy?"
Looking up, he saw Makarov was looking not at him, but in Flare's general direction. Once she was dragged out of the arena in Magical Suppression Cuffs, only then did his gaze move to his Grandson.
"We'll talk about it later, old man…"
"I'm sure we will," the aged Guild Master huffed, as the projection of Chairman Org appeared at the centre of the arena.
***POTD***
"Ladies and Gentlemen, both in Domus Flau and beyond, I'm honored to speak to you all like this today! We have now reached the official half-way point for the Grand Magic Games, and despite the disgraceful display we just witnessed from Raven Tail, the rest of the teams have fought hard, and fought honorably!"
Org fell silent for a moment as the crowd burst into applause, approving both his condemnation of Raven Tail, and support of the rest of the Guilds.
"Today, the Magic Council has decided to showcase a tradition among the Ten Wizard Saints. Every now and then, when a Wizard Saint has been inactive for a period of time, the Council like to assess their current level of skill and power to determine both where they scale among the Ten, as well as their dedication to being among them at all. Today shall mark the first time the Council performs this test for the general public…"
The crowd broke out into excited whispers, as Org waved his hands, calling for silence.
"Seven years ago, the Mages of the Fairy Tail Guild suffered a horrific tragedy, as a strange and unknown beast attacked them on the infamous Tenrou Island. This attack could have cost us not one, but two Wizard Saints, if not for the supposed actions of one of them. It has been alleged that Saint Natsu Dragneel saved the entirety of his Guild from the beast after defeating the Guild Master of Grimoire Heart, Hades, in combat. Saint Dragneel, please make your way to the center of the arena!"
Natsu sighed, slowly making his way down to the arena as the crowd cheered, seemingly not having heard of his achievements. Once he was down in the arena, Org continued to speak.
"Saint Dragneel! You stand today before the Magic Council and his royal highness, King Toma E. Fiore, to once more be tested for the title of Wizard Saint! Let it be known that the Council does acknowledge your countless victories against the dark forces that threaten to bring ruin upon our land, shattering the grip of the Bharam Alliance over much of Ishgar in the process!"
The crowd roared in approval, most of them having known of these accomplishments, due to how widely reported on they were.
"It is for these reasons that the Council still deems you worthy of the title of Wizard Saint. However, word of your most recent exploits suggests your rank may not be adequate, and therefore, we shall test you today before the people of Fiore, and reevaluate your position. Do you understand and accept the coming battle, Saint Dragneel!?"
"I accept, Chairman," Natsu replied formally, as the crowd quieted down, seeing that Doma was stroking his beard thoughtfully at his response.
"Then eyes forward, Saint Dragneel, and face your opponent in the name and spirit of Fiore!"
"Standing tall, his long coat billowing to the left in the steady wind, he crossed his arms and waited patiently for his opponent to arrive. The soft echo grew steadily louder until his opponent strolled confidently into the arena, the excited murmurs dying in their throats, with even Natsu feeling his blood run cold.
"There's no way," Mira gasped, cupping a hand over her mouth.
"There's no way they're gonna make Natsu fight HIM," Gray hissed, leaning against the railing for support.
"This has to be a joke, right," Laxus added, looking toward Makarov who didn't even seem shocked at all. "You knew about this!?"
"Yes…"
"Master," Erza snapped, barging toward him. "How could you not say anything!?"
"I was sworn not to by the Council, I had to obey."
"But-!"
"Natsu will be fine," a familiar voice chimed in as all eyes turned toward Wendy, who despite being shocked at the competitor's power, didn't seem quite a shaken as the others were.
"You can't be serious Wendy!?"
"Do you even know who that guy is!?"
"I know that he's strong, but there's something about Natsu that's… I can't really explain it," Wendy muttered in reply. "When we went off to train, he was already so strong… But now, I think he can stand against someone like that."
"I know its strange, but I think Wendy might be right," Elise muttered, as she activated her God's Aura, scanning both of them. "They're suppressed but-."
Before Elise could finish her analysis, the man began to speak, his voice alone silencing the entire stadium.
"Natsu Dragneel, we meet once again? Last we spoke, you were a rising star among the Council, yet now you stand before me a contender among the Goukou."
"The what?"
"The Five," the man smirked. "The top five members of the Wizard Saints are far beyond the rest… or so it was, that is. You have been the eternal outlier due to your absence these past seven years."
"What's your point?"
"You're a fascinating man, Natsu Dragneel. You've faced down the Black Dragon no less than three times and fought some of the strongest foes Fiore has to offer! Oh yes… I knew this confrontation would come eventually, like it were destined!"
"You realize what will happen if we fight, don't you?"
"Yes, I'm aware," the man nodded stiffly in response. "Honorable members of the Magic Council! I have a formal request!?"
"What is your request," Org asked curiously, as Natsu's opponent eagerly replied.
"Natsu and I agree that a battle between us could have serious consequences on not just Domus Flau and the citizens here, but for Crocus as well. We request permission to fight outside the city?"
"A fair request, and one I won't even begin to argue on. The safety of the citizens comes first. We shall have Teleportation Lacrima move you to an area of Fiore free of innocent lives."
A tournament official hurried out with two Teleportation Lacrima, handing one to each of them, before scurrying away. The pair both channeled Magic into the Lacrima, before vanishing on the spot.
Once they were gone, dozens of screens appeared across the arena so everyone could witness the action live, as dozens upon dozens of Projection Lacrima started streaming in a live feed of the area they'd been sent to.
***POTD***
The two Mages appeared in a small clearing amidst a thick forested region, mountains all around their position. Natsu had no idea where he was, but he knew that this place wasn't going to be the same after all this.
"Guess we're really going to do this," Natsu sighed, uncrossing his arms as he stood across from his opponent in a relaxed stance.
"I wonder, how will you do against me Natsu," the man smirked as he slid into a basic offensive stance, the entire area suddenly shifting, a tension settling over Natsu himself as he processed his opponent. "How will you face… the Rank One Wizard Saint?"
"The same way I face all my other foes," Natsu replied firmly, his power beginning to leak out, momentarily surprising the man. "Bring it on Serena! Against someone like you, I'll not hold back!"
"I'd kill you if you did," God Serena smirked, licking his lips as the two Mages vanished, clashing hard enough to instantly fold a hectare's worth of tree and create a sizeable crater beneath them. "Let's go!"