Fight for Fiore had officially begun. The mages of the country were thrown into battle for the sake of their magic and the magic of those they held dear…but of course there were more motives than just those two. The Client left one final message before allowing the Fight to begin. "The winner of any battle has the chance to kill, or spare their opponent. It matters not for I will take their magic anyway…and if a battle ends up taking far too long, I will personally decide the winner. Have fun, Fiore~"

Back in Fairy Tail, Levy had several books and maps open along with Gale Force Glasses, speeding through the books as quickly as she could in attempt to find a solution in the event things began going south. "Hmm…"

"What are you even looking for, Levy?" Droy asked while holding a chicken leg in his hand. There was no way he was going to go out there immediately as long as Levy remained inside. Plus, he knew if he tried to fight...it wouldn't end very well.

"I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to save the magic of those stolen without having to confront that guy." Levy replied. "If it's true what he says and he has the magic of a lot of mages already, one person fighting against him will not win. Especially with all the powerful mages we have here in the country, the odds are made to stack against the winner…"

"Gihehe…" Gajeel cracked his knuckles as a wide grin formed along his lips. "You worry too much, shrimp. If you haven't noticed, there's a monster standing right here in this guild."

"Laxus already left…" Romeo pointed out.

"CAN IT TWERP!" Gajeel shouted at Romeo before huffing. "I don't need to take this. I'm going out there."

"Gajeel, you can't just rush out there…!" Levy tried to pull Gajeel's arm in attempt to pull him back, but with their size difference she just look adorable with her futile efforts. "We're going to need you for something!"

"That something better be fighting." Gajeel huffed.

"Fighting will be a part of it!" Levy promised. "Listen, Freed…do you remember where you went when you took that request?"

"Somewhere in south west Fiore…" Freed replied. "There was an old building, you couldn't miss it. You really think he'll still be there after this…?"

"Even if he isn't there must be a clue there! A clue that we're going to need your nose for, Gajeel!" Levy grinned while Gajeel just groaned; he couldn't believe he was being demoted like this. "Don't be like that! We're gonna need someone to fight for us!"

"Tch…" Gajeel rolled his eyes. "As long as I get to kick some ass."

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Hosonaga sat in his chair, staring around at the soon to be filled lacrimas. There was a grin on his face as several screens appeared before his desk, showing all of the fights that were about to happen or were under way. "Looks like they all love their magic just as much as I thought. Or maybe they just love the thrill of the fight. It doesn't matter to me either way! Dance little puppets, dance!" He laughed to himself as he managed to have Fiore enter a little civil war within itself, only at the end of it all he planned to be the only one standing.

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Natsu ran aimlessly. He had no idea where he was actually supposed to be going but he was going to put down anyone who dared to stand in his way; he was a man with a mission and he was already tough to take down as it was. It wasn't too much longer before a bolt of lightning dropped down on him, but his enhanced senses allowed him to react before the bolt actually landed on him. The Salamander leapt to the side, growling slightly as he looked forward to see who tried to smite him.

A male with blonde hair and red eyes stepped forward, wearing one of those vests that showed off his six pack. "So you're Natsu Dragneel? I've always wanted to fight off against you. I am Blaze Bolt, and I…!"

Before Blaze could even continue Natsu slammed his fist into the male's skull, driving him into the ground with nothing but his raw strength, resulting in an instant KO. "Get outta my way!" Natsu yelled before leaping back, now just blinking as he realized he took out Blaze in one shot. "Oh…"

"Natsu Dragneel has taken the first victory! How surprising!" The Client appeared via Thought Projection, examining the scene before giving a slight shrug. "Hm…not much of an encounter, was it?"

"You!" Natsu was prepared to fight, but stopped when The Client held his hand out.

"This is only a Thought Projection. I can't have you wasting your energy on this useless thing." The Client then snapped his fingers, a beam of light dropping down from the sky onto Blaze's unconscious body. When the light faded, The Client held his hand up and lightning began surging around it. "…How disappointing….but to be expected. I guess I can't expect the good stuff until later."

"You won't get away with this, you bastard." Natsu growled, clenching his fist tightly.

The Client wore a grin at Natsu's words. That was the kind of fire he wanted to see. To spark as much vitriol as possible, before he ended up standing over every single mage as the strongest one of all! "Won't I?" The Client's voice chimed before the rune barrier blocking Natsu vanished, and the Thought Projection faded away.

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"White Fury!" Eve threw his hands forward, unleashing a powerful blizzard in Sting's direction that threatened to freeze him to his very core.

The White Dragon stood his ground, arms crossed over his chest to soften the blow to the best of his abilities. He slid back, gritting his teeth in slight pain before leaping to the side and out of the attack. If that kept up, he'd find it hard to move! Eve wasn't bad, but he couldn't afford to waste too much time and effort on him! "White Dragon's…" Sting closed the gap between himself and Eve, slashing Eve across the chest with his hand. "Claw!"

"Ngh…!" Eve grunted in pain while staggering back a step, but after that he realized his body wasn't responding to the movements he wanted. "W-What the…!?" There was a stigmata on his chest, binding all of his movements.

"I apologize, Eve-san…" Sting clenched his hand into a tight fist, white magic radiating brilliantly from it. "But I have to do this! White Dragon's Iron Fist!" Sting then drove his fist into Eve's face to force him into the ground for a more brutal KO than he would've liked, but it had to be done.

"Sting Eucliffe takes victory!" The Client's voice echoed out before a beam of light rained down onto Eve, taking his magic before vanishing.

"…Sorry, Eve-san. I didn't mean for it to go like that." Sting shook his head as the rune barrier vanished. He and Eve may not have been close, but that didn't mean he enjoyed fighting him in this fashion. He found it hard to enjoy any fight like this. "I'm gonna find that bastard…and I'm going to make him pay…"

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"Take this!" Rogue was in his White Shadow mode, facing off against former Twilight Zone mage Taranis Abaddon. The two clashed fiercely before leaping back. Rogue panted heavily from the damages to his person. Taranis was in his Devil Drive, electricity crackling around him. "He's tough..."

"C'mon, outta the way." Taranis said while crackling his neck. "I want a crack at that guy." He meant Hosonaga, but since The Client never told anyone else his name, he was just a nameless threat.

"I'm afraid I can't let you defeat me here." Rogue said while pointing his hand down at the ground. "White Shadow Dragon's Eruption!" Before Taranis had any idea what was going on, an explosion of light and darkness erupted from underneath his feet, consuming him whole. The Lightning Devil slayer was thrown into the air against his will.

"Gah!?" Taranis floundered about before catching himself mid air. He twisted his body and kicked his leg out, sending a bolt of lightning shooting directly towards Rogue. "Lightning Devil's Slam!" The bolt of lightning struck Rogue directly, causing him to grimace and clench one eye shut. To his surprise, however, Rogue kept rushing forward despite this. "What...!?"

"The Lady has been dishonored, and now, that man must know what it is like to anger the tiger!" Rogue's body dipped into the shadows, slithering across the ground before popping out, leaping up to grab Taranis by his collar with one hand, a sphere of light and shadows swirling about in the other. "White Shadow Dragon's Nova!"

Taranis realized this one was going to come down to the wire. He was inhaling, lightning crackling around his body as he prepared a point blank shot... "Lightning Devil's RAGE!" However, he was too slow. Rogue's palm slammed into his chest, expelling everything he gathered prematurely. An explosion occurred in the sky, and when the two landed...Rogue was victorious.

"Hah..." Rogue panted softly while his body returned to normal. He managed to escape that battle with some moderate damage... "If I was just a second slower, that would've been the end for me. But this sort of damage isn't going to slow me down."

"And the winner is Rogue Cheney!" Hosonaga's voice echoed around, before a beam dropped down on Taranis, sapping the unconscious man of his magic. The runes vanished, allowing Rogue passage to continue on.

"I'll find you." Rogue said with narrowed eyes. He wouldn't allow anyone to believe they could get away with hurting Sabertooth. They would avenge Minerva for the misdeeds The Client did to her...!

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Evanee had her eyes closed. Behind her was a defeated Melanie, a former Twilight Zone mage. Their confrontation was brief...Melanie Hasani stood no chance against her former ace. Evanee didn't even have any damages on her, and yet...she was able to smile slightly. "You've improved." She told Melanie.

"...Did I really? I didn't even hurt you." Melanie said with a sad smile.

"You were never much of a fighter to begin with. But your tactics and efforts have improved tenfold since I saw you last." Evanee said while turning around, looking over her shoulder. "I saw an intense look in your eyes unlike any other. I'm guessing you saw your dragon, huh?"

Melanie's eyes widened. "H-How did you...?"

"I saw mine, too." Evanee replied. Considering what happened on the Isle, she had a feeling this was the case. "Although it wasn't the reunion I was expecting, it told me something important."

"...I let my dragon down." Melanie sighed while looking off to the side. "I told her I would grow stronger for her sake and my own. And when I come face to face with you, I couldn't even do anything! I don't feel like I improved at all."

Evanee shook her head. "No. If you were fighting anyone else, you would've given them a run for your money. You're strong, Melanie. You just need to believe in yourself a bit more. That's not something I was able to instill in Twilight Zone. I didn't believe that sort of thing myself until recently."

"Evanee-chan..." Melanie's eyes widened a bit. Evanee was still pretty rigid with her words and tone, but there was an underlying softness between it all. That sort of thing wasn't very easy to pick up on back in Twilight Zone.

"And the winner of this bout is Evanee Carlise! As expected!" Hosonaga's voice echoed as a beam of magic dropped down on Melanie. It happened so quickly, Evanee didn't know what to expect. But that beam sapped Melanie of her magic, leaving her on the ground, powerless.

"M-My magic...!" Melanie gasped while sitting up. "N-No! Aquatica...!" The last remnants of her connection with her dragon..."

"Hey." Evanee placed her hand on Melanie's shoulder. "I'm going to put an end to this. So don't worry, you'll get your magic back. You've got a new guild now, don't you? Well...as my old guild mate, this is my responsibility too."

"Evanee-chan..." Melanie felt her eyes water.

"Bold words from the former Ace of Twilight Zone!" Hosonaga's thought projection appeared behind Evanee and Melanie, causing the two of them to turn around. "But I would love nothing more than to see you try!"

At the sight of Hosonaga, the man that was her Client at some point, she glared. "You. I should've gotten rid of you myself. I don't know why I trusted the Council to do anything."

"It wasn't their fault!" Hosonaga says with a laugh. He could see Evanee flexing her arm. If he were there, she'd knock him out, he knew it. "But at the end of the day, it was a stroke of fortune for one such as myself. Now I can continue my research on a grand scale! I must thank you. Ms. Carlisle. I wouldn't be here without you."

"I'm going to make sure you don't see tomorrow." Evanee said bluntly. "Where are you?"

"Ah ah ah!" Hosonaga shook his head. "Now it's no fun if the game ended as quickly as it began! I can't tell you that."

"You're just afraid that she'll beat you before you can even get off the ground!" Melanie exclaimed.

"Correct!" Hosonaga had no issues admitting this. Evanee was a very scary wizard to face, and he only became a wizard about an hour ago! "I wouldn't be able to provide a proper challenge. But this does give me an idea. Ms. Carlisle, I will impose a special condition for you. You are familiar with the wizards known as Gildarts Clive and Sidney Castle, right? I'm sure you three are friends."

"Yeah, I know them." Evanee crossed her arms. "I wouldn't call them my friends, though."

"Here's your special exception! The three of you are no doubt the strongest wizards in this country. You three could trivialize this competition if you thought about it. So...if you can defeat at least one of them, I'll give you the chance to fight me directly, no matter what. Surely you can't pass up an offer like that!?"

Evanee let out a low, annoyed noise. "I know what you're doing. You want the big threats to take each other out. No matter who wins or who loses, you'll make out like a bandit."

Hosonaga smiled in response. "So you see right through me. But the offer remains on the table!"

"Fine. I'll end this stupid game of yours." Evanee said while cracking her knuckles. The challenge was thrown, and she was ready to take it.

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South Fiore. The waters of the beach were calm while the country was suffering an inner turmoil. Draco of White Eclipse walked across the sand with his arms behind his head. He was fully aware of what was going on and was on the lookout for anyone that came his way. It wasn't long before a rune barrier appeared behind him, sealing off the way back. "Oh?" The ivory haired male quirked a brow in interest. "Does that mean I get an opponent now?"

"Well, well…" Jaxon shook his head while crossing his arms, approaching Draco with a slight grin. "This is quite the turn of events, don't you think, Draco?"

"Oh…" Draco's lips quickly curled into a grin at the sight of the S class from his guild. "What a nice surprise to see you here, Jaxon."

"I hope you're not getting any silly ideas, Draco!" Jaxon said with a growing grin. "You're not going to be an S class…and if you haven't noticed, this not your element."

Draco blinked before looking at the water, a slight sweat drop forming on his forehead. Suddenly, he realized that this was probably the worst possible matchup in his entire life. Okay, sure. Why not. "Huh…" Shaking his head, the male looked back at Jaxon before white flames began covering his body. "Well nobody said beating an S class was easy." He was ready for the challenge.

"Heh…" With small laugh, Jaxon let his arms dropped and he prepared himself for the battle to come. "You know the White Eclipse Tradition. The weaker opponent makes the first move."

"You don't have to tell me." Draco said before sprinting forward towards Jaxon, white flames wrapping around his dominate arm. "Ardent Spark!" Once Draco was close, he swung his blazing arm forward, aiming for contact against Jaxon's chest.

As Draco neared, Jaxon pulled his own arm back, lightning beginning to surge around the limb. "Thunderpunch!" Jaxon threw his limb forward to clash with Draco's, a thunderclap echoing throughout the beach; a shockwave booming out as the two fists collided, sand separating and flying everywhere as the two Eclipse mages did battle.

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In a small open field somewhere in the east, Rogue was squaring off against Cynthia. The shadow dragon inhaled before lurching forward, unleashing a funnel of shadows at the young dragon slayer. "Shadow Dragon's Roar!"

The roar was coming in too quick for Cynthia to evade, so she had to cross her arms and take the hit, sliding back a few feet while taking some moderate damage. "Ugh…" Cynthia groaned before staring at Rogue, shaking her arms. "I'm sorry we have to fight like this, but I'm not going to be losing!" With that said Cynthia lunged forward with red flames flaring around her fists. "Iron Fist of the Omega Fire Dragon!" Her fist landed against Rogue's chest, sending him flying backwards while burning his chest.

"Guh!" Rogue grunted before catching himself, sliding along the ground. The shadow dragon palmed the ground, digging his hand into it to forcefully halt his own momentum before staring at Cynthia. "I agree…it is regrettable that we have to fight in this way, Cynthia. But my Lady needs me, and I cannot allow anything to get in my way." After saying that, Rogue's body began engulfed in shadows and his hair spiked up. He entered his Shadow Drive, showing that he was completely serious in this matter. "You may be a strong opponent…" In the next instant, Rogue vanished, only to appear behind Cynthia with his blazing red eyes glaring at her. "But you are still inexperienced. You can't catch a shadow." Rogue then placed his hand on Cynthia's side, releasing a burst of shadows that sent the female flying.

"YAH!" Cynthia cried out as the shadows struck her, causing her to tumble along the ground before coming to a halt. She had no time to relax as Rogue then emerged from her shadow, wrapping around her body with his shadowy figure to constrict her.

"Shadow Dragon's…" Rogue was prepared to end it then and there, but Cynthia's red flames erupted from her body. The heat was too much and forced Rogue to release Cynthia to not be burnt to a crisp. "Tch…!"

"Twin Talons!" As soon as she was released, Cynthia swung two fiery kicks at Rogue, both of them landing and doing their job in getting Rogue off her. With a grunt, Rogue staggered backwards before glaring at Cynthia. "Sorry Rogue…but I made a promise to Wendy and I don't intend on breaking it…!"

"Funny, I also made a promise to the Lady. I'm fighting for her sake and her honor...and I cannot allow you or anyone else to stand in my way." Rogue replied as his body started to shift, entering his White Shadow Dragon mode. Under normal circumstances, he would enjoy a fight with Cynthia. But as it stood right now, he was a man on a mission.

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Waas Forest, just east of the northern mountains of Fiore. Erza Scarlet was cleaning out, easily defeating a groups of mages that she was trapped with. Speeding around in her Flight Armor, Erza also held her Flame Sword in her grasp. All the mages could see was a blur that left trails of searing flames that sent people flying with pained grunts. Erza came to a halt, looking at all the damage she did behind her. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to let you all get in my way."

"Bravo, bravo, Ms. Scarlet!" The Client's voice came from somewhere, but Erza was unable to pinpoint the location. "I'm looking forward to the moment you lose. Having such powerful requip in my possession will be lovely…"

"I don't know where you are…but I assure you I won't be losing. You've done too much damage as it is already." Erza snarled at The Client, wherever he was. But it didn't seem like he was listening anymore. The beams of light dropped down from the sky on all the mages Erza defeated, completely sapping them of their magic so The Client could make use of it. This just caused Erza to frown before shaking her head. She knew she was going to have to fight against Familiar faces sooner or later, especially those from her own guild. That was something she really wasn't looking forward too. With a heavy sigh Erza walked towards the rune barrier that was blocking her way…but oddly it didn't disperse. "What…?"

Sidney Castle appeared on the scene, arms crossed as he examined the scene Erza left. Behind Sidney was an identical scene, unconscious mages lying face down in the dirt after facing off against the Ace of White Eclipse. "So there was one left after all…"

"Sidney." Erza turned to face Sidney. It was just the two of them…and only one of them was going to walk away from this. "I must admit…I wasn't expecting to have to fight you. But this is fine with me…this time I can finally give you a proper fight." The last time they encountered one another was two years ago. Erza was taken out in a single strike after two hard fought battles. But this time, she could give Sidney a proper encounter.

"Are you still on about that…?" Sidney questioned with his usual disinterested expression. "You Fairies don't let go of anything do you?" With a slight shake of his head, Sidney merely crossed his arms while staring at Erza. "You know how this is going to end, don't you?"

"Yes." Erza pointed her blade directly at Sidney. Her expression told the opposite of what Sidney was thinking…as to be expected. "I'm going to be advancing forward."

Sidney didn't even respond to that comment. Instead he just stood at the ready as the wind blew by. "The tenacity Fairy Tail shows never ceases to surprise me with how…annoyingly hopeless it is. But I expected nothing less of you, Erza Scarlet. This may last longer than the previous round, but it will still end just the same."

"I'm glad I didn't disappoint you." Erza quipped with a sly smirk.

Sidney wasn't going to waste anymore of his words on pre-battle banter. "You should be aware of the tradition by now. The weaker opponent makes the first move."

"I'm aware…" Erza replied with a nod before the smirk on her lips grew ever so slightly. She was feeling herself right now. "Which is why I've been wondering why you haven't made a move yet."

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Next Time: Ghost of a Chance