"Look!"
"That Executioner sister with the long legs—her score display moved!"
"The number 6 means the NPC's base 3 points, plus the 2 points from Mermaid Heel's two contestants, plus the Fairy Queen's own 1 point?"
"Hey! What's going on here? Did the Fairy Queen become an NPC?!"
The bright red number was extremely eye-catching, instantly drawing the audience's attention.
"Heh heh. That's right."
The Pumpkin Head at the commentary booth cheerfully picked up the microphone and explained. "The contestant who defeats an NPC inherits all of that NPC's accumulated points on top of their own base score."
"The more NPCs a guild defeats, the higher their total score becomes—and the more they become a 'hunting' target for other teams."
"The strong should bear more external pressure and risk, and strive to 'survive.' That is the hidden rule, and the true origin of the 'Survival Game,' pumpkin!"
His smug laughter sounded somewhat sinister and insufferable.
The announcement sent shockwaves through the venue. No one had expected this kind of rule.
Fairy Tail Stands.
"Wait, that means—"
"Defeating an NPC first doesn't widen the gap—it actually makes you a target for everyone else?!"
"The points you earn by spending massive amounts of stamina and magic power could easily become someone else's prize? That's not good..."
The guildmates discussed among themselves, never expecting the hidden rule to be so punishing.
If other contestants hid in the shadows and waited for Erza and the Executioners to exhaust each other, they could harvest a massive number of points!
"Pretty devious, Grand Magic Games organizers," Chase chuckled in admiration.
To be fair, this rule was much more interesting than the original story's straightforward survival battle. It had a certain "easy to conquer, hard to hold" feel to it.
Seeing his relaxed demeanor, Lucy said with certainty, "I feel like this was specially prepared for you, Chase!"
According to the Pumpkin Head, this rule was designed to counter overpowered contestants.
Across all participating guilds, only Chase and Jura needed this kind of "limitation."
And Jura was always a steady player—he wouldn't break the rules by challenging all five Executioners at once.
So the answer was obvious.
"Oh my, it seems the organizers really do like Chase. Too bad you're not participating today," Mirajane said with a smile, agreeing with Lucy's assessment.
"Doesn't matter either way! Go Erza! Beat them all!" Natsu raised his fist and cheered.
"Aye~ Natsu's putting himself in her shoes again," Happy sighed with his paws spread.
From Chase and the others' reactions, one could see the difference between them and their future counterparts. The former were completely calm and relaxed, while the latter showed varying degrees of concern.
"Are you sure this is fine? After Erza defeats all the Executioners, her score will be off the charts."
Among the crowd, Éclair looked up at the confident Chase and suddenly remarked. "At that rate, your Team B will have no chance of winning."
Her calm words instantly froze the smile on Chase's face. Mirajane, Gajeel, Juvia, and the other Team B members were similarly stunned.
Damn. They'd been so focused on Erza that they'd completely forgotten about the all-important internal Fairy Tail competition!
Team A's Natsu, Lucy, and the others had the opposite reaction. After a brief pause, they couldn't help but let out sinister laughs.
These guys were already excitedly discussing with their counterparts inside the cards how to properly "reward" Chase after the match.
Hearing those increasingly perverse punishments, Gajeel and Juvia breathed heavy sighs of relief and quietly retreated to the back of the group to lower their profiles.
Magic Card: Scapegoat was secretly activated. Target: Chase!
On the field.
"Now you know how foolish it was to attack all of us at once, don't you?"
The burly Nepa gulped down his acid, eyeing Erza with mockery.
"Even if you beat us, that's just the beginning. Though that's not going to happen, da~" Isuke blinked his slightly dopy eyes.
"Ah~ lu-la-la? A damp forest, a fallen fairy, a tragic yet beautiful ending~" Cosmos broke into a strange tune.
This woman apparently loved writing her own songs. The style wasn't great, but with her passable voice, she was at least better than Gajeel.
The Direwolf Knights' captain raised his two palm-printed sickles, his voice cold. "In this match, Fairy Queen, you have committed an unforgivable crime. You deserve 'punishment.'"
Though their comrade Kamika had been carried off by the medical team, the remaining four showed no signs of panic.
The Fairy Queen's armor and magic power had both been depleted. With four against one, the advantage was still theirs!
The captain's words immediately panicked Erza. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. "D-Destroying the plaza and streets is within the rules of the match, isn't it?"
The Fairy Queen looked genuinely worried, her gaze sweeping across the ruined Crocus plaza and surrounding buildings.
This was the capital of the Fiore Kingdom. Land and property prices were incomparable to Magnolia. If she had to pay compensation, even selling herself wouldn't be enough!
And if she ended up in prison, wouldn't Chase be monopolized by Mirajane?
No! Absolutely not!!
"...You reacted that fast. Just how experienced are you with this?!" The captain's mouth twitched uncontrollably as he couldn't help but retort.
Perhaps feeling this behavior didn't suit his Executioner image, he cleared his throat and immediately resumed his cold tone. "What I mean is, you're going to squander all the point advantages your guild has built up over the past few days."
"Oh, is that all?" Erza breathed a sigh of relief.
The image of Chase and Mirajane holding a child vanished from her mind.
Her imagination really was something else.
"To be honest, when we first came up with this strategy, I was under a lot of pressure. If I didn't finish you off quickly, things would get troublesome once the others arrived."
"But now, with the hidden rule revealed, I no longer have that concern."
With that, a Requip magic circle bloomed, enveloping Erza.
When she reappeared, she had switched to Purity Robe, sacrificing defense for maximum offense—the standard bandage chest wrap and crimson pants.
Her twin crimson cherry blossom swords gleamed with cold light. Paired with her determined, fearless eyes, she radiated immense pressure.
"Before I defeat all of you, no one troublesome should show up."
Erza raised her swords and boldly declared victory. "So... I win!"
***
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