BOOM!!
Winds raged. The Unison Raid unleashed a ferocious shockwave, ruthlessly churning the already chaotic battlefield and pulverizing everything around it.
The audience's hearts leaped into their throats. They held their breath, eyes fixed on the big screen.
If nothing unexpected happened, this single strike would decide the Grand Magic Games champion!
At this critical moment, Refund Guy—Fairy Tail's most vocal fan from the past few days—behaved in an extremely uncharacteristic manner.
He was so tense his entire body had gone stiff. His hands tightly covered his eyes, afraid to watch the screen, terrified of seeing something he absolutely didn't want to see.
Not that his worry was unreasonable.
After all, judging purely by their conditions, Sabertooth clearly had the advantage.
Yet after a long, agonizing wait—whether from the shouts of the audience around him or Chapati's passionate commentary—Refund Guy heard nothing.
The entire venue seemed to have fallen into an eerie silence.
With a heavy heart, Refund Guy tremblingly moved his hands away, opening his eyes just a crack to look at the screen.
And then, an impossible scene came into view. He froze on the spot.
Future Sting and Future Rogue had never managed to unleash their crucial "Holy Shadow Dragon Flash Fang." They were kneeling on the ground, having chosen to surrender!
"The courage to draw one's sword against a stronger opponent is certainly worthy of praise. But the quality of recognizing the gap and sheathing that sword is even more admirable."
At the Fairy Tail stands, Gildarts leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, smiling as he acknowledged Future Sting and Future Rogue. "Not bad at all, those two."
The flex he'd failed to pull off against Natsu during the Tenrou Island S-Class trial had finally found its moment.
On the outskirts of the battlefield.
Mirajane tilted her head after witnessing the entire scene. "Oh my, that was quite a wise choice~"
"Too bad. I was hoping to see those two get blown away," Chase said with a hint of disappointment.
Unlike the original story's truly "candle in the wind" scenario, aside from Future Laxus, who had gone head-to-head with Future Jura, the others were still capable of fighting despite their poor condition.
And more importantly, Erza hadn't even activated her Second Origin yet!
"Th-The winner has been decided!"
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Chapati finally snapped back to reality and announced the final result. "The champion guild of this year's Grand Magic Games is—Fairy Tail!"
"OOOOOHHH!!!!"
The entire venue erupted in thunderous cheers.
But the next second, the cheers stopped as if someone had hit the pause button.
On the big screen, a figure that had been unconsciously forgotten suddenly appeared. Her sexy dress swayed gently as she stepped into everyone's view.
The moment they recognized her, cheers of joy burst from the Blue Pegasus stands.
"Oh my, I forgot we still had a contestant on the field~" Master Bob said with a sweet smile.
"Hmph. As expected of my girlfriend." Hibiki Lates showed off smugly.
"Carrying Blue Pegasus's will and conviction, standing above the heavens—turn this tide around!"
Ichiya raised his signature cheer pose, bathed in sparkling special effects.
His unique voice paired with that familiar-sounding line had a certain charm—provided you didn't look at his face.
That's right. The one now appearing on the battlefield was Jenny Realite!
"Ahaha! Who would've thought? The one to claim victory in the end is me!"
Jenny stood with her hands on her hips, looking quite pleased with herself, clearly enjoying being the center of attention.
Here's what had happened.
After escaping from Minerva and Kagura, she had chosen her specialty: sneak attacks. She'd stealthily avoided all the battlefields and hidden in an inconspicuous corner.
During that time, she'd nearly been caught in the crossfire of Future Laxus and Jura's battle, and almost got taken out by Erza's Demon God Flame Cannon.
"You two are seriously pathetic. I was hoping you'd drain more of Erza and the others' magic power."
Jenny walked past the kneeling Future Sting and Future Rogue with arrogant strides. "Oh well. Since you surrendered, you're out of the match. You don't threaten me anymore."
"This is a rare opportunity, so let me teach you a lesson. When facing opponents who can't fight back—"
"Strike while the iron is hot!"
A magic circle spun. Jenny, now in her strongest gear, leaped forward heroically, charging at the five Fairy Tail members.
CRACKLE!
The next second, a bolt of golden lightning struck her from above, perfectly roasting her. She collapsed with a thud, smoke rising from her mouth along with a little white spirit waving a white flag.
"Too much talking." Future Laxus snorted dismissively.
"What (squeak)?!" The entire Blue Pegasus team was frozen in shock.
Future Sting and Future Rogue cast grateful glances at the charred figure on the ground. Thank you, big sister, for confirming that our instinct to not charge in was correct.
"Jenny made her move! Jenny is unable to continue!"
The whole thing happened so fast that Chapati had to combine cause and effect into one sentence.
"Now then, I declare once again: Fairy Tail has crushed all other guilds with a final score of 120, becoming the undisputed champion of this year's Grand Magic Games!!"
"OOOOOHHH!!!!"
The cheers, paused for only a few seconds, once again shook the entire venue.
The final result was transmitted through magic communication devices to every corner of Fiore, proclaiming the powerful return of the strongest guild from seven years ago!
Fairy Tail members—especially the left-behind members who had endured mockery and ridicule—were all moved to tears.
They had waited far too long for this moment of vindication.
Before Erza and the others, who had been teleported back to the arena, could catch their breath, the excited crowd swarmed them, surrounding them to revel in the joy and exhilaration of the moment.
BANG BANG BANG!
Gorgeous fireworks and streamers celebrated the birth of the champions. Photo-maniac Makarov stealthily pulled out his magic camera and captured this historic moment.
"This year's Grand Magic Games was truly spectacular! Mr. Yajima, which match left the deepest impression on you?" Chapati asked.
"That would have to be the fashion showdown between Mirajane and Jenny!" Yajima answered without hesitation.
"Ahaha... And you, Mr. Pumpkin Head?"
"The massive magical clash between Jura and Chase!"
"Now that's a normal answer!"
What followed was the standard procedure: the award ceremony, guild representative speeches, organizer remarks, and the closing ceremony.
By the time all the formalities were complete, the sky had turned completely dark. Night had fully enveloped Crocus.
Above, a blood-red full moon hung high, its faint crimson glow heralding that the real battle was only just beginning.
Two hours remained until the Eclipse Project was set to begin!
***
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