"Haha, quite a tough statement you've made there. Let me propose a suspicious move first." Jabadi said jokingly,
"Someone privately reported to the organizers that Mr. Rhode used forbidden magic on the first day of the competition, demanding the disqualification of Fairy Tail. Lahar, what's your take on this?"
The audience was buzzing with discussions, what forbidden magic? Isn't Mr. Rhode the competitor most cautious about protecting the audience?
Who is so idle to write a complaint letter?
This year's Grand Magic Games is the most exciting and powerful one yet. What are they going to watch if Fairy Tail is disqualified?
"..." Lahar wished he could just go back now.
However, as the Captain of the Strong Detention Team of the Council, since he accepted the invitation, he had to fulfill his responsibilities as a guest and as an enforcer.
He cleared his throat and said sternly, "Regarding this matter, although the magic Mr. Rhode used has some similarity in attributes, it is totally different from the nature of forbidden magic.
"Moreover, he didn't have any intention or action to harm innocents.
"Besides, Mr. Rhode has expressed his willingness to fully cooperate with the Council's investigation, showing a very open attitude. Disqualifying Fairy Tail based on just one accusation is extremely unreasonable."
Gajeel asked Rhode puzzledly, "When did you ever say something like that? About fully cooperating with the investigation."
"Uh... seven or eight years ago, I think. It was about the Demon Heart or Oracion Seis incident, I said I'd cooperate with the investigation." Rhode chuckled, "Not sure if Lahar has a good memory or is just good at handling public opinion."
Nonetheless, who would report him for this? Is there a bad guy among the audience, or among the competitors?
The three commentators chatted a bit more before getting to the main topic.
"On the third day, the competition will still consist of both the sporting and combat sections. Today's sporting section is called 'Demon Suppression Hall,' each team, please send out one competitor."
"Demon Suppression Hall, sounds like it suits Mira." Rhode felt a bit regretful, though on second thought, it seemed a bit ominous for Mira too.
"This time it's finally my turn, right?" Gajeel said, "Judging by the name, it sounds like combat."
Jubia and Laxus didn't mind, and Wendy felt a bit scared by the name.
Rhode nodded, "Then it's up to you."
Gajeel walked forward confidently, only to see a red-haired woman in armor coming out from Team A's side.
His steps stiffened slightly.
"Team A's sending out Erza." Jubia suggested, "How about switching to Laxus?"
"No need!"
Turning back now would surely make him look weak, so Gajeel braced himself and continued walking out.
It was noticed that Oroga, who was defeated by Laxus yesterday, was not present. Maybe his injury hadn't healed yet.
In his place was a woman with black hair wearing a blue cheongsam and heavy makeup. She must have used a substitute slot like Team B.
Rhode recognized her as the daughter of the Sabertooth Guild's president, though he was unsure of what magic she used.
Just like when Natsu appeared and was met by Stinger, seeing Gajeel appear, they sent out Rogue as if in a rivalry.
Simon from Blue Pegasus and Mirena from Mermaid's Heel both voluntarily wanted to compete against Erza.
Off-field, Jellal, who was searching for Zeref with Ultear and the others, saw the three gathered together and felt a mix of emotions.
He tugged on his hood, trying to cover his hair and the markings on his face, and continued forward with his head down.
At that moment, he felt that even catching a glimpse of them was a privilege he didn't deserve.
This time, Rays of the Rising Sun sent out 'Big Sister' Yeluo'er, who appeared on stage empty-handed, the tools she used remained unknown.
Dragon's Treasure sent out Reavers.
Lamia Scale had Jura stepping onto the arena, wearing geta sandals, walking slowly.
Gajeel's expression suddenly became colorful: "Uncle! Are you healed?"
Gajeel blurted out due to a sense of bad luck, but it sounded like he was teasing him.
Fortunately, Jura had a good temperament and maintained a good relationship with Fairy Tail, so he just smiled, "Thanks to Lord Rhode's mercy, and of course, Sherria and Wendy."
"Uh..." Yeluo'er leaned in and asked, "Why was Miss Mirajane moved to the audience? Wasn't she supposed to participate in this round?"
"Huh?" Gajeel was unclear why this woman was so concerned about Mirajane, so his expression was somewhat fierce.
Yeluo'er frowned, thinking she was misunderstood as being provocative.
Erza nearby: "..."
She had heard that their guild had some connections with Rays of the Rising Sun, so she wanted to help explain but couldn't bring herself to speak.
Just then, the Pumpkin Man took the stage: "Now, let's explain the rules of Demon Suppression Hall. First, the Demon Suppression Hall refers to a shrine full of evil monsters!"
A massive palace, adorned with skulls, demons, and other terrifying elements, suddenly appeared in the competition arena.
Just like the streets that appeared on the first day, it was manifested directly with magic.
"Inside this palace, there are a total of 100 monsters, divided into five levels: S, A, B, C, D, corresponding to the quantities: 1, 4, 15, 30, 50.
"As for their exact strength, let's first demonstrate a D-Class monster..."
The large screen showed a mechanical beast resembling a giant wolf. It strolled casually in a room, suddenly leaping at a statue.
The statue, which was taller than a person, was easily shattered by its claws.
Rhode silently assessed, feeling that the destructive power was about on par with Macao's... son, Romeo.
In a real battle, considering various factors, it should be somewhere between an ordinary Shadow Wolf and a Two-headed Shadow Wolf.
The Pumpkin Man continued to explain, "Above D-Class monsters, each level's monster strength doubles. If it's an S-Class monster, even the Ten Wizard Saints..."
At this point, the Pumpkin Man felt the gaze of Jura and Rhode.
He initially wanted to say that even the Ten Wizard Saints might not be able to defeat them.
But recalling the battle scene from the day before yesterday, the Pumpkin Man decisively changed his wording: "Even if you're a Ten Wizard Saint, it would take quite an effort to win against it."
The exaggerated description startled the audience. If even the Ten Wizard Saints had a hard time defeating these monsters, what would happen if they got out?
The Pumpkin Man quickly added, "Of course, these monsters were all manifested through magic and won't venture beyond the confines of the Demon Suppression Hall, nor harm the audience."
Rhode felt instantly disappointed, realizing this guy was exaggerating.
Manifested through magic, how could these monsters truly reach the strength of the Ten Wizard Saints? That's not scientific—doesn't fit the common understanding of magic.
If manifestation magic were that powerful, the Fiore Kingdom would have ascended to the heavens.