After Gajeel, only one more person remained, naturally capturing the attention of the entire arena: the fifth-ranked Mr. Jura of the Ten Wizard Saints.
After watching the tests of the six people before him, Jura roughly understood what power levels corresponded to which figures.
Thinking about this made Jura curious about what kind of technique Rhode used seven years ago to achieve an MPF close to seven thousand.
He stepped forward with a smile, hands tucked in his sleeves, and asked, "Can I use any kind of technique?"
"Of course, pumpkin!"
"Alright." Jura didn't use any new techniques. He clasped his hands, murmured a few words, and shouted, "Shaking Rich Prison!"
The spectacle was as exaggerated as the last time, with the arena being destroyed once again. The audience could still clearly feel the earthquake-like sensation.
Even after witnessing it once, they still found the technique truly frightening.
Everyone was worried about whether the Magic Power Tester could remain intact.
Gray sighed, "How did Rhode even defeat that monster of a man?"
Natsu, watching the Magic Power Tester intently, casually replied, "Because Rhode is a monster too."
Rumble...
The vibrations finally stopped, and a number appeared on the Magic Power Tester:
[8544]
Jabadi stood up excitedly, shouting, "Over 8000! It's over 8000!"
Yajima smiled, "Indeed, worthy of a Ten Wizard Saint."
Lahar was shocked, "This... breaks the highest MPF record. Although the MPF's preset upper limit is 9999, I never thought anyone could reach above 8000!"
Jabadi suddenly remembered something and asked, "Rhode's record was 6934, wasn't it? Does this mean..."
Lahar knew what he was about to ask and gently shook his head, "No, even considering the time factor, we can't make such a judgment."
"Why is that?"
"Because Rhode's record had a premise," Lahar replied, "That is, the Magic Power Tester broke completely after his attack."
"What? What does 'broke' mean?"
"Just as it sounds, 6934 was probably the limit that Magic Power Tester could handle back then, not necessarily representing Rhode's true level.
"Moreover... it's said that the move was accompanied by a mysterious phenomenon that the Evaluators refused to disclose. So we still can't determine how strong Rhode truly is."
"This... this is really... unbelievable," Jabadi exclaimed, "If only Rhode could test it once more."
Laxus asked with a smile, "He's calling you, aren't you going?"
Rhode shook his head, "Not interested, I'm not a participant in this event. What if I go up and break something again and they ask me to compensate?"
Besides, Mr. Jura is a good person; showing some respect for him means there's no need to steal the spotlight.
"Now let's officially announce the final scores of the Demon Suppression Hall," said Pumpkin Man, "First place, Erza, with 10 points, second place, Jura, with 8 points, and then..."
Pumpkin Man read out the ranking and explained the scores in sequence.
Then he announced, "Due to severe damage to the arena, the combat portion will be held in the afternoon. The construction team will work quickly to repair it, please look forward to it!"
The audience had some complaints, they heard there was usually time-rewinding magic in past years for quick repairs, but none was arranged this year.
Pumpkin Man didn't want it like this either.
However, the magic for that plan was just a bit short of completion, and he really didn't want to use it for something else at such a critical juncture.
The audience left in an orderly fashion, and the contestants returned to the rest area.
Meanwhile, in the Royal Capital, eight members of Sin of the Witch were busily engaged.
Searching for someone, Cobra—also known as Eric, a person with extraordinary hearing and sense of smell—was naturally the main force.
Yet, in such a situation, he played hooky and sneaked near the arena all by himself.
He sat on a tree, watching the departing Fairy Tail supporters with a rarely seen gentle smile, "Quiberius, I heard your voice again."
Amid the Fairy Tail crowd.
"How about we go for some mousse? Sister Mira recommended a place, it's..." Laki was talking to Ginanna but hadn't heard a response for a while.
"Ginanna?" Laki called in confusion.
Ginanna snapped back to reality, "Huh? Laki, what's up?"
"What's going on with you? Why do you keep looking back?"
Ginanna hesitated, "It's nothing, just feels like... someone's watching me."
"Someone's watching you?" Laki suddenly stopped, turned around, and scanned the crowd, "Is there a pervert? Who is it?"
"No, not that kind of feeling, it's... very gentle, very warm," Ginanna didn't know what was happening to her, "I don't know where he is, but it feels like he's talking to me."
"Oh... could it be—" Laki dragged her words, "You're in love?!"
Ginanna blushed, "No such thing, I haven't liked anyone yet."
But as she said this, Ginanna felt a tug at her heart, like she could recall a vague figure.
When she tried to remember more, a wave of headaches made her stop quickly.
Laki didn't notice Ginanna's strange behavior, and continued to jokingly pull her along.
In the distance, Eric's smile grew warmer, but he didn't show himself, as if in relief, self-murmuring: "This is good, this is good..."
Now, he once again had something he must protect.
With a few leaps, Eric disappeared into the woods below the mountain, now fully committed to assisting Ultear in exposing the troublemakers!
…
A young man in a cloak continuously merged into shadows to evade Sin of the Witch's pursuit.
Finally, he left the Royal Capital completely, heading to a nearby village where he watched the rest of the competition.
"No! This can't be!" he murmured, unable to accept the situation,
"Why are Gajeel and Rogue in this match? Who is Simon? Where did Dragon's Treasure and Rays of the Rising Sun come from? Who is Rhode?!"
The last sentence was spoken a bit louder, overheard by an uncle nearby.
The kindly uncle said, "Young man, are you from abroad? You don't even know who Mr. Rhode is?"
The cloaked youth asked warily, "Is he... famous?"
"Of course, he's one of the Ten Wizard Saints, you know? He once saved the Fiore Kingdom, and just last month, he rescued hundreds of Celestial Spirit Mages, you know Celestial Spirit Magic? It's this kind..."
"Hundreds of Celestial Spirit Mages..." the cloaked youth looked shocked, wasn't it supposed to be a total wipeout? Only Lucy and Yukino should have survived.
Patiently listening to the uncle, he suggested, "How about we find a place, and I'll buy you a drink?
"Could you tell me more about Mr. Rhode's feats, those two guilds, and the recent competition?"