"Which team will lift the trophy and stand atop the pinnacle of magical glory?!"
"The Grand Magic Games... BEGIN!!" Chapati Lola announced as grand fireworks exploded overhead.
"Let's go!" Following Erza's command, the all-female Team B adopted a split strategy.
Ultear, Erza, Kagura, Cana, and Lucy scattered in different directions.
With their points in the lead, their task was simple: pick off the weaker Mages to expand their advantage.
Laxus's squad also split up, keeping Wendy alongside Natsu.
They didn't want Wendy wandering alone, and the Natsu-Wendy combo often produced miraculous results.
Meanwhile, the other guilds sprang into action.
"The final battle is starting!" Mavis swung her feet happily. Ur watched the Mages scatter across the crystal screens.
"It seems many teams are adopting a split strategy to pick off opponents one by one."
"Fairy Tail Teams A and B have chosen to fight separately!"
"Some are moving in pairs." The screen shifted to Blue Pegasus. "Others are sticking together in groups of three."
Laxus soon encountered Nobarly of Quatro Cerberus.
Transforming into a bolt of lightning, his electrified fist slammed into Nobarly's abdomen, knocking him out of the fight.
"Contestant Nobarly is unable to continue! Fairy Tail Team A gains one point!" Laxus didn't even glance back, leaping onto a tall building to hunt his next target.
He wanted to find Team B's members, or better yet, Jura.
Clashes erupted everywhere.
The trio from Blue Pegasus showed no mercy.
Spotting two members of Mermaid Heel, they attacked without hesitation.
Kagura also met a contestant from Quatro Cerberus, sending him packing with a single Archenemy: Slash Form.
Jura eliminated another Mage from the same guild. In an instant, Quatro Cerberus was down to just Bacchus and Rocker.
Elsewhere, Ultear defeated Yuka and Toby of Lamia Scale.
"Why is everyone picking on the puppies?! Millianna of Mermaid Heel has defeated contestant Rocker!"
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
"Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!"
"What's happening?! Contestant Bacchus is down too! As expected of Wendy!"
The screen shifted to Natsu and Wendy.
After Wendy enhanced their speed, strength, and defense, the two went all out, pounding Bacchus into the cobblestone.
A combined Wind-Fire Roar sent him flying, followed by a dual Dragon's Wing Attack.
Finally, they delivered a synced Iron Fist and Crushing Fang, knocking the Drunken Falcon out cold.
"Quatro Cerberus is eliminated, they ranked eighth in the Grand Magic Games."
"Contestant Bacchus is the captain of Quatro Cerberus! Team A gains five points!"
"Impossible..." Jenny suddenly had an ominous premonition.
"Erza!!!" Turning her head, Jenny saw the Fairy Queen.
Jenny turned and bolted. "Contestant Jenny is running fast even in high heels!!"
"As long as I can escape, I win!" Jenny yelled.
"Useless. I can fly."
Jenny saw two flashes of sword light before blacking out.
Gajeel encountered the Blue Pegasus trio.
With Natsu and Wendy flanking them, each Dragon Slayer took down a target, defeating the trio.
"It's Wendy again! So cute and strong!" Chapati cheered.
"Hey, we're here too, you know?" Gajeel complained.
"Team A's momentum is soaring, and the point gap with Team B is constantly narrowing!!"
While Ichiya was checking on a fallen Hibiki, Jura struck him from behind with a heavy palm, slamming him into the ground.
If Ichiya had used his Power Perfume, he might have withstood it. But in his normal state, Jura's palm strike knocked him out.
"It's Jura of the Ten Wizard Saints! He defeated contestant Ichiya and earned five points!!"
"Sherria defeated Risley of Mermaid Heel! As expected of our little sister!"
"What's with this 'little sister' thing..." Raizel sweatdropped.
The announcer was acting like a total creep!
"The battle is getting intense!" Chapati Lola yelled.
Yajima nodded. "Indeed. Now Blue Pegasus has been wiped out."
"The number of contestants is dwindling, kabo."
Looking at the scoreboard and the remaining participants, Raizel said, "Jura might really need Laxus to handle him. I wonder who the captain of Erza's team is."
It could be Erza or Ultear, or maybe they'd pull a surprise—perhaps Kagura?
"I know," Mira playfully winked. "But I can't say."
She chuckled at Raizel's helpless expression.
Mira was present when Team B picked their captain since she was a substitute. Lucy had suggested Mira take her place, but Mira figured Layla wanted to watch her daughter shine.
Besides, Lucy had improved since joining the guild. Opening two gates at once was proof enough, so Mira declined.
"That Jura is strong," Layla noted, observing the Wizard Saint's movements.
So far, Jura had encountered three opponents and defeated each with a single strike.
Two were powerful Mages—Ichiya and Orga.
Mavis pursed her lips and nodded. "I've simulated their battles. Jura is the hardest to deal with. His strength is on another level."
"And from what you just said, you think Laxus can defeat Jura?" Makarov raised an eyebrow.
Raizel was standing right beside him, so Makarov caught his comment about Laxus needing to handle Jura.
Raizel shrugged and chuckled. "Do you have so little faith in your grandson? Defeating Jura is possible, but he'll likely suffer heavy exhaustion, which would be bad for the rest of the matches."
"Civil war!!" Chapati Lola's shout cut Makarov off.
They turned their attention back to the screens, where several massive clashes were displayed: Natsu and Wendy had encountered Sting and Rogue.
Gajeel faced off against Cana and Lucy.
Ultear came face-to-face with Lyon—a showdown between senpai and junior.
....
Gajeel was locked in a brutal back-and-forth battle with Cana and Lucy.
For a while, it was hard to tell who would come out on top.
However, Gajeel was under immense pressure.
Though it seemed like a two-on-one fight, it felt more like four-on-one.
Cana summoned her Black Panther card, while Lucy called forth Capricorn, the Celestial Spirit with unparalleled martial arts skills.
Cana kept firing elemental blasts from a distance, and Lucy ambushed him with her Fleuve d'Étoiles whip.
Fighting these two put Gajeel at a massive disadvantage.
Both of their attacks were pure magic and elemental energy, without a single trace of metal for him to absorb.
...
Meanwhile, Ultear and Lyon were engaged in a fierce duel of Ice-Make Magic.
It was a clash of plants versus beasts.
Frenzied ice vines shattered frozen tigers, while ice dragons smashed through ice roses.
Tails, claws, and fangs—the ice dragon's arsenal was fully equipped.
Under Lyon's control, the dragon's movements weren't rigid. His manipulation of Ice-Make even hinted at the finesse of Jura's earth control.
But this meant nothing against Ultear. Realizing Lyon's Ice-Make had improved, Ultear held nothing back.
She activated her Arc of Time and melted the ice dragon on contact.
Lyon's creations were rendered useless.
No matter how quickly he crafted his beasts, as soon as he formed one, Ultear would activate her magic, reverting them to water.
Because Lyon crafted them so fast, the time she had to rewind was short, causing almost zero drain on her own magical reserves.
"Next up is the combination of Ice-Make and the Arc of Time."
As soon as Ultear spoke, the green magic crystal floating beside her multiplied into over a dozen, all activating at once.
Ice weapons, spiked vines, and jagged monsters—three different types of Ice-Make Magic surrounded Lyon and attacked from his blind spots.
Boom!!
This was one of Ultear's signature attack patterns—using the Arc of Time to fast-forward all the Ice-Make spells she would cast in the future into the present moment.
As the dust settled, all that remained was Lyon, frozen solid inside an ice sculpture.
"Contestant Ultear has defeated contestant Lyon, earning one point!"
Ultear glanced at the scoreboard.
Without lingering, she hurried toward another ongoing battle.
After all, this was a competition.
She hadn't wanted to participate at first, but since she was here, she aimed for first place.
...
Inside the Library—
Gray encountered Rufus of Sabertooth, the master of Memory-Make.
Levy pulled out her notebook, intrigued by the matchup. "Ice-Make versus Memory-Make, huh? A showdown of creation magic."
"That guy may be young, but he's strong—a real man!" Elfman acknowledged Rufus's previous performances.
Mavis nodded. "Rufus can pinpoint everyone's location, and his Memory-Make gives him combat experience far beyond his years. Gray's Ice-Make is at a disadvantage here."
"But Gray's magic power is higher than Rufus's." A proud smile played on Ur's lips as she watched her disciple on the screen.
"And he's truly mastered his magic."
"I'm coming at you!" Gray pressed his fist into his palm, assuming his signature stance.
A blue glow of freezing magic shimmered between his hands.
"Ice-Make: Lance!" Dozens of heavy ice spears shot from all directions toward Rufus, who sat calmly reading in a chair.
"That's just a remnant of my memory..." Rufus dodged the attack, taunting Gray in mid-air.
"Don't think you can escape! Ice-Make: Hammer!" A massive ice hammer came crashing down from above.
"Memory..." Rufus leaped up again, murmuring as he adjusted his red top hat.
"What are you muttering about?!"
Rufus patiently explained with his hands behind his back. "I'm memorizing. Memories can become weapons. I can memorize any magic I've seen and then shape brand new spells based on those memories."
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
"In other words, I remember your memories—your ice magic—and Orga's memories—his black lightning."
"Memory-Make: Frozen Black Lightning Sword!"
Rufus raised his right hand high, a golden sphere appearing in his palm.
Ice swords wreathed in crackling black lightning erupted from the floorboards one after another, forcing Gray to scramble to dodge.
Lisanna asked, puzzled, "Does he mean he can keep creating new magic?"
Raizel shook his head. "It's not exactly creating magic. It's more like fusing spells."
Elfman still found it unfair. "Isn't that way too convenient?"
"Raging Wind Fang Shrine!" Rufus waved his hand again.
Several violent tornadoes swept through the library's aisles.
"Ice-Make: Shield!"
There were too many tornadoes to dodge, and the swirling debris disrupted Gray's vision.
"Ice Shield... memorize, and then... forget."
The thick ice shield protecting Gray shattered into glowing dust.
Caught off guard by the shield's destruction, Gray was swept into the air by the tornado, the fierce winds battering his body.
"What happened? The ice shield disappeared?" Mira expressed her surprise.
Given Gray's mastery of Ice-Make, a shield shattering like that shouldn't happen.
"Gray-sama... do your best." Juvia clasped her hands together in prayer.
Levy turned to Raizel. "Did he just say 'forget'? Can he really make his opponent forget their own magic?"
Raizel frowned slightly and nodded. "It seems so. He definitely said 'forget'."
Mira rested her chin on her hand, looking worried. "Forget... does that mean Gray can no longer use his ice shield?"
Mavis nodded with a heavy expression. "Exactly. That's the terrifying aspect of his ancient magic."
Instead of pressing his advantage, Rufus began memorizing spells from the scattered ancient magic books on the library floor.
Seeing Gray struggle to stand up again, Rufus pointed two fingers to his temples.
"That's more like it. With your strength, you shouldn't lose so easily. Now, let me show you the true power of ancient magic." As soon as Rufus spoke, glowing golden Möbius rings began to appear behind him, encircling both him and Gray.
From the rings, a chilling, absolute cold began to emanate, freezing the library hall.
"I'll incorporate my own unique understanding into the memorized magic, fusing multiple spells together to create something new." Rufus's eyes were filled with pride. "That is to say... a brand new interpretation of ancient magic!"
"What did he say?!" Makarov was stunned, his jaw dropping in shock.
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