"It seems Mirajane doesn't want to win the championship this year."
"But it doesn't matter, because the next contestant is also a favorite to win!"
The sonorous words of the host Marcus immediately renewed the strong anticipation of the audience, who had been disheartened by Mirajane's comical performance.
Marcus waved his hand, "Next up is contestant number 6! The powerful Mage who embodies strength, wisdom, and beauty! Erza Scarlet!"
"She's finally appearing!"
"The fairy queen!"
"I came here just to see her!"
"..."
In terms of popularity, Erza was not inferior to Mirajane at all.
Losing to Mirajane in the previous Beauty Contest was not really her fault, as gentle women generally have broader appeal.
Now that Mirajane had "destroyed herself," Erza was undoubtedly the audience's sole choice for the champion of this year's Fairy Tail Miss contest.
However, half a minute passed, and Erza still hadn't appeared.
Marcus thought Erza hadn't heard, so he repeated the announcement.
Fortunately, there was a reaction backstage this time, but the person who came on stage was not Erza, but a beautiful woman wearing glasses and a green skirt.
"You are..."
Looking at the newcomer, Marcus had a surprised expression, "Evergreen? When did you get back?"
A woman not on the Contestant List suddenly barged onto the stage, which surprised everyone present, causing even the Fairy Tail Mages to momentarily freeze.
Evergreen covered half her face with a fan and spoke playfully: "Alright, this boring contest ends here. The winner has been decided, and the champion is me, Evergreen. Oh ho ho ho ho~"
Following her laughter, the curtain on the stage instantly dropped, revealing the contestants backstage who had been turned into stone statues and neatly lined up, including Erza.
"Danger! Citizens and tourists, leave this place immediately!"
Marcus proved himself to be a Veteran Host; upon seeing this terrifying sight, his first reaction was actually to evacuate the audience.
Soon, only Fairy Tail members remained in the guild hall.
Makarov asked angrily, "Evergreen, do you know what you are doing? Are you trying to ruin the Harvest Festival celebration!"
"Since it's a festival, it naturally needs some extra interesting programs."
The guild members looked around with solemn expressions. They knew very well that wherever Evergreen appeared, two other people would surely accompany her.
Sure enough, two figures appeared from behind the stage.
One was the mysterious green-haired man Hope had seen early in the morning.
The other was a tall man wearing a tight suit and a knight's helmet.
"It's Fried and Bickslow!"
"It really is the Thunder God Tribe!"
"How dare you attack your comrades!"
"Wait, could it be that they are doing this because..."
The crowd immediately fell into chaos.
Fried, Bickslow, and Evergreen formed the "Thunder God Tribe" team, which actually had another name—Laxus's Personal Guard!
The Thunder God Tribe is powerful and often executes high-difficulty missions outside.
They have absolute loyalty to Laxus; if they had to choose between the guild and Laxus, the Thunder God Tribe would choose the latter without hesitation.
The person who could make Evergreen attack her guild comrades was obvious... The next second, golden lightning struck the stage.
Appearing along with it was one of Fairy Tail's S-Class Mages, the Dragon Slayer Mage known as the "Lightning Dragon," and Fairy Tail's strongest candidate—
Laxus!
"Yo, everyone. The real festival starts now."
Laxus looked down condescendingly at Makarov with indifference, "Old man, let's play."
Makarov looked up at his grandson with a pained heart, holding onto a sliver of Hope as he pleaded, "Laxus, stop fooling around. We still have the Fantasia Parade to prepare for. Quickly restore everyone to normal."
Laxus smirked, "Fantasia Parade? Doesn't that start in the evening? I just wonder how many of you will still be standing by then..."
As his voice fell, a bolt of lightning violently struck near the petrified Lucy, a sight that instantly caused the pupils of everyone present to contract.
Seeing everyone's reaction, Laxus displayed a satisfied smile, "It seems you understand my resolve. To make this interesting program more exciting, these women will serve as my hostages."
"If you don't follow the rules of the game, then watch them get shattered one by one."
"Laxus!"
Makarov was truly enraged this time, furiously wanting to rush forward and teach Laxus a lesson. He would never allow his children to be harmed, even if the perpetrator was his own grandson.
But Laxus gave Makarov no chance. Amidst the flashing electricity, he appeared on the railing of the guild's second floor, grinning maliciously as he spoke:
"The rules of the game are simple. Today, let's figure out who the strongest person in Fairy Tail is. The last one standing is the winner!
"Come on, the Fairy Tail Free-for-All!"
As Laxus finished speaking, Fried immediately activated the Jutsu he had set up outside the guild earlier that morning. Since ordinary people had been present before, and this was an internal Fairy Tail matter, he hadn't involved the innocent.
The Jutsu set up outside the guild was only intended to restrict Makarov's movements and prevent the petrified people from being taken away.
Laxus stood on the second floor, looking down at the crowd with various expressions, "There are only four of us, and nearly a hundred of you. The entire Magnolia is our battlefield."
"The time limit is only three hours. The game officially begins!"
Laxus showed a cruel smile, and gently pointed a finger forward. Instantly, a brilliant golden light erupted, forcing everyone, stimulated by the intense light, to close their eyes.
Immediately afterward, a sound of something hitting the wall was heard.
When the light faded, everyone looked back and found that Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe had not left. Instead, they were standing near the guild entrance, all with expressions of astonishment.
Outside the guild entrance, a barrier composed of complex magical patterns had appeared. Someone recognized it as Fried's 'Jutsu' Magic.
The magical text representing the Jutsu rules slowly emerged, but the rules themselves stunned everyone.
It clearly stated: "Only people aged 80 and above may leave the guild, and the creation of stone statues inside the guild is prohibited."
"Impossible! Someone tampered with my Jutsu!"
Fried's face changed drastically. He never expected the Jutsu he meticulously set up to be rewritten. No one in the guild except Levy should be able to do that, but she was clearly with Gajeel this morning... However, it was too late to think about it now. Those whom Evergreen had turned into stone statues were already cured of their petrification due to the activated Jutsu.
Watching the other guild members surround them with unfriendly expressions, the Thunder God Tribe lost their composure, and even Laxus's arrogant expression turned solemn.
The air was instantly filled with an awkward atmosphere.
Four against one hundred in such a confined space.
Especially when Makarov and Erza were on the opposing side. Forget about a game to determine the strongest; in three hours, the four of them would likely be carried out.
Laxus gritted his teeth, "Damn it, I Hope I don't find out who is playing tricks behind the scenes, or else..."
"Or else what? Are you going to come out and fight me?"
A mocking voice came from outside the entrance. Laxus abruptly turned around and saw Hope, sitting leisurely in an armchair, holding a cola in one hand and popcorn in the other.
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