As Mard Geer's role concluded, the plan of the two Dark Guilds to invade Tenrou Island completely failed. Not only did they fail to obtain Zeref or eliminate Fairy Tail, but they also lost everything they owned.
"It's over already?!"
Natsu was the first to jump up, pointing at Hope and yelling, "Hey! That guy was supposed to be my opponent!"
"Calm down, Natsu."
Gray rubbed his hair. Although his tone still carried the awkwardness of having his kill stolen, his gaze toward Hope was mixed with complex shock.
This guy... is truly ridiculously strong.
"F-Finally, it's over... Those ghost-like things just now made me feel like my soul was being sucked out..."
Lucy and Levy slumped directly onto the ground. When facing Mard Geer's ultimate move, which was activated using all his Curse Power, they both thought they were finished. Now, the relief of surviving the disaster overwhelmed them.
Laxus snorted and retracted the lightning flashing around him. But when his gaze swept over the huge scorch mark and Hope, the sharp edge in his eyes softened slightly.
Erza sheathed her sword and let out a soft breath. Just as her tense body relaxed, a pair of hands rested on her shoulders, gently massaging them.
Hope winked at her and smiled, "That was hard work. You're not injured, are you?"
"A small injury is nothing, but I am certainly a bit tired." Erza closed her eyes, enjoying the exclusive shoulder massage service provided by Hope.
Mirajane slowly withdrew from her Take Over: satan soul state. "Alright, alright, the battle is over! But there is still one important issue that needs resolving."
"The assessment was interrupted by the enemy. Should we continue? Or..."
"Of course we're continuing!"
Natsu excitedly pumped his fist. "The second trial was interfered with by the enemy, so it doesn't count! So now, why don't we just have a simple, straightforward fight..."
"Let's determine a winner!"
"Are you out of your mind?"
Gajeel was the first to jump out in opposition. "There are four remaining groups of participants, seven people plus one cat in total. How are we supposed to determine a winner? We can't have a massive free-for-all, can we?"
"Aye! Gajeel is right!" Happy, Natsu's assessment partner, decisively switched sides. If it turned into a group fight, he, a cute cat, would definitely be the first to be knocked out.
Levy weakly raised her hand, "Why don't we continue with the previous assessment content, searching for the First Master's grave? We still have time anyway."
The time limit for the second stage of the assessment was six hours, but everyone only used less than three hours in total to deal with the sudden appearance of Demon Heart and Tartaros.
This meant they still had half the time remaining to continue.
Makarov nodded, "Let's do that. The assessment continues. Anyway, none of you brats are seriously injured, except for Droy and Salamander."
"Speaking of which, you all ran around the island quite a bit dealing with the invaders earlier. Did you find any clues about the First Master's grave?"
Natsu and the others, who had been fired up about continuing the assessment, immediately fell silent, staring at each other wide-eyed, and then staring at the cat's eyes.
Earlier, they were too focused on enjoying the fight and completely forgot that they could also pay attention to finding the grave.
"Oh dear! That's such a pity for you guys!"
Cana walked over, holding hands with Lucy, a pleased smile on her face. "We already found the First Master's grave ahead of you, and we even dealt with a Great Demon~"
"Nani?!!!" x3
Natsu, Gajeel, and Levy exclaimed in unison.
As for their respective partners—Happy, Salamander, and Droy—they merely felt a slight pity for their partners. Since they were all comrades in the same guild, it was acceptable whoever became an S-Class Mage.
Makarov looked troubled. Judging from overall strength, Cana was only considered average among the participants who entered the second stage of the assessment; she couldn't beat Natsu or Gajeel.
But she had indeed fulfilled the requirements of the second stage of the assessment.
If he granted it, her strength might not convince the public.
If he didn't, the assessment rules he set would look like a joke. Besides, luck was inherently part of overall strength.
Just as the old man was struggling, Hope spoke up, "You should have all noticed it earlier, right? The Magic that combines the power of the sun, moon, and starlight."
"That is 'Fairy Glitter,' one of Fairy Tail's three Super Magic spells. It was originally sealed in the First Master's tombstone, and now it belongs to Cana."
"Truly my daughter!"
Gildarts suddenly appeared, enthusiastically trying to give Cana a hug, but she pushed him away in disgust because he was filthy.
Everyone else subconsciously looked at the Fairy Glitter activation Formula on Cana's right arm. Even Makarov was unaware that a Super Magic was hidden on the First Master's tombstone.
When Mavis suddenly passed away, only Fairy Law was passed down. The Super Annihilation Magic 'Fairy Glitter' and the Absolute Defense Magic 'Fairy Sphere' were both lost.
Even Precht didn't know these two Super Magic spells.
The old man suddenly felt a pang of jealousy. He came to pay respects to Mavis every year, so why didn't the First Master's spirit in heaven grant him a 'Fairy Glitter' to play with... After consulting with the S-Class Mages, Makarov announced the final results of the assessment: "Cana and Lucy were the first to find the First Master's grave and passed the second stage. According to the rules of this assessment and the evaluation of the examiners... let us congratulate Cana on successfully becoming an S-Class Mage!"
As soon as this result was announced, everyone started discussing it animatedly.
Some were Happy that Cana finally became S-Class after four assessments, while others felt unwilling and thought they just had bad luck. But overall, everyone had no objection to Cana becoming the guild's new S-Class Mage.
The happiest person present was neither Cana herself nor Gildarts, who was Happy for his daughter, but her partner, Lucy.
She was the one who helped Cana become S-Class. Now she could finally bask in glory in front of Natsu and Happy.
Makarov looked at the crowd, which had become lively again. "Alright, everyone, return to the camp to rest. It must be tiring for Mystogan to keep an eye on so many prisoners alone."
The crowd set off toward the Tenrou Island camp in twos and threes.
Undeniably, Natsu and Happy were walking at the very front. The man and the cat were cheering excitedly, running and jumping as if they had endless energy.
Watching them, everyone instantly felt a little less fatigued from the battle.
Erza, Mirajane, and Cana walked at the back with Hope. Hope had originally intended to suggest going to a hot spring that evening; he had noticed several large natural hot springs on Tenrou Island from the sky.
Just as he was figuring out what excuse to use to convince the three of them, Mirajane spoke first. She mysteriously took out a book. "This fell off the Underworld King when we were attacking him earlier. It should be a book of zeref, but I can't read the script."
A book carried by Mard Geer must be extraordinary. Hope took the book and looked down, seeing only three letters on the cover.
END.
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