"...W-What exactly was that magic, Yajima-san? Lahar-san?"
Chapati Lola turned to his guest commentators, desperately seeking a professional explanation. What Finn had just done was entirely unbelievable.
"Dunno," Yajima shook his head, completely at a loss.
Lahar swallowed hard, adjusting his glasses with a slightly trembling hand. "Whatever it was, that magic is exceptionally dangerous. We are lucky that he hasn't aimed it at any of his opponents during combat."
"Yeah...."
Yajima and Lola nodded emphatically in agreement.
The mechanics of Finn's Meteor Stream were simple: it just fired a laser. But the laser didn't explode or burn—it drilled a perfectly clean hole straight through solid, magically reinforced matter.
Without a doubt, Fairy Tail had proven itself to be one of the powerhouses in Fiore. Erza's solo clear of Pandemonium and Cana's absolute nuke of the MPF had proven that, even starting from dead last, the guild could rise to unimaginable heights.
But Heavenly Blue?
When the audience and the commentators tried to categorize Finn's guild, they were completely stumped. There was simply no logical description that fit them, largely because their leader possessed a terrifyingly overpowered and seemingly endless arsenal of magic.
"So... how exactly should we settle the points?" Lola asked, looking down at the scoreboards.
Finn and Cana had both hit the absolute ceiling of the MPF device: 9999.
"Isn't it fine to just call it a draw?"
"Award them both second place points for the event?"
"Yeah, that seems fair."
The tournament organizers quickly agreed. Both Heavenly Blue and Fairy Tail Team B were awarded the 2nd place position for the morning events. The crowd accepted the ruling without complaint, though deep down, practically everyone in the stadium quietly acknowledged that the Heavenly Blue felt more terrifying.
Meteor Stream...
Down in the Fairy Tail dugout, Mavis Vermillion watched Finn with a highly complex expression. To the mages of Fairy Tail, magic was an expression of emotion, born from love, trust, and the bonds of friendship. But in Finn's eyes, it seemed magic was nothing more than a tool for absolute destruction. It was a sad way to view magic, yet Mavis couldn't deny his approach.
"So, that light can truly pierce anything?" Ultear asked as Finn sat back down in the Heavenly Blue dugout.
"Yes."
"....."
Hearing his blunt confirmation, Flare, Sorano, Ultear, and Meredy were completely speechless.
A light that could pierce any defense. Meteor Stream.
"Doesn't that make you invincible?" Ultear breathed. At least in Earthland, there likely wasn't a single defensive barrier capable of stopping that absolute penetration.
What about Sting Eucliffe, the White Dragon Slayer?
Up in the Sabertooth balcony, Sting was currently experiencing a massive existential crisis. He had watched Finn's spell closely. As a Light Dragon Slayer, he possessed the ability to consume any form of light, digesting it to replenish his own magical reserves.
But looking at Meteor Stream, Sting felt a deep terror.
It was a terrifying paradox of speed. What was faster? Sting's ability to open his mouth and inhale the magic, or Finn's laser drilling a hole cleanly through his skull?
If I don't eat it fast enough... my body is going to be riddled with holes, Sting realized, a cold sweat breaking out across his neck.
That absolute darkness...
Beside him, Rogue Cheney, the Shadow Dragon Slayer, was equally disturbed by the magic Finn used to casually blot out the sun. Rogue manipulated shadows, but Finn had commanded pure, absolute darkness.
Which concept was inherently superior? A shadow cast by light, or the absolute darkness of the void?
"Stop overthinking things like idiots," Minerva sighed, crossing her arms as she looked at the two Dragon Slayers. "He completely wiped the floor with all of us yesterday. Did you honestly think you could beat him today?"
"....." Sting and Rogue clamped their mouths shut, unable to argue.
Regardless of the morning's tie, Heavenly Blue remained comfortably at the absolute top of the tournament leaderboards. Even with Fairy Tail's massive comeback, there was still a massive gap between them and the combined points of Heavenly Blue and Sabertooth.
"Now, for the moment you have all been waiting for!" Lola's voice echoed through the stadium. "It is time for the afternoon battle phase!"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!"
The crowd roared. As with the previous two days, the afternoon consisted of one-on-one duels chosen by the tournament sponsors.
"So, who do we think is going to be picked?" Flare asked, looking at Meredy, Ultear, and Sorano. Since those who had already fought couldn't be chosen again, the pool of eligible fighters was shrinking.
"Well, I should definitely get ready," Meredy stretched her arms above her head, causing her generous assets to bounce slightly. She locked her eyes onto Finn. "Finn, we're doing the usual, right?"
"...."
Finn stared at her, completely at a loss. He knew exactly what she meant. Meredy expected him to hijack her body with Take Over magic and fight her battle for her. Why? Because she hadn't practiced or trained her own magic for a long time!
For the past several days since arriving in Crocus, they had all completely neglected their training in favor of indulging in endless lewd activities back at the hotel suite.
I suppose I am partially to blame for that, Finn admitted internally. He hadn't exactly encouraged them to go to the gym, and frankly, even if he had, mastering a new spell took time—time they had spent intimately tangled in the bedsheets. While his Manager allowed him to instantly master any magic he saw, they were still bound by normal human learning speed.
"It might not be you, Meredy. It could be me," Sorano interjected, confidently stretching her smooth, perfectly toned legs. She was also entirely prepared to just sit back and let her lover pilot her body to victory. "My love... the usual for me too, okay?"
"..." Finn rubbed his temples.
"It's going to be me, you know!"
"No, they're obviously going to pick me!"
Why were Meredy and Sorano suddenly so eager to get into the arena when they had zero intention of actually fighting?
Because of the photos.
During Flare's match on the first day, Finn (while possessing her) had completely dominated the arena, striking incredibly cool, terrifyingly dominant poses while effortlessly winning. The Sorcerer Weekly magazine photographers had captured every moment.
To put it simply: Meredy and Sorano were incredibly jealous of Flare's glamorous photoshoot. No beautiful woman wanted to miss out on the chance to look like an absolute badass on the front page of a national magazine!
"You two. Be quiet," Ultear hissed, glaring at the bickering girls.
"Ugh..." Sorano and Meredy immediately cowered under Ultear's strict, motherly gaze.
"Do you have any idea how magically taxing and mentally exhausting it is for him to project his consciousness, hijack your body, and perfectly execute unfamiliar magic?!" Ultear scolded them harshly. "You should be worrying about his stamina instead of selfishly fighting over who gets the best magazine cover! Have you completely forgotten our objective in this city?! Why are you treating this like a vacation?!"
As Ultear continued her lecture, the commentators finally finalized the afternoon matchups.
"Now, for the first battle of the afternoon!" Lola announced. "From Mermaid Heel... Millianna!"
"Eh? Me?" Millianna blinked, startled. Since she hadn't gotten to show her true strength during the MPF test, she immediately pumped her fists. "Alright! I'll do my absolute best!"
"Go get 'em, Millianna!"
"You can do it!"
"Win this for Mermaid Heel!"
Kagura and the rest of her guild cheered.
"I am completely ready, nyaa!" Millianna declared, stepping eagerly into the arena.
"And she will be fighting..." Lola paused for dramatic effect. "...Ultear from Heavenly Blue!"
".....Eh?"
The Mermaid Heel dugout went silent.
In the Heavenly Blue dugout, Ultear abruptly stopped her scolding. She blinked twice, slowly turned her head, and looked directly at Finn with a dangerously sweet smile.
"Please possess me and make sure I get a really cool centerfold picture too, okay, Dear~?"
"....." Finn stared at her, completely deadpan.
Yeah, Finn thought with a heavy sigh. Whether they are young girls or mature women, they are all exactly the same.
---
By the way, the JJK arc is starting now on P@tre0n, you can check it out!
Suzuki JJK is back!