Chapitre 674: Grand Magic Games Preliminaries; Part 1

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Crocus.

July 1, x790.

{"Alright, it looks like everyone is here."} Mato said in his energetic tone. {"But this time, we're gonna do something a little different. Instead of testing your teams speed, agility, brains, or even luck like we have in the last few years, we'll be testing just one thing. We wanna know who can hit the hardest. So, for this year's preliminary round, each team will send one member up to hit the Magic Power Finder with their strongest attack. And the eight teams with the highest scores will get to move on to the real show starting later today."}

Hearing that the crowd burst into a slight uproar with those confident in their strength cheering happily. Meanwhile, those who had lower single attack strength grumbled at the unfairness.

For those who are unaware, the Magic Power Finder is a magic item used to quantify the strength of a magic spell. Meaning, when the Magic Power Finder is struck with a magic spell, it will rate the strength of the spell that hit it with a score ranging anywhere from 1 to 9,999.

However, before the crowd could get too rowdy, a magic circle was activated right in front of the gates to the Flower Light Palace, its light drawing everyone's attention.

{"Now, so that we're not out here all night, please step into the magic circle you see in front of you."} Mato said in his usual upbeat tone. {"When you do, each team will be randomly relocated to one of the arenas set up for this event. Then, the winner in each arena will be the team to move on. Got it? Good. Now, let's get going."}

With that said, the wizards in the plaza started to step forward.

{"Oh, and don't worry about being separated from your teams."} Mato added just before the first wizard stepped into the magic circle. {"The magic circle can detect your guild emblems. So, you will be transported to the arena where the rest of your guild mates ended up."}

"Does that mean we have to wait until everyone else is done before we can get out of these so-called arenas?" A random wizard from a less than well-known guild asked, shouting up into the sky.

{"An excellent question."} Mato replied. {"And to answer your question, the answer is no. As soon as the wizard representing each team has taken the test, they and the rest of their team will be teleported back to the plaza. After that, they will be free to return to their lodgings."}

With that said, Mato waved his hand. Then, his projection turned into eight separatee images, each showing one of the arenas, a baren land with nothing but a Magic Power Finder device floating on one side of the area. Meanwhile, flashes of light started popping on the other side of the area before guild wizards took their places.

Not only did each view show the various arenas. But there was also a scoreboard to the side of each arena's view. However, because no one had struck the Magic Power Finder Device yet, there were no values on any of the scoreboards.

"So, who should do it?" Alfonzo asked as he and the rest of his team walked towards the teleportation circle.

"Not me." Brandish replied. "Although I'm confident in defeating most wizards in a fight. [Command T] doesn't have any offensive power."

"Same here." Elicia added. "Well, that's not exactly true. But my magic is best suited to support my physical abilities and creativity."

"I'm not really the best when it comes to one-hit power, either." Marin said with a shrug. She then turned to look at Alfonzo and Sun. "So, that leaves the two of you."

"Well, do you wanna do it?" Alfonzo asked Sun with a smile.

"Hmm?" Sun hummed in thought while tilting her head cutely. A moment later, she shook her head and replied. "No, I think you should do it. You have the highest destructive power out of all of us."

"If you say so." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "Well then, let's put the fear of God (of Ishgar) into the others on our platform."

In response to Alfonzo's little joke, Elicia, Marin, and Brandish all rolled their eyes. Sun, on the other hand, smiled cheerfully as she hugged Alfonzo's arm just before they all stepped into the magic circle.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, GMG Preliminary Arena #6.

A moment later, Alfonzo, Elicia, Marin, Sun, and Brandish found themselves standing in one of the arenas among about an eighth of the wizards who entered the magic circle before they did.

Looking around, the five were unable to see any of the guilds from the favorites to make the main event. They could also see a projection of the scoreboard everyone in Crocus was able to see floating above the Magic Power Finder Device. And just like it was before they stepped into the magic circle, it was still empty.

"Randomly teleported my ass." Alfonzo muttered after looking around. "It's clear they have an idea who is going to make it through the prelims. And they made sure to split up all those teams."

"Well, it wouldn't be any fun if all the strong teams eliminated each other in the prelims, would it?" Elicia asked with a smile.

"*Sigh* I know." Alfonzo replied. "Anyway, look at all these guys discussing who should go up. They're just wasting time. By now, they should all know which of their team mates has the strongest single target attack, right?"

"They probably are trying not to show off too much of their capabilities." Brandish said, analyzing the other teams' thought process. "That way, they can keep a trump card in reserve."

"Whatever." Marin said. "Let's just get this over with. I wanna go back to sleep. Go, Fonzie! I choose you!"

With that, Alfonzo, Elicia, Sun, and Brandish all looked at Marin strangely. While Sun and Brandish just thought Marin's phrasing was over the top and unnecessary, Alfonzo and Elicia were thoroughly dumbfounded by her exclamation.

'Where the fuck did that come from?' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'Pokémon don't even exist in this reality. And I haven't started introducing the story yet. I mean, I'm still trying to work out what to add to TVs when I invent them.'

'Marin is in a class of her own.' Elicia thought to herself. 'I mean, she was kind of an otaku in her source material. I wonder if that's why she can somehow find things that relate to her past life.'

"What?" Marin asked while shrinking under the incredulous gazes of the other. "It wasn't that weird, was it?"

Deciding to worry about that later, Alfonzo turned around and started walking towards the Magic Power Finder. And as he got closer and closer, he attracted more attention from the other wizards in the arena. By the time he reached his optimal attack distance, every eye in the arena was focused on him.

However, not just the eyes in the arena were focused on Alfonzo, as the first wizard to step up and attack, both those still in Crocus, as well as the wizards in the other arenas were watching him, as when Alfonzo got close to the device, screens of all the other arenas showed up in each arena.

"Oh, I've got the whole kingdom watching me now, huh?" Alfonzo asked himself with a smile. "Well then, let's put on a show."

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, GMG Preliminary Arena #5.

"Oh, it looks like Alfonzo is making his move." Jura said with a peaceful expression on his face. "Let's see just how strong he's gotten over the years."

"Is he really that strong?" Lyon asked. "I mean, I know he's one of the Ten Wizard Saints, but so are you, Jura."

"I assure you; he is that strong." Jura replied.

"Yeah, I remember Takashi and Rei talking about how strong he was." Yuka added. "Apparently, he can rain down lightning from the sky. And that's him attacking casually."

"Either way, we'll find out shortly. Jura said while watching the screen of Arena #6.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, GMG Preliminary Arena #8.

"Hey, Yoruichi, have you ever seen Alfonzo go all out before?" Anko asked curiously.

"Just once." Yoruichi replied. "Well, I saw it from a distance. But I still remember that ray of purple light that connected the ground to the sky. And that was after drilling through almost thirty feet of solid rock."

"Are you serious?" Rangiku asked in a disbelieving tone.

"If you don't believe me, you can ask Kagura." Yoruichi replied. "She went on that quest, too."

Hearing that, Sui-Feng, Anko, and Rangiku all turned to look at Kagura, who calmly nodded her head in return.

"I was even further away than Yoruichi when that happened." Kagura said. "But the amount of power was like nothing I had ever felt before that point. And that was almost six years ago."

"Well, let's just wait to see how much stronger he's gotten since then." Yoruichi said, putting an end to the discussion while she and the other members of Team Mermaid Heel watched the screen.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, GMG Preliminary Arena #2.

"Oh, Fairy Tail looks as if they are going to be the first to take this little test." The young woman from the Sabertooth guild, Minerva Orland, said with a smirk on her face while looking up at the screens.

"He's one of the Ten Wizard Saints, right?" Sting asked. "I wonder just how strong he is."

"Does it matter?" Rogue asked emotionlessly. "Dragon Slayers are the strongest. There's no way he could be stronger than us."

"That's right." Sting replied. "Since Natsu and Gajeel aren't on the team, they're probably only sending out weaklings. Especially since their Lightning Dragon Slayer lost last year."

"Well, what do you expect." The masked young man, Rufus Lore, said while touching his right index and middle finger to his right temple. "I have no powerful feats from this Alfonzo Marcus in my memory."

"That's right!" the light green-haired young man, Orga Nanagear, shouted while raising his fists into the air. "Sabertooth is the strongest!"

"Be quiet." Minerva ordered while watching the screen like a hawk.

Immediately, the four Sabertooth wizards fell silent. Then, like Minerva, they watched the screen, as well.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Crocus.

Like the wizards in the eight arenas, all the people in Crocus were watching the screens floating above the city. And after seeing Alfonzo take the first step forward, aside from the members of Fairy Tail, Retsu was the most interested in his results.

Ever since the day she had worked with Alfonzo to bring down Irene before she switched sides, Retsu had been looking forward to Alfonzo's growth. The potential she could sense from him during that fight was immense. So, she was quite interested to see how much he had grown since the last time she saw him fight.

"Show me your limits." Retsu said quietly while watching the floating screen. "Show me that I was not wrong about you."

Meanwhile, in another part of the city Itachi and Kisame, who had been tasked with keeping track of the growth of the wizards participating in the Grand Magic Games from year to year, were also watching the screen showing Alfonzo.

"Hey, that's the girl who stopped us from capturing the Nine-Tails brat that one time, right?" Kisame asked while pointing at the screen.

"It is." Itachi replied while watching the screen with his Sharingan active. "And if it weren't for the fact that shew as protecting Naruto, I have a feeling that she would have been quite difficult to deal with. But more importantly, we need information on what the other members of Fairy Tail are capable of, just in case Pain decides we need to attack Magnolia to retrieve the Nine-Tails."

In response, Kisame simply nodded his head while returning his attention to the screen.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, GMG Preliminary Arena #6.

"Alright, let's go." Alfonzo muttered quietly.

In the next instant, Alfonzo flared his magic power to its limit, putting pressure on everyone unlucky enough to be in the same arena as him.

"What the hell?"

"How can this be?"

"Impossible!"

After feeling the weight of Alfonzo's magic power, every wizard in the arena, with the exception of Elicia, Marin, Sun, and Brandish, were forced to their knees, with some of the weaker ones being either pressed flat on the ground or falling unconscious.

*Zap~~~~~~~~!*

Alfonzo then raised his hands to his sides. As he did, he was coated in arcs of violet electricity. Then, he focused all that electricity into his palms. So, it looked as if he were holding a pair of violet orbs surging with electricity. However, that did not last for long, as instead of only using electricity, he added other aspects of the Electromagnetic Spectrum, as well.

First, the color of the orbs paled significantly when Alfonzo added radio waves into the mix. Then, they took on a redder hue as he added microwaves. Following that, the color seemed to turn grey once infrared radiation was added into the mix. Next, the color turned to a bright white as he used visible light to manipulate the orbs' color. Following that, Ultraviolet Radiation and X-Rays were combined with each orb. However, because of the visible light manipulation, the color did not change again.

"I think that should be enough." Alfonzo muttered while letting his gaze shift between the orbs in his hands. "I really don't wanna have to worry about controlling the gamma radiation to not hurt anyone or the environment if I were to add that, too."

With that decided, Alfonzo brought his hands together, combining the two orbs into one larger one. Then, he aimed his hands at the Magic Power Finder. However, he did not finish casting his spell immediately. Instead, he stopped to think for a moment. Then, he used his [Metal Magic] to levitate the Magic Power Finder into the air. All the while, his hands and the orbs of Electromagnetically charged magic power raised along with it.

Then, when Alfonzo was certain that he would not harm anything, or anyone, when he cast his spell, he nodded to himself.

"[Electromagnetism Magic: Final Flash]." Alfonzo chanted.

In the next instant, a sound that was hard to describe could be heard everywhere in Arena #6, forcing all the weaker wizards to cover their ears. Luckily, the sounds were not broadcast along with the images. Otherwise, more than a few eardrums would have been blown out as collateral damage from the spell.

At the same time, the beam of bright, sparking, white light that was fired from the orb in Alfonzo's hands crossed the distance to the Magic Power Finder in what seemed to be the blink of an eye. Then, while striking the Magic Power Finder, the beam continued forward, lighting up the sky.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Crocus.

At the same time, east of the city, a pillar of white light rose into the sky, lighting up the majority of the city as if the sun was rising. And although no one other than the Grand Magic Games' organizers knew exactly how far away the preliminary arenas were located, they all could tell that they were not exactly close to Crocus.

Despite that, Alfonzo's spell was able to be seen from every corner of Crocus. And that left most of the people in the city slack-jawed in amazement. However, there were a few exceptions. For example, the wizards of Fairy Tail wore expressions that said: "As expected." Though, there were a few who wanted to fight Alfonzo immediately after seeing his display of power. *Cough* Natsu. *Cough* Gajeel. *Cough*

Meanwhile, Retsu continued to smile while watching the pillar that lit up the eastern sky. However, her usual gentle smile was replaced with one that was radiating so much bloodlust that it was a wonder that anyone staying in the same hotel was still conscious.

In another corner of the city, both Itachi and Kisame watched the light pillar with dumbfounded amazement in their expressions. While Kisame was simply in awe, Itachi's mind was working at high-speed.

'I can't let the rest of the Akatsuki find out that Alfonzo Marcus is really this powerful.' Itachi thought to himself. 'If they find out, there's a much greater chance that they will hold off on trying to get the Nine-Tailed Fox until after Naruto returns to the village. And that would not only put the village in danger, but Sasuke would be in greater danger, as well. But what should I do to make them believe that he's no threat, so they'd rush to their deaths on their own?'

"Itachi, just how strong does someone have to be to cast a spell like that?" Kisame asked.

"Don't believe what your eyes are telling you." Itachi replied in a disdainful tone. "That attack is just flashy. All show, no substance. Besides, did you see how long it took him to prepare it? Believe me, Alfonzo Marcus is no threat."

Hearing that, Kisame turned away from the eastern horizon to look at Itachi. And he just held that position for a while. Then, when he saw that Itachi's expression did not change after saying that, he nodded in understanding. Then, he smiled slightly while turning back to look at the dimming light pillar in the distance.

"The Sharingan really is amazing." Kisame said. "If you weren't here, I would have thought he was too much for even Pain to deal with."

'Thank goodness he's not only dumb but extremely trusting of his allies.' Itachi thought to himself while nodding to Kisame's words.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, GMG Preliminary Arena #6.

Around that time, Alfonzo's [Final Flash] fizzled out. When it did, everyone looked up. However, when they did, they were unable to find the Magic Power Finder. Then, they looked at the scoreboard to see Team Fairy Tail's score.

"What does this mean?" A male wizard asked in a confused tone.

The reason for such a question was what was posted on the scoreboard. No one knew how to react what they were seeing.

{Magic Power Finger

Rank Name Score

Fairy Tail ERROR}

After seeing the scoreboard, everyone turned to look at Alfonzo, who was confidently walking back to the rest of the team. Then, when he felt everyone's gazes on him, Alfonzo smiled brightly.

"If any of you can evaporate the MPF, too, I don't mind letting you have this round." Alfonzo said before continuing to walk forward.

And just as Alfonzo said, after the Grand Magic Games Executive Committee verified that the Magic Power Finder had indeed evaporated thanks to the heat and energy produced by Alfonzo's spell. They then granted Alfonzo a score of infinity before teleporting Team Fairy Tail back to the plaza.

Meanwhile, after hearing the verdict on Fairy Tail's score, nearly seventy percent of the teams in that arena gave up directly. Then, after a few teams tried their luck, scoring no higher than 998, the rest of the teams gave up, as well.

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commentaire Commentaire 6

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Chapitre 675: Grand Magic Games Preliminaries; Part 2

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Crocus.

July 1, x790.

After Alfonzo's display of not just destroying, but evaporating, the Magic Power Finder, the entire city of Crocus and the other seven Preliminary Arenas fell into a tense silence. However, that silence did not last long, as Blue Pegasus's, Lamia Scale's, Mermaid Heel's, Quatro Cerberus', and Sabertooth's teams decided they would not be out done.

And when the audience saw those five guilds start to move, they all cheered in excitement.

"Come on, Lamia Scale!"

"Let's go, Blue Pegasus!"

Mermaid Heel, I love you!"

"Sabertooth is the strongest!"

"Do it, Quatro Puppy! *Smack!* Ah! *Cough* I mean, Quatro Cerberus!"

Cheers like those rang out throughout Crocus so loudly that even those who were not woken up by the loud buzzer at midnight, found themselves awake and interested in the proceedings. Meanwhile, Alfonzo, Elicia, Marin, Sun, and Brandish stood just outside the central plaza and watched the screens like everyone else.

"So, who do you think is gonna get the highest score?" Alfonzo asked curiously with a smile on his face.

"You mean other than you?" Brandish asked in a dry tone.

"Naturally." Alfonzo replied. "Not to sound arrogant, but can't none of them fuck with me."

"Bring it down a notch, Fonzie." Elicia said in a somewhat reprimanding tone.

"Take it easy, Lici." Alfonzo said as he reached out to start combing his fingers through Elicia's hair. "I'm talking about single target attack damage. I know I'm out classed in a few categories by some of them. For example, I can't compare to Jura in defensive techniques. Nor am I as quiet as Yoruichi when I move at top speed."

"But you didn't say that your defense is weaker than Jura's or your speed is lower than Yoruichi's Marin pointed out, playing devil's advocate.

"Well, that's because I'm not sure." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "But I'm not counting myself out."

"Oh, look, the first one is attacking." Sun said, drawing everyone's attention to the screens.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, GMG Preliminary Arena #5.

After discussing with his teammates, Jura, the leader of Team Lamia Scale stepped forward with a peaceful expression on his face. However, everyone in the arena could feel his magic power roiling just under the surface, ready to be unleashed in a devastating attack. The closer Jura got to the Magic Power Finder, the further away the other wizards stepped from it.

*Smack!*

Once Jura stopped, he slapped his palms together while flaring his magic power to its limits. Then, he surged his magic power into the ground underneath the floating Magic Power Finder.

"Now!" Jura said sharply as he cast his spell. "[Rumbling Mount Fuji]."

*Boom!*

With that, the magic power Jura sent into the ground exploded upwards, destroying the ground as it did so. Then, along with debris that was sent flying from the ground, Jura's magic power slammed into the underside of the Magic Power Finder. And just like the debris, it, too, was sent flying into the sky.

Meanwhile, Jura, with his expression still peaceful, watched the devastation his magic power caused. At the same time, the other wizards in the arena, although they could only see Jura's silhouette, had to admit that his silhouette against the bright light of his spell mixed with the flapping of his Wizard Saint's robe was quite the sight.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Crocus.

"Not bad." Alfonzo said with a nod. "He's gotten quite a bit stronger while training in the gravity chambers."

"Yeah. That would be hard to take head on." Marin replied with a nod of her own.

"If you ever took that spell head on, you'd be in for some serious punishment." Elicia said sternly.

"Oh, no!" Marin shrieked playfully with a hint of mischief in her tone. "Please, don't punish me, Mommy!"

Hearing Marin's exclamation, a few people near the place where the five Fairy Tail wizards were watching the rest of the preliminaries from turned to look at their group with strange expressions.

"OMG!" Elicia exclaimed in exasperation. "Why did you do that? Now everyone's gonna think we're perverts."

"Aren't we?" Marin asked while tilting her head.

"Even if we are, don't spread it around." Elicia shot back. "*Sigh* Erza's bad habits are rubbing off on you."

Marin only chuckled good naturedly at that.

"Oh, Jura's score is out." Sun said, once again drawing everyone's attention to the screens.

{Magic Power Finder Scoreboard

Rank Name Score

Fairy Tail ∞ Lamia Scale 9238}

"What! It's over 9,000!" Alfonzo shouted in an exaggerated show of shock.

That outburst caused the four ladies to stare at him blankly with Elicia's stare being the most damaging. However, her blank stare melted away a moment later as her blank expression turned into one on the verge of tears an instant later.

"Fonzie~!" Elicia whined. "I wanted to say that~!"

"Hahahaha!" Alfonzo laughed loudly. "You thought you would be the first to say it, but it was me, Alfonzo!"

"Oh! My! God!" Elicia shrieked while pulling her hair. "Stop taking these lines from me, Fonzie~!"

Alfonzo's and Elicia's little act only made Marin, Sun, and Brandish stare at them with confusion in their eyes. However, when they realized that neither Alfonzo nor Elicia had any intension of explaining what they were talking about, they simply returned to watching the screens to see how the others were doing in the preliminaries.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, GMG Preliminary Arena #3.

"Alright, I'm going." Bacchus said after watching Jura.

"No, I think I should go." Guy said while placing one hand on Bacchus shoulder while using the other to raise his thumb with a smile on his face. "Your youth is meant to explode in a different setting."

*Shine!*

Then, Guy's smile shined inexplicably for a moment.

"Yeah, I think we should let Guy go up." Yumichika said casually. "Your new martial art focuses more on redirecting force, right?"

"*Sigh* Fine." Bacchus said, backing down surprisingly easy to anyone who had not seen his changes.

"Don't worry, trust in Guy." Genma said while taking the senbon he usually kept in his mouth into his right hand. "He's got a lot of power. Especially if he uses the [Inner Gates]."

"Yeah, I know." Bacchus replied. He then turned to look at Guy with a grin. "Give 'em a show, Guy."

In response, Guy gave Bacchus another thumbs up. Then, he walked towards the Magic Power Finder confidently.

A few moments later, Guy was standing a few yards away from the Magic Power Finder. Then, he took a horse stance and clenched his fists tightly. He then agitated his magic power and used it to force open his body's limiters.

"[Gate of Wonder, Open]!" Guy chanted.

Immediately, Guy's skin reddened thanks to the increased blood flow while a vein started to bulge on Guy's forehead. At the same time, thanks to the force of his increased magic power, guy's hair stood straight up. And to top it all off, the unlocking of his limiters made Guy start secreting a blue-colored sweat that immediately vaporized upon contact with the air, making it look as if he had a flame-like aura surrounding his body.

A moment later, Guy stepped forward with his left foot while drawing his right fist back into position to throw a punch. Then, while precisely directing all the power of his body into his right arm, Guy slammed his foot down while throwing the punch.

"[Daytime Tiger]!" Guy shouted with youthful passion as he threw the punch.

*Roar!*

Guy's punch contained so much force that instead of pushing the air in front of his fist forward, it was compressed. Then, when the pocket of compressed air finally burst, the air was pushed forward with great velocity. On top of that, with his magic power control, Guy shaped the rushing air into the shape of a white tiger without letting it lose its density. Meanwhile, the wind was so strong that it sounded just like a tiger's roar as it rushed forward.

*Boom!*

Less than a second later, the [Daytime Tiger] slammed into the Magic power finder with enough force to send it flying from its position. And Guy, without even waiting for his score to be calculated turned around, closed the [Gate of Wonder], and raised a thumbs up in his team's direction.

"See that? My youth is burning brightly." Guy said while his muscles repeatedly twitched from the strain opening the [Gate of Wonder] put on them.

Earth Land, Ishgar, kingdom of Fiore, GMG Preliminary Arena #2.

"I'm going." Sting said, wanting to show off his power.

"Go." Minerva replied with a nod while watching the other screens. "Don't disappoint me, Sting. Sabertooth is the strongest."

"I know." Sting replied with a nod of his own. "And I'll make sure everyone knows it, too."

With that, Sting walked forward, leaving his teammates to watch him from behind.

"Princess, are you sure that was the right decision?" Rufus asked. "I mean, with my [Memory Make Magic], I could probably do what that guy from Fairy Tail did without showing what everyone else is capable of."

"I know, Rufus." Minerva replied without looking at the wizard in red. "but I want to keep that magic a secret until the main event starts, at least."

"I see." Rufus replied.

Not long after that short conversation, Sting was standing in front of the Magic Power Finder. He then took a deep breath before turning slightly and stretching his right arm backwards with its fingers outstretched, as well. Meanwhile, his left arm was slightly bent in front of him.

"[Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Holy Ray]." Sting chanted while motes of light gathered on his fingertips from the surroundings.

While the expressions of the other wizards in the arena turned from those of disinterest at watching a new player try to compete with those that everyone knew was already in the big leagues to ones filled with shock at the fact that Sting just called his spell a [Dragon Slayer Secret Art], the shock intensified when they felt the amount of magic power that Sting was concentrating into his hand.

A moment later, Sting flashed forward with his right fist now clenched. Then, once he was in range, he swung his fist, coated in light, at the Magic Power Finder.

*Boom!*

Then, as soon as Sting's punch landed, the gathered light exploded, obscuring the view of everyone watching. At the same time, the sound of the arena floor being destroyed could be heard, even over the sound of the explosion.

"Good." Minerva said simply while turning to look at the scoreboard for their arena. Now, let's see by how much Sting surpassed the others.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Crocus.

"Whoa! That was pretty cool." Marin said. "The light show, I mean. The way the light looked like it was rushing to gather in his hand was cool."

"Yeah, it wasn't bad." Brandish added. "But it wasn't all that strong. I mean, I've seen Natsu tank harder hits than that from Laxus... And Gajeel... And Gray... You know what? The list is just too long to name."

"Well, he does fight just about everyone, all the time.' Elicia said with a giggle.

"Yeah, that's our Natsu." Alfonzo said with a nod.

'Well, back in the canon, Natsu tanked that attack with only one hand during the GMG in x791.' Alfonzo thought to himself while watching the screens. 'Meaning, Sting had a year more to train. On top of that, Natsu was pretty much still at the same level as when he fought on Tenrou Island. So, it's really not that strong.'

"Oh, look, the scoreboard has finally been updated." Sun said, also not all that impressed with Sting's power.

As she spoke, Sun pointed up at the combined scoreboard where there were now four names listed. And that naturally drew Alfonzo's, Elicia's, Marin's, and Brandish's attention.

{Magic Power Finder Scoreboard

Rank Name Score

Fairy Tail ∞ Lamia Scale 9,238 Quatro Cerberus 9,028 Sabertooth 5,138}

"Oh, that was stronger than I expected." Alfonzo said with an impressed tone.

"Which one?" Brandish asked.

"Sting's Secret Art." Alfonzo replied. "I wouldn't have been surprised if it was a thousand points lower. I guess I underestimated him a little too much."

"Well, he is a Dragon slayer, you know?" Marin said while rolling her eyes. "They always have a way of surprising people, don't they?"

"*Sigh* I guess you're right." Alfonzo replied while shaking his head. "Dragon Slayer's are bullshit."

In response, Elicia, Marin, Sun, and Brandish all nodded their heads in agreement. Then, they all turned to look in a particular direction when they felt a surge of magic power flare up in anger.

"Who is that?" Sun asked with a slight frown on her face. "Their magic power feels so gross."

"Yeah, it almost feels like a dark wizard." Marin added. "But there's no way any dark wizards would be in Crocus at this time, right?"

As soon as Marin's words ended, several wizards in the city sneezed at the same time. And the most notable of which was Ivan Dreyar, Makarov's son and Laxus' father, who was irritated that Laxus was not representing Fairy Tail this year, as he intended to make contact with him and try to pull him over to his side to gain the ultimate power Fairy Tail was hiding, the Fairy Heart.

Unfortunately for Ivan, he had no idea what Fairy Heart was exactly. But the face he would show when he found out that Fairy Heart was actually the first guild master, mavis Vermilion, who had been freed from the lacrima she was sealed in, and was currently watching the preliminaries with Makarov and Ur, the expression on his face would probably be a sight to see.

However, Ivan was not the wizard flaring his magic power in anger. Instead, that was Jiemma Orland, Minerva's father, as well a the guild master of Sabertooth, who, for some reason, is convinced that his guild is much stronger than any other guild on Fiore.

"Anyway, it looks like Mermaid Heel and Blue Pegasus will be stepping up next." Elicia said. "I wonder who they'll send up."

"Well, I'm almost certain that Mermaid Heel will send up Yoruichi." Alfonzo said. "I mean, that [Raijū Senkei] spell was pretty strong when she used it against Erza. So, she'll probably use that."

"Yeah, I remember that." Marin said in a sour tone. "As much as I hate to admit it, she's really strong. I probably would have never been able to punch her if she didn't let me back then."

"*Sigh* Probably not." Elicia replied. "Anyway, let's just keep watching."

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, GMG Preliminary Arena #8.

"Well, I'm up next." Yoruichi said, proving Alfonzo's prediction correct. "This won't take long."

In response, the other members of Team Mermaid Heel simply nodded. Then, using the [Flash Step], Yoruichi vanished from where she stood, reappearing in front of the Magic Power Finder an instant later.

"[Shunkō]." Yoruichi chanted quietly without wasting time.

In the next instant, Yoruichi's magic power spiked. Then, the orange long sleeved shirt she was wearing over her battle attired exploded before being vaporized by the large, white wings made of [Lightning Magic] that sprouted from her backless battle attire. At the same time, her arms were wrapped in the same [Lightning Magic], as well.

"[Shunkō: Raijū Senkei]." Yoruichi chanted once again.

Then, the large [Lightning Magic] Wings on Yoruichi's back began to change, taking the form of a large circle resembling a drum that floated above her head. And once this drum was formed, Yoruichi pointed her right index finger at the Magic Power Finder.

*Boom!*

In instant later, the Magic Power Finder was engulfed in a column of white [Lightning Magic] while the area behind it was gouged out in a straight line. A moment later, when the [Lightning Magic] dissipated, the Magic Power Finder could be seen smoking while the ground that had been gouged out was glowing bright red.

"Alright, let's go back." Yoruichi said as she turned around.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, GMG Preliminary Arena #1.

After seeing the other guilds take their turns, without discussing with the rest of her team, Karen started walking toward the Magic Power Finder wit determination burning in her eyes.

"She's gonna use that spell, isn't she?" Sorano asked.

"Probably." Ichiya said with his trademark smile spread across his face. "She's going to show everyone what Blue Pegasus is made of. Men!"

"*Sigh* I guess I'll go after her." Sorano said while shaking her head. "She's going to need some help when she's done."

Meanwhile, Karen continued to walk forward. However, her mind was filled with only one thought as she flexed her fingers that were adorned with magic rings.

'I'll let you see how strong I am now, Elicia.' Karen thought to herself as she reached her optimal attack range. 'Then, when you see how much I've grown, you'll definitely make me your pet. And finally, you'll punish me just the way I deserve.'

While those thoughts were running through her head, Karen flared her magic power to its limit. At the same time, her face reddened while she began to pant slightly.

Seeing Karen's current state, the other wizards in the arena thought she was pushing herself as hard as she could, which was correct. But it was not the whole story. Only Sorano, who knew Karen the best of all those present, knew what was going through the green-haired beauty's head.

'*Sigh* Even if you were to break the MPF, too, she wouldn't accept you.' Sorano thought while approaching Karen from behind and shaking her head. 'But whatever you need to tell yourself to get the proper motivation, I guess.'

In the next instant, Karen drew both of her arms back, the rings on her fingers thrumming with magic power.

"[Ring Magic: Nova Stream]." Karen chanted as she thrust both of her fists forward.

*Boom!*

With that, streams of different attribute magic power shot from Karen's rings before combining into one large column of chaotic magic power. Then, the column slammed into the Magic Power Finder with great force. However, unlike most of the other spells that were seen during these preliminaries, there was no explosion. Instead, the column continued stretching forward while taking the Magic Power Finder along with it.

Finally, when Karen's spell sputtered out, the Magic Power Finder could be seen in the distance, about a mile away, emitting smoke.

At the same time, Karen stumbled. Yet, before she could fall to the arena floor, she was caught.

"I got you.' Sorano said s she threw one of Karen's arms over her shoulder. "Let's head back, you need rest after using that spell."

Karen did not respond, however, as she was too exhausted from pouring all of her magic power into that spell. Even so, she glared at Sorano, who, although she still did not like very much, Karen had come to respect her over the years.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Crocus.

After Karen's display, the other guilds hesitated for a moment. However, they soon scrambled to be the next ones to show their power after that. And by the time they were all finished, the overall scoreboard, that showed the top eight teams, looked like this.

{Magic Power Finder Scoreboard

Rank Name Score

Fairy Tail ∞ Mermaid Heel 9,983 Lamia Scale 9,238 Quatro Cerberus 9,028 Blue Pegasus 8,700 Sabertooth 5,138 Final Fantasy 5,022 Twilight Ogre 1,999}

And when Alfonzo and Elicia saw the final rankings, they stared at the name of the team in seventh place with dumbfounded expressions on their faces. However, before Marin, Sun, and Brandish could ask them what was wrong, Mato's voice rang out for the last time.

{"Well, folks! That's it!"} Mato shouted energetically. {"The eight teams have been decided! So, I hope you're looking forward to this year's Grand Magic Games! I'll see you bright and early at the Domus Flau! Until then, good night!"}

With that, all the projections, except for the one showing the overall scoreboard vanished from the night sky. Then, all the wizards returned to their lodgings so they could be well rested for the beginning of the Grand Magic Games later in the morning. And that went double for the eight teams that would be competing.