Chương 287: Evan Chooses to Be Frozen in Time

"Fairy Tail's annual 24-Hour Endurance Race is now underway!!"

"I'm Jason, an editor from Sorcerer Magazine, reporting live with excitement!!"

A young man with short yellow hair held a microphone excitedly, standing beneath the stage of Fairy Tail's 24-Hour Endurance Race, shouting energetically at the magic camera crystal beside him.

Jason, an editor for Sorcerer Magazine, was always in charge of covering Fairy Tail-related content.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining this year's Fairy Tail 24-Hour Endurance Race!"

"Before the race begins, as your guild master, I'll repeat the rules! All participants will start at the front gate of Fairy Tail, head to the Coudre Mountains about a hundred kilometers away, retrieve an apple with a special mark, and then return here to submit the apple to complete the race…"

"As usual, the top three participants to return will receive generous rewards. However, the members who fail to return or come in last will face a harsh punishment. Hehehe, thinking about this year's punishment is so exciting!"

Makarov stood on the temporary podium, grinning sinisterly at the assembled Fairy Tail mages below.

"So scary! The master is so scary…"

The mages took a step back, intimidated by Makarov's eerie smile.

"In the end, the master is just looking forward to the punishments, right?"

Macao looked at Makarov's sinister smile with resignation.

"Hehe, what 24-Hour Endurance Race? It's just the master wanting to mess with the guild members again…"

Wakaba sighed, the cigarette in his mouth no longer tasting as good.

"Sister, the race is about to start. Are you sure you're okay with this?"

Elfman, exuding a masculine aura with his hair tied up, looked at Mirajane, who was wearing a short skirt and asked softly.

"Ara~ I almost forgot. Since we're outside the guild, I don't need to wear this uncomfortable outfit anymore, right?"

Mirajane smiled at Elfman, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Eh?!"

Elfman was momentarily stunned by her words.

"Hehe…"

Before Elfman could react, Mirajane untied the headband holding her bangs. Her snowy bangs fell, covering her smooth forehead. Then, she gathered her long hair and tied it into a high ponytail with the same headband.

"Erza's Requip~"

After changing her hairstyle, Mirajane's demeanor shifted from a sweet girl next door to a feisty tomboy. But she wasn't done yet. Looking at her floral dress, she smiled and used the Requip magic she had learned from Erza. Though she couldn't combine magic and combat like Erza, she could still change her outfit.

"Buzz~"

In a flash of light, Mirajane's beautiful dress was replaced by a sports bra and hot pants.

"Mirajane is back!!"

Mirajane shouted, her voice full of spunk.

As she said, she had to be gentle in the guild, but now outside, she could be herself again.

"Erza, let's settle this!"

Mirajane's eyes gleamed with determination, reverting to her fierce persona.

"A challenge? Let's do it, Mirajane! I accept your challenge…"

"But remember, I won't hold back…"

Erza's brown eyes sparkled with red lightning, exuding queenly confidence.

"You're really confident, Erza…"

"Hehe, you talk big, but this year I'll defeat you!"

Mirajane's smile was forced, but her resolve was clear.

"You've never beaten me."

Erza's confidence remained unshaken.

"Ur, it's time to settle our score this year."

Laxus, with headphones blasting heavy metal, smirked at Ur, his hands in his pockets.

"Ara~"

"Feeling confident this year, Laxus?"

Ur smiled at Laxus, who was exuding powerful magic close to the level of the Ten Wizard Saints.

"Ur, sometimes you need to look down. Those you consider juniors might catch up to you…"

Laxus's magic surged as he spoke.

"Is that so? But remember, Laxus, you're not the only one improving…"

Ur smiled, releasing a cold aura even stronger than before.

"This magic…"

Laxus shivered, feeling Ur's icy power.

Without a doubt, Ur had not only surpassed the Ten Wizard Saints but was also on the verge of reaching the pinnacle of human limits. Given time, she might even touch non-human realms.

"Interesting!"

Laxus's eyes gleamed with excitement, ready for the challenge.

"Blast them away! Blast them all away!!"

"Gahaha…"

Natsu, engulfed in flames, laughed at the front of the group.

"Aye!"

Happy perched on Natsu's head, equally excited.

"There's nothing in front of you to blast away, Natsu…"

Gray looked at Natsu in exasperation.

"Seriously, we ice mages can't understand this hotheaded idiot's logic…"

Lyon nodded in agreement with Gray.

"Gray, Lyon, your clothes…"

Cana, after downing a bottle of red wine, noticed Gray and Lyon's nakedness and pointed it out.

"Clothes? When did I lose them?"

"Damn, must've left them in the guild. No time to get them now…"

Gray and Lyon were shocked, realizing they had no time to fetch their clothes before the race started.

"These idiots…"

Ultear, watching Gray and Lyon's antics, sighed. She had given up trying to change them.

"Focus and give it your all in the race."

Kagura tightened her headband, resembling rabbit ears, and prepared herself for the race.

"Why so serious? The last place is already decided, right?"

Macao scratched his face, puzzled by everyone's seriousness. The last place was surely predetermined.

"Indeed…"

Wakaba nodded, glancing at the bandaged man in the wheelchair.

That man, Gildarts, was known as a scoundrel…

Recently, Gildarts did something everyone in the guild wanted to do but didn't dare, resulting in his current state.

"The race isn't over yet! Don't think I'll lose just because I lost my legs…"

Gildarts's eyes burned with determination despite his injuries.

"What a resilient man~"

"Shall we break all his bones next time?"

"Ara, sounds fun. He won't die even if his organs are removed, right?"

Not far from Gildarts stood two stunning women, Irene and Selene, discussing bloodthirsty ideas.

Behind them stood a young man with short auburn hair, Evan. Behind Evan was the despicable dragon Kurnuki, who stood nervously, resisting the urge to cause trouble.

"Hey, hey, hey~"

"No way! Irene, Selene, Evan, and Kurnuki are participating too?"

"How can we compete now?"

"With Irene here, we can't win…"

"True, but we can still participate and laugh at Gildarts for coming last."

"Yeah, let's do that. It's rare to have such a chance…"

The guild members, noticing the formidable foursome, gave up on winning and focused on not finishing last.

"Ara~ Selene, the guild members are afraid of you~"

Irene smiled at Selene.

"Hmph~"

Selene snorted, indifferent to those who feared her.

Originally, Selene was popular among the guild's men until she beat Gildarts into a mummy in five minutes. Since then, everyone saw her as someone not to be messed with, like Irene.

Especially knowing that Irene and Selene were familiar and had a good relationship, the guild members became even more cautious.

Although they were usually lively and mischievous, they weren't suicidal enough to provoke Irene or Selene.

"So, the race begins!!"

As Makarov announced the start of the race, the sky darkened, the sun disappeared, and a giant moon appeared.

"What is…"

The guild mages were stunned by the sight.

"Time Stop!"

In an instant, the mages' shocked expressions froze as everything, including magic and the flow of air, stopped. It was as if time in Magnolia had been paused.

"You won't get first place this year, Irene!!"

Selene licked her lips, looking at Irene.

"Hehe, let's see if you can stop me!"

Irene's eyes glowed with killing intent as she smiled coldly at Selene.

"As expected, troublesome things always happen…"

Evan, immune to the time stop due to his high resistance, pretended to be affected, feeling tired but trying to avoid trouble by acting frozen.