The third day of the Grand Magic Games arrived with a crisp morning air that did little to cool the rising heat of the competition.
"Today's event," Mato announced, "is Pandemonium! Within this magicked castle dwell one hundred monsters, ranked from D to S-class. An S-class beast can rival the strength of a Wizard Saint! Participants will enter and choose how many monsters they wish to face. Each defeat earns points, but once your magic or health fails, you are out!"
The representatives stepped forward: Erza Scarlet for Team A and Cana Alberona for Team B.
Erza drew the first lot. She stood before the dark, looming gates of the castle. The crowd expected her to challenge five, perhaps ten.
"I challenge them all," Erza's voice rang out, clear and uncompromising. "All one hundred."
The stadium fell into a stunned silence, followed by an explosion of disbelief. Even the judges froze. But Erza didn't wait for their permission. She stepped into the darkness.
What followed was a symphony of steel. Through the lacrima screens, the audience saw a whirlwind of crimson hair and shifting armor. Erza didn't just fight; she conquered. She switched from her Heaven's Wheel to her Black Wing armor, cutting through D-class swarms and parrying the titanic blows of the S-class giants. Blood streaked her face and her armor was dented and scarred, but her eyes never lost their fire.
When the final S-class monster fell, the castle itself dissolved into light. Erza stood in the center of the arena, battered but unbroken, her sword raised high toward the Fairy Tail balcony.
"Fairy Tail... is No. 1" she roared.
The crowd went feral. Erza had taken all 100 points, leaving the other seven participants with nothing to fight.
The Magic Power Finder (MPF)
To determine the remaining ranks, the judges introduced the MPF, a device that measured the raw output of a single magical attack.
Millianna of New Dawn scored a respectable 365. Hibiki of Blue Pegasus, trying to look suave, barely scratched 95. Then came the heavy hitters. Jellal unleashed a spell that clocked 2,412. Orga of Sabertooth hit 3,825 with his Black Lightning. Jura of Lamia Scale, the Wizard Saint, rocked the stadium with a massive 8,544.
Then came Cana Alberona. She shed her long-sleeved coat, revealing the glowing, intricate tattoo of Fairy Glitter on her forearm.
"Mavis gave me her blessing again," Cana smirked. She gathered the light of the sun and the stars, her magic pressure rising until the air itself hummed.
"FAIRY GLITTER!"
A pillar of celestial light obliterated the MPF device. The digital counter spun wildly before shattering at 9,999.
Fairy Tail A (Erza) - 10 pts
Fairy Tail B (Cana) - 8 pts
Lamia Scale (Jura) - 6 pts
Sabertooth (Orga) - 5 pts
New Dawn (Jellal) - 4 pts
Mermaid Heel (Millianna) - 3 pts
Blue Pegasus (Hibiki) - 2 pt
Raven Tail (Obra) - 1 pts
---
The individual battles began with Millianna defeating a female mage from Mermaid Heel using her binding tubes. Next, Rufus Lore of Sabertooth made short work of Eve Tearm, memorizing his snow magic and turning it against him.
Then, the match the stadium had been waiting for: Laxus Dreyar vs. Alexei of Raven Tail.
As the fight began, the audience saw Alexei brutally pummeling Laxus. The kids—Alphonse, Celeste, Azuka, and Arthur—screamed for Laxus to get up.
But inside the arena, the reality was different. A thick, shimmering veil of illusion magic separated the two from the world. Laxus stood perfectly still, watching Alexei.
"An illusion?" Laxus grunted.
Alexei removed his mask, revealing the scarred, bitter face of Ivan Dreyar. Suddenly, the four other members of Raven Tail—Flare, Obra, Nullpudding, and Kurohebi—materialized around him.
"Where is it, Laxus?" Ivan hissed. "Where is Lumen Histoire? Tell me, and I might let you leave this arena with your pride."
Laxus let out a dark, mocking laugh. "Lumen Histoire? You're chasing ghosts, old man. That 'artifact' doesn't even exist anymore. Mavis is standing in the stands eating popcorn. There is no secret left for you to steal."
Ivan's face contorted with rage. "Lies! If you won't speak, we'll beat it out of you. We are the anti-Fairy Tail guild!"
"You're a disappointment," Laxus said, his body beginning to spark with golden and red lightning. "The old man never stopped you because he wanted to believe his son had a soul. But I don't have his patience."
Ivan signaled the attack. Five against one.
In a flash that would have blinded a normal man, Laxus moved. He wasn't the Laxus of seven years ago; he was a man who had trained with Blake since childhood and alongside the strongest mages in history.
BAM. CRACK. THOOM.
In less than a minute, the four elite members of Raven Tail were embedded in the arena walls. Laxus then turned to his father. Ivan tried to plead, "Wait, Laxus! We're family!"
"Fairy Tail is my family," Laxus growled, his fist wreathed in lightning. "You're just a shadow."
Laxus delivered a devastating punch that shattered the illusion. The stadium gasped as the image of a beaten Laxus vanished, replaced by the sight of the entire Raven Tail team unconscious on the floor and Laxus standing over his father.
"DISQUALIFIED!" Lahar shouted, standing up. "Raven Tail has used illegal interference and outside combatants! Their rights are revoked for three years!"
---
The final match was Wendy Marvell vs. Sherria Blendy.
Mavis, sitting on the railing, narrowed her eyes. "That pink-haired girl... her magic isn't Dragon Slayer magic. It feels more... ancient."
Sherria unleashed a vortex of black wind. "Sky God's Bellow!"
Wendy countered with her own roar. The two girls clashed in a blur of wind and speed. Wendy, having grown significantly over the last seven years without the time skip, showed a level of mastery that stunned the crowd. She utilized Sky Drill to pin Sherria down, seemingly ending the match.
However, Sherria stood up, her body glowing with a black aura as her wounds closed instantly. "God Slayers can heal themselves, Wendy!"
Wendy wiped a smudge of dirt from her cheek. She didn't look worried. She looked... focused.
"I know," Wendy said softly. "But I've been training with my guild members. They taught me that if someone keeps healing... You just have to hit them harder than their magic can keep up with."
Wendy entered Dragon Force at will. Her hair turned pinkish-purple, and her aura became a hurricane. She moved so fast that Sherria couldn't even track her with her eyes.
With a final, concentrated burst of Shattering Light: Sky Drill, Wendy hit Sherria with a localized atmospheric pressure so intense it knocked the God Slayer unconscious before her healing factor could even trigger.
"WINNER: WENDY MARVELL!"
Day Three ended with Fairy Tail holding a massive lead.
"The foundation is set," Blake murmured to Mira. "Tomorrow, the world tries to take it back. Let's see if they're ready for the storm."