Freed had entered the tournament with a single purpose.
Clear the path for Laxus.
If he couldn't defeat Rowan outright, then draining his strength would still tip the scales. Laxus would never approve of such thinking, but Freed didn't care. Strategy wasn't dishonor. It was loyalty.
"Your strength is real," Rowan said calmly, lifting a paw in invitation. "Let's begin."
Rowan knew little about Freed's full arsenal. Most of the guild didn't. Like Laxus, the Thunder God Tribe kept to themselves. What was known was only the surface. Inscription magic. Dark script. Swordsmanship sharp enough to fell seasoned mages.
But someone with Freed's reputation never showed their full hand first.
"Forbidden Dark Script: Darkness."
Freed slashed his rapier across his own body, carving glowing black runes into his flesh. Dense shadow poured from the symbols, flooding into him. In seconds, his form twisted, horns rising from his head as demonic wings unfurled from his back. His presence surged, oppressive and violent.
"Dark Script: Wings."
He vanished in a streak of black light.
Rowan's eyes gleamed with interest. Using inscription magic to reinforce the body itself. He had never seen that application before.
"So that's how you use it," Rowan murmured.
The demonic Freed flashed behind him, blade raised for a decisive strike.
"Finished—"
The ground shook.
Rowan's body expanded in an instant. The small cat became a colossal beast, towering over the arena, lightning roaring across his fur. Before Freed could even register the change, a massive paw came down like a falling mountain.
The impact detonated.
Freed was driven straight into the arena floor, stone collapsing around him as he lost consciousness on the spot.
One strike.
Silence swallowed the island.
Guild mages who had been bracing for a brutal battle stood frozen, mouths open. Even Laxus, who had already finished his own match, stared wide-eyed.
He had expected Freed to lose.
He had not expected him to be erased in a single blow.
"Winner… Rowan Mercer!" Mirajane announced, her voice a beat slower than usual.
Rowan shrank back to his normal size, lightning fading.
Freed's demonic form had been impressive, but it wasn't enough. Between Rowan's giant transformation, lightning-enhanced physique, and draconic resilience, the gap was overwhelming. Speed meant nothing when reaction time couldn't keep up.
The fifth round ended there.
Final draw.
Laxus versus Erza.
Rowan versus Lucy.
Winners would advance to the championship. Losers would fight for second and third.
After a short rest, the semifinals began.
First match: Rowan versus Lucy.
Lucy lost.
But she didn't fold easily. Drawing on the surrounding lake, she summoned Aquarius, flooding the arena in a roaring surge of water that nearly submerged the island. It wasn't enough to win, but it proved she could be terrifying when pushed.
Second match: Erza versus Laxus.
This was the battle everyone had been waiting for.
Both were true S-rank mages, tested and recognized by the guild master himself. Erza donned her Lightning Empress Armor, resistant to electrical attacks, spear crackling with power as she charged.
The crowd roared.
Laxus answered with Dragon Slayer magic in full force. Lightning clashed with lightning. The fight was brutal, relentless, evenly matched.
In the end, Laxus prevailed by inches.
He devoured the lightning from Erza's spear, shattered her armor, and struck before she could requip. Erza fell unconscious, defeated but unbroken.
Laxus collapsed to one knee afterward, breathing hard.
Only then did it truly hit him.
Erza was almost his equal.
And if she was this strong… then so were others. Natsu. Gray. Mages he had dismissed as weak.
Maybe… maybe the old man hadn't been wrong after all.
When the arena was repaired and the fighters recovered, Mirajane rose into the air once more, microphone glowing.
"We now begin the final match!" she announced. "This battle will decide Fairy Tail's strongest mage of the year."
Her voice rang across the lake.
"And it will also decide Fairy Tail's next guild master."
Cheers erupted.
"Will victory belong to Laxus, master of Dragon Slayer lightning? Or to Rowan Mercer, the cat who may become our future guild master?"
The crowd leaned forward as the two finalists stepped onto the arena.
Fairy Tail held its breath.
...
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