"I won!"
After Laxus collapsed to the ground...
Erza slowly drew the Knight Sword from her waist, pointed it at the sun above her head, and smiled triumphantly.
"I didn't disappoint Father's expectations of me."
Erza's heart was pounding. She seemed to already see herself being praised by Medivh after winning this year's Fairy Tail 24-hour Fighting Tournament...
At that time, Erza would stand on the podium, under the envious, jealous, and hateful gazes of countless Fairy Tail Guild members, and present the one million prize money she had earned with her own hands as a gift to Medivh.
It had to be said, that scene was truly beautiful; she felt excited just thinking about it.
"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo..."
Just as Erza looked up at the sunlight, her mind constantly fantasizing, a panting sound suddenly entered her ears, successfully attracting Erza's attention.
"Hmm? That is..."
As Erza turned her head in the direction of the sound, she saw Cana, wearing a sports vest and shorts suitable for a long robe, with a towel around her neck, a water bottle in her hand, her body covered in sticky sweat, and her skin shimmering with a healthy, sun-kissed wheat color, running towards Erza and the others at a steady pace.
"Cana, our dorm won!"
Upon seeing Cana, Erza waved her hand excitedly and shouted loudly.
"Yes, our dorm won."
Cana smiled back at Erza. She quickened her pace, like a swift leopard, crossing the finish line of the Fairy Tail Guild 24-hour Endurance Race, and raising the glittering Double-footed Dragon scale high in her hand towards the sun above her head.
"The Double-footed Dragon's dragon scale, I brought it back!"
"This year's 24-hour Endurance Race champion belongs to me, Cana..."
Cana looked up at the sky and shouted loudly.
"Eh?!"
As Cana's words fell, Erza's brain seemed to have crashed. She stared blankly at Cana and asked, "Cana, what was the name of the competition we just participated in?!"
"The 24-hour Endurance Race? What's wrong?"
Cana turned to look at Erza and asked in confusion.
"Haha... I'm doomed."
After getting the answer, Erza laughed awkwardly...
The 24-hour Endurance Race? She had long forgotten about it. In her impression, it was clearly a Fighting Tournament.
Finally, Erza plopped down on the ground.
"This year, the winner of the 24-hour Fighting Tournament is..."
Just then, Medivh and Ur finally arrived at the back mountain of the Fairy Tail Guild. Looking at the still conscious Erza and Cana, they subconsciously announced the identity of the winner of this year's Fighting Tournament.
However, when Medivh clearly saw the Double-footed Dragon scale tightly held in Cana's hand, a hint of realization flashed in his eyes, and he muttered to himself, "Ah! Speaking of which, what we held yesterday didn't seem to be a Fighting Tournament, but an Endurance Race?!"
"Eh?! Is that true?"
"I haven't heard anything about it!"
Ur was stunned and spoke in disbelief.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
"Why are you two so shocked by yourselves?"
"By the way, is the fact that our event this year is an Endurance Race and not a Fighting Tournament really so shocking to you?"
"Besides, our guild has been holding Endurance Races for several years in a row..."
"Before this, what kind of event did you all participate in the Endurance Race as?!"
Cana held the scale in her hand and looked at Medivh and the others, complaining frantically.
"I wasn't in the guild for the past few years, so I didn't participate in the Endurance Race."
"It's normal not to know the rules of the Endurance Race, right?"
Ur folded her arms across her chest and spoke confidently.
"Because in the past few years, when the guild held the 24-hour Endurance Race, the rewards given by the Master were far less generous than this year's."
"So I used the excuse of going out to do missions and skipped all the 24-hour Endurance Races to go drinking with Gildarts..."
In response, Medivh also imitated Ur, speaking with unrighteousness but strong conviction.
"What are you so proud of?"
Cana looked at Medivh's triumphant expression and spoke helplessly.
"In short, since the Master is not here at the moment, I, as the current S-Class Mage of the guild, will continue to preside over this year's 24-hour Endurance Race."
"I hereby announce that this year's Endurance Race champion is Cana Alberona! She is also the only one this year who completed the Endurance Race within 24 hours."
Medivh said this, raising his hands to celebrate Cana: "Let's give a round of applause for Cana's victory."
"Clap, clap, clap..."
"Cana, congratulations!"
"Congratulations, Cana!"
"How delightful, Cana!"
For a moment, the somewhat makeshift podium was filled with the cheers, blessings, and applause of Medivh, Ur, and Erza.
"Ah, how desolate."
"I clearly won the championship."
Cana stared blankly at Medivh and the others, who surrounded her, constantly applauding and congratulating her. For some reason, she felt an inexplicable sense of desolation in her heart, and even the champion's trophy in her hand no longer felt as good.
"Since the winner has appeared..."
"Then it's time to talk about the losers."
"Winners get rewards, losers get punishments."
"You must not harbor any Luck mentality, thinking you can get away with it."
Medivh said, looking at the Fairy Tail people lying all over the back mountain, and smiled coldly.
"Uh..."
For a moment, whether it was the Fairy Tail people who were gradually regaining consciousness, or those who were pretending to sleep on the ground, planning to avoid the punishment, they all felt their bodies slowly stiffen. The chilling sensation that made their scalps tingle emanated from Medivh's body.
Needless to say, everyone knew that the upcoming punishment would definitely not be simple.
So, in the afternoon.
When these Fairy Tail people, who had exhausted their stamina due to the 24-hour Endurance Race, regained consciousness and rested briefly, they gathered once again at the back mountain of the Fairy Tail Guild as per Medivh's request...
Next was punishment time.
"Boom!"
Medivh didn't waste much time. He directly summoned the entire Magic Development Bureau building, which he had obtained as a reward in the simulation, using Space Magic.
"What is this?!"
"Does Medivh still hide such a treasure?"
"Incredible..."
For a moment, all the Fairy Tail people present were deeply shocked by this enormous building, which was several times larger than the Fairy Tail Guild.
"After four years, seeing this building again really brings back some memories."
Ultear had long since reconciled with herself. The moment she saw this towering building, she could maintain a calm heart.
"No! This is bad..."
As for Gray and Lyon, they seemed to have guessed what the punishment was and planned to escape as they spoke.
"Yo~"
Medivh had already anticipated Gray and Lyon's intentions. After blocking the two who were trying to escape, he asked with a sinister smile, "Where are you two brats planning to go?"
At this moment, Medivh looked exactly like a devil walking among humans.
"Uh..."
Upon seeing this, Gray and Lyon couldn't stop trembling.
"Everyone, please come in~"
Medivh said, and with a gentle snap of his fingers, the gate of the Magic Development Bureau opened in response.
"Creak~"
"Boom!!"
After the gate opened, it was a pitch-black darkness where one couldn't see their own hand.
In this darkness, there seemed to be countless pairs of eyes staring intently at the Fairy Tail people present.
"I just feel like this place is very ominous."
Mirajane's forehead was sweating, and her expression was tense. Even she, who could take over the souls of demons, felt scared. One could imagine how eerie this place truly was.
"You can go in peace~"
"Don't worry, you'll be fine."
"After all, I'm not a devil, am I?"
Medivh smiled, and using Gravity Magic, without giving anyone a chance to react, he forcibly invited these disobedient Fairy Tail people, who did not intend to enter the Magic Development Bureau, into this eerie building.
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