"That swordsmanship..."
"Doesn't it look exactly like Kagura's?"
Up in the Mermaid Heel balcony, the all-female guild turned to look at their leader, Kagura Mikazuchi. She was a strikingly beautiful woman with a stern, unyielding expression, her long, dark purple hair cut in a traditional Japanese hime style. Her slender, voluptuous figure was clad in a sharp white uniform, complete with a ribbon tied at the center of her collar that pointed straight up like rabbit ears—a small detail that gave her an ironically cute charm despite her lethal aura.
But at that moment, Kagura wasn't paying attention to her guildmates. Her sharp eyes were entirely locked onto Finn. She gripped the hilt of her sheathed katana tightly, an overwhelming martial instinct urging her to leap down and cross blades with the man who had just severed a meteor.
"I'd like to spar with him sometime," Erza muttered from the Fairy Tail dugout, her own warrior's blood boiling at the sight of that flawless Iaido technique.
While the martial artists in the stadium were utterly mesmerized by Finn's blade, the pure mages were in an absolute daze over his casual use of spatial magic. Absorbing millions of tons of high-velocity debris into a pocket dimension without breaking a sweat was simply terrifying.
"NOW! GET HIM!"
Mavis's urgent, telepathic shout suddenly echoed through the minds of Fairy Tail.
Before the dust could fully settle, Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel scrambled into the crater like madmen. They practically dog-piled Jellal, hastily dragging his unconscious body out of sight before the Magic Council guards could get a good look at his exposed face!
"W-What is going on with Fairy Tail?!" Chapati Lola asked, completely bewildered by the frantic scramble.
"Ah... well, they are just incredibly worried about their guildmate!" Yajima lied smoothly, a bead of cold sweat rolling down his cheek as he forced a wholesome smile. "Y-You know how deeply Fairy Tail cares for their own family, right? They simply couldn't bear to see him injured for another second!"
"Ah, that makes perfect sense!" Chapati nodded, entirely buying the excuse.
Frankly, the audience bought it too. Over the last two days, the public's impression of Fairy Tail had rapidly shifted from a washed-up joke back to a respectable, deeply bonded guild.
Yes, they were good. But they definitely weren't the best.
That title belonged to only two factions: Sabertooth, the reigning champions, and Heavenly Blue, the untouchable newcomers who had violently seized first place from everyone.
"I wonder... is there anyone who can actually defeat Heavenly Blue?" a spectator murmured.
"Wait, isn't Sabertooth supposed to be the strongest?"
"Do you honestly think Sabertooth can beat that?"
The whispers rippled through the stadium, instantly creating a tense, suffocating atmosphere near the Sabertooth balcony. Jiemma Orland was practically radiating a wrathful, murderous aura as he listened to the crowd doubt his guild's supremacy.
"Sting..." Jiemma growled, his voice a lethal rumble.
The crowd glanced at the White Dragon Slayer. Sting remained silent, lowering his head in deep frustration and shame. He knew he had thoroughly disappointed his Master by getting completely incapacitated during the Chariot race.
"There will not be a next time, Sting," Jiemma warned coldly.
"I know..."
Even in his rage, Jiemma understood Sting's overwhelming value, so he tolerated the failure for now. But as he turned his furious gaze back to the arena, he stared daggers at Finn, silently promising absolute destruction.
Down in the arena, Finn completely ignored Jiemma's killing intent. Honestly, he was just judging the man's outfit.
Why is a middle-aged man walking around in a fur skirt with his entire chest bare? Finn sighed internally. There are way too many exhibitionists in this world.
Between Jiemma's half-naked fashion, Gray's pathological need to strip to his boxers, and the Blue Pegasus men constantly striking absurd, sparkly poses, Finn felt like he was surrounded by weirdos. He was entirely willing to admit he was a massive pervert himself, but at least he had the common decency to dress sharply in public!
Honestly, Finn had a right to critique Jellal's disguise. Mystogan's entire cover was just wrapping half his face in a scarf. It was a terribly half-assed disguise. Finn had actually utilized optical magic and altered his vocal chords slightly to ensure total anonymity.
"You are incredibly skilled," a stern voice called out.
As Finn turned to head back to the dugout, Erza suddenly stepped into his path.
"..."
"Hmm?" Finn looked at her from behind his mask.
Erza kept staring at him, her sharp eyes scanning his posture. Despite the heavy coat and the mask, his presence felt overwhelmingly, frustratingly familiar.
"Thank you," Finn replied smoothly.
"Have we met somewhere before?" Erza narrowed her eyes, stepping closer.
"We met yesterday, didn't we?" Finn replied calmly. It was the literal truth—they had crossed paths in the arena yesterday. It was the perfect deflection.
"..." Erza paused, slightly derailed by the technical accuracy of his answer.
"If that is all, Titania, I will be taking my leave." Finn didn't wait for a response, casually side-stepping her and walking away. This was definitely not the time or place for his identity to be exposed.
"Wait—" Erza reached out, then caught herself. "No... my apologies."
"Alright then," Finn raised an eyebrow behind his mask, continuing his walk.
Erza watched him go, forcefully pushing her suspicions aside. She firmly believed the only man in Heavenly Blue was Finn Hoen—the man she had surrendered to the night before. But without solid proof, she didn't want to aggressively confront the masked leader. She wanted to remain faithful to Finn, despite how bizarre and complicated their secret relationship had become.
I'll just call him later tonight, Erza decided. She knew Finn might pretend he was busy with Council work, but she was certain he was still in Crocus. She would corner him then and demand answers about Heavenly Blue.
"Let's head back," Finn announced the moment he stepped into his guild's dugout. Just like yesterday, the event and his battle were over. He had zero interest in sticking around.
"Okay," Sorano, Flare, and Meredy agreed instantly.
Watching him stand in the absolute center of the spotlight, crushing a former Wizard Saint with untouchable grace, had sent a deep, thrilling heat straight to their cores. They already missed his touch, and they were more than eager to get back to the privacy of the hotel suite.
But just as they turned toward the exit tunnel—
"W-Wait! You can't leave yet!"
A group of frantic tournament organizers scrambled down the corridor, blocking their path.
"Eh? Why can't we leave?" Meredy asked, crossing her arms.
"I-I'm so sorry, but we must beg you to stay for the remainder of the battles!" the head organizer pleaded, practically bowing at a perfect ninety-degree angle. "Because Raven Tail was disqualified, we are left with exactly seven teams. That is an odd number! Therefore, for the final battle of the day, a team will be selected at random to fight a second time against a leftover opponent! If your guild is chosen and you aren't here, you will forfeit the match and lose the points!"
The organizers were desperate. Heavenly Blue was the rising star, the absolute main attraction of the Games. If they walked out, the ratings would plummet.
Finn, however, didn't even break his stride.
"I think that's perfectly fine."
"Eh?" the organizer gasped, looking up.
"Even if the other guilds manage to scrape together a few extra points in our absence, it's not like they can actually take first place from us," Finn stated casually, his voice dripping with effortless, unshakeable arrogance. "Consider it a handicap. Otherwise, this tournament is going to be far too boring."
"....."
The organizers, the guards, and the eavesdropping guilds nearby were left in absolute, stunned silence as Heavenly Blue decided to walk away.