"W-We won..."
Amidst the roaring cheers from the entire arena, Future Lucy blinked, still not quite used to it. After standing there dazed for a while, she finally snapped out of it and cheered: "Yes! I won!"
Unable to contain themselves any longer, Future Natsu and the rest of Team A rushed over and surrounded her, joyfully discussing that cool Urano Metria she had just pulled off.
Some rejoiced, others mourned.
Across the stands, watching Flare being carried away on a stretcher by medical staff, Alexei (Ivan) had a face as dark as Panther Lily's fur. He couldn't accept this two-loss start to the tournament.
He had trained these people specifically to counter Fairy Tail—how could they lose so thoroughly?
If only Obra hadn't been taken out...
Damn you, Makarov. Damn you, Fairy Tail.
At Sabertooth's camp.
"Opening two gates, holding multiple Twelve Golden Keys—a Celestial Spirit Mage," Yukino murmured, her eyes narrowing as she marked Future Lucy as her primary rival.
At Blue Pegasus's camp.
"She's fully mastered that Ultra-Magic of the stars. I knew she had the talent for it!" Hibiki Lates—the one who had originally taught Lucy Urano Metria—said with a wistful smile.
"Looking at another girl like that might make Jenny jealous, you know~" Ichiya warned.
That's right—Hibiki and Jenny on the commentary booth were publicly known as a couple.
The mysterious rabbit-eared figure standing behind him kept striking flamboyant poses to grab attention.
"Huh? Sorry, I'll be careful, Ichiya-san!"
The other guilds were more or less impressed by Future Lucy's brilliant performance, and those aiming for the championship suddenly felt the pressure mount.
Inside the royal castle, in a certain room.
"A Celestial Spirit Mage—the key to opening the Eclipse Gate..."
Arcadios, captain of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knights, stared intently at the crystal ball showing Future Lucy.
"The plan to go back four hundred years and eliminate the Black Dragon and the Dark Mage is reaching its optimal timing."
Beside him, Princess Hisui, wearing a ruby necklace and casual attire, sat in a chair with a serious expression. "Arcadios, find an opportunity to invite Lucy Heartfilia over for a visit."
"Understood, Princess."
Though Fairy Tail had once again defeated Raven Tail and emerged victorious, the voices of protest and condemnation in the audience had already diminished significantly.
Even the refund-demanding spectator from earlier had quieted down, thrilled to have witnessed such an amazing display of magic.
This ticket—totally worth it!
The facts had proven that fists and power were the most effective way to break through doubt.
The stereotype of Fairy Tail as Fiore's weakest guild was beginning to crumble in people's minds.
The matches didn't stop because of Future Lucy's outstanding performance.
Under Chapati's passionate commentary, the gong sounded again, and the second and third matches began one after another.
Blue Pegasus's dark-skinned handsome mage Ren Akatsuki faced off against Mermaid Heel's web-uniform beauty, Araña Webb.
Winner: Ren Akatsuki.
Sabertooth's Lightning God Slayer, Orga Nanagear, took on Mermaid Heel's tear-magic user, Warcry.
Winner: Orga Nanagear.
"Now then, we've finally arrived at the fourth and final battle round of the day."
"Even I was surprised when I saw the lineup—it's Fairy Tail Team B's Chase versus—"
"Lamia Scale's Jura Neekis!"
As Chapati's resonant voice fell, the entire arena fell silent for a moment, then erupted like a boiling pot.
"Here it comes! Here comes Jura!"
"Haha! I've been waiting for this moment!"
"Amazing! I didn't expect to see Jura fight on the very first day!"
As the ace of the long-established guild and a Ten Wizard Saint ranked fifth, Jura's popularity was simply overwhelming.
Before he even appeared, he had already caused a massive sensation. Countless spectators in fan merchandise waved Lamia Scale flags, their cheers echoing throughout the arena!
At Fairy Tail Team A's area.
"That's insane... the atmosphere is so loud," Future Lucy couldn't help but marvel.
"After all, he's been a Ten Wizard Saint—just like the Master—for seven years now," Erza said, arms crossed, leaning casually against the corridor wall.
"That's right! He doesn't have a seven-year gap like we do!"
Future Lucy remembered that, to her, it had only been a few months since she had seen Jura, who had already been overwhelmingly powerful back then. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
"Facing a monster like that, can Chase really—"
She couldn't help but worry. "Will he be okay?"
"Don't worry. If it were anyone else in our guild—no, even if Mira and I teamed up, we might not be able to beat Jura," Erza said, lifting her gaze toward Team B's rest area, a faint smile playing at her lips. "But Chase? He'll be absolutely fine."
"You mean Chase is stronger than Erza and Mira combined?!" Future Lucy caught the key point and gasped.
She knew Chase was a monster among monsters, but she never expected that even an S-Class mage like Erza would say something like that.
"If he couldn't overpower both Erza and Mira, he wouldn't be their boyfriend," Gray said with a smirk.
Elfman nodded deeply, his fists clenched in admiration. "Chase is a man among men!"
It was a good thing Evergreen was inside a card in the stands, or she'd have definitely kicked him for that.
"Wha—What are you saying?! W-We didn't agree to be with Chase just because we can't beat him!" Erza's face instantly turned red.
Future Natsu's eyes lit up, suddenly filled with motivation: "I see! So I have to beat both Erza and Mira to earn the right to challenge Chase!"
"...No, you're hopeless," Future Lucy sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
At Fairy Tail Team B's rest area.
"They really did pair me up with Jura, huh. How thoughtful of the organizers," Chase said, flicking his deep blue cape behind him as he gazed through the dim tunnel toward the brightly lit arena beyond.
Back during the Oración Seis arc on Nirvana, he hadn't been able to get a new card from Jura. Would he have the chance today?
As the only opponent truly worth fighting in this entire Grand Magic Games, Chase was genuinely looking forward to it. A blazing fighting spirit flickered in his eyes.
More importantly, to wash away the humiliation Future Macao and the others had endured for seven years and to cement Fairy Tail's name, Future Jura was the perfect stepping stone!
Even if it wasn't very kind to the perpetually losing Jura from the original story, that was the cruelty of competition.
"Give it your all, Chase~" Mira's sweet voice came from behind.
"For Juvia's happiness, you absolutely must not lose, Mr. Chase!" Future Juvia called out.
Future Laxus and Future Gajeel said nothing, but the smiles curling at the corners of their mouths said enough.
Chase raised his right arm, emblazoned with the Fairy Tail emblem, in response. Then he took a step forward, into the glaring sunlight, and entered the roaring arena!
At the same time, from the opposite tunnel, Future Jura, clad in his black robe, slowly emerged.
The cheers and screams from the crowd were almost entirely directed at him.
The destined showdown was about to begin!
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!
patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!