"Water Flowing Saw!"
"Lightning Dragon's Shattering Fist!"
...
At this moment, the true form of the gigantic projection of the Pumpkin Man was sitting inside a control room covered with screens.
The screens were displaying the scenes inside the three-dimensional labyrinth, with some areas completely deserted, some areas where people were passing by, and others where battles were ongoing.
The Pumpkin Man occasionally nodded and occasionally shook his head, "As expected, the level of the participating teams this year is still quite varied."
"Wiping out two teams from the same guild in one go — Sabertooth indeed has quite the reputation."
"But still, it's surprising that they're so weak, yet could send out two teams... and that they were lucky enough to meet up inside the labyrinth."
"Mr. Jura is also very strong, every time it's a one-hit kill."
The Pumpkin Man kept reviewing and commenting on each team, looking quite self-satisfied.
"Come to think of it, didn't Fairy Tail also form two teams?"
He searched among the screens, finally noticing Lucy's golden hair.
"Hmm... that young guy looks a bit foolish, but surprisingly strong. And there's someone fighting while drinking; is she a fan of Baggs?"
"Didn't see the Star Spirits... Is Lucy in charge of map organization? Does she have a desk job in the guild?"
After watching Squad A for a while, the Pumpkin Man nodded in approval, thinking they were quite capable, having beaten so many teams with just four people involved.
"But, where's the other team?"
The Pumpkin Man looked through all the screens but couldn't find any trace of Squad B.
"M-Mr. Pumpkin." The person in charge of the control room called, somewhat unaccustomed to the requested address, "Fairy Tail B Team is over there."
"Hmm?" The Pumpkin Man looked over, only to see a figure flash by, leaving a big hole in a wall, then retreating back and disappearing without a trace.
"What's going on, pumpkin?" he unconsciously used his 'pumpkin' catchphrase.
"It seems to be their battle plan." The person in charge pointed at several screens in succession, explaining,
"Look here, here, and here... They intend to violently break through the labyrinth, directly to the exit.
"Due to the rapid speed and the magic concealing their forms, we can only vaguely make out their techniques involve Lightning Element, Water Element, and Close Combat Element... We estimate that it's Mr. Rhode leading the team."
"Breaking through with violence is too reckless, pumpkin..." The Pumpkin Man raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, but only touched his mask.
He'd always heard that Mr. Rhode was an 'Intelligent General' type figure; how could the combat plan be so, so rough?
But you know this labyrinth rotates, doesn't it mean it's all wasted effort by then?
No, considering their current speed, it seems they might clear it before the first rotation!
Is this considered a violation?
The Pumpkin Man fell into thought, as the maze wasn't designed for people to break through walls originally.
But they had said there are no magic restrictions, and you can't just change the rules casually.
On a different perspective, being able to do this shows they are very strong, after all, the preliminary is meant to select the eight strongest teams.
Let's go with that then, he jumped down from the stool, getting ready to greet the teams that have passed through.
...
Inside the labyrinth, Rhode and his team's advance was going smoothly.
Except for once detouring when they found Squad A being nearby, most of the time they bulldozed straight through.
When Mira punched through the last wall, the exit of the labyrinth was already in front of everyone.
Gajeel and Jubia were a bit tired, considering they had basically punched through an entire city today, and it was built with reinforced materials.
Rhode dispelled the Alchemy Mist and, with his companions, stepped onto the final passage leading to the gate of the endpoint.
The Pumpkin Man stood before the gate, clapping his hands to congratulate them, "Congratulations to all of you for passing the preliminaries, securing first place."
Rhode and the others smiled, but before they could speak, they heard a rumbling sound behind them.
Looking back, they saw the giant sphere high up rotating 180 degrees vertically.
The Pumpkin Man explained, "There's no need to be surprised. This labyrinth was designed to rotate at intervals, though the internal structure doesn't change. I just didn't expect you to clear it so quickly."
Jubia said, "That was close, if we had been a little slower..."
She didn't finish the sentence, as thinking about it, it didn't seem like a big deal. They had always been advancing near the middle layer of the sphere towards the east, so one rotation just meant heading downward towards the east instead.
Besides, with some team members who could fly, no one would fall.
The Pumpkin Man continued, "Please keep moving forward inside, and follow the signs to the resting area. The main competition starts tomorrow morning, so you all still have time to rest."
"Thank you." The group politely thanked and walked into the passage beyond the gate.
Gajeel swung his arms a bit, laughing, "That Fire Dragon idiot hasn't shown up yet, after all."
"I wonder how Lord Gray is doing." Jubia clasped her face, and just thinking about the possibility of beating Squad A cheered her up.
Rhode said meanly, "No need to worry about Gray; Erza, Kana, and Lucy will all take care of him."
The pink on Jubia's face immediately vanished, replaced by a pallor: "Why does Squad A have three girls, and more love rivals show up!"
Mira chuckled, raising a hand as if to wipe tears, "I'm so happy Erza is finally considered a love rival by Jubia."
Gajeel looked puzzled at her, "That's what's making you happy?"
Laxus shared some concern, "Will Jubia be able to fight normally when encountering Squad A in this state?"
"Just don't let her appear with Gray on the field." Rhode said, "Let her face Lucy; it might have unexpected effects."
Mira held her face, laughing, "Oh dear, won't that be too cruel?"
Everyone laughed together.
If Jubia really got the chance, the scene might indeed be a bit brutal.
But, being family, they would probably go easy, similar to how Aquarius handled Lucy, and Lucy might already be used to it.
Laughing and chatting, the group entered the designated resting area.
The conditions in the resting area were quite ordinary, not much better than the previous inn, but it was enough for a simple rest.
Rhode looked around the decently spacious room, noticing no signs prohibiting open flames, so he took out the camping cookware.
Mira and Jubia got to work, making some supper for everyone.
"Jubia's cooking is quite good," Rhode remarked.
"To become Lord Gray's wife, Jubia is working hard on her bride training!" Jubia instantly began her usual daydreaming,
"Lord Gray, whether it's cooking, laundry, bath time, or having babies, leave it all to Jubia!"
"...Did some strange things slip in?" Rhode looked towards Mira, "Have you done bridal training like that?"
On the subject, Mira confidently smiled, "Do I need that kind of training?"
It seemed she didn't; Mira was inherently a perfect wife in every imaginable way.