"Not using a physical arrow… she should be able to take it, right?"
Shane stood atop a high rock platform, squinting at the dust cloud rising in the distance. He wasn't completely sure.
"Besides, we were fighting low—nothing too insane… and she switched into heavy armor at the end…"
His conscience nagged him for about two seconds. Then he shook his head and decided to trust Erza's monstrous durability.
"Yeah. She'll be fine. That's Erza."
He dragged his focus back to the exam, scanning the canyon maze.
After that midair brawl, the stone drop points he'd memorized had gotten fuzzy.
"Tch… I think there are two more up ahead."
Shane rubbed his temples and spread his dragon wings again.
"Whatever. I'll grab the two I still remember. As for the last one…"
A sly grin tugged at his mouth.
"I'll let the others find it for me. We're all meeting at the end anyway."
…
Meanwhile, on the other side of the canyon—
Macao and Wakaba were creeping carefully through a jagged field of broken rocks, deliberately avoiding the paths those three "monsters"—Shane, Erza, and Laxus—would likely take.
Suddenly, Wakaba stopped. The white smoke drifting from his body twitched as if it had sensed something.
"Hey! Macao! Look at that!"
He pointed ahead and blurted it out.
Among the rubble lay a fist-sized stone, quietly glowing with faint magical light.
"That's…?"
They exchanged a glance and hurried over.
Macao snatched it up, eyes shining as he inspected the clear star symbol carved on it.
"One-star stone! It's really the one-star stone! Hah! Our luck is insane!"
"Don't celebrate yet."
Wakaba swept the area with a wary look, embers in his pipe flickering.
"Getting it is one thing. Keeping it is another."
Right as he said that—
BOOOOM—!!!
A massive roar shook the stone forest, like a meteor had just slammed down nearby.
"W-What the hell was that?!"
The sudden blast made them both jump. For a split second they thought someone had found them and attacked.
But quickly they realized the sound came from deeper in the stone forest—wasn't aimed at them.
"Go check it out?" Wakaba suggested.
"Let's go." Macao gritted his teeth.
They both knew it: if you wanted to be an S-Class wizard, you couldn't win by hiding forever. Sooner or later you had to clash for real.
They traded a nod and advanced, guarded and ready, toward the sound.
But when they reached the source, they froze.
A huge impact crater—several meters wide—yawned in the rock.
And at the crater's center lay a figure encased in heavy armor, sprawled among shattered stones.
"Armor… is that—Erza?"
Macao's eyes went wide. "Did someone… already beat her?"
"That kind of destruction…" Wakaba sucked in a breath. "Shane or Laxus… they didn't hold back at all."
The two men hesitated, unsure whether to approach. This was an exam. Everyone here was a rival. Acting rashly could backfire.
Down in the crater, Erza felt like every bone in her body had been taken apart and reassembled wrong—nothing didn't ache.
But she didn't blame Shane for hitting too hard.
If anything, she was reflecting—hard.
"I got arrogant… and my preparations weren't nearly good enough."
"Generic armor doesn't cut it. If I'd commissioned a defense-specialized set, I wouldn't be this wrecked."
As she worked through improvements to her tactics and equipment, something caught her eye.
Two figures.
And in Macao's hand, a stone glowing faintly.
"…."
Erza lifted her head. On her pale, drained face, a small, fierce smile appeared.
"It's a stretch… but I can try."
She didn't have the magic left to maintain heavy armor. Light flashed—she released the plate and returned to regular clothes.
Magic gathered in her hand. Her most trusted blade—Flowing Water—formed in her palm.
"H-Hey…"
Watching the girl stagger forward with a sword, Macao swallowed.
"In that condition… you still want to fight, Erza?"
This time he wasn't offended. He was genuinely worried. Was she so stubborn she'd gotten herself knocked senseless?
"No need to worry, senpai."
Erza drew a slow breath, steadying her rhythm.
"I'm… in better shape than you think."
Sure, she'd lost to Shane. Sure, everything hurt.
But—
Being pushed to the edge. Seeing her own shortcomings clearly. Feeling the impatience and flaws Shane had coaxed out of her…
It was like she'd been purified from head to toe.
That clarity filled her with something unexpectedly bright.
"…Joy."
Erza's mouth curved. Her sword point leveled at them.
"In other words… my hands are burning hot right now."
…
Elsewhere, at the far end of the canyon—
Shane, using his aerial view, managed to collect two more stones.
"Two-star and four-star… plus my three-star."
Hovering in the air, he tossed the three stones in his hand, listening to their crisp clinks—then frowned and scanned the surroundings.
"Strange. I still haven't seen Laxus."
With his personality, Laxus should've made a mess by now.
"Don't tell me Macao and Wakaba actually tied him up…?"
The thought formed—then he immediately dismissed it as nonsense.
Those two weren't stopping Laxus.
"Whatever. Not my problem."
He didn't bother searching for the last stone either.
The rules only said you needed all four stones to find Gildarts—nothing said you had to personally find every one.
"I'll just go to the goal and wait. Anyone who wants to pass has to bring stones there eventually."
"Camp out like a farmer watching a tree stump. Let them deliver the last one to me."
Decision made, Shane beat his wings and shot toward the canyon's center.
He slipped through layers of cliffs and fractures until a wide, open basin appeared below.
But the instant he landed, he halted.
Gildarts stood there, looking exasperated. He shrugged at Shane and pointed to the side.
Where Laxus sat—bold as day—legs planted, eyes closed, just waiting.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Shane's mouth twitched.
Apparently he wasn't the only one smart enough to think of this.
Except Laxus was even worse—Shane had at least worked for three stones. This guy had sprinted straight to the finish line to wait for deliveries.
"I knew you'd show up, Shane."
As if sensing him, Laxus opened his eyes. There was no surprise in them—only satisfied certainty.
"You're way too shameless, Laxus."
Shane rolled his eyes.
"As a senpai, you could at least pretend to do some legwork. Where are your stones? You did collect them, right?"
Laxus didn't answer. He just stood.
BZZZT…
Golden lightning wrapped his body. The air heated, crackling with sharp pops.
"Those boring little chores don't matter."
He walked toward Shane, step by step, pressure rising like a thunder-beast waking up.
"Because… we're going to fight in the end anyway, aren't we?"
Simple. Brutal. Completely Laxus.
Seeing him approach with that "stones or not, we fight first" mindset, Shane let out a tired sigh.
"Fine."
He couldn't deny it—Laxus wasn't wrong.
To keep the stones from getting damaged by stray attacks, Shane casually tossed them far away.
But the instant they hit the ground—
BOOM!
Shane's vision exploded in gold.
Lightning, with a roar, came crashing down.
~~~
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