Sting shouted in horror, while Rogue and the others stared in disbelief.
Thud.
Minerva collapsed limply to the ground.
Right in front of Sabertooth's members, their strongest fighter, their young lady, had been cut down just like that?!
"You bastard!"
Seeing his companion struck unconscious, Sting instantly remembered how Ankh had defeated Jura in a single move on the first day of the Grand Magic Games.
Rage surged through him, and he charged straight at Ankh.
His momentum was like that of a young dragon fresh out of the egg.
He certainly had spirit.
"Too noisy."
Ankh raised a hand and pressed downward, immediately crushing Sting to the ground as he charged in like a raging bull.
Sting roared and struggled to stand, still unwilling to give up as he tried to throw a punch at Ankh.
Seeing this, Rogue and the others hurried forward to help him.
Several types of magic came at Ankh all at once.
A violent glint flashed through Ankh's eyes, and the Gravity Magic circle in his hand lit up again.
Then the members of Sabertooth were tossed around as if they had been strapped into a drop tower.
It was as though an invisible hand had grabbed them, lifted them high into the air again and again, then smashed them brutally back down onto the ground.
The five strongest members of Sabertooth, whose fame had spread far and wide, now looked like toddlers who had only just learned to walk.
They had no power to fight back.
It was not only because of the gap in Magic Power, but also because of their arrogance.
Without any information, they had dared to challenge Ankh, who possessed multiple kinds of magic, head-on.
Seeing that the Sabertooth members still had no intention of stopping even after being beaten down so thoroughly, Mato finally remembered his larger responsibility as the tournament's mascot and shouted angrily at them.
"Everyone, stop!"
The audience, stunned by Ankh's strength and brutal methods, obediently shut their mouths.
Mato forced himself to run over to Ankh's side and asked in a low voice, "Minerva, she… she isn't dead, is she?"
Ankh folded his arms and answered honestly, "No idea. I used twice the force she used when she attacked Juvia. Whether she lives or dies depends on her luck."
Look at that. How measured.
For some reason, that phrase popped into Mato's mind.
Then he coughed and whispered, "Then, um… perhaps we can call this matter settled?"
"I'll follow the tournament's decision."
'Now you're willing to follow the rules!'
Although Mato grumbled inwardly, he also understood that Ankh was giving him and the kingdom face.
If this guy truly decided to be stubborn, forget the so-called famous mages of the Grand Magic Games.
Even the Magic Council would probably have to swallow their anger.
The farce was quickly and forcefully brought under control, and both sides received an answer that made them quiet down.
Before long, Chapati also received the official instructions.
He explained the resulting punishment to the audience, who had fallen silent after witnessing that brutal scene.
Contestant Minerva had attacked an opposing contestant without authorization and should originally have been disqualified.
However, considering that she had also been severely injured by Contestant Ankh, who had impulsively struck back by mistake, both of them would be banned from competing for one day.
As for that punishment…
Many spectators nearly laughed their teeth out when they heard it.
What kind of "each side takes a hit" was this?
Minerva had been "accidentally" beaten into that state.
Forget being banned from competing. Even if they allowed her to participate, she could not possibly go on stage.
As for Ankh, Fairy Tail had a whole group of powerful mages.
The next match was a tag battle too, so even if he did not participate, it probably would not affect much.
The members of Sabertooth and the medical team carried the unconscious Minerva away, leaving the stage in a miserable state.
In just four short days, Sabertooth's support had been plummeting at an absurd rate.
Especially after everyone saw their strongest five members attack together and still fail to even touch Ankh, many fans who admired only strength practically broke down in tears.
Meanwhile, Ankh and the little fairies returned backstage.
When he saw the official punishment issued against him, he immediately laughed.
Looking at the two Lucys beside him, Ankh spoke with a smile, "Perfect. I'll stay with you two, then. That way, you won't get kidnapped like in the original timeline."
Having been replaced as the person in charge, Laxus teased Ankh, "Did you see the audience's faces? You scared them badly."
"Doesn't matter. Sabertooth's still has plenty of supporters. Being a little ruthless won't hurt my image."
Ankh waved a hand indifferently.
Still, he had to admit, instantly using a take over God Soul, stopping time to go up and slash someone, then canceling the Take Over afterward really did look intimidating.
It was a perfect tool for showing off…
"Ankh is… Scary, judging by how he treats everyone in the guild, I thought he was a gentle person."
Lily, held in Levy's arms, recalled the situation on the field and could not help swallowing.
"He's actually always been like that," Levy quietly explained with a smile. "Ankh has always been fierce toward people who aren't part of the guild. Everyone knows that~"
Gajeel and Juvia thought back to what had happened during the Phantom Lord war and nodded with deep agreement.
...
Because it was the mid-match break, the members of Fairy Tail had temporarily gathered together.
Soon, they received a new arrangement.
Makarov, who had just gone to speak with the tournament officials, returned to the room and said to everyone.
"The tournament has given us a new arrangement. Since Raven Tail was kicked out, the match stage can no longer form clean one-on-one pairings. Therefore, the tournament requires us to urgently combine Team A and Team B into one team."
"Combine?"
Erza frowned and asked, "Then what happens to the two teams' scores?"
"We inherit the lower score. In other words, Team A's forty-seven points."
Laxus looked at the rankings outside and said thoughtfully, "That's not bad. We're still first."
"But losing so many points we worked hard to earn still feels pretty annoying…" Cana muttered while drinking.
"Cough, cough… About that…"
Makarov suppressed the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth and said, "The tournament promised me that if we take first place after the Grand Magic Games ends, the prize money will be doubled!"
"And even if we don't get first place, the tournament promised to calculate the rankings again using Team B's score. If that score would have placed us first, they'll still give us thirty million Jewels!"
Hearing that, everyone stared speechlessly at the little old man.
So as long as the money was enough, anything could be negotiated…
Ankh stretched lazily and said with a cheerful smile, "Well, it doesn't really matter. We've come this far anyway. First place is ours."
Makarov nodded, then jumped onto the table again and began firing up the little fairies.
"So what if we inherit the lower score? From here on, we can form an even stronger team!"
"Sabertooth? Strongest guild? All of that is bullshit! We are the number one guild in Fiore!"
With only a few words from Makarov, Fairy Tail's members immediately became as excited as if they had been injected with adrenaline.
"Number one in Fiore!"
Future Lucy watched the lively scene before her, and it felt as though she were once again seeing everyone cheering with excitement on that day.
'To think I can see that again…'
'Thank goodness.'
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