"I'm seriously shocked. The organizers are going all out this year," Kabe blurted out, his gaze sweeping across the capital as a strange sense of unease crept in.
At some point without him noticing, most of the city's residents had already been evacuated and relocated outside the capital. This was still a tournament, yet they had escalated it to this extent.
Not only Kabe, but the other teams stationed separately across the Royal Capital were also completely stunned. Even the guild masters and invited dignitaries inside the palace were caught off guard by the sudden change in circumstances.
Makarov was the least calm of them all.
"Y-Your Majesty, you're not joking, right? Letting these walking disasters fight inside the capital… one mistake and it's going to be a catastrophe. If they destroy buildings and wreck the streets, what do we do about the damages?"
Makarov was practically sweating bullets.
Fairy Tail alone had three teams in this tournament, eighteen walking troublemakers in total. He knew exactly what they were capable of. If they were allowed to go all out in the capital, they might not even need enemies to destroy the city.
They might bankrupt Fairy Tail first.
King Toma waved his hand casually, his tone relaxed.
"Relax, Makarov. Since the organizers have agreed to this format, we are naturally prepared for the consequences. Any damage caused today will be fully covered by the royal family."
"Th-That…" Makarov hesitated.
He could only hope the king would not regret this decision later.
Jura Neekis, who had been invited as a representative of the Magic Council, chuckled as he watched his old friend panic.
"Don't worry, Makarov. As long as they don't flatten the entire capital, His Majesty won't blame you."
"Now is not the time for jokes, Jura," Makarov shot back irritably, slumping in resignation again.
Because unlike Jura or Bob or Guldmann, he knew this was not an exaggeration. Fairy Tail really could do something that extreme.
Meanwhile, the kingdom representatives from neighboring nations exchanged complicated looks.
Makarov's personal strength, reputation, and guild talent were already impressive enough. But now even the Magic Council members and other guild masters seemed to have close ties with him.
Toma frowned inwardly.
'This guild… why is it this ridiculous in every aspect?'
When the match officially began, Kabe immediately issued commands.
"Ultear, Erza, Juvia. You three stay together and protect the king."
"Cana and Mirajane, split up with me. If you encounter enemies, lure them toward Ultear's group so she can eliminate them."
Without hesitation, he rose into the air and spread his sensory magic across the entire capital, locking onto targets.
"Front-left. Take out the Quatro Cerberus team first."
The women on the ground immediately moved in response.
At the same time, the other teams were executing similar strategies. High-ranking members stayed close to protect their king, while lower-ranking members spread out to hunt enemy positions.
But none of them expected Kabe's detection range to be this absurd.
Even from above the city, he was pinpointing their exact locations.
On the floating observation platform, the host leaned forward in shock.
"T-This is… how is he doing this?"
Flight magic was not rare in the magical world, but even while flying high above, it should have been impossible to pinpoint individual team positions with such accuracy.
"Let's switch the display. Look, the Quatro Cerberus members are moving extremely cautiously, sticking close to walls and avoiding open spaces."
"So how did Kabe detect them?"
The host turned toward Irene Belserion beside him.
"Lady Irene, since you are close to Kabe, could you help us explain this?"
Irene smiled lightly, not taking her eyes off the battlefield below.
"It's sensory magic."
"What makes Kabe exceptional is not only his combat ability. His sensory magic is also on a completely different level."
"As long as he has registered your aura once, he can pinpoint your location with extreme precision. Not just the capital. Even across half of Ishgar, he can still find you."