Pakkas's roar contained three parts panic, three parts pain, three parts rage, and one part disbelief.
He never expected that Kabe, a dignified member of the Ten Wizard Saints, would actually use such a shameless method, such a dirty magic, to "blind" him.
At this moment, his eyes were burning with pain. Everything in front of him was nothing but a vast sheet of white. Forget launching any effective counterattack, he could not even tell where the enemy was or which direction the next attack would come from.
And at this exact moment, Ultear, who had been hiding around the corner, seized the opportunity and rushed out. She clasped her hands together as a powerful wave of magic instantly erupted.
"Ice-Make: Ice Coffin!!"
The freezing air, carried by the cold wind, instantly swept over the six members of Quatro Cerebrus.
Pakkas cursed inwardly, realizing something was wrong. He desperately wanted to do something, but it was already too late.
All he could do was helplessly feel his body rapidly being covered by ice, until even his consciousness sank into the silent darkness of death.
Erza, who had already prepared herself for an intense battle, looked at the lifelike ice sculptures before her. After being stunned for a moment, she finally lowered her sword.
"This is... over?"
Even now, Erza still found it hard to believe.
"I have fought Pakkas before. His strength is not much weaker than mine."
"I never expected you to defeat him this easily, Ultear."
"It only looks easy."
Ultear withdrew her hands after exhaling a breath of cold air. Her expression was not as relaxed as it appeared.
"To instantly deal with opponents of that level, I had to consume a considerable amount of magic power."
"And the most important factor was Kabe's special Light Magic."
"If he had not caught them off guard and disrupted their formation, I would not have been able to freeze them so easily."
As she spoke, Ultear turned her gaze toward Kabe.
Erza, Juvia, and Mira and Cana, who had rushed over after sensing the battle was over, all looked at the man they had called a "loser" with complicated expressions.
Kabe: "...Why are all of you looking at me?"
"A battle isn't some child's game. Naturally, you use whatever method is the most effective."
"Besides, who can blame me for having such a low identity rank? If I were the king, I could eliminate every team within three minutes."
Hearing such arrogant words, the four people around him showed no reaction.
However, the host and the audience watching the live broadcast were completely different.
The moment Kabe used the Solar Flare, the broadcast screen itself had turned completely white, accidentally blinding quite a few viewers as well.
By the time everyone finally recovered their vision, the battle had already ended.
There was no denying that Kabe, as one of the Ten Wizard Saints, using such a method had indeed caused some viewers to lower their opinion of him.
But his following seemingly arrogant statement immediately earned him a wave of approval.
"Yes! This is the Kabe-sama I admire, the youngest Ten Wizard Saint of Ishgar!"
"Forget these stupid rules! Just call all the participants over and let them fight. That would be much more satisfying than making things so complicated!"
"Kabe-sama was completely held back by the rules. If it weren't for those restrictions, he would have already been champion!"
There was never a shortage of people who admired the strong in any world.
And in Fiore, a kingdom of magic, this was even more obvious.
Kabe's arrogant declaration not only failed to make people dislike him, but instead caused even more people to admire him.
Admiration was one thing, but there were still matters that needed to be clarified.
The host picked up a handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. With a nervous expression, he quickly contacted the judges.
"That... just now, Mr. Kabe appeared to have used a very special type of Light Magic."
"According to the rules of the competition, any low-identity-ranked participant using offensive magic is considered a violation."
"So now, we need to clarify one thing. From the organizer's perspective, does this Light Magic count as offensive magic or not?"
Even without him saying anything, the members of the Grand Magic Games committee had already begun discussing this issue the moment they saw the scene through the live broadcast.
By the time the host asked the question, they had already reached a conclusion.
"Oh? Oh, is that so? I understand."
The host seemed to have received some information. After responding twice, he immediately announced excitedly:
"We have the result!"
"After unanimous discussion by the organizers, the Light Magic used by contestant Kabe has been classified as interference magic and does not violate the rules of this preliminary round."
"So everyone does not need to worry. Contestant Kabe can continue participating in the competition normally."
"Oh!!"
"Great!!!"
"If you dare eliminate Kabe, we residents of Fiore will surround the venue!"
The citizens watching the match burst into cheers, extremely satisfied with the organizer's decision.
Neither the host nor King Thomas and the others felt that there was anything wrong with this outcome.