"Here comes the good show! Look quickly!"
At Raizel's excited reminder, the four of them sitting around the beach campfire stared intently at the floating Lacrima screen showing Gildarts and Natsu.
There were originally several viewing screens actively broadcasting the different tunnels, but currently, none were quite as interesting as the one featuring Natsu and Gildarts.
In another tunnel, Evergreen and Elfman were up against Mira, while Erza was facing Lisanna and Juvia.
"Of all the S-Class Mages, it just had to be her..."
Even Evergreen had a headache looking at her opponent.
"Even if you are my little brother, I absolutely will not go easy on you," Mira smiled sweetly.
On the screen, Mira used her Take Over magic to transform into her terrifying Satan Soul form, her thick, spiked tail swishing constantly behind her.
Watching the women fight was actually quite entertaining.
Raizel and Makarov openly admitted they loved watching the intense, high-level combat between the incredibly strong female mages of the guild.
And Erza really wasn't holding back at all... Their passage was currently flooded with deep water, but Erza remained completely serious.
Even though Raizel and Makarov had instructed the examiners beforehand that it was perfectly acceptable to go a bit easy—as long as the candidates met some of their personal expectations, they could pass—Erza had clearly ignored that memo.
She had agreed very earnestly at the time, patting her armor firmly in understanding, but then she turned around and started slaughtering the candidates like a relentless god of death...
In Route D, Erza was fiercely battling Juvia and Lisanna.
Though it was technically called a "fierce battle," it looked much more like Erza was single-handedly dominating the two of them without breaking a sweat.
"So strong... Miss Erza is really so incredibly strong..." Juvia frowned deeply, panting for breath.
As the thick water mist gradually dissipated from the cavern, Erza's figure slowly emerged, clad in a new set of armor.
"What's wrong, Juvia? You won't be able to become an S-Class Mage acting like this," Erza challenged.
"This is the Sea Empress Armor."
The Sea Empress Armor was primarily green, featuring a light green long skirt and elegant decorations resembling fish fins on both sides of her head.
"If she is wearing the Sea Empress Armor, Juvia's water attacks will have very little effect..." Juvia knelt on one knee, her fists clenched tightly in frustration.
"But... Juvia must defeat you!"
Before her words even faded, Juvia's entire body turned into rushing water and surged violently towards Erza.
The sharp sound of a sword magically slicing through the air echoed loudly in the cave as Erza effortlessly cut the incoming water stream cleanly in two.
The severed water quickly reformed into Juvia, this time closing the distance between them significantly.
"Water Slicer!"
Dozens of razor-sharp, high-pressure water blades slashed furiously towards Erza.
The surrounding rocks were violently severed by the intense pressure, leaving perfectly smooth cut surfaces on the cave walls.
But it was completely ineffective against Erza.
The Water Slicer attacks were all effortlessly deflected by the crystalline Sea Empress Sword in her hand.
Suddenly, Lisanna—having used her magic to become Animal Soul: Blue Bird—launched a swift surprise attack from above and behind.
Without even looking back, Erza firmly planted her sword into the ground, using it as a sturdy pivot to perform a flawless backflip, kicking Lisanna squarely in the stomach.
"Not yet! Animal Soul!" Lisanna grunted, recovering quickly.
Facing Lisanna's rapid aerial assault, Erza simply leaped high into the air, easily dodging the barrage of attacks.
"You have improved quite a bit, Lisanna, but it is still the exact same problem—you are just not fast enough. You cannot pass my exam like this."
Even while floating in mid-air, Erza still had the time to offer a calm, critical combat commentary.
"You say I've improved and then completely negate it right away?!" Lisanna yelled, her face full of confused question marks.
'Even Erza-san should have a brief opening when dodging Lisanna's rapid attacks, if only I could perfectly pinpoint that exact moment' Juvia analyzed.
"Take this!" In mid-air, Lisanna once again used her Animal Soul: Blue Bird form, her sharp talons thrusting viciously toward Erza.
Erza waited until the very last millisecond, right before Lisanna was about to collide with her, before choosing to dodge.
"Now! Water Whip!" Juvia yelled, seizing the precious moment when Erza was suspended in the air.
"Useless. Even in mid-air, I can still freely wield my sword. I have no openings," Erza stated flatly.
Erza quickly swung her blade, completely shattering Juvia's Water Whip, while simultaneously sending a sharp, crescent-shaped sword beam crashing toward each of them.
"Since it is a two-against-one battle, when I am actively dealing with one person, I naturally know the other will try to target my blind spots. If I have already anticipated this exact situation, then it is not a true opening—this is the most basic of combat basics."
While the two girls were groaning and clutching their new wounds, Erza continued speaking.
Moreover, Erza hadn't even mentioned the more hurtful truth: such basic sneak attacks were hardly ever effective against her.
Since childhood, she had aggressively sparred with Raizel and the Three Sword Spirits.
Fighting against multiple, highly coordinated opponents was the absolute norm for her.
Were simple sneak attacks useful against her? Only occasionally, and only when the raw power gap between them wasn't too massive.
"During the Phantom Lord confrontation and our battle at the Tower of Heaven, I thought you were quite strong. Was that my own misconception? I will not hold back on you, Juvia."
Erza was still actively raising the mental difficulty for herself, purposefully using harsh provocation against Juvia to test her resolve.
...
Meanwhile, Kagura and Lucy, who had successfully passed their first exam, arrived at the first assembly point on the beach.
They had taken a moment to wash off the dirt and sweat from their battle in a clear pool beneath a nearby waterfall and change into fresh clothes.
"Perfect timing, the good part is just about to start!" Raizel waved happily when he saw the two girls approach the campfire.
On the hovering Lacrima screen, Gildarts and Natsu stood silently facing each other.
"You know... I never like going easy on anyone, no matter what I do," Gildarts spoke, his deep voice echoing as he slowly approached Natsu in the cavern.
Natsu first trembled violently with pure excitement, clenching his fists tightly.
Then, his entire body burst into a massive, blazing pillar of roaring flames.
"Look at this crazy guy. He is actually smiling," Raizel chuckled.
On the screen, even through the thick, roaring layer of magical flames, Raizel and the others could still clearly see Natsu's bright white teeth grinning widely within the fire.
"That is so like him," Cana smiled, giving the boy the highest praise.
Having been on many tough missions with Gildarts, she knew very well that many terrifying monsters or dark guilds would tremble in absolute fear and flee in panic at the mere mention of Gildarts' name.
If they actually encountered Gildarts in person, they would immediately prostrate themselves in pure worship and surrender.
"Isn't Natsu always exactly like this? That is exactly why Gildarts thinks so highly of him," Ur noted, remaining quite calm as she turned a skewer of meat over the fire.
"Sometimes I think Natsu is more like his actual child..." Cana muttered, nodding in agreement.
But Cana felt absolutely no jealousy regarding this fact—that was simply how their guild operated.
Ur also showed particular, motherly favor toward Wendy.
Many of the children in Fairy Tail might have tragically lost their parents early in life, but they never lacked genuine love.
Makarov, Gildarts, and Ur all did their absolute best to fill those empty parental roles.
This also included the slightly younger Macao and Wakaba.
Though usually irreverent and playful, the two men always provided fatherly care when it was truly needed.
When Cana had first come to Fairy Tail as a lonely child, it was Wakaba and Macao who had immediately showed her kindness, even inviting her inside for some fresh juice.
Raizel and Laxus sometimes acted as protective older brothers, though Cana felt these two were drifting further and further from that mature role with each passing day.
The older they grew, the more childish their competitive attitudes became...
"Still, this kind of reckless, unyielding boldness—I honestly cannot tell whether it is a good thing or a bad thing," Makarov sighed with profound gravity, watching the screen.
"Natsu!" Happy cried out.
The little blue cat was drenched in cold sweat, never expecting that Natsu could still genuinely laugh under such terrifying, overwhelming circumstances.
"I'm all fired up!" Natsu roared.
The raging flames enveloping his body grew increasingly hotter, their bright orange color rapidly deepening into darker, more intense hues.
"Hmph," Gildarts smirked, narrowing his eyes slightly.
His intense, heavy gaze locked onto Natsu like a hawk stalking its prey.
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