"Mr. Yajima, what do you think?"
"Hm… good luck."
"I mean, they're both Lightning Mages. Who do you think will win?"
The commentators all knew the specialties involved.
Laxus used Dragon Slayer Lightning. Orga used God Slayer Lightning.
Yajima, of course, was aware of this. But he simply folded his arms and answered like a slightly absent-minded old man:
"They should both do their best."
"C00000OL!!!" Jason screeched, because that was apparently all he could say.
Both combatants took their positions.
Pumpkin Man raised his hand, shouted, "Begin!" and then immediately ran off the field, as always.
"Laxus," Orga growled, electricity crackling across his shoulders, "you've met your worst opponent."
He didn't wait another second.
"120mm Black Lightning Cannon!"
He thrust both hands forward, claws together, and a stream of black lightning shot out like a bullet, fast enough that most mages wouldn't even see it, let alone dodge.
But Laxus was no ordinary mage.
By the time the attack reached him, he was already gone, appearing above Orga in a flash of gold, twisting midair, lightning wrapped around his body.
His fist slammed downward.
Boom.
Orga hit the ground hard, his whole body cracking the stone floor and sinking into it.
Laxus landed lightly beside him, one foot forward, coat falling around him in a slow wave as if the world itself had paused.
The cheers in the stadium died instantly.
No one had expected this.
Where was the fierce clash of equally powerful Lightning Magicians?
Where was the God Slayer who supposedly countered Dragon Slayer lightning?
Where was the exciting battle everyone was promised?
"What a joke!" Rufus shouted, eyes wide behind his brimmed hat. "What are you doing, Orga?! Lightning shouldn't work on you, right?!"
Orga's fingers twitched. He forced himself upright, blood trickling from his mouth.
"Lightning…of course."
Laxus eyed him.
The God Slayer was right, if lightning were truly effective, he shouldn't be moving at all.
But even so, Orga suddenly lunged upward with a roar, black lightning coiling around his right fist.
He aimed straight for Laxus's chin, shouting the rest of his defiant sentence:
"it's ineffective against me!"
But the punch never connected.
Laxus slipped aside with casual ease and drove a heavy punch straight into Orga's stomach.
Air expelled from Orga's lungs in a strangled gasp as his body bent in half.
Then, with a thunderous crack, Laxus followed through, launching Orga like a cannonball across the massive arena and into the reinforced wall built just yesterday.
Stone cracked. Dust burst.
When it settled, Orga was slumped in the crater, embedded, limp, and thoroughly unconscious.
"F-Fairy Tail Team B… Laxus wins!" Pumpkin Man announced, voice trembling.
Fairy Tail this year was far stronger than anyone expected.
Laxus lowered his raised fist, tugged at his collar, and muttered coldly:
"Terrible opponent. Talks too much."
Lucy, from the stands, whispered, "He...he only said two sentences."
"Hahaha! Laxus hasn't changed at all," Cana cackled, thoroughly entertained. She uncorked a bottle of wine and took a swig.
Erza laughed too. "If anything, he's stronger than before."
Then she abruptly stopped laughing.
With Team B like this, how was Team A supposed to win?
The Thunder God Tribe erupted with pride.
"As expected of Laxus!"
"Well done, Laxus! That's my boy!" Makarov cheered, holding Asuka high like a trophy.
Levy smiled gently beside him. "That's wonderful, Master."
Everyone who understood her meaning gave matching knowing smiles, and began cheering even louder.
Makarov flushed. "A-As the Guild Master, I'm simply happy we earned more points!"
"So are we!" they all shouted back.
When Laxus returned, both Rhodes and Gajeel gave him a thumbs-up.
Juvia, who had rushed to the infirmary with Gray, still hadn't returned, Laxus's fight was over far too quickly.
Wendy beamed up at him. "You're amazing, Mr. Laxus!"
Laxus shrugged with a faint smirk. "My opponent was just a bit weak."
From the competition stage to the spectator stands, Fairy Tail overflowed with laughter and energy.
Sabertooth, in contrast, was drowned in suffocating silence.
Not a single point in today's event or battle rounds.
For a guild that prided itself on being the strongest, the humiliation was unbearable.
Master Jiemma sat rigidly in his seat, face dark as storm clouds. A heavy, oppressive aura radiated from him, and none of Sabertooth's members dared to exhale too loudly.
Orga, still unconscious, wasn't even retrieved by his own guild.The event staff had carried him away.
But the Grand Magic Games would not slow for Sabertooth's misery.The third match was already beginning.
"Eve of Blue Pegasus versus Caluger of Shining Sun!"
Both men were well-known, one a pretty-boy model, the other a handsome mage with a reputation in his guild.
After the referee called, "Start!", the two exchanged polite greetings before beginning.
Caluger struck first.
His Transformation Magic was unlike the usual kind.
He opened his right hand, and a dozen ornate magic staves flickered rapidly across his palm, shifting one after another until they stabilized into a single staff, green shaft, red tip.
A rose-shaped staff.
"Oh? Going straight for the Rose Staff?" Eve said, clearly familiar with his opponent's magic. "White Whirlwind!"
Snowflakes materialized out of thin air at his command, twisting into a powerful snowstorm spiraling toward Caluger.
Caluger swept his rose staff gracefully.
"Rose Petal Rain."
From the tip, countless crimson petals burst forth.
They looked delicate, light as air.
But the moment they touched the snowstorm, the petals fused with the spinning snow, dyeing the entire whirlwind red.
Eve instantly lost control of his spell.
The transformed storm shattered, bursting into a cascade of drifting red petals that fluttered down like a dream.
Caluger stood in his long blue mage robe, gold and red embroidery shining at the hems, long blond hair billowing among the petals.
The arena transformed into a breathtaking scene, an elegant, floating garden. Screams erupted from the audience, especially from the young girls mesmerized by the display.
"It's so beautiful!" Wendy and Juvia exclaimed at the same time.
Rhodes watched the scene with a sigh of mild regret.
"I should've invited him to Mira's and my wedding. Well, keep him in mind for yours someday."
Laxus and Gajeel remained stone-faced, pretending they heard nothing. Juvia nodded with extreme vigor.
Wendy's cheeks flushed bright pink.
"I...I don't even have a boy I like yet…"
Juvia reacting like this was normal.
But Wendy taking it seriously was unexpectedly adorable.
Rhodes patted the top of Wendy's head gently.
His thoughts drifted again, today they seemed fixed on Mira.