Mavis, watching from the stands, looked at Hades Prehecht with a complex gaze. It really was him.
Although she had heard Makarov mention it, seeing him with her own eyes was still shocking. This old friend had actually walked the path of darkness; she was the one who had entrusted the guild to Precht back then.
Hades noticed her as well. Although Mavis was in a ghost state that only those with the Fairy Tail emblem could see, his eyes could peer directly at ghosts.
He froze for a moment, then looked away, unwilling to look into those disappointed eyes any longer.
He didn't understand it either; he had clearly abandoned everything related to Fairy Tail, so why was his emotion still fluctuating so much?
Suddenly, his gaze snapped toward the Fairy Tail stands, and he murmured in disbelief, "That's... Zera!"
The dead returning to life? How was that possible?
What on earth had happened to the Fairy Tail Guild? For so many bizarre things to occur?
Zera and Mavis looked at Hades and waved; after all, he was once their companion.
Hades remained silent for a moment before turning his head away. He no longer wanted to have too many entanglements with Fairy Tail.
Makarov also noticed them and shook his head slightly. Regarding his feelings for Hades, they were no less than Mavis's; it was just a pity that they had taken different paths.
He saw Raven Tail and shouted angrily, "Kids, beat those bastards to death for me! Ivan, you bastard!"
"Master, calm down! This is a competition!"
The others hurriedly held him back, fearing he would jump down to duel Ivan.
Below, Ivan, dressed in purple robes, saw him and smiled faintly. "Makarov, witness with your own eyes how I crush Fairy Tail. Your guild is fragile before me."
Not far away, Laxus's body crackled with electricity, his gaze cold. "I'll show you who's actually fragile!"
Ivan chuckled. "Laxus, it's been a long time. Are you going to throw yourself back into your father's arms? Come, my son!"
"Don't let him provoke you!"
Gray and Gildarts hurriedly held back the furious Laxus, fearing he would charge over.
Laxus snorted coldly and said, "I know. I'll finish him for good on the stage!"
Even though Ivan was his father, choosing to be an enemy of Fairy Tail was something he would never forgive.
The host, Jellal Fernandez, looked at the enthusiastic and bustling scene below and said with a smile, "With that, all the winning teams have gathered. Mr. Arima, do you have anything else to say?"
The little old man dressed in chef's clothes said with great emotion, "Young people are so energetic!"
"Uh... that's not what I was asking..."
Jellal Fernandez looked down helplessly, his voice becoming passionate: "Thank you for waiting! We are now beginning the second phase of the Grand Magic Games!"
As his voice explained, the illusory magic space floating in the sky began to transform, making it impossible to see the interior.
At the same time, clear text appeared in the sky, making it obvious to everyone.
"The next special event is currently unknown. We invite the ten guild teams to each send one person to participate!"
"The rules of the event will be announced once the contestants enter the illusory magic space. The winner gets ten points, and the losers lose ten points!"
Everyone was startled. That was a severe point deduction; just one or two victories could completely widen the score gap.
Gray stepped forward and said confidently, "I'll take the first round."
Gildarts patted his shoulder and laughed. "Then I'll leave it to you. Give it your all."
"Understood!"
On the other side, Acnologia chose to send Elfman. As long as Gray was participating, Juvia, with her love-struck brain, would definitely be excluded; anyone else was fine.
The host, Jellal Fernandez, looked at the people stepping out from the teams and continued, "The next contestants are... Blue Pegasus, Ieka!"
"Mermaid Heel, Beth!"
"Raven Tail, Nalpudding!"
"Sabertooth, Rufus Lohr!"
"Lamia Scale, Lyon Vastia!"
"Fairy Tail First Team, Gray Fullbuster!"
"Fairy Tail Second Team, Elfman Strauss!"
"Sword Guild, Ikaruga!"
"Crime Sorcière, Meredy!"
"Grimoire Heart, Hua Yuan Sical!"
"Now, will all participants please enter the illusory magic space. The rules are being announced!"
As the ten people entered the illusory magic space, they instantly arrived in a Labyrinth Town within the illusory world, with the ten people scattered in different locations.
Lines of text were written in the air: "The first person to find the exit and return to reality wins. The Labyrinth Town is filled with traps, mechanisms, and opportunities. You may also encounter enemies, in which case you must fight. Those who lose the ability to compete may voluntarily withdraw."
"A labyrinth?"
Everyone was shocked. For most people, this would depend on luck. If your luck was bad and you triggered a trap, you'd be sent packing immediately.
The host Jellal Fernandez asked, "Mr. Arima, which contestant are you favoring?"
Arima twitched his grey eyebrows and said, "I'm favoring Rufus, but young Gray also has a good chance."
"And today's guest, Miss Jenny from Blue Pegasus?"
Jenny smiled and said, "Beth from Mermaid Heel, of course. She's a cute little beauty."
"Let's wait and see!"
...Elfman looked at the unfamiliar town. The architectural style was similar to Magnolia Town, with not only small shops but also towering spires and churches.
"Fortunately, it depends on luck. My luck has always been pretty good!"
However, with all these streets and alleys, how was he supposed to find the exit? The rules didn't hint at what the exit looked like. Could it be the same as the exit in the preliminary round?
On the other side, Gray was also walking aimlessly on the road, thinking to himself: "Since there's an exit, maybe one of these shop doors could be it."
He tried to push open a shop door, immediately triggering a trap. Lines of text were written in the air.
"Trap triggered: Spin in place for five minutes!"
"How can there be something like this? It's wasting my time!"
Gray's expression immediately became strained. He wanted to push the door and leave, only to find himself trapped in place, so he helplessly began to spin.
Lyon from Lamia Scale looked at the town, a smile appearing on his face. "A tiny labyrinth, can it hold me?"
"Ice-Make: Pillar!"
Lyon activated his Ice-Make Magic, and a blue magic circle expanded beneath his feet.
Immediately afterward, an ice pillar rose from the ground. He stepped onto the pillar and instantly reached a height of five hundred meters, taking in the entire town.
Bang!
Before he could observe carefully, he triggered a trap, and lines of text unfolded.
"Triggered: High-Altitude Ejection!"
"What??"
Lyon's expression was one of shock. Before he could prepare, he was kicked in the butt by a massive illusory golden foot, sending him crashing into the distance like a meteor, leaving only a scream behind.
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