Fairy Tail: Collapsing Stars

Chapter 493: The Eclipse Gate Opens Once Again!

”Zzzzt!”

”BOOM!!”

Black lightning continuously flashed, and Gajeelʼs head instantly slammed into Future Rogueʼs chest. The terrifying force caused Rogue to spit blood, his eyes turning bloodshot.

”Big Bro Gajeel?!”

Before Future Rogue could finish speaking, his entire body was sent flying backward like a cannonball, crashing heavily into the ice wall behind him.

”Crack, crack, crack…”

As Rogueʼs body collided with the ice, cracks immediately spread across the supposedly indestructible surface. Then, accompanied by a roar, the ice shattered and fell all over the ground…

”Huff…”

After knocking Future Rogue down with a single swing, the beautiful girl with long scarlet hair slowly exhaled.

The person who had arrived was none other than Erza Belserion!

”I heard from Big Bro Evan that youʼre the brat who wanted to become the King of the World?!”

Erza casually threw the anti-dragon weapon Gajeel in her hand onto the ground. She then walked over to the sprawled-out Rogue and asked coldly.

”How did I get exposed?!”

Future Rogue was half-conscious and half-dazed. After hearing Erzaʼs words, his expression froze, and panic immediately filled his heart.

He had clearly concealed his plan to use the Eclipse Gate to cause trouble. So how exactly had this plan been leaked?!

Could it be that there was still some expert inside the Fairy Tail Guild who could use mind-reading magic?!

At that thought, Future Rogue was suddenly startled, and his heart filled with lingering fear…

”What kind of king did you say you wanted to become?!”

Just as Future Rogue was wondering how he had been exposed, Erzaʼs voice sounded beside his ears once again.

”I donʼt want to anymore, I donʼt want to…”

Future Rogueʼs body twitched on the ground. He wanted to stand up, but he discovered that his injuries were too severe. He could only remain in the same position.

Helpless, Future Rogue lay there and muttered under his breath.

”Huh? What did you say?!”

Erza looked at Future Rogue, who was constantly twitching on the ground. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.

She then directly picked up Gajeel from the ground and gave Future Rogue another swing.

”Pfft…”

After that single blow, Future Rogue spat out three liters of old blood before fainting on the ground, completely unable to move.

”What a pity. As expected, this weapon is still too weak. If I had switched to Serena, I could have dealt with this guy with just one swing…”

Erza looked at the unconscious Future Rogue, shook her head, and sighed helplessly. She then tossed the Sacred Sword Gajeel aside once again.

In Erzaʼs eyes, the reason she couldnʼt knock Future Rogue out with a single swing was entirely because her weapon, Gajeel, was too weak~

”…”

It was precisely after Erza had dealt with Future Rogue and Gajeel that the ice wall finally shattered completely, revealing Invel Yuraʼs figure.

”Isnʼt that Invel?!”

”What? Are you with this guy?”

Erza looked at the exposed Invel Yura and asked.

”Donʼt talk nonsense! Who is this guy? I donʼt know him! Iʼve never seen him before!”

”I just got here…”

After hearing Erzaʼs words, Invel Yuraʼs body trembled slightly as he repeatedly shook his head.

”You donʼt know him?!”

”Then forget it…”

After hearing Invel Yuraʼs answer, Erza narrowed her eyes slightly before smiling at him.

”Coincidentally, Iʼm still short one teammate to help me carry the bodies. You can carry this guy, and Gajeel too. No problem, right?!”

”Of course!”

Upon hearing this, Invel Yura nodded vigorously, looking as though he would go through fire and water for Erza without hesitation.

”Good…”

”At present, Iʼve only found one of my four weapons, Gajeel! There are still three more to find. Thereʼs no time to waste. Weʼre setting out immediately!”

As Erza spoke, she turned around and ran forward.

”Okay!”

Invel Yura didnʼt dare refuse. He carried Future Rogue over one shoulder and grabbed Gajeel by the collar with one hand, hurriedly following behind Erza.

At the same time, Invel Yura looked at Future Rogue on his shoulder and shook his head, lamenting inwardly.

”What a pity. I originally thought you could become one of my closest friends! Yet in the end, you wound up like this. If you want someone to blame, blame yourself for provoking Erza~ As everyone knows, in the Fairy Tail Guild, youʼd rather provoke Evan than provoke Evanʼs good little sister Erza, the ultimate sis-conʼs little sister! Thatʼs the number-one ironclad rule for surviving in the Fairy Tail Guild!”

Although Invel Yura felt sorry for Rogue, he had no intention of helping him.

The reason Invel Yura had been able to thrive in the Fairy Tail Guild wasnʼt because of anything else. It was simply because he, Invel Yura, followed the rules!

As Erza began frantically searching for her weapons throughout the Dracula Grand Labyrinth, the peace of the entire labyrinth was once again shattered…

On the other side, on the continent of Ishgar, within the Kingdom of Fiore, at the Flower Capital, Crocus, the first Grand Magic Games had finally entered its final stage…

After several consecutive days of battles.

The final point rankings of the various guilds participating in the Grand Magic Games were as follows.

The first place unquestionably belonged to Jellalʼs guest team. Ever since the Grand Magic Games began, Jellal and the other Ten Wizard Saints on his team had never lost.

There was nothing they could do about it. Jellalʼs guest team was simply too powerful!

Even Warrod Sequen, the weakest in terms of combat ability on the team, was not someone the members of the other teams could casually contend with. Even Jura and Bluenote werenʼt one hundred percent confident that they could defeat Warrod, who basically didnʼt know any combat magic.

The second-place team naturally belonged to the Mage Guild Grimoire Heart, led by Bluenote.

After all, besides Bluenote himself, the team he led also had Hades and Jose, two powerhouses who had stepped into the realm of the Ten Wizard Saints.

In terms of overall strength, they could be considered the second-strongest team in the entire competition.

As for the team currently ranked third, it wasnʼt Lamia Scale, where Jura was located, but rather the five brats sent by the Magic Council ERA!

The five brats had activated their Second Origin and received guidance from numerous experts within the Council. Although they didnʼt possess a powerhouse as dazzling as Bluenote or Jura, their overall strength ranked third among all the teams.

Thus, in their clashes with the other teams, the five brats accumulated quite a number of points…

As for fourth place, it finally belonged to Juraʼs Lamia Scale.

Unfortunately, in the enormous Lamia Scale, there were no particularly outstanding Mages besides Jura. No matter how hard Jura worked on his own, the teamʼs final result could only stop at the final four.

Fifth place belonged to Blue Pegasus, led by Ichiya.

Although the Mages of the entire Blue Pegasus team werenʼt particularly suited for combat, their overall quality was still superior to that of Four Hound, led by Pacas.

Four Hound now gave people the feeling of being completely devoid of successors!

As for sixth place, it naturally belonged to Four Hound, led by Pacas.

If one had to evaluate Four Hound in a single sentence, it would be this:

Apart from Pacas, the enormous guild was practically good for nothing…

Incidentally, after Sabertooth withdrew from the competition due to force majeure, in order to maintain the balance of the competition and prevent anyone from receiving a free pass in the battle rounds, the Wolf Knights received an order from the King on the second day after Sabertoothʼs withdrawal, forcing them to withdraw as well…

Because the Wolf Knights had a higher score than Sabertooth when they withdrew, the Wolf Knights ultimately ranked seventh, while Sabertooth naturally ranked eighth.

”The first Grand Magic Games are finally over~”

”Come to think of it, most of this yearʼs Grand Magic Games consisted of competitions related to combat. Itʼs a little boring!”

”For the next Grand Magic Games, we can consider adding shooting, swimming, a bikini contest, and all sorts of other events to test the abilities of Mages!”

Inside the royal palace, Pumpkin sat on the throne and removed his headgear, revealing his slightly weathered face.

Although the Grand Magic Games had just ended, he had already begun planning the second Grand Magic Games.

”Um, Your Majesty the King, I understand shooting and swimming, but what exactly is this bikini contest?!”

Pumpkin… or rather, the King of the Kingdom of Fiore, Old Toma E. Fiore, was asked this question by the captain of the Magic Knight order, Karios, after hearing Old Toma muttering to himself.

”Huh? You donʼt understand what a bikini contest is? Do I really need to explain it? A bikini contest is a competition where a group of beautiful young women brimming with sexiness and youthfulness wear bikinis on the beach and show off their figures!”

After hearing Kariosʼs question, Old Toma frowned and seriously explained.

”No! Of course I understand what a bikini contest means! I just donʼt understand what this has to do with the Grand Magic Games?”

Karios continued questioning Old Toma.

”Of course it has something to do with it! Because I want to watch…”

Old Toma was silent for a moment before seriously answering Karios.

”Donʼt you want to watch it too, Karios?”

At the same time, after remaining silent for a while, Old Toma asked Karios.

”To be perfectly honest, Your Majesty, I really want to watch!”

Upon hearing Old Tomaʼs words, the corners of Kariosʼs mouth curled upward, revealing the lecherous gaze of an old pervert.

”Heh heh heh…”

After a while, extremely unrestrained laughter echoed throughout the enormous royal palace.

”Tch~”

Outside the royal palace, the newly adult Emerald Princess heard the lecherous laughter coming from inside the door and couldnʼt help clicking her tongue.

”Looks like the future of the Kingdom of Fiore can only depend on me!”

”This enormous kingdom, including the King himself, is filled with scumbags. There isnʼt a single useful person among them. What a pity, what a lament…”

As Emerald spoke, she slightly furrowed her brows and walked toward the distance.

That year, Emerald awakened.

She was determined to become the great Queen who would lead the Kingdom of Fiore toward prosperity and strength!

Emeraldʼs heart burned with ambition. She wanted to make this country great again!

As for how she would make the Kingdom of Fiore great again, Emerald believed that there was no one in this world who understood this matter better than her…

Nobody knows it better than me!

At the same time, in the arena that should have already been empty, the Mages who should have already departed had not actually left.

They stood in the arena, confronting two Mages.

Standing at the front of this group of Mages were none other than Jellal and Precht.

As for the reason these Mages had stayed behind, it was nothing more than wanting to challenge Jellalʼs position as one of the Ten Wizard Saints…

As for Precht, he had remained behind as both a referee and a guest to judge the battle. At the same time, when the battle between Jellal and the other Mages reached its climax, Precht was responsible for stopping Jellal and protecting the lives of the other Mages.

”Are you sure you want to spar with me?!”

Jellal stood with his hands behind his back as he asked Jura, Bluenote, and the other Mages before him.

”Iʼm not here to fight Mr. Jellal. Iʼm here to watch the battle! And after the battle, Iʼll take the Mages from my guild home!”

Jura shook his head at Jellal.

As one of the Ten Wizard Saints himself, he naturally understood Jellalʼs strength. He also knew that he was no longer Jellalʼs opponent.

Jellal was a genuine genius.

”Same here…”

Bluenote likewise had no intention of sparring with Jellal.

If he wanted to, he could completely reclaim his position as one of the Ten Wizard Saints. However, he had absolutely no interest in becoming a Ten Wizard Saint.

After all, the brown-haired man who had once awakened him with a single punch wasnʼt even on the Ten Wizard Saintsʼ rankings.

”Of course. Please, give us your guidance…”

After Jura and Bluenote made their positions clear, Pacas and the other powerhouses belonging to Mage Guilds from the various kingdoms throughout Ishgar gave an answer to the contrary.

The reason they had gathered together was for none other than the seat beneath Jellalʼs backside!

Thus, after hearing Jellalʼs words, they immediately nodded.

”We want to experience the difference between ourselves and the Ten Wizard Saints!”

Immediately afterward, nearly several hundred people spoke in unison to Jellal and Precht.

”Senior Warrod, Senior Hyberion, and Senior Wolfheim have already returned because they still have important matters to handle in managing the Magic Council ERA. Since you want to experience the difference between yourselves and the current Ten Wizard Saints, Iʼll trade a few blows with you!”

As Jellal spoke, he removed the trench coat he was wearing, revealing the black tight-fitting shirt underneath.

He then walked before the group of Mages and spoke coldly.

”Heh heh, the chance to challenge a Ten Wizard Saint is rare! Since I have this opportunity, why donʼt I go first?!”

As Jellalʼs voice fell, Jose walked directly out of the crowd.

”I only want to ask one question. Assuming I really manage to defeat the current Ten Wizard Saint, can I regain my status as a Ten Wizard Saint?!”

Jose looked at Jellal, eager to give it a try.

”Of course!”

”Senior Precht and everyone present can serve as impartial witnesses!”

Jellal smiled faintly after hearing Joseʼs words, seemingly not taking what Jose had said to heart at all.

”In that case, this old man wonʼt hold back!”

”Young man, although your talent is extremely high, youʼre still far behind me! Anyone capable of becoming a Ten Wizard Saint has made a name for themselves at a young age and possesses extraordinary talent.

Donʼt say Iʼm bullying you. Although Iʼm the one challenging you, Iʼll still let you make the first move!”

Jose walked up before Jellal, raised the corners of his mouth, and beckoned him with a finger.

In fact, Jose wasnʼt mindlessly provoking Jellal.

Over the past week, Jose believed that he had already gained a fairly thorough understanding of Jellalʼs strength.

The opponentʼs strength should be roughly on par with his own…

”Fine. Since thatʼs the case, I wonʼt hold back!”

Jellal had no intention of being polite with Jose either.

He rolled his wrist, and golden light instantly erupted from his body.

”Meteor!”

Accompanied by a flash of light, Jellalʼs figure instantly disappeared from where he stood.

”Hehe, youʼve fallen for it! Let me show you my strongest magic, Soul Dissolution…”

As Jellal used Meteor, the corners of Joseʼs mouth curled upward.

He had been waiting for this move for a long time.

All he needed to do next was envelop his entire body in his strongest magic, then wait for Jellal to charge straight into him.

And that would be the end of it.

”BOOM!”

Just as Jose was thinking this, accompanied by a stream of black energy, Jose was struck directly in the chin by an attack that appeared out of nowhere, and he was sent flying backward.

”Next…”

The movement had been simply too fast.

So fast that everyone nearby had no idea what had happened.

By the time they had somewhat recovered, Jellal had already returned to his original position, standing with his hands behind his back as he coldly spoke to the Mages present.

”Mr. Jellalʼs attacks are still as terrifying as ever…”

For a moment, all the Mages present were stunned.

One had to know that Jose Porla was not some random nobody.

He was a former Ten Wizard Saint…

Although Jose Porla had been imprisoned for several years because of certain mistakes, his strength shouldnʼt have declined to the point where he could be instantly killed by a current Ten Wizard Saint, right?!

”Unfortunately, Jose. The Ten Wizard Saint position you once represented has long since become meaningless. There is no place for you among the new Ten Wizard Saints!”

Jellal looked at the fallen Jose and spoke coldly.

”Next. Whoʼs coming?!”

Jellal stood with his hands behind his back and asked the Mages present.

”This…”

As Jellalʼs voice fell, the Mages who had originally intended to challenge the Ten Wizard Saints all showed traces of hesitation.

Clearly, after Jellal had instantly defeated Jose, everyone had begun to lose confidence.

They had thought challenging a Ten Wizard Saint was far too simple.

There wasnʼt a single weakling among those selected by the Magic Council ERA to become the Ten Wizard Saints…

”How about this? All of you come at once!”

”Iʼll use my ultimate secret technique to tell you!”

”Exactly how much strength a current Ten Wizard Saint truly needs.”

Jellal looked at the hesitant Mages before him and sighed helplessly before extending an invitation to all the Mages present.

”All of us at once?!”

After Jellalʼs words fell, all the Mages were stunned.

”If you come one at a time, the result wonʼt change no matter who comes!”

”If you come together, you might still have some hope!”

”Even if you canʼt directly obtain the title of Ten Wizard Saint, once you defeat me, you can still tell everyone outside that you once defeated a Ten Wizard Saint.”

Jellal saw the astonishment and hesitation in the eyes of the Mages before him, so he straightforwardly explained the pros and cons to everyone present.

”Oh?!”

After hearing Jellalʼs words, the eyes of the Mages present immediately lit up.

Just as Jellal had said, although ganging up on him wouldnʼt allow them to obtain the title of Ten Wizard Saint, once they defeated Jellal, they could publicly claim that they had once defeated a Ten Wizard Saint.

As for how they had defeated him, or under what circumstances, nobody would care about that at all.

”Excuse us!”

After everyone understood, they immediately began activating their Magic Circles.

For a moment, all kinds of Magic Circles began flashing across the Grand Magic Games arena!

Countless rays of light illuminated the entire arena.

”In that case, itʼs time for me to make my move too!”

Jellal looked at the group of Mages before him.

Not only did he not feel any pressure, he instead smiled.

It had been Jellal himself who suggested that all the Mages attack him simultaneously.

Naturally, he had his own reasons for doing so…

Jellal assumed an offensive stance, and an endless amount of Magic Power began gathering toward him!

The terrifying pressure caused the entire Grand Magic Games arena to creak and groan!

”Hehe~”

Precht had been standing there with his arms crossed, his eyes utterly indifferent as he watched Jellal and the group of Mages fight.

But after Jellal assumed his stance, a faint trace of interest finally appeared in his lifeless eyes.

”Celestial Magic?!”

Prechtʼs knowledge of magic was incredibly profound.

Just from seeing Jellalʼs opening stance, he had already guessed what magic Jellal was about to use.

”Celestial Magic? Could it be that move?!”

As Prechtʼs voice fell, both Bluenote and Jura were stunned.

Then, as if they had thought of something, cold sweat appeared on their foreheads.

Speaking of Celestial Magic, Evan, who currently ranked first among the Ten Wizard Saints, had a signature technique that was simply too famous!

It was practically renowned throughout the entire continent…

”BOOM!!”

Just as Precht, Bluenote, and Jura reacted completely differently to Jellalʼs opening stance, the previously calm sky suddenly became covered in countless dark clouds.

For a moment, the black clouds shrouded the entire Grand Magic Games arena, even enveloping the entirety of the Flower Capital, Crocus…

”This level of Celestial Magic…”

”If it falls, then not only will the entire arena be destroyed, even the Flower Capital, Crocus, will probably be destroyed as well…”

”Thereʼs no choice…”

”Defensive Magic Circle: Thirty-Six Divine Pillars!”

Precht looked at the dark clouds filling the sky, slightly furrowed his brows, and then clapped his hands, activating his magic!

It was like how an ordinary person using an Amaterasu-style Magic Circle could only use them one at a time, while Precht could stack those Magic Circles together and ultimately use Amaterasu Hundredfold, a Magic Circle capable of instantly killing a powerhouse on the level of a Ten Wizard Saint.

Likewise, when it came to defensive magic, even Makarov could only summon three Divine Pillars as his strongest defensive magic.

After improving and stacking the technique, Precht could summon thirty-six pillars at once!

”BOOM!”

In an instant, thirty-six Divine Pillars directly protected the entire arena…

”Still not enough?!”

Precht wasnʼt satisfied with this.

He decided to get a little more serious.

”Ultimate Defensive Magic: Hundredfold Divine Pillars!”

In order to prevent the terrifying shockwaves from the meteor that was about to fall from reaching Crocus, Precht immediately arranged one hundred Divine Pillars throughout the city of Crocus!

At once, a powerful defensive barrier enveloped the entire Crocus…

As for the thirty-six Divine Pillars protecting the arena, unfortunately, the barrier they produced only covered the ground.

It did not protect the Mages who had intended to fight Jellal and considered themselves powerful.

”We always say that if you know your mistake, you can correct it…”

”How laughable! A true mistake, once committed, can leave you unable to recover forever.”

”So whenever you do something, be sure to think three times before acting!”

After doing all of this, Precht looked at the astonished Mages in the arena and helplessly shook his head.

”True Celestial Magic: Meteor Crash!!”

The instant Precht finished setting up the barrier, Jellal unleashed his ultimate magic.

”RUMBLE!!”

As Jellalʼs voice fell, a rumble instantly came from the pitch-black sky.

Vaguely, it seemed as though something was about to descend from the heavens.

”Somethingʼs falling…”

For a moment, all the Mages in the arena were startled.

They looked toward the sky, their hearts filled with unease.

”BOOM!!”

Just as the Mages were still stunned, a sudden thunderclap rang out.

Accompanied by a sound tearing through the air, the countless dark clouds were instantly blasted apart.

A deep-red meteor, dragging a long tail behind it, descended toward the Mages in the arena at an unimaginable speed.

”Itʼs over…”

Jellal looked at the meteor that was about to fall.

His body transformed into faint specks of light, and he ran away first.

”Uh…”

Jellal could run.

Precht could run.

Bluenote used all of his Gravity Magic to create a Gravity Armor.

Jura used his strongest defensive magic, Solidification.

But the other Mages had no means of resisting this terrifying meteor at all!

”BOOM!”

The instant the meteor finally descended, none of the Mages present escaped.

Every single one experienced the agony of being crushed to pieces!

”BOOM…”

A howling gale swept outward from the arena.

The terrifying shockwave completely destroyed everything in its path.

The instant the meteor collided with the arena, most of the enormous arena disappeared.

Immediately afterward, the thirty-six Divine Pillars Precht had set up in advance bore the vast majority of the impact.

The remaining portion was further divided between Bluenote and Juraʼs magic…

However, even this meteor, weakened again and again, still broke through the defensive magic of everyone else present and inflicted terrifying injuries upon the entire group!

”Huff…”

In contrast, Crocus, which wasnʼt too far from the Grand Magic Games arena, had been protected by the powerful barrier Precht had established in advance.

Thus, by the time the shockwave reached the city, it had instead become nothing more than a gentle breeze, brushing across everyoneʼs faces.

”So beautiful!”

Jellal stood atop a distant mountain, quietly watching the red meteor descend and offering his evaluation.

Yes, Jellalʼs Celestial Magic was slightly different from ordinary Celestial Magic.

Jellalʼs red meteor traveled at three times the speed of an ordinary Celestial Magic meteor… Cough, cough.

”Another day of witnessing a meteor falling to the ground~”

After seeing that Prechtʼs defensive magic had neutralized most of the meteorʼs power, Jellal shook his head.

He then stood up, preparing to return to the Council.

As for the group of Mages in the arena, Jellal believed that after witnessing this move of his, they probably wouldnʼt be thinking about fighting him again anytime soon…

Jellal only hoped that these Mages who had witnessed a meteor falling to the ground wouldnʼt lose their confidence as Mages because of this and become completely discouraged.

That would be such a pity~

”Jellal has gotten stronger again!”

On another mountain peak, Precht gazed at the nearly destroyed Grand Magic Games arena.

The corners of his mouth curled upward before his figure flickered and disappeared from where he stood.

”Ah…”

”My arena! Where did my enormous arena go?!”

In the end, only the King of the Kingdom of Fiore was left to bear everything.

At this moment, Old Toma was kneeling before his arena, tears and snot streaming down his face.

His heart was absolutely aching!

”I sponsored you to hold the Grand Magic Games and even paid out of my own pocket to invite you as guests!”

”Not only did you throw fake matches during the Grand Magic Games, you even demolished my arena?!”

Old Toma clutched his heart.

He suddenly understood how Makarov felt.

There was no such thing as true empathy in this world.

Unless… the knife also fell upon you.

Only then could you understand what it meant for pain to be etched into your very bones.

”Big news! Earth-shattering big news!”

On the other side, even when faced with a meteor, he had remained fearless, and even when faced with a falling star, he had dared to charge forward and take a gamble.

The editor-in-chief of the Magic Magazine, Jess, was now covered in dirt, clutching his manuscript as he frantically recorded everything before him.

”An earth-shattering incident has occurred at the Grand Magic Games!”

”After the team battle ended, a group of Mages, under the pretext of challenging the Ten Wizard Saints, launched an attack against Jellal Fernandes, one of the current Ten Wizard Saints!”

”However, even after combining the power of all the elite Mages across the entire continent of Ishgar, they were still no match for Jellal!”

”In the end, every Mage, including former Ten Wizard Saint Jose Porla, was defeated by Mr. Jellal with a single strike!”

”Mr. Jellal is unquestionably the number-one Mage of the Grand Magic Games!”

”He is the strongest Mage in the Grand Magic Games…”

”No…”

”Perhaps the Jellal of today has already surpassed Evan Belserion, who currently ranks first among the Ten Wizard Saints!”

”Perhaps Jellal will become the number-one Mage of the entire continent of Ishgar…”

As the editor-in-chief, Jessʼs task was simply to grab onto any point that might become popular and then wildly exaggerate it.

Whether the information was actually true wasnʼt important to Jess.

What mattered was that the newspaper had to become popular, and the magazineʼs sales had to be high.

That was all that mattered~

As Jess finished recording everything, by evening, a newspaper titled:

”SHOCKING! Could There Be Another Number-One Mage on the Continent of Ishgar?!”

suddenly appeared at newspaper stands throughout the entire continent…

Just as Jess had predicted, the newspaper exploded in popularity!

And so, even Jellal himself had no idea that overnight, countless Mages across the continent of Ishgar had begun calling him the true strongest Mage on the continent…

The following week…

This extremely popular newspaper on the continent of Ishgar eventually reached the Northern Continent, Guiltina.

Along with the supplies Evan provided to Fairy Tail, it was also delivered into the labyrinth.

”Laxus, are you interested in this Grand Magic Games?!”

Inside the labyrinth, Freed had finally found Laxus.

Holding the newspaper in his hand, he asked Laxus.

”Huh? Whatʼs so interesting about a competition where someone as mediocre as Jellal can be called the strongest Mage in the world?!”

”Doesnʼt even the internal fighting in our guild have more credibility than that?”

Laxus placed the newspaper to the side and spoke disdainfully to Freed.

”As expected of Laxus! You completely donʼt take that competition seriously!”

”Though, thatʼs true too.”

”After all, itʼs a competition where even that mediocre Jellal can reach the top!”

After hearing Laxusʼs words, Freed immediately praised Laxus before agreeing with him.

”Damn it! Even that mediocre Jellal dares to call himself the strongest Mage in the world?! I canʼt stand it!”

On the other side, Erza, who had already collected two of her weapons, sat on a stone platform and looked at the newspaper in her hands, angrily declaring.

She looked as though she intended to have a showdown with Jellal.

”What a boring competition~”

Of course, besides Laxus and Erza, who appeared uninterested in the competition but actually desperately wanted to exchange blows with Jellal, there were also people who genuinely had no interest in either the competition or Jellal…

Gildarts was one of those people who had no interest in the competition.

However, whether Jellal wanted it or not, his achievements and the matter of the Grand Magic Games had already been deeply imprinted in the hearts of the Mages of the Fairy Tail Guild.

That was undeniable…

At the same time.

Just as the members of the Fairy Tail Guild were still engaged in a tug-of-war with Diabolos…

The Eclipse Gate, located in the capital of the Kingdom of Fiore, slowly opened once again!

This time, the person who emerged from the Eclipse Gate was still a black-robed figure.

However, compared with Future Rogue, this black-robed figure appeared much more slender.