The first round of the S-Class exam concluded with mixed results.
Only two teams emerged victorious: Erza Belserion and Ultear Milkovich.
In Channel D, the battle between the Strauss siblings and the Wizard Saint had ended early.
Mira had fought with the ferocity of a demon, but against Ur's boundless magical reserves and mastery over Ice Make, she ultimately lost due to insufficient Magic Power.
It was a bitter defeat, but a valuable lesson.
...
Meanwhile, inside Channel A, a different kind of struggle was reaching its end.
Starting from the fiftieth ice wall, Kagura had reached her physical limit.
Her hands, wrapped around the hilt of Archenemy, trembled violently.
She had to grip the sword with both hands, planting her feet firmly and concentrating every ounce of her remaining energy for a single strike.
'Breathe. Focus. Strike.'
Breaking through each wall wasn't just a physical task anymore; it was a mental breakthrough.
It took an exceptionally long time.
The sound of chipping ice echoed through the tunnel for what felt like hours.
Yet, no one urged her on. No one complained about the delay. Even the successful candidates gathered at the exit watched the lacrima projection in respectful silence.
'Fifty-nine... Sixty...'
At the sixty-first ice wall, Kagura's legs finally gave out.
She collapsed onto the cold floor and her vision began to blur.
"Kagura!"
Happy, who had been faithfully by her side, didn't let it end there.
With tears in his eyes, the little blue cat grabbed the collar of her kimono.
"One more! Just one more!"
Using his Max Speed, Happy flew toward the wall, dragging Kagura with him.
Using the momentum of the flight and her last ounce of will, she swung her sword.
CRASH.
The sixty-first wall shattered.
Kagura fell amidst the shards, unconscious but victorious in spirit.
Although she didn't complete the trial, her perseverance earned everyone's recognition.
As Happy dragged her out of the cave, the guild members spontaneously broke into applause.
Even Raizel was surprised.
He had designed the test thinking that breaking half—fifty walls—would be impressive for her current level.
Kagura had pushed that number by ten more through sheer grit.
...
Makarov dutifully announced the results, allowing a brief moment for the candidates to recover.
Then, he cleared his throat to reveal the content of the Second Round.
"The second round is simple," Makarov declared, pointing a finger at the dark-haired mage standing beside him.
"Erza, Ultear, Natsu, and Gray will jointly fight against Raizel."
Silence descended on the clearing.
"FOUR AGAINST ONE?!" Natsu shouted, stomping his foot. "Isn't that too unfair?! I want to fight him one-on-one!"
"You're overthinking it, Flame Brain," Gray sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
He was very self-aware.
"The two of us are just filler. At best, this is a two-against-one fight. We're just the distraction."
Raizel stepped forward, meeting the intense gazes of Ultear and Erza.
"You don't necessarily have to defeat me," Raizel said calmly. "Just show me strength that I can acknowledge. Prove to me that you are ready for the burden of S-Class. That will be enough."
"Ultear! Erza! Do your best!" Mavis Vermillion, sitting on a tree branch, cheered them on, swinging her legs happily.
"I'm looking forward to your performance!"
"Let's change locations," Raizel said.
SNAP.
He snapped his fingers and a magic circle enveloped the group.
Instantaneously, they were teleported to a vast, open rocky plateau on the other side of Tenrou Island.
"Take Over: Alphamon."
Raizel didn't hold back.
Dark purple digital data swirled around him, expanding rapidly.
When the light faded, a behemoth stood before them.
The Royal Knight, Alphamon.
Standing nearly six meters tall, the entity was clad in obsidian-black armor with gold trimmings.
A massive, tattered cape flowed from its shoulders, and large mechanical wings spread from its back.
Its presence was suffocating, radiating a majesty that felt ancient and absolute.
(The face was obscured by the high collar and helmet, giving it the aura of a faceless judge.)
"This is the first time I've seen Raizel use this form in combat," Makarov muttered, stroking his mustache.
He had seen Raizel display it during the Harvest Festival parade, but never in a fight.
"I've seen it," Laxus grunted from the sidelines.
He proudly curled the corner of his mouth, though his eyes held a trace of trauma.
"It fucking hurts."
After the first Harvest Festival, Laxus had arrogantly asked Raizel to fight him using this form.
Raizel hadn't even dodged.
He just smacked Laxus into the ground like a fly. Laxus had tried challenging him again afterward, but the result was always the same: this form was overwhelmingly well-rounded.
It had no weaknesses.
....
"Alright! LET'S GO!"
Natsu couldn't wait any longer. He leaped into the air, his fist wreathed in flames.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
BAM.
Natsu's punch connected with Raizel's left palm.
Raizel didn't even budge. He caught the fist effortlessly and, with a casual flick of his wrist, flung Natsu away like a ragdoll.
"Whoa!"
"Ice Make: Slide!"
Ultear reacted instantly. She created a curved ramp of ice to catch Natsu and cushion the impact.
Natsu slid down the ice, swirling around loops.
"Ugh..." Natsu turned green, clutching his mouth. "Motion... sickness..."
"Even slides count as vehicles?!" Gray screamed, clutching his head. "Are you fucking serious?!"
Erza didn't dare to take the situation lightly.
"Requip: Fairy Armor!"
A pink light engulfed her.
She emerged wearing her strongest armor—a beautiful, intricate pink suit adorned with wing motifs, wielding dual swords.
This armor bore the name of the guild itself, forged from rare materials she had collected over many years.
It symbolized her pride as a Fairy Tail mage!
"Let's go!"
Erza exchanged a glance with Ultear. They charged forward together.
"Ice Make: Super Freezing Ice Arrows!"
"Ice Make: Infinite Blade Leaves!"
Gray and Ultear formed hand seals from a distance, launching a barrage of projectiles to cover Erza's advance.
Raizel raised a single palm.
A semi-circular green energy barrier materialized around him, blocking the assault with a series of loud clangs.
Erza closed the distance. She struck Raizel's armored right arm with two consecutive, heavy slashes.
Sparks flew, but the armor held.
"AND ME!"
Natsu, having recovered from his brief slide-induced nausea, channeled his rage into an even more powerful attack from the opposite flank.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Raizel stood his ground, parrying Erza's swords with his left arm and catching Natsu's attacks with his right.
He was fighting two powerhouses simultaneously with casual ease.
"Frontal attacks are ineffective!" Gray shouted.
He slammed his hands onto the ground. "Ice Make: Ice Geyser!"
RUMBLE.
The ground beneath Raizel exploded and a massive pillar of ice shot upward.
"You hit me too, you idiot!" Natsu screamed.
The geyser was so massive that it not only lifted Raizel but also slammed into Natsu, launching him into the air.
Erza, reacting with supernatural reflexes, managed to backflip away just in time.
"This is way too high! How are we supposed to fight?!" Natsu yelled, looking up.
The ice geyser had elevated Raizel over ten meters into the air.
Raizel showed no panic.
He stabilized his stance on the rising pillar, looking down at them like a king.
"Now!" Ultear shouted.
"Flash of the Myriad Gods!"
Dozens of crystal spheres materialized in the sky around Raizel. They fired consecutive beams of concentrated magical light at him from all angles.
Ultear had prepared this trap earlier, waiting for Gray to lift the target into the kill zone.
She held nothing back.
"Heavenly Wheel: Chaotic Sword!"
Erza requipped mid-air.
Dozens of magical swords replicated behind her, forming a deadly ring. She commanded them to shoot toward Raizel.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sky lit up. As the beams and swords struck, Raizel didn't dodge.
He fired green energy beams from his palms, intercepting the attacks with pinpoint accuracy. The collisions created brilliant flashes of light and shockwaves that shook the island.
Then, Raizel moved.
With a forceful stomp of his left foot, he shattered the massive ice geyser.
CRASH.
He descended slowly amidst the falling debris, his cape billowing.
Upon landing, he raised a hand, signaling them.
"Continue."
They didn't need to be told twice.
The moment Raizel's boots touched the ground, Ultear activated her trap.
"Arc of Time: Fast Forward!"
She accelerated the time of the seeds buried beneath his feet.
In a split second, massive vines and roots sprouted from the earth, wrapping around Raizel's legs and torso, binding him.
"NOW!"
"Heaven Wheel: Pentagram Sword!"
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"
"Ice Make: Super Freezing Ice Arrows!"
Seizing the opportunity, Erza, Natsu, and Gray attacked from three sides.
Raizel broke his right arm free and shattered Gray's incoming ice arrows with a backhand swipe.
Erza took advantage of the opening.
She dashed in, her silver-white blades glowing.
She deftly evaded a beam from Raizel's palm and slashed across his chest, leaving a glowing pentagram-shaped mark on his armor.
Natsu wasn't as fortunate. He came in for a Wing Attack, but Raizel caught him with a brutal punch to the gut.
WHAM.
Natsu was sent flying toward the ocean. By Raizel's estimation, if Natsu fell into the sea, he would be out of the fight.
"Gotcha!"
Gray created a large Ice Make: Net, catching Natsu before he hit the water.
Meanwhile, Ultear conjured several layers of ice shields reinforced with vines to block the retaliatory beams Raizel fired at them.
The five combatants fought fiercely.
Ultear seamlessly combined her Ice Make with Arc of Time to create shifting battlefields.
Erza continuously requipped, switching armors to match the flow of combat.
Natsu acted as the heavy hitter, constantly rushing back in despite getting hit.
Gray played the ultimate support, protecting Ultear while dealing chip damage and catching his teammates when they were thrown.
Dust erupted everywhere, engulfing the battlefield and Raizel was momentarily blinded by the cloud.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Natsu roared, but he didn't aim at Raizel. He aimed at the back of Erza's weapon.
Erza had changed into her Giant Armor as she held the massive Evil-Destroying Spear.
Natsu punched the end of the spear, acting as a human thruster to boost its velocity.
ZOOM.
The spear hurtled through the dust toward Raizel.
Simultaneously, Ultear and Gray slammed their hands on the ground.
"Ice Make: Ice Chains!"
Massive chains of ice with heavy blocks attached to the ends shot up from the ground, wrapping around Raizel's limbs and restricting his movements just as the spear approached.
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