At the end of the year X781, Cana, Mirajane, and several others once again participated in the S-Class exam.
Mirajane narrowly defeated Cana, but the final result was that both Mirajane and Cana were promoted to S-Class Mages.
This was the decision made by the examiner, Laxus, and both Raizel and Makarov agreed.
After all, Raizel hardly took on any quests these days, so having one more S-Class Mage wasn't a major issue for the guild's quest balance.
Moreover, since Cana's strength had reached the required level, it would have been unfair not to let her pass.
Furthermore, no one would ever doubt the caliber of Fairy Tail's S-Class Mages.
The annual Harvest Festival battles and the guild's quest completion rate consistently demonstrated the strength of Fairy Tail's members.
Mest did not participate this year.
He had quietly left the guild, just as Raizel had anticipated.
Makarov had him change his name and infiltrate the Magic Council to gather information.
The Alvarez Empire's previous intention to attack Ishgar still left Makarov deeply unsettled.
Raizel didn't have to guess or recall this himself; he was present during Makarov's meeting with Mest.
Makarov had invited Raizel to listen in. In the end, Mest didn't even erase Raizel's memory of the event.
...
Mount Ferrous
Mount Ferrous was rich in various ores and Lacrima, attracting many miners for year-round excavation.
Bounty hunters and Mages from various guilds also frequented the area, searching for special materials.
A village was located here, home to many residents who relied on the mountain.
Recently, however, miners and bounty hunters dared not enter Mount Ferrous, forcing all mining operations to halt.
The reason was simple. Some time ago, a blasting operation by the miners had awakened a slumbering magical beast, which subsequently attacked them.
This creature seemed to be the legendary monster long spoken of in Mount Ferrous folklore—The Beast King.
The mine owner, anxious about the halted operations, urgently sought out the Council and posted a request.
The Council assigned it to the nearest official guilds.
However, one guild after another failed the Extermination Quest; one guild even dispatched an entire team but still couldn't resolve the situation.
Consequently, this quest was upgraded from a regular rank to an S-Class Quest, and the request was assigned to Fairy Tail.
It wasn't that Fairy Tail was particularly close by, but rather that Fairy Tail's current reputation was immense and its strength was formidable.
The Council wished to avoid further casualties, as skilled Mages were not exactly commonplace.
After meeting with the quest client, the three siblings—Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman—entered Mount Ferrous.
The awakened Beast King had a fixed lair. Having learned its location from the client, the trio made their way through the mountain valleys.
Mirajane led the way, with Lisanna and Elfman following closely behind her.
All three were tense, constantly observing their surroundings as they proceeded.
Before coming, the three siblings had visited Raizel and Ultear.
Raizel had repeatedly warned Mirajane not to underestimate the Beast King, and she had taken his advice to heart.
A faint tremor passed through the earth. The sound of leaves rustling against a large body came from Mirajane's right.
"Take Over, now!" Mirajane reacted instantly, shouting to alert Elfman and Lisanna while immediately activating her own Satan Soul.
A massive Magic Beast, standing about five meters tall, appeared before the three siblings.
It was a humanoid beast with a pair of curved giant horns on its head.
Its body was covered in armor-like keratin layers, and coils of muscle throughout its frame exuded immense power.
Combined with its towering height, it created an overwhelming pressure; many ordinary Mages would have lost their fighting spirit upon simply seeing it.
This was the siblings' target—the Beast King!
Mirajane flapped her wings and soared into the air.
She fired consecutive black magic bullets from her hands aiming directly at the Beast King's face.
The Beast King took the hit but merely shook its head, completely unharmed.
Instead, the attack enraged it, causing it to roar furiously while pounding its chest with both fists.
Mirajane frowned deeply.
This Beast King seemed excessively powerful.
Though she had acted in haste, Dark Spark wasn't an attack that should be withstood so easily, especially considering Satan Soul was renowned for its offensive capabilities.
"Lisanna, go warn the villagers to evacuate! Elfman, protect yourself!"
Mirajane made a swift decision.
Lisanna absolutely couldn't face the Beast King in her current state—she likely couldn't even break through its defenses, let alone withstand its attacks.
This Beast King was truly too powerful.
Mirajane couldn't guarantee she could keep it contained here.
"Understood! Be careful, Mira-nee, Elf-nii!"
Lisanna understood the situation well.
She immediately used Animal Soul: Bird and fly toward the village.
She knew she would only hold her sister back if she stayed, forcing Mirajane to split her attention to protect her. It was better to do what she could to help.
A tremendous roar echoed through the mountains. The Beast King was simply too large to conceal its movements.
It leaped into the air, using the cliff walls and trees as springboards. Its massive fist clenched as it swung toward Mirajane.
Mirajane rapidly flapped her wings to create distance.
The Beast King's fist smashed into the cliff wall, instantly shattering the mountain rocks and sending debris flying everywhere, blocking Elfman, who was trying to advance.
"Dark Torrent!"
A purple magic circle appeared on Mirajane's right hand as she flew through the air.
Dark claws materialized, attacking the Beast King from behind and knocking it down.
"Dark Spark!"
Seeing the Beast King fall to the ground, Mirajane took the opportunity to gather magic energy in both hands.
Boom—Boom—Boom—
Accompanied by the heavy sound of impacts against flesh, the bullets containing powerful magical energy struck the Beast King one after another.
Some wounds finally appeared on the Beast King's back, but the pain only made it more frenzied.
After roaring, its body seemed to swell, growing slightly larger.
'Is this creature's body invincible?' Mirajane frowned deeply.
The magic bullets hitting the Beast King's body felt like they were striking a hard steel.
"Elfman, don't get close to it!"
Unfortunately, Mirajane's warning came too late.
Elfman, who had used a Full-Body Take Over to become an Iron Bull, tried to sneak attack the Beast King while it was injured.
Though the Beast King had a massive body, it was shockingly agile.
It quickly turned around to exchange blows with Elfman.
The difference in power was too great.
With an angry punch from the Beast King, the black iron covering Elfman's right arm shattered continuously.
He was sent flying by the impact, crashing directly into the mountain rocks where debris buried his body.
The Beast King's power was evident—even though Elfman in his Iron Bull form stood over two meters tall and weighed several times his normal amount, he was swat away like a fly.
"Elfman!"
From the air, Mirajane frantically fired Dark Spark without regard for her own safety, desperately trying to halt the Beast King's advance, as the monster was heading straight toward the pile of rubble burying her brother.
"Nee-san, I'm fine!"
A black, iron-covered arm emerged from the rubble first, and the injured Elfman quickly dragged himself away from the debris.
Seeing that Elfman was alive, Mirajane quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
But a moment later, her expression suddenly darkened.
Veins bulged on her pale face, and her demonic aura spiked.
Harming her family was unforgivable!