"This old man will absolutely not lose to anyone."
August's expression was serious. His gaze swept across the face of every member inside the Fairy Tail Guild before finally settling on Mavis's delighted smiling face.
"August, you're pretty arrogant, huh?!"
"You say that like you can defeat us~"
"When did you start having the illusion that you could defeat us?"
A dangerous light radiated from Irene's eyes. What had she just heard? August actually said he would not lose to anyone? What kind of joke was that...
August, who always acted like a good old man in the guild, was actually speaking so arrogantly now? Could this be tolerated?
"For Mavis, even if it is Irene or Selene, I will win and show you..."
August's aura surged. Magic power rose around him, powerful enough to be clearly visible even to ordinary people who did not understand magic. Without a doubt, at this moment, August lived up to the name of Magic King.
Unfortunately, August had forgotten one thing. Although August, who had joined Fairy Tail, indeed possessed the power of the belief buff, that thing was standard equipment inside the Fairy Tail Guild!!
For a moment, Irene and August, the two greatest cards in Zeref's hand in the original work, the twin walls of the Alvarez Empire, stared at each other and confronted each other. The atmosphere between the two began to grow heavy, as though they would begin fighting if a single word did not match.
"Hey, hey, hey! No way!"
"Irene and August are going to fight? This is not a joke!"
When the atmosphere between Irene and August began to grow heavy.
Inside the guild, the members who had originally been clamoring to hold a fighting tournament finally sensed the seriousness of the matter. They looked at Irene and August, who were releasing violent magic power in the center of the guild, their expressions tense.
Honestly speaking, they would rather roll up their sleeves and fight themselves than see friction occur between the four monsters Irene, Selene, August, and Evan.
Just like how the Magic Council strictly established rules that powerful people selected as the Ten Wizard Saints were not allowed to have private conflicts, the Fairy Tail Guild also had its own rules.
That was, if Irene, Selene, August, and Evan had conflicts, please resolve them through methods other than battle.
After all, if powerhouses at Irene's level truly fought, then for powerful people of their level, it might just be a simple little scuffle, but for everyone else on the continent, it would be a natural disaster. If things went badly, an entire country's people would have to be buried with them. Condolences.
"Speaking of which, I've always had a question in my heart..."
"Although we all know Senior Irene and Senior Selene are very strong, we've never been clear about who is the number one mage of the Fairy Tail Guild, who exactly is the strongest..."
"Ahaha, why not take this chance to have a great decisive battle inside the Fairy Tail Guild? Let's see who exactly is the number one mage of the Fairy Tail Guild, who exactly is Fairy Tail's strongest mage..."
Just as Irene and August were confronting each other and countless mages around them were watching, Natsu suddenly thought of something. His expression was incomparably excited. It was as though he felt magma burning in his chest. His hot blood boiled, and after thinking briefly for five seconds, the completely fired-up Natsu directly voiced the question in his heart in front of everyone.
"Hey, Natsu, you really shouldn't say that~"
As Natsu's words fell, the atmosphere inside the entire Fairy Tail Guild suddenly stiffened.
Everyone suddenly realized that things might develop in a direction they could not predict...
"Oh? The Fairy Tail Guild's number one mage?"
Evan muttered to himself. At this moment, electronic music roared in his mind.
[Emergency Mission: The title of the strongest mage of the Fairy Tail Guild has been vacant for too long! Everyone has only been the strongest candidate, yet no one knows who the strongest in the guild truly is?! It is time to sit on the throne of Fairy Tail's strongest!]
[Become the strongest mage of the Fairy Tail Guild and receive one Hundred-Year Quest Medal! Second place reward: five Ten-Year Quest Medals! Third place reward: two Ten-Year Quest Medals! Top five reward: one Ten-Year Quest Medal! Top ten has no reward...]
It was also precisely when Evan was muttering to himself that the system's voice suddenly sounded in his mind.
"Who said the strongest mage of the Fairy Tail Guild must be decided between Irene and Selene?"
"Although the strongest will definitely belong to our Belserion family, the waves behind the ocean always push the waves ahead! Perhaps unknowingly, the student has already surpassed the master..."
Black lightning flashed in Evan's eyes. Violent magic power erupted from his body, surging and majestic.
"Evan, you've grown up~ I know you're eager to prove yourself to me..."
"But winning against Mom is not that easy~"
"If you want to beat me, you should train for another ten or eight years!"
"And today, Mom is going to exercise a mother's authority after a long absence. Evan, you had better already be mentally prepared..."
After hearing this, Irene revealed a gentle smile toward Evan. However, hidden within Irene's smile was endless killing intent! At this moment, Irene was like a queen seated high upon a throne, looking at the rebellious prince Evan who had challenged her, revealing a sincere smile from her heart...
Yes, Irene sincerely hoped Evan would grow, but some things required time to develop! Right now, it was still too early. Everything was still too early...
"Mother, Brother..."
Erza looked at the confronting Irene and Evan, her expression panicked. She had not expected that her mother and brother would one day "turn against each other."
"Hehe, not to be rude~"
"But that look of yours, as though the title of strongest had already been decided internally by you mother and son, really makes me angry~"
"Do you know where this place is? This is Elentear, my world! This is the Black Night Mountain shrouded in eternal night! It is the world that belongs to the full moon! Perhaps it is time to let you know, to know why my title is Moon Dragon God."
At some unknown time, Selene's figure had appeared inside the guild. She looked at Irene and Evan and revealed a charming smile.
"That's right~"
"The throne of the Fairy Tail Guild's strongest is something this old man does not wish to give to anyone else~"
"The spirit of the Fairy Tail Guild, along with the title of strongest, should all be inherited by this old man."
At this moment, August also revealed a "brilliant" smile. Beneath that smile was endless fighting spirit.
"Evan..."
Irene looked at Selene and August, who had suddenly entered the fray, and glanced at Evan beside her.
"Understood."
Evan gently nodded and directly stood beside Irene. The meaning was self-evident.
Before the Belserion family's internal war, they would first unite against outsiders.
For a moment...
Irene, Evan, Selene, and August, the four giants of the Fairy Tail Guild, stood in the center of the guild confronting one another!
Terrifying magic power rose from Irene, Evan, Selene, and August. Endless magic power made the atmosphere turn viscous.
"Hiss..."
As Irene and the other three erupted with endless magic power, every mage inside the Fairy Tail Guild was shocked.
In front of Irene and the others' magic power, the path of magic they pursued seemed incomparably insignificant...
"Damn it! Why is the sky so high?"
As the person in the Fairy Tail Guild currently closest to the realm where August and the others stood, Gildarts revealed a helpless bitter smile. The more he advanced in that direction, the more he could feel the enormous difference between himself and Irene's group. Every step later on was like a heavenly chasm...
"Rumble! Rumble..."
At the same time, as Irene and the others' magic power soared, the land of the entire Earth-land world let out waves of mournful cries. Lightning danced wildly in the sky, and for a moment, it was like the end of the world...
Elentear's magic power had originally been far higher than Earth-land's, and even because its magic power was too high, it had caused a massive burden on the entire world. It once brought Elentear to the brink of destruction, until Evan and Wisdom completed the connection between Elentear and Edolas and gradually balanced the magic power of this world...
However, at this moment, the original balance was broken by the appearance of Irene, Evan, Selene, and August, these four great lords of magic power! This caused Elentear's magic power to continuously rise, and the burden on the entire world grew even greater. Endless crisis was brewing in Elentear!
However, compared to the crisis of the planet Elentear itself, the greatest crisis placed before the world of Elentear right now was how to settle these four violent great lords of magic power...
Silence...
Unlike the restless world of Elentear, all the mages inside the entire Fairy Tail Guild stopped their usual loud clamor. They closed their mouths, their eyes tightly fixed on Evan, Irene, August, and Selene, who were currently standing in the center of the guild and confronting one another.
As members of the Mage Guild Fairy Tail, everyone naturally knew who was truly the strongest inside the Fairy Tail Guild! Although the Magic Council had evaluated Evan Belserion as the strongest mage of Ishgar, the number one of the Ten Wizard Saints!
However, the mages of the Fairy Tail Guild all knew clearly in their hearts that the so-called ranking of the Ten Wizard Saints, including the title of Ten Wizard Saints itself, was a joke. According to Ur, one of the Ten Wizard Saints with the title "Freezing," if all the powerful people inside the Fairy Tail Guild were truly placed on the Ten Wizard Saints ranking, then perhaps everyone on the Ten Wizard Saints ranking except Evan would be squeezed off the list...
As for the true strongest inside the Fairy Tail Guild, in the eyes of ordinary guild members, it was probably a choice between Evan's mother, Irene Belserion, and the Moon Dragon God Selene. Meanwhile, August, who later joined the Fairy Tail Guild and was unfathomable, as well as the still-young Evan, should be powerhouses second only to Irene and Selene...
As for who was stronger between Irene and Selene, the strongest people inside the Fairy Tail Guild, or rather between the monsters August and Evan, who were second only to the strongest, no one knew!
Regarding who exactly was stronger among them, even within the Fairy Tail Guild, opinions were divided. The guild members said all kinds of things, but there was never an accurate answer!
And now, if Irene, Selene, August, and Evan were to begin a battle, what would the final result be?! Thinking this, for a moment, all the mages inside the Fairy Tail Guild widened their eyes. Their expressions were excited and carried a trace of panic! Yes, panic...
Because they knew clearly that once mages at Irene and Selene's level went all out, it would be a battle comparable to the end of the world!
"Boom..."
Just as the mages inside the guild held their breath, the four people standing in the center of the guild, who were being tightly watched by countless eyes, moved.
"Boom!!"
Four afterimages flashed inside the guild, and four powerful, violent magic powers instantly collided together...
Endless violent wind blew outward from the four of them as the center toward the others in the guild...
In merely the blink of an eye, the entire guild's ceiling had already vanished without a trace!
At the same time, dark clouds filled the sky, with lightning flashing and thunder roaring! Within that endless shadow, there seemed to be giant dragons! Above those high clouds, there seemed to be gods!
At this moment, Irene, Selene, August, and Evan perfectly interpreted what it meant to be still as unmoving as a mountain, and when moving, to shatter heaven and earth...
"Boom!!"
In the sky, August had long since been possessed by endless resentment. His body was red, his pale long hair stood upright toward the sky, and terrifying magic power gathered around him, actually forming walls made of magic power.
"Roar!!"
Selene roared continuously. Her body was no longer that of a beautiful young woman, but had transformed into a roaring giant dragon! The gorgeous nine white tails behind her constantly swayed, like a shrine maiden serving the gods, dancing gracefully beneath the moon, using beautiful dance steps to attract the attention of the gods...
"Hmph~"
Irene had also long since changed her form. Her body became even more slender and even more suited for battle. Scarlet, translucent scales clung to her cheeks, refracting all light shining toward her. Looking carefully, rings of scarlet flame clouds, like ribbons, seemed to surround her body. At this moment, Irene greatly resembled the beautiful flying apsaras on Dunhuang murals! Like a celestial maiden descending from the heavens, Irene's appearance and power at this moment both lived up to her name as the Scarlet Heavenly Maiden...
"Roar!!"
Lastly was Evan, who had entered his human-beast form. Evan's form was very similar to Irene's, also having flame clouds like ribbons wrapped around his body. It was just that Evan's posture was even more violent. He was like an azure beast, his face incomparably ferocious, his body tall and strong. His entire body seemed to exist for slaughter!
At this moment, Evan's entire body revealed powerful strength. That strength moved even Selene, Irene, and August. Unlike Evan before, who had barely reached the Dragon King level, the current Evan was a genuine Dragon King-level being...
"I won't hold back..."
Evan tightly gripped a spiked kanabo in his hand and smiled slightly at Selene and August.
After trying many weapons, Evan discovered that compared to swords and blades that concentrated power into a single point, a kanabo was more suited to his violent strength...
"Who wants you..."
"To hold back!!"
Selene and August looked at each other, then shouted at Evan at the same time.
"Roar!!"
Accompanied by a roar, Evan swung his kanabo and directly went after Selene.
As for August, he was naturally left for the stronger Irene to deal with...
This was Tian Ji's horse racing!
At the same time, beneath the sky filled with endless dark clouds, lightning, and thunder.
"..."
Makarov looked at the sky above his head in silence, crystalline tears hanging at the corners of his eyes.
"What happened to the promised Twenty-Four Hour Endurance Race?"
"How did it suddenly become a fighting tournament?"
"And then how did it change again into the Fairy Tail Guild's strongest mage showdown?"
"I just wanted to hold a proper guild social activity. Why is that so difficult? Who can tell me why it is so difficult?!"
Makarov felt incomparably exhausted. Thinking about it now, six years ago in that spring, he should not have gone soft-hearted and allowed Evan to join the Fairy Tail Guild.
"Sigh..."
Thinking this, Makarov helplessly sighed.
"In short, at present, the Twenty-Four Hour Endurance Race can no longer continue..."
Makarov stood with his hands behind his back and spoke helplessly to the mages inside the guild.
"Fight! Fight!"
After hearing Makarov's words, Natsu shouted excitedly.
"Fight my ass! It's you brat who has been stirring things up since just now!"
It would have been fine if Natsu had not spoken, but now that Natsu opened his mouth, Makarov finally could not endure it anymore. He stretched out his fist and punched toward Natsu.
"Bang~"
Accompanied by a rumbling sound, Natsu was directly knocked unconscious by Makarov's punch.
"Phew..."
Only after Natsu was taken down by Makarov's punch did he feel that the anger in his stomach had lessened quite a bit.
"Since the mages of our guild have rarely gathered together like this, and those four monsters just happen to be fighting in the sky, why don't we handle the most important matter of this year here in advance~"
Makarov looked at the sky above his head that was releasing violent magic power. He stroked his chin, narrowed his eyes, and finally made an incomparably difficult decision! At present, Irene, Selene, Evan, and August were rarely being held up by something. In order to prevent another accident during this year's exam...
No, to be precise, according to Makarov's prediction, if nothing unexpected happened, this year's S-Class Mage Promotion Trial would definitely have another accident. In that case, it would be better to take advantage of Irene and the others unexpectedly fighting and hold the exam now...
How should one put it! This was called using an accident to deal with an accident...
"Guild Master, the most important thing you are talking about, could it be?"
As Makarov's words fell, all the mages inside the guild froze.
"Mm! It is this year's S-Class Mage Promotion Trial!"
The corners of Makarov's mouth rose as he looked at the guild members before him and spoke with a smile.
"But Guild Master, shouldn't there still be four months before our usual exam time? This doesn't match tradition and rules, right?"
As Makarov's words fell, the mages inside the guild instantly trembled, and someone immediately asked.
"Huh? Listen to what a shallow thing you just said. So you still know our guild has traditions and rules? Ever since this old man became the Guild Master of the Fairy Tail Guild, I have nearly forgotten that our guild even had that thing..."
Makarov looked expressionlessly at the guild member who said those words, his eyes filled with speechlessness.
"What about the rules? What about the venue? Guild Master, we haven't prepared any of those this year!"
At this moment, Gildarts also stepped forward. He looked at Makarov and raised his own question.
"When did we ever use those things when our guild held the S-Class Mage Promotion Trial in the past?"
"You either destroyed the venue I prepared completely or mercilessly trampled the exam rules I established. And now you actually have the face to talk to me about those things?"
Makarov's gaze shifted toward the guild's S-Class mages who had passed the exam through all kinds of methods in previous years.
"Uh..."
After sensing Makarov's gaze, the S-Class mages of Fairy Tail all lowered their heads and turned away, looking as though they did not dare meet Makarov's eyes. Among them, Mirajane directly crouched in a corner, muttering, "You can't see me, you can't see me..."
After all, the S-Class exam in the year Mirajane passed had directly destroyed Makarov's rules completely. Before Makarov could even explain the exam rules, she had defeated all of her competitors.
"In short, this year, X780, the Fairy Tail Guild's S-Class Mage Promotion Trial officially begins!"
"As for the candidates taking the exam this year, and the rules of the exam, they are extremely simple..."
"Didn't you want to hold a fighting tournament? Then fight!"
"Starting now, after half an hour, whoever can still stand will be this year's S-Class Mage Promotion Trial candidates! Then I announce the start of the competition..."
Makarov stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze burning as he looked at the mages inside the guild.
Did these little fellows not want to fight? Then fight! No one was allowed to run!
"Mm?!"
As Makarov's words fell, the non-S-Class mages inside the Fairy Tail Guild all froze.
"Ice-Make Magic..."
"Pict Magic..."
"Full-Body Take Over..."