"What's this old man's background?!"
"This gentleman looks quite old. Can he really still fight?"
"Participating in a fighting tournament at his age? Is that really okay?!"
Meanwhile, as Precht entered the arena, all the various Mages in the venue, as well as the spectators in the stands, were stunned. They then became somewhat interested in Precht's identity.
After all, the contestants from the other teams were all young people, or middle-aged at worst. Only Precht was an elderly man with snow-white hair who looked extremely old.
"He's the second guild master of Fairy Tail…"
"And the monster who ranks second among the Ten Wizard Saints!"
"In other words, he's the second-strongest Mage on the entire continent of Ishgar!"
As soon as someone asked the question, the kind-hearted people around them immediately began providing an explanation.
Under the arrangements of a certain mysterious Pumpkin-chan who refused to reveal his name, such kind-hearted people were scattered throughout the spectator stands of the Grand Magic Games arena, constantly educating everyone around them about Fairy Tail and Precht's glorious achievements.
To the point that…
"Huh? The second guild master of Fairy Tail?"
"That's right, that's right! He's the second guild master of Fairy Tail, the invincible, strongest Mage guild in the world!"
Conversations like these continued to play out throughout the spectator stands.
"With this, the name of our great Fairy Tail should be able to resound throughout the entire continent, Pumpkin~"
A certain kind-hearted Pumpkin-chan who refused to reveal his name stood in the center of the arena, wearing a satisfied smile.
"Master Precht?!"
At the same time, inside the arena, Bluenote, who was facing Precht, suddenly changed expression.
As the former vice guild master of the dark Mage guild Grimoire Heart, as well as the former vice guild master of the light Mage guild Crime Sorcière, Bluenote had spent far more time with Precht than anyone else currently in Crime Sorcière. Therefore, in this world, there was no one who understood Precht's strength better than him…
Bluenote knew very well that with his own strength, he had a certain chance of defeating Warrod Sequen. If he joined forces with Jura, Macbeth, and the others, he could even fight against Wolfheim or Hyberion, with the outcome still uncertain!
But when facing Precht, Bluenote had absolutely no confidence whatsoever…
"Looks like we're going to lose the first battle!"
Bluenote furrowed his brows tightly. He felt somewhat helpless, yet there was nothing he could do.
"Senior Precht?! I have to fight someone as powerful as you in the very first battle?!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Are you kidding me? Please spare me!"
Jura and Macbeth were likewise feeling an enormous amount of pressure.
Because of Precht's relationship with Warrod, whenever Warrod served as Chairman of the Magic Council ERA, he would frequently summon Precht to help him deal with various matters…
Although Precht would grumble and curse every time Warrod called him over,
Precht would nevertheless always come to the Council to help Warrod…
As for Jura and Macbeth, one of them frequently came to the Council to provide assistance and was the only kind-hearted Wizard Saint among the Ten Wizard Saints who actually followed the Council's arrangements, while the other was himself a member of the Magic Council's elite Mage combat unit. Therefore, both Macbeth and Jura frequently encountered Precht when Warrod summoned him to help.
And because Precht cherished talented people, he would often give Jura and Macbeth some guidance. This allowed their strength to advance considerably, while also giving the two of them a deep understanding of Precht's overwhelmingly powerful strength.
Therefore, when Macbeth and Jura saw that the person entering the arena was Precht, their expressions changed one after another.
"The first battle is against Precht? Looks like this will be somewhat troublesome. But for the dignity of the royal family and the prestige of the Garou Knights, I can only win. I absolutely cannot lose!"
On the other side, the contestant dispatched by the Garou Knights to represent the face of the Fiore Kingdom was naturally the captain of the Garou Knights—the man dressed in a black cloak with a scythe strapped to his back, looking just like the Grim Reaper.
At this moment, the captain of the Garou Knights clenched both fists. He had wagered his convictions on this battle and was determined to put on an incredible performance.
Only then could he live up to the great responsibility he carried, repay the cultivation of the Kingdom of Fiore, and justify the trust placed in him by the Fiore royal family.
"Next, I'm sure Master Precht will completely crush all the Mages present and then properly spread the prestige of our Mage guild, Fairy Tail, won't he~ Pumpkin~"
However, what the captain of the Garou Knights could never have imagined was that the King he considered absolutely impossible to disappoint was currently looking forward to seeing Precht—the second guild master of Fairy Tail, whom he regarded as a thorn in his side—slaughtering everyone.
As for the so-called Garou Knights, they were merely a team that his respected King had casually found to make up the numbers and make the script easier to arrange.
"Then, everyone, the match begins!!"
Seeing that the contestants dispatched by all eight teams had already entered the arena at the center of the Grand Magic Games, Pumpkin-chan raised the microphone and loudly announced the start.
"Boom!"
The instant Pumpkin-chan's voice fell, endless magic power rose into the air from the battlefield!
At this moment, the Mages gave off a completely different feeling.
The Mages who had previously been amiable, constantly posing for the cameras and interacting with the audience, had all entered battle mode!
The Mages now no longer possessed that approachable feeling. Instead, every one of them resembled a bloodthirsty beast!
Perhaps this was their true nature after all.
"Hahaha! Looks like everyone has been waiting impatiently, Pumpkin! The moment the battle began, every contestant immediately mobilized their magic power! I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I feel like it's getting a little difficult to breathe, Pumpkin!"
As the host of the Grand Magic Games, Pumpkin-chan became excited after sensing the sudden change in atmosphere throughout the arena.
"Oh? Interesting…"
Precht simply raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly, his arms folded before his chest with the bearing of a grandmaster.
"Senior Precht, I'm one of your fans…"
"To be honest, I grew up listening to stories about you!"
"So I hope you can give me a chance to pay my respects. I want to spar with you."
Just as the representatives of the seven teams were faintly confronting Precht, Orga Nanagear, the contestant from Sabertooth, stepped forward and walked toward Precht.
"Oh?"
Orga Nanagear's actions stunned the other contestants, who then became dissatisfied with what he was doing.
However, no matter how disdainful the contestants from the other teams were toward Orga Nanagear's actions, his behavior had undeniably attracted the attention of every spectator and Mage throughout the entire arena.
"Oh! Sabertooth Mage Orga Nanagear has made an astonishing move! He actually chose to challenge Senior Precht all by himself! Regardless of whether Orga Nanagear can defeat Senior Precht, his actions have already won him so much…"
Pumpkin-chan held the microphone and continued explaining.
"As for whether Orga Nanagear can defeat Senior Precht, what do you think, Guest Gerard and Guest Warrod?!"
Pumpkin-chan turned the topic toward Gerard and Warrod.
"I have to say, Orga Nanagear's strength is indeed extraordinary. Among the younger generation, he can be considered one of the top talents! However, against Senior Precht, I believe he is still lacking somewhat…"
Gerard smiled as he analyzed the situation from an impartial perspective.
"I agree with Gerard!"
Upon hearing this, Warrod likewise smiled and nodded. Although Warrod was Precht's number-one hater, no matter how much he badmouthed Precht, even he could not see where Orga Nanagear, or Bluenote and the others, had any chance of winning.
"Hmph! Orga Nanagear, don't lose! He's nothing but an old geezer! Hurry up and beat him!"
The Master of Sabertooth, an old man whose entire body was covered in muscles and who wore a hat, looking rather like a monk from some temple, clearly had a different opinion.
In short, at this moment, Orga Nanagear had become the center of attention throughout the entire arena!
"Come on, kid!"
Precht, displaying considerable gentlemanly conduct, beckoned toward Orga Nanagear, signaling for him to attack.
"Since Senior Precht is letting me attack first, then I won't hold back!"
"I wonder if someone ranked second among the Ten Wizard Saints like you can withstand my 120mm Black Lightning Cannon!"
After hearing Precht's words, the corners of Orga Nanagear's mouth curled upward.
This was precisely the moment he had been waiting for.
He had already intended to attack Precht first. After all, Orga Nanagear still had some self-awareness. He had no confidence in directly taking Precht's magic head-on.
At the same time, Orga Nanagear had deliberately dug a pit for Precht.
When Orga Nanagear asked whether Precht could withstand his Black Lightning Cannon, he deliberately emphasized Precht's identity as one of the Ten Wizard Saints, as well as his position as the second-strongest Mage on the continent.
If Precht dodged, or chose not to take Orga Nanagear's Black Lightning Cannon head-on, then afterward, Orga Nanagear could completely publicize the matter and claim that even the second-strongest Mage on the continent had not dared to take his Black Lightning Cannon head-on!
In other words, regardless of whether Orga Nanagear won the battle, he had already placed himself in an undefeated position…
At the very least, after this battle, his fame would completely spread throughout the Kingdom of Fiore and even across the entire continent of Ishgar!
For Orga Nanagear, that was enough…
As for defeating Precht, Orga Nanagear only dared to fantasize about such a scene in his own mind.
It was simply far too unrealistic!
"Heh heh, you're a cunning little brat!"
As a seasoned old fox, Precht had obviously seen through Orga Nanagear's scheme immediately.
However, as one of the Mages standing at the pinnacle of the continent, Precht simply did not care about Orga Nanagear's little dirty tricks.
"Then, Senior Precht, are you ready? My magic is coming!"
As Orga Nanagear spoke, astonishing magic power suddenly erupted from his body.
Terrifying black lightning surrounded his body.
It naturally carried the aura of God Slayer Magic.
"One hundred and twenty millimeters—Black Lightning Cannon!"
The next second, amid wildly dancing lightning, Orga Nanagear finally launched his attack.
He gathered the lightning he had summoned into the palm of his hand, compressing it into a single point before releasing a pitch-black beam toward Precht.
This pitch-black beam was Orga Nanagear's ultimate technique—the 120mm Laser Cannon!
Its power was astonishing and was completely comparable to the Yasakani no Magatama used by Iwen's Lightning God Slayer Magic…
Of course, even if Orga Nanagear wagered all of his magic power, he could only release a single shot.
Iwen's Yasakani no Magatama, on the other hand, could release countless laser cannons in an instant, each one comparable to Orga Nanagear's 120mm Black Lightning Cannon!
Although there was an enormous difference in quality between Orga Nanagear's and Iwen's God Slayer Magic, even so, the power of Orga Nanagear's attack was already quite impressive.
With this one technique alone, Orga Nanagear could firmly stand at the pinnacle of the Mage world of the Kingdom of Fiore, excluding Fairy Tail…
"Boom!!"
For a moment, the colors of heaven and earth dimmed completely.
Only Orga Nanagear's laser cannon shone brilliantly between heaven and earth!
"I actually succeeded in using it!"
Orga Nanagear was extremely excited at having accomplished this.
After all, even he himself had not completely mastered this 120mm Black Lightning Cannon.
Being able to successfully use it now could be considered a miracle.
"Boom!!"
"It's over!"
At the same time, a smile appeared on Orga Nanagear's face.
He was absolutely confident in his Black Lightning Cannon.
If he had failed to use it, he certainly would not have been Precht's match.
But now that he had successfully unleashed it, the outcome of the battle was no longer certain!
Orga Nanagear was not completely without hope of defeating Precht…
"What powerful lightning…"
At the instant Orga Nanagear successfully released the Black Lightning Cannon, the surrounding Mages all changed expression.
Even Jura and Bluenote looked at Orga Nanagear with newfound respect.
As for the other Mages in the spectator stands, they were even more astonished, deeply shocked by the power of Orga Nanagear's lightning.
"Hahahaha! This is the Mage of our Sabertooth!"
"That's right! That's Orga Nanagear for you! We of Sabertooth can only win—we absolutely cannot fail! Go! Go and win! Sabertooth is the strongest…"
The Master of Sabertooth on the arena platform laughed excitedly. He seemed to have already seen Orga Nanagear standing victorious.
"But…"
"If you want to defeat Senior Precht with this technique, it's still far from enough!"
However, just as the spectators and Mages were marveling at Orga Nanagear's strength, Jura and Bluenote both shook their heads.
Although Orga Nanagear's attack was extraordinarily powerful, and he could even rely on this technique to become an S-Class Mage or an executive in their respective guilds, trying to defeat Precht with such magic was simply wishful thinking!
After all, Precht was the Mage closest to the abyss on the entire continent of Ishgar!
"Boom!"
Just as everyone was marveling at Orga Nanagear's technique, Precht, who had been struck by the Black Lightning Cannon, suddenly shook the cloak behind him!
The next second, the black lightning filling the sky completely disappeared.
"Lightning God Slayer Magic. Not bad!"
"But you're too green! If you want to defeat me, it's not enough!"
Precht remained exactly as he had been when he descended from the guest stands earlier.
There was not even a speck of dust on him, and he was completely unharmed!
Orga Nanagear's Lightning God Cannon could not inflict even the slightest bit of damage on Precht.
It could not even dirty Precht's clothes.
"Uh…"
Seeing Precht standing there completely unharmed, Orga Nanagear was stunned.
Cold sweat covered his forehead, and his expression became terrified.
Only now did Orga Nanagear understand that the old man before him was even stronger than he had imagined…
"Why have you stopped attacking?"
"Bring out your stronger magic and attack this old man with everything you have!"
Precht looked coldly at Orga Nanagear, who was standing there stupidly, and spoke.
"Uh…"
Orga Nanagear's body trembled upon hearing this.
It was not that he did not want to attack.
Rather… he had no more means of attacking.
If even his strongest 120mm Black Lightning Cannon could not injure Precht, then Orga Nanagear genuinely had no idea what else he could possibly use to hurt him.
"I see. So that attack just now was your strongest attack?"
"In that case, it's my turn to attack now…"
After looking at Orga Nanagear's helpless, stunned, and powerless expression, Precht immediately understood.
Precht merely sighed softly.
Then, endless magic power erupted from his body.
"Amaterasu…"
Almost the instant Precht waved his hand, Amaterasu magic circles slowly took shape around Orga Nanagear.
"This is… an Amaterasu magic circle? He actually inscribed such a complicated magic circle in a mere instant? Senior Precht really is unfathomable…"
"But… right now, Senior Precht and I are enemies! So I can only attack!"
Jura watched Precht effortlessly form the magic circle with a wave of his hand.
His eyes lit up, and his admiration for Precht burned fiercely within his heart!
As one of the people who could barely be considered a strong Mage in the magical world of Ishgar, Jura knew exactly how enormous the difficulty of the magic circle Precht had casually created was.
It was by no means merely a magic circle.
It was more like a work of art…
Unfortunately, Jura had no time to quietly appreciate the work of art before him.
He had to make a decision immediately!
Because if he continued hesitating, Orga Nanagear would be killed!
"Adamantine Rock: Immovable Vajra!"
Jura clasped his hands together.
Golden magic power burned around his body as he directly unleashed his strongest defensive magic toward Orga Nanagear, who had been locked onto by Precht's Amaterasu.
"Boom!"
Amid a thunderous roar, a gigantic Vajra formed of rock emerged behind Orga Nanagear and shielded him beneath its body.
"Boom!!"
The instant this Immovable Vajra composed of rock appeared, Precht's Amaterasu magic circle exploded violently!
Pitch-black energy rose into a mushroom cloud, engulfing Orga Nanagear within it, while terrifying shockwaves swept across the entire arena…
"Ah!!"
For a moment, all the spectators in the Grand Magic Games arena were blown about by the shockwaves.
Even Pumpkin-chan, the host of the Games, was affected by the airflow and blown into the sky…
After a long while, amid the rumbling explosions, the shockwaves gradually dissipated.
"What terrifying magic power…"
"This is truly astonishing! Is this the strength of Senior Precht? The magic he casually unleashes with a wave of his hand is practically like a magical bomb…"
"But at the critical moment, it seems Mr. Jura reacted in time and used defensive magic on Orga Nanagear…"
"In other words, although Senior Precht attacked Orga Nanagear just now, it can completely be regarded as a confrontation between Senior Precht and Mr. Jura! This is a peak battle between two Wizard Saints!"
"I wonder whether the defensive magic Mr. Jura used on Orga Nanagear can protect him from the explosion! Let's wait and see…"
Pumpkin-chan stabilized himself, held the microphone, and explained while looking at Precht in the arena.
Pumpkin-chan truly understood how to provide commentary and stir up the crowd.
In just a few sentences, he had turned Precht's casually released offensive magic and Jura's hastily prepared, incompletely released ultimate defensive magic into a clash between Precht and Jura…
"Thud!"
The instant Pumpkin-chan finished speaking, Orga Nanagear, who had endured Precht's attack, collapsed directly onto the ground and lost consciousness!
Yes, even though Orga Nanagear had been protected by Jura, he still could not escape the effects of Precht's Amaterasu.
"Amazing! Orga Nanagear has fallen! The conflict between Senior Precht and Mr. Jura has been decided! The winner is… Senior Precht!"
The instant Orga Nanagear collapsed unconscious, Pumpkin-chan raised the microphone and shouted toward the spectators throughout the arena.
"Oh!! Senior Precht is too powerful!!"
"As expected of a Mage from Fairy Tail…"
"Long live Fairy Tail!!"
For a moment, the professional fans Pumpkin-chan had prepared in advance throughout the arena, under his signals, went wild cheering for Precht.
Although their main purpose was still to promote Fairy Tail.
"Hehe, looks like Senior Precht was ultimately a cut above!"
Jura gave a bitter smile at the result before him.
Precht's strength truly was unfathomable.
"Then next, Jura, Bluenote, Macbeth, and the remaining three brats, all of you come at once!"
"Let this old man experience the strength of the new generation…"
"I hope you young people won't disappoint this old geezer!"
Precht rolled his neck, then gently removed the cloak from his back and tossed it aside.
He then beckoned provocatively toward Jura and the others.
"Gravity Magic!"
Bluenote launched his magic at Precht almost the instant Precht finished speaking!
As someone who had once stood at Precht's side, and who understood Precht's strength better than anyone, Bluenote attacked the most ruthlessly!
"Gravity Rock: Earth Shatter!"
Jura coordinated with Bluenote and unleashed his magic, applying the gravity of rock onto his enemy.
He was the second person to attack Precht.
To be fair, Precht could be considered half of Jura's teacher.
Yet at this moment, Jura, as his student, did not hesitate to stab his teacher in the back!
The only reason was that Jura knew better than anyone that these attacks were fundamentally incapable of injuring Precht…
"Not bad magic…"
Precht merely folded his arms before his chest and calmly stood where he was.
Even after being subjected to the gravity magic of Bluenote and Jura, he remained completely relaxed.
"Power Scent! Men!!"
At the same time, Ichiya of Blue Pegasus did not sit around doing nothing.
He took out his strongest perfume—the upgraded Power Scent PLUS—and lightly sniffed it before his nose.
In the blink of an eye, Ichiya transformed from a short, dwarf-like little man into a muscular man standing two meters tall.
"Drunken Fist…"
Beside Ichiya, Bacchus of Quatro Cerberus also assumed his stance.
The moment he entered the battle, he immediately adopted his signature Drunken Fist posture.
Clearly, Bacchus was also prepared to attack with all his strength.
"The enemy… must be beheaded!"
Finally, the captain of the Garou Knights also drew the two scythes strapped to his back and charged toward Precht.
"Boring!"
Precht merely spoke calmly, uttering two words to everyone.
The next second, the instant Precht closed his mouth, Amaterasu magic circles appeared around Ichiya, Bacchus, the captain of the Garou Knights, Jura, and Bluenote.
"Not good! These are Amaterasu magic circles! Run! Don't get hit by this magic!"
Jura and Bluenote were both startled.
They immediately warned everyone present to avoid being struck by Precht's magic.
"Too late!"
Precht merely smiled faintly and calmly uttered two words.
"Boom!!"
The next second, another mushroom cloud, like the explosion of a nuclear bomb, rose from the earth!
Endless shockwaves and sonic booms once again slammed into the faces of everyone present.
"Boom!!"
When the sonic booms and shockwaves finally disappeared completely, only Bluenote and Jura remained standing in the enormous arena, desperately holding on.
"Luckily, I used gravity to propel myself away at the critical moment and avoided the guild master's Amaterasu attack."
Bluenote was covered in cold sweat as he spoke nervously to himself.
"Cough, cough…"
As for Jura, he was not as fortunate as Bluenote.
Although he had used his defensive magic to successfully block part of the power of Precht's Amaterasu, he had still been caught in its aftermath, leaving his current condition somewhat poor.
"Hehe, now there are only the two of you left on the battlefield?"
"No! There should still be…"
Precht smiled at Jura and Bluenote.
Then he seemed to realize something.
His uncovered left eye rotated continuously as he searched the arena for something.
"Come out, brat!"
Soon, Precht seemed to have found what he was looking for.
He pointed lightly at empty space with his finger.
Immediately, a purple energy beam shot rapidly in the direction indicated by Precht.
"Boom!"
With a soft sound, a young man revealed his figure from the direction Precht had pointed.
"Uh…"
The young man seemed to have never expected Precht to discover him so easily.
His face was somewhat pale.
"Macbeth, where are you going?"
Precht smiled as he looked at the pale-faced young man.
Yes, the young man who had concealed his figure was none other than Macbeth.
"Damn it!"
Macbeth seemed somewhat unwilling to accept this.
He looked at Precht and once again activated his magic.
The next second, Macbeth's body suddenly twisted and transformed into a gigantic demon roughly one hundred meters tall.
The demon roared toward Precht.
"Foolish human! Before this Demon King, submit!"
"Macbeth, the demon you transformed into is too ugly!"
"And you actually intend to scare a Mage who possesses the Book of Zeref with a demon? Are you serious?"
"Macbeth, you really should listen to me. Compared to a demon, you should have transformed into an angel instead. That might actually have a chance of frightening me…"
"As for demons, hehe, you know absolutely nothing about them!"
Precht was speechless.
He could not understand why Macbeth would use an illusion to create a demon in an attempt to frighten him.
Did Macbeth not know that he, Precht, could create demons himself?!
"Break!"
Thinking of this, Precht directly gave a soft shout toward the demon created by Macbeth's illusion.
Immediately, the demon created through Macbeth's illusion dispersed into the air…
"Damn it!"
In an instant, the demon transformed back into Macbeth's appearance.
"Come here!"
Precht smiled lightly at Macbeth before releasing chains of magic power.
"What?!"
Macbeth apparently had not expected Precht's chains to be so accurate that they would catch him directly by the wrist.
"Get up!"
Precht looked at the panicked Macbeth and pulled hard on the chain in his hand.
Macbeth immediately lost control of his body and flew toward Precht…
Then, flying straight toward Macbeth's face, came a massive slap!
"Pfft…"
Macbeth took Precht's slap head-on before collapsing onto the ground, unconscious.
"Next, it's the two of you!"
After taking down Macbeth, Precht turned around and looked at Jura and Bluenote.
"Thanks, Macbeth!"
"Thanks to your help, our magic is finally ready!"
The instant Precht defeated Macbeth, Bluenote and Jura, who had remained motionless all this time, had also completed their preparations.
They were both prepared to use their strongest magic against Precht.
"Ultimate Gravity Ball!"
With a wave of his hand, Bluenote slowly formed a pitch-black gravity sphere before him, resembling a black hole.
The terrifying gravity seemed capable of tearing space apart and destroying all things!
As for Jura, he tightly clasped his hands together.
His forehead was covered in sweat.
While Precht had been dealing with Macbeth—also known as Midnight—Jura had mobilized every ounce of magic power within his body and was preparing his ultimate attack.
At this moment, Jura had already connected with the earth.
He was going to summon endless earthquakes and use the roar of the earth to completely crush Precht.
"You two actually prepared such interesting magic for me…"
"In that case, if I don't show my true strength, wouldn't you young people look down on this old man?!"
Precht looked at Bluenote and Jura as they prepared to unleash their two Wizard Saint-level ultimate techniques, Ultimate Gravity Ball and Roaring… Fūgoku.
The corners of his mouth curled upward.
He then drew a circle in the air with both hands.
His left palm faced upward, while his right palm faced downward, the palms of both hands facing each other…
Immediately afterward, waves of pitch-black magic power erupted from Precht's body and converged toward his hands!
For a moment, black light slowly gathered between his opposing palms before gradually taking shape…
"Since you've both used such interesting magic, I have no choice but to use this technique!"
"I wonder if you've heard the name of this technique…"
"It is called… Law of the Devil!"
As terrifying magic power that inspired despair radiated from Precht's body, he spoke the name of the magic that plunged Bluenote and Jura into despair.
That was… Law of the Devil!