"The final event of the Grand Magic Games, the all-out survival game, officially begins now!"
Magical fireworks lit up the sky, their brilliance visible even in broad daylight. As the commentator's voice echoed, the final match of the games kicked off.
Given the grand scale of the event, restricting the competition to just the arena would have needed to be more significant. Thus, the entire city of Crocus was designated as the battlefield, with all teams spread out across different zones, awaiting the battle to commence.
The rules were simple: a fight would immediately begin when encountering an opposing guild. Knocking an opponent unconscious or rendering them unable to continue would earn the guild one point. Additionally, each team had a designated captain, known only to their guild. Defeating the captain would grant five points. For Fairy Tail, Calvin was the obvious choice for the captain.
This meant a guild could earn a maximum of 45 points. Even Quatro Cerberus, with only 15 points, still had a theoretical chance of winning—though no one believed that.
Upon hearing this, Makarov silently cursed. The three Dragon Slayers were roaming the streets, searching for clues, which made him anxious. He quickly had Warren use telepathy to summon Natsu and the others back to avoid accusations of cheating.
Fortunately, the three had their Exceeds with them. After receiving Warren's message, they swiftly returned from the skies. Meanwhile, the participating teams headed to their assigned areas.
After returning, Natsu was still frustrated that he couldn't continue the search for Future Lucy. However, one sentence from Mavis brought him back to reality: "Keeping Lucy in the midst of a battlefield filled with wizards would be reckless. They wouldn't be that foolish."
"Then where could Lucy be held?" Natsu asked in confusion.
"I don't know. But if it truly is the kingdom that captured her, they wouldn't harm her easily. For now, let's focus on the competition's outcome," Mavis replied seriously, her eyes gleaming with insight.
Mavis had her suspicions about the capture of Future Lucy. Firstly, why would the kingdom capture her? Was it merely to use her magic to open the Eclipse Gate? Calvin had already said the gate was fully unlocked, only requiring the doors to be pushed open. There was no reason to keep Future Lucy imprisoned.
Secondly, how did the kingdom even know about Future Lucy's existence? Unless she revealed herself, the kingdom shouldn't have been aware of her presence—especially with Present Lucy constantly in the public eye during the games. Was the kingdom monitoring every corner of Crocus?
Mavis found that highly unlikely. If it were her, she would only focus on the tournament grounds, waiting for the right moment to act.
Still, Crocus might have been under heightened surveillance because of the games, and once the kingdom noticed a second Lucy, they acted quickly to capture her.
Finally, there was the question of Future Lucy herself. Was she indeed who she claimed to be? Even though Calvin had an extraordinary ability to sense and identify people through it, magic could be deceptive. It was possible to trick even someone as powerful as Calvin.
If Future Lucy was lying or wasn't who she appeared to be, then the future Calvin believed in needed reconsidering. And Mavis was excellent at considering all possibilities.
For these reasons, although they couldn't continue searching for Future Lucy, Mavis wasn't too worried.
Fairy Tail immediately dispersed in the streets after the competition officially began. Calvin, who could sense magical power, headed straight toward what he suspected was the enemy team's captain.
Typically, the most vital members of a guild would be designated as the captain. Based on that logic, Calvin assumed that the captain of Quatro Cerberus was Pascal, whom Calvin also figured would be the easiest to defeat.
Summoning his battle wolf, Calvin's swift mobility brought him directly in front of Pascal. Upon seeing Calvin, Pascal's face twisted in shock as if he had seen a ghost.
Among all the competitors, Pascal probably hated Calvin the most. But he also feared him the most. The events of that morning had shaken him to his core, leaving him questioning everything—even now.
"What a coincidence, Drunk Chicken. How about you hand over the points without a fuss?" Calvin asked with a friendly smile, though Pascal thought that smile was more terrifying than a demon's.
Pascal knew he likely wasn't a match for Calvin, but surrendering without a fight wasn't something he could bring himself to do. With pride and the weight of past grievances, Pascal decided to go all out.
"Don't underestimate me, Calvin!" Pascal roared, gathering all his magic into his hands and charging at Calvin with all his speed and strength.
Pascal's attack was simple but brutal—his fastest and most powerful strike, with all his killing intent concentrated in one blow.
However, just as Pascal launched forward he was suddenly slammed into the ground before he could even pick up speed. A flash of blue shot through the sky as Marco, the Phoenix, descended from above, kicking Pascal into the dirt.
Calvin had already summoned his creatures long before the fight began.
With Pascal defeated, Fairy Tail earned an additional five points, raising their score to a staggering 62 points, a 22-point lead over second-place Sabertooth and Mermaid Heel. It seemed Fairy Tail had all but secured the championship.
And this had all happened within the first five minutes, with Calvin still seated on his battle wolf.
"Alright, who's next? Should I go straight for Jura?" Calvin muttered to himself, contemplating his next move. But just as his wolf took a step, he stopped abruptly.
"Oh, five people are heading straight for me. Looks like they have someone with decent detection abilities."
"But since I'm supposed to show my strength, I might as well face them head-on," Calvin said with a smile.
"Let's do this, Sabertooth."
As Sabertooth approached, Rufus looked at his team with a severe expression.
"Pascal's already been taken out. That guy hasn't moved since. He's probably waiting for us," Rufus said.
"How arrogant. Rufus, test him out," Minerva sneered, clearly annoyed. Rufus nodded in response.
"Memory Make: Under the Starry Night Sky!"
In an instant, several streaks of lightning shot into the sky like falling stars before crashing down toward Calvin, each tracing a perfect arc as it hurtled toward him.
The attack was blinding, impossible to miss. Calvin, however, merely chuckled.
"Come on, don't embarrass yourselves with something so childish."
A faint blue aura began to rise from Calvin's body, quickly forming into a skeletal, humanoid armor that enveloped him. The lightning struck the armor but had no effect.