In the second round of the Fairy Tail S-Class Promotion Exam, the "Fairy Hunt" challenge featured seven designated targets. After Brunotte was defeated by Fairy Glitter, only one remained: the master of Grimoire Heart, Hades—formerly known as Precht.
Cana now had 85 points, Natsu had 30, and Charles had earned 25 through his cooperation with Cana.
Elfman and Levy's teams were empty-handed and had effectively been eliminated.
Charles dismissed Fal, and Wendy regrouped with the others on the ground.
Cana sidled up to Charles, trailing her finger along his arm as she said, "Charles, I'm just about to pass! Let me tag along to take down their boss so I can snag a few points, pretty pleeaase~!"
Three black lines formed across Charles's forehead as he swatted her hand away. "Enough of that. Don't go picking up Lucy's bad habits. I was planning to end this war quickly anyway."
Truth be told, Charles wasn't particularly interested in becoming an S-Class mage—after all, in the ninja world, the strongest ninja in Konoha was technically just a genin. The S-Class title didn't hold much weight for him.
But now that he was here, he wasn't about to sit back and watch.
After a moment's thought, Charles turned to Wendy and Cana. "I'll handle the direct fight with Precht. You two have a more important job."
"If we only beat Precht, it won't mean anything. His magic is connected to a powerful spell—Grimoire Heart. If we don't destroy it, he'll just keep regenerating. That spell should be on the ship. While I keep him busy, find it and destroy it."
This was the value of information. Precht was powerful, but in the original timeline, what allowed him to continuously overpower the protagonists was the spell "Grimoire Heart."
When Mavis was struck down by the curse from Zeref, she herself carried the same "curse of immortality." Precht discovered her body still had a heartbeat. In his attempt to preserve it, Fairy Heart was accidentally created.
Even Precht was later terrified of the forbidden power he had made, sealing it beneath the guild.
But perhaps the seed of darkness had already been planted in his heart back then.
Later, using Fairy Heart as a model, he created Grimoire Heart—a spell that powered their airship and gave him virtually limitless magic.
But it was also his greatest weakness.
Cana's eyes lit up. If Charles was right, securing that final 15 points was basically guaranteed.
Charles warned them, "There will definitely be other Grimoire Heart mages on the ship. Be careful."
Wendy clenched her small fists. "I'll do my best!"
She had felt largely useless during the exam. Charles had handled nearly everything, and she'd just been tagging along. So now she was determined to contribute.
Charles nodded. "Then let's get started."
With that, he spread his fiery wings and soared toward the airship.
Locking onto Precht's mana signature, Charles blasted through the roof and landed in a large hall.
Looking up, he spotted an old man seated on a throne.
"Nice to meet you, Second Master," Charles greeted him.
Precht opened his eyes lazily. "Ah, Makarov's brat… Don't address me by that title. I am no longer a Fairy Tail master. I am Hades, the master of Grimoire Heart!"
"So you've abandoned your Fairy Tail identity? That makes things easier—I won't need to hold back," Charles said casually.
Precht smirked. "Arrogant fool. Beating Brunotte has clearly gone to your head. Allow me to teach you, in Makarov's stead, what true power is."
As he spoke, Precht raised his index finger and began drawing in the air.
Layer after layer of magic circles appeared around Charles—even above his head.
Charles retreated just before the mana detonated—but more magic circles appeared in front and behind him mid-motion.
BOOM!
It was like a warehouse of explosives went off—blinding flames engulfed Charles.
A hand extended from the smoke. With a wave, it swept away the cloud like parting a curtain—revealing Charles, completely unharmed.
Precht truly deserved the title of magic master. What he had just used was the spell formation Amaterasu.
It was technically a very basic magic—the lowest-level "Amaterasu Style One" could be learned by ordinary wizards.
But just as some could use plant magic to summon the World of Trees, others could barely manage a few vines—higher-level Amaterasu formations were exponentially more difficult to perform.
The "Amaterasu Style Twenty-Eight" Precht had just used was beyond the reach of many of the Ten Wizard Saints.
Charles had only managed to block the blast by immediately releasing his own mana in time.
But he knew Precht could go even higher—he could cast Amaterasu Style One Hundred, a spell so powerful that it broke through Makarov's ultimate defense, Three Pillar Gods, and left him incapacitated.
Charles grinned. This was the first time he'd faced a true magic master.
"This is… really getting me fired up!"
With those words, Charles activated Dragon Blood Mode and charged forward like a blazing shadow.
Facing such an opponent, Precht could no longer remain seated. He stood, and a magical chain appeared in his hand. With a snap, he lashed it at Charles.
Charles leapt high to avoid the incoming chain—but since it was conjured by magic, Precht could manipulate it freely.
The chain curved midair and chased after Charles.
Charles twisted his body and dodged again, but the chain moved like a venomous serpent, wrapping tightly around his wrist.
Charles was impressed—he'd never seen anyone control magic with such precision.
Precht yanked the chain, slamming Charles into the ground.
Charles's feet struck the floor hard, shattering the tiles in the hall. Then, with a grunt, he tugged on the chain—trying to pull Precht toward him instead.
Precht staggered, nearly yanked off his feet.
His magic expertise was unparalleled, but physically, he couldn't hope to match a Dragon Slayer like Charles.
But then Precht gave a sly smile—BOOM! Charles was suddenly blasted away.
The dark chain had the ability to explode once it bound a target—and caught off guard, Charles had taken the full hit.
He flipped midair and landed gracefully, his fighting spirit burning even hotter as he locked eyes with Precht.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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