Chapter 179: The First Round Ends
Mirajane flew slowly towards the direction her senses had guided her, stopping above a thick patch of bushes. She landed gracefully, knelt, and rummaged through the leaves. Her fingers closed around a silver metal plate, the Fairy Tail emblem upon it glittering in the sunlight.
A wide smile spread across her face as she held up the plate. Wiping it clean, she examined it carefully under the sun, confirming it was identical to the one Noah had shown them.
She stood up, about to take flight, when she heard the sound of someone moving at high speed in the distance. She immediately leaped into the air, a single beat of her demonic wings launching her skyward.
In the distance, she saw Sorano flying rapidly towards the guild's camp, a familiar silver plate clutched in her hand. It was the target.
Seeing that Sorano had already found one, Mirajane's heart leaped into her throat. She beat her wings furiously, breaking the sound barrier as she rocketed towards the camp. The commotion of the two of them racing through the sky alerted the other three participants. They all looked up and saw Sorano and Mirajane, one chasing the other, both heading for the starting point with silver plates flashing in their hands.
A jolt of urgency shot through the remaining three, and they redoubled their efforts.
Sorano had taken off first, and though her flight speed was slightly slower than Mirajane's, she still managed to arrive first, presenting her plate to Noah.
Mirajane landed a moment later. She handed her plate to Noah and shot a defiant glare at Sorano, who simply smirked back, looking smug. The triumphant smile clearly got under Mirajane's skin, and she looked ready to start a fight.
Noah carefully inspected the plates, then spoke up before things could escalate.
"You both brought back a plate, excellent work. Sorano is in first place with 5 points. Mirajane is in second with 4 points."
Hearing this, Sorano's smirk widened. Mirajane, on the other hand, looked furious. She had only been a fraction of a second too slow.
"You've still got to try harder, Mira," Erza commented from the sidelines, shaking her head.
At Erza's words, Noah and Sorano both instinctively took a step back.
Mirajane spun around, her temper flaring. "And just who do you think you are, Erza?!" she roared, stomping over to get in her face.
"You heard me! You still need more training!"
"Don't you dare talk to me like you're my superior! You want me to knock you around, you jerk?!"
The two were about to come to blows. The other guild members immediately backed away, eagerly waiting for the show to start. Noah tucked the plates away, then stepped between them, placing a hand on each of their heads and pushing them apart.
"Alright, that's enough," he said calmly. "If you want to fight, wait until after the trial is over. For now, Mirajane needs to rest."
They both stopped. Mirajane glared at Erza. "When this is over, you and I are having a match!"
"I'll be waiting!" Erza shot back.
With that, Mirajane stalked off to the side to rest, and Erza cooled down. Noah paid the all-too-common scene no mind and turned his attention back to the magic screens. Just in time, he saw Simon find a plate and begin heading back.
Just as Simon was nearing the camp, Cana found a plate as well. She immediately took to the sky and flew in their direction.
Simon arrived and handed his plate to Noah, who inspected it and nodded. "You're the third to return. That's 3 points. Go get some rest."
Simon nodded and walked over to recover his spent magic and stamina.
Cana landed shortly after. She gave Noah her plate, and after checking it, he said, "You're fourth, so you get 2 points. Go rest up."
"Fourth, huh?" Cana sighed. "Looks like my chances of passing are pretty slim this year."
"Think of it as a good chance to see where everyone else stands and to test your own limits," Noah offered, trying to console her. Finishing fourth in the first round did indeed make it unlikely for her to win the entire trial. Cana nodded and went to join the others.
Not long after, Lyon emerged from the forest. He must have realized the other four had already returned, as he was walking slowly, clearly using the time to recover the energy he had expended during the search. But no matter how slowly he walked, he eventually reached them. He handed his plate to Noah.
"You're fifth," Noah said after checking it. "That's 1 point. Go rest for a bit. The second round will begin soon."
"Fifth, huh? How did the others rank?" Lyon asked.
"Sorano was first, Mirajane second, Simon third, and Cana fourth."
"They're really strong... and lucky," Lyon muttered, looking a bit resentful.
"Luck is a part of strength," Noah reminded him. "Sometimes, it's the most important part."
Lyon sighed. "I suppose so. I'm going to go rest."
Noah nodded, and Lyon went to join the others.
After about half an hour, Noah clapped his hands, calling the five participants before him.
"It's time to begin the second round of the trial," he announced. "As is tradition, every S-Class trial requires the candidates to face the challenge of a current S-Class wizard. This year, the S-Class wizard you will be facing... is me."
The five of them had already had a bad feeling when Noah stood before them, and his words made their faces go pale.
"Wait a minute!" Sorano stammered, pointing a trembling finger at him. "There are lots of other S-Class wizards! Why is it you again?"
Noah gave her a look. "What, am I not good enough?"
"No, no, no! Of course you are!" Sorano quickly waved her hands dismissively.
Noah sighed. "Ur and Gildarts are on long-term missions, just like last time, and they aren't back yet. Laxus is also out on a job. As for Ultear and Erza, they don't have enough overwhelming power to properly test you. That's why Gramps asked me to be the examiner."
He paused, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Besides, I'm quite interested in getting a chance to beat you all up, fair and square."
At the sight of his smile, all five instinctively took a few steps back. Sorano's voice trembled as she asked, "You... you're not going to be too rough with us, are you?"
Noah shot her a glare that made her retreat even further. "I'll control my power," he said, his tone turning serious. "But you all need to come at me with everything you've got. If you don't, you could get seriously injured by accident."
A chill went down their spines. That didn't sound reassuring at all.
Before they could protest, Noah waved his hand, teleporting them all to a battleground he had prepared. It was a vast, open area, surrounded on three sides by powerful defensive magic formulas. The fourth side was open, facing the sea. The five of them stood with their backs to the ocean, facing Noah.
"Get ready."
Hearing his command, they quickly pushed their fear aside, focusing their minds and bodies for the coming battle.
Seeing that they were prepared, Noah's voice echoed across the field.
"The second S-Class Trial... begins now!"
~~~
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