Wendy watched the chaotic, glittering, perfume-filled battle with a puzzled expression.
"Ichiya-san is so strong, but, something just feels… off."
She couldn't quite put it into words.
Rhode, however, could.
"If he'd stop doing those forced 'cool guy' poses every three seconds, his dodging and attacking would both be way smoother."
Because honestly, Ichiya wasn't weak at all.
He was simply too committed to using the Grand Magic Games as a catwalk for his dramatic flair.
Every dodge, every strike, pause for pose.
Every counterattack, another pose.
He was fighting and putting on a fashion show at the same time.
Juvia, meanwhile, eyed Jenny suspiciously.
"Jenny-san seems to be struggling, she's also a love rival!"
Rhode sighed deeply.
"Stop being suspicious for no reason. Jenny is already engaged to Hibiki. From her own guild."
"E-ENGAGED?!"
Juvia immediately covered her face, descending into emotional meltdown mode.
Gajeel rolled his eyes.
"So troublesome."
On the battlefield, Juvia's observation proved true: Jenny was getting pushed into a disadvantage.
Even with Ichiya occasionally bailing her out, her Take Over Magic couldn't compare to Mira's raw combat ability.
Seeing her situation worsening, Jenny made the most pragmatic choice:
"Ichiya-san! Help!"
"MEEEN~!"
Ichiya flicked his bangs with two fingers, stepped forward dramatically, and addressed Rock:
"It was an honor exchanging fists with you. But the lady has called, and I must deliver her, the Scent of Victory!"
Rock stepped back, tightened his stance, and began building power.
"I must win too!"
Ichiya pulled out a small tube of pale yellow perfume, twisted the cap open, and inhaled deeply.
The vapor vanished instantly, almost all of it sucked straight into his nose.
"Scent of POWER!"
His body swelled violently.
The short, barrel-built Ichiya suddenly transformed into a mountain of muscle, bulkier than even Elfman at his peak.
His pristine white suit tore apart with a loud rip, exposing iron-hard, gleaming muscles that drew screams from the audience.
On the opposite side, Rock had already charged, each swing of his fists creating a roaring wind:
"High-Speed Blast Punch!!"
Ichiya met him with a simple straight punch.
"POWER STRIKE!"
Their fists collided.
The explosive force from Rock's magical gauntlets detonated.
BOOOOM!
But the massive explosion failed to move Ichiya an inch.
In fact, it was Rock who was blown backward, skidding helplessly away, and even slammed straight into Caluger, sending both of them flying out of the arena and into the seats.
The crowd erupted.
Pumpkin Man stepped forward.
"Winners: Blue Pegasus, Ichiya and Jenny!"
Thunderous applause filled the arena.
Hibiki, Ren, and Eve shouted Ichiya's name like fanboys at a concert.Not a single one remembered to cheer Jenny.
Jenny had already canceled her Machine Soul, blowing elegant kisses to the crowd.
She was used to it, in their guild, Ichiya always took first place in the spotlight.
"MEEEN~!"
Ichiya didn't immediately deactivate his buff.
Instead, he cycled through a series of bizarre, flamboyant bodybuilding poses.
Some spectators swooned.
Some spectators looked nauseous.
The three commentators struggled to find their voices again before mumbling congratulations to Blue Pegasus.
Lucy let out a complicated sigh.
"Ichiya-san is… still really strong."
Erza, who could appreciate intense fights but not whatever that was, quickly shifted her concern to Lucy instead.
"Are you feeling alright?"
Lucy nodded.
"It wasn't too serious from the start. And thanks to Rhodes, my magic power is mostly restored."
While they were speaking, Pumpkin Man announced the next lineup:
"Match 3: Lyon and Yuka of Lamia Scale vs. Kagura and Millianna of Mermaid Heel!"
The four were acquainted but not close.
They exchanged brief nods.
The moment Pumpkin Man raised his hand, "Match-Start!"
Battle erupted instantly.
Lyon opened the match with a barrage of powerful, dynamic Modeling Magic.
Giant apes, tigers, wolves, one after another, massive ice beasts formed beneath his hands.
Kagura, meanwhile, still hadn't drawn her sword.
Using only her Rigid Style, pure sword pressure without ever unsheathing her blade, she shattered creatures several times larger than herself.
Worse for the arena, every strike she delivered smashed apart the ground, leaving craters and long trenches across the stage.
Fortunately, Lyon's modeling speed was fast enough to keep up.Even when Kagura closed the distance, he transitioned smoothly into static Modeling techniques to counter her blows.
He looked a little roughed up, but he never came close to collapsing.
Compared to their fiery clash, Millianna and Yuka's presence seemed smaller…
But that was only in terms of spectacle.
One specialized in binding magic, the other in nullification and reflection.
As support mages, the two were unquestionably top-tier and helped keep the battlefield balanced.
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
By now, the arena looked like a disaster zone of cracked earth and half-melted ice sculptures.
Kagura stood calm and composed, her breathing steady.
The other three all showed signs of fatigue.
From that alone, it was clear how the fight would trend if it continued, but the time limit was up.
With no decisive winner, both Lamia Scale and Mermaid Heel earned five points each.
Lyon rubbed the back of his head with a wry smile.
"Kagura is even stronger than I expected.
At this rate, the gap between us and Fairy Tail is just going to keep growing."
Yuka sighed. "And that's with Fairy Tail splitting their aces into two teams…"
Millianna, however, wasn't discouraged at all.
"Well, it's Erza-chan's guild. Of course they're that monstrously strong."
Kagura simply sheathed her blade. "Let's go. The next match is Fairy Tail's again."
Only two guilds hadn't fought yet on Day 4: Fairy Tail Team A and Dragon's Treasure.
Pumpkin Man raised his voice:
"Final match of Day 4! Dragon's Treasure's Punnish and Hyunckelpa! VS Fairy Tail Team A- Natsu and Lucy!"
Lucy froze for a second.
"Ehh? Me again?"
She had just finished the Naval Battle event and was immediately being thrown into the tag battle.
Gray frowned. "And the Punnish brothers, too… They're top-class mercenaries. Their magic style is all lethal techniques."
"Not to mention," he added, "they have a personal grudge against Natsu and Lucy."
Natsu cracked his knuckles, completely unfazed.
"Whatever. Those wannabe brothers aren't beating me and Lucy.And if Lucy's tired, she doesn't need to fight, I'll take both of them."
Lucy pouted. "How could I just sit and watch…?"
But still, she followed Natsu down the stairs into the arena.
On the opposite side, the Punnish brothers stepped out fully armed.
Hyunckelpa, the younger, was covered head to toe in heavy armor again, a walking fortress.
Punnish, the older, wore lighter gear and carried a massive, long-handled frying pan strapped to his back, almost as tall as he was.
Natsu instantly recognized him.
"Oh! It's the frying-pan guy who absorbs flames!"
Punnish's face twitched violently.
They had met on Day 1, and this brat only remembered him because of the frying pan?!
Lucy sighed.
"Natsu, you've made someone angry again."
...
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