Chapter 266: First to Appear
"Laxus, Gajeel, Mira, Juvia, Elfman?!" Lucy stared, eyes wide.
Her voice cracked with sheer disbelief. The blonde Celestial Spirit Mage gripped the railing of the waiting area, her knuckles turning white.
She wasn't the only one; beside her, Natsu and Gray stood with their mouths hanging open, completely blindsided by the revelation.
On the balcony reserved for the mysterious "Fairy Tail Team B," five familiar figures stood bathed in the spotlight.
Laxus Dreyar stood with his arms crossed, his heavy fur-trimmed coat draped over his shoulders like a king's mantle. Sparks of yellow lightning danced erratically around him, signaling his impatience.
Beside him, Gajeel Redfox cracked his iron knuckles, a feral grin stretching across his face, his red eyes gleaming with the anticipation of violence.
Juvia Lockser was there too, blowing hearts and kisses toward Gray, completely ignoring the solemnity of the moment.
Elfman Strauss struck a pose, shouting something about "Manliness" that was drowned out by the crowd.
But the one who drew the most attention—and shock—was the white-haired beauty standing at the center. Mirajane Strauss. She wore a gentle smile, but the magical pressure radiating from her was anything but gentle. It was heavy, dark, and suffocating.
"Ren, you already knew, didn't you?"
Gray asked Ren; he remembered him saying in the lounge that they'd know soon.
The Ice-Make mage looked at his black-haired comrade with a mix of annoyance and admiration. Ren was leaning casually against the stone wall, looking as if this earth-shattering surprise was merely Tuesday's weather forecast.
Ren grinned and nodded. "Yep. The old man heard second place still gets 10 million Jewels, so he had Laxus lead a B-team."
Ren chuckled, recalling the Master's face when he heard about the prize money distribution. "Makarov wasn't about to let that cash slip away just because of a rule change. He basically dragged Laxus back from his training trip by the ear."
Gray rubbed his forehead, groaning. "Figures it was the geezer's idea! He's absolutely obsessed with the debt."
He glanced back at the balcony, his eyes locking onto Mirajane. A frown creased his brow.
"But can Mira even fight? She hasn't been on the front lines in years."
It was a valid concern. For years, Mirajane had been the kind, smiling barmaid of Fairy Tail. The "She-Devil" had been retired, her powers sealed away by trauma and grief. Even after she regained her Satan Soul during the Battle of Fairy Tail, she rarely fought with the ferocity of her youth.
"Mira's magic is back."
Ren said calmly.
His voice held absolute certainty, silencing the doubts of his teammates.
Ever since Lisanna returned from Edolas, the knot in Mira's heart had untied. The guilt of "killing" her sister had been the lock on her power. When that lock broke, the potential returned.
However, potential wasn't the same as readiness. Her power hadn't returned right away to its peak state. The body remembers, but the mind hesitates.
The Tenrou Island incident had terrified her. Powerless, she could only watch as the guild faced disaster against Acnologia. She saw her siblings, her master, and her friends nearly erased from existence. That feeling of helplessness had haunted her nightmares for the past three months of training.
So, after coming back, she sought Ren for magic-rehab.
It was a quiet night, shortly after their return. She had knocked on his door, her usual smile gone, replaced by a desperate determination. She didn't want to be protected anymore. She wanted to be the protector.
Using a bit of illusion magic derived from his System's abilities and projecting intense mana pressure, Ren had created a mental simulation for her.
He rekindled her magic source by forcing her to face her worst fears in a controlled environment. He made her relive the despair of Tenrou, but this time, he gave her the push to fight back. He forced her Satan Soul to awaken not out of anger, but out of the fierce desire to guard her family.
It was brutal. It was exhausting. But it worked. The She-Devil had awoken, and she was stronger than ever.
"Mira's magic is restored!! That's fantastic!"
Erza was both stunned and delighted.
The Titania's eyes sparkled. Once sworn rivals during their childhood, constantly brawling in the mud like Gray and Natsu, she'd sorely missed a worthy opponent when Mira lost her power.
Knowing that her rival was back in full force gave Erza a surge of adrenaline. The guild was truly whole again.
Suddenly, the magical screens floating above the arena flickered, drawing the attention of the millions watching. The announcer's voice boomed, shaking the stadium.
[Next, the second team—the strongest, undefeated, absolute champions of every Grand Magic Games since their inception!]
The heavy iron gates on the opposite side groaned open. A fog of cold air rolled out, chilling the front rows.
[They are the Tigers who devour all! Sabertooth!!!]
The five Sabertooth members stepped out.
BOOM—————!! The arena erupted in its loudest cheers yet.
The sound was a physical force, a wall of noise that slammed into the participants. The ground shook with the stomping of feet.
"STING! STING! STING!"
"ROGUE! ROGUE!"
"THE INVINCIBLE TIGERS!"
Leading them was Sting Eucliffe, the White Dragon Slayer, basking in the adoration with a cocky smirk. Beside him walked Rogue Cheney, the Shadow Dragon Slayer, silent and brooding.
Behind them were Rufus Lore, the Minstrel who sang to the moon, and Orga Nanagear, the Lightning God Slayer whose massive frame looked capable of crushing boulders. And finally, the celestial mage Yukino Agria.
They walked with the swagger of kings who owned the world. Their aura was sharp, aggressive, and overwhelmingly arrogant.
"Huh? Sabertooth's only second?"
A spectator whispered, confused.
"Yeah! What a shock! I thought they were invincible!"
"Then who's first? If the Tigers are second... who on earth beat them?"
The crowd cheered yet were taken aback—everyone had assumed Sabertooth would be number one. For seven years, Sabertooth had crushed every opponent. The idea that someone had surpassed them in the preliminaries was inconceivable.
The announcer, Chapati Lola, grabbed his microphone, his voice trembling with hype.
[Last to enter—a team both surprising and expected. They vanished for seven years, hit rock bottom, and were mocked by the world. But today, the prelim leaders—are they proclaiming a king's return?!]
[The top prelim team—Fairy Tail A Team!!!]
Fireworks exploded in the shape of the Fairy Tail emblem, painting the sky in red and gold.
Ren led his group onto the field. Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Lucy flanked him as they walked out into the blinding sunlight.
"Gahahaha!!"
"See that!! This is Fairy Tail!! Hahaha!!"
Makarov spread his arms in the stands, laughing arrogantly as the guild roared. He stood on the railing, tears of pride streaming down his face. He didn't care about the confused looks from the other masters. His children were number one and number two.
Ren's many talents landing them first in prelims came as no surprise to the Master. He knew exactly what kind of monster Ren was.
However, down on the field, Lucy was shrinking into herself.
"Uh... I'm feeling a bit guilty..."
Lucy blushed, hiding her face behind her hands.
She couldn't help but feel like a fraud amidst the cheers. Her mind flashed back to last night—the Sky Labyrinth preliminary round.
It was supposed to be a grueling test. A massive, floating 3D labyrinth in the sky, constantly shifting and rotating. Other guilds were struggling, fighting for maps, falling off the edges, and getting lost in the impossible geometry.
But Ren?
Ren had treated it like a walk in the park.
Upon entering the labyrinth, Ren had simply activated a specific Character Card. He channeled the power of Gojo Satoru from Jujutsu Kaisen.
"Six Eyes," he had murmured.
In an instant, the infinite complexity of the labyrinth was laid bare to his vision. He saw the structure, the magic flow, and the destination.
Then, he used Blue Sphere—Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue.
He didn't solve the puzzle. He obliterated it. He used the attractive force to crush the walls that stood in their way, creating a straight tunnel through the shifting maze.
Finally, he grabbed the entire team—Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Lucy—and used spatial teleportation.
They warped from the entrance directly to the finish line.
And then?
He warped them straight back to the hotel.
All in under five minutes.
She'd barely blinked before becoming first in prelims. While other guilds spent the whole night fighting and running, Fairy Tail Team A had gotten a full eight hours of beauty sleep and a nice breakfast.
"It feels like cheating," Lucy whispered to herself.
"Why does only Fairy Tail have two teams?"
"What's going on?"
Spectators were puzzled, pointing at the two groups of Fairy Tail mages.
[Well... per this year's rule change, each guild may enter two teams, so Fairy Tail's two squads are perfectly valid.]
Chapati explained quickly. [It seems only Fairy Tail had the manpower and the confidence to push two teams through the brutal preliminaries!]
The camera zoomed in on Ren, his face projected on the giant lacrima screens.
"So that's Ren..."
The whispers in the crowd changed tone. They shifted from confusion to awe and fear.
Everyone focused on him; few present were ordinary, and none had forgotten the legend of Fairy Tail from seven years ago.
Ren's fame predated them all.
He was one of the rare mages in history with a publicly recorded victory over a Ten Wizard Saint—Jose Porla of Phantom Lord.
The footage of him using the Quake-Quake Fruit powers to shatter the air, and his Susanoo armor, had spread far and wide.
Even now, no one dared overlook him.
"That's the guy who destroyed a guild master."
"I heard he disappeared with them. He hasn't aged a day."
"If he's back... this tournament might actually be interesting."
[Mr. Yajima, when it comes to the finals, can teammates really fight each other?]
Chapati asked the guest commentator, the former council member Yajima.
"Since the tournament allows two teams, that shouldn't be an issue," Yajima replied, stroking his mustache thoughtfully. "In fact, seeing guildmates clash is often the most exciting part."
Down in the arena, the rivalry was already heating up.
Natsu pointed at the balcony, grinning wildly. He shouted at the B Team.
"Same guild or not, we'll give it everything—we won't hold back! I'm gonna crush you guys!"
Gajeel grinned, leaning over the railing. "Perfect. Last time we never finished our fight—now we'll settle it! I'll turn you into scrap metal, Salamander!"
"A real man goes all out!!"
Elfman shouted, flexing his muscles so hard his shirt threatened to rip.
"Don't you dare lose!"
Laxus just smirked, a silent promise of dominance.
[Now, let us begin the Grand Magic Games! The first event is about to start!]
[The event is named: HIDDEN!]
The words appeared in giant flaming letters in the sky.
"Let's start at full throttle—I'll open!"
A voice cut in from the side.
It was Lyon Vastia from Lamia Scale. The Ice-Make mage stepped forward, looking cool and collected, his white coat fluttering.
Seeing Lyon, Gray's expression hardened instantly.
Gray stepped forward too, ice mist forming at his feet. The rivalry between the two disciples of Ur was eternal.
"If Lyon's going, then I..."
He wanted to settle the score. He wanted to show Lyon how much he had grown.
Natsu was also gearing up. "I'm all fired up! Let me go!"
Just then a voice rang out, cutting through their excitement.
"I'll go!"
"Ren?!"
Everyone froze.
Natsu stopped mid-step. Gray turned around, his eyes wide. Erza looked surprised.
Even the B Team on the balcony paused their banter.
Everyone turned to stare—Ren, who'd always entered last against Phantom Lord, who usually preferred to observe and analyze from the backlines, was volunteering first.
Usually, Ren was the trump card. The anchor. The one who cleaned up the mess at the end.
Ren stepped forward, adjusting his collar. He walked past Gray and Natsu, his footsteps echoing softly but carrying immense weight.
He looked up at the sky, then at the Sabertooth team who were sneering at them.
He glanced at Raven Tail, catching the malicious glint in Ivan's eye.
He knew the plot.
He knew that in the original timeline, Gray participated in this event.
He knew that Gray would be humiliated by Raven Tail's Nullpudding, who would cheat and target him relentlessly, dragging Fairy Tail down to last place right from the start.
He wasn't going to let that happen.
He wasn't going to let the "Underdog Story" play out slowly this time.
He didn't need a redemption arc. He needed dominance.
He turned back to his stunned teammates and smirked, a dangerous light in his eyes.
"Fairy Tail's been quiet too long; it's time we reminded everyone who we are."