"Audience members, please watch the events in the town through the Magic Crystal projections!"
Erza gazed at the massive images reflecting the town, marveling, "Truly worthy of the Grand Magic Games. Constructing a town out of thin air—how immense must the Magic Power be?"
Ankh and the others watched the town below from their viewing room, unable to help but praise.
"Playing hide-and-seek in such a large town... how interesting."
In the town, Gray had been teleported to a narrow alley and listened as Chapati announced the competition rules:
"The rules of 'Stealth' are simple—it's the hide-and-seek we all know, but everyone is both the seeker and the one being pursued."
"You must locate the opposing Mages within this town. After that, use any Magic to land a single blow on them. Regardless of how minor the injury, the attacker gains one point! Conversely, the one attacked loses points."
"Accumulated scores will be ranked after the competition ends. From highest to lowest, participants will earn 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0 points for their teams respectively."
Ankh listened with a complicated expression.
Wasn't this just a real-life battle royale? And they called it 'Stealth'...
...
In the town, Gray frowned as he contemplated his strategy.
First, Ankh's pre-match speculation was correct—the key to this competition was finding people first.
Suddenly, numerous points of light appeared around him. These magical glows solidified, taking the forms of the eight participating contestants.
The streets were packed with dummies. At a glance, it was impossible to tell which one was the real Gray.
Natsu watched the scene on the screen and covered his mouth in disgust.
Cana looked at him speechlessly. "Seriously? You're getting motion sickness from this too?"
"No... So many Grays... It's disgusting..."
Chapati took the opportunity to explain the props on the field: "These are everyone's replicas. If you accidentally hit a replica, you'll lose one point on the spot!"
"Now, contestants, vanish into the silence like a black cat lurking in the midnight! The stealth competition begins now, with a time limit of thirty minutes!"
A gong strike marked the start of the competition.
Gray cautiously peeked out from an alley, grumbling inwardly:
'Hiding and sneaking around to find people... This really isn't my style...'
Gray dashed through the streets. Just then, a sinister voice came from behind:
"Running so fast—do you not understand the rules yet?"
Gray stopped, crossed his arms, and glared coldly at Nullpudding, who had appeared before him.
"You actually dare to show yourself!"
Thinking about how this guy had ambushed Wendy, Gray showed no mercy.
He completed his Ice Make, and a massive ice axe came crashing down.
Outside, Gajeel looked surprised. "His Ice Make is faster and stronger now."
Ankh nodded and sighed. "It's just a shame he fell for the trap."
In the town, Gray stared in disbelief at the score screen in the sky, which clearly showed that he had lost a point.
"Why? I clearly hit him!"
Nullpudding emerged from a pile of ice shards, laughing triumphantly. "Too bad, that was my replica."
He hid behind a replica?
But Gray had clearly seen the replica moving... 'Does this guy have the ability to manipulate objects from a distance?'
Gray gritted his teeth as his body began to glow. He was teleported to another location.
Contestants hit by magic or who hit a replica were teleported to a random spot to prevent point farming.
However, this mechanic wasn't a good balancing measure for Mages skilled at tracking people.
In the ensuing battle, Gray managed to evade numerous surprise attacks from members of other guilds.
But no matter how he disguised himself, Nullpudding always saw through it and attacked him.
The others were relatively stable.
Beth from Mermaid Heel tried to ambush Juvia but was counterattacked by Juvia, who was determined to win.
Jäger from Quatro Cerberus seized the chance to attack Juvia but was hit by Lyon's Ice Make, who arrived just in time.
Then... While the love-struck Lyon was spouting romantic nonsense, Juvia launched a surprise attack and scored a point.
After that, Eve used his Snow Magic to unleash a blizzard over the town. The contestants shivering from the cold and exhaling steam were immediately exposed.
Eve took the opportunity to successively attack Jäger, Beth, and Nullpudding, breaking through their defenses effortlessly.
However, Lyon, who wasn't bothered by the cold, showed no weakness and instead managed to hit Eve.
...
"It's turned into a chaotic battle..." Natsu rubbed his head and complained, "A competition where you can't even fight freely really isn't for me."
Erza watched the score screen with concern. "Gray has been completely seen through... He hasn't scored a single point so far, and Juvia has been interfered with multiple times by Nullpudding. How is Raven Tail able to see through Gray and Juvia every time?"
Cana hesitated. "Since Raven Tail was founded by the Guild Master's son, could they have some ability to identify members of our guild?"
Before this speculation could be verified, Rufus made his move.
To the excitement of the audience, Rufus stood flamboyantly atop a tall building, hands clasped behind his back as he smiled.
"This kind of competition is truly boring to me."
"I've memorized everything."
Placing two fingers against his temples, Rufus conjured a magical glow behind him, enveloping the town in darkness.
Simultaneously, golden light emanated from the bodies of all participants on the field, making them stand out conspicuously among the clones.
"Starry Night Descent!"
Rufus unleashed multiple beams of light that attacked the participants who now shone like fireflies in the night.
Almost all members were hit by this unexpected assault.
Juvia attempted to dodge, but the light beam seemed to have tracking capabilities, curving around to strike her anyway.
This full-map, auto-targeting area-of-effect attack raised Rufus's score to the highest in the field.
Gray managed to defend against the attack using instant-cast Ice Make magic.
Glaring at Rufus on the high building, he launched his own magic in an attempt to knock him down.
However, Rufus elegantly descended from the sky, effortlessly evading the attack.
At that moment, the recently struck Juvia was teleported next to Gray, looking confused.
"Perfect opportunity, two birds with one stone!"
Nullpudding burst forth from the ground, his arm transforming into a vicious spiked club that shot projectiles toward Gray and Juvia.
Rufus smiled, enveloping the two Fairy Tail members in brilliant golden light.
The time had come to settle the score for being suppressed and losing first place in the preliminary round!
Yet, just as both attacks were about to land, Gray's icy voice rang out.
"I've had enough of this..."
A dark, chilling Ice Geyser erupted from the ground, freezing both attacks in place.
"Gray-sama?"
Hearing Juvia's voice behind him, Gray—now wielding his new power of Black Ice—recalled Ankh's words before the match.
All the confusion and resentment from earlier vanished.
Black ice rose from Gray's feet as ashen-gray mist spread throughout the street.
Gray spoke to Juvia behind him.
"All for maximizing the team's benefit, Juvia."
Juvia paused in surprise.
"You go take first place. I'll handle these two obstacles."
Gray stretched his limbs, smiling confidently at the two opponents before him.
"Really, I've been too fixated on the competition rules... This hide-and-seek game almost made me forget how to fight..."
"After all... this is my favorite way to resolve things."
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