After all, Thomas was Kabe's father-in-law in name.
Using a little influence to ensure his son-in-law obtained first place without any unexpected incidents was not impossible.
As for the truth, only the king himself knew.
Canae only had such a suspicion.
In C Team's resting area, Bisca pulled Lisanna aside and spoke quietly.
"I heard that the bald uncle is an extremely powerful Mage."
"Some say his strength isn't any weaker than a Wizard Saint."
"Just listen to those rumors and forget them."
Lisanna scoffed at such words and didn't take them seriously at all.
"Those are just third-rate newspapers trying to attract attention."
"But even if he isn't as strong as a Wizard Saint, Kabe will definitely have to spend some effort defeating him, right?"
"What if he gets worn down through continuous battles..."
Before Bisca could finish speaking, Lisanna waved her hand and forcefully interrupted her.
"Impossible."
"My brother-in-law is invincible!"
"Forget a mere bald guy. Even if everyone here attacked him together, these useless people still wouldn't be his opponent."
Even Elfman beside them flexed his muscles and firmly supported Kabe.
"Kabe is a true man!"
"This level of challenge won't trouble him!"
Listening to the siblings blindly praising Kabe, Evergreen angrily smacked Lisanna on the back of her head.
"You two idiots."
"Don't forget we are teammates too. When insulting people, don't accidentally insult yourselves."
Meanwhile, in Lamia Scale's area, Jura saw that the first match was between himself and Kabe.
After his initial surprise, he revealed a calm smile.
"Looks like my journey ends here."
"But being able to fight against a powerhouse of that level is still a valuable opportunity."
"Perfect. Let me see just how large the gap between me and the peak really is."
Seeing Jura's pessimistic tone, Sherry looked doubtful.
"Jura, you are our guild's trump card."
"Is the difference really that huge?"
"I don't know."
"Then why..."
"But I will definitely lose."
Jura ignored Sherry's shocked expression.
Instead, with a strange mixture of excitement and nervousness, he stepped onto the training ground.
At the same time, Kabe also walked out from the crowd.
The two stood facing each other, separated by about ten meters.
Seeing both competitors take their positions, the host could barely hide his excitement and immediately announced the start of the match.
"Jura of Lamia Scale versus Kabe of Fairy Tail!"
With only a simple opening announcement, Jura immediately launched a fast attack.
He formed a sword-like gesture with both hands and began controlling the magic power hidden within the earth.
Without the slightest hesitation, the ground beneath them roared.
Like a massive wave, the earth itself surged toward Kabe, who remained standing in place.
"Hah!"
With a shout, Jura's attack did not end there.
Countless sharpened stone pillars erupted from the ground, stabbing toward Kabe from every direction.
One side had stone spears rising from below.
The other had waves of earth crashing down from above.
And in front of him, Jura changed his hand seals once again, seemingly preparing another powerful technique.
Under this overwhelming assault, Kabe appeared to be in an extremely dangerous situation.
It looked as though he had nowhere left to escape.
But he remained completely unmoved.
As if this level of attack wasn't even worth noticing.
"Boring tricks."
"All you did was raise some dust."
Those dismissive words reached Jura's ears.
Even the normally calm and gentle man could not help but feel a surge of anger.
But at that moment, Kabe suddenly shouted.
"HAH!!"
In an instant, a violent energy wave erupted from Kabe's position and swept across the entire training ground.
Under this terrifying force, the stone spears and earth waves were crushed and blown away without mercy.
Just like the "dust" Kabe had described them as.
Since Thomas wanted to intimidate the surrounding nations, Kabe would fulfill that wish.
He would let everyone understand what true power looked like.
He had not held back.
After dispersing Jura's attack, the energy wave continued forward, spreading even farther.
The resting areas.
The spectator stands.
The military camp.
Everything the energy wave passed over was flattened into ruins.
And the moment Kabe shouted, all three Fairy Tail teams immediately realized what was happening.
Their expressions changed drastically.
Without looking back, they turned around and ran.
In the spectator seats, Makarov also cursed before immediately grabbing the confused Thomas and Hisui.
Then he flew away at full speed.
Goldman, Bob, and the others were confused at first.
It was only when the energy wave reached them and sent them flying into the sky that they finally understood.
"Kabe, you brat!"
"YOU BETTER WAIT FOR ME!!!"
Goldman's furious roar echoed through the sky for a long time.
But he was not the only one with the same thoughts.
The resting areas and spectator stands were filled with innocent participants, guests, and staff members who had been caught in the attack.
"Ahhh! Save me!!!"
"AAAAAHHHH!!!"