Watching the scene on the field, the tall man sneered to himself, "I could easily erase that kind of magic."
The man in golden armor beside him impatiently interrupted, "I told you, don't act rashly. Do you want to start a fight with Fairy Tail here?"
Upon hearing this, the tall man fell silent; although his expression remained unchanged, his whole body exuded an air of dissatisfaction. He was not pleased; to him, someone like Calvin wasn't worth fearing.
The light of the stars illuminated the entire field, showcasing brilliance and nobility. Lucy, who had cast this magic, instantly captured the hearts of many young men.
Having used her full strength to cast the super spell, "Urano Metria," Lucy collapsed to the ground after Pumpkin announced the result, gasping for breath as her magic power was exhausted.
However, her heart was filled with immense joy and happiness, her chest swelling with pride because she had brought victory to her guild in front of everyone today.
Achieving victory through her efforts, Lucy felt that her past hard work had not been in vain. She truly realized that she had become stronger from this victory.
She would no longer be the Lucy who lagged behind in future battles and needed protection!
Lucy silently made this vow and then struggled to stand up, using her hands to push herself off the ground. As the victor, she couldn't just lie there and accept the audience's and her comrades' praise.
However, the drain from "Urano Metria" was severe. She was ultimately out of strength and couldn't get up. A strong arm lifted her at that moment, supporting her on a sturdy shoulder.
Lucy was taken aback but immediately saw the familiar pink hair before her. The familiar scent made her relax, and she softly placed her hand on her helper, murmuring, "Thank you, Natsu."
Natsu, who had somehow made his way to the field, smiled broadly as he helped Lucy up, his movements gentle, devoid of his usual roughness.
"Consider it a reward for your victory. You did great, Lucy," Natsu replied with a smile, slowly helping her back to the resting area.
Seeing this, Calvin chuckled softly, saying, "Heh, it seems Natsu isn't as dense as he looks. Lucy will be won over soon."
"What nonsense are you talking about? What's so strange about Natsu helping Lucy?" Ezra asked, puzzled and slightly annoyed. Hearing this, Calvin and Gray exchanged helpless looks.
"This guy is so clueless about love stories that don't involve her," Calvin thought to himself. Unless it's as direct as Juvia's approach, she won't get it, like Bisca and Alzack were before."
Their conversation didn't cause any ripples, and the competition continued smoothly. As Lucy was being helped away, the audience's cheers didn't cease, their loudest applause expressing their excitement.
Audiences were fickle. While they might have looked down on Fairy Tail's former reputation as perpetual underdogs, the moment Fairy Tail mages showcased their respectable and admirable strength, the audience naturally switched to support them, eager for a comeback story.
Fairy Tail A Team's victory once again secured them the perfect score for the first day of the competition. Ten points were needed for the event and ten points for the duel, totaling twenty points to sit comfortably at the top.
It was up to Fairy Tail B Team to maintain this overwhelming advantage. If they also won their duel, their eighteen points would still place them in second, a very honorable position.
The audience eagerly awaited the Fairy Tail B Team's match.
However, the rules had to be followed despite the audience's anticipation. After tidying the field, the organizers announced the participants for the second duel: Ren from Blue Pegasus and Arania from Mermaid Heel.
Ren was a dark-skinned, wild, and arrogant-looking man in a suit, while Arania was a beautiful woman in a spider web-patterned bodysuit, her hair tied up into large rolls at the back of her head, with large black pearl earrings.
Their fight could have been more intense, rather lukewarm. After a disadvantage, Ren ended the battle with a move called "Sky Phantom," securing ten points.
Seeing this, Erza remarked, "Indeed, Blue Pegasus has become much stronger over the past seven years."
"That's for sure. Let's just hope Ichiya hasn't become even weirder," Calvin added, prompting Erza to nod repeatedly.
Ezra and Calvin both had lingering fears about Ichiya. His appearance was intimidating enough, but his narcissistic personality was even more unbearable. It wasn't arrogance but a genuine belief in his unmatched attractiveness.
Describing Ichiya as lacking self-awareness would be an understatement.
As Calvin and Erza chatted, the third match was about to begin. The participants were Orga from Sabertooth and Warcry from Quatro Cerberus.
Orga was the most robust mage among Sabertooth's top five. Though not as huge as Elfman's, his build was comparable to Laxus's, if not more muscular. His light blue hair was casually draped over his back, a black headband tied around his forehead, and a beast skin-like fur coat wrapped around his waist, exposing his steel-like muscles—a truly wild sight.
Orga's entrance was met with enthusiastic cheers. Their cheers would never fade as long as Sabertooth remained the strongest guild.
Warcry, a bizarre hot-blooded mage dressed in canine fur, had an equally strange magic—attacking with copious tears, matching Ichiya's perfume magic in weirdness.
However, Orga ended the match with a single move, obliterating Warcry with a massive dark Thunderball that evaporated all the tears and struck Warcry with overwhelming force.
The power of that dark Thunderball was extraordinary.
"Oh, this lightning seems comparable to Laxus'," Calvin said with interest.
"So, who do you think is stronger, him or Laxus?" Ezra asked, nodding in agreement.
"The power of his lightning might be superior, but in a real fight, Laxus would definitely come out on top," Calvin replied without hesitation, never doubting Laxus' strength.
"Of course, that's Laxus we're talking about..." Gray added, nodding. To him, the S-Class mages of his guild were akin to monsters. No, they were monsters.
At that moment, Natsu stared at Orga with a puzzled expression, muttering, "Weird, why does that lightning feel familiar?"
After Orga's victory, only one match remained for the day. The only guilds left were Fairy Tail B Team and Lamia Scale.
The matchup had everyone excited. Fairy Tail B Team had garnered much attention with their performance today, while Lamia Scale had placed second in previous Grand Magic Games without Jura and Lyon. The audience naturally had high expectations.
Not to mention, Jura was participating this year.
The crowd went wild when the announcer revealed the participants for the match!
The cheers and screams were the loudest of the day because Jura had been selected.
Seeing Jura compete on the first day made the audience's blood boil.
Even members of other guilds were highly interested in this match, as only a few had seen Jura in action. The most familiar instance was the battle against Oración Seis seven years ago.
But that was seven years ago. Jura had been on an upward trajectory, and it was hard to say how much stronger he had become now.
The other selected participant was Mystogan.