Whether it was Igneel or Grandeeney, Nate could only shrug at the blatant interference by these two dragons. After all, Natsu and Wendy had one good father and one good mother on their side.
This ranking tournament was primarily for entertainment, with the main purpose being to test the speed of magic absorption. It was also an excellent opportunity for Nate to closely observe Dragon Slayer magic.
"Do your best, Lucy. Try to make it to the top 16," Nate said with a smile, encouraging her.
"The top 16? Me?" Lucy covered her mouth, feeling pessimistic. With so many powerful mages in the guild, how could she possibly fight her way into the top 16?
"Princess, do your best," Virgo earnestly encouraged her.
"Even you're saying that?" Lucy sighed.
"Princess, I've noticed that this environment is very favorable for us Celestial Spirits," Virgo said, extending her hand as her palm glowed with expanding golden light—the power of the Celestial Spirit.
Celestial Spirits had a unique advantage in the Magic Arena. As Lucy's summoned spirit, Virgo had also been granted a "Celestial Spirit Body" by the arena, just like the other participants. Compared to the outside world, both her magic and combat abilities were significantly enhanced here.
"Now that you mention it… it does feel different!" Lucy exclaimed, taking out her set of keys from her waist. "I think I can open another gate of the Zodiac, something I can't usually do outside!"
Virgo whispered quietly, "Nate-sama is letting you cheat, Princess."
Lucy's face turned a bit red, feeling slightly flattered by the special treatment. If Natsu had Igneel's help, then she had Nate's favor...
With that thought, Lucy's heart began to race.
...
Despite the size of Sky Island, it wasn't very large, roughly equivalent to thirty standard football fields. Even with over two hundred mages scattered across the area, it was still challenging to find someone.
Juvia aimlessly wandered across the grassy field, completely uninterested in the four ongoing matches displayed in the sky.
"Where is Nate-sama?" she muttered to herself as she searched for him. Suddenly, a figure appeared right in front of her—Nate had materialized out of nowhere.
Juvia blinked, wondering if she was imagining things.
"What's wrong? Weren't you looking for me?" Nate asked.
"Nate-sama!" Juvia excitedly threw herself into his arms.
Nate didn't push her away. Instead, he opened his arms and embraced her, pulling her close. Fortunately, everyone else's attention was focused on the matches or on Igneel, so their relationship remained undiscovered.
With a thought, Nate teleported them both to a secluded hill. They sat on the grass, Juvia happily leaning into his embrace.
"Nate-sama, I will do my best to clear any obstacles for you!" Juvia declared.
"Obstacles?" Nate asked, confused.
"Although our guildmates are our friends, in this tournament, they're all opponents. I'll defeat them all and make my way to you, Nate-sama! I won't lose to anyone!"
Nate couldn't help but chuckle. He didn't need Juvia's help to win—one snap of his fingers could wipe out everyone, including the two dragons. But he appreciated her dedication. Juvia was completely devoted to him, with her heart and mind entirely focused on him.
Unable to resist, Nate kissed her on the cheek. "You're so adorable. Keep it up."
"Yes!" Juvia nodded vigorously, her face beaming with happiness.
They sat together, watching the ongoing matches, enjoying a peaceful moment as a couple.
Out of the 261 participants, 130 matches had to be fought in the first round. Fortunately, most contestants weren't too strong, so the matches didn't take too long.
Except for Mystogan and Wendy.
"The Dragon Slayer Ultimate moves… I remember them being 'Shattering Light: Sky Drill' and 'Milky Way,'" Nate observed. Wendy had already mastered the Sky Dragon's Roar, and now she was learning the Dragon Slayer's ultimate techniques.
However, Dragon Slayers were known for getting motion sickness. Wendy had avoided it so far, but after learning these moves, she might start suffering from it, just like Natsu.
While Nate quietly observed the Sky Dragon Slayer magic, the match at the beach arena came to an end. Soon, Juvia was matched with an opponent whose name Nate didn't recognize.
"Nate-sama, it's my turn to compete," Juvia said as she reluctantly stood up, only to be instantly teleported to the arena.
Moments later, her image appeared on one of the screens floating in the sky.
"I know it's a bit unfair, but I'll make sure the stronger contestants don't run into each other too soon," Nate thought, opening the backend of the Magic Arena and manipulating the match pairings.
He created a whitelist, ensuring that no guild members he knew by name would face each other as long as there were still other contestants.
"Now, it's just a waiting game. At least until the top 32, the matches shouldn't be too intense. But we might not get to the top 32 today."
Juvia quickly returned after her match. As a former S-class mage of Phantom Lord, she was strong enough to easily make it into the top 16. She'd won her match in an instant with her 'Water Lock' magic.
Afterward, the two continued watching the matches.
Soon, Nate was also selected by the match system. His opponent took one look at him and promptly surrendered.
One match after another progressed. With the exception of Mirajane, every one of the 260 remaining participants fought once. In the end, 129 were eliminated, and 130 advanced to the next round.
...
It's worth noting that Wendy and Mystogan's match still hadn't ended. Their situation was unique—their battle wasn't the main focus. It was a teaching session by the Sky Dragon, Grandeeney. No one minded this, though; in fact, everyone was watching the lesson with fascination.
Getting to witness a dragon teaching Dragon Slayer magic was a rare opportunity—who needed anything more?
By evening, Nate announced that the day's matches were over and that the tournament would continue the next day.
"Tomorrow, everyone can participate from home; there's no need to crowd the guild's tavern," Nate said. "This tournament is just a friendly guild event. I hope no one gets discouraged if they lose. Just do your best next time."
"Remember, friendship comes first, and the competition comes second."
"I hope everyone has fun!"
As Nate's voice echoed across the arena, the participants erupted into cheers, chanting his name.
Two days later, with the number of contestants steadily decreasing, the matches began to intensify. Once the top 32 were determined, the Fairy Tail ranking tournament reached its boiling point.
...
Another day of matches came to an end.
That night, Nate returned to his apartment. Before he even entered, his Six Eyes detected a presence inside. He opened the door and found a girl with crimson hair sitting at his desk, a cup of chamomile tea (a gift from the Council) by her side.
"Nate, you're back."
"…"
Whose house is this again?
"Erza, what are you doing here?" Nate asked in confusion.
Erza replied seriously, "I'm here to teach you Requip magic, just as we agreed."