"Is this for real? Laxus got taken down by just one card?"
"Aye! That's Nate for you!"
"Hey, Cana, what do you think about this, since it's also card magic?"
Cana, looking unenthusiastic, sighed, "Why is there no alcohol in this game world? I can't get in the mood without a drink."
Everyone else: "..."
With a flash of golden light, Nate returned to Sky Island. From the moment he was teleported to the arena to his return, the entire match took less than five seconds.
It was a clean and swift victory.
At that moment, Nate held the card that had sealed Laxus between his fingers. Curious guild members crowded around to see the spectacle.
"Let me out!" Laxus was angrily banging on the surface inside the card.
"You bastard! That's cheating! How can this count as a loss? This seal can't hold me!" He opened his mouth, about to unleash dragon breath.
Nate deactivated the magic and released Laxus from the alternate space, then raised his hands innocently. "Don't blame me. The game judged that being sealed means you lost the ability to fight."
Laxus was about to let out a dragon roar, but it got stuck in his throat. He had finally figured out a way to counter Nate's teleportation, only to be taken down by Nate's newly learned card-based space magic. It felt too unfair!
"This doesn't count! Rematch!" Laxus demanded, his face darkening.
"I need to watch the rest of the matches. Next time, I promise."
"When's next time?"
'So stubborn. Do you really want to beat me that badly?' Nate sighed. "When the game officially releases, we can fight anytime."
"Deal!" Laxus reluctantly accepted and immediately logged out of the arena. Losing to a card in seconds was embarrassing, and he didn't want to stay any longer.
After handling Laxus, Nate turned his attention to the [Volcano Arena]. The match between Mirajane and Mystogan had just begun.
At that moment, Gray approached, looking agitated.
"Nate, what's going on with Ur? How did she appear in the game?"
Beside him, Macao nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Gray told us about his past. His master suddenly showing up in the game after she died..."
Levy chimed in softly, "Could this world actually be the afterlife?"
Elfman, with a serious expression, said, "Nate, my sister also passed away. Can you bring her back? I've always wanted to say sorry."
'Whoa, your imagination is wild,' Nate chuckled internally. "Didn't Ur tell you?"
Gray replied, "She fought me and then surrendered automatically."
'If Ur didn't tell you the truth, it's not my place to explain everything.' Nate considered for a moment. He could probably guess why Ur was being evasive. She had sacrificed herself to save Gray by using the ultimate ice-sealing magic, 'Iced Shell.' If Gray found out that Ur was now a ghost, he might develop a dangerous obsession with bringing her back to life.
Nate stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Gray, as for this matter… All I can say is, those who understand will understand. If you don't, then there's no point explaining it. There's too much at stake here, and knowing more won't help you right now."
"I'll just say, it's complicated. Even the Magic Net erased the records. So, it's one of those things—either you get it, or you don't."
Gray: "???"
'What is he talking about?' Nate patted Gray on the shoulder, speaking in a sage-like tone.
"You're not strong enough yet. When you reach the top ten in the rankings, I'll tell you."
Gray didn't understand much of what Nate said, but the last sentence was clear. Determination flared in his eyes, fueling a new motivation. He wanted the game's official release as soon as possible so he could climb to the top ten and learn the truth.
"I understand now! This must be a really big deal!"
"Thank you, Nate!"
'He's even thanking me.' Nate shrugged. "Let's just focus on the match."
He looked back up at the [Volcano Arena], where Mirajane had already transformed into her demon form.
'Did I miss something exciting?'
…
[Volcano Arena]
Mystogan, observing Mirajane, who had regained her powers, spoke calmly. "Congratulations."
In her demon form, Mirajane's demeanor was entirely different from her usual gentle self. She exuded a fierce, overwhelming presence.
"It's thanks to Nate that I've finally freed myself from my past," Mirajane said.
Mystogan drew a staff from his back, pointing it toward her. "Magic Staves: Sleep Magic!"
In an instant, Mirajane's eyelids felt heavy, but she was prepared. "It won't work. I've prepared for this and won't fall for your sleep magic."
With a wave of her hand, a dark magic circle formed in her palm. "Darkness Stream!"
From the circle, dark magic surged forth, forming claws that reached for Mystogan.
"Three Layered Magic Circle: Mirror Water!"
Mystogan quickly drew two more staves, chanting rapidly. Just before the dark claws struck, the triple-layered magic barrier reflected the attack back toward Mirajane.
'Boom!' The reflected blast hit Mirajane, enveloping the area in dust.
Mystogan drew two more staves, placing five in total before him. "Five Layered Magic Circle: Sacred Song!"
Five consecutive magic circles formed above Mirajane, raining beams of light from the sky, striking with precision.
Boom!
The explosion scattered lava in every direction, as though fireworks had erupted. But in the next moment, Mirajane's demon wings unfurled as she soared into the air, hovering above the battlefield.
"Evil Shower!"
Dozens of dark orbs materialized in her hands, bombarding Mystogan with rapid energy blasts, turning the terrain into a wasteland.
Mystogan moved swiftly across the molten ground, evading the onslaught from the sky.
Realizing she couldn't hit him directly, Mirajane stopped and brought her hands together, gathering immense dark energy between them.
"Soul Extinctor!"
A massive dark beam shot from the sky, piercing through the ground.
…
Back at [Sky Island]
[Warning]: Volcano map has been destroyed. Match suspended, map repair in progress…
[Volcano Arena]: Mirajane vs. Mystogan!
[Winner]: Mirajane!
Upon seeing this, Nate couldn't help but shake his head. 'Damn it, the map got destroyed again!' And it's the Volcano map again! Even worse, the game system seems a bit glitchy—it just gave Mirajane the win by default? Clearly a bug.
The spectators were equally stunned. One of them exclaimed in surprise:
"Mi...Mirajane's 'Demon Form' is back!"
With a flash of white light, Mirajane and Mystogan were teleported back to [Sky Island]. Mirajane had reverted to her usual form, standing nervously with her fingers intertwined, apologizing softly:
"I'm sorry, Nate. I broke the map."
'I'll forgive you if you give me a kiss!' Nate thought mischievously but refrained, as they were surrounded by people.
Just then, two more arenas concluded their matches, and the large screen quickly displayed the updates.
[Beach Arena]: Lucy vs. Juvia!
[Winner]: Juvia!
[Forest Arena]: Evergreen vs. Erza!
[Winner]: Erza!
With that, two more contestants had entered the top eight.
…
(AUTHOR: Regarding Lisanna, after thorough research, some say there was no body, while others claim there was a body—specifically, the Edolas version of Lisanna. I've decided to go with the former explanation.)