The next day, at noon.
In the main hall of the Fairy Tail guild.
The previously unconscious Ian and others slowly awoke from their sleep.
"Ah, my head hurts..."
"Ian, got any water?"
Gildarts, still feeling the effects of his hangover, found his throat a bit dry and turned to Ian for some water.
"Here, some plain water..."
Ian handed Gildarts the leftover water he had from the day before.
"Thanks."
Without thinking much, Gildarts took the cup from Ian and downed it in one go.
"Blah!"
The next second, Gildarts spat out all the water he had just drunk.
"Ian!"
"What did you just give me to drink?!"
"Why is it so powerful?!"
Gildarts wiped the remnants of the 'water' from his mouth and glared at Ian.
"Of course it was just water~"
"But it's flammable."
Ian said as he used his fire magic to ignite the remaining liquid in Gildarts' cup.
"Are you kidding me?!"
Gildarts looked at the ignited water in disbelief.
"Haha, it was just a little prank."
"As for what you drank, it was only 96% pure alcohol."
Ian pulled out a bottle of the common white alcohol that had recently become popular in Fairy Tail and other mage guilds.
"Huh?"
"This stuff is stronger than medical-grade alcohol! What kind of terrifying drink is this?"
"And you guys actually dare to drink this?"
Gildarts stared at the bottle Ian had taken out, dumbfounded.
Even though the physical resilience of mages far surpasses that of ordinary humans, and regular alcohol usually doesn't affect them much...
But still!
This so-called 'water' Ian gave him seemed way too strong!
"Anyway, I need the plain kind of water, the non-flammable one."
Gildarts got up from his seat and headed to the bar to find a bottle of regular water.
"Sigh..."
"Gildarts, you really need to build up your tolerance."
Ian sighed as he watched Gildarts' pathetic state.
"Speaking of which, it's about time..."
"I can go and declare the end of this year's Fairy Tail 24-hour endurance contest."
Ian said as he walked towards the guild's exit.
"I'll go with you."
Just as Ian was about to leave the guild…
Ur slowly stood up from the ground. She picked up her clothes that had been scattered and quickly dressed before jogging to Ian's side.
"Alright."
Ian nodded slightly and waited for Ur to catch up. The two then walked together towards the mountains behind the Fairy Tail guild.
---
The next day, under the blazing sun.
The bright sunlight illuminated the Fairy Tail members lying all over the ground.
After enduring a 24-hour endurance battle...
Only Erza, Laxus, Ultear, and Mirajane were still standing, relying solely on their sheer willpower to continue fighting in the 'arena.'
"Mirajane, your magic power has been depleted for a while now, hasn't it?"
"Stop forcing yourself. Just lie down and rest with your brother and sister."
Erza sneered as she glanced at Mirajane.
"Are you kidding? There's no way I'd lose to you."
Mirajane stubbornly replied while glaring at Erza.
"You left an opening!"
However, just as Mirajane turned her head to look at Erza, in that brief moment of distraction, Ultear saw her chance!
"Not good!"
Mirajane realized something was wrong and turned to defend herself.
But it was too late.
"Ice Make: Ice Coffin!"
With a chilling gust, Mirajane was instantly encased in ice by Ultear.
Had Mirajane been in peak condition, she might have been able to break free from the ice with her Take Over magic.
Unfortunately, Mirajane no longer had the strength to do so.
"Got her."
Ultear smiled triumphantly, knowing that by defeating Mirajane, she had secured a top-three finish. Even if she lost to Laxus or Erza next, she would still be ranked third.
"Boom!"
But, as they say, 'a mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.'
Before Ultear could celebrate, a deafening crack of thunder exploded in her ears. Golden lightning engulfed her, wrapping around her soft body.
"Ahh!!"
Ultear let out a scream before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.
"The one who let their guard down was you, Ultear..."
"Remember, I'm your opponent."
Laxus coldly stated, staring at Ultear, who had fallen under his lightning strike.
"Now, it's time for the final battle."
Laxus said, turning his gaze toward Erza.
"Laxus, it's just the two of us now."
"You'd better have overcome the Dragon Slayer's weakness to vehicles, or else you won't stand a chance against me."
As a user of the Requip magic—Knight, Erza's personality was akin to a noble knight.
In her usual manner, she had no habit of ambushing opponents from behind.
Thus, Erza had patiently waited for Laxus to defeat Ultear before drawing her knight's sword.
"Heh, don't get too cocky, Erza!"
"Let me show you the fruits of my training these past few days!"
Thunder rumbled as Laxus' body crackled with lightning, his magic power surging around him. As the oldest among Erza, Ultear, and Mirajane by a few years, Laxus naturally had the most magic power.
"Hiss..."
Erza took a sharp breath, calming her mind as she began to think about how Laxus might counter the secret technique she had specifically developed to deal with Dragon Slayers.
"I'm coming for you, are you ready, Erza?"
As Laxus spoke, his muscles seemed to bulge, and transparent scales appeared on his arms. His Dragon Force surged to a new level.
"Bring it on!"
Erza nodded lightly, signaling that Laxus could attack whenever he was ready.
"Let's end this with my ultimate move!"
Laxus transformed into a bolt of lightning and charged at Erza.
He had wagered everything on this final attack, channeling all his remaining magic power into his right fist!
This was his strongest attack, his Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Roaring Thunder!
"Requip: Transportation!"
In response, Erza stuck to her tried-and-true tactic, raising her hand and unleashing her secret technique against Dragon Slayers.
"Hah, do you think the same trick will work on me twice?"
"Let me tell you something! I—"
Laxus had anticipated that Erza would use this technique against him again. He gave a cold laugh, eyes filled with disdain, as he suddenly halted his charge...
Then, Laxus let out a groan, clutching his chest, and dry-heaved, "Ugh!"
"So you never actually found a way to counter my move, huh?"
"Then why were you so confident earlier?"
Erza couldn't help but ask, amused.
Laxus replied, "I bet you wouldn't use that move again."
"Guess I was wrong."
---
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