"Natsu, go home!"
"The battle is completely over..."
"But don't be discouraged, Natsu, you're still young..."
When Happy found out that the examiner for this passage was Ian, it was as if he had awakened a premonition ability, just like Carla. He foresaw Natsu's dismal future...
Thus, Happy obediently packed all their belongings and advised Natsu, "If we fail this year, we can always take the S-Class Mage exam again next year. As long as we don't meet Ian or Gildarts next time, we still have a chance."
"Yeah, Natsu," Ian said, crossing his arms before him, seemingly distracted as he glanced at Natsu, "Like Happy said, why don't you just go home?"
"Hey, Happy... Are you telling me to go home before even fighting? Stop joking around... There's no way I'm just giving up like that!"
"I'll prove it to you this year, without needing to wait for next year..."
While Natsu spoke, he began doing warm-ups on his own. He stretched his neck, his wrists, and his ankles, emitting the crisp sound of cracking joints. His eyes were fixed on Ian, full of anticipation.
He would never be content to quit without a challenge. If he didn't try, he would never understand how vast the gap was between himself and Ian or Gildarts. Since he was here, he had to match the excitement in his heart.
"Now I'm fired up," Natsu said as flames erupted around him, casting his entire body in a blaze.
"Here I come, Ian. You'd better be careful of my fists!"
Not forgetting to warn Ian to be careful of his punch, Natsu kicked off the ground and leapt into the air, using the downward momentum to launch at Ian. He yelled, "Take this, Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
"Iron Fist? I don't see it." Ian raised an eyebrow. "That punch is so soft, you should call it Fluffy Bun Fist."
When Natsu's fist drew near enough for Ian to feel the heat, Ian finally lifted a finger and pointed at Natsu.
"Boom!"
With just a light, seemingly effortless tap, an immense force enveloped Natsu. All the surrounding air was cleared away, cutting off the oxygen and extinguishing the flames that cloaked Natsu.
"..."
Seeing himself unable to conjure flames no matter how much magic he gathered, Natsu's pupils were filled with fear. He opened his mouth to speak but found himself unable to utter a word in the vacuum.
"The flames disappeared?" Happy asked in bewilderment, staring blankly.
"Yes, because it's a vacuum," Ian explained before thrusting his palm forward, slapping Natsu on the chest.
"Whoosh..."
With a sharp pain in his chest and his vision dimming, Natsu flew out like a cannonball, punching through the wall behind him and landing back at the tunnel they came from.
"Natsu, out!" A voice echoed throughout the island as Natsu was ejected, announcing his defeat.
"Oops, that was a bit too much." Ian scratched his head. "Happy, go check on Natsu, will you?"
"Aye!" Happy nodded and spread his little wings, slowly flying out of the cave.
Outside the passage.
"How could I fail like this? Let me try again, just one more time..." Natsu staggered up from the soft sandy beach where he had landed.
The gravity wall Ian used earlier, which had saved his life, had also left him mostly unharmed, apart from looking disheveled. Still, filled with indignation, he rushed back toward Ian's tunnel once more.
"Bang!"
However, before Natsu even made it in, he slammed into the magical barrier Makarov had set up at the entrance.
"Damn it! Let me in! I can still fight..." Natsu growled, clawing at the invisible wall.
"This barrier was made specifically for people like you," Makarov said leisurely as he walked up, fanning himself.
"Master, I can still fight! Please let me in!" Natsu turned to Makarov, pleading loudly.
"Fight with what? If Ian hadn't held back, that blow would have shattered you." Makarov's face grew stern.
"Not true... I didn't even use my ultimate move," Natsu protested defiantly.
"You stubborn kid," Makarov muttered, just as he suddenly sensed something. He frowned, "Natsu, pay attention to the atmosphere. Not everyone is as kind as Ian."
"Huh?" Natsu closed his eyes and tried to feel the changes in the air, sensing restless magical energy.
"The atmosphere, the earth, the ocean, the sky... everything is trembling. What is happening?!" Natsu felt sweat gather on his brow.
Elsewhere, in other candidates' passages.
Erza and Eresh were standing opposite Cana and Lisanna.
"Eresh, you needn't do anything," Erza said as she unsheathed her sword. "I can handle this alone."
"This is the worst possible outcome."
Cana frowned, looking at the powerful aura emanating from Erza, and the unfathomable Eresh standing behind her.
Originally, Cana and Lisanna had formed an alliance with Ultear and Levy...
Lisanna, with her ability to Take Over animal souls, would transform into a large bird and carry Ultear to Tenrou Island. Cana, using pre-prepared anti-gravity cards, would carry Levy.
The agreement was that if they encountered each other in the passages, Ultear would go easy on them. If they all passed the first stage, they would cooperate to eliminate other teams before competing amongst themselves.
Unfortunately, that plan was now useless. Cana had encountered the one person in Fairy Tail least likely to show mercy.
"Lisanna, be careful..."
Cana glanced at the trembling Lisanna, offering a word of caution.
"O-Okay..."
Lisanna nodded nervously. Facing Erza, who rivaled, and even surpassed, her sister Mirajane in strength...
Lisanna felt a deep sense of dread. Confronting Erza directly filled her with fear...
No one knew Mirajane's strength better than she did, and Erza was even stronger. Honestly, her legs were already shaking, her resolve barely holding her upright.
"Boom!"
As Lisanna turned to offer Cana a reassuring look, Erza blurred into motion, a crimson streak appearing beside her.
"Take Over: Animal Soul..."
Lisanna's expression changed drastically as she instinctively activated her magic.
"Too late."
Erza, however, gave her no chance to breathe...
She delivered a swift kick to Lisanna's abdomen, sending her flying into the wall of a nearby cave, where she instantly lost consciousness. Erza had held back considerably, using only physical strength, not even resorting to her Requip magic or any magical enhancements.
"Lisanna!"
Cana panicked at the sight of Lisanna being knocked unconscious. She frantically pulled out her cards, but her trembling hands fumbled, scattering them across the ground.
"Cana, you're too tense."
"You're quite strong..."
"You just need to work on your composure."
As Cana bent to retrieve her cards, Erza's sword rested against her neck.
"I lose."
Feeling the cold steel against her skin, Cana collapsed to the ground, tears welling in her eyes...
It seemed she had failed the S-Class trial again. She possessed the fifth highest magic power among the candidates, second only to Erza, Laxus, Ultear, and Mirajane. Being in the middle range, she had a good chance of advancing, yet she had been defeated without even a chance to use her abilities.
"Cana, don't cry, don't cry..."
"It's alright. Your magic power is undoubtedly S-Class level. We've all seen your hard work these past few days..."
"You just need more practical experience..."
"Especially when facing stronger opponents, your mentality isn't stable enough."
"After this trial, I'll help you with your combat training."
"So be prepared!"
Erza's expression softened as she sheathed her sword. Kneeling before Cana, like her own mother Irene had once done for her, she embraced Cana, gently stroking her hair.
"Waaah..."
"Why are you always so kind, Erza?"
"It makes me feel embarrassed to continue being sad."
"Also... so hard."
Cana's emotions stabilized under Erza's comfort. Leaning against Erza's chest, she mumbled a complaint about the hardness of her armor.
"Waaah..."
"Erza, that kick hurt! I want a hug too."
Lisanna, now awake, also hugged Erza...
Wait a minute!
She was the one who got kicked!
Shouldn't she be the one being comforted?!
For a moment, the atmosphere in the passage was incredibly heartwarming...
But other passages weren't so fortunate.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
"Gildarts's strength is unfathomable."
"Laxus, I'm sorry, I think this is my limit..."
"It's all up to you now."
Inside Laxus's chosen passage, Freed collapsed unconscious before he could finish his sentence.
Leaving Laxus alone to face the monstrously powerful, orange-haired man.
"Hey! Old man, are you some kind of monster?"
Laxus panted. After a year of training with Ian, he believed he had reached the threshold of the Ten Wizard Saints, needing only a slight push to break through and join the ranks of Ishgar's strongest mages...
Yet, even with his near-Saint level power, combined with the full might of Freed, a master of Runes Magic—magic said to hold absolute sway, binding anyone who stepped within its inscribed rules—they hadn't managed to make Gildarts budge an inch.
In other words...
Gildarts had defeated the combined forces of Laxus and Freed without even moving.
"Yo, Laxus. After all that, are you still going to continue?"
Gildarts, cloaked and rooted to the spot, looked at the battered Laxus and asked.
"Isn't that obvious, old man?!"
Laxus slammed his fist into the ground, lightning crackling around him as he struggled to his feet.
"Laxus, with your current strength, you're fully qualified to be an S-Class Mage. In other words, I could just let you pass..."
Gildarts continued, seeing that Laxus wasn't attacking.
"Don't joke around!"
"If I don't defeat you here, how can I move forward?"
Laxus was resolute. Advancing without defeating Gildarts here would render any victory meaningless.
"I see..."
"I figured you'd say that..."
"But remember, Laxus, there's always someone stronger out there!"
"If you blindly charge at every enemy, you'll surely die on some mission..."
Gildarts recalled the terror he felt facing Irene and Selene...
If he hadn't heeded Ian's advice and attempted the 100-Year Quest prematurely, he would likely have met the same fate as countless others before him, buried far from home.
Thinking of this, Gildarts decided to teach Laxus a valuable lesson: the meaning of fear.
"Since you insist on challenging me, Laxus, I'll let you experience the true meaning of a power gap!"
Gildarts's brow furrowed as terrifying magic power erupted from him, bursting through the cave roof and soaring into the sky, spreading rapidly across Tenrou Island.
"Rumble..."
The entire island trembled under the force of his power.
"So scary..."
Natsu, still barred from entry, knelt on the ground, awestruck by the island's tremors and the overwhelming magic power.
"Do you still want to challenge Ian?"
Makarov, hands clasped behind his back, looked at the stunned Natsu.
"Are the other passages this intense?"
Cana and Lisanna, having already lost, felt a wave of relief wash over them. They were glad they had faced Erza, and not someone else.
If those outside the passages were this terrified, imagine how Laxus felt facing Gildarts directly...
"This is..."
Facing Gildarts at full power, Laxus finally understood the meaning of a power gap. The magic-clad Gildarts before him was a terrifying, god-like figure.
"It seems I'm still not strong enough."
Laxus conceded, kneeling down.
"No, you've passed..."
Gildarts finally smiled, looking at the yielding Laxus.
What was most important for a mage?
Honor? Status? Power? Wealth?No, none of these.
For mages who danced on the edge of a knife, the most important thing was always life itself.
Life only comes once, and no one can afford to waste it...
Elsewhere.
"Looks like it's time to get serious."
At the same moment they sensed the powerful magic emanating from Gildarts, both Warrod Sequen and Ur Milkovich started to get serious as well.
In an instant, two more formidable surges of magic shot skyward!
The magical energies of Ur, Warrod, and Gildarts combined, making the entire Tenrou Island tilt...
Incidentally, Warrod encountered Ultear and Laki Olleta...
Ur ran into Mirajane and Elfman.
Yes, Gray and Bickslow's team met Lyon and Warren's team while battling in a different passage. Despite being among the weaker teams, they both had a chance to advance to the second round.
Fairy Tail's S-Class Mage Exam was full of surprises, like everyone's life.
Power alone didn't guarantee victory.
As Makarov always said, luck was part of strength.
"Boom..."
As the island began to tilt under the pressure of everyone's magic...
Birds and beasts fled, frightened creatures dashed through the forest, while terrified birds flew into the sky!
Near the giant tree on Tenrou Island, a beast several meters tall, nearly as powerful as an S-Class mage and initially captured by Makarov to serve as the second-round boss of this year's exam, now circled restlessly, clearly confused and lost, unsure of where to flee. From its perspective, danger was everywhere.
"Ah..."
"Are you all trying to destroy Tenrou Island?!"
"Stop it, you idiots!"
"Warrod, why are you, of all people, fooling around with these kids?"
Makarov was panicking. Tenrou Island wasn't just any island.
It was not only the sacred land of the Fairy Tail guild but also the resting place of the First Master, Mavis. And they were causing this much chaos right next to her tomb?!
Did they think this was respectful to Mavis?
As Makarov panicked...
At a stone monument on Tenrou Island, in the spot that seemed to burn like life itself, where the flames leapt continuously—the grave of Fairy Tail's first guild master, Mavis Vermillion.
A young girl in a white dress, wearing a cute headpiece with little angel wings and barefoot, stretched lazily as she slowly awoke.
"What a wonderful nap that was~"
This barefoot girl was none other than the very person Makarov had in his thoughts, the first guild master, Mavis. Upon awakening, Mavis sensed the turbulent magic in the air, her eyes brightening slightly as she murmured to herself, "Is this the magic of Fairy Tail's current members? It's truly powerful!"
"It seems that during my years of slumber, Fairy Tail has indeed grown to be as powerful as I once hoped. Amazing!"
The first guild master wasn't as frustrated as Makarov feared; she hadn't risen from her grave in anger at the others. She had simply awakened because she wanted to join in on the fun with everyone on Tenrou Island~