"That Rufus actually went down!! The winner is Gray! Fairy Tail’s Gray!!"
"Well done, Gray!!"
"This is amazing—!"
Seeing Rufus frozen into an ice sculpture, the members of Fairy Tail in the stands erupted into cheers.
Even the usually tense First Master finally relaxed a little.
Though she had already anticipated Gray’s victory, seeing everything unfold just as planned still brought her relief.
After all, Rufus’ presence had a significant impact on her strategic arrangements.
"With this, the only team with all five members still in the competition is Fairy Tail," Chapati commented, turning to Yajima and the Pumpkin Man in the commentator’s box.
Yajima nodded slightly. "This gives them a huge advantage."
Meanwhile, the Pumpkin Man held his face in disbelief, looking utterly devastated.
He muttered to himself, "Uwah... the undefeated Rufus actually..."
In Sabertooth’s camp, Orga stared at the magic crystal projection and murmured, "So, Rufus got taken out?"
"As expected, Fairy Tail is strong..." Rogue whispered, a determined glint flashing in his eyes.
"But Gajeel... I will defeat you..."
Somewhere in Crocus, Minerva looked at the frozen Rufus with a strange smile on her face.
"Is Sabertooth gradually collapsing? Or rather... is it Sting who is falling apart?"
In a secluded alley in Crocus, Sting sat on a step, his mind involuntarily recalling what had happened the night before.
Lector had not died; just before Jiemma’s attack landed, Minerva had used spatial magic to teleport him away.
After Sting, in his fury, defeated Jiemma, Minerva stepped forward and declared that since he had bested Jiemma, he was now the new leader of Sabertooth.
She then used Lector as leverage, threatening Sting—if he wanted to keep Lector safe, he had to win today’s match.
Thinking of Lector, Sting’s expression gradually became resolute.
In a low voice, he murmured, "I must... win."
...........
Inside Naraku Palace.
Noel slowly descended from the air, the light wings on his back gradually fading away.
Under everyone’s gaze, he shook his head helplessly.
"No good. The exit above is completely sealed off, and there’s a protective coating that prevents magic attacks. Even if we force our way out, it would cause a huge commotion and take a lot of time."
Ed sighed, rubbing his temples in frustration. "We were so close."
"Now even those of us who came to rescue the others are trapped," Mirajane said with a wry smile.
"How embarrassing..."
Lily added, "If I had known this would happen, I would’ve drawn a map on myself."
"By the way," Natsu turned to Lucy. "Lucy, who’s replacing me in the match?"
"It’s Juvia," Lucy replied.
"I see." Natsu crossed his arms, then suddenly remembered something.
"Oh yeah, you’re called Yukino, right? You’re not part of our guild, but you still came to help. Thanks a lot."
Yukino shook her head slightly. "No... I haven’t been much help."
"Come on, don’t say that," Mirajane said with a gentle smile, placing a hand on Yukino’s shoulder.
"Doesn’t Yukino remind you of Lisanna?"
"Now that you mention it... a little," Lucy mused thoughtfully.
"Lady Lisanna is Lady Mirajane’s younger sister, correct?" Yukino asked softly.
During her time with Fairy Tail, she had become somewhat familiar with its members and naturally recognized Lisanna.
"That’s right."
"Everyone, I found a passage!" At that moment, Carla suddenly flew back from her scouting and called out to the group.
The group exchanged glances before quickly following Carla to the passage she had discovered.
However, there was an awkward problem—the passage was rather narrow.
While it posed no issue for Carla as an Exceed, it was a tight squeeze for Noel, Mirajane, and the others, making their progress a bit difficult.
After much effort, they finally managed to squeeze through.
But the first thing they saw was a white-clad knight sitting on the ground, his hands bound in shackles.
"Yo, what are you guys doing here too?" Arcadios, his body bearing several wounds, looked surprised as Noel and the others emerged from the narrow passage.
"It’s you from before?"
"What are you doing here?"
"That’s what I should be asking you! Wait—watch out!!" Arcadios’ expression suddenly changed as he shouted a warning.
A towering shadow suddenly loomed behind the Fairy Tail members, its massive fist swinging toward them in a crushing blow.
"[Light Barrier]."
Almost at the exact moment the towering shadow attacked, a barrier of white light suddenly materialized, blocking the blow completely.
The liquid from the shadowy figure’s attack splattered onto the ground, corroding it and leaving behind a gaping hole.
"An acid attack?" Noel murmured under his breath.
At the same time, another figure suddenly appeared right in front of Wendy, raising both hands and shouting excitedly, "B-Big—Big fish on the hook!"
Boom!
A sudden shift in gravity threw the Fairy Tail members off balance, sending them flying through the air.
Only Noel, Ed, and Mirajane managed to land steadily, while the rest of the group crashed into a heap, looking utterly disheveled.
"Who are these guys that just appeared?" Ed asked, his expression serious.
Just then, flowers suddenly bloomed on the ground, and colorful confetti rained down from above.
Amidst the floral decorations and swirling confetti, two more figures emerged.
"Two more of them..." Lily’s expression darkened slightly.
Seeing this unfold, Arcadios remained composed, explaining in a calm and measured tone, "They are the kingdom’s independent force that operates from the shadows—the strongest executioners in the kingdom, the Garou Knights. The reason no one has ever escaped from Naraku Palace is because of them."
As Arcadios spoke, the assailants finally revealed themselves.
One was a man completely encased in armor, carrying two massive scythe-like weapons on his back, with only a pair of cold, piercing eyes visible.
Another was a burly, rotund man, gripping a bottle of alcohol between his teeth.
A third was a fisherman-like man, holding a long staff in his hands.
The fourth was a woman with black hair tied into twin braids.
The last was a woman dressed in an extravagant outfit, wearing a stylish top hat.
—These five were none other than the Garou Knights that Arcadios had mentioned.
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