With that determination, Mirajane stepped onto the battlefield.
She studied the girl standing across from her—clearly younger, with a decent figure but still carrying traces of childishness on her face.
She couldn't have been more than twelve or thirteen.
This kind of opponent should be left to Lisanna.
Mirajane thought there was no real merit in defeating someone like this.
"Are you ready?" Marco stood between the two girls and asked.
"Ready."
Both answered in unison, though Jenny Realight didn't seem prepared at all—her gaze was entirely fixed on Marco.
Mirajane, standing opposite her, immediately noticed this.
Alarm bells rang in her mind, and her eyes sharpened as she glared at Jenny.
Now she felt this opponent was absolutely perfect for her!
"Begin!"
Marco announced before vanishing.
"BOOM!!!"
A terrifying surge of demonic energy erupted from Mirajane.
Unlike the previous match, she went all out from the very first second, instantly activating her Take Over.
Jenny Realight visibly froze in shock.
"CRASH!!!"
The airborne "Demon" Mirajane unleashed a dark energy blast straight at Jenny's face.
The terrifying wave of darkness struck before Jenny could even complete her own Take Over—she, too, used Take Over Magic.
"Get out of the way!"
Many in the audience broke into a cold sweat for Jenny, as Mirajane's attack was downright horrifying.
"Whoosh!"
Realizing this, Mirajane abruptly redirected the blast.
The dark energy grazed Jenny's hair before slamming into the Crystal Wall behind her and dissipating.
"..."
Finally completing her Take Over, Jenny's mouth hung open, her eyes wide with disbelief at what had just happened.
"Still want to fight?"
Mirajane spread her wings and flew in front of Jenny Realight, her expression cold and stern, as if she truly were a demon descending from hell to the mortal world.
Jenny finally reacted, staring at Mirajane before her.
She bit her lip so hard it nearly bled—clearly, she was a very prideful girl.
"Thank you... I... surrender."
Just as Mirajane thought she would have to strike again, Jenny Realight spoke with difficulty, choosing to concede.
She even said "thank you," because she knew Mirajane hadn't missed—she had held back when she saw Jenny couldn't react in time.
"Good. Next time, remember to stay focused."
Mirajane nodded and spoke, her words clearly carrying deeper meaning, which left Jenny momentarily stunned again.
"Mirajane wins!"
Marco swiftly announced the result of the battle.
The timer had stopped the moment Jenny Realight said "surrender."
"Fifteen seconds!"
Another wave of exclamations rose as everyone checked the timer.
"Fifteen seconds... That's really fast."
Familiar words echoed from the examiner's seat, though this time spoken by different people.
Goldmine kept his expression rigid.
"Fifteen seconds? More like one second!"
Makarov played along perfectly, though the corners of his mouth were already twitching uncontrollably.
"..."
This time, it was Bob who fell silent, letting out a helpless chuckle.
"Is this really the level of the mages from Blue Pegasus and Quatro Cerberus?"
Laxus was also struggling to keep a straight face.
The performances of Rockley and Jenny had left him incredulous.
Were mages of this caliber really qualified to take the S-Class exam?
"Mirajane isn't much weaker than Erza."
Gildarts added another fair assessment, though his expression was odd.
If things kept going like this, he'd start doubting himself—were the mages of Fairy Tail just too strong, or were the mages from other guilds simply too weak?
Mirajane wasn't entirely happy with the result.
If only that girl had surrendered faster, she could've won properly!
But the outcome was already set, and there was nothing she could do.
She could only blame herself for losing control in her initial strike out of anger.
Otherwise, she could've knocked the girl out in one hit.
"That's the Demon Mirajane for you!"
"Absolutely terrifying!"
The mages murmured among themselves.
That first strike had felt genuinely lethal, startling everyone.
Of course, with three S-Class mages—Marco, Laxus, and Gildarts—standing guard, no one really feared an accident.
Even if Mirajane hadn't held back, Jenny Realight would've been fine.
"Actually, this 'Demon' Mirajane isn't so bad."
Everyone had witnessed Mirajane's restraint, so no one criticized her. Instead, they praised her actions.
The title of "Demon Mirajane" would surely spread far and wide after this exam.
After Mirajane's battle concluded, the next match featured two mages from Blue Pegasus and Quatro Cerberus.
This time, the audience finally got to enjoy a proper fight—no instant finishes here.
The two mages were evenly matched, delivering an intense back-and-forth duel.
In the end, the Quatro Cerberus mage won by a narrow margin.
"Just luck, just luck."
On the judges' panel, Goldmine finally cracked a smile.
Though not as stunning as Erza or Mirajane, they had at least secured one victory—some guilds hadn't even won a single match yet.
"Not bad at all," Bob chimed in.
Even though they'd lost this round, the defeat wasn't shameful, so he felt comfortable offering his comments.
"Next match: Natsu vs. Ren Akatsuki!"
But as Marco announced the next combatants, Bob's heart leaped into his throat again.
Surely they wouldn't lose this time? Ren was one of the brightest talents among the new generation.
"Natsu, our Salamander from Fairy Tail, uses Dragon Slayer Magic. He's also an exceptional young man," Makarov remarked, making Bob frown.
It seemed there wasn't a single ordinary member in Fairy Tail.
"Finally, my turn!"
The moment Marco called his name, Natsu burst into the arena from the entrance, carrying a square-shaped magical speaker in his hand.
'This guy... He actually brought his own BGM.'
Marco's lips twitched at the sight.
Now Natsu had joined the ranks of men who brought their own soundtracks—though whether he could actually draw power from the background music remained to be seen.
As Natsu fiddled with the speaker, Ren Akatsuki made his entrance with graceful strides.
Dressed in formal attire, he looked less like a fighter and more like a model strutting down a runway.
While approaching the arena, Ren bowed courteously to the observing magic users, embodying politeness and elegance.
Despite his dark brown skin, his features were undeniably handsome—a dashing dark-skinned man fitting Blue Pegasus's image perfectly.
After all, among Blue Pegasus members, only Bob and Ichiya didn't fit the "beautiful people" mold.