"What's that?"
"It looks like a speaker?"
"Why bring a speaker to a fight?"
The watching mages were surprised to see Natsu fiddling with the audio equipment.
Even some Fairy Tail members didn't know what he was up to, wondering what strange scheme he had this time.
"Ready?" Marco asked, first glancing at Ren who nodded at him, then turning to Natsu.
"All set!" Natsu stood up straight and shouted back, his speaker system primed and ready.
"Begin!"
Marco's figure vanished the moment he announced the start.
Immediately, Natsu switched on his speakers, blasting out an intensely powerful and rousing musical score.
The magnificent, grandiose opening notes exploded forth as if charging straight for the heart - Natsu had cranked the volume to maximum.
"AAAAH! I'M ALREADY FIRED UP!" Natsu roared, raising both fists as magic power surged through him.
Flames erupted from his body, enveloping him in crimson magical power with terrifying intensity.
"Air Burst!"
Ren snapped into action, extending his palm toward Natsu to generate a concussive airwave.
Rather than dodging, Natsu charged straight through the shockwave.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Natsu's punch shattered the airwave as he closed the distance rapidly, clearly aiming for close combat.
The pink-haired mage now resembled a flaming demon, completely amped up by the thunderous background music.
"Air Sphere!"
Seeing Natsu's overwhelming assault, Ren instantly created a spherical air barrier around himself, launching skyward to create distance.
'His battle frenzy's too dangerous - better avoid direct confrontation' Ren thought wisely as he observed the music-fueled berserker below.
"Aerial Flip!"
Once airborne, Ren followed up by conjuring an air barrier that trapped Natsu inside.
'What the-?'
Natsu tried to speak but no sound escaped.
He quickly realized the barrier's effect - it cut off his oxygen supply.
Dizziness, blurred vision, and tinnitus hit him in rapid succession with brutal efficiency.
'Damn it!'
With a silent roar, Natsu rocketed upward, his magical energy boiling as he concentrated everything into one fist.
"BOOM!"
The air prison shattered under Natsu's ascending punch.
Spreading his arms wide, he made a sweeping motion toward the airborne Ren.
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"
A tsunami of flames erupted as twin fire waves shaped by Natsu's arms crashed toward Ren like draconic wings in motion.
"He's this powerful?!"
Sweating profusely, Ren maneuvered his air sphere desperately.
The sheer magical energy Natsu possessed far surpassed his own.
"BOOOOM!!!"
Ren continuously fired air blasts at Natsu, but they were utterly ineffective.
Natsu was far too agile, making it impossible for Ren's attacks to land.
Watching Ren flit about in the air, Natsu grew increasingly annoyed.
"BOOM!"
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
Though flight eluded him, Natsu became an anti-aircraft cannon, spewing flames towards the sky.
The terrifying "dragon breath" filled the air, and with the limited arena space, Ren couldn't freely dodge forever.
In a way, the "Crystal Wall" did restrict more agile fighters, but it was necessary—what kind of duel would it be if both competitors vanished mid-fight?
This was always meant to be a confined battle.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
After forcing Ren into a frantic retreat with his fiery onslaught, Natsu's magic power surged, flames swirling violently around him.
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
Amid the inferno, Natsu shot upward like a flaming drill, crashing straight into Ren amidst the sea of fire.
"BOOM!"
Struck head-on by Natsu's "rocket headbutt," Ren was sent flying backward, slamming hard against the "Crystal Wall" above.
"I win!"
Natsu landed triumphantly, pumping his fist with a roar as the first segment of the BGM still echoed through the arena.
"Natsu, victory!"
Marco announced the winner with visible surprise.
He could tell Natsu had performed even better than usual.
"Did that BGM actually work?" Marco chuckled wryly.
Though the boost wasn't overwhelming, any effect at all was absurd.
Then again, that was magic for you—power born from the heart, where emotions could amplify its strength.
The BGM was just an external aid, incapable of triggering a true breakthrough.
Real emotional intensity was the greatest enhancer of magic.
Still, any advantage counted.
Even at his usual level, Natsu could've beaten Ren, but not this effortlessly.
This was pure magical dominance—utterly oppressive, leaving no room for counterplay.
Ren's magic was formidable in its own right.
Against opponents of similar or slightly greater power, his airborne tactics and vacuum barriers—depriving enemies of air—made him nearly unbeatable.
Most mages couldn't even reach him in the air, and without breaking the vacuum barrier, they'd suffocate.
His Air Magic was truly fearsome.
"The BGM actually worked!"
Back in the waiting area, Natsu excitedly shared his discovery, leaving the others exchanging bewildered glances.
Only Natsu could pull off such an unorthodox stunt.
Without a word, Gray left—his turn was next.
He was determined to at least outperform Natsu, if not surpass Erza and Mirajane's records.
Because Ren had tangled in the sky for a while, Natsu took over a minute to finish his battle.
Gray felt he could definitely do better than that!
....
"Gray, victory!"
Marco announced the result expressionlessly.
The observing mages erupted in murmurs—the fight had ended far too quickly.
Yager had been instantly defeated by Gray's "Ice Geyser" technique.
"That Yager! he is far too careless!"
Goldmine on the judges' panel covered his face, unable to bear watching.
This was truly a one-second battle—over before it even began.
"Release him."
Looking at Yager frozen solid in the ice before him, Marco spoke calmly.
Yager had indeed reacted too slowly, getting caught by the ice magic erupting beneath his feet without any chance to counter, instantly imprisoned in the frigid block.
Crack.
Gray raised his hand to free Yager from the ice.
The guy was nearly frozen stiff and was immediately carried off for treatment.
"Seems the bye slot already has an owner now."
Watching the bare-chested Gray standing coolly with hands in his pockets, the mages whispered among themselves.
How could anyone else compete for it now?
"Just fight normally from here."
Bacchus shook his head helplessly.
There was no point contesting the bye slot anymore—they should just focus on regular battles without rushing for quick victories.
The current situation gave Bacchus a headache.
Their "Quatro Cerberus" guild needed to regain some dignity fast.
They absolutely couldn't afford to keep losing like this—he could practically see their guild master's face darkening on the judges' panel.
"Everyone, pull yourselves together!"
Scanning his teammates, Bacchus shouted to rally them.
He knew Yager wasn't actually this weak.
Perhaps Yager lacked understanding of Ice Make Mages, or maybe that Ice Make Mage opposite him had completed his constructs too swiftly.
Either way, Yager hadn't reacted in time.
No matter what, this couldn't happen again!
"YES!!!"
The Quatro Cerberus mages regained their fighting spirit—they would reclaim their honor!
"Gajeel, victory!"
However, morale alone couldn't bridge the power gap.
The next "Hound," Locker also fell, defeated by "Iron Dragon" Gajeel—though at least this loss looked slightly better, not quite as embarrassingly quick.
Bacchus sighed.
At this point, winning hardly mattered—just avoiding humiliating defeats would count as victory!
The battles continued relentlessly, and soon all ten matches concluded.
Fairy Tail led by an overwhelming margin, with all five of their participants achieving flawless victories—an astonishing feat that left everyone speechless.
Erza, Mirajane, Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel had all advanced to the Top 15.
Quatro Cerberus managed three qualifiers, while Blue Pegasus only secured two.
After a brief rest, the final five matches commenced.
Though Fairy Tail held a massive advantage, Blue Pegasus and Quatro Cerberus still had chances to compete.
"Next match: Hisui versus Karen Lilica."
As Marco announced the names, Hisui and Karen entered the arena.
The two girls immediately sparked discussion among the crowd.
Both green-haired Celestial Spirit Mages naturally invited comparisons between them.
However, the two girls were quite different in nature, not at all the same type.
Hisui appeared gentle, elegant, and well-behaved, while Karen clearly looked like a karen.
Moreover, Karen was older, already carrying herself like an adult, whereas Hisui still retained some childishness.
"Go for it, Hisui!"
Everyone from Fairy Tail cheered loudly for Hisui, while the Blue Pegasus side was no exception—Karen had quite a few supporters as well.
"Two Celestial Spirit Mages! This is going to be interesting!"
Many were looking forward to this battle.
After all, at this stage, Celestial Spirit Mages had gained a reputation they shouldn't have possessed, and "Celestial Spirit Magic" had truly become a powerful magic frequently mentioned by people.
"..."
Yet, Karen Lilica, standing in the dueling arena, wore an unusually grim expression, devoid of her usual confidence.
This puzzled many—it wasn't Karen's usual style.
Normally, she would have already started taunting, even if her opponent was just a little girl.
"Karen... Is the pressure getting to her?"
The members of Blue Pegasus exchanged glances.
How could this Hisui, who had little reputation, put so much pressure on Karen?
They had been counting on Karen to win one for Blue Pegasus and boost their morale!
"Karen... You have to win."
Seeing Karen's troubled expression, Hibiki felt uneasy.
If Karen couldn't win, all the pressure would fall on him.
Blue Pegasus really couldn't afford to lose again.
"Are you ready?" Marco glanced at the two girls.
He had also noticed Karen's unusual state, but it wasn't his concern.
ince she didn't seem inclined to forfeit, they might as well proceed with the fight.
At worst, he'd just keep a closer eye on her.
Within the confines of the dueling arena, Marco wasn't afraid of mishaps.
He could teleport instantly to stop any potential danger.
"I'm ready." Hisui nodded earnestly at Marco.
Karen also nodded but didn't look at him.
"Begin!"
Marco didn't bother with Karen either.
If they disliked each other, he wasn't about to grovel—that would just be humiliating.
The moment Marco vanished, Hisui had already begun channeling her magic.
The stars above flickered as the constellation of Lyra responded to her.
"Come forth! Lyra Constellation Armor!"
As the Lyra constellation shimmered, a suit of armor materialized within the starlight—a battle armor resembling the "Lyra Silver Saint Cloth" but with a more feminine design.
"Clank! Clank! Clank!"
The armor clad Hisui's body, making the starlight around her glow even brighter.
This was the gift Marco had given Hisui before the assessment—the Lyra Constellation Armor.
In truth, it was his replica of the Lyra Silver Saint Cloth.
During this time, he hadn't been idle, not just handling the assessment but also working on replicating the Saint Cloth.
By collaborating with professional armor craftsmen, Marco first created the armor's "shell" using rare materials from magic beasts.
Then, he infused it with Orichalcum, Gamanium, and Silver Star Sand, imbuing the armor with its true essence.
This battle suit can help Hisui better connect with the star chart and harness the power from the Lyra constellation.
It enhances her physical abilities, defense, and also boosts the skills associated with Lyra.
Of course, compared to the original version, the effects are significantly weaker, but it's better than nothing.
At least for Hisui, it's more than sufficient, and she can summon and use it anytime she wants.
'Hum!'
Gripping the lyre in her hands, Hisui plucked its strings.
The lyre was also part of the battle suit—though a replica, it had all the essential features.