The arena was the same, but the terrain had changed completely. Under the stunned gazes of thousands, a massive canyon rose slowly from the ground, setting the stage for the preliminary round. The rules were clear: contestants couldn't leave the canyon, and victory went to the team that shattered the crystal in their target team's tower.
The canyon was shaped like a six-pointed star, backed by towering mountains, with intertwining main roads and smaller paths crisscrossing the landscape. It was easy to imagine the explosive magical battles that would soon erupt across it.
"Sounds like fun!" The more competitive guild members were practically buzzing with excitement.
After Dispear finally wrapped up his long-winded speech, a teleportation magic circle glowed brightly, whisking the thirty contestants into the battlefield.
The big screen lit up, displaying a map of the canyon's terrain and the positions of the six teams, totaling thirty wizards. If Kira were watching from the outside, he'd probably have shouted, "This is basically a live esports stream!"
The canyon was a battlefield made up of six territories, separated by stone walls and patches of brush. Each of the six teams—White, Red, Yellow, Black, Blue, and Green—occupied a corner of the star-shaped canyon, like pieces on a checkerboard. Arranged clockwise, each territory had three paths: a main road leading directly to the target team's territory and two side paths connecting to the territories of two non-adjacent teams. In total, there were nine paths weaving through the canyon.
At the intersection of the three main roads, right in the canyon's center, was a wide open space, clearly designed for epic showdowns.
Kira opened his eyes to find himself in the White Team's territory, their crystal tower looming behind him. His teammates—Bickslow, Bisca, Marcus, and Nob—stood nearby.
"Pretty wild game, huh, babies?" Bickslow drawled, his long tongue flicking as he chatted with his floating dolls. They chattered back in their strange language, understandable only to him.
Kira waved them over. "Listen up. Even with me here, our opponents are no pushovers. We can't afford to let our guard down!"
"Got it…" the team mumbled. Except for Bickslow, the other three nodded seriously, well aware they weren't exactly on par with heavy hitters like Natsu, Gajeel, or Juvia.
Kira cast a spell, linking their minds. "Telepathic connection."
The team gasped as they felt the mental "group chat" form. "Is this like Warren's telepathy magic?" Bisca asked.
"Exactly," Kira confirmed. "It's not much for offense, but it's a game-changer in this match. Stay in touch with me at all times!"
"Understood!" they chorused.
"There are three paths to our crystal tower," Kira continued. "We'll stick to the plan we discussed. Bickslow, you're the strongest fighter, so you stay here to guard the crystal and be ready to back us up. Marcus, take the left path. Bisca, take the right. Nob, hold the middle. If anything happens, ping the chat immediately."
He jabbed a thumb at himself with a grin. "As for the offense? Leave that to me. I'll take on all five of them solo!"
"You're gonna hold off five people by yourself? That's so you," Bickslow said, half-impressed, half-amused. "But why guard the other two paths? They're not targeting us, so what's the point?"
The other three looked at Kira, equally puzzled.
Kira stared at them, dumbfounded. "Seriously? You guys are Fairy Tail members, right? In a setup like this, you treat everyone except your own team as the enemy. Smashing all five other crystals is the obvious move!"
He sighed, his tone turning grim. "Sure, other teams breaking our crystal doesn't count as their win, but it means we lose. And you know there's always some busybody looking to stir up trouble… Bickslow, don't give me that look. Yeah, I'm talking about Laxus!"
Bickslow: "…"
They couldn't afford to be careless. The White Team's territory had a direct path to the Yellow Team's, and they definitely couldn't let Bickslow guard that one.
"The Black Team's full of reckless hotheads who just charge in," Kira said. "I'm confident I can outsmart them with a little brainpower, but accidents happen. We need to win this as fast as possible!"
The four exchanged glances. "Leave it to us!"
With the plan set, the White Team sprang into action, each member heading to their assigned path. Kira, meanwhile, bolted down the main road, ready to take on five opponents single-handedly.
The canyon didn't restrict flight, but for Kira, running with a quick [Speed Boost] spell was just as fast as flying—faster than Happy at full sprint. He reached the canyon's center in no time. It took a bit, but he was still the first to arrive; the other paths were deserted.
"Heh heh heh. Since I got here first, don't blame me for playing dirty…" Kira smirked, spreading his hands. "Spatial Fold!"
Ding—ding—ding—ding—ding—ding!
His magic split into six, landing on each of the six paths. The air rippled for three seconds before settling.
"Hahaha! Now the real fun begins!" With that, Kira sprinted toward the Black Team's crystal tower without looking back.
Half a minute later, Freed and Jet appeared on the path to the Green Team's territory.
"Looks like we're the first ones here," Freed said. "You go ahead. I'll set up some rune traps while I've got the chance."
Freed knew his strength lay in stalling and defense, so he left the offense to others—probably also because he didn't want to face Laxus head-on.
Jet nodded and headed toward his target: the Yellow Team's crystal tower. What he didn't know was that he was actually walking straight into the Red Team's territory.
Kira' trick was simple: he'd swapped the destinations of all six paths. The road that should've led to the Yellow Team now went to the Red Team's territory. The one to the White Team now led to the Blue Team's. And so on.
The only path that wouldn't see any traffic was the one to the White Team's territory—unless someone took the main road aiming for the Black Team's crystal.
When teams ran into enemies that weren't their targets, their first thought would be, "Oh, typical Fairy Tail—someone's trying to sneak attack!" Even if a few realized they'd been tricked, they'd have to detour through the side paths or test each route at the central intersection. By then, Kira would already have the Black Team's crystal in his grasp.
From conceiving the plan to executing it, Kira had spent less than ten seconds, and he was pretty darn proud of himself.
"Only a genius like me could trick these battle-hungry lunatics and the ones who usually avoid fights into throwing down like this," he thought, chuckling. "Man, I'm just too kind!"
Not long after passing the center, Kira spotted the Black Team. All five members were there, clearly going all-in on offense with no one guarding their base.
What to do? Fight or not?
Fighting would blow his cover, and they might rush back to defend their crystal. But passing up a chance to brawl? That felt like a waste.
Kira hesitated for three seconds before making up his mind. Fight it was.
Who am I? Kira!
Who in the guild am I scared of? Nobody!
Is anyone on the Black Team stronger than Laxus or Erza? Pfft, no way!
So what's the plan? Charge in and fight!
Kira unleashed his Word Magic without hesitation. "Stone Prison!"