On the other side, Juvia and Lisanna were being mercilessly beaten. Who told them to have such bad luck, running into someone who absolutely would not go easy on them.
At this moment, Erza had already started piloting a Gundam—no, a Dragon Knight.
The massive mechanical warrior stood upon the earth, numerous cannons unfolding all over its body as several terrifying laser beams swept towards Juvia and Lisanna.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!!!!
The speed of the lasers was comparable to a Gatling gun spitting blue flames, instantly riddling Juvia and Lisanna with wounds all over their bodies. In the small cave, there was simply nowhere to hide.
Lisanna couldn't help but shout, "Damn you, Erza! You're actually using a Dragon Knight?"
Back then, even the combined full power of three Dragon Slayer Mages couldn't defeat that Dragon Knight. How could she and Juvia possibly win against it?
Juvia had already transformed into a torrent of water and charged forward, unleashing her magic. Several streams of water surged to engulf the Dragon Knight, only to be sliced apart by its greatsword!
Her eyes widened in shock. "It can cut through water?"
Erza laughed triumphantly, "The Dragon Knight's sword is also enchanted. Combined with my swordsmanship, you can't win."
"We will never admit defeat!"
With a serious expression, Juvia's entire body elementized, transforming into a jet of water that shot out and instantly appeared behind the Dragon Knight.
She pressed both palms against the Dragon Knight's back, a blue magic circle expanding. "I didn't intend to use this move on a comrade, but today I must pass!"
"Water Manipulation!"
A terrifying surge of magical power erupted. Blue magic instantly enveloped the entire Dragon Knight, seeping through its cracks and gaps towards the interior.
Blood, being mostly water, meant that once her magic seeped in, life and death would be at her whim.
Seeing the Dragon Knight enveloped and motionless, Lisanna was astonished. "Do we have a chance?"
"No!"
A cold voice answered her—it was Erza.
"The Dragon Knight does indeed have gaps for magic to seep through, but the amount that can get in is minuscule. With such a weak trace of magic, how could it possibly get close to me?"
She swung the greatsword, instantly shattering the magic circle, and smacked Juvia away with the flat of the blade. Immediately after, she kicked the sneaking Lisanna away.
The battle ended here!
...In a valley, Elfman and Evergreen encountered Mirajane. After being beaten up for a while, they managed to defeat her through sheer luck when Mirajane let her guard down for a moment, thus passing.
Gray and Loki faced off against Mest and Wendy. As expected, they passed without any issues.
The reason was that Mest himself was not adept at combat, his raw strength inferior to Gray and Loki's. As for Wendy, she was so frightened by their antics and teasing that she ran away.
Finally, Gajeel and Levy passed smoothly due to good luck.
Currently, five groups had passed, and three had failed.
Makarov looked at the victorious members and announced the results with a smile.
"Lucy and Cana versus Fried and Bickslow: Passed!"
"Natsu and Happy versus Gildarts: Passed!"
Gray's eyes widened. "I don't believe it!"
Was the invincible Gildarts defeated by Natsu?
"Levy and Gajeel selected the unmanned route: Passed!"
"Gray and Loki versus Mest and Wendy: Passed!"
"Elfman and Evergreen versus Mirajane: Passed!"
Gray asked, puzzled, "What about Juvia and Lisanna's group?"
Juvia was a former member of Phantom Lord, her strength reaching S-Class.
Could it be...? He had a bad premonition.
Makarov confirmed his thoughts, "They unfortunately selected the serious Female Knight and were thoroughly taught a lesson."
Seeing that Evergreen wasn't injured, Lucy asked curiously, "How did you get past Mirajane?"
Just the thought of Demon Mirajane's combat form—the tight leather outfit and whip—made her shiver all over.
Elfman scratched his head and said, "Sis went easy on us."
Evergreen crossed her arms over her chest, "What 'went easy'? I won with my clever mind."
Everyone else was curious: what kind of scheme could make even Mirajane slip up?
Neither Evergreen nor Elfman intended to explain, as the method they used wasn't exactly honorable.
Makarov looked at everyone and said, "Your final test is to find the First Master's tomb and break through the obstruction of Acnologia and Irene to enter it."
"This will test your wisdom, as well as your writing skills."
"I wish you success!"
He showed an expectant smile, then turned and left.
Thinking of those two figures as insurmountable as mountains, everyone felt a wave of despair.
Lucy couldn't help but say, "How about we team up? Maybe then we can win."
Elfman laughed heartily, "A real man should fight one-on-one!"
Thud!
Evergreen kicked him flying, "Enough nonsense!"
She had faced Irene head-on before and knew better than anyone how terrifying she was. Even if Laxus came to help, victory wasn't guaranteed.
Natsu's magical power surged, blazing with fierce flames as he declared confidently, "Then I'll have a good fight with them."
"I'll be the one to defeat Acnologia!" Gray wasn't afraid either. He always believed that with his Ice-Make Magic, he could overcome any existence.
Gajeel sneered coldly, "If you get in my way, I won't hesitate to step over your bodies to move forward!"
"Damn you! I'll be the one stepping over *your* body!"
Natsu cursed loudly and immediately started brawling with Gajeel.
Watching these reckless guys, Lucy couldn't help but facepalm. "Starting an internal conflict at a time like this... just how big are your hearts?"
"Don't worry, Lucy."
Cana pulled Lucy aside and whispered, "Our task is to enter the tomb, not to fight Acnologia to the death. We just need to find the tomb's location, then have your Star Spirit Virgo dig underground to get us there."
Lucy's eyes lit up. "That makes sense!"
The two of them whispered for a moment, then turned and ran, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Everyone was left bewildered. The two who should have been the most timid had actually run off first?
Did they have a plan?
"Happy, let's go!"
Natsu grabbed Happy and vanished in an instant.
His goal had never been to become S-Class. Having already witnessed Gildarts's true strength, this time he absolutely had to see Acnologia's power for himself.
"We're leaving too!"
Gajeel grabbed Levy's small hand and shot forward. The Fire Dragon had already left; he absolutely couldn't fall behind.
Because Gajeel was moving so fast, Levy's small frame was practically lifted off the ground. She hurriedly cried out, "Slow down, Gajeel..."
Evergreen also called Elfman to leave, saying coolly, "Since you're so tough, I'll let you have a one-on-one duel with Irene later."
"No problem! I'm a real man!"
Finally, only Gray and Loki remained. After exchanging glances, Gray spoke first, "How do we find the First Master's tomb?"
With an expression of supreme confidence, Loki chuckled lightly, "Nobody knows, but we can follow the ones with the smart brains."
Hearing this, Gray's eyes lit up. "That would naturally be Lucy!"
"Let's catch up to them quickly!"