Nine beauties, each with their own unique charm, stood neatly on the stage; the three Strauss siblings huddled together, making for an incredibly pleasing sight.
The white-haired Mirajane and Lisanna, along with that dark green-haired, dragon-horned "Qing," stood side-by-side, the scene as beautiful as a painting.
The men in the audience hadn't yet recovered from the visual impact when Max picked up the microphone, just about to continue hosting the next segment.
A gust of wind descended from the sky.
Evergreen descended from the sky, her brown ponytail flowing, landing steadily in the center of the stage.
"The tenth contestant has arrived~"
She placed one hand on her hip, swept her hair back with the other, and struck a pose she considered absolutely stunning.
"Fairy refers to me, beauty refers to me. That's right, I represent everything! The victory will, of course, be won by me, Evergreen!"
As she spoke, she tilted her head, made a cute expression, and blinked those dangerous eyes.
Before the men in the audience could comment on her narcissism, Evergreen spun around, her gaze fixed directly on all the female guests on stage.
She took off her glasses; her Stone Eyes activated.
An invisible wave shot out from her eyes; wherever it passed...
All the female guests' bodies instantly froze, their skin turning Gray-white at a speed visible to the naked eye, their expressions and poses frozen forever at that moment.
The faint, enigmatic smile on Qing Strauss's face solidified, and the green glow on his dragon horns and tail dimmed completely, turning him into an exquisite stone statue.
Nine stone statues were arranged neatly on the stage, looking like some sort of bizarre exhibit.
Max's face turned pale; he dropped the microphone and waved frantically at the guests below.
"Run! Guests, run! Get out of the guild!"
The guests were terrified, scrambling to the door in a panic, the sounds of pushing and trampling filling the air.
Makarov jumped onto the counter from behind the bar, his small body trembling slightly with rage, his mustache bristling like two brushes, his voice making the windows hum.
"Evergreen, what are you doing?! Release the petrification immediately!"
A flash of lightning streaked by.
Blinding, golden lightning descended from the sky, striking the floor of the guild hall, leaving scorched marks that spread outward.
As the lightning dissipated, a tall figure appeared before everyone.
Laxus.
His golden hair shimmered in the electric light, an arrogant smile plastered on his face, his hands in his pockets, his entire body wreathed in crackling lightning.
"Let's play, old man."
Macao looked up sharply, glancing at both sides of the second floor of the guild hall.
On the left, Freed sat lazily on the railing, his long legs crossed, green hair covering half his face.
On the right, Bickslow leaned against a pillar, his thick arms folded across his chest.
"Freed, Bickslow!"
Macao's voice cracked from shock.
"Laxus's personal guard, the Thunder God Tribe!"
Makarov jumped down from the counter and scolded, pointing at Laxus's nose.
"Enough is enough! Return them to normal immediately!"
Laxus didn't even glance at Makarov; he flicked his finger lightly.
A bolt of lightning struck precisely beside Riyao's stone statue, burning a charred crater into the ground and sending debris flying.
He walked over slowly and slung his arm around the shoulder of Riyao's stone statue as casually as if he were embracing a buddy, the upward curve of his lips full of provocation.
"Before the Fantasia parade, how many people will be able to survive?"
Laxus's voice was languid, yet carried an unquestionable madness.
"I think we'll just use these women as hostages."
He looked around, his gaze sweeping over every angry face, and scoffed.
"Whoever breaks the rules, I will smash all the statues to pieces."
He patted Riyao's stone statue on the shoulder, his tone casual.
"This is just a side show."
Makarov's fists clenched until they creaked, veins bulging on his forehead, but he dared not act rashly.
He didn't know just how insane Laxus had become.
Freed jumped down lightly from the second floor, his green hair fluttering in the air, landing silently with his hands in his pockets.
"Let's figure out once and for all who the strongest person in Fairy Tail is."
Bickslow jumped down from the other side, chiming in with a muffled voice.
"This is just a game."
Laxus spread his arms, lightning dancing wildly across his body like furious golden electric snakes, and announced in a booming voice.
"The rules of the game are simple: the last one standing is the winner. The Fairy Tail civil war has begun!"
The whole place went silent.
Everyone was stunned, unable to believe what they had just heard.
The next second, Natsu darted out from the crowd, his fists igniting with flames, his eyes shining like two fireballs as he shouted excitedly.
"This is great! Simple and clear. I'm fired up!"
Before he even finished speaking, he charged forward, cracking the floor beneath his feet.
Laxus didn't even look at him; he flicked his finger lightly.
A bolt of lightning hit Natsu squarely in the chest, blasting him away. He crashed into two tables, slid several meters, and lay on the ground motionless, smoke rising from his chest.
The entire room gasped.
Evergreen covered her mouth and chuckled.
"The battlefield is all of Magnolia, and the time limit is three hours. Otherwise, they will turn into gravel."
Makarov could no longer hold back.
His small body expanded violently as he activated Giant Magic. He instantly transformed into a massive, statue-like giant, capable of breaking through the ceiling with one hand, his voice booming like thunder.
"How much longer are you going to mess around!"
Laxus laughed arrogantly, lightning erupting from his body, the golden light nearly swallowing the entire hall.
When the light faded, Laxus, Evergreen, Freed, and Bickslow had vanished without a trace.
Makarov returned to his normal size, his face livid.
The guild members rushed toward the door in a swarm, the sounds of footsteps and roars merging together.
Elfman charged in the lead, his fists clenched until his knuckles turned white, his eyes red-rimmed, roaring hoarsely.
"Big sister! Little sister! I will make Laxus pay the price!"
Alzack didn't speak; he simply stood before Bisca's stone statue, reaching out to gently touch her frozen cheek. As his fingers touched the cold stone, he pressed his lips into a thin line.
"Wait for me; I will definitely resolve this."
Makarov's blood was also boiling; his small figure ran quickly toward the guild gate, his mustache fluttering in the wind.
"I will be the one to stop this!"
Bang!
Makarov was violently bounced back by an invisible wall, landing on his backside with his legs in the air, sliding two meters across the floor.
Gray happened to run over and was bewildered by the scene.
"Old man, what are you doing?"
He reached out to try to pull Makarov out, feeling a powerful resistance, as if he had run into an invisible wall.
Gray pulled hard a few times, but it didn't budge, his confusion turning to shock.
"What's going on?"
Makarov rubbed his sore backside, climbed up from the floor, and explained in a deep voice.
"This is Freed's spell; you can think of it as a barrier. You must follow the rules to leave the barrier. Usually, those set up in advance are the strongest. It seems they were prepared."
He looked up above the doorframe, where a line of glowing text had appeared, and Makarov squinted.
"The rules written above say: no one over eighty years old and no stone statues may enter or exit."
Gray's mouth twitched, and he couldn't help but remark.
"That's magic that rewards whoever speaks first."
Makarov suddenly thought of something, his eyes lighting up, and he clapped his hands.
"Riyao's Hundred Battles is also a type of spell. Right! Where is Riyao? If it's Riyao, his Life Magic might be able to break the petrification!"
Gray was silent for two seconds, then slowly raised his hand to cover his face, an expression of utter defeat visible through his fingers, while his other hand pointed at the dragon-horned stone statue on the stage.
"That Qing Strauss is Riyao."
Makarov looked in the direction Gray was pointing and saw the stone statue with the prominent dragon horns and swaying tail.
His expression shifted from expectation to confusion, from confusion to shock, and from shock to a breakdown.
His small body swayed, his white mustache quivered, and his mouth opened and closed, opened and closed.
For a long time, he couldn't say a word, his whole face scrunching up as if someone had stuffed a lemon in his mouth.
Finally, he managed to squeeze out one sentence, his voice as raspy as sandpaper grinding against iron.
"That brat... is cross-dressing again?"