On the third day of the Grand Magic Games, the racing event was an eight-person dodgeball free-for-all.
Sting represented Fairy Tail, but due to a hangover from the previous night, he was in poor condition and only managed to secure third place, earning 6 points.
After a thorough scolding from Drake, Sting was left to reflect on his hubris in a corner.
With the racing segment concluded, the combat rounds began. Fairy Tail's opponent this round was Quatro Cerberus, and this time, Drake personally stepped into the arena.
By the third day of the Grand Magic Games, Drake had been observing from the sidelines and felt the occasional urge to stretch his limbs.
As luck would have it, Quatro Cerberus sent out Bacchus.
Bacchus looked at Drake, saying: "Wild! I didn't expect us to meet again so soon!"
Drake sighed: "I can't say I'm thrilled to see your frivolous face!"
Bacchus grinned: "Don't be like that. By the way, since we have this opportunity, how about we make a bet? Let's bet on who wins this match."
Drake eyed Bacchus: "Oh? So confident?"
In the stands, Quatro Cerberus' guild master, Goldmine, felt his smile stiffen. He suddenly had a bad feeling.
As an S-Class mage, Bacchus naturally possessed the confidence of a strongman. But if that confidence became blind, it would be arrogance.
Although he didn't know what Bacchus was planning, Goldmine sensed he was facing a disastrous future.
Bacchus, however, felt no such thing, smiling like he'd seen a big fish take the bait: "So you accept!
Let me think, what should we bet… Ah, that little girl from yesterday was a real beauty; if I win, she's mine, how about that?"
Drake's expression changed, and the pressure in the arena dropped considerably.
In the Fairy Tail stands, Stella wasn't angry at Bacchus for his lewd intentions; she knew Drake couldn't possibly lose.
Rather than his words, Stella was more concerned about Drake's current state.
Sting ran his hands through his hair: "This isn't good; Drake's angry!"
Rogue wore a solemn expression.
The two had lived with Drake for a considerable time when they were younger.
In their minds, Drake was the epitome of maturity and coolness; they rarely saw him angry.
That was precisely why the few times Drake had lost his temper were so deeply etched in their memories.
Kagura, seeing their reactions, asked in confusion: "What, is Drake scary when he's angry?"
Sting's eyes glazed over, as if recalling something terrifying.
"Ah, incredibly, incredibly scary!"
Rogue added: "Drake's usually very gentle, but when he's angry, he's completely different; he becomes so… malicious!"
Malicious? Everyone's heads tilted, finding it difficult to associate Drake with that word.
Rogue nodded, indicating he hadn't misspoke: "It's not just simple violence; it's something far more terrifying… like he'll destroy something more important to the person who angered him."
In the arena, Drake looked up, his face devoid of anger, but the icy aura he exuded was even more chilling.
"Out of respect for Guild Master Goldmine, I could have let yesterday's provocation slide.
I don't care if you were joking or had ulterior motives, but… some things aren't to be joked about."
"Crap!"
Bacchus, who had been grinning moments before, instinctively took several steps back, his frivolousness replaced by wariness.
"Wild, I think I just did something stupid!"
Muttering to himself, Bacchus grabbed his gourd and took a long swig. He couldn't afford to hold back now; he had to go all out, or he couldn't imagine what would happen to him.
Tossing the gourd aside, Bacchus launched the first attack.
Bacchus' speed wasn't fast, but his footwork had a mesmerizing quality. That was the hallmark of Drunken Palm Pushing, making his movements impossible to predict.
Weaving with unsteady steps, Bacchus closed in on Drake, his palm slamming towards Drake's body.
In a single instant, he unleashed a full twelve strikes. Having downed enough strong liquor, Bacchus had entered a drunken state, greatly increasing his speed and power.
Most people wouldn't be able to defend, or even see how many times he attacked. But all twelve strikes were clearly reflected in Drake's eyes.
Drake's arms blurred, deflecting every single one of Bacchus' attacks.
Bacchus' upper body swayed backward, disrupting his entire stance. He had never imagined someone could accurately block every single one of his attacks, and his expression grew even darker.
Drake, however, didn't take advantage of his wide-open stance, instead shaking his head: "Is that all? Then how about this?"
Saying this, Drake put one hand behind his back, extending only his left hand, beckoning Bacchus forward.
The stands erupted in an uproar; it was well known that Bacchus' greatest strength was his martial arts, and someone was looking down on him so much as to fight with only one hand.
Moreover, Drake was famous for his Fire Dragon Slayer magic, but he showed no intention of using it.
Kagura, gripping the railing, said: "I see; that's pretty malicious."
Kagura's fighting style was similar to Bacchus', so she understood his thoughts best.
In their eyes, martial arts, like magic, were powerful skills worth studying and perfecting. People like Bacchus, who created new fighting styles, were especially proud of them.
And Kagura knew what Drake was about to do: completely trample on the other person's pride, even crushing it to dust.
Kagura felt sorry for what Bacchus was about to endure.
Why did he have to run his mouth, and run it in front of the most terrifying person there?
Bacchus, at that moment, felt nothing but rage, in addition to the humiliation.
"You're really making my soul tremble!" Bacchus said through gritted teeth.
Saying this, Bacchus launched another attack.
He knew Drake was powerful, but to fight him in martial arts without even using his best magic, even giving him a handicap, was too insulting!
But Bacchus quickly understood what despair meant, because even with one hand, all of his attacks were blocked.
What a joke; his Drunken Palm Pushing had been completely seen through. And Drake hadn't even moved his feet once.
Drake yawned, his contempt clear, and said languidly: "It seems I overestimated you; this boring attack is making me sleepy! Oh well, let's just end this."
This man… he wasn't just killing him, he was trying to destroy his spirit!
Saying this, Drake moved for the first time since the match began, appearing before Bacchus in an instant.
Bacchus instinctively struck out with his palm, but Drake directly seized his wrist.
"That's a pretty weak strike! Let me show you what real martial arts are."
Saying this, Drake raised his hand and struck Bacchus in the abdomen.
Bacchus felt as if his internal organs were about to be squeezed out, and was sent flying backward.
Barely managing to regain his footing, he saw Drake appear before him again, turning sideways and striking him with his elbow.
Bacchus was sent flying again, and before he could even land, Drake appeared before him once more, a side kick further accelerating his flight.
After being accelerated six times, Bacchus crashed into the arena wall.
Drake looked at Bacchus embedded in the wall, beckoning to the referee to announce the results.
…
That night, the members of Quatro Cerberus gathered around Bacchus' hospital bed.
Bacchus had lost all his former swagger; he was now listless, seeming to have forgotten even the pain.
"How could he be so strong? What am I, anyway?"
From the moment he woke up, Bacchus had only repeated these words.
Goldmine sighed: "This is a real headache; he's been completely broken!"
Soon, the other guilds heard about Bacchus' condition. As a well-known S-Class mage, Bacchus' fate taught everyone a lesson.
Unless you were prepared to throw away your future, it was best not to provoke Fairy Tail.
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