Chapter 281: I'm Not Generous Either
Ren and Gray left the infirmary, the sterile scent of antiseptic fading as they stepped back into the bustling stone corridors of the Domus Flau.
"Gray, you head to the arena first. I need to hit the restroom; I'll join you in a bit."
"Mm."
Gray nodded and left without a second thought, his mind likely already preoccupied with the upcoming matches.
Ren watched Gray's retreating back for a moment before his expression shifted. The casual warmth vanished, replaced by a cold, predatory gleam. He turned on his heel, heading not toward the restrooms, but toward the rear exit where the infirmary discharged its recovered patients.
At the same time, Bacchus stepped out of the infirmary, stretching his stiff limbs. His torso was heavily wrapped in fresh white bandages, a testament to the beating he'd taken earlier. Though his physical injuries were severe, his recovery magic and natural resilience meant he was mobile, if not battle-ready. His mental fatigue was light; he was already thinking about where to find his next drink.
"Damn, that hurt... but the booze tonight will taste even better," Bacchus muttered to himself, a lopsided grin plastering onto his face. He squinted against the sunlight filtering through the corridor windows.
But the moment Bacchus exited the building's shadow, the world went dark.
A black hood, moving with supernatural speed, came flying toward his face.
"Who—?!"
Bacchus reacted on instinct, his drunken boxing reflexes kicking in. He tried to weave and launch a counter-strike, his fist aiming for where he sensed the attacker. But before his muscles could even fully contract, an overwhelming pressure descended upon him. It wasn't just physical force; it was a suffocating aura of dominance that crushed his will to fight.
What... what is this magic power?!
Bacchus's eyes widened in sheer terror beneath the hood. He discovered the stranger's power dwarfed his own by an order of magnitude he couldn't even quantify. It was like a rabbit trying to box a Dragon. For the first time in his life, the "Drunken Falcon" felt utterly, hopelessly helpless.
A rain of punches fell. Precise, heavy, and merciless. They didn't aim to kill, but to humiliate and inflict maximum pain.
"Gwah! Agh!"
Bacchus howled in agony, his cries muffled by the hood. Each blow felt like a hammer strike, shattering his remaining defenses. The assault was over in seconds, yet it felt like an eternity of torment before darkness claimed his consciousness completely.
When Bacchus came to, the cold stone of the street pressed against his skin. He groaned, his head throbbing with a hangover magnified a thousand times. He tried to move, only to realize a draft was hitting places it shouldn't.
He opened his eyes to see a ring of onlookers—tourists, citizens of Crocus, and even some guards—staring at him with a mix of shock and amusement. Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"Is that... Bacchus?"
"The S-Class Mage from Quatro Cerberus?"
"Why is he naked?"
Bacchus looked down. He had been stripped completely bare, dumped in the middle of the main street like a sack of trash. His face flushed a deep crimson, not from alcohol, but from a burning shame that seared his soul.
The incident rocketed Bacchus onto the front-page headlines of the Sorcerer Weekly and the Fiore Daily that very day.
[SHOCKING! S-Class Drunkard Found Naked in Capital Streets!]
The case would remain an unsolved mystery to the public. Yet, within the closed circles of the guilds, everyone knew the truth. There were only a handful of Mages in Fiore with the power and the audacity to reduce a wizard of Bacchus's caliber to a helpless punching bag—and he'd offended exactly one of them that very day.
Goldmine, the Master of Quatro Cerberus, stared at the newspaper with a twitching eyelid. He sighed, summing the matter up in one word: "Deserved." With a mouth as loose as Bacchus's, a lesson had been long overdue.
Grand Magic Games – The Domus Flau Arena
The roar of the crowd was deafening, a physical wave of sound that shook the banners of the competing guilds.
"I can't believe Jenny's opponent is Erza!"
In the stands reserved for Blue Pegasus, Hibiki Lates groaned, burying his face in his hands. His "EVEARY" radar was screaming that this was a bad match-up.
Ren, having quietly returned to the Fairy Tail section, leaned over the railing, looking entirely innocent. He tried to stay upbeat—purely for morale's sake. "Don't count her out yet. Miracles happen."
Privately, however, Ren knew the outcome was set in stone. He'd seen Erza's swordplay back when they'd fought the Oración Seis. All three of them—Natsu, Gray, and himself—had struggled, yet Erza had remained undefeated, a titan of combat.
"Sister Erza..."
Beside Hibiki, the youngest member of the Trimens, Eve Tearm, gazed at Erza down in the arena with pure adoration. His eyes sparkled with a fanboyish intensity. "She's so cool... I've loved strong, older women since seven years ago, and I have never wavered!"
Ren raised an eyebrow, looking at the now-grown young man. "Technically, you should be calling her 'little sister' now, Eve."
Eve had been a mere child of sixteen (physically or mentally, the timeline was a blur) back then; seven years later, the still-boyish-looking youth was twenty-three, technically older than the members of Fairy Tail who had been frozen in time on Tenrou Island.
"No way!" Eve protested passionately, clenching his fists. "She'll always be my Big Sister! Age is just a number; her aura is eternal!"
[The second match of the day!] Chapati Lola's voice boomed over the magical loudspeakers. [On one side, the beauty who graces the covers of Sorcerer Weekly, Blue Pegasus's Miss Jenny Realite! On the other, the Queen of Fairies, Titania Erza Scarlet!]
["Titania" Erza was already famous seven years ago, whereas Miss Jenny's claim to fame was as Fiore's top gravure model. Whose strength will prevail?]
The crowd went wild, whistles and cheers erupting for the battle of beauties.
[The match begins——!!]
Jenny Realite stood confidently, posing for the cameras even as the bell rang. She winked, blowing a kiss to the audience.
"'Titania' Erza," Jenny declared, her voice amplified by magic. "Don't assume I'm just Fiore's number-one pin-up girl. My power is the real deal!"
Magic circles flared around her, intricate and mechanical.
[Full Body Take Over: Machina Soul!!]
Metal plates materialized, snapping onto Jenny's limbs. Her body transformed, encased in a sleek, heavy combat armor designed for magical artillery. She aimed her cannons at Erza, charging up a devastating blast.
"My power—"
"Fairy Dance • White Lotus!"
Erza didn't even equip armor. She wore her standard Clear Heart Clothing—simple hakama and a bandage wrapped around her chest.
Her form flickered.
It wasn't movement; it was a vanishing act. In a blink, she bypassed the charging cannons, the distance between them evaporating instantly.
"Wait, I haven't finished—" Jenny stammered, her eyes widening as Erza appeared directly in her face, two swords drawn.
Boom!!
A shockwave of pure kinetic force exploded outward. Erza didn't cut her; she struck with the flats of her blades, a heavy, concussive impact that sent Jenny spinning through the air.
Jenny hit the ground, bounced once, and lay still, out cold before her "Machina Soul" could fire a single shot.
[Match over!!]
The arena fell into a stunned silence for a split second before erupting again.
[Winner: Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail Team A!!]
Hibiki turned to Ren, his expression deadpan. "What was that you were saying about miracles?"
"..."
Ren was speechless. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Jenny's magic wasn't bad—she wouldn't have been picked for the Grand Magic Games otherwise—but she spent most of her time on publicity stunts and modeling gigs.
Erza, on the other hand, lived and breathed combat. She had honed her spirit in the fires of the Tower of Heaven and the trials of Tenrou Island. The gap was obvious. Seven years might have dulled others, yet Erza looked anything but rusty. She was a blade that never lost its edge.
"As expected of Sister Erza!" Eve cheered, tears of joy streaming down his face. "So strong! So beautiful!"
The Fairy Tail section of the stands erupted. Natsu breathed fire into the sky, and Makarov danced a little jig.
The result surprised none of them; time could strengthen others, but it hadn't weakened Erza. Her base stats had always been exceptional. While others had fallen behind in magic capacity, Erza had only lacked the mana reserves to sustain her high-level armors. Give her enough mana, and her strength would skyrocket.
Mermaid Heel Stand
"Such lightning-fast swordplay!"
Risley Law exclaimed in shock, adjusting her glasses. As a mage who manipulated gravity/body mass, she understood the terrifying velocity required to move like that.
Millianna, dressed in her cat-themed hood, smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. "Little Erza's swordplay is amazing, but Ren's is even better."
Back at the Tower of Heaven, she'd watched Ren duel Ikaruga of the Trinity Raven. He had completely outclassed the master swordswoman, his blade moving like moonlight itself.
"In swordsmanship, Kagura's still the best!"
Arana Webb insisted, crossing her arms over her spider-web patterned outfit. The strongest swordsman she'd ever seen was Kagura Mikazuchi; she refused to believe Ren, a mage known for his varied "Take Over" forms, could surpass a dedicated swordmaster.
"We'll know who's superior once they cross blades."
Kagura spoke calmly. She sat with her eyes closed, her hand resting lightly on the hilt of her nodachi, Archenemy. In raw power, she admitted she fell short; Ren's bout with Jura Neekis yesterday proved he was undoubtedly Fiore's top Mage. The scale of his magic was catastrophic.
But swordplay was another matter. It was an art of precision, spirit, and technique. Until they actually fought, speculation was meaningless.
Still, she opened her eyes and studied Erza a moment longer as the redhead exited the arena. That strike... White Lotus. It had been exquisite swordsmanship. Clean. Decisive.
[Only one bout remains on the second day of the Grand Magic Games.]
[Today's final match: Kagura Mikazuchi of Mermaid Heel VS Yukino Agria of Sabertooth!]
[Another beauty showdown—!!]
Sabertooth Stand
The atmosphere in the Sabertooth section was heavy, suffocatingly so.
Frosch, the small green Exceed in the frog suit, looked up at Lector. "Who do you think will win?"
Lector puffed up his chest, though his voice wavered slightly. "Isn't it obvious? Big-sis Yukino! How can you not see that, Frosch?!"
"Frosch thinks so too!"
Orga Nanagear, the Lightning God Slayer, folded his massive arms, his black tattoos rippling. "Hey, things look bad. If we drop this one, the Master's gonna blow."
"Not just blow—he'll detonate," Rufus Lore corrected, tipping his hat low over his eyes. "Too many wild cards: Ren of Fairy Tail, plus Sting bombing the event segment today… our score's tanked."
Rufus regretted provoking Ren yesterday. Yet, who could resist testing the legendary Mage? The fallout was ugly—he'd scraped one measly point only because Ren had specifically targeted Raven Tail. Left alone, he'd have bagged eight. They'd be at eighteen points now; Master Jiemma would still be mad, but not nuclear. Instead, they were on the back foot, sitting at zero points for the day so far.
"And now Yukino's up against Kagura," Rufus murmured. "My memories of Kagura tell me she is not an opponent to be taken lightly."
"Tch!"
Sting Eucliffe clicked his tongue, gripping the railing until the metal groaned. He knew they were right. The humiliation was burning him up inside.
Yukino Agria stood up, her face pale but composed. She tried to cushion the blame. "No, Lord Sting was just unlucky. Had he known the event would be on a moving vehicle..."
Sting cut her off, his voice sharp. "None of that matters. Excuses are for the weak. You know why you're here."
He glared at her, his eyes hard. Sabertooth did not tolerate failure.
"To fight without tarnishing Sabertooth's name—and to win."
Yukino bowed her head. "Yes."
Mermaid Heel
"Go, little Kagura!" Millianna cheered, pumping her fist.
Beth Vanderwood, the country girl of the group, added, "Win for me too, Kagura-chan!"
Kagura stood up, her white cape billowing slightly in the arena's draft. She didn't smile, nor did she show excitement. She simply adjusted her grip on her sheathed blade.
Kagura strode toward the arena entrance, her steps steady and rhythmic.
"Don't worry," she said, her voice carrying a quiet, unshakable confidence. "I've already seen where my blade must go."