Chapter 291: The Seven-Year Gap
"Ice-Make: Iron Fist!"
A massive fist slammed into Gray.
"Guahh!!"
Gray was sent flying before he could defend himself.
The sheer kinetic force behind the blow launched Gray across the sandy floor of the Domus Flau. He bounced twice, groaning in pain, before his back slammed harshly against the arena's outer perimeter wall. Dust and crushed stone rained down on his shoulders as he struggled to push himself up.
The air temperature in the stadium had plummeted to freezing levels. Frost crept along the stone pillars, and the spectators in the front rows could see their own breath misting in the air.
Standing at the center of the rapidly freezing arena, Lyon Vastia slowly lowered his hands. His posture was perfectly relaxed, exuding an aura of absolute confidence. There was no trace of the arrogance he once possessed; instead, he radiated the calm, terrifying focus of a master Mage.
"Gray, I really have to thank you," Lyon said, his voice echoing clearly across the silent stadium. "Because of your suggestion, I saw a wider world. Do you remember seven years ago, during the Allied Forces' fight against Oración Seis?"
Gray coughed, wiping a smear of blood from his lip. He gritted his teeth, his dark eyes locked onto his fellow disciple.
"That was the first time I felt so weak," Lyon continued, his eyes narrowing slightly at the memory. "And the first time I realized how powerful a truly strong Mage can be. Seeing the monsters in the world made me realize my own insignificance."
Lyon clenched his fist, and the ambient magic power in the air surged violently. The ground beneath his feet cracked, instantly filling with solid ice.
"After we got back, I trained nonstop. While you were frozen in time, I never took a single day of rest. For seven years, I kept refining my magic and honing my will until it became unbreakable."
As Lyon spoke, he raised his hand and conjured a gigantic ice bird. Unlike normal static ice molding, this creation possessed a dynamic, terrifying vitality. It let out a piercing screech that sounded like grinding glaciers.
He pointed a finger directly at Gray. The bird spread its massive, crystalline wings and dived with the speed of a falling meteor.
"Ice-Make: Shield!"
Gray desperately threw up a thick, hexagonal shield of ice, pouring every ounce of his remaining magic power into its defense.
Boom—!
The impact was deafening. The ice bird completely ignored the structural integrity of Gray's defense, smashing the shield into a million glittering shards before slamming directly into Gray's chest.
"Gyaaaahhh!!"
Pinned by the sheer weight and force of the ice bird, Gray crashed into the stadium wall again, and this time, the heavy stone structure completely collapsed, burying him beneath a pile of rubble.
"He's this strong?!"
Up in the Fairy Tail viewing balcony, Natsu Dragneel slammed his hands against the railing, his eyes wide with disbelief. He couldn't believe Lyon was wiping the floor with Gray so effortlessly.
Erza Scarlet's expression turned incredibly grave as she analyzed the battlefield. "Very strong—both in magic power and technique. His molding speed is nearly instantaneous."
Everyone in the magical world had improved over the last seven years, but within Lamia Scale, two distinct monsters stood out. The first was Jura Neekis, whose unfathomable might Erza had seen firsthand.
The second was Lyon Vastia—whose growth was simply staggering, completely defying logical progression.
Standing nearby with his arms crossed, the MC, Ren, was also genuinely surprised. With his magic fully released, Lyon's current power output was monstrous. By Ren's estimation, Lyon was second only to Jura within his guild, and his raw combat capability was undoubtedly rivaling that of Laxus.
The Lyon of the original anime timeline had never been this overwhelmingly strong, Ren thought to himself, his eyes tracking the lingering cold mist in the arena. Was it because of my interference? Did witnessing my power back then act as a catalyst for this ridiculous power leap?
Down in the arena, Lyon didn't give Gray a single moment to recover. He raised his palm high into the air, his eyes blazing with a fierce, competitive light.
"Take a good look, Gray—this is the gap these seven years have made!!"
Whoosh—!
A huge, complex cyan magic circle unfolded in the sky directly above the collapsed rubble where Gray was trapped. The air shrieked as moisture rapidly condensed, freezing into a solid, impenetrable mass.
An enormous frozen palm, easily the size of a small house, descended from the magic circle, slamming down with apocalyptic force.
"Ice-Make: Block!"
Gray, fighting through the blinding pain, created a massive chunk of dense ice from beneath the rubble, desperately trying to prop up the descending palm.
But it was utterly futile. The frozen palm crushed Gray's Block as easily as stepping on a fragile pane of glass and struck the ground with devastating momentum.
BOOOOM!!
The entire Domus Flau trembled under the impact. A massive shockwave of freezing wind blasted outward, forcing the audience to shield their faces.
When the thick frost finally cleared, a giant, perfectly molded handprint was left permanently indented into the Grand Magic Games arena floor.
Gray lay motionless inside the center of the crater, completely out cold.
"The... The victor is decided!!" the announcer, Chapati Lola, screamed into his microphone, his voice cracking from the excitement.
"Winner: Lyon Vastia of Lamia Scale!!!"
The stadium erupted into a chaotic frenzy of cheers and shocked gasps. No one had anticipated such a one-sided massacre between two famous mages.
"What an upset!"
"Lamia Scale's Lyon is fearsome—Gray never stood a ghost of a chance!"
Over in the Sabertooth viewing area, the atmosphere was slightly tense.
"Impressive," Minerva Orland murmured, arching a dark brow. She rested her chin on her hand, her calculating gaze fixed on the ice mage. She had barely noted Lyon before this match, writing him off as a secondary threat, but now she'd have to actively watch him. He was absolutely no pushover.
Rufus Lore adjusted his feathered hat and nodded in agreement. "My memory serves me well. It looks like he held back significantly during the first event's Hidden game."
Meanwhile, in the Mermaid Heel balcony, the girls were equally flabbergasted.
"Whoa, he's scary-strong!" Beth Vanderwood gasped, hiding her face behind her hands in mock terror.
"Right? I had no idea he had this kind of monster hiding in him!" Aranya Web exclaimed, her jaw dropping. She knew Lyon was Lamia Scale's S-Class Mage, but she had always thought him to be somewhat average for that rank. She certainly hadn't expected this monstrous display.
"A formidable opponent," Kagura Mikazuchi said quietly, her eyes sharp and unreadable as she evaluated Lyon's stance.
In the Blue Pegasus booth, the mood was heavy with a mix of awe and bitter frustration.
"He's gotten this powerful?!" Eve Tearm was stunned, his hands gripping the stone balcony. Seven years ago, against the Oración Seis, Lyon had been just as useless as they were. Yet now, he had completely left them in the dust.
How had the gap grown so overwhelmingly wide, so fast?
"Our training still isn't enough!"
Ren Akatsuki clenched his fist, his nails biting into his palm. Lyon was his exact contemporary in the magic world. Seeing a peer surge so far ahead in strength physically hurt his pride.
[Akarin's Note: Ren Akatsuki is the Blue Pegasus mage who uses Air Magic, not to be confused with the MC, Ren.]
In stark contrast, the Lamia Scale balcony was a wild party of celebration.
"Amazing, Lyon!" Sherria Blendy cheered, jumping up and down excitedly.
Toby Horhorta whooped, pumping his fists in the air. "Ohhh yeah! That's how we do it!"
Yuka Suzuki smiled proudly, crossing his arms. "He's finally showing the world his true strength. No more holding back."
Jura Neekis simply nodded, a paternal look of pride in his eyes. "Lyon trained harder than anyone these seven years; the results naturally speak for themselves."
Down in the ruined arena, the magical frost slowly began to melt under the Fiore sun. Lyon walked over to the crater, his expression softening, and pulled Gray to his feet.
"Geez, you're ridiculously strong now!" Gray coughed out, leaning heavily on his rival. He had expected some improvement from Lyon, but this absolute gap in power was insane.
"Well, after seeing Ren's terrifying strike all those years ago, how could I stay relaxed?" Lyon replied, his voice laced with absolute sincerity. "And when I heard you'd died on Tenrou Island, I swore to get strong enough to avenge you. I couldn't let our legacy end there."
Lyon smiled faintly, clapping Gray on the shoulder. "Turns out you're alive and conveniently my opponent—so I had to make you feel the results of my grief."
Master Ur had died stopping the demon Deliora; there was nothing Lyon could do to change that past. But when he thought his Junior Brother Gray's enemies still lived, a fire had ignited in his soul. He couldn't afford to slack off.
Gray stood in stunned silence. He hadn't realized that his own disappearance had been the primary catalyst for Lyon's unstoppable drive. Complex emotions swirled warmly in his chest.
"Oooh, such touching brotherhood!!" Chapati Lola cried out, dramatically wiping a tear from his eye.
"The third day of the Grand Magic Games ends!!!"
"That wraps up today's spectacular events!"
"Current overall standings:"
Fairy Tail A — 42 pts
Fairy Tail B — 39 pts
Mermaid Heel — 33 pts
Lamia Scale — 30 pts
Sabertooth — 25 pts
Blue Pegasus — 21 pts
Quatro Cerberus — 14 pts
Raven Tail — disqualified
With day three officially done, Fairy Tail miraculously still held the first and second spots. As the sun set, the guild marched back to their designated tavern, ready to party the night away in their usual, destructive fashion.
Away from the loud festivities, Laxus Dreyar and Makarov sat quietly on a wooden bench in a secluded city park, the ambient noise of Crocus fading into the background.
"Old man, what exactly is Lumen Histoire?" Laxus asked, his tone serious as he looked at his grandfather.
"Ivan asked you about it, didn't he?" Makarov guessed, his expression darkening instantly.
"Yeah. He seems absolutely desperate to get his hands on it."
"That Brat… He called it Fairy Tail's darkness to manipulate you, but that's pure nonsense. It is, however, our absolute greatest secret—known only to each Master."
"Does Ren know?"
"He does."
"Then it can't be anything weird."
"Of course not! But it still can't fall into the wrong hands—especially not Ivan's ambitious ones."
"If it's nothing odd, forget it. Just surprised there's something in the guild I never knew." Laxus had grown up in Fairy Tail; hidden secrets felt strange.
"Hmph! Brat, there's plenty you don't know."
[Akarin Note:
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