Several days later, the date of the S-Class Exam arrived.
Just as Ankh had predicted, this year's exam wasn't being held on Tenrou Island.
However, compared to the legendary "Holy Ground," Fairy Tail's current venue was shockingly shabby.
It was absurdly close—merely the forest just outside Magnolia.
Ankh could only sigh at the Master's penny-pinching strategy.
Standing at the edge of the woods, a wave of nostalgia washed over him.
He remembered how, over a month ago, Makarov had brought him out of this godforsaken woodland.
'Returning to this familiar place, I should be filled with sentimental longing...'
'Or so one might think!'
Forget the suffering the Dark Guild had caused him. Just look at the current situation...
'Why did my partner end up like this?!'
High up in a towering tree, Erza Scarlet leaned lightly against the trunk.
The wind playfully tousled her crimson hair as she shielded her eyes, gazing out at the scenery of Magnolia.
"How beautiful..." she sighed softly.
Ankh stared up at her from the ground.
(¬_¬)
'Sis, stop admiring the view!'
Looking at his new partner, Ankh felt as miserable as if he'd been swindled out of five million jewels.
If you're wondering where Laxus had gone... that's an excellent question.
Ankh recalled Makarov's cunning old face just before they entered the forest.
While Ankh had correctly guessed the general rules (team combat), the partner assignment had gone horribly wrong.
Makarov had stood before them, grinning like a goblin.
"Facing unexpected missions with insufficient teamwork requires you to choose reliable partners!"
"However..."
"In emergency situations, you don't always get to choose your allies! Therefore, you will swap your designated partners!"
"This is also part of the test! Ahahahaha!"
Ankh's fists clenched involuntarily as the memory of that triumphant laugh echoed in his mind.
'How careless of me not to anticipate this!'
Everyone knew Laxus only really communicated with Ankh.
How could that old fox Makarov not use that against them? He had been plotting this from the start.
'Fortunately, this doesn't change much for me,' Ankh consoled himself.
'Whether I team up with Laxus or Erza, we win. The worst-case scenario was being paired with Cana... but Laxus drew the short straw on that one.'
According to the rules, the forest was rigged with traps.
The two teams had to find and defeat each other. The first team to be completely wiped out would lose.
'Traps like these pose virtually no threat to us,' Ankh thought arrogantly.
As they stepped deeper into the gloomy forest, Erza took the lead.
Watching her back, Ankh recalled his earlier conversation with Seram.
'Erza's bloodline is a mystery...'
Just as Ankh was lost in thought, the ground beneath them suddenly began to ripple like water.
Squelch.
Twisting mud surged up in massive waves, threatening to engulf them both.
Ankh blinked.
'Huh? A trap?'
Erza reacted with lightning speed.
Her crimson hair fluttered as she leaped gracefully from the mud, completely unhindered by her heavy armor.
She landed perfectly on a high branch.
"Ankh! Grab my hand!" she yelled, reaching down.
The slime-like quicksand enveloped Ankh's legs, dragging him down.
Ankh ignored her hand. Instead, he looked at the mud thoughtfully.
'Advanced Clay Magic. Not bad. But for Makarov to think this could stop me... is insulting.'
A dazzling golden light erupted around him.
"Titan Gravity: Repulsion."
BOOM!
A terrified force burst upward from below.
Massive amounts of yellow earth defied physics, flying backward into the sky.
The surrounding ancient trees groaned as they were uprooted instantly.
Within a hundred-meter radius, tons of soil, sand, and vegetation shot straight up, creating a reverse landslide that was truly breathtaking.
Ankh stepped calmly onto a flying rock, flipping gracefully through the air to land on the branch beside a stunned Erza.
She stared blankly at the floating forest debris. "Laxus and the others... definitely saw that."
"Let them see," Ankh said with a cold smile.
He turned his gaze toward... what appeared to be empty sky.
Then, slowly, deliberately, he extended his middle finger.
....
In the Fairy Tail Guild Hall.
The guild members were gathered around a massive magic crystal sphere, watching the livestream of the exam.
Makarov laughed triumphantly, his face showing a childish grin.
'Heheheh. Outsmarting that arrogant brat Ankh feels so satisfying! If he and Laxus teamed up, there would be no suspense at all.'
When the mud trap sprung, the guild members gasped.
"No way! Did Ankh get eliminated by a trap?!"
In the crowd, Mirajane clenched her small fists anxiously.
'It's fine—there's no way a trap like this could stump him!'
Natsu, squeezed into the front row, jumped up indignantly.
"What kind of move is this?! The S-Class exam is supposed to be a fair duel—why set traps?! That's dirty!"
Suddenly, the crystal ball flashed with golden light. The entire forest sector exploded upwards.
The guild erupted in cheers.
"As expected of Ankh!"
"Holy crap, he lifted the whole forest!"
Makarov's face twitched.
'It was just a mud trap... was it really necessary to uproot the entire sector?'
And then, he saw Ankh make that hand gesture directly at the "hidden" camera.
Makarov jumped up in shock.
"He detected the surveillance magic?! And what does that finger mean?! Why do I feel incredibly disrespected?!"
....
Deep in the forest, the other team also saw the mudslide flowing backward into the sky.
Cana had been silently following Laxus, terrified to speak to him.
Laxus had been traveling in complete silence while stone-faced.
Whenever Cana triggered a trap and screamed, he just kept walking, utterly merciless.
'If I make a sound to help her, I lose,' seemed to be his mindset.
But then, the massive burst of magic power lit up the sky.
Watching the anti-gravity phenomenon, Laxus slowly broke into a smile under Cana's astonished gaze.
He finally spoke his first words since the exam began.
"So that's how it is... This is faster."
Golden lightning crackled around his body.
"Wait for me, Ankh!"
ZZZT!
A massive golden thunder magic array formed in front of him, aimed directly at the trap-filled forest ahead.
"Raging Bolt!"