"Natsu, recognizing your own weakness isn't a bad thing."
Gildarts explained, "Because when you acknowledge your weakness, you can maintain a steady heart as you grow stronger. That way, you won't stray from the right path or end up in a dead end. This is something essential for becoming an S-Class Mage, for becoming a powerful mage."
"Ah—"
Natsu clenched his fists and took a step forward.
A look of surprise appeared on Gildarts' face.
*Thud*
To everyone's astonishment, Lucy also stood up. She staggered toward Natsu with great difficulty.
"Jehfrit," Gildarts muttered under his breath, frowning slightly.
Lucy shouldn't have had the strength to stand back up. Her ability to rise now had nothing to do with willpower—it was a matter of raw power. Willpower could make someone dig tirelessly for decades until they leveled a mountain, but it couldn't move that mountain outright.
The pressure weighing down on Lucy had been reduced, though she hadn't even noticed.
Gildarts didn't stop her. Such minor assistance wouldn't affect the outcome. After all, Jehfrit was the kind of person who wouldn't hesitate to trip someone up but would also lend a hand when needed.
What Lucy lacked wasn't willpower—it was strength. And this test wasn't about measuring strength.
With immense effort, Lucy finally made it to Natsu's side.
"…" Natsu glanced at her and gave her a toothy grin.
"Natsu." Lucy hoisted his arm over her shoulder, and the two of them stood side by side, facing Gildarts.
"Haa—" Gildarts sighed. "I already said you've passed. Why push yourselves further?"
"Jehfrit said there's no such thing as 'passing' in a fight," Natsu growled through gritted teeth. "There's only victory or defeat!"
Lucy added, "As long as Natsu throws a punch at you, I'll follow up!"
Leaning on each other, they slowly advanced toward Gildarts.
"Fine…" Gildarts reluctantly nodded.
His magical energy surged to its peak!
Lucy's legs buckled, and she collapsed completely, unable to stand any longer.
Natsu slipped his hands under her arms, holding her steady, and pushed forward against the overwhelming pressure.
Gildarts looked at Natsu's trembling legs and said, "Enough, Natsu. I don't want to leave you with any scars."
"Heh."
Natsu grinned as he stared at Gildarts, now within striking distance.
"NATSU!!!"
Lucy mustered her last ounce of strength and lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Gildarts.
Gildarts didn't resist.
"Fire Dragon's—"
"Iron Fist!"
*Boom*
The punch landed squarely on Gildarts' face, sending him flying backward.
The surge of magical energy dissipated.
Natsu and Lucy collapsed onto the ground. It took them a while to lift their heads and look at Gildarts.
Gildarts sat leaning against the wall, scratching his head. "Even in this situation, you dared to throw a punch at me."
"Faced with an enemy you knew you couldn't possibly defeat, you refused to give up."
"Ahh—"
Gildarts gazed at the ceiling and sighed. "I really am getting old. A weak punch like that shouldn't have left me so flustered."
"Natsu," Gildarts said meaningfully, "cherish Lucy well."
"The examiner formally declares—" Gildarts straightened up, his tone serious. "Natsu, Lucy, you've won."
*Whoosh*
Gray exhaled deeply. "It's over."
"Did Natsu and Lucy lose…?" Juvia asked, her voice tinged with sadness.
"They ran into Gildarts. There was nothing they could do," Gray replied.
"We still don't know who we'll encounter," Juvia said worriedly.
But glancing at Gray's determined expression, she quickly added, "No matter who it is, Juvia will fight with her life to help Gray-sama win!"
"I have a feeling…" Gray looked ahead at the corner and said, "If we turn there, we'll meet our opponent."
He quickened his pace and peeked around the corner, then let out a bitter laugh. "Well… seems my luck isn't much better than Natsu's."
"Gray-sama?" Juvia hurried after him and looked ahead. "Ah, it's Laxus!"
In front of them was a ring—an artificial one, clearly constructed not long ago.
It wasn't made by piling earth but rather created by using lightning to carve the surrounding land into a raised platform nearly a meter high. The scorched earth bore testament to the power used.
In the center of the ring, Laxus sat cross-legged with his back to them.
Hearing footsteps, he stood up and turned around. "Gray, knock me off this platform, and you pass."
"Juvia," Gray called out.
"Gray-sama," Juvia responded solemnly.
"Let's go!"
Without another word, Gray shrugged off his shirt and charged onto the ring.
"Water Slash!"
Several water blades shot toward Laxus.
Laxus paid them no mind, casually swiping his hand to shatter them with lightning. But one of them remained intact.
It was an ice blade!
*Shlick*
Laxus barely dodged in time, the ice blade slicing a shallow wound along the outside of his arm.
"Don't underestimate me, Laxus!" Gray shouted as he rushed forward.
"Ice Make : Blade—Sevenfold Dance!"
Laxus immediately retreated, but his foot stepped into a puddle of water.
*Crack crack*
In the next instant, the puddle froze solid.
"Ice and water…" Laxus remarked. "Your teamwork is impressive."
Seeing Gray closing in, Laxus raised his arm, dragon scales appearing on it.
*Bang bang bang*
Gray spun, his ice blades shattering against Laxus' armored arm.
Laxus shattered the ice trapping his foot and summoned lightning around his fist.
"Thunder Dragon's—Crushing Fist!"
"Gray-sama!" Juvia quickly swung a water whip, pulling Gray back.
*Boom*
Though Laxus' punch missed, the magic condensed into a column that continued hurtling toward them.
*Splash splash splash*
Juvia raised a massive, thick wall of water, which Gray instantly froze into ice.
*Boom*
The lightning column shattered the ice wall but was slowed enough for Gray and Juvia to dodge easily.
"Juvia, Plan B," Gray commanded.
"Yes."
"Water Whip Barrage!"
Dozens of water whips lashed out, writhing like serpents in the air, their momentum terrifying.
*Boom boom boom*
Laxus dodged, occasionally shattering a whip, but they regrew instantly, undiminished.
"Ice Make—Lancers!"
Gray unleashed a barrage of ice spears.
The combination of their two area-of-effect attacks produced a synergy where [1+1 > 2].
Whenever Gray's ice touched Juvia's water whips, they transformed into ice spears. Though Juvia couldn't control the ice spears, she let inertia carry them forward.
In an instant—
Dozens of water whips, dozens of Gray's ice spears, and dozens more converted ice spears filled the arena with saturated strikes.
*Swish swish swish*
Laxus' evasive movements grew faster and faster, almost invisible to the naked eye.
All that could be seen was a streak of lightning darting through the rain of attacks.
"The battle over there looks intense," Cana commented. "Gray and Juvia ran into Laxus."
Cana grinned. "This means our chances of passing are higher."
"Watch out!"
Suddenly, Ikuto pulled Cana back.
*Boom*
Magic exploded where Cana had been standing moments ago.
"Bickslow, you bastard, attacking me from behind like that!" Cana glared at the newcomer.
"You were walking around like it was a stroll," Bickslow retorted.
"Cana, Ikuto, I won't hold back," Fried declared, his expression dark. "I intend to stand by Laxus' side."
"I won't lose either, Fried," Cana's tone turned serious. "Ikuto, let's go."
"Got it." Ikuto gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.
*Boom*
An intense battle erupted.
Meanwhile, in another corridor.
"They're fighting fiercely," Elfman remarked.
"Excluding Natsu, Gildarts, Gray, Laxus, Cana, and Fried, that leaves Erza, Gajeel, and Mest," Evergreen deduced based on the fluctuations of magical energy.
"Yeah," Elfman nodded.
"Hopefully we run into Wendy's group," Evergreen said.
"Sorry to disappoint, but it looks like you're out of luck," a female voice echoed from around the corner.
"Ahh, the worst-case scenario," Evergreen groaned, slapping her forehead.
"Erza…" Elfman said gravely.
Erza emerged from the corner, her armor shifting into Heaven's Wheel Armor.
"I won't hold back, Elfman. If both of you can't defeat me but become S-Class Mages anyway, it would be a burden, just as Jehfrit said."
In a world of mages, having strength that doesn't match your reputation is a death sentence.
"Haa—" Elfman took a deep breath. "I understand that principle well enough."
"Beast King!"
Elfman entered his combat form.
"Erza, I lost to you last time, but with the two of us working together this time, we might not lose," Evergreen rallied herself.
"Enough talk!"
Erza's magical energy surged.
*Tap tap tap*
*Tap tap tap tap*
One set of heavy, deliberate footsteps and another set of light, quick ones approached.
It was Mest and Wendy.
"Elfman versus Erza, which means…" Mest analyzed.
"Our opponents are Gajeel and Levy," Wendy took a deep breath. "I'll do my best!"
"Then I'll leave it to you," Mest nodded.
*Tap tap tap*
Footsteps echoed nearby.
Mest and Wendy quickened their pace and rounded the corner, colliding with Gajeel and Levy coming from the opposite direction.
"Sorry, Wendy," Levy smiled apologetically.
"Levy-san, I'll do my best," Wendy said. "After the fight, I'll apologize properly."
"Me too."
"Heh." Gajeel tilted his head. "Women fight women, men fight men. Mest, I don't know much about you, but since you're here for the exam, you must have some skill. Use whatever magic you've got—I won't hold back. My body can take it."
"What a pity," Mest said. "You might be disappointed."
He wasn't an offensive-type mage to begin with, and his mission here had already been accomplished. Losing wouldn't be a big deal.
It was just…
He felt a bit sorry for Wendy.
"Iron Dragon's Club!" Gajeel attacked.
"Solid Script—Flame!" Levy cast simultaneously.
"Heaven Dragon's—Roar!"
*Whoosh* Mest appeared behind Gajeel and threw a punch.
*Slap*
Gajeel turned and caught Mest's fist, delivering a counterpunch that sent him flying.
*Boom*
Mest crashed into the wall and slumped unconscious.
On the other side, Wendy managed to suppress Levy.
"Sorry, Wendy. Looks like this is as far as you go," Gajeel said.
"Sky Dragon's—Claw Strike!" Wendy leapt high into the air, launching a flying kick.
*Smack*
Gajeel blocked with his arm and retaliated with an Iron Dragon's Roar.
Wendy reacted quickly, countering with her own Heaven Dragon's Roar.
But ultimately, the difference in power was clear.
Wendy was blasted backward.
Levy hastily wrote a large net in midair, catching Wendy safely.
"Wendy, it's over," Levy said with a smile.
"…Yeah," Wendy nodded, her expression tinged with sadness.
Levy rushed over and hugged Wendy comfortingly. "Sorry, Wendy."
"It's okay," Wendy shook her head.
She had promised herself she'd try her hardest, yet she was defeated so easily.
"Wendy," Carla and Happy arrived.
Carla addressed Levy. "You two keep moving forward. Leave Wendy to us."
"Alright," Levy nodded. "Thank you."
When Gajeel and Wendy reached the finish line, everyone was already waiting.
She scanned the group and saw that Natsu had already arrived.
So Natsu faced Gildarts—and somehow passed?
"Levy, you've passed the preliminaries," Master Makarov announced. "Take a rest."
"Yes, Master."
"Ahh, we're slower than Levy's group," a voice came from behind.
Levy turned to see Cana and Ikuto approaching, their bodies marked with signs of fierce battles.
"Cana, you've passed the preliminaries," Makarov confirmed.
"That leaves Gray and Elfman's groups," Lucy said.
"Gray faced Laxus, and Elfman faced Erza—they both drew the short straw," Cana remarked.
*Pant pant pant*
Elfman leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. Evergreen was barely holding on.
Opposite them, Erza was still in good condition.
*Swish*
Erza twirled her sword elegantly. "The next strike ends this."
Elfman's face was filled with reluctance.
Evergreen glanced at him, gritted her teeth, and made a resolute decision.
*Swish*
Erza charged at Elfman.
At that moment, Evergreen shouted, "ERZA, I'M PREGNANT!"
*Snap*
Erza froze—her entire body locked up.
Now's the chance!
Elfman threw a punch at Erza.
Erza snapped out of her shock just in time to raise her sword in defense.
But Elfman's strength was overwhelming. Caught off guard, she couldn't withstand the blow and was sent flying, crashing into the wall.
*Rumble rumble*
The wall collapsed, burying her under rubble.
"You idiot, how could you not tell me something this important before the fight?!"
Erza angrily shoved the debris aside, scolding them—how could Evergreen participate in such a battle while pregnant? What if something happened?!
Clearly, she believed it.
And when she cleared the last piece of rubble, she found herself staring directly into Evergreen's eyes.
*Snap*
This time, she truly petrified.
*Whoosh* Evergreen let out a sigh of relief and collapsed, her legs giving out beneath her.
"Careful!" Elfman panicked and rushed over, catching her as if she were a cushion.
Seeing she was unharmed, he finally relaxed.
"Evergreen, how could you fight while pregnant? What if you got hurt?" Elfman exclaimed, still shaken.
"…" Evergreen's face darkened. Furious, she yelled, "Yes, I'm pregnant. Who do *you* think the father is?"
"Who else could it be but—" Elfman stopped mid-sentence, realization dawning on his face.
He wasn't stupid. He and Evergreen had only kissed—how could she possibly be pregnant?!
Unless…?!
No way!
Evergreen would never betray him!
Seeing Elfman's stunned expression, Evergreen smacked him hard on the head. "OF COURSE IT WAS A LIE! What's with that look of betrayal?!"
"Huh? A lie?" Elfman's face lit up with relief. "You scared me! I thought—"
Before he could finish, Evergreen punched him again.
"Hehe," Elfman laughed awkwardly.