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"Now, we will divide the 101 teams into ten groups. Each group will consist of ten teams that will battle against the Mechanical Arcane Beasts, with the final group containing eleven teams.
Guild teams whose names are called, please proceed to the center of the arena. The remaining teams, please wait at the back."
After explaining the rules, the Pumpkin Man pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and began announcing the teams.
"Group One: Crocodile Hide, Werewolf Claws, Boar Tusks..."
Fifty participants from ten arcane guilds stepped into the center of the arena upon hearing their guilds' names.
At the same time, ten enormous magic circles rose on the opposite side. Within each circle, a Mechanical Arcane Gorilla slowly emerged, raising its head and unleashing a thunderous roar that struck fear into the hearts of all watching.
Many of the arcane mages couldn't help but swallow nervously at the sight.
After the Mechanical Arcane Gorillas appeared, a new series of magic circles lit up. From them emerged ten iron-forged enclosures that sealed the gorillas inside.
Immediately afterward, ten magical projections appeared in the sky above the arena. Each projection displayed the interior of one of the steel enclosures.
"Teams in Group One, please choose a room and enter. If you cannot defeat our arcane beasts, you may leave the room or loudly declare your surrender.
However, if you persist and suffer accidental death, we will not be held responsible."
Amid the thunderous cheers of the audience, the ten teams each selected the closest room and walked inside.
Once all teams had entered, the Pumpkin Man waved toward the host's platform. The host raised the magic microphone and shouted:
"The first Grand Arcane Martial Trials Preliminaries—now officially begin!"
As the host's voice fell, the Mechanical Arcane Gorillas in the projections immediately charged toward the mages who had entered their rooms, launching a barrage of frenzied, storm-like attacks.
The arcane mages quickly formed defensive formations and began casting spells to defend and counterattack.
Various types of magic burst forth in the rooms, creating a spectacular and dazzling display. Even George, who had read nearly every book in the Fairy Tail library, saw many spells for the first time.
There were spells that attacked using musical notes and soundwaves, spells that trapped enemies like a spider's silk, spells that sprayed sticky mucus from the mouth, and spells that extended the tongue like a whip, among others.
To George, many of these spells were no longer of practical use. In fact, just one glance was enough for him to understand their underlying principles and reproduce them.
Still, to be honest, they gave him a true sense of the diversity of magic.
One could only say that in a world where magic reigns supreme, the types and applications of magic are constantly evolving and updating.
While the Mechanical Arcane Gorillas posed no threat to George, they were terrifying monsters to most of the participating arcane mages.
Of the ten teams in Group One, only one barely managed to defeat its Mechanical Arcane Gorilla. The other nine either ultimately surrendered when they could no longer hold out or had all five members knocked unconscious.
It was clear that each gorilla was being remotely controlled by a mage and would not deal fatal blows to the participants.
The warnings Pumpkin Man gave earlier were merely to heighten the atmosphere.
Nonetheless, it gave the audience a vivid understanding of the true power of the Mechanical Arcane Gorillas.
"Now, would the second group please enter: Azure Pegasus, Black Panther, and the Mane of the Wild Lion."
This group was clearly much stronger than the first. Three teams successfully advanced, with Azure Pegasus being the most outstanding.
Among the five members of Azure Pegasus, both their team leader Ichiya and the immensely popular cover girl Jenny didn't even make a move. The remaining three handsome members easily took down the Mechanical Arcane Gorilla on their own.
This wasn't done to show off—it was a deliberate combat strategy. They aimed to defeat the gorilla without revealing the strength of their top-tier mages, which would make future battles easier.
In battles between arcane mages, when power levels are relatively equal, intelligence becomes extremely important.
Sometimes, simply knowing your opponent's abilities in advance and preparing a targeted strategy can turn an evenly matched fight into a decisive one.
In the first Grand Arcane Martial Tournament, there were bound to be many powerful contenders, including some of the Ten Saints. So it was wise to reveal as little as possible before the official matches began.
Azure Pegasus wasn't the only team with this mindset—other strong teams had similar strategies.
For example, Lamia Scale sent only the puppet mage Sherry Blendy to fight. By continuously summoning stone giants and tree giants, she wore down the Mechanical Arcane Gorilla over the course of half an hour, eventually winning when the creature's magic core energy ran out.
The other four team members simply watched the whole time, not revealing a single one of their abilities.
From morning till dusk, teams from all the major arcane guilds displayed their unique strengths. The crowd's cheers never stopped.
Ordinary people rarely got the chance to witness such thrilling battles.
"Now, would Group Nine please enter: Fairy Tail."
At last, when the ninth group was announced, the name Fairy Tail appeared on the list.
Most of the audience immediately turned their attention toward the four people and one cat standing in the arena.
Some were eager to see the once-great guild make a fool of itself. Others were simply curious. A small number of die-hard fans still hoped that even without their former powerhouses, Fairy Tail might break through the qualifiers.
Many of these loyal fans had attended the Harvest Festival a few months ago and watched the First Mage Tournament. They knew that even if the other four members weren't strong, the cat—who had once defeated Laxus and undoubtedly possessed S-Class magic power—was still a force to be reckoned with.
"It's our turn to go!"
George spread his wings and flew from Laki's shoulder, leading the slightly nervous group of four toward the nearest room.
Seeing the audience's attention shift toward the four members and one cat of Fairy Tail, the host smoothly redirected the conversation to the two special guests beside him:
"As everyone knows, Fairy Tail was once one of the kingdom's most powerful guilds. But their former guild master and top members all vanished along with Tenrou Island.
Do you two think the current members have a chance of making it through the preliminaries?"
"You may not know this," replied Yajima, adjusting his chef's hat with a confident tone, "but not all of Fairy Tail's top members disappeared due to the Tenrou Island incident. Even if they can't take first place this time, I believe passing the preliminaries won't be a problem."
As a former member of Fairy Tail, Yajima had gone to visit the guild immediately after the Tenrou Island incident.
Although he had only met Macao, he knew George was focused on deciphering the Fairy Sphere and preparing to rescue Makarov and the others who were trapped.
(End of Chapter)