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Chapter 272 - Ch 272 : Gray vs. Rufus

Bang!

The Fairy Tail members who had fallen from the prison floor landed hard on the solid ground below, tumbling into a heap.

"Ouch!"

"Damn it, we let our guard down."

"Where is this place?"

As they stood up, they scanned their surroundings.

At that moment, a deep female voice echoed through the space:

"Welcome to Naraku Palace."

"Who's there?" Noel's gaze sharpened as he searched the area.

The slow, steady voice continued, "You fell into the trap so easily. Look around you—this is the City of the Dead, Naraku Palace. The last bit of freedom granted to criminals… but no one has ever escaped from here."

A noble and elegant female figure appeared before them, her image conjured by magic.

The speaker was the woman before them—none other than the princess of Fiore, Hisui E. Fiore.

Princess Hisui looked at the Fairy Tail members with a solemn expression and sternly declared, "Rot away in this place, you thieves."

"Who the hell is that?" Natsu asked, clearly annoyed.

Noel's face turned grim. "She's the princess of this castle—Hisui E. Fiore."

"Princess?!" Lucy, Yukino, and Mirajane all widened their eyes in shock.

Before they could fully process their surprise, Princess Hisui promptly ended the projection, leaving the Fairy Tail members alone in Naraku Palace.

Inside a Room in Fiore's Mercurius Palace

Watching the fading image in the mirror, Hisui slowly exhaled.

Not far away, a guard praised her, "Your Highness, that was truly brilliant. Even without His Majesty here, you have protected the castle admirably."

"Long live Her Highness the Princess!"

However, despite the guards' praise, Hisui's face did not show the slightest hint of joy.

Instead, she fell into silence, and within her deep eyes, a strange glimmer flickered.

...............

Inside a Library in Crocus

Gray stopped in his tracks, his expression calm as he looked at the figure seated in a nearby chair.

In a neutral tone, he said, "I heard that if I came here, I'd find you. As expected of the First Master."

"Oh my, oh my." Rufus, who had been reading a book, closed it with a snap and fixed his sharp gaze on Gray, who seemed completely indifferent.

In a soft voice, he remarked, "Such a memorable sight. I wonder how different you are today compared to the first day."

"There's no need to force yourself to remember," Gray replied with a relaxed smile.

"Because I'm going to settle things with you right here."

................

Inside Crocus

As Gray and Rufus encountered each other, the audience in the stands erupted with excitement.

After all, this was the first direct confrontation between members of Fairy Tail and Sabertooth, two guilds that had been at odds with each other.

Moreover, these two had already clashed during the first battle event, making this duel all the more captivating.

Romeo turned his head toward the First Master, who was perched on the railing, and asked, "First Master, was this also within your expectations?"

"Yes."

"Then, will Gray win?"

"It's precisely because he can win that I let Gray face Rufus. Rufus is the key to Sabertooth's strategic deployment," the First Master replied with a gentle smile, her tone completely relaxed.

"This Rufus has the ability to sense the positions of everyone present, so he must be eliminated from the competition first. Among us, only Gray, who has fought him before, understands him best. And more importantly, only Gray can approach him without him trying to escape—because for Rufus, being taken out by Gray in the first round is something he still can't get over..."

With that, the First Master turned her full attention to the magical projection, murmuring softly, "Show me your true strength."

..............

"Oh? If you're still looking at me with the same perspective as on the first day, that would be quite troublesome for me—because I've already memorized everything." Rufus snapped his book shut and confidently declared to Gray, "I have engraved all the magic I have seen into my memory, shaping new magic based on those recollections. The memory of your 'Ice' magic, the memory of Orga's 'Lightning' magic—I have stored them all in my mind. Memory-Make."

"Hah, sounds pretty interesting," Gray replied nonchalantly.

"You'll see soon enough. Black Thunder Ice Blade!"

With Rufus' words, ice spikes infused with black lightning suddenly materialized out of thin air, launching toward Gray.

Boom!

The fusion of ice and black lightning wreaked havoc across the battlefield, the sheer force of magic shattering the tiled floor and leaving deep scars upon it.

Each strike carried enough power to bring down an ordinary mage.

However, despite the incoming barrage of powerful attacks, Gray's expression remained completely unbothered.

Slowly, he raised his hand.

"Ice-Make: Knight."

Bang!

The impact sent shards of ice scattering in all directions.

Some of the flying ice fragments grazed Rufus' cheek, leaving a faint cut.

Yet, Rufus paid no heed to his wound—instead, he stared in shock at Gray, who stood calmly in place.

"What's wrong? Not going to attack anymore?" Gray asked softly.

"N-No way… Why? Why did my combined 'Ice' and 'Lightning' attack lose to you?" Rufus clutched at the wound in his abdomen, where an ice spear had pierced through, his face filled with unwillingness.

Gray let out a slow sigh and leisurely walked toward Rufus.

"You know, I'll admit—your magic is indeed troublesome. Since you can counter an opponent's magic by using a remembered spell that directly restrains it, it makes you quite formidable. But…"

"But what…?"

Gray raised his hand, icy frost gathering at his fingertips, shimmering like dancing spirits.

"The crucial thing you overlooked… is the absolute difference in power between us."

Boom!

A surge of intense cold shot from Gray's palm, striking Rufus head-on.

In an instant, his body was enveloped in pure, glistening ice.

Gritting his teeth slightly as he observed the ice creeping over him, Rufus muttered, "Memory-Make: Blazing Earth."

Roaring flames burst forth from Rufus' body, burning fiercely in an attempt to melt Gray's ice.

But Gray's expression remained calm as ever.

"It's useless. This level of fire… is nowhere near enough to melt my ice. That guy flames was far hotter than this."

"Ice-Make: Sculpture."

Boom!

The frost, which had momentarily been slowed by Rufus' flames, suddenly surged forward at an even greater speed.

Before Rufus could mount a proper defense, his entire body was completely frozen.

Under Gray's relentless attack, Rufus didn't even have time to resist—within moments, he lost consciousness, sealed within the ice.

Rufus' elegant hat fell to the ground, but Gray caught it with one hand.

Then, he casually placed it on his own head and said softly,

"With this… it's over."

"Rufus is defeated!! Gray is victorious!!! A win for Fairy Tail!!" Chapati announced loudly.

...............

Grand Magic Games – Final Day Progress:

1st Place: Fairy Tail – 64p (Leader: 1, Members: 4)

2nd Place: Sabertooth – 47p (Leader: 1, Members: 3)

3rd Place: Mermaid Heel – 43p (Leader: 1, Member: 1)

4th Place: Lamia Scale – 39p (Leader: 1, Members: 2)

5th Place: Blue Pegasus – 32p (Eliminated)

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