Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Magma Dragon King! In the final weeks leading up to the announcement of the S-Class Trial candidates, many are still taking Quests in hopes to prove their chances of being selected. Others are training for their role within the S-Class Trials. But this time of year, an annual event for Fairy Tail, is known by any member…or former member. Just who will become a candidate to become the next S-Class?
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Chapter 61 – Chosen for S-Class Trials
In the mountains that made up the border between the countries of Iceberg, Bellum, and the Pergrande Kingdom was a valley surrounded by high peaks. It was a fairly peaceful place that fell within the borders of the Pergrande Kingdom. Within the valley was a small town that had grown over generations from a little hamlet to a village and in the present day had a population of just over ten-thousand people. The people had come from various places near the border over many years to grow the settlement and take advantage of the clear spring water that flowed from the mountains, the fertile soil of the valley, and the protection of the temple at the base of the high peaks.
Said temple had been built here almost three hundred years ago by monks that practiced magic, mostly various forms of elemental magic in accordance with their doctrine of understanding the natural world through magic. The temple had initially been solitary in the valley, but as their monks helped those in the surrounding areas and protected the people from the various dangerous creatures that lived around the mountains, a few dozen people had come to build the first little hamlet in the valley. Over time, the population had grown and the temple was supported by the growth of the settlement known as Valles Town.
It was this temple that a certain former Fairy Tail mage had found on his travels and chosen to stay at upon the invitation of one of the older monks.
Laxus sat in a meditative position as he focused his breathing and felt the flow of the natural world. It was something that he’d never thought about much when he’d learned magic growing up after his father had implanted the Lightning Dragon Lacrima within him. But as he inhaled, a small feeling of magic passed through his nose, down his windpipe and into his lungs. A slow exhale completed the breath, but the tiny feeling of magic had stayed within him.
Keeping his eyes closed, Laxus thought back to what the elder monk that had invited him to the temple had said to convince him to stay.
-Flashback-
“Lost your magic, you say?” An old man, bald, but with a white mustache and a long white beard, and wearing the robes of a high-ranking monk, asked Laxus curiously. He had a warm and genial smile on his face as he sat next to Laxus on a bench at a roadside tea house just outside of a town on a major trade route between the nation of Iceberg and the Pergrande Kingdom.
Laxus, still not sure why he’d even begun talking to the old monk, gave the man a flat look. “That’s what I said.” He sipped his tea as he recalled, mostly, the fight with Natsu and Gajeel. “I was too sickly and weak when I was little to learn magic normally. My father found a way around it, but…looking back…it caused a lot of issues and strained ever relationship in my life.” Laxus murmured, barely loud enough to be heard. ‘He reminds me of gramps a bit…’ He thought, comparing the old monk with his grandpa. It was probably why he was opening up as much as he was.
The old monk nodded as he stroked his beard once. “I see.” He sipped his tea and then let out a pleased little sigh. “But that is not how the nature of magic works, my young friend.” Seeing Laxus look at him, clearly not understanding what he’d said, the old monk chuckled. “Hohoho… Do you think you can know something for so long and simply not understand it anymore one day?”
“I suppose not?” Laxus didn’t know what that had to do with his loss of magical ability after the Lightning Dragon Lacrima had been removed from him and destroyed.
“Magic is much the same.” The old monk chuckled softly. “Once you know it, it doesn’t just go away. You had a deficiency as a small child…but hasn’t that already been corrected? You used magic for years now and your body knows how to produce and channel it.” He rested his hand on his stomach and then slowly brought it up to his chest. With a slight inhale, the old monk held his breath for a second before exhaling a thick mist that quickly formed into a white cloud floating before the two men. “I believe you simply need a different form of instruction to understand that you’ve not lost everything as you think you have.”
Laxus looked between the cloud and the old monk. “Are you saying that you can teach me to use magic again?” He set down his empty tea cup to emphasize his question.
The old monk smiled and shook his head once. “You already know how to use magic. I’m simply offering you instruction on a different way to realize that.” He placed his tea cup down on the bench and then, rather sprightly for his advanced age, hopped up onto the white cloud and stood on it. “If you’d like to take me up on my offer, I’ll bring you to the temple.”
“I don’t even know your name, old man.” Laxus said as he stood up from the bench.
“Ah, please forgive me.” The old monk smiled at Laxus from atop the cloud. “This humble old monk is called Oshou.”
Laxus considered the offer for a long moment before stepping up onto the white cloud as well. “I’m probably crazy for doing this, but why not take a chance?” It was a very Fairy Tail attitude to have, which made Laxus smirk just slightly.
Oshou laughed brightly at Laxus’s shift in attitude. “Indeed! Life is full of chances! You’ll miss out on the fun if you never try new things!” With that the white cloud beneath their feet rose upwards and then flew forward, carrying both men through the air at a speed of a bird in flight.
-End Flashback-
Laxus continued his steady breathing as he meditated. ‘Oshou wasn’t wrong though.’ The spark of magic that Laxus had long associated with the Lightning Dragon Lacrima within him had returned. But this time it was wholly his own origin, his own Ethernano container, stable and strong, and growing in both depth and vastness as he continued his training.
The sound of footsteps approaching made Laxus open his eyes and look at Oshou.
“Forgive this old man for interrupting your meditation.” Oshou gave Laxus a short bow with a smile. “But you wished to know when the next storm was coming to the high peaks.”
“I did.” Laxus nodded as he stood up, smoothing out the monk clothing he was wearing with a small grimace. They REALLY weren’t his style, and his obvious dislike of them seemed to amuse the rest of the monks in the temple. But even though he hadn’t taken any vows to the temple and become a monk, he was still considered a student, and therefore had to dress appropriately. “Are we climbing the mountain?”
Oshou nodded with a small smile. “Indeed. It should only be a few hours before the storm hits. With help from the other monks, we’ll arrive to the top of the peaks just as the lightning begins.” Training with natural elements was a large part of the temple’s doctrine in understanding nature through magic. “I believe you’ll gain some deeper insight into your magic when experiencing the storm.”
Laxus clenched his hands into fists and small arcs of yellow lightning surrounded them for a brief instant. “I’m looking forward to it.” He looked towards the window and saw the sunlight and the falling autumn leaves outside. ‘It’s about that time of year, huh? I wonder who gramps chose for the S-Class Trials this time around?’ Expelled as he might be, Laxus knew he’d always have Fairy Tail in his thoughts.
-Mt. Ivor-
In the barren rocky land surrounding the jagged peak of the small mountain, Dragon Slayer training was taking place again.
As was the case with Cana’s Booze Dragon Slayer magic acting like a poison to both plants and animals alike in the amounts that she could produce, Levy’s ACTUAL Poison Dragon Slayer magic had to be trained in a lifeless rocky area like this if she didn’t want to risk harming something or someone by accident.
“Poison Dragon’s Wing Attack!” Levy’s arms were surrounded in the reddish-black smoke of her Dragon Slayer magic as she threw them forward, imitating the wingbeat of a dragon. The thick cloud of poison raced forward in a cloud-like wave that engulfed everything, leaving the stones touched with a tinge of red on them.
“Celestial Dragon’s Roar!” Lucy unleashed the beam of light and space towards the incoming wave of poison and blasted through it with her Roar. “You’ve already got that spell down perfectly, Levy!” She praised her friend with a bright smile.
Levy smiled back at Lucy, happy to be practicing with her friend. “Thanks, Lucy! Try this one!” The reddish-black smoke coated her left leg this time, clinging to it closely, before Levy performed a decent roundhouse kick. “Poison Dragon’s Scale Shot!” A barrage of sharp, reddish scales made from the poison tore through the air straight at Lucy and the area surrounding her.
Lucy leapt backwards and bright light surrounded her hands. “Celestial Dragon’s Wing Attack!” With a motion of her arms, beams of light rained down towards the poison scales and blasted them out of the air. The resulting blasts of the beams that didn’t hit a scale forced Levy back, while Lucy had to scramble out of the way of the scales that she hadn’t been able to hit as they stabbed into the stones around her and then fell apart into pieces that turned to liquid.
“Iron Dragon’s Sword!” Gajeel’s loud bellow could be heard a distance away, getting Levy’s attention as she looked in the direction she heard her—soon-to-be—Mate.
“Sea Dragon’s Tidal Shield!” Juvia’s counter was equally loud.
One of the rocky spires that made up the land surrounding Mt. Ivor was cleanly sliced through and then blasted aside by a massive amount of rapidly swirling water.
Crash
The fallen pillar shook the ground as it crashed down.
“Careful, Gajeel, saltwater will rust your iron.” Juvia called out.
“Iron Dragon’s don’t rust!” Gajeel shouted back. “Iron Dragon’s Severing Wings!”
Four rocky spires were reduced to cleanly cut pieces that clattered to the ground with a loud rumble.
Juvia apparently didn’t appreciate that as her response was equally powerful. “Sea Dragon’s Riptide Claw!” Four large and powerful waves of water tore straight through the area where Gajeel and Juvia were sparring. The large, thin, and fast-moving waves cleaved straight through the rocks and then flooded the area around where they lost their pressure.
“Gah!” Gajeel coughed loudly. “Are you trying to drown me?!”
“Sea Dragon’s…” Juvia was briefly visible as she used water to rocket herself into the air and then dive down on Gajeel. “…Brine Fang!” A large spray of white, incredibly salty water erupted into the air.
Gajeel had managed to block though, if the loud, metallic ‘clang’ sound that rang out was any indication.
“They seem to be getting into it, huh?” Lucy remarked as she and Levy were both looking into the distance where Juvia and Gajeel were sparring.
“Yeah…” Levy nodded absently, her eyes widening at the power of the spells being thrown around.
The stone ground shifting slightly beneath their feet was the first warning the two young women got.
“Both of you should be focusing on your own training!” Erza declared loudly just as the rocky ground flipped into a perfect ninety degree angle suddenly, throwing both Levy and Lucy aside. Two identical swords appeared in Erza’s hands and her normal clothing changed into one of her armors.
The armor’s breastplate took the form of a very revealing, armored cheetah-patterned top, exposing her stomach and some cleavage. There was no waist guard, with the armor instead sporting a pair of revealing black shorts, with a belt holding a cloth hanging over Erza's left leg attached to them. Erza’s arms were covered by dark armbands reaching up just below her shoulders, with her left arm being protected by cheetah-patterned armor, consisting of a single pauldron and a wide arm guard. Her legs were covered in similar stockings reaching up to her thighs, with armored, asymmetric boots over them: the left leg was the more armored one, with the boot reaching up to the knee, which was protected by a cheetah-patterned knee guard; her right leg was covered by a boot only reaching up to part of Erza's calf. The armor was completed by a large collar around Erza's neck and by a tail hanging from the back of her shorts, both made of bushy fur, plus a pair of large cheetah’s ears adorning both sides of Erza’s head.
“Flight Armor!” Erza said as she prepared to engage both Lucy and Levy.
“Sexy…” Lucy uttered out as she took in Erza wearing what was practically a cat girl outfit.
Levy’s eyes went wide as she looked at her friend. “Lucy!”
Erza blurred forward and was right in front of Levy and Lucy suddenly. “Save it for tonight, Lucy!” She smirked sexily as she brought both of her swords upwards, forcing Lucy and Levy to leapt away.
“Erza!” Levy’s face was pink now at the image put in her mind.
“Star Arms: Aquarius!” Lucy incanted and with a bright glow of Celestial Spirit Magic, a water vase matching Aquarius’s appeared in Lucy’s hands. “Hyah!” She swung the vase through the air, much like Aquarius would, and a flood erupted from the vessel to submerge Erza.
Erza wasn’t in the path of the sudden flood though. “Too slow”! She called out as she kicked off a high stone spire and launched herself at Lucy with both swords.
“Poison Dragon’s Fang Thrust!” Levy threw both of her hands forward and the reddish-black smoke launched at Erza, taking the shape of four sharp fangs as they aimed to pierce the other woman in a ‘bite’.
Erza cut through the spell with her twin swords and blurred out of the way before the cloud could cover the area she’d been in. “Very good, Levy. Your Dragon Slayer spells are coming along nicely.”
“Hyah!” Lucy sent another tidal wave at Erza from the water vase she held.
“Poison Dragon’s Roar!” Levy opened her mouth and a tornado of the reddish-black smoke raced towards Erza, putting the redhead in a pincer.
“Hm!” Erza had an approving smile on her face as she vanished in a blur and let the two spells collide, throwing up water and poison in equal measure.
Further away from the others another training session was going on.
BOOM
Flames scattered through the air as part of the rocky wasteland was left scorched black.
“Animal Soul: Colossal Rabbit!” Lisanna used her magic to transform just her legs into the powerful back legs of the huge purple rabbit. A single kick off the ground saw her right in Mira’s face a second later. “Fire Dragon’s Iron Fist!” The blazing fist slammed into Mira’s guard, the demonic limbs tanking the blow.
“Close.” Mira smirked at her little sister while smacking her out of the air and towards the ground.
Lisanna easily absorbed the impact with her transformed legs, not feeling the slightest bit of strain from absorbing the shock of the speedy fall. “Fire Dragon’s Talon!” Her transformed foot exploded into flames as she kicked at the charging Natsu.
“Gnnn…” Natsu grunted as the large rabbit foot and powerful leg applied even more force than normal to the Dragon Slayer spell. He went skidding backwards across the rocky ground even though he’d blocked.
“Evil Spark!” Mira dropped down from above like a lightning bolt, both hands sparking with purplish lightning.
Lisanna leapt away in a blue, leaving Mira to destroyed the ground where she’d just been. A quick twist of her hips and she landed easily while setting her entire body ablaze in intense flames. “Fire Dragon’s Sword Horn!” it was like watching a meteor tear through the atmosphere as Lisanna rocketed at Mira.
BOOM
A large explosion of flames erupted where the two sisters met in a clash.
“Suppression Arts…” Lisanna said as she saw the individual orbs of Darkness Magic surrounding her sister’s hands that had caught her shoulders. The spell amped up the users power and damage potential, but could also be used to block with that same boost.
Mira grinned at Lisanna. “I caught you…but not unscathed.” She mentioned the state of her Satan Soul outfit which had been partially burned up and her white hair was covered in a bit of soot. Her clawed, demonic hands were also smoking from holding the flames of a Fire Dragon.
“Magma Dragon’s Claw!” Natsu was coming at Lisanna’s back while she was held in place by Mira.
Lisanna wasn’t about to let that happen though. “Animal Soul: Snake!” Her body was overtaken by glowing squares of light before she vanished.
“Tricky!” Mira had a wide grin on her face as she now had Natsu’s bearing down on her with his spell. With a quick pivot she managed to get out of Natsu’s line of attack and grabbed his outstretched arm to toss him a distance away.
Natsu flipped once in the air and landed on his feet. “Sorry about that, Mira!” He also had a wide grin on his face at how well Lisanna was handling two-on-one combat.
“Animal Soul: Release!” Lisanna reappeared in a shower of glowing squares of magical energy, returning from her small snake form back to her human form. “Fire Dragon’s Brilliant Flame!” She brought together flames from her right hand and left hand, mixing them together to form an immense fireball that she slammed into Mira’s back at pointblank range.
Mira was carried forward by the fireball and right into Natsu.
BOOM
The explosion was even bigger than the previous ones as flames rose high into the air.
“Yeah, that’s about right.” Lisanna said with a small giggle as the flames scattered and both Natsu and Mira walked through the heat haze, entirely unbothered by the powerful spell, aside from Mira’s disheveled hair and now almost gone clothing.
“You’ve gotten better at fusing your Take Over with your Dragon Slayer spells.” Mira praised her sister brightly. “Your Take Over speed is much faster than before too.”
Natsu was a bit distracted as Mira’s tits were one good bounce away from falling out of the remains of her top. He shook himself out of it at hearing the giggles of both sisters. “You’re doing great, Lisanna. Even two-on-one you’re holding your own.”
Mira grinned at Natsu and then Lisanna. “But stripping your big sister is a bit much, Lisanna~” She teased with a naughty smirk. “Even if it does distract Natsu.”
Lisanna smiled at Mira. “If it works, then why not, right?” She teased right back, both of the beautiful young women shooting Natsu sultry looks.
“Hey, we’re supposed to be training.” Natsu said, crossing his arms over his chest…even if his eyes were drinking in the sight of Mira nearly naked and Lisanna in nothing but a thin tank top and short shorts.
“That would be more convincing if you didn’t have a tent in your pants, Natsu~” Lisanna said with a grin.
Natsu looked down, his hands dropping to the front of his pants. “No I don’t!”
Lisanna’s flame-coated foot hit him dead in the chest in the instant of distraction and launched her Mate backwards a few meters. “My mistake!”
“My little sister is so naughty today!” Mira swung her thick demonic tail at Lisanna’s back with a laugh.
“Learned from the best, Mira~” Lisanna called out as she leapt over the tail swipe and her arms transformed into bird wings as Lisanna flew into the air. “Fire Dragon’s Roar!” The torrent of flames scorched the area that Mira was in.
Rumble
The rocky ground shook as a massive tree rose up from the flames to block them.
“Living wood doesn’t burn as easily as dead, dry wood…” Mira was a blur as she zoomed around the tree and caught Lisanna. “Darkness Bolt!” Both of her hands erupted into pitch-black magic that shot Lisanna down into the ground.
Bam
“Oof!” Lisanna coughed out at the impact and the pain of the spell she’d been hit with.
“Magma Dragon’s Erupting Fist!” Natsu was right on top of Lisanna, bringing his lava-coated fist down on her.
Lisanna proved her flexibility by kicking out with her left leg, knocking Natsu’s arm wide, the blast of lava slamming into the stone ground a short distance away and hissed against the rock. “Fire Dragon’s Talon!” Lisanna spun her legs and kicked Natsu’s raised arm as he guarded. The whirlwind of flames that she unleashed as she continued to spin her legs through the air while spinning on her hands forced the approaching Mira backwards, even as Natsu charged straight through it.
A bit further back from the other spars were Wendy and Cana.
“Should I save some of my magic to make sure I can heal everyone?” Wendy asked, her naturally sweet nature and concern for her friends showing through as always.
Cana laughed warmly at Wendy’s care for others, smiling at the other young woman. “They’ll be fine. We’re usually pretty good at holding back just enough.” She threw three of her magic cards at Wendy to restart their sparring. “Thunderbolt’s Fate!” The three cards glowed before casting multiple bolts of lightning at Wendy.
Wendy was surrounded by wind in a powerful gale, scattering the lightning around her. “Power of the stout arms that tear apart heaven! Arms! Ile Arms! Wind that protects the heavens! Armor! Ile Armor! Fast winds that run through heaven! Vernier! Ile Vernier!” In one long breath and only a couple of seconds Wendy had enchanted a buff to her strength, defense, speed, and then DOUBLED all of the effects on top of that.
“That’s not good!” Cana said as she tossed four cards in front of her, a powerful barrier forming just a split-second before Wendy’s fist, surrounded by powerful wind, slammed into it.
“Sky Dragon’s Crushing Fang!” Wendy spell cracked the barrier as eh added more force to it.
“Booze Dragon’s Roar!” Cana threw her head forward and blasted straight through her barrier from behind with a powerful Roar that blasted Wendy backwards in a cyclone of crystal clear alcohol.
Wendy kicked off the ground and began to leapt between the spires of rock. “Raise!” She enchanted and removed the dizzying and inebriating effects of Cana’s Dragon Slayer magic. In a blur she came down on Cana with a axe kick. “Sky Dragon’s Talon!” Cana swiftly moved out of the way.
BAM
The stone shattered into tiny pebbles from the force of Wendy’s spell.
“Booze Dragon’s Drunken Fist!” Cana lunged into Wendy’s guard and the two began to exchange rapid punches, their fists surrounded by their individual elements.
Blow after blow was blocked or dodged. Those that couldn’t be were taken and returned with one of their own. The two women shook the ground and the air howled from the rapid collision of their magic.
‘Normally, anyone too close to this spell would start getting tipsy as they breathed in the alcohol mist that comes from it. But Wendy can just remove effects like inebriation at will, so that’s not going to get me anywhere.’ Cana thought to herself as she saw the brief glow around Wendy as ‘Raise’ was cast again.
“You’re really good, Cana!” Wendy said with a smile as she backstepped once, putting her out of range of Cana’s fists and then slammed a kick into the other woman’s side and sent her flying from the powerful wind.
“Hup!” Cana rolled with the blow, letting it carry her before her feet touched the ground again. She ducked as Wendy’s foot passed through the air where he head had just been, her wind-clad foot shattered the rock to the side of them. “Here!” She slapped a magic card onto Wendy’s stomach in the instant that the Sky Dragon Slayer was off-balance.
BZZZTTT
Wendy’s body twitched out of her control as lightning was released into her body pointblank. Her enchantment to her defense proved itself, however, as she flexed her magic power and blasted the card—and Cana—backwards in a gale of wind. “Sky Dragon’s Wing Attack!” She whirled her arms around, whipping up twin tornadoes instantly which she sent straight at Cana.
Cana clapped her hands together and then threw them forward. “Booze Dragon’s Speed Shot!” Alcohol swirled into existence before Cana’s hands and fired forward so fast that each drop was like a bullet that tore through the dual tornadoes with loud bangs like gunfire.
“Gah!” Wnedy didn’t even see the first two shots that hit her. She raised her arms to block the others, but even with the boost to her defense, each shot stung and left a tiny bruise. “Sky Dragon’s Heavenly Robe!” The wind swirled around Wendy closely while glowing a faint green and blue, removing the inebriation effect of the spell while also blocking the rest of the ‘bullets’.
“Removing abnormal effects and a powerful defense at the same time, huh?” Cana commented on the new spell with experienced eyes. “Crash!” She held up her hand and the swirling wind glowed a bright white before bursting into a wave of wind in every direction.
Wendy blinked at her spell being removed in such a way. “That’s really powerful magic…” She new her enchantments were about to run out, so she dropped low and cast a support spell to close the distance. “Momentary Wind!” She blurred forward and was upon Cana instantly. “Sky Dragon’s Sword Horn!” Wind screamed around Wendy’s body from how fast it was moving.
Only for her to pass through Cana and scattered the woman into white mist before Wendy slammed through the spire of rock behind the fake.
BAM
As the spire collapsed to the ground with a crash, Wendy was already back on her feet and looking around for Cana.
“You like it?” Cana asked with a grin from Wendy’s left.
Wendy tried to move but her feet wouldn’t leave the ground. “Huh?” She looked down and saw two of Cana’s cards on the ground, one depicting a fountain of water and the other showing what looked like a glacier. The problem was that thick and magically powerful ice had encased her feet. “How did you make a double? I removed the inebriation…”
Cana grinned and flicked her hand forward, pouring alcohol onto the ice, melting it quickly. “Booze Dragon’s Double Vision.” She smiled at Wendy and gave her a little ‘peace’ sign. “I condense a bunch of alcohol mist into a nearly solid cloud and the spell mimics my appearance. So you’re seeing double without even being drunk!”
“That’s…not what I expected from an alcohol-based spell.” Wendy looked like she’d just realized how much certain spells could ‘push the limits’ of their basic applications with proper understanding. “Hmmm, I wonder if I could do something similar?” It was certainly something to think about.
“Wendy!” Lucy called out as she and Levy helped Erza walk a bit. “Erza breathed in a good amount of Levy’s poison; can you help her out?”
Erza coughed twice, dry and irritating coughs that nearly made Cana wince, remembering the last time that she’d been sick. “I’m fine… My throat’s just a bit irritated.”
Levy bowed her head to Erza again. “Sorry! I diluted it down as much as I could while sparring.” She was progressing well in learning her new Dragon Slayer magic—thanks to all the help she was receiving—but she could still improve more.
“No problem.” Wendy was in her element as she smiled warmly at Erza and gently rested her hand on the redhead’s neck. “Heal!” The soft green glow surrounded Erza’s neck for a few seconds before Erza smiled at the relief. “There we go.”
“Thank you, Wendy.” Erza said with a smile as she could breathe again without sending herself into a coughing fit. “Aaahhh…” She inhaled and exhaled in a big breath before turning her eyes back onto Levy and Lucy. “Back to training!”
Lucy and Levy fled from Erza as she chased after them with her twin swords.
The training would be a regular thing all the way up until the announcement of who would be part of the S-Class Promotion Trials.
-Fairy Tail ~ Day of the Announcement-
Every member of Fairy Tail—aside from a certain reclusive S-Class mage—was at the guild today to learn who had been chosen for the S-Class Promotion Trials this year. A large white curtain covered the stage at the front of the guild for now, but the excitement only continued to build. Even the members that knew they wouldn’t be chosen were thrilled to see who had been this year as it was always a huge event.
While everyone was waiting for the announcement, Erza and Panther Lily were engaged in a light spar of swordsmanship. The two were barely moving their feet at all, but the swings of their swords were swift and their thrusts accurate. However, the suddenness of their spar made several members yelp and back away quickly.
“Don’t just start swinging swords in the guild out of nowhere! That’s dangerous!” One member cried out as he nearly bumped into one of the waitresses to get away from the fast-moving swords.
Panther Lily was in his ‘Battle Form’ as he sparred with Erza, finding her speed and technique to be incredible. He had a smile on his face as he parried a strike and went for a thrust, only for Erza to deflect his thrust and aim for his torso with her own thrust. Erza had a similar smile on her face as her thrust was diverted and a swing came at her from below. She leaned back just enough for the tip of the sword to miss her before striking out at Panther Lily again.
“That will be enough.” Erza said after just over a minute of intense dueling had gone by. She moved her sword to the side, the tip facing towards the floor to end their little spar.
“Whew…” Panther Lily exhaled and shrank back down to his normal size. The sword he’d been wielding now looking comically large in his hands. “I can say without a doubt that you’re certainly once of the best swordsmen I’ve seen in my life.” He complimented Erza’s skill with a smile and a nod.
“I am most impressed as well.” Erza smiled down at Panther Lily. “Your swordsmanship is excellent.”
Panther Lily shook his head once. “No, no, my skills pale compared to yours, Erza.”
“What do you think, Erza?! This is Lily’s true power!” Gajeel crowed while eyeing the white Fairy Tail mark on his new partner’s back.
“So, this is the strength that one can expect from an S-Class mage of this guild?” Panther Lily asked rhetorically as he smiled up at Erza.
Erza chuckled softly. “Something like that.”
At one of the tables, Lucy looked around at everyone in the guild, especially those that had packed in right near the front of the stage. “This has to be almost everyone in the guild, right?”
“Just about.” Lisanna nodded as she looked over the crowd as well.
“It’s always like this for the announcement.” Levy assured Lucy with a little smile.
Elfman was siting next to Lisanna with a hopeful look on his face. “This year for sure… This year for sure…” He repeated under his breath like a mantra.
Wendy glanced around but didn’t see Natsu at all. “Is Natsu not here?” He’d left the Dragons’ Den only a little bit before the girls today.
Gray, who was sitting at the table next to theirs, tsked once. “Flame brain is an S-Class already, so he has to help with the announcement stuff.” It still stung that Natsu had beaten him to S-Class, but this year he was going to make it and then they’d be on equal footing again.
“Look at you being all jealous.” Ur laughed at Gray’s expression, playfully poking his cheek like he was still a small child.
“Master Ur…” Gray leaned away from her pokes with a flat expression.
The white curtain hiding the stage opened wide, revealing Makarov in his Wizard Saint coat with all of the S-Class mages of Fairy Tail standing behind him—minus Mystogan, though no one really expected the recluse of the guild to show up—a few magical sparkles flew through the air and all the members of Fairy Tail cheered.
“Master!!!”
“This is what we’ve been waiting for!”
“Hurry up and make the announcement!”
“Who’s it going to be this year?!”
The calls from the excited members rang out loudly from the gathered crowd.
Makarov coughed into his fist once before looking out at the excited faces of his ‘brats’ with a little smile. “In an ancient tradition of Fairy Tail, I present…the list of mages eligible to take the S-Class Promotional Trials!”
“WHOOOAAA!!!” The guild roared back in excitement.
“And the location for this year’s test will be Tenrou Island!” Makarov announced, getting surprised looks from many of the guild members who knew how rarely Tenrou was chosen as the testing grounds. “Sacred ground for our guild.”
Lucy leaned over to Lisanna and Elfman. “How do they do these tests?”
“It’s different every year.” Lisanna said with a little shrug.
Elfman nodded. “The only thing that’s always the same is that it’s really hard!”
“It has to be,” Alzack said from the same table as Gray, Bisca sitting beside him. “After all, anybody that passes becomes an S-Class mage!” He looked at the others with a big smile and sparkles in his eyes. It was VERY clear that he was one of the most excited about the announcement.
Makarov’s voice settled the cheers as he continued. “I’ve spent this past year trying to discern each mage’s power, heart, and soul. There will be eight eligible mages!”
That got a chorus of ‘Oohs’ and ‘Aww’ from the crowd.
“Lisanna Strauss!” Makarov called out first.
Lisanna beamed at the news that she’d be part of the promotional trials for the first time. “Yes!”
“Good for you, Lisanna!” Elfman, Lucy, and Levy all congratulated her excitedly.
“Gray Fullbuster!” Makarov called out the next name.
Gray smiled at that, full of confidence. “The time has finally come!”
Ur grinned at her student. “Good job, Gray.”
“Juvia Lockser!” Makarov surprised more than a few members with that choice.
None more so than Juvia herself. “Eh? You mean Juvia?” She hadn’t expected this at all, even though she’d been ranked as an S-Class back in Phantom Lord. ‘Juvia expected to need to be in the guild longer before she’d be considered for such things.’
Lucy and Lisanna both smiled brightly at Juvia. “That’s great, Juvia!”
“Elfman Strauss!” Makarov called out and nearly cracked a laugh as Elfman shot up from his seat to cheer.
“S-Class is the proper place for a MAN!!!” Elfman cheered loudly.
“Good for you, big brother!” Lisanna smiled up at Elfman and gave him a hug around the middle.
Even if they were competitors now, they were ALWAYS family first.
“Freed Justine!” Makarov called out and many members turned to look at the ‘de facto leader’ of the Thunder God Tribe.
Freed smiled slightly at the announcement while Bickslow patted his buddy’s shoulder with a wide smile. “Laxus, I am ready to inherit your position.”
“Levy McGarden!” Makarov announced the next name.
Levy’s eyes widened and her hand came up to her mouth as a smile spread across her face. “Me? I’m finally picked?”
Levy found herself wrapped in a hug from Lucy a second later.
“Congratulations, Levy!” Lucy beamed at her friend happily.
“Levy! Congrats!” Jet and Droy cheered loudly, even if they couldn’t get much closer due to how packed the guild hall was right now.
Gajeel caught Levy’s eyes from where he was sitting not too far away. “Gehee!” He smiled at her in congratulations, making Levy smile beautifully at him in return.
“Alzack Connell!” Makarov called out for the seventh eligible spot.
“I DID IT!!!” Alzack shot to his feet and cheered.
“That’s great, Al!” Bisca beamed at him only to be engulfed in a hug by Alzack. “A-Al!” She blushed cutely even as she returned the hug.
Alzack, seemingly realizing what he was doing, pulled back a bit with red cheeks, but he still had the bright smile on his face as he looked at Bisca. “I was finally chosen, Bisca!”
“Congratulations, Al.” Bisca laughed as she congratulated him a second time.
“Mest Gryder!” Makarov announced the last name and a man stood up from where he was at the edge of the room.
Mest was a lean-built man of average height with short, black hair that was almost a buzzcut, with a slightly outlined widow’s peak, and had also had mildly long sideburns. His eyes were large and a bright emerald turquoise with thin eyebrows. His most distinct feature was the left side of his face which had three distinctive scars: two horizontal and one vertical that crossed through the other two. He wore a red and beige vertical-striped shirt with long sleeves and black pants, not standing out nearly as much as some other members of Fairy Tail did.
“It’s Mest!”
“Didn’t he almost make it last year?!”
The excitement in the guild for the eight chosen for the Promotional Trials was incredible as everyone started talking about who would be S-Class or started congratulating the chosen.
“Levy was chosen!” Jet cheered loudly.
“Yahoo!” Droy threw his arms up in the air.
“Gray finally got picked!”
“Lisanna too!”
“Alzack made it in!”
Makarov spoke louder to be heard over the din and got everyone’s attention once more. “This time, only one will be allowed to pass the trials! The test will take place in one week! Go, make sure that you’re in top shape!”
That got the discussions among the members to start right back up again.
“Just one?”
“Freed would be the favorite then, right?”
“No, wouldn’t it be Mest?”
The betting pools were clearly going to start forming soon.
“Gray, Lisanna, and Elfman are all there too though.”
Gajeel looked towards the stage after looking between Mest and Alzack. “Why wasn’t my name called? Juvia’s name was called…”
Panther Lily patted Gajeel’s arm. “I’ve been hearing about how the guild sees you. It’s probably because not many people trust you just yet, right?”
“That can’t be it!” Gajeel denied, even as he thought about the ‘double agent’ stuff he’d been helping Makarov with in secret. “I can’t tell you why, but I’m totally trusted!”
“I heard it from Erza.” Panther Lily said with a shrug and a tiny little grin on his lips.
Gajeel’s head whipped around to the stage so fast that his long hair flew through the air behind him.
Erza, seemingly having heard the conversation, smiled at Gajeel from the stage. “Heh! Too soon for you!”
“Damn it!” Gajeel cursed at the denial.
Mira stepped up to Makarov’s side with a stack of papers in her hands. “Master, we have newbies that don’t know the rules.”
Makarov nodded once and began to speak again. “Now, since we do have new members, and quite a few of them, we’ll go over the basic rules.”
Mira smiled at the crowd. “During the one week preparation time, each of the eight chosen mages must pick a single partner.
“Partner?” Lucy tilted her head slightly at that.
“They’ve always had two-man teams in the past tests.” Lisanna told Lucy as she began to consider who to ask, though she eyed up Lucy a second later in consideration.
Levy smiled at Lucy. “It tests a chosen candidate’s bond with their friends.”
Erza stepped forward next. “There are only two rules when choosing a partner. First, they must be a member of Fairy Tail. Second, you cannot partner with an S-Class mage.”
Gray nodded at the restrictions. “Makes sense, this is a Fairy Tail event.”
“A man needs to prove HIMSELF as an S-Class!” Elfman said strongly, fully agreeing with the rule about not choosing an S-Class mage as a partner.
Happy flew over and tossed a fresh fish to Panther Lily with a big grin. “That means no one can partner with Gildarts, Natsu, Erza, Mira, Cana, or Mystogan…if they could find him.”
“Wouldn’t any team with Gildarts on it be the strongest…automatically?” Wendy let out a flat chuckle at the idea.
Makarov tapped his foot on the stage to get attention again. “We’ll explain the full details once we get to Tenrou Island.” He looked at each of the chosen eight to make sure they understood.
“And this time,” Natsu grinned as he punched his right fist into his left palm. “We’ll be blocking your path too!”
Cana grinned as she gave the guild a ‘peace’ sign. “Do your best~”
“I look forward to it.” Mira’s smile once more reinforced why she was called the ‘She-Devil’.
Gildarts just chuckled with a grin…and that was STILL somehow the most terrifying thing on the stage.
“So, you have to BEAT an S-Class mage to become an S-Class yourself?!” Lucy’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head at that.
“Maybe they’ll go slightly easy on first timers?” Droy suggested with a strained smile.
“That’s why it’s so hard to pass!” Jet said, hanging his head slightly.
“Cut the complaining.” Gildarts voice instantly silenced the guild hall. “Everybody who’s ever gotten o be an S-Class mage has walked this same road.”
Gray had a bit of sweat at the thought of running into Gildarts during the test. “They’re really raising the bar this year, aren’t they?”
Makarov took advantage of the mostly quiet hall to give the last of the instructions. “I want all eight chosen mages and their partners to gather at Hargeon port one week from now. That’s all!”
The guild immediately erupted into discussion about who was going to be the next S-Class. Many wondered why only one was being allowed to pass, though the going theory was that the Council was being annoying about Fairy Tail already having six S-Class Mages when most Guilds didn’t even have one, and even those that did rarely had more than a single one.
The week of preparation instantly began as the eight chosen began to look for a partner that would compliment their magic and style and help them succeed in becoming S-Class.
-Unknown Location-
Flying through the sky was a massive airship that would give anyone that looked at it a bad feeling.
The airship was very large in size, far bigger than any normal airship. It had a central hull and at its sides were located two larger, elongated parts jutting frontwards. It seemed to be kept flying by several large red magical glyphs floating near it, with the largest beneath it, and a pair of them being located behind it, at the ends of each of the protruding sections, which made them likely to be propulsors to move the ship through the air. The hull’s shape was very similar to a regular boat, possessing an arched, pointed lower part, ending on the front in a dark section which housed a guild symbol that looked like a stylized heart-shape split in two with two horns stabbing into it from below. There was an open zone right above it, where the main hall seemed to be located and it was topped by a dark, arched roof reminiscent of a capsized hull. On the back part sat a smaller, yet similarly-shaped, tower going up several meters, which ended in a massive observation deck that protruded frontwards with large windows. At the tower’s sides, on the dark roof, was a pair of large, wing-shaped ornaments jutting upwards; a similar pair of wings was also present on the airship's protruding sections. The two attached sections of the ship possessed frontal, protruding parts reminiscent of rostrums, each adorned by a light motif that appeared to show a stylized demon head.
On board the ship, two members of the Dark Guild it belonged to were chatting as they attended to their duties.
“Hah… Things have gotten rather difficult lately, haven’t they?” One of the men asked the other rhetorically.
“You didn’t think getting the keys to unseal Zeref would be easy, did you?” The other man asked.
The first man shook his head once. “No… But everything seems to have gotten so much harder these last couple of months. Things breakdown, or people have accidents, I’d swear that someone leaked our plans to the last place with how much resistance there was.”
The second man scoffed at the first. “You’re paranoid. Things breaking down is normal. The airship stays flying almost constantly, of course parts are going to wear out and break. And accidents have happened as long as I’ve been a member here. Especially if you get in the way of one of the Seven Kin. That’s just asking for trouble or worse. Just keep your head down, do your tasks to perfection, and you’ll be acknowledged by the Guild Master in time.”
Neither of the men noticed Ultear listening in on their conversation from around the corner. A small little grin played on her lips that no one suspected that all the difficulties that had been plaguing Grimoire Heart these last few months were her doing. ‘And the fall of Grimoire Heart will come soon enough… Master Hades.’ She thought to herself while plotting the death of the bastard that had stolen her childhood with her mother from her.
In the observation deck, an old man with most of his body obscured by shadow looked out the windows ahead. His expression was cold even though he’d gotten the information that he’d wanted after much annoyance at the last location that Grimoire Heart had raided.
‘Why would he be at that place?’ The old man wondered in the privacy of his mind. ‘It’s also the time of year for the trials… If they happen to be there when we arrive, that will be another annoyance to deal with. But should it come to pass, it will mark the end of Fairy Tail. No one will stand in the way of the creation of the Ultimate Magic World.’
-End Chapter-
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The eight S-Class candidates have been chosen!
Lisanna, Juvia, and Levy all make it in! Woohoo! Celebration in the Dragons’ Den tonight!
But now everyone has to find partners!
With how things have changed from Canon, who will pick who? Some might remain the same, but others CAN’T choose the same partner.
We see that Laxus has been staying at a temple of magic-using monks in a prosperous valley within the Pergrande Kingdom!
It seems that the loss of the Lightning Dragon Lacrima had caused him to lose his ability to cast magic…or so he thought. The elder monk, Oshou, shows Laxus a different way to realize his magic, relying on the body that he’d built up and learned magic with already, and a deeper understanding of the nature of magic. Laxus’s childhood weakness had, indeed, been corrected over those years and now he is learning and deepening his understanding of his own magic. It makes one curious as to just what Laxus might discover and how he’ll grow.
Grimoire Heart is on the move towards a certain place. However, these last few months have NOT been kind to them. Setback after setback, accidents, breakdowns…almost as if they’re cursed by someone with a deep-seated grudge.
What will happen at the S-Class Promotional Trials on Tenrou Island?
Keep reading to find out!
Until I get your reviews, later!