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"Five S-Class mages?"
Everyone gasped in disbelief upon hearing that.
Five S-Class mages—that's the kind of lineup only the top-tier mage guilds could boast of.
Back in the day, Phantom Lord, which could rival Fairy Tail, also had just five S-Class mages aside from the guild master.
The Four Elements and the Iron Dragon Slayer made up that elite group.
With the conclusion of Group Nine, a total of three guild teams, including Fairy Tail, had now advanced.
"Now, let's welcome our final team to the stage—Sabertooth!"
Following the host's announcement, the last eleven teams stepped forward and entered the steel chambers closest to them one by one.
"God Slayer Magic: Black Thunder Cannon!"
The moment the chamber door closed, the battle in Sabertooth's room was already over as seen in the magic projection.
That mage from Sabertooth named Orga had unleashed thick black lightning bolts from both hands, each as thick as a wrist, and instantly pierced through the mechanical magic gorilla—defeating it in one blow.
"Sabertooth!"
"Sabertooth!"
The entire arena erupted with cheers for Sabertooth.
At that moment, George opened his previously closed eyes.
He wasn't shocked by Sabertooth's power. If certain guilds were serious, many could easily pull off such one-hit finishes. It was merely a matter of whether they were willing to reveal their full strength.
What piqued his interest was the magic Orga had used—it wasn't ordinary elemental magic.
"That's Lost Magic."
Lost Magic refers to magic that existed in ancient times but has since been forgotten.
Dragon Slayer Magic also counts as Lost Magic. Before Natsu and his peers appeared, it had been a long time since any mage had used Dragon Slayer Magic, and no spellbooks on the subject could be found.
Orga's God Slayer Magic is another type of Lost Magic.
Dragon Slayer Magic is especially effective against dragons, while God Slayer Magic is particularly powerful against gods.
It's said that there's another Lost Magic known as Demon Slayer Magic, which is especially effective against demons.
"God Slaying... interesting. I should find time to read his memories."
George had recently begun to grasp the essence of lightning. Studying various forms of lightning magic could accelerate his understanding of its true nature.
So far, he had mastered:
Natural lightning formed by the environment—Ancient Magic: Thunderstorm Descent
Electromagnetic lightning—Esper Skill: Billion Volt Discharge
Hybrid magic combining electromagnetism and magic—Plasma Railgun
Daoist thunder specialized for purging evil and darkness—Summoning of the Thunder Emperor
If he could later learn:
Lightning-based God Slayer Magic to counter gods
Lightning-based Demon Slayer Magic to counter demons
Lightning-based Dragon Slayer Magic to counter dragons
Mastering all these different lightning properties would bring him much closer to understanding the true essence of lightning—and potentially reaching Level Six ability.
An hour later, the remaining ten teams in Group Ten also completed their battles, with four teams advancing.
The mechanical magic gorillas weren't weak, but each mage team consisted of five people working together. As long as all five had average combat abilities and good coordination, they could generally win.
So, in total, thirty teams successfully made it through the preliminary round.
As night fell, the first day of competition came to an end. George and the four participating members regrouped with Macao and the others. After dining and chatting, they returned to the royal-provided dormitories.
"Tomorrow is the individual match. Although the specific rules haven't been announced, it's safe to assume that everyone will be fighting separately."
George gathered the four members in his room and began a small strategy meeting.
The official tournament uses a point-based system. Whether someone can earn the title of Strongest Mage depends on whether their score ranks first.
If the other four members lose in tomorrow's individual matches, then even if he wins, their total score will likely fall to the bottom.
"Master, we'll give it everything we've got to defeat our opponents and earn points!"
The four of them responded with determined expressions, as if ready to lay down their lives.
George had given them such a strong start—they couldn't afford to be the ones dragging the team down and costing them the overall ranking.
All four silently resolved that no matter what, they would give their all tomorrow, fighting to the bitter end and never giving up.
"There's no need to be that serious. Of course, it's best if you win, but if you don't, it's not the end of the world. There are still the team battles and the battle royale rounds to make up for it."
George waved his paw casually and added,
"But that doesn't mean you should take it lightly. You should still prepare thoroughly in advance."
"What kind of preparations?"
The four of them looked puzzled.
"The kind that will boost your strength."
George's feline mouth curled into a confident grin.
In a mage's battle, aside from their personal magic, they can also use magical tools.
In fact, there's even a major mage classification called Holder-type Mages, who specialize in fighting using magical equipment.
Lucy, the Celestial Spirit Mage, is technically a Holder-type mage. So is the powerful Mystogan.
As it happened, George had been studying alchemy extensively lately—drawing from both the Harry Potter world and the Middle-earth world.
So by now, his alchemy skills could be considered master-level.
"Hand over your guns."
He turned first to Alzack and Bisca, who used gun-based magic.
Although Alzack and Bisca weren't sure what George intended, they obediently handed over their sniper rifle and dual pistols.
George examined the three magical guns carefully. Then, waving his paw, he began a series of modifications.
Moments later, he handed the dual pistols and sniper rifle back to Alzack and Bisca.
"I've enhanced the power of the magic bullets your guns fire. Go ahead and try them out."
Saying this, he teleported the group directly to the wilderness outside the city using Phantasmal Shift.
Alzack and Bisca raised their guns and began casting their usual magic at a small hill in front of them.
"Starlight Barrage!"
"Bullet Storm!"
The bullets from Alzack's dual pistols, crackling with terrifying thunder, blasted away a large chunk of the hill. Bisca's sniper bullets scattered and exploded with fierce flames, leveling the other half of the hill.
George had indeed infused his insights into lightning and fire into their magic guns, enchanting them so that each magic bullet now carried the destructive force of his mastered elements.
From their adventures across the western and eastern continents, both of them had gained a great deal of combat experience. The only thing holding them back was the relatively average power of their magic—unlike Natsu and the others, who could casually blow up half a city.
By enhancing their guns' destructive force, they might still struggle against S-Class mages, but they'd stand a strong chance against anyone below that tier.
"Incredible… such destructive power!"
Alzack and Bisca stared in disbelief at their magic guns, astonished by how dramatically the power had increased. The entire hill had been leveled!
"Barely acceptable," George said with a nod. Then, from his Requip Space, he pulled out two magic wands and handed them to Marcus and Laki.
"From now on, when you cast spells, use these."
(End of Chapter)