Recaps

Erza and Mirajane brooded over Yuri’s absence before fighting Natsu and Gray, then each other, and accidentally wrecked the guild. Yuri returned just as they were wrestling outside, and the two women welcomed him back.

• Cana worried that Yuri had been gone for over a month without contacting her, while Erza and Mirajane also seemed troubled by his absence.
• Erza and Mirajane dragged Natsu and Gray into a fight and beat them while the guild cheered.
• Erza and Mirajane argued about what was bothering them, then resumed their unfinished duel with magic.
• Their fight caused an explosion that wrecked Fairy Tail and sent them grappling outside.
• Yuri returned and greeted Erza and Mirajane, who stopped fighting and welcomed him back.

Yuri and Laxus served as examiners for Fairy Tail’s S-Class Exam, where Erza, Mirajane, and Cana faced different challenges on an uninhabited island. Erza and Mirajane began their first stage against Griffon, who revealed his power and transformed into a giant, radiant form.

• Yuri and Laxus traveled with the candidates to the exam site, where Cana was assigned to face Laxus alone and Erza and Mirajane were paired against Yuri.
• Yuri told Erza and Mirajane that they would have to pass two stages, with Griffon serving as their first examiner.
• Erza and Mirajane recognized Griffon but wanted to fight Yuri instead, so Yuri taunted Griffon by saying they were looking down on him.
• Griffon attacked Erza and Mirajane with purple lightning, but they dodged and emerged unharmed.
• Griffon expanded to about seven meters as purple lightning shifted into blue-white radiance around him.

Erza and Mirajane defeated Griffon after a fierce battle, though Yuri revealed that Griffon had been holding back because his magic power was limited. Yuri then unleashed his own magic power and announced that their boss battle was next.

• Erza and Mirajane transformed and attacked Griffon together, but he outmaneuvered them and struck Erza with lightning.
• Erza used Lightning Empress Armor to protect herself and disrupted Griffon's lightning attack while Mirajane hit him with Sadistic Flash.
• Griffon defeated Erza in a high-speed clash, but Mirajane trapped him with Dark Eruption so Erza could cut him down with Black Wing Armor.
• Yuri recalled Griffon and explained that the Nightmare's strength depended on the magic power its contractor supplied.
• Yuri overwhelmed Erza and Mirajane with his magic power and announced the boss battle.

Erza and Mirajane challenged Yuri together in the S-Class Exam, but he overwhelmed them and seemed ready to declare the result. After Mirajane proposed a bet and Yuri accepted, the two prepared to use a secret weapon while he was distracted.

• Erza and Mirajane attacked Yuri together, but he dodged Erza's sword strikes and knocked her away with the Devil Bringer.
• Mirajane hit Yuri with Ultra Torture Rage, but he barely moved before slamming her into the ground, then struck Erza as she tried to protect her.
• Yuri flung Mirajane toward a mountainside, but Erza reappeared in Giant Armor and threw an Evil-Slaying Spear at him.
• Yuri realized Mirajane had used her tail to pull Erza out of danger, and Mirajane proposed a bet that he would team up with her on missions if they won.
• Yuri accepted the bet, and Erza and Mirajane exchanged a glance and struck while he was distracted.

Erza and Mirajane combined their attacks and transformations against Yuri, but he survived their strongest strikes and countered with the Balrog’s flames. The women protected each other and remained defiant despite exhausting their magic, leaving Yuri facing a fight that was not yet over.

• Erza hurled Mirajane at Yuri, and Mirajane combined her dark vortices into a spiral before blasting him with Sadistic Flash.
• Erza attacked Yuri with the Morning Star Armor, then Mirajane transformed to resemble Erza and restrained him with her tail.
• Erza struck Yuri with the Purgatory Armor while Mirajane fired Soul Extinction, blasting a hole through the mountain.
• Yuri emerged from the dust and shattered Erza’s Adamantine Shields before engulfing her and Mirajane in flames from the Balrog.
• Erza shielded Mirajane with the Flame Emperor’s Armor, and both women remained defiant despite running out of magic.

Mirajane and Erza pushed through Yuri’s overwhelming magic power to prove their resolve, and Yuri declared them qualified as S-Class Mages after catching them when they collapsed. Griffon mocked Yuri for going easy on them, prompting him to threaten to pluck the bird’s feathers.

• Mirajane said she still intended to beat Yuri, while Erza asked him to practice swordsmanship with her if she won.
• Yuri accepted their challenges and unleashed his full magic power, pressing the exhausted girls down with its force.
• Mirajane and Erza drew strength from their determination, then charged Yuri with Devil Bringer and an ordinary sword.
• Their attacks failed to harm Yuri, and he caught both unconscious girls before they fell.
• Yuri congratulated Mirajane and Erza on passing the exam, explaining that their resolve mattered as much as strength.
• Griffon teased Yuri for going easy on the girls, and Yuri threatened to pluck all its feathers.

Yuri, Erza, and Mirajane continued building their reputation as Fairy Tail’s strongest team while new members joined the guild. Yuri received a lucrative named request to hunt the Beast King and set out with Erza, Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna.

• Yuri, Erza, and Mirajane completed S-Class Missions together and sometimes brought younger guild members along for experience.
• Mystogan joined Fairy Tail, and Makarov explained to Yuri that he had accepted him because he saw kindness in him and wanted to guide him.
• Laxus brought Freed Justine, Evergreen, and Bickslow to the guild, and Yuri noticed Freed’s hostility toward him.
• Makarov gave Yuri a named request to subdue the S-Class magic beast called the Beast King, with a reward nearly three times that of a comparable S-Class Mission.
• Yuri gathered Erza, Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna, and they set off to complete the request.

Yuri recognized the nun Seilah as a demon and demanded to know where [Devil] was. After Seilah revealed that she had controlled the townspeople and tried to stop him with her Curse, Yuri seized her and carried the fight toward a distant mountain.

• Yuri and the others arrived at the church in Aro Town to investigate a magic beast, and Seilah introduced herself as the nun handling the request.
• Yuri stayed behind with Seilah while Mirajane, Erza, Elfman, and Lisanna went to the woods, then confronted Seilah about [Devil].
• Seilah revealed her demon form and said Yuri's necklace had helped expose her; Yuri attacked when she refused to tell him where [Devil] was.
• Seilah warned Yuri that the townspeople were nearby and revealed that she had taken control of them, but Yuri said he did not care where the battle took place.
• Seilah tried to immobilize Yuri with her Command Curse, but Yuri grabbed her with his Devil Bringer and flew toward a distant mountain.