Four People Remain
Gray darted through the streets of Magnolia, his eyes scanning the surroundings, searching for any sign of Evergreen.
However, instead of encountering Evergreen, he met Bickslow.
Its enormous body blocked the middle of the street, with several totem-shaped dolls floating behind it, their faces bearing exaggerated smiles.
The two began to fight. Although Bickslow looked all brawn and no brains, he was surprisingly intelligent.
He didn't wander aimlessly on the street at all; instead, he chose a clothing store with a large flow of people to lie in wait, hoping that his prey would come to him.
Gray was forced into the clothing store by five puppets, causing clothes racks and mannequins to be knocked over.
He turned his foot and deliberately lured the five puppets to surround him. The moment they closed in, he suddenly leaped up, dodging the five simultaneous attacks, and his body flipped in the air.
He clasped his hands together, gathering magic power, and an ice-blue magic circle unfolded in his palms.
[Ice-Make - Ice Hammer]
A massive ice hammer descended from the sky, bringing with it a chilling aura. It crashed down, smashing the five puppets to pieces, sending fragments flying everywhere and shards of ice scattering across the ground.
Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, Bickslow peeked out from behind the second-floor railing, revealing an exaggerated, distorted smile, his eyes narrowed into slits.
"They actually wiped out all my treasures. Looks like I'm going to fail."
Gray kept his hands in his pockets, his eyes fixed warily on the smoke and dust, not daring to relax for a moment.
"Then you should just admit defeat!"
Before the words were even finished, several green beams of light suddenly shot out from the smoke and dust at extremely high speed.
Gray dodged to the side, the beam grazing his cheek and burning several charred holes in the wall behind him.
Bickslow stood up from behind the railing, his massive body blocking the entire window, and laughed heartily with his hands on his hips.
"My magic is Seith Magic. As long as there are puppets, my darlings can fight forever! Haha!"
Gray paused for a moment, then a confident smile appeared on his lips.
"Really? Well, thank you for reminding me!"
He clapped his hands together, and his magic surged suddenly. The magic circle beneath his feet expanded rapidly, and a wave of cold air surged out.
[Ice-Make - Ice Geyser]
The ground instantly cracked open, and an icy blue fountain gushed out from the cracks, its biting cold sweeping through the entire clothing store.
Before the five puppets, whose mediums had just been switched, could even move, they were completely frozen by the Ice Geyser. From their feet to their heads, even their expressions were sealed in ice, rendering them unable to move an inch.
Bickslow stared at his babies, frozen into ice sculptures, his smile freezing for half a second.
The next second, he turned and ran without hesitation. His huge body was surprisingly fast. He crashed through the back door of the clothing store, waving and shouting as he ran.
"I'm not playing with you anymore~ Bye-bye!"
Gray watched the figure speed away, his forehead veins throbbing with anger, and he took off chasing after it.
"Stop right there! Don't run!"
However, Bickslow had already turned into the alley and disappeared.
In the distance, Alzack dragged his wounded body, staggering along the ruined streets, each step aggravating his injuries, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
He turned a corner and bumped into Freed.
Freed leaned against a pillar, his long fingers idly brushing aside the stray hairs on his forehead, his expression as indifferent as if he were looking at an ant.
Alzack gritted his teeth and glared at him angrily.
"Why? Why make the guild members fight each other?"
Freed didn't even lift his eyelids, his voice light and airy, as if he were saying the weather was nice today.
"If Lord Laxus wants it, I will make it happen."
Alzack knew further words were pointless. With lightning speed, he drew his revolver from his waist, aimed it at Freed, channeled magic into the bullet, and pulled the trigger.
However, Freed was faster.
His figure vanished the instant Alzack fired, and reappeared beside Alzack the next second, his rapier thrusting out like Cobra, the tip of which did not pierce flesh.
Instead, it drew a glowing mark on Alzack's chest, and the spell's patterns instantly spread out.
Alzack felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on his chest, as if the air was being sucked out of his lungs, and a feeling of suffocation surged into his heart like a tide.
He opened his mouth wide and tried desperately to breathe, but couldn't get a single breath in. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, his consciousness sinking into darkness.
Inside the flower shop, Evergreen deftly dodged Elfman's fist, turned around, and activated her Petrifying Eyes.
The black cloth covering Elfman's face was ripped off, and his body began to stiffen.
His outstretched fist remained frozen in mid-air, his face still bearing an expression of anger.
There is too little practical experience.
Or perhaps it's because the Thunder God Tribe have so much combat experience that all three are adept at using their magic to their advantage and avoid their weaknesses, never giving their opponents any opening.
A rustling sound suddenly came from behind the bar in the guild hall, accompanied by the clanging of metal.
Natsu, Happy, and Makarov all turned around, curious about who else remained in the guild.
A hand slowly emerged from behind the bar, its five fingers a metallic gray with sharp protrusions at the joints.
Gajeel slowly peeked out from behind the bar, chewing on the guild's silver cutlery, a few silver crumbs hanging from the corner of his mouth, making a crunching sound.
Happy's wings stiffened, and he flew over to pat Gajeel's head and complain.
"Hey! Cutlery is for eating, not for eating!"
Gajeel gulped down the utensils in his mouth, licked his lips, and gave a smug smile.
"I understand everything. I'd like to test that arrogant guy's mettle."
Makarov's eyes lit up, and his short body almost jumped up from the ground, a look of surprise on his face.
Gajeel is the Iron Dragon Slayer, and he's quite powerful. He might actually be able to hold his own against Laxus for a few rounds!
"Go now, Gajeel!"
Gajeel strode toward the gate, his body covered in iron scales, exuding a menacing aura.
Bang!
Gajeel felt as if he had crashed into an iron wall; his face, covered in iron scales, was pressed against the invisible wall, his features distorted by the pressure.
Next to Natsu's face pressed against the wall, they looked like two flattened pancakes.
Natsu turned and glanced at him.
"You're eighty years old too?!"
Happy flew back and forth between the two.
"Or are you a stone statue?!"
Gajeel struggled forward, his face contorted in the effort, the iron scales rubbing against the invisible wall with a grating creak, but he remained motionless.
How would I know!
At this moment, the spell text above the door frame started flashing again, and lines of battle reports appeared:
"Gray vs. Bickslow, Bickslow."
"Elfman vs. Evergreen, Evergreen."
"Alzack vs. Freed, Freed."
"There are two remaining."
Makarov covered his face with his hands, a look of utter Despair seeping through his fingers, his voice hoarse.
"So now it's just the two of you?!"
Happy, with drooping ears and wings, floated sadly in the air, muttering to himself.
Orz
Am I not considered a combat unit?
The spell text jumped up again:
There are currently 3 people remaining.
Natsu jerked his head up, his face pressed against the wall even more contorted, and exclaimed in surprise, "How come there's another person?"
Everyone turned around and looked around. The stone statue on the platform had not changed, and there were no new figures in the hall.
Makarov squinted, his cloudy old eyes suddenly brightened, and he clapped his hands in sudden realization.
"There's no one left inside, so anyone who came in from outside will be counted! Only him, Mystogan!"
Natsu and Gajeel exchanged a glance, their eyes igniting with hope.
However, while they were so excited that they didn't notice the stage, a crack quietly appeared in one of the nine stone statues on the stage.
There are currently 4 people remaining.