Collecting the Reward

Erza and Bacchus's battle intensified, with swords flashing and palm strikes clashing in the center of the arena.

In a short time, the two exchanged no less than a hundred blows, the sounds of blades clashing against palms creating a continuous, dense cacophony.

The audience was dazzled, their necks turning left and right to follow the movements on stage, unable to keep up with the speed of the two performers.

I could only see two blurry shadows bouncing back and forth in the field, one moment on the left and the next on the right.

The fierce clash between the wooden sword and the palm of the hand generated gusts of wind with each impact, stirring up dust from the ground.

Dust swirled around the two of them, forming a hazy gray barrier.

The commentator Chapati, wiped his sweat again, rubbing his forehead with a handkerchief, his voice hoarse from shouting.

"This is amazing! I can't even see Erza and Bacchus's movements! The ultimate in fighting aesthetics!"

After a violent collision, the two separated.

The wooden sword and the palm collided for the last time, the two forces exploded, creating a shallow crater in the ground, and the two slid backward several meters at the same time.

Erza twirled her sword, the blade flipping between her wrists, reflecting a white light in the sunlight.

"If things continue like this, we won't be able to determine a winner. Let's decide the outcome with a single decisive blow."

Bacchus pulled out his flask, tilted his head back, and drank the entire bottle of wine in one gulp, the liquid dripping down his chin and onto his collar.

He tossed the wine jug aside, and it rolled twice on the ground before clanging against the gravel.

"Okay, Wild!"

After he finished speaking, he assumed a stance, lowered his center of gravity, placed one foot in front of the other, and opened his arms with his palms facing outwards.

Erza switched to the Purgatory Armor, a flash of light appeared on her body, and the armor covered her entire body.

With a flick of the wrist, the weight of the Edgeless increased, and the tip of the knife struck the ground, creating a crack and raising a cloud of dust.

There were no fancy special effects used on either of them.

There was no burst of magic, no elemental explosion; it was purely a duel of martial arts.

They charged straight at each other, their figures meeting in the center of the arena.

Divide at the first touch.

Erza deftly sheathed her sword, the blade returning to its original position with a crisp metallic clang.

Her Purgatory Armor scattered into specks of light, and she changed back into her usual attire. The armor shone with its last rays in the setting sun.

Bacchus's shoulder armor shattered, and fragments broke off from his shoulder and fell to the ground.

He swayed twice, then collapsed to the ground, his back hitting the earth and kicking up a small cloud of dust.

"Wild!"

He fell asleep right after shouting, and then his snoring began, his chest rising and falling.

The narrator Chapati wiping his sweat as usual; he wrings out his handkerchief, and sweat drips onto the ground.

"Wow! A completely different duel, a contest of skills, it's truly eye-opening! I never imagined mages could do this!"

Jason went completely berserk, leaping from his seat, waving his arms wildly, his face flushed red.

"Cool! Cool!"

The audience was thrilled to see Fairy Tail so dominant, and cheers erupted from the stands in waves, a far cry from yesterday's lukewarm reception.

Yesterday there were boos, today it's all applause and screams.

The Fairy Tail members were filled with pride, straightening their backs and raising their chins high.

Mavis bounced around, his feet bobbing up and down on the ground.

Fairy Tail! Fairy Tail!

Makarov carefully stood beside her, his arms outstretched to either side of Mavis, as if afraid the first old man would fall.

Her short body moved from side to side in rhythm with Mavis, her hands and feet moving in a flustered manner.

What harm could a soul possibly do from a fall?

But Makarov was still so nervous that sweat beaded on his forehead.

Everyone had already decided how to celebrate that evening.

How could we possibly let such an opportunity to host a banquet slip by?

Princess Hisui sat in the highest stand, staring at Riyao and Mirajane, murmuring in a voice so low that only she could hear it.

"Don't blame me, you all forced me to this."

Arcadios, standing to the side, was completely bewildered. His eyebrows furrowed, he glanced at the princess, then silently turned his gaze back to the field.

Riyao was wondering whether he should try to bring Yukino back to the guild.

Celestial Spirit Mage, quite powerful, and also...

Forget it, this one is too big. If we get misunderstood, I'll have to sleep by the door again.

He stretched, raised his arms above his head, and his back cracked twice.

Mira, I'm going to pick up a package.

What courier service?

Mirajane tilted her head, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"The reward for catching that little thing and letting it escape."

Go early and come back early.

"Okay."

Riyao ruffled Mirajane's hair and pressed her head down twice with his palm.

Mirajane swayed along with him, her head bobbing from side to side in rhythm with her hands, a smile playing on her lips.

Riyao rose and walked out of the arena, through the crowd, and headed out of the city.

I bought some snacks on the way: grilled squid, candied hawthorn, and fried meat skewers. I held a big handful in my hand and ate as I walked.

The aroma of squid wafted through the air, drawing frequent glances from passersby.

Mavis followed behind Riyao, hovering beside his shoulder, her eyes fixed on the skewer of grilled squid, never leaving it for a second.

Mavis was so tempted that his mouth watered uncontrollably; saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth and onto the ground, leaving a trail of small water stains.

"Riyao, what does that squid taste like?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, it will taste like squid."

"..."

Riyao's words silenced Mavis. Her mouth opened and closed, her expression frozen on her face.

He happily ate the grilled squid, taking a bite and chewing it with a loud smacking sound.

"It smells so good. Would you like to try some, First Generation? Oh~ You can't have any."

As she spoke, she deliberately held the grilled squid in front of Mavis's face, waving the bamboo skewer around in front of Mavis nose twice, the hot air blowing directly onto her face.

Mavis opened her mouth and bit down on Riyao's arm, hanging onto it.

Riyao felt no pain, only a slight coolness on his arm, as if a wisp of cold air was pressed against his skin.

He swung his arm, flicking his wrist up and down, and Mavis hung on it, her body swaying back and forth in rhythm with his arm, her hands and feet dangling limply.

"Hey, First Generation, if you're going to bite, just bite, don't drool!"

"Mmm..."

Riyao couldn't understand what Mavis was mumbling; her lips were still clenched, her cheeks were puffed out, and her eyes were full of grievance.

Let her hang there; she's not heavy at all, no, she has no weight at all.

We ate and walked, and it took us an hour to finally leave the city.

The city gate receded further and further behind us, and the stone-paved road beneath our feet turned into a dirt road.

Riyao shook his hand, his arm jerking up and down twice.

"Haven't you had enough of the original?"

"Mmm..."

Judging from her expression, Mavis clearly hadn't had enough.

Her eyebrows were furrowed, and her eyes were filled with an obsession with grilled squid.

Riyao led Mavis to a hillside where grassy slopes gently rose and wildflowers swayed in the wind.

In the distance, a black-haired man could be seen standing atop a hillside, the wind ruffling his clothes and his hair gently swaying in front of his forehead.

"Hey, isn't this the legendary dark mage Zeref?"

Upon hearing Riyao's voice, Zeref snapped out of his daze and turned his gaze from the distant horizon back to Riyao.

Riyao glanced at the flowers, plants, and trees around him. They hadn't withered; the grass was still green, and the flowers were still blooming.

That means that Zeref has now abandoned his emotions and is in a state of absolute rationality.

Zeref's gaze was indifferent, his dark pupils devoid of any extra emotion.

"You've come. This is the blood of the descendant of the God of Time, along with experimental notes on artificial demon technology. It should be useful to you."

He pulled a bottle of blood and a notebook from his sleeve, flicked his wrist, and the two items flew out of his hand, arcing through the air before being tossed to Riyao.

Riyao caught the items, a bottle of blood in one hand and a notebook in the other. He looked down at them, grinned, and his smile stretched almost to his ears.

"This reward is beyond my expectations. I was planning to visit the Western Continent in a while, but it seems I won't need to."

He raised his arm and shook it, causing Mavis, hanging on his shoulder, to sway twice.

"Here, the little girl you've been longing for."

Enraged, Mavis furiously pounded on Riyao, punching him repeatedly on the shoulder, though the blows were ineffective.

Zeref froze for a few seconds, his expression frozen, his gaze shifting from Riyao's face to his arm, his pupils dilating slightly.

"Mavis?"

"Um."

Tell her that the war is about to begin.

"She can hear you. Don't be in such a hurry, Natsu isn't fully grown yet."

"Too slow, it's too late. I'd rather bet my chips on you now."

"Judging from the current situation, I still won't be able to beat them in seven years."

Riyao shrugged, spreading his hands out with palms facing up and shrugging his shoulders.

He was also very troubled; his brows furrowed and the corners of his mouth turned down.

"Just do your plan, but don't put all your eggs in one basket. In one timeline, we were all wiped out."

He got up, patted his bottom, and slapped his pants twice, causing dirt to fall off his trouser legs.

He waved his hand, his fingers dangling in the air, then turned and walked down the hillside.

"They're gone."

Zeref watched Riyao's figure, his gaze following his retreating back, remaining silent for a long time.

The wind blew across the hillside, rustling the grass.

Are you still there?

Mavis nodded slowly.

"I am here."