The second event-"Chariot"!

In the stillness of the night, the side hall deep within Fiore Palace was brightly lit.

Arcadios, the leader of the Sakura Knights, knelt on one knee on the smooth marble floor, clad in heavy armor.

"Your Majesty! The Grand Magic Games arena has been completely repaired."

On his throne, the short, crowned King Toma E. Fiore leaned back in his chair, raised his hand to rub his temples, and let out a long sigh.

"Yes, thank you for your hard work, Arcadios."

Arcadios did not immediately rise; instead, he clasped his hands in a fist and asked for instructions in a deep voice.

"Does Your Majesty have any further instructions regarding the schedule for the second day of the competition tomorrow?"

King Toma picked up his hot tea and took a sip. Recalling the thousand-meter-long blade that had pierced the sky during the day, he couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

The air pressure from the giant sword falling from the sky instantly collapsed half of the arena's foundation, and even the magic alarms over the capital were sounded.

If this happens again, the ticket revenue collected by the organizers wouldn't even be enough to cover the losses from venue repairs.

"Hmm... Jiang Bai absolutely cannot be allowed to participate in the upcoming one-on-one battles."

Toma put down his teacup and gave a highly biased decision.

"That guy's destructive power is simply beyond the scope of human mages. If we continue to let him stand on the one-on-one arena, it would be too unfair to the other participating guilds, and the audience would lose interest in watching the match because of the predictable instant kills."

Arcadios bowed his head respectfully.

"I understand, the organizers will employ technical circumvention measures."

After a slight pause, Arcadios's tone became hesitant.

"There is one more thing to report to His Majesty. According to an urgent report from a spy infiltrating the Magic Council, just a few days ago, Jiang Bai single-handedly wreaked havoc at the Magic Council headquarters, and it is said that several council members even had their tables overturned on the spot."

Even former council members are no exception.

Toma waved his hand upon hearing this, showing no surprise whatsoever, and even a hint of schadenfreude.

"The royal family should pretend they know nothing about this; absolutely do not get involved."

"It must be those old fogies in the Magic Council who always put on airs and act all high and mighty again, constantly trying to restrict those top experts with all sorts of rules and regulations."

Toma rose from his throne, walked to the window, and gazed at the panoramic view of Crocus under the cover of night.

"I know Jiang Bai quite well. Although his strength is unbelievably high and his style is domineering, he always distinguishes between right and wrong and is by no means a wicked person who acts recklessly by relying on force."

At this point, Toma turned around, his affable expression vanishing, and his gaze sharpened as he fixed the knight commander kneeling on one knee.

"Furthermore, I hereby solemnly warn you to immediately inform everyone in the Knights Order to cease all underhanded activities and simply maintain order."

"Don't pull any unnecessary tricks behind my back, and definitely don't try to get your hands on the Fairy Tail."

"Otherwise, if he is angered, not only your knightly order, but even the entire Kingdom of Fiore combined would not be able to withstand Jiang Bai's retaliation."

Arcadios shuddered, a fine layer of sweat beading on his back, and he lowered his head deeply.

"Your subordinate obeys the order and will certainly fulfill his duties to the utmost!"

As dawn broke, the golden sunlight bathed Crocus.

The Grand Magic Games entered its second day of competition.

Long lines stretched as far as the eye could see around the giant dome arena, with spectators waving colorful flags and pouring into the stands, their noise reaching the sky from early morning.

Inside the players' lounge, a heated argument erupted among Fairy Tail Team A.

"Let me go! I have to go today!"

Natsu stood with his hands on his hips, his feet on the bench, and white smoke billowed from his nostrils.

"After watching Jiang Bai show off his skills yesterday, my fists have been itching to get going! If I don't get a chance to warm up today, I'll just rot away!"

Jiang Bai sat to the side, munching on a clean green apple, slowly chewing the flesh, trying to stop the volatile maniac.

"Natsu, take my advice. Competitive events are too unpredictable. Tomorrow's competition is more suitable for you. Just sit on the bench this morning."

"No! I'm going to cause a huge scene today!"

Natsu completely ignored all advice, acting like a wildcat with its fur standing on end, jumping around the lounge.

Erza her chin on her hand, and seeing Natsu's resolute attitude, she simply nodded in agreement.

"Since Natsu is so motivated, then Team A's competition this morning will be yours."

In the Fairy Tail Team B's rest area next door, Gajeel was leaning against the doorframe picking his teeth.

Upon hearing that Natsu had secured a spot on the field, Gajeel immediately ate the iron skewer in his hand and strode out.

"Huh? That bastard Fire Dragon is going to go on stage? How can I, the great one, fall behind!"

Finally, under the helpless gaze of everyone, the two of them walked out of the contestant tunnel.

In the commentary booth, Chapati adjusted the microphone, and his high-pitched and passionate voice, amplified by the sound system, resounded throughout every corner of the stadium.

"Dear viewers, welcome to the morning match of the second day of the Grand Magic Games!"

"After yesterday's epic showdown, I'm sure everyone's blood is still Boil!"

"Today, the top experts from the eight major guilds have gathered once again!"

"Now, I would like to solemnly announce the first competitive event of the second day--"

Chapati suddenly raised his arm, and a huge magical mark instantly appeared on the big screen.

Today's competition: 'The Chariot'!

"The rules of the arena are very straightforward! All contestants will be placed atop a series of rapidly moving Chariots on the tracks of the royal capital!"

"The Chariot will not stop moving throughout the entire journey, and will be accompanied by violent bumps and turns!"

"The competitors must maintain their balance on the constantly swaying roof of the vehicle and race towards the finish line at full speed! The slightest lapse in concentration will cause them to lose their balance and fall off the Chariot!"

Who will emerge victorious in this high-speed, balance-testing race against time? Let's wait and see!

A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the stands, as the audience eagerly anticipated a thrilling, high-speed race.

In the Fairy Tail rest area, everyone's gaze was drawn to the enormous magic transmission crystal.

The scene shifts to the suspended track in the sky above the capital city.

Dozens of massive iron Chariots meshed together, rumbling forward under the power of magic, their wheels sparking blindingly as they rubbed against the rails.

Elites from various guilds stood on the roof of the vehicle, eager to fight.

However, when the camera panned and focused on the two figures at the end, the entire Fairy Tail lounge suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

The very center of the broadcast crystal.

Natsu and Gajeel lay sprawled on the cold steel roof, their faces a ghastly green, mouths agape, tongues lolling out, looking like two dehydrated, stranded dead fish.

The physical defects of Dragon Slayer were magnified countless times at this moment.

With each sway of the Chariot, it felt as if half of Natsu and Gajeel's souls were being ripped away.

Two figures crawled forward inch by inch on the violently shaking train at a snail's pace that was barely perceptible to the naked eye, their postures as disheveled as could be.

The enthusiastic cheers from the stands gradually subsided, and the audience stared blankly at the two limp "caterpillars" on the screen.

In the front row of the Fairy Tail stands, Lucy raised her hands to cover her head and let out a desperate wail.

"This is really the end! Utterly and completely over!"

Erza her right hand on her forehead, her once serious face now filled with helplessness.

"Indeed... Natsu is completely defenseless against any moving vehicle; he loses all his fighting ability as soon as he gets on it."

Gray, shirtless, leaned against the wall, his mouth twitching wildly, and he burst into a tirade of curses.

"That idiot!"

Jiang Bai stood in front of the railing, finished eating the apple core in his hand, threw the core into the trash can next to him, and shrugged helplessly.

"I warned that impatient guy a long time ago, but he wouldn't listen and insisted on making a scene today. Now look what happened, he's vomiting in front of the whole nation."

On the high platform behind, Makarov gripped the stone railing tightly with both hands, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

The old man clutched his chest, his legs buckled, and he collapsed to his knees, wailing and sobbing uncontrollably.

"No--! My first two places! My 50 million J competition prize money!"