Forward! Get Stronger!

The magical light curtain beneath the finish line arch flickered continuously.

Chapati gripped the microphone, his hoarse voice echoing throughout the arena once again.

The second place has been officially decided!

"After Big Bacchus crossed the finish line, right behind him was Black Snake, the Raven Tail who had withdrawn on the first day! He took eight points in one fell swoop!"

This move directly helped the guild escape the embarrassing bottom-ranking situation of zero points!

"Third place goes to Risley, the 'Mermaid Heel,' who scores six points!"

"Yuka, the fourth-place finisher with the Lamia Scale, has scored four points!"

"Fifth place goes to the Blue Pegasus One Night contestant, who took three points!"

The big screen in the commentary booth quickly updated the results of the top five teams, Chapati's finger suddenly pointed to the three figures still struggling in pain behind the track.

The battle for the top five has officially ended, and the remaining three contestants are still struggling on the track!

"The final winner of this competition will undoubtedly be decided between the two rival guilds Fairy Tail and Sabertooth!"

The vibrations from the metal wheels grinding against the rails were transmitted without reservation to the Dragon Slayer's entire body.

The convulsions in my stomach had reached their limit, and the nausea in my throat kept rising.

Natsu gripped the seams of the metal sheet tightly with both hands, his fingers turning bluish-white from the excessive force, his nails cracking and bleeding.

Now that I've drawn my worst possible scenario—the transportation item—and now that I've become the laughingstock of the entire room, I absolutely cannot leave empty-handed.

Even if it's just two points, or even just one point, as long as it adds a mark to the guild's points book, we'll crawl to the finish line, even if it's just a small step.

"What... are you kidding me...?"

Natsu suddenly raised his face, which was covered in cold sweat, biting his lip until it bled, and the veins on both sides of his neck bulged.

"We absolutely... absolutely cannot give up here!"

"Forward... Keep moving!!"

"Whoa whoa--!"

A hoarse, piercing battle cry tore apart the churning in his stomach, and scorching flames were forced out of his throat, igniting the steel ground in front of him.

Using the recoil from his palms, Natsu pushed his body, which was pressed against the ground, forward by half a meter.

Not far from Natsu, Gajeel was also in a sorry state.

Iron Dragon's tough body was as fragile as a sheet of paper in front of the moving machinery, and cold sweat dripped down his chin.

Gajeel transformed his hand into a rough iron claw, plunging it deep into the steel plate of the Chariot, and using pure arm strength to drag his heavy body forward.

"That idiot Fire Dragon didn't even fall... How can I, your master, lose to him!"

"Whoa whoa--!"

The Roars mingled together, shaking the cold metal all around.

Two figures, like wounded wild beasts, crawled forward at a heartbreakingly slow pace atop the constantly swaying steel Chariot.

Sting, who was initially neck and neck with the other two, gradually fell behind.

Sting knelt on one knee on the cold surface of the train car, his face deathly pale, his hands clutching his chest and abdomen, gasping for breath.

Sting couldn't understand it at all, watching the two men in front of him who couldn't even stand up, yet were still crawling forward like madmen, using both hands and feet.

In Sting's understanding over the past seven years, the recognition of his guildmates and the glory of being the number one guild were all won through overwhelming power.

Losing means being weak, and the weak should be trampled underfoot. Why struggle and embarrass yourself in a disadvantageous event where you have no chance of winning?

"Hey... you two..."

Sting struggled to lift his head and called out to the creeping figure ahead.

Why... why did you put yourself in such a pathetic state?

"Since you know this is your weakest area, why not just admit defeat and win it back in the afternoon's battle?"

"A mere point or two, is it really that important? Is it worth making such a fool of yourself?!"

Natsu's forward-moving arm did not stop for a moment, his palm was roughened by the rust, leaving two glaring bloody marks on the iron plate.

"How could that be... It's not important!!"

Natsu turned around, sweat mixed with blood streaming into his eyes, his tone resolute.

"My guildmates entrusted this qualification to me because they believe I can score points for Fairy Tail!"

"No matter what lies ahead, whether it's a precipice or hell, as long as I haven't completely breathed my last, I absolutely cannot let everyone down!"

Sting's breath hitched, then he gritted his teeth and retorted.

"Believe? Expect? Doesn't your guild have a near-invincible monster like Jiang Bai?!"

"Since you all want points so badly, why don't you just let Jiang Bai handle all the remaining events by himself?"

"He can take down any opponent with a single blow, why are you all suffering so desperately up front?!"

These words were like a red-hot iron rod, piercing Natsu's heart.

The advancing body suddenly stopped.

Natsu tilted his head back, his eyes bloodshot, and roared at the dark sky with all his might.

"Absolutely not!!"

The Roar drowned out the rumble of the rails, sending a shiver down Sting's spine from behind.

"It's always the same... Every time we encounter a truly insurmountable danger, it's always Jiang Bai who rushes to the front!"

"He dealt with all the powerful enemies, he shouldered all the dangers, including those on Tenrou Island and the Oración Seis!"

"I never want to experience that disgusting thing again, not even once, just hiding behind him and watching his back, helplessly watching him bleed and fight alone!!"

Natsu's fingernails tore through the metal casing, and the blood vessels in his arms nearly burst.

"I want to move forward! I want to become stronger!"

Jiang Bai told me personally that my potential is far more than this!

"I will prove with my own hands that one day I will no longer be a burden standing behind him, being protected!"

"One day, I, Natsu Dragneel, will be able to stand proudly beside him and fight alongside him!!"

Natsu lunged forward, his entire chest slamming heavily onto the stone steps of the finish line!

Gajeel, standing beside him, also let out a low growl, his iron claws gripping the edge of the finish line step as he crossed the red line.

A brief silence fell over the VIP boxes high up in the stands.

In the Fairy Tail stands, all the laughter and playfulness vanished in an instant.

Mirajane covered her lips, Gray pursed his lips, Erza's right hand, which was resting on her sword, slowly tightened.

Those who have experienced the desperate situation on Tenrou Island understand the pain in Natsu's words better than anyone else.

When the Black Dragon King Acnologia descended from the clouds, his immense dragon breath enough to destroy the entire island, everyone present had no choice but to close their eyes and await their death; they had absolutely no room for resistance.

Jiang Bai tore through space alone, charging towards the invincible monster and protecting the entire guild under his wings.

They were powerless; they could only watch.

That profound sense of powerlessness, accompanying seven years of decline, weighed heavily on the hearts of every Fairy Tail member.

In the front row of the stands, Jiang Bai, who had been leaning lazily against a stone pillar, put away his previous posture.

A slight soreness rose in my nose, which I quickly suppressed.

Jiang Bai rubbed his temples, turned his head away, and his tone returned to its usual disdain.

"That stubborn idiot, he's always spouting these cringe-worthy, cheesy things. Maybe we should refrain from hitting him on the head too often in the guild."

Lucy, who was leaning against the railing, wiped away a tear that had welled up in her eye and turned her head to complain mercilessly.

"So your conclusion is just to change from hitting it every day to hitting it a few less times, you never intend to stop completely, right?"

Jiang Bai shrugged, not intending to refute.

Chapati's voice broke the silence of the game from the commentary booth.

"Finish line determined!"

"Fairy Tail Team A 'Natsu crossed the finish line in sixth place, successfully scoring two points!"

"Fairy Tail Team B's Gajeel crossed the finish line in seventh place, scoring one point!"

"Sabertooth Sting ultimately withdrew, finishing in eighth place with zero points!"

After a brief moment of stunned silence, the audience erupted in applause that even surpassed that of the first-place finisher crossing the finish line.

Although they were ranked last and their appearance was extremely disheveled, their indomitable spirit truly shocked everyone present.

On the big screen, the leaderboard scrolled rapidly before finally settling on a flat screen.

Chapati held the latest parchment list and read it aloud.

"Day 2 of the competition has concluded. The latest total scores for the eight major guilds are as follows!"

Despite some minor hiccups in the "Chariot" event on the second day, Fairy Tail Team A still secured first place with a total score of 22 points, thanks to their huge advantage from the first day!

"Second place goes to Fairy Tail Team B and Blue Pegasus, tied for second place with a total score of 19 points!"

Fourth place: Sabertooth, total score 14 points!

"Fifth place, Quatro Cerberus, total score 11 points!"

"Sixth place, Mermaid Heel, total score 9 points!"

"Seventh place, Raven Tail, total score 8 points!"

"Eighth place, Lamia Scale, total score 6 points!"

Chapati put down the list and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"What an incredible situation! Apart from the top three guilds having a significant lead, the scores of the teams behind them are neck and neck!"

"And the Lamia Scale, one of the most popular champion contenders before the start of this tournament, and boasting the support of the Ten Wizard Saints Mages, is currently ranked eighth with only 6 points!"

In the rest area of Lamia Scale, Obaba's cane was smashed in two.

"Disgraceful! Utterly disgraceful! You've completely disgraced the Lamia Scale!"

"Everyone! After the competition today, you all need to do 100 handstands and spins around for me! You won't get dinner if you miss even one spin!"

Lyon turned his head away, pretending to admire the scenery, Sherria stuck out her tongue, Jura obediently lowered her head and accepted the scolding.

The finish line.

The moment Natsu and Gajeel crossed the red line, their tense nerves completely relaxed, their eyes rolled back, and they instantly passed out on the cold ground.

Jiang Bai, standing in the stands, shook his head, a thought suddenly forming in his mind.

An invisible spatial fluctuation rippled slightly.

The next instant, Natsu and Gajeel, who were lying on the steps of the finish line, vanished into thin air and landed in unison on the cushioned sofa in Fairy Tail's lounge.

Lucy hurriedly ran over and reached out to check Natsu's breath.

"Natsu! Hey! Natsu, are you alright? Don't scare me!"

Happy fluttered his little wings and landed on the table next to him. He rummaged through his backpack, pulled out a small dried fish, and stuffed it into his mouth, his tone remarkably calm.

"Hey! Don't worry, Lucy, we've got plenty of experience with these kinds of things, being around Natsu. He'll be all energetic again after he wakes up from his nap."

Jiang Bai walked to the sofa, kicked Natsu's dangling leg up, and then casually tossed two bottles of chilled juice onto the table.

"Alright, that's enough of the morning's farce. Let's prepare for the afternoon's battle."