Pandemonium
The morning sun once again illuminated Crocus's arena.
The stands were packed, and shouts had been echoing throughout the stadium since dawn.
After two days of intense competition, Fairy Tail led the field with two teams taking the top two spots, igniting the enthusiasm of the entire kingdom's audience.
In the commentary booth, Chapati patted the megaphone in front of him, and his loud voice echoed in all directions.
"Dear viewers, welcome to the third day of the Grand Magic Games!"
"The tournament is already halfway through. In the past two days, the various guilds have given us several spectacular battles. So what thrilling duels await us in the remaining stages of the competition?"
"Today's live commentary will still be provided by myself Chapati, and our familiar old man Yajima!"
Yajima, standing next to him, picked up his teacup and waved ahead with a smile.
Chapati turned around and gestured with his arm toward another figure sitting in the guest commentary section.
"Furthermore, the organizers have specially invited a very important guest today—Mr. Lahar from the Magic Council!"
Wearing glasses and a white Magic Council uniform, Lahar straightened his collar and sat up straight.
Lahar nodded in greeting to the magic communication crystal in front of him.
"Dear viewers, please feel free to offer your guidance."
Chapati immediately held up the microphone and began his routine warm-up.
"Mr. Lahar is the captain of the Fourth Custody Enforcement Unit within the Magic Council, mainly responsible for apprehending serious criminals and maintaining magical order, right?"
Lahar answered while sitting upright.
"That's right."
Chapati's eyes darted around, then he suddenly lowered his voice and threw out an extremely provocative question.
"Since Mr. Lahar is from the core department of the Magic Council, would it be convenient for him to explain this to the audience?"
"Compared to the current Magic Council, who is stronger, the rising star of Fairy Tail, Jiang Bai?"
The moment the question was asked, half of the entire giant dome arena fell silent.
Hundreds of thousands of people in the audience pricked up their ears.
In the rest areas of various guilds, everyone turned their attention to the large screen at the commentary booth.
In the past few days, Jiang Bai has undoubtedly been the hottest topic of conversation in the entire capital.
From defeating Jura, Ten Wizard Saints Mages, with a single sword strike on the first day, to his unfathomable demeanor on a daily basis, everyone was secretly speculating about the true extent of this man's combat prowess.
Lahar's fingers, which were resting on his knees, twitched suddenly, and his pupils behind his glasses constricted sharply.
Lahar cursed Chapati a thousand times in his heart.
How could such a question be answered in a broadcast broadcast that is open to the entire kingdom?
Just a few days ago, Jiang Bai stormed into the Magic Council headquarters building alone and overturned the conference room table in front of everyone, even forcing several Magic Council members to not have the courage to fight back.
If Lahar were to utter even a single word of this humiliating disgrace to the Magic Council in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators, his future would be completely ruined today.
Lahar pushed up his glasses, his expression tense, and uttered four words crisply.
No comment!
Those four words were resounding and effectively shut down Chapati's attempt to continue.
Chapati chuckled twice and quickly put the microphone away.
"Haha, it seems this is high-level intelligence involving the Magic Council's secrets!"
"Since Mr. Lahar remains mysterious, we won't press the matter further. Let's immediately announce the competition events for the morning of the third day—"
Chapati pressed the mechanism on the table, and the magic circle on the main broadcast screen spun and combined rapidly, eventually transforming into three huge, jet-black characters.
Today's competition: [Pandemonium]!
"Competition Rules: Each of the eight guilds will send one player to participate!"
A wave of discussion immediately broke out in the stands.
The audience members couldn't help but whisper among themselves as they watched Lahar on the big screen.
"What's going on? Are you just going to brush it off like this?"
"No comment... does that mean the Magic Council really can't defeat Lord Jiang Bai?"
"Is that really possible? That's the Magic Council, which governs all the mages on the continent. How could they not even be able to suppress one person?"
"You saw Jiang Bai shatter the protective barrier of the training ground with a single move yesterday, so it's understandable that the Magic Council wary of him."
Meanwhile, in the rest room of Fairy Tail Team A.
Natsu jumped up from the bench and slammed his fists together in front of him.
"The Pandemonium? They actually announced the project's name ahead of schedule this time!"
"Just from the name, you can tell it's a tough battle designed for real fighting. I was so frustrated yesterday, and nobody can stop me today, I want this spot!"
Natsu strode towards the entrance to the players' tunnel.
Before I could run two steps, a hand grabbed the back of my collar tightly.
Gray grabbed Natsu by the collar and forcefully pulled Natsu back.
"Natsu, you idiot, shut up!"
"You made a complete fool of yourself on the Chariot yesterday morning. According to the team rotation rules, it's my turn to compete this morning!"
Natsu grabbed Gray's arm with his other hand, trying to break free.
"I don't care! I was vomiting the whole way on the Chariot yesterday, that can't even be considered a proper battle!"
"Let go, Gray, or I'll beat you up too!"
Gray's grip remained firm, his other hand pressing down on Natsu's forehead.
"Rules are rules. Why should you continue to occupy the points you lost on the field? You're the one who should let go!"
Their foreheads collided, squeezing and vying with each other, their noses less than three inches apart.
"Come on, you bastard, let's fight!"
"Fine, let's fight! Who's afraid of who!"