"You Already Got the 'Gr' Out Through Your Teeth!"
At that moment, Gray suddenly released one hand and pointed to the bench behind him.
"Since neither of us can convince the other, let Jiang Bai decide who will fight!"
Natsu turned his head and immediately shouted loudly.
"Jiang Bai! Choose me! I will definitely roast all the enemies to a crisp!"
On the bench, Jiang Bai held a cup of freshly brewed hot black tea in his hand and took a bite of a crunchy butter cookie.
Hearing the two lovable idiots arguing, Jiang Bai slowly swallowed his cookie and put down his teacup.
Jiang Bai stroked his chin, pondering for a moment.
On the third day of the tournament, Natsu and Lucy had already scored points, while Gray hadn't even participated in a single main match yet.
From the perspective of team rotation, it would be appropriate to let Gray play some playing time.
"Hmm~ Since Natsu already made the trip yesterday, let's have Grimm do it this morning..."
Jiang Bai had only finished speaking halfway through his sentence.
Erza, who was standing to the side, suddenly stepped forward, and the silver heavy armor on her body made a crisp sound of the armor plates clashing with her movements.
Erza placed her right hand on the hilt of the sword at her waist and spoke calmly.
"I'll take the field in this competition."
Erza volunteered.
Upon hearing Erza speak, Jiang Bai didn't hesitate for a moment. He abruptly changed the direction of his words and continued the sentence naturally.
"Then Erza should go!"
Decisive and resolute, the decision was made on the spot.
Gray froze on the spot, his hands hanging in mid-air, his mouth twitching as if he were having a cramp.
"Hey! Jiang Bai, this is way too outrageous!"
"You were clearly trying to pronounce my name, weren't you?! The 'Ge' syllable was practically spitting out from between your teeth!"
"You changed your tune so fast, you bastard!"
Jiang Bai calmly picked up his hot black tea, took a small sip, and replied with a composed expression.
"You misheard me. I meant to say 'especially suitable for Erza to play,' understand?"
Gray opened his mouth, trying to continue arguing his point.
Natsu laughed gleefully from the side.
"Haha! Serves you right! Serves you right for trying to compete with me, and in the end, neither of us got anything!"
Gray turned and glared at Natsu, but ultimately said nothing more.
Although Natsu and Gray are usually simple-minded and irritable, their brains haven't completely broken down.
Within the guild, Jiang Bai and Erza are two people you absolutely cannot mess with at the same time.
If they continue to cause trouble, not only will they lose their chance to appear, but they will also most likely be beaten up on the spot by Jiang Bai and Erza, which would be a huge loss.
The two obediently retreated to either side of the bench and shut their mouths.
Jiang Bai put down his teacup and looked up at Erza, who had walked to the door.
Erza's back was as straight as a pine tree, and her long red hair cascaded down behind her silver armor.
Jiang Bai didn't offer the same advice he gave Lucy, reminding her to be careful or not to be too reckless.
Because Erza is the Titania of Fairy Tail, there is no need for such unnecessary preparations for retreat in Erza's dictionary.
Jiang Bai leaned back in his chair and spoke with a smile.
"Go for it, Erza!"
Erza stopped, turned her head, and nodded to Jiang Bai.
"Don't worry, leave it to me."
Without further ado, Erza pushed open the door to the lounge and strode confidently toward the contestant tunnel leading to the center of the arena.
In the very center of the arena, the player entrance gates for all eight participating teams rose simultaneously.
Chapati, gripping the microphone in the commentary booth, spoke loudly.
"All eight contestants are now in position!"
Let's take a look at the elite representatives sent by the major guilds!
"Mermaid Heel has sent out Millianna!"
"The Quatro Cerberus have sent out Nobarly!"
"The Blue Pegasus has sent out Hibiki!"
"Raven Tail has sent out Obra!"
"The Lamia Scale faction has sent Jura!"
"Sabertooth has sent out Orga!"
"Fairy Tail Team B has sent out Wendy!"
"And -- Fairy Tail Team A's 'Titania' Erza Scarlett!"
Eight figures emerged from passages in various directions and converged in the center of the spacious area.
The audience erupted in enthusiastic cheers once again.
The Pumpkin -headed referee stood on the central platform, holding a golden scroll of the competition in his hand. His sharp voice, amplified by a sound-amplifying magic, resounded throughout the arena.
"All contestants have entered the arena, Pumpkin!"
"Now, this referee will officially announce the complete rules for today's competition, [Pandemonium]!"
"The Pandemonium seals within one hundred ferocious demonic creatures created using the Magic Council's magical technology!"
"The strength of the monsters is divided into five levels: fifty D-level monsters, thirty C-level monsters, fifteen B-level monsters, four A-level monsters, and one S-Class super monster with the most terrifying combat power!"
The Pumpkin -headed referee waved the scroll, and the ground in the center of the field began to shake violently.
Rumble!
A massive hall, entirely forged from black iron and basalt, slowly rose from the ground, towering majestically and occupying most of the arena space.
The entire Pandemonium exuded a dense and heavy dark magic, and the howls of a hundred beasts faintly emanated from within the tightly closed doors.
The Pumpkin -headed referee pointed his short, stubby finger at the black iron gate.
The challenge rules are as follows, Pumpkin!
The order in which the eight contestants will challenge each other will be determined by drawing lots!
"The higher-ranked contestants have the right to challenge first and can freely declare the number of monsters they wish to challenge before entering the Pandemonium!"
"After declaring the number, each player will be sent into the hall alone to face the corresponding number of random monsters!"
"Successfully defeating all the monsters declared will earn you project points equal to the number of monsters defeated!"
If a player fails to complete the challenge and falls to the ground, their score for that round will be zero, and the remaining monsters will be available for the player in the next order to challenge!
"The competition will end immediately once all one hundred monsters have been eliminated!"
The rules have been read aloud.
The expressions of the players in the center of the arena varied.
Hibiki rested his chin on his hand, rapidly calculating the combat power ratios of various levels of monsters in his mind.
Millianna scratched at the cat charm on her body, looking eager to try it on.
Jura of Lamia Scale, on the other hand, clasped her hands together, her expression solemn and dignified.
As one of the Ten Wizard Saints Mages, Jura was well aware of the danger posed by S-Class monsters. If an ordinary mage were to act rashly and greedily, they could very well be torn to shreds by the monster in an instant.
Erza, standing at the very front, silently fixed her gaze on the tightly closed black iron palace doors.
The sword at his waist trembled slightly.
The lottery process started immediately, and numbers flashed rapidly on the screen.
Ultimately, the red number "1," symbolizing the first priority, landed steadily above the name of Erza from Fairy Tail Team A.
Chapati grabbed the microphone and shouted.
The draw results are in!
"The one who gets the absolute first pick is— Erza from Fairy Tail Team A!"
"Erza has the first right to make a statement in the entire match!"
"Just how many monsters will this renowned Titania choose to challenge in the first round to give her team an advantage? Ten, or a more cautious five?!"
The Pumpkin -headed referee turned around, faced Erza, and asked loudly.
"First in line Erza, please immediately declare the number of monsters you will be challenging: Pumpkin!"
The hundreds of thousands of spectators held their breath.
Sting and Rogue, standing in the Sabertooth stands, stared intently at Erza's retreating figure.
Lahar and Yajima in the commentary booth also stopped what they were doing.
Erza walked slowly to the front of the black iron gate, gripped the scabbard with her left hand, and gently placed her right hand on the hilt.
Erza turned around to face the referee and the entire audience, her expression unwavering.
A crisp, cold sound resounded throughout the venue.
My number of statements is --
One hundred.
I'll handle it all myself.