"What?! The Magic Council has banned me from participating in the Grand Magic Games Tournament?!"
Zorn stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief, and shouted.
He never expected that he would hear such news as soon as he returned to the Fairy Tail.
Those treacherous old men of the Magic Council are absolutely despicable!
It turns out that the Magic Council believed that Zorn's combat power was beyond comprehension, and that his participation in the competition would inevitably affect the fairness of the competition.
Furthermore, given Zorn's relatively short experience, they simply ranked Zorn fifth among the Ten Wizard Saints. This both limited Zorn's participation and seemed reasonable.
In contrast, the other lower-ranked Ten Wizard Saints were not subject to this restriction.
However, as the Fairy Tail Guild Master of Fairy Tail, Makarov naturally couldn't participate in the competition himself.
Gildarts in the Fairy Tail was even more outrageous. He accepted an S-Class mission with a ten-year time limit a long time ago, then disappeared without a trace, claiming that he wanted to give the younger generation a chance.
With this, Fairy Tail Fairy Tail instantly lost three powerful members. It has to be said that the Magic Council's move was truly unexpected.
"There's nothing we can do about it; since it's already decided, this is the only way!"
"You need to be prepared!"
"The participants in this competition are all quite outstanding in terms of skill."
Makarov looked somewhat serious; he frowned slightly and spoke in a low voice.
Then, he slowly stretched out his arm and took out a thick stack of papers from behind his back.
Makarov handed the list to Lucy and the others, then picked up his glass and gulped down a large amount of wine.
"Zorn... did you encounter any unexpected situations during this mission?" He put down his wine glass, staring intently at Zorn, as if trying to find some answers in the other's face.
Mavis sat quietly above the bar, her bright eyes watching the three who were currently distracted— Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel.
She was also filled with doubt and asked Zorn, "It seems like these three people have something on their minds!"
Normally, as soon as they hear something about a strong opponent, Natsu and Gajeel, who are extremely curious, will immediately shout and rush over to check it out, showing extreme excitement.
They might even excitedly shout out that classic line, "I'm on fire!"
However, the situation was completely different now. The three people seemed not to hear anything at all, remaining motionless and moving unusually slowly. This sudden change greatly surprised Mavis.
Zorn glanced at Natsu and the others. "Them?"
"It's nothing, you're probably just having some things on your mind, you'll be fine soon!"
"I'll make them come to their senses."
"Soon, very soon!"
Zorn smiled mysteriously and gave an ambiguous reply.
The two Guild Masters were taken aback by his confident demeanor. They seemed to realize something, exchanged a glance, and remained silent.
After Lucy received the materials, she flipped to the list of contestants.
"Sabertooth?" Lucy exclaimed in shock.
"This is data that the Magic Council just sent over, compiled about a newly established Fairy Tail. It's said that its strength has surpassed Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale, making it arguably the strongest Fairy Tail after Fairy Tail!" Makarov explained calmly.
"What?!" Lucy exclaimed in surprise.
"I've never heard of this before, it's been kept so well hidden..." Gray frowned upon hearing this, resting his chin on his hand, looking utterly bewildered.
Prior to this, there was absolutely no news about this Fairy Tail. Why did it suddenly emerge in the spotlight?
"The reason is actually quite simple: they changed their Guild Master and recruited five exceptionally powerful Mages!" Makarov continued.
"And those five Mages were even directly rated as S-Class Mages by their Fairy Tail!" He paused, then added, "So their strength is undoubtedly unquestionable."
The Guild Master calmly recounted everything he knew, his thoughts finally lingering on the scene of his last meeting with the new Guild Master of Sabertooth.
The new Guild Master exuded a powerful aura, which alone suggests that his strength should not be underestimated.
"But our Fairy Tail is stronger, isn't it?" Ultear said with a confident smile, holding the crystal ball between her fingers.
"That's love!" Happy suddenly jumped out from the side, raising his hand in full agreement.
"Yes, yes!" Gray and Lucy also agreed with this statement. No matter how strong the opponent is, they cannot defeat Fairy Tail.
That's roughly how the competition went. There's one last thing!
"Yoshi, Zorn, come with me!"
Just then, the Guild Master leaped down from above the bar like a bolt of lightning.
At the same time, his ordinary clothes were instantly replaced by the attire of one of the Ten Wizard Saints shone with a mysterious light.
His expression turned unusually serious, and his gaze fell directly on Zorn, as if he wanted to convey his determination to him.
The other Fairy Tail members who witnessed this scene all showed expressions of surprise.
Although they didn't understand the Guild Master's sudden action, they all felt that the matter must be very important and looked at Zorn.
Éclair sat in the chair, her arms tightly wrapped around Mengmeng, her eyes fixed curiously ahead.
A bright red Fairy Tail mark was clearly imprinted on his arm.
However, among this group, Erza, Mirajane, and the S-Class Mages Laxus and Ur on the second floor wore beaming smiles. Clearly, they had already figured out the Guild Master's intentions.
At that moment, Zorn immediately understood the Guild Master's intention.
Could it be... that the Guild Master has already made a decision? Is he going to make me the next Guild Master? This thought flashed through Zorn's mind. He couldn't help but look up at Laxus, who was standing by the second-floor railing.
Laxus snorted coldly and turned his head away, seemingly unwilling to look at him again. But Zorn keenly caught Laxus's subtle thumbs-up, and the two exchanged a knowing smile.
So that's how it is... Everyone has accepted me now? Thinking this, Zorn felt a warm current welling up in his heart.
He knew what it meant to have the support and trust of his companions. This recognition came not only from the affirmation of his abilities, but also from the deep friendship they had built up together.
At this moment, Zorn felt immensely gratified, but also deeply aware of his responsibility.
A mysterious and solemn atmosphere permeated the first basement level of the Fairy Tail. Zorn, dressed in a formal outfit, followed closely behind the First Master Guild Master Mavis, and the Third Generation Guild Master Makarov.
"It seems, Zorn, you're not really curious about the existence of the Fairy Tail's underground chamber?" Guild Master Makarov asked with a smile, his gaze sweeping over Zorn's serious face.
Zorn smiled slightly, scratched his head, and replied, "Actually, a long time ago, I sensed a powerful Magic fluctuation underground, but it seemed to be blocked by some force, preventing me from investigating further."
He pondered to himself that now was not the time to reveal the whole truth, so he chose to explain in this way why he could sense the anomaly underground. In fact, with his superior Observation Haki, he had already figured out the mystery, but it was not advisable to reveal the specifics too early.
However, what he said was not entirely unfounded, because the remains of the First Master Guild Master were indeed sealed there, which was Fairy Tail's Fairy Tail secret and powerful weapon - Lumen Starlight, also known as the Fairy Heart.