"Everyone, Laxus and I are back! Did you miss us?"
Zorn and Laxus strode into the guild, excitedly announcing their return to everyone. But no one around them reacted in the slightest. They all continued with their own business, paying the two of them no attention.
Cana, however, rushed straight into Zorn's arms and looked up at him, her eyes full of happiness. "Welcome back, darling."
"Mm, I'm back." Zorn looked down and kissed Cana on the cheek, speaking to her affectionately.
"Tch." Laxus couldn't bear to watch. He turned his head with a click of his tongue, then headed straight up to the guild's second floor, fleeing the couple's lovey-dovey display with a feeling that was either envy or jealousy.
Whoosh!
A scroll-shaped object flew straight at Zorn from the bar. He raised a hand to catch it and looked at it in confusion. The scroll bore the emblem of ERA, the Magic Council.
"The Magic Council? The Ten Wizard Saints selection?" Zorn looked questioningly at the master, who was already walking toward him.
"That's right, the Ten Wizard Saints selection. The notice has arrived, so let's go now." Makarov walked straight past him toward the door, looking as though he were hurrying to an early market.
"What's wrong? Let's go. Oh, right, Laxus, I'm leaving the guild in your hands. Erza, Mirajane and the others have all gone out on quests."
Makarov turned to Zorn, who still hadn't moved, and hurried him along. Then, as though he had suddenly remembered something, he shouted up to Laxus on the second floor.
"Got it, old man."
"Hurry up and go. The master's getting impatient." Cana gave Zorn a push, urging him to get moving.
Zorn ran a few steps to catch up with the master, then turned and waved to Cana at the guild entrance. He used Light Magic to lift the master into the air, sparing him the slow walk.
Grand Magic Games arena—the Dome, Fra Bird.
When Zorn and Makarov reached the Magic Council, they learned that its members were all at the Grand Magic Games arena. Zorn wasn't the only person being assessed; there were also others whose achievements and contributions had met a certain standard.
Their assessments had been scheduled before Zorn's, so they had gone ahead, and the others were being assessed at the arena first.
Zorn and Makarov were now flying through the air toward the assessment venue, taking the opportunity to chat.
"Master, have Natsu, Gray and the others gone on quests too?"
"Yes. When they heard you were going to become one of the Ten Wizard Saints, they all got fired up. They said they were going to catch up to you and surpass you. They're good kids, all of them."
"I hope they remember what I told them last time: to hold back on quests and not destroy their surroundings."
"Well, that is a problem. They should show a little more restraint. I made a point of telling them before they left too."
"Really? That's good, then."
"Mm, Gildarts will be back soon too. The last I heard, he'd finished his Ten-Year Quest. We'll have a proper celebration when we get back."
"Hm? What's wrong, Zorn?"
Hearing the master confirm that Gildarts would be back soon, Zorn realized that it should be this time that Gildarts took on the extremely difficult 100-Year Quest. During the quest, he encountered the black dragon, suffered grave injuries and lost an arm. It looked like Zorn had to hurry back and try to stop Gildarts from taking the quest.
At that thought, Zorn's flying speed suddenly surged as he carried Makarov along, prompting the master to look at him in confusion.
"It's nothing, nothing. Haha, I'm just craving something to eat." Zorn made up an excuse to brush it off. He couldn't tell the master about this yet, or he wouldn't be able to explain how he knew about things that hadn't happened.
"I sense them."
Zorn had kept his Observation Haki active the whole time. Suddenly, he sensed many powerful masses of Magic Power gathered in one place in the distance. That should be their destination.
A golden magic circle unfolded in their path. Zorn and the master flew straight through it and vanished from the sky.
"Oh, looks like we're right on time. Master, go wait in the viewing stands. This will be over soon."
A golden magic circle appeared in the arena, and Zorn and the master emerged from it just in time to see the last candidate blasted away by Jose's Darkness Stream. Zorn caught the candidate with magic and sent him to the viewing stands along with the master.
"What a disgusting aura. I'd better finish this quickly." Zorn looked at Jose with an expression of revulsion and disgust. A powerful surge of golden Magic Power welled up around him; he wanted to end everything quickly and hurry back to the guild.
"Oh, what impressive Magic Power." The chairman and the others watching all nodded in approval when they sensed Zorn's Magic Power, giving him their initial recognition.
"Damn brat, you're just as annoying as Makarov." Hearing Zorn treat him with such contempt, Jose unleashed all the evil Magic Power within him. Darkness shrouded his eyes, and the ground beneath him shattered in an instant. He was clearly getting serious.
"How scary. You really gave me a fright. But have you ever been kicked by light?"
Zorn's flippant voice rang out behind Jose, his taunt dialed all the way up to level ten. His right foot shone with light as he slammed a kick into Jose's body.
Jose flew backward like a kite with its string cut and crashed into the arena wall with a boom. The wall collapsed instantly, burying him.
Zorn wasn't finished attacking. Light flared in his right hand, and countless Light Swords appeared behind him. With a wave of his hand, they shot out in an instant, every one of them striking the spot where Jose was buried.
The earth began to tremble under Zorn's assault. As the viewing stands shook, everyone standing there cast Defensive Magic to shield themselves from the aftershocks of his attacks.
"This kid really is strong. Makarov, you're truly lucky."
Everyone in the viewing stands looked at Makarov with envy, instantly filling him with pride. He folded his arms and watched the battle with admiration, thinking, If you knew I'd also forbidden Zorn from using that sunlike magic, who knows how jealous you'd be?
"Still not coming out, senior? How long are you going to turtle up in there? I'm in a hurry." Zorn stood with one hand on his hip, staring into the rubble as he continued to taunt him.
He could sense clearly that Jose should have suffered only minor injuries so far. Was that to be expected of a wizard with the title of one of the Ten Wizard Saints? Back on that quest in the ruins, this same attack had taken that wizard down outright.
Bang!
Rocks exploded outward from the rubble. Jose pushed a slab aside with one hand, his entire body shrouded in dark Magic Power. His Magic Power soared into the sky, directly stirring the weather. He fixed his gaze on Zorn and opened his palm. As Jose drew on his Magic Power, the surrounding air and earth trembled under its terrifying force, the atmosphere grew oppressive, and the clouds overhead began to swirl.
"Tch, you think you're the only one with powerful Magic Power? Don't think changing the weather makes you so impressive."
Zorn unleashed his own Magic Power. Golden Magic Power shot into the sky in an instant, the light and dark forces forming a clear divide as they pressed against each other. The storm they created pulled the clouds down from the sky.
It formed the rare phenomenon of a waterspout.
"Hey, hey, hey, isn't this a bit much? He's so young, yet he has such terrifying Magic Power."
Everyone in the viewing stands stared at the scene in astonishment. They hadn't expected Zorn's Magic Power to be so terrifying, not inferior to one of the Ten Wizard Saints in the slightest. At this moment, he was even faintly suppressing Jose.
To be continued~