Chapter Summaries

Ye Yang warned his companions that the Eight Kings might bring in replacements, then planned to investigate during the banquet. After Skali gave the Kings one more chance, Valerius Gilga’s five mercenaries defeated them, leaving their fate uncertain.

• Ye Yang told his companions that their opponents might replace fighters and asked Erza to distract the others while he investigated that night.
• Skali scolded the Kings for losing, and Himura Sakutsuki offered to give up his position before Ling Chuan Ye Dou pleaded for another chance.
• Valerius Gilga arrived with five people and criticized his former students for failing to improve.
• Skali declared that the Kings could keep their positions only if one of them defeated Gilga’s five companions.
• Gilga’s five mercenaries overwhelmed the Kings in the arena, and Gilga told his former students to leave and pretend he had never taught them.

Ye Yang ambushed the Void Land creatures at the abandoned mine and confronted the man who had deceived him. He destroyed the intruders, but Ming Hui revealed that he was only a Thought Projection before detonating the mine, leaving Ye Yang to warn the Royal Capital about the danger.

• Ye Yang knocked out the mine guards and waited for the Void Land gate to open.
• A black-armored man emerged, and Ye Yang wounded him and stopped him from turning intangible or escaping through the gate.
• Another figure attacked from the gate, and Ye Yang recognized him as the one who had spoken with him and exposed his deception about gathering negative power.
• Ye Yang engulfed the mine in Solar Fire, destroying the black-armored man and the motionless phantoms.
• Ming Hui revealed he was only a Thought Projection and used Netherworld Dissolution, causing the mine to explode and awakening the Royal Capital.
• Ye Yang landed in the city and decided he needed to tell everyone about Ming Hui's willingness to self-destruct.

After a blast at an abandoned mine, Ye Yang concealed his involvement while Gar and Skali investigated the strange magic and suspected outsiders. The next morning, Ye Yang warned his companions that their enemies were willing to die in attacks, and Emerus announced that the opposing side had changed its competitors.

• Ye Yang reassured Emerus that he was safe after an explosion near the old mine, then sent Luo Tian away and admitted that their fight had caused the blast.
• Gar investigated the mine, found powerful Fire Magic and an unknown Magic Attribute, and suspected that powerful outsiders had fought there.
• Emerus reported Gar's findings to Skali, who ordered the group watched and considered whether the strange magic belonged to them.
• At breakfast, Ye Yang told Laxus and the others that their attackers had tried to kill him and warned them to be careful.
• Emerus told the group that the opposing side had used its right to replace a competitor, prompting Natsu to demand that he keep competing.

Ye Yang and Skali arrived at the arena as the crowd learned that the Eight Kings would not compete in the remaining matches. The Kingdom of Aetherland revealed Gilga as their replacement, and the chapter ended with Kokoal recounting the Battle God’s undefeated record and legendary defense of the kingdom.

• Ye Yang and his companions passed a Security Department man who secretly studied them, and Laxus warned Ye Yang that the man had been probing them.
• Ye Yang met Skali, discussed the powerful contestants he sensed, and joined him on the main viewing platform.
• Kokoal announced that none of the Eight Kings would fight in the remaining matches, prompting spectators to speculate about their replacements.
• Gilga led four others out of the passageway, and Kokoal introduced him as the Battle God and the strongest person in the Kingdom of Aetherland.
• Kokoal explained that Gilga had never lost and had once held back enemy powerhouses and hundreds of thousands of troops while the kingdom’s army withdrew.

Gilga and the World Breaker Mercenary Group arrived for the second day of the tournament, and the mysterious group’s first fighter, Graham, faced Wade. The two men began their match with taunts, just before the fight started.

• Gilga praised Tikal for retaining his talent and asked about Ye Yang, while Tikal said Ye Yang was so strong he could not imagine resisting him.
• The crowd recognized Gilga’s five companions as the World Breaker Mercenary Group, a famously undefeated and mysterious team of mercenaries.
• Graham volunteered to fight first, and Kokoal introduced him as the opening contestant from the World Breaker Mercenary Group.
• Wade accepted Ye Yang’s offer to fight Graham and jumped into the arena, telling Natsu to watch calmly.
• Graham mocked Wade’s performance against the Silver Dragon Army, and Wade called him a loudmouth with no real strength.

Graham and Wade fought fiercely, with Wade gaining the upper hand while Graham relied on his weapon and strength. As the spectators assessed the mercenary group’s power, the match remained undecided and Graham had yet to use his magic.

• Graham and Wade exchanged powerful weapon strikes, and Wade repeatedly pushed Graham back with his flaming greatsword.
• Wade used Flame Killing Overlord Sword to drive Graham into a desperate defense, but Graham shoved him away.
• Claire, Eric, Bruce, and Sophie worried that Graham’s unsettled energy and willingness to fight head-on could cost him the match.
• Gilga told Tikal that the five mercenaries were exceptionally talented and invited him to join them after the competition.
• Laxus and Gray judged that Graham and Wade were still testing each other, while Vermilion Bird warned that Wade had reached a high realm in the Way of the Sword.
• Ye Yang told Skali that the World Breaker Mercenary Group seemed stronger than the Eight Kings, and Skali praised the talent appearing among the common people.

Wade countered Graham’s powerful earth magic with the Fire Dragon’s strength and defeated his defenses with a flaming sword strike. The attack nearly reached the stands before Ye Yang stopped it, leaving the match’s outcome unresolved.

• Graham abandoned his halberd and attacked Wade with earth magic, summoning a huge boulder above the arena.
• Wade called his greatsword to him and unleashed a Fire Dragon-powered strike, saying it was his first sword strike in revenge for his father.
• Wade pierced Graham’s boulder with flames, leaped over it, and struck Graham with Flame God Dragon Slash.
• Graham blocked with a rock shield, then burrowed into the ground as Wade’s slash broke through and flew toward the stands.
• Ye Yang intercepted and shattered Wade’s sword aura with Heavenly Cloud, then returned to the officials’ platform as Skali thanked him.

Ye Yang’s companions discussed his overwhelming speed and strength, while Tikal revealed that his innate Spirit Eyes let him see differences in power. In the arena, Wade revealed his dragon wings and unleashed Dragon Power against Graham, who had survived Ye Yang’s earlier attack and now faced Wade’s growing Magic Power.

• Lutia and the others reacted to Ye Yang’s speed, and Tikal said Ye Yang had once defeated hundreds of thousands of elite troops in a single exchange.
• Tikal named Laxus and Selene as companions whose strength he could not assess, and Gilga explained that Tikal’s innate Spirit Eyes let him see power gaps and through everything.
• Graham emerged from the ground after dodging Ye Yang’s sword strike, while Wade hovered above him with dragon wings.
• Kokoal mistook Wade’s wings for a result of Receive Magic, and Ye Yang explained that Wade was born to a dragon and a human woman.
• Wade activated Dragon Power, unleashing a powerful surge of Magic Power that shocked Graham.

Wade and Graham unleashed increasingly powerful attacks in their match, shaking the arena and pushing both fighters toward their limits. Ye Yang and Skali agreed to call the fight a draw, and Skali ordered Gilga to retrieve the warriors as their energies collided.

• Wade transformed with dragon scales and flames, then traded powerful fire and earth attacks with Graham.
• Wade evaded Graham’s barrage and launched a fiery attack from above while an Earth Demon gathered energy below.
• Wade’s sword strike overwhelmed Graham’s energy until Graham released an even greater surge that strained his body.
• Eric warned that Graham’s body might collapse, while Wade lost control as Igneel’s Divine Dragon Power erupted from him.
• As the arena shook and the crowd panicked, Ye Yang and Skali agreed to end the match in a draw.
• Skali ordered Gilga to bring the warriors back, and Gilga appeared where Wade and Graham’s energies collided.

Ye Yang stopped Wade and Graham's battle, healed them, and the arena declared their match a draw. Lucy then volunteered to face Sophie, a half-elf archer, whose match began with an immediate shot that Lucy dodged.

• Ye Yang broke apart Wade and Graham's attacks, knocked both unconscious, and healed their injuries with potions.
• Kokoal declared Wade and Graham's match a draw, and Ye Yang returned to the Player Area with Wade.
• Lucy volunteered to fight next, and Ye Yang approved her choice.
• Sophie entered the arena for the Kingdom Team, while Lutia recognized her as a half-elf and asked Erza to introduce them after the match.
• Kokoal began Lucy and Sophie's match, and Sophie fired an arrow that Lucy dodged.

Lucy fought Sophie in the tournament, using her Celestial Spirits and unusual abilities to counter Sophie's archery and bramble magic. After Sophie struck Darius and Lucy avoided a powerful hurricane arrow by burrowing underground, Sophie sensed Lucy beneath her and jumped as Lucy launched an uppercut.

• Sophie fired arrows at Lucy, who summoned Sagittarius to deflect them before ordering Darius to support her from range.
• Sophie surrounded Lucy with growing brambles, but Lucy summoned Taurus, who cut through them with his great axe.
• Sophie ambushed Darius and struck him with three arrows, sending him back to the Spirit World.
• Lucy and Taurus attacked Sophie, but Sophie dodged their blows and unleashed a rain of arrows that Lucy cut down with scissors.
• Sophie fired a hurricane-charged arrow, and Lucy escaped it by opening a pit beneath herself with Horn Sculpting: One Hole.
• Sophie sensed Lucy underground and leaped as Lucy burst through the shattered ground with Lucy's Uppercut.

Lucy survived Sophie's Meteor Fall by using a Gemini duplicate and countered with a whip and Earth Wave. Sophie revealed her Elf form, healed from the blow, and overwhelmed Lucy's water magic as she charged in for another attack.

• Sophie unleashed Meteor Fall, but Lucy used a Gemini duplicate to evade it and pulled Sophie into an Earth Wave punch.
• Laxus identified the apparent Lucy as Gemini and warned that Sophie was still dangerous.
• Sophie transformed into her Elf form, healed her wound, and filled the arena with grass and mysterious light.
• Lucy protected herself from Sophie's arrows with Water Flow Barrier and trapped Sophie with Water Dragon.
• Sophie cut the Water Dragon apart with an Energy Sword and rushed at Lucy as Lucy raised another Water Flow Barrier.

Lucy fought Sophie and summoned Aquarius, Leo, and Aries, then used Celestial Spirit Resonance to share their Magic Power. The four attacked together, and the chapter ended with Sophie stunned before Aquarius’s tsunami.

• Sophie shattered Lucy’s barrier, overwhelmed her attacks, and criticized her combat skills.
• Lucy summoned Aquarius, Leo, and Aries at once, surprising Natsu and earning Erza’s praise.
• Lucy linked the three Celestial Spirits with Celestial Spirit Resonance, allowing them to share their Magic Power.
• Lucy and the spirits attacked Sophie with vines, water, cotton, and Leo’s magic, but Sophie cut apart their strikes.
• Aquarius unleashed a tsunami, leaving Sophie stunned as she faced the wave.

Sophie fought Lucy, Aquarius, and Leo in the arena, using her Nature magic to withstand their combined attacks. She trapped them in an illusion of a vast forest and defeated Lucy, leaving Sophie as the victor.

• Aquarius unleashed a tsunami and a Water Whale at Sophie, who raised a forest and a giant tree to defend herself.
• Leo attacked Sophie from behind while Cotton Bomb sent explosive clouds down from above.
• Lucy and Aquarius combined their magic to fire a Starlight arrow at Sophie, who summoned the Ancient Wood Azure Soul to protect herself.
• Sophie cast an illusion that transported the fighters into a silent forest, then placed an Energy Sword at Lucy’s throat and won the match.
• Kokoal announced Sophie as the victor, and Lucy returned to the Player Area, where Erza reassured her.

Ye Yang and his companions discussed how to counter Sophie’s illusion magic before Lutia confronted Sophie about knowing an Elf Race supreme art. Sophie agreed to speak privately with Lutia and revealed nothing yet about her identity.

• Lutia explained that Whispers of the Ancient Tree could be broken by defeating the illusion’s tree within three minutes, while Ye Yang said powerful mental strength could prevent the illusion from taking hold.
• Gar watched Ye Yang’s group leave the arena and resolved to force Ye Yang to use his magic so he could identify him as the person behind the mine incident.
• Graham thanked Ye Yang for healing him, and Ye Yang played down the value of the medicine.
• Erza’s group approached Sophie, and Sophie recognized Lutia as the Elf King.
• Sophie asked to speak privately with Lutia about the Elf Race, and Ye Yang joined them after Lutia said he could know.
• Sophie acknowledged that Lutia had seen through her half-elf identity and use of Whispers of the Ancient Tree.

Sophie explained how a mysterious elf transformed her into a half-elf after an evil spirit slaughtered her mercenary squad. After Sophie left, Ye Yang told Lutia about the Void Land and their coming enemy, who claimed to be a god.

• Sophie told Lutia and Ye Yang that she had once been an ordinary human archer whose squad was killed by a gray, magic-resistant creature in a secret realm.
• Sophie said a handsome elf saved her, changed her race, and left her with elven memories and magic; Lutia suspected he was the Grand Elder using forbidden magic as the Elf Race neared extinction.
• Sophie shared a message about awaiting the king's awakening and a prophetic figure resolving the age's chaos, but she knew nothing more about it.
• Lutia apologized for Sophie's transformation, and Sophie said she accepted her new power before leaving.
• Ye Yang asked Lutia about her fragmented memories, then explained their journey and the Void Land; Lutia was shocked to learn their next enemy claimed to be a god wielding power beyond magic.

Ye Yang stopped Natsu from fighting the World Breaker Mercenary Group, then confronted Gar, chief of the Kingdom of Aetherland's Security Department, about the Old Mine explosion. Ye Yang warned Gar to stay out of the matter, but Gar refused to give up.

• Ye Yang and Lutia heard an explosion, and Ye Yang realized Natsu had started a fight with a member of the World Breaker Mercenary Group.
• Ye Yang knocked Natsu out with a kick, apologized to Bruce, and dragged Natsu away.
• Ye Yang left the palace and confronted Gar, who said he suspected Ye Yang had caused the Old Mine explosion.
• Gar attacked Ye Yang with lightning, but Ye Yang countered with a knee strike that left Gar badly injured.
• Ye Yang warned Gar that the matter was beyond him and hinted at the truth behind the King's actions, but Gar insisted he would not give up.

On the third day of the martial arts tournament, Bruce faced Gray in the opening match and demonstrated his formidable martial techniques. Bruce marked Gray with a mysterious black whirlwind, then appeared inside Gray’s ice enclosure as their duel continued.

• Bruce volunteered to fight the first match for the Kingdom Team, and he instantly appeared in the arena using his self-created movement technique.
• Ye Yang learned from Skali that Bruce had combined martial arts from many schools into a technique Gilga considered the greatest of the age.
• Gray accepted the match after taunting Natsu and used an ice slide to reach the arena.
• Bruce overwhelmed Gray with his speed and wind techniques, but Gray avoided the attack with an Ice Clone and surprised Bruce with martial footwork.
• Bruce placed an indelible black whirlwind mark on Gray, then vanished as Gray raised four ice walls around himself.
• Gray was shocked to discover Bruce had appeared inside the ice enclosure.

Gray battled Bruce, whose Eight Tribulations Magic let him wield elemental powers, and froze him with Silver World despite his Fire Tribulation state. Bruce broke free and revealed his Eight Tribulations, then he and Gray agreed they might become friends after the competition.

• Bruce used a black whirlwind mark to appear beside Gray, while Gray identified it as a spatial marker and protected himself with Ice God's Robe.
• Bruce melted Gray's ice attacks with Fire Tribulation, but Gray entered Ice Demon-Slayer Mode and froze the arena and Bruce with Silver World.
• Bruce broke out of the pink ice, explaining that Ice Tribulation was one of the eight calamities in his Eight Tribulations Magic.
• Bruce described the powers of the eight tribulations, including Life Tribulation's healing and Death Tribulation's destructive use of his life force.
• Gray and Bruce each mentioned a self-sacrificial technique, then agreed they might become friends after the competition.

Gray fought Bruce, using a third, black form of Ice Magic to freeze him, but Bruce broke free and revealed a powerful new form. The battle continued as Bruce prepared to face Gray with greatly increased Magic Power.

• Bruce used Ice Magic against Gray, but Gray absorbed the ice and explained that Ice Magic was useless against him.
• Bruce combined opposing elements and used his speed and physical attacks to break through Gray’s defenses, while Gray countered with ice weapons and barriers.
• Gray trapped Bruce in an ice cage and turned melted ice black, freezing Bruce with his third type of Ice Magic.
• Kokoal, Gilga, Erza, Laxus, Natsu, and Happy reacted to Gray’s black ice, while Gray sensed that something was wrong.
• Bruce shattered the black ice, revealed his muscular body covered in black lines, and said that even his Ice Tribulation could not control Gray’s ice.