(Heartfelt thanks to 'Flandre's Bear', 'Carudia', 'Book Friend 160517082234792', 'Year of Sorrow—Joy', 'Pokémon', 'Qiankun Zaohua', 'Love You? In an Instant', 'KSAIR', and 'This Guy Actually' for their tips!)
"Clang—!"
As the clear toll of a bell rang out, spectators from all across the kingdom erupted into enthusiastic cheers while watching the matches taking place throughout the town via the projection screens above the venue.
In one corner of the stands, a group of people were shouting themselves hoarse, cheering without pause.
"Go! Go! Fairy Tail—!"
Leading the Fairy Tail wizards, Makarov stood directly atop the railing of the stands, shouting so hard that the veins at his temples bulged. It was enough to make people worry that he might suddenly run out of breath.
Yet under Makarov's lead, the Fairy Tail wizards shouted with all their might, cheering for Gray and Juvia.
In the contestants' area, Fairy Tail's two teams were likewise watching the projection screens, eagerly awaiting the results.
Perhaps because Noah and Erza had instructed them beforehand, Gray and Juvia did not make themselves too conspicuous after learning the rules. Instead, they immediately slipped into the large crowd of Thought Projections on the streets, blending into the sea of people and vanishing completely.
Not only Gray and Juvia, but the contestants from the other teams also understood the situation and blended into the crowd, using their Thought Projections to conceal their tracks.
That was the essence of stealth.
The members of each team had to use both the terrain and the crowds to hide their movements while searching through the vast masses for their opponents and landing the right strike.
Hit the real body, and points would be earned.
Get hit, and points would be deducted.
Hit a replica, and points would likewise be deducted.
In the end,