Harvest Festival

Northwest of Xiluoji City stood the Dark Guild Souls of the Dead.

"Boom!"

The guild doors were blasted open, and several guild members were sent flying inside.

"You lot dare mock Fairy Tail!"

Two men and one woman slowly walked into the Souls of the Dead guild.

Seeing intruders, the Souls of the Dead guild shouted, "Who are you people?!"

"Didn't we just tell you? We're Fairy Tail, here specifically to wipe out sewer rats like you!"

"Damn it, everyone, take down these three!"

One of the women slowly removed her glasses.

A Dark Guild was still just a Dark Guild. What could trash like them possibly do?

The first few wizards to charge forward were instantly petrified on the ground.

"Damn it! Keep attacking!"

Several doll-like figures flew through the air, dancing overhead and continuously firing lasers.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

"All right, Bickslow, it's over already!"

"What? It's over just like that? That was way too boring."

"They're just a bunch of nobodies. How capable did you expect them to be?"

At that moment, Fried said, "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. Laxus is about to make his move."

Bickslow said excitedly, "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. My babies have gotten impatient too!"

"Yeah, it's time to head back to Fairy Tail!"

"But what about that monster Ye? Everyone has seen his strength."

"Don't worry. Laxus has trained hard for this day for so long. As for Ye, he's been lazing around in the guild. There's no way Laxus can't defeat an opponent like that."

"Right! Right! Right!" Bickslow's dolls chimed in from the air.

After the three left, several Souls of the Dead members who had been playing dead climbed back up.

"Hey, there's a limit to jokes, you know. Just three people—one of them didn't even make a move—and they wiped us out. Is this Fairy Tail's strength? Then just how terrifying must that War God Ye be?!"

Magnolia Town.

Magnolia Town's annual Harvest Festival was about to begin. The festival mainly celebrated the harvest. Colorful banners were hung throughout the streets, and every household was busy preparing for it.

Lucy watched the bustling people in the streets and said excitedly, "Wow! It's so lively!"

Mira replied, "It is. This is the grand event that only comes once a year. Tonight, there's also Fairy Tail's pride and joy, the Fantasy Parade."

"Wow, I can't wait!"

During the Fantasy Parade, wizards wore gorgeous clothes and cast dazzling magic. Every year, it drew people from all over to watch and had become one of Magnolia Town's cultural traditions.

"It would be nice if everyone from the guild were here."

Hearing that, Makarov replied, "You mean that brat Laxus?"

"I heard Ye say yesterday that he's already back."

"Let him do whatever he wants. He can join if he wants to. It's not as if we need him, and he's never shown up for the parade in previous years."

"Still, I didn't expect those two brats not to get into a fight!"

Mira said with a smile, "They almost did, but since they were in town, they showed some restraint."

"I just hope nothing goes wrong this year."

Makarov recalled the past, and his gaze gradually grew lonely. When Laxus was little, he had greatly admired the Fantasy Parade. Back then, he had been obedient and sensible and desperately wanted to become a member of Fairy Tail. But after growing up, he had completely changed.

"I hope he grows up soon. :-("

On the day of the Harvest Festival, stalls filled every street and alley. Tourists from all over enjoyed the festivities together, while a special event was being held inside the Fairy Tail guild.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for waiting! The election for Fairy Tail's most beautiful young lady is about to begin!"

"Ooooooh!!!!"

"I'm today's host, Marcus. Our judges are the highly respected Guild Master Makarov and the newly appointed Ten Wizard Saint, War God Ye! Please welcome them both!"

The Guild Master and Ye waved to the crowd.

"Ooooooh!!!"

"Lord Ye is so gallant!"

"Where did this bitch come from?!"

"What did you say?!"

After all, those two were among the very best in both strength and fame throughout the Kingdom of Fiore, stars in every sense of the word.

"You brat, you're pretty popular."

"Hahaha, not bad, not bad."

"All right, everyone, calm down. We're starting now. Please welcome our first contestant!"

"A foreign beauty with an appetite from another dimension, Cana Alberona!"

For her talent performance, Cana took out a card and directly summoned a swimsuit.

"Ooooooh!!! *(^o^)/*"

The audience below saw that sight, and their eyes turned into hearts. Whether it was her looks or her figure, Cana was top-tier.

Cana looked at the crowd's reaction.

"Five hundred thousand! No, the booze money is mine!"

"So cunning!" Lucy looked at Cana, who had summoned a swimsuit. How had she not thought of that?!

"A swimsuit? So that's another option." Erza watched Cana's performance and spoke.

"Erza, are you joining too?!" Lucy asked.

"Lucy, you'd better do your best."

"T﹏T, my five hundred thousand J is hopeless."

"All right, let's hear the judges' comments!"

Makarov wiped away his nosebleed and said, "Not bad. Very good."

Ye adjusted his lensless glasses and said, "Mm! This is a very ingenious idea. Requip magic combined with a swimsuit gives people endless room for imagination during the change, and the swimsuit is certainly eye-catching. If you put more thought into the outfit itself, I think it could reach an even higher level."

Lucy looked at Ye, who resembled a refined scoundrel, and complained, "Do you have to be so professional about it?"

"Next, please welcome our petite, adorable, and fresh-faced contestant, Juvia Lockser!"

Juvia transformed into water, emerged from it, and changed into a bikini swimsuit as well.

Juvia said, "Gray-sama, are you watching?!"

Lucy said unwillingly, "Damn it, another one sacrificing her looks!"

"Now, judges, please give your comments!"

Makarov commented seriously, "Very good!"

Ye commented, "Not enough! With your petite, fresh-faced figure, you should play up a delicate and vulnerable image—the kind that makes people want to protect you the moment they see you. You haven't made good use of your assets, Juvia! What a failure! Being a Fairy lady isn't as easy as you imagine."

Upon hearing Ye's comments, everyone below could not help imagining it and realized that it really would be nice!

Juvia put on a pitiful expression and said aggrievedly, "Yes, Judge. I'll definitely improve next time."

Seeing Juvia like that, everyone below immediately erupted in nosebleeds.

Ye stood up excitedly and said, "That's it! You're so talented. Unfortunately, it took my reminder, so I can't give you extra points."

"You brat, you really are something!"

"All right, next up is contestant number three, our guild's poster girl! Mirajane, whose beauty intoxicates men across the entire continent."

The moment Mira stepped onto the stage, the entire venue erupted in cheers.

"Champion! Champion!"

"Now, let's enjoy her talent performance!"

"I'm good at transformation magic, so I'll perform that!"

Everyone below waited expectantly to see what she would transform into.

"Bang!"

As the smoke cleared, Mira's head had turned into Happy's.

The people below were instantly dumbfounded.

But Mira became interested, and her next transformation was, "Only the head is Ye's."

"Pfft!~ Seeing it, Ye immediately spat out his drink, while everyone else shuddered in horror. (O∆O)"

"All right, all right, please welcome the next contestant, Fairy Tail's queen! Erza Scarlet!"

"Queen! Queen!"

Erza used Requip magic. Since her transformations were far too fast, everyone could faintly glimpse the outline of her figure amid the magical light, attracting every man present.

Erza revealed a Gothic Lolita outfit, completely unlike her usual self, delicate as a porcelain doll.

The next two contestants were Levy, with her adorable Solid Script magic, and Bisca, with her precise marksmanship. Both received unanimous approval.

When Lucy finally took the stage, she performed a cheerleading dance with her Celestial Spirits. Compared to the previous contestants, she fell far short.

"All right, now let's ask the judges to comment on the final contestant's performance."

Suddenly, a voice rang out from above.

"Wait, I haven't performed yet!"

"Fairy refers to me, beauty refers to me too, so the champion is also me. The winner has already been decided. I am the champion, Evergreen!"

"All right, this boring competition is over."

"Evergreen, when did you get back?!"

Lucy hurriedly said, "Don't cause trouble! My livelihood depends on this."

"What are you talking about, little girl?!"

Gray warned, "Lucy, be careful. Don't look into her eyes!"

Lucy froze, then instinctively looked into her eyes and turned into a stone statue almost instantly.

Seeing the sudden turn of events, the townspeople immediately fled without stopping.

Makarov said angrily, "Evergreen, are you trying to ruin the festival?!"

"Since it's a festival, there should be some entertainment, shouldn't there?"

As she spoke, the curtain was pulled aside, revealing that all the women had been turned to stone.