Inside the Fairy Tail guild, the tension from the start of the tournament had completely dissipated, and the guild had returned to its usual bustle.
More and more people were being teleported back. As the losers, their rankings were already set, and they took it in stride. Since they could no longer compete, they might as well enjoy being spectators.
Now, each held a glass of alcohol and stared intently at the light screen, commenting on the matches and heatedly discussing who would be the ultimate winner.
Yet amid all this bustle, a few spots seemed distinctly out of place.
Beneath a pillar in the hall, Bickslow and Evergreen were bound back-to-back with hemp rope, cloth strips gagging their mouths. The two had simply been dumped there, all alone, with no one paying them any attention.
As members of the Thunder God Tribe who had joined Laxus in his antics, both had been tied up on the Guild Master's orders, awaiting a reckoning once the tournament ended.
Their eyes were vacant, their faces devoid of any will to live.
Not far away, Gray leaned alone against a table. As usual, he was shirtless, but his customary irreverence was gone. He simply watched the light screen, occasionally letting out a forlorn sigh.
Someone approached him curiously and asked, "Hey, Gray, who knocked you out, anyway?"
But Gray merely sighed forlornly. "...Don't ask."
When pressed further, he simply planted his forehead firmly against the tabletop with a thud, withdrawing into a state that said, "I never want to bring up this humiliating episode again as long as I live."
In a corner, another person who had lost the will to live was the old father, Gildarts.
He crouched facing the wall, tracing circles with his finger and muttering over and over, "Ah,