Chapter Summaries

Tuonuo Labizi formed a boy band to exploit a magic-free dueling arena, but Gildarts defeated its members with ease. The last member tried to catch Gildarts by surprise, and Gildarts swung a punch at him.

• Tuonuo Labizi recruited seven companions and formed a boy band that used the arena’s ban on magic to defeat passing contestants.
• When the lookout spotted Gildarts approaching, Tuonuo convinced the others that their numbers gave them a chance against him.
• Gildarts entered the arena, welcomed the chance to fight without magic, and knocked out the boy band in one minute.
• Gildarts considered seeking out Blanc for a sparring match while the boy band’s final member returned with drinks and saw the others defeated.
• The last member crept up behind Gildarts and shouted before attacking, startling him into swinging a punch without looking.

Gildarts mistook Wakaba for a participant in the Ranking Battle and punched him flying, then spoke with Mystogan, who worried about Blanc’s competition and its guild master succession prize. Mystogan recalled how he had made contact with Grimoire Heart a year earlier and discovered that Fairy Tail had a spy.

• Gildarts saw Wakaba and, believing he was attacking guild members, punched him into the sky.
• Mystogan appeared and told Gildarts he wanted to find Blanc because he feared where the competition would lead the guild.
• Gildarts reassured Mystogan that the guild’s bonds would endure, but Mystogan remained troubled by Blanc organizing the event and offering guild master succession rights.
• Mystogan recalled that a year earlier a Grimoire Heart contact had mistaken him for an undercover agent, and Mystogan used the encounter to join the group.
• Mystogan discovered that Grimoire Heart had a spy within Fairy Tail.

Mystogan confronted Gildarts about his suspicions that Blanc was a spy and asked him to keep watch while he continued investigating. Gildarts misunderstood the warning as concern about Blanc’s womanizing and concluded that Mystogan might also be interested in Cana.

• Mystogan traced suspicious details about Blanc to his lack of any history before joining Fairy Tail and decided to confront him.
• Mystogan warned Gildarts that something was wrong with Blanc and explained that he would keep investigating outside the guild.
• Gildarts claimed he had watched Blanc since he was little, and Mystogan entrusted him with keeping watch inside the guild before leaving.
• Gildarts complained that Blanc was pursuing Mira and Erza and vowed to keep him away from Cana.
• Gildarts suspected Mystogan had feelings for Cana too and lamented how many men were interested in his daughter.

Mira confronted Gildarts with Cana and her companions, leaving him stunned when he realized his daughter was with them. Meanwhile, Laxus recalled his anger over Makarov expelling Ivan before turning to Freed and ordering him to break the modified Jutsu Shiki and retake control of the competition.

• Mira stopped Gildarts and announced that she had come to make him bow out.
• Mira brought Cana forward with Lisanna and Lucy supporting her, and Gildarts reacted in shock.
• Laxus remembered arguing with Makarov about Ivan's expulsion and vowed to surpass his grandfather.
• Freed arrived and explained that ambushes had delayed him.
• Laxus ordered Freed to break the modified Jutsu Shiki and take back control of the competition.

Laxus revealed that he planned to activate the Thunder Palace and threaten Magnolia’s residents to force Makarov to surrender his position as Guild Master. Natsu confronted him and fought fiercely, but Laxus knocked him down and prepared to finish the fight.

• Laxus told Freed he would use the Thunder Palace to hold the town hostage, and Freed reluctantly agreed to follow him.
• Natsu arrived and condemned Laxus’s plan, then challenged him to a fight.
• Laxus and Natsu traded blows, with Natsu briefly landing a punch before Laxus gained the advantage.
• Laxus knocked Natsu to the ground and aimed a powerful lightning attack at him, declaring the fight over.

Natsu and Gajeel joined forces against Laxus and Freed but were defeated, while the Fairy Girls defeated Gildarts. Laxus headed to Cardia Cathedral to begin his plan, where Blanc waited as Erza and the others arrived looking for Laxus.

• Gajeel rescued Natsu from Laxus's lightning, and the two agreed to fight alongside each other to protect the guild.
• Laxus and Freed defeated Natsu and Gajeel, while the sky's results screen announced that Cana, Lucy, Happy, and others had defeated Gildarts.
• Laxus told Freed that Blanc was at Cardia Cathedral, and they set off to carry out their plan.
• Blanc waited at the cathedral, then hurried to pose dramatically when someone finally opened its doors.
• Erza led Mira, Lucy, Happy, Cana, Juvia, Levy, Bisca, and the others inside, but they found no sign of Laxus and discussed taking him down.

Blanc realized the girls were targeting Laxus and challenged them at Cardia Cathedral, where a one-on-one rule would remove their numerical advantage. As Jutsu Shiki patterns lit up across the hall, Lucy questioned what Blanc meant by saying the venue did not test their strength.

• Erza accused Blanc of arranging the tournament to hand the Guild Master position to Laxus, and Blanc admired the idea before rejecting it because it conflicted with his own plan.
• Lucy and the girls panicked when they realized Erza might have given Blanc the idea, while Erza insisted Blanc was only trying to deceive them.
• Blanc deduced that the girls were looking for Laxus and declared he would stop them because he wanted Laxus as his own prey.
• Blanc revealed that Cardia Cathedral restricted matches to one-on-one, removing the girls' advantage of fighting together.
• Lucy asked what Blanc meant by saying the venue did not test their strength, and Blanc activated the floor's Jutsu Shiki patterns and began the duel.

Fairy Tail’s guild members watched the tournament and worried about Laxus as Erza and Mira returned from the cathedral furious after losing to Blanc without a physical fight. Lisanna arrived next, protesting that their supposed “fair duel” had been unfair.

• Bickslow and Evergreen remained bound and gagged in the guild hall while Gray and Gildarts brooded over their losses.
• Natsu and Gajeel argued over who had ruined their chance to defeat Laxus, and Makarov worried about what Laxus was planning.
• Erza returned to the guild and revealed that she had not fought Blanc physically, then grew furious when the others questioned her.
• Mira arrived in an even more intimidating rage, and the guild members backed away rather than ask what had happened.
• Lisanna appeared and angrily demanded to know what Blanc meant by a “fair duel.”

After Blanc defeated the girls in the cathedral competition, Lucy realized he had hidden their matches so the next contestant would enter without knowing the rules. The guild watched as the broadcast resumed for the final match, where Laxus faced Blanc while Freed prepared to sneak in and alter the Jutsu Shiki.

• Levy, Juvia, Bisca, Laki, Happy, and Cana returned from their matches and complained about Blanc’s unfair competition.
• Lucy returned devastated after Blanc defeated her at the last moment, but she realized he had deliberately cut off the broadcast to keep future contestants ignorant.
• Erza and Mira joined the others in condemning Blanc, while Makarov worried that he could no longer rely on them to deal with Laxus.
• The light screen began showing Blanc and Laxus facing each other inside Cardia Cathedral, and the guild eagerly watched the final match.
• Outside the cathedral, Laxus told Freed to stay hidden and modify the Jutsu Shiki while he kept Blanc occupied.
• Blanc recalled that Lucy had nearly defeated him before he drew a Combo Starter Card and knocked her out.

Laxus arrived at the Cathedral to challenge Blanc for the Guild Master position, but Blanc trapped them in a card-game duel instead of a physical fight. As Laxus considered seven decks, the guild members watched and hoped he would choose the same decks that had frustrated them in their own matches against Blanc.

• Laxus entered the Cathedral and challenged Blanc to settle the competition for the title of strongest and the Guild Master position.
• Blanc activated a Jutsu Shiki field that enclosed them in a Virtual Chessboard arena and gave them devices for a card-game duel.
• Laxus read the rules, decided to play along, and planned to use the duel to buy time for Freed to modify the Jutsu Shiki.
• Blanc let Laxus choose from seven decks, and Laxus began inspecting each one.
• Laki, Bisca, and Lisanna urged Laxus to select decks that had caused them trouble, while Lucy noticed that Erza and Mira were silently sharing their resentment of Blanc.