— — — — — — —
After Six Months
Right now, the S-Class Mage Promotion Trial was being held. But Kitaro decided to go see a person while he was at it.
"Ahem, I want to learn the Three Great Fairy Spells."
---
"Even though the Three Great Fairy Spells aren't meant to be easily passed down, since you're a member of Fairy Tail, it's fine."
MavisVermillion agreed to teach Uchiha Kitaro without hesitation, which honestly surprised him. After all, these were legendary spells.
But Mavis had no ulterior motives—if someone was a Fairy Tail member, that was enough for her.
Before long, she started teaching Kitaro the Three Great Spells. To be honest, if he hadn't spent the past six months learning magic theory, he wouldn't have understood a word she was saying.
Even with that preparation, there were still many things he didn't grasp, so he constantly asked Mavis questions.
Fortunately, Mavis was more than happy to teach him. In fact, she was an outstanding teacher—far better than Makarov. Her explanations were clear and easy to understand, cutting straight to the essence of magic itself.
While Kitaro was learning from Mavis, the others were busy taking part in the S-Class Mage Promotion Trial.
---
Meanwhile, deep in the forest…
"What the hell is that?!"
Lucy was running for her life, screaming in terror. A massive, crocodile-like monster was chasing her and Cana Alberona, its razor-sharp teeth looking absolutely deadly.
The beast rampaged through the forest, effortlessly smashing trees into splinters.
"Run faster, Lucy!!" Cana shouted.
The monster lunged at Lucy with its gaping maw.
"EEEEK!!"
She barely dodged in time, the creature biting straight through a tree as if it were nothing.
"Please, nooo!!"
---
Elsewhere, Gray and Loke were also running for their lives, pursued by a flock of aggressive, giant birds.
Gray said while running, "If you wanna be an S-Class Mage, this is nothing!!"
"You sure love acting tough," Loke muttered.
At the same time, Elfman Strauss and Evergreen were being chased by a monstrous spotted boar.
"This way, Evergreen!"
"Shut up! Stop ordering me around!"
Not far away, Natsu clenched his flaming fist and delivered a devastating uppercut to a massive beast.
BOOM!
The monster crashed to the ground.
"Man, tough luck running into Natsu," Happy quipped.
"Whew..."
Natsu wiped the sweat from his forehead. Taking down such a huge creature wasn't easy, especially since he had just fought Gajeel and Levy not long ago. His magic and stamina hadn't fully recovered yet.
"Not bad, Natsu! Let's keep going!"
"Wait, hold up, Happy." Natsu suddenly grabbed the unconscious monster's face and yelled, "Tell me where the First Guild Master's grave is!!"
"Huh?! You're actually asking it?!"
Happy was stunned that Natsu would even try talking to the beast.
"I don't know," the creature responded.
"Oh, okay." Natsu nodded.
"...IT TALKED?!"
Happy's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"But seriously, how are we supposed to find the grave with no clues at all…?"
Natsu was getting frustrated. He had assumed this second trial would be easy, but now they were wandering around like headless chickens. If they didn't find the grave in time, they would fail.
"Wait a sec… we can't find the grave, but we can find Kitaro!"
"Yeah, but how are we gonna find him?"
"Simple—I'll track his scent! If he's been through here, I'll sniff him out!"
"Whoa, Natsu, that's actually kinda smart!"
"Let's go!"
"Aye, sir!"
— — —
Back at the temporary base on Tenrou Island…
"What?! Elfman and Evergreen are getting married?!"
Erza nearly dropped her food when she heard Mira's shocking statement.
"No, no, I think it was just a tactic to shake me up. Then, while I was stunned, they hit me with a sneak attack."
"I mean… I think those two wouldn't actually end up together… right?" Mira wasn't entirely sure.
Lisanna chimed in, "Elfman and Evergreen, huh? They do kinda suit each other…"
Meanwhile, Juvia was surprised to see Gajeel arriving at the base.
"Gajeel-kun, you lost too?"
It was shocking to her. Gajeel was the ace of the Phantom Lord guild back in the day, yet even he couldn't defeat someone who wasn't even an S-Class Mage yet.
It made her realize just how deep Fairy Tail's strength truly was.
It wasn't just Uchiha Kitaro—Gildarts and Laxus were on another level entirely.
Even Erza.
Juvia had once thought they were roughly equal in strength, maybe with Erza having a slight edge.
But in their recent fight, she had been completely overwhelmed. The power gap was undeniable.
No wonder Master Jose Porla used to look down on Fairy Tail—he had no idea how powerful they really were.
"Tch."
Gajeel was pissed. He hated losing, but losing to that damn fire-breathing idiot? It was the worst.
Did this mean the Iron Dragon was weaker than the Fire Dragon?
"Well, we did our best," Levy said, trying to console him. "Natsu's just gotten way stronger."
She wasn't too disappointed. In fact, she felt relieved.
Honestly, her strength was still lacking. Even if she had somehow won, she would've been the weakest S-Class Mage ever.
That would've been embarrassing for Fairy Tail.
After all, being an S-Class Mage wasn't just about status and honor—it was a responsibility.
And in Fairy Tail, the S-Class Mages were all monsters.
---
Meanwhile, high above the ocean…
A massive airship was speeding toward Tenrou Island.
It belonged to Grimoire Heart.
Inside, Ultear was putting on her battle gear, preparing for war.
Zancrow smirked. "You're pretty fired up today, Ultear."
Caprico nodded. "Of course. There's no doubt—this is gonna be a full-scale war."
Melody suddenly pointed forward. "Ur! Look!"
Ultear's gaze turned sharp. "Don't call me Ur."
"S-Sorry!"
"Relax, geez. What do you see, Melody?"
"The island—it's in sight now. The holy ground of the Fairy Tail guild."
.
.
.