Fairy Tail: You said you were just acting, are you serious?

Then, one of the proctors who was standing to the side walked to the center of the stage, seemingly the chief proctor and referee for this stage.

He took out a magic megaphone and scanned the waiting area of ​​the young mages.

"Now, please have the two fighters in the first match step into the ring immediately."

Guided by the two assistant proctors, Ron and Eric walked up the steps to the ring, one on the left and one on the right, and faced each other in the center.

The chief examiner then looked at Eric, then at Ron, and instructed him:

"The rules for the elimination tournament were sent to you yesterday, right? Have you all memorized them?"

Seeing that Ron and Eric nodded, the chief examiner, for safety's sake, raised the magical megaphone, looked around the room, and loudly announced the rules of the practical test.

"I want to emphasize this to you again: the rules of the knockout stage!"

First, the contestant who falls out of the ring area is eliminated.

Second, players who are seriously injured and lose consciousness are eliminated.

Third, any competitor who voluntarily concedes defeat during the fight is also eliminated.

Then, the chief examiner warned sternly:

"One last reminder: this is just an assessment. Maliciously killing someone is strictly prohibited! If it is determined to be malicious assault, not only will you be disqualified on the spot, but you will also be sent to the council for judgment!"

"clear."

Eric responded to the proctor, his gaze still fixed on Ron in front of him.

"no problem."

Ron stretched his neck and responded casually.

The chief examiner, observing the two individuals' different states, then stood on a square platform that was suspended to the side.

The chief examiner then moved the platform away from the ring, giving the two of them complete space.

The proctors quickly stepped forward and stood in the corners of the observation area, activating a light blue magic circle.

To prevent accidental magical injuries to the spectators, a hemispherical transparent layer instantly created a perfect barrier over the entire spacious arena.

After confirming that the barrier was completely closed, the chief examiner, who was suspended in mid-air, raised his right hand.

As he swung his arm downwards, he announced:

"The first match begins now!"

As soon as the referee finished speaking, Eric revealed an arrogant smile, and a dark purple magic circle instantly lit up in his hand.

"It's finally starting, Poison Fang!"

Then, poisonous mist spewed out from Eric's magic circle, and a large amount of poisonous mist formed a dark purple snake that opened its mouth and bit at Ron!

Faced with this attack, Ron reached into his pouch and, with lightning speed, dodged the giant snake.

"You can't run away!"

Eric then unleashed another poison mist, which he then directed at Ron.

Pfft!

In that instant, a white magic circle appeared on Ron's body, and a puff of white smoke appeared around him.

As the white smoke dissipated, a bird formed of white clay appeared out of thin air behind Ron.

The bird had a wingspan of about two meters. Its beady eyes looked at Ron, and then it reached out with its claws and grabbed Ron's shoulder.

Swish~!

Just as the purple fangs were about to strike, the clay bird suddenly flapped its wings and soared into the sky, dodging the attack.

The fang missed its target and then vanished with the wind.

"what?!"

Eric looked up, staring incredulously at Ron, who was suspended in mid-air.

How come the information didn't mention that this magical clay can be molded into such a large bird?

Ron maintained his air superiority and looked up at the giant bird.

Fortunately, I drew a higher-level Deidara again before, which finally allowed me to fully utilize the magic clay.

Ron then controlled the bird, constantly dodging the poisonous fog attacks.

"You despicable bastard! Come down and fight me if you dare!"

Eric hurriedly called out to Ron, chasing after him back and forth, trying to find a weakness in him.

Ron chuckled and said with a smile:

"Come up here if you dare."

Ron noticed that he didn't have any snakes with him, so he came up with this method to keep his distance.

"Tsk!"

Eric clicked his tongue on the surface, but inside he was overjoyed and felt no anger at all.

From Eric's perspective, a faint cloud of poisonous mist was gathering higher up above Ron, gradually thickening.

His seemingly aimless poison mist attacks, while missing their mark, actually rose into the air with the wind and air currents, waiting for Ron to exploit a weakness.

If Ron pauses in the air for even a moment, he can instantly trigger the poisonous fog above. If Ron inhales some of the fog, it will cause nerve paralysis, and he will fall to the ground.

Eric found it strange that Ron wasn't attacking him since he had the advantage.

Just then, after being carried by the white bird and circling in the air a few times, Ron began to slow down and hovered in mid-air.

His and the bird's shadows blocked out the sunlight, creating huge black shadows on the ground.

This enormous black shadow completely enveloped Eric.

When Eric saw him stop, he couldn't help but smile.

Then he thought to himself that he should raise his hands and use magic to draw the poisonous fog to the top of Ron's head!

However, just as he was about to cast the spell, he realized something was wrong.

His body was completely immobile!

He tried to summon magic, but found that he couldn't even lift a finger; it was completely unresponsive.

"What happened?!"

Eric's pupils contracted instantly, a chill ran down his spine, and he felt a sense of dread.

It wasn't until then that he looked down and realized the reason!

Upon closer inspection, he discovered that a dark magic circle had been lit up in the shadows belonging to the birds beneath his feet!

Because he was covered by a shadow, he only noticed the magic circle when he looked intently at the ground.

When was it unleashed?!

Ron, hovering in mid-air, made a hand seal and smiled.

This kid thought I hadn't noticed what was happening above and was still looking for an opportunity.

Am I not also looking for an opportunity to take control of you in one fell swoop?

I'm not going to tell you that this is "Shadow Imitation Magic," kid!

I recently drew the Shadow Imitation Technique from Naruto - Shikamaru Nara, and this is the first time I've put it to use.

He circled for so long before finding the best angle, and then, at the last moment, he immediately cast a spell to control him.

"Don't just look at the sky, look at the ground too."

Chapter 105 A Victory Without a Scratch

Ron looked down at Eric with a triumphant smile.

"What on earth is going on?!"

Eric struggled but couldn't move, and could only stand there in frustration, roaring helplessly.

Ron didn't answer him, but instead manipulated the bird, making it release its claws.

As Ron fell, the dark shadow connecting the two of them quickly contracted.

Tap!

The soles of the shoes lightly kissed the white floor, making a soft thud.

Ron landed easily and steadily on his feet.

In the instant he landed, Eric's body involuntarily made the same slight knee-bending motion as Ron's.

"My body is mimicking your movements?!"

Eric stared at Ron, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

As Ron nodded in response to Eric, Eric nodded back, the latter nodding in the same direction.

"You prepared a big gift for me, so I'll give you one in return."

Ron looked up at the clay bird circling in the air.

Eric, who looked up at the same time, saw only the silhouette of the white bird, and his forehead broke out in even more cold sweat.

"No, no, I will die!"

"Don't worry, I have a lot of experience kneading clay. I over-calculated, this is just right."

The amount of white clay used to make this bird was the one Ron prepared for Eric.

It's just right to get him out of the game without anyone dying.

Phew~!

Then, with a thought from Ron, the bird folded its wings in mid-air and then swooped straight down toward Eric's position!

Just as the bird was about to crash into the floor beneath Eric's feet, the shadow beneath Ron's feet vanished instantly, but it was too late for Eric.

"drink!"

A white magic circle lit up on the bird's body, emitting a dazzling light for a fleeting moment.

Boom!

The enormous explosion echoed throughout the entire arena.

"what!"

Then a scream rang out as Eric emerged from the thick, black smoke of the ring!

The shockwave from the explosion sent him flying, just as he was about to break free of control!

He flew in a parabolic arc through the air, clearing the edge of the ring and crashing heavily onto the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop.

The referee, suspended in mid-air, looked shocked and momentarily forgot to announce the verdict.

The referee looked at Eric outside the ring, who was now covered in charred ash.

The wisps of white smoke still lingered around Eric, who remained conscious, panting heavily.

The excruciating pain throughout his body left him without the strength to even stand up; all he could do was stare wide-eyed in disbelief.

"I...I actually lost..."

He gritted his teeth, reluctantly uttering those words, and then, without expending any more energy, his breathing became even more labored.

The referee, finally snapping out of his daze, raised his right hand high and loudly announced:

"Eric is seriously injured and has fallen out of the ring. He's out!"

He then immediately pointed his right hand to the thick smoke on the arena and continued:

"The winner of the first elimination round is Fairy Tail's Ron White!"

The thick smoke from the arena gradually dissipated, finally revealing Ron's figure.

He stood there unharmed, completely unscathed from the entire competition.

Snap... Snap... Snap...