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

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 loosen its claws.

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

Tap!

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

Ron cushioned his fall with his feet and landed easily and steadily.

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.

Ron nodded in response to Eric, who in turn nodded back, the same amount of nod as Ron.

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

Ron raised his head and looked at the clay birds circling in the air.

Eric looked up, but all he could see was the silhouette of the white bird, and his forehead was covered in even more cold sweat.

"No, no, I'll die!"

"Don't worry, I have a lot of experience kneading clay. I calculated that it was too much, this is just right."

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

This way, he can be eliminated without anyone dying.

Phew~!

Then, with a thought from Ron, the bird folded its wings in mid-air and 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, radiating a dazzling light for a fleeting moment.

Boom!!!

The enormous explosion resounded throughout the entire arena.

"what!"

Then a scream rang out, and Eric emerged from the thick black smoke on the ring!

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

He arced through the air, clearing the boundary of the ring, and crashed 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.

A few wisps of white smoke had not yet dissipated from Eric's body; he remained conscious, panting heavily.

The excruciating pain throughout his body left him too weak 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, before expending no more energy, his breathing becoming increasingly labored.

The referee, finally realizing what was happening, 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 rising from the arena, and continued:

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

As the thick smoke on the arena gradually dissipated, Ron's figure came into view.

He stood unharmed, completely unscathed from the entire competition.

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

"You played well in the first game!"

Speaker Crawford Sim applauded repeatedly after the results were announced.

Then the other judges joined in with applause, their faces beaming with excitement.

The remaining contestants had different expressions, but they all applauded.

"These two's magic—one's an explosion, the other's poisonous fog—is terrifying!"

"That's clay modeling magic, right? It's just that the clay is a bit peculiar; it explodes."

"It's good that the guy who learned poison mist magic was eliminated. Now we don't have to deal with such a troublesome guy."

"That guy in the suit actually took care of the other person without getting hurt?"

"It's just that Ron is using a trick. His magic has so many limitations, and this time it's been exposed. The next match will only be more difficult."

The young mages present began to analyze Ron in order to avoid facing him next time.

From their words, one could sense their relief that Ron had advanced to the quarterfinals, at least avoiding facing Eric, who used poison, and who seemed far more difficult to deal with.

Lahar stood at the edge of the crowd, slightly shocked.

"It seems Lord Ron is quite capable. The functionality of this clay modeling magic is too strong, allowing him to easily defeat his opponent."

The Oración Seis members who had infiltrated didn't have very pleasant expressions on their faces.

Sora clenched her fists, feeling anxious.

Eric, that idiot, actually let himself be made a fool of because he underestimated his opponent?

Now there are only two of us left. How are we going to compete with the Devil's Heart for a spot?

Dark Night remained silent, simply watching Ron on the arena, lost in thought.

The three members of the Demon Heart group, however, had different emotions.

Azuma shook his head. Clearly, Kebra's magical fluctuations were stronger than Ron's, yet he lost because he underestimated his opponent?

I still wanted to fight a stronger opponent, it's a pity this time.

Lastiros smiled and adjusted his glasses.

Unexpectedly, Ron still had other magic left, and he used it in the very first match.

Sacrificing Oración Seis in exchange for crucial intelligence—this deal is incredibly worthwhile.

Ultear gave Ron a subtle look.

This guy still loves to show off, and his strength seems to have increased even more than before.

But why do I feel that the magical energy fluctuations on his body are weaker than before?

I hadn't had much free time to pay attention to him before, and we only had a brief encounter yesterday before parting ways.

Only when she calmed down and carefully sensed it did she realize that the fluctuations in Ron's body when he cast magic were much weaker than before.

Urudia shook her head, hoping she wouldn't have to face him, so that their previous agreement could be maintained.

Standing in the front row, Councilor Toki Anderba smiled with satisfaction.

"This first match is a good start."

Yajima nodded in agreement, surprised that Ron, whom he had met a few times before, possessed such powerful magic.

As expected, dealing with those dark guilds was quite in line with my performance. Let's keep moving forward.

Then, the proctors carried the seriously injured Eric on a stretcher and took him to the hospital for treatment.

The referee only began announcing the start of the next match after witnessing Eric leave the open area.

"The next two contestants, please get into the ring as soon as possible, thank you!"

Ron stepped off the ring and returned to the waiting area, facing the gazes of the crowd.

He didn't care at all about the stares of others and began to wait to see the other matches to come.