A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

"I should be the one who's angry! Ranked below the Fire Dragon, they don't even have a chance to make it to the semi-finals!" Gajeel shouted, pointing at Marcus, Wakaba, Levy, and the others. "Even they can make it to the later rounds, this scoring system is so unfair!"

Kira rolled his eyes and said, "Luck is also part of strength. Who told you to be the first to be eliminated? If Juvia had been one step ahead, the situation for our two teams would have been completely reversed..."

"Damn it! Why are you so slow?!" Gajeel turned his resentment toward Juvia.

But Juvia ignored him and squeezed next to Gray, shouting, "Lord Gray, what's going on between you and Erza...?"

On the other side, Levy comforted Lucy: "It's such a pity, Lucy almost won."

"Hehehe... It's alright, anyway, even if we win the preliminary round, we won't be able to win the later rounds!"

Rocky laughed, "But I heard that the top four in this competition will all receive prize money!"

"What?!" Lucy was shocked and cried with regret, "Waaah... What a pity!"

Jett and Dorael, who were following Levy, were speechless with embarrassment: "Even if you win the preliminary round, you still can't possibly make it into the top four, right..."

Lucy huffed, "That's not necessarily true. After all, even Laxus didn't make it to the playoffs. Maybe I had a chance! Speaking of which, Rei-chan, you actually managed to surpass Laxus and make it to the playoffs. That's amazing!"

Levy, blushing and nervous, nervously twirled a corner of her skirt with her fingers and said, "It's all luck! I might lose the match tomorrow..."

Kana, her face flushed, nudged Bisca with her elbow: "You're really lucky, you managed to get 12 points by clinging to Kira's coattails."

Without a doubt, she went straight into drinking mode as soon as the competition ended.

"Don't underestimate me, I tried my best too, at least I beat Rocky!" Bisca showed no remorse, completely forgetting that she was using a cheat-like weapon, "I ended the battle with just one shot!"

Rocky retorted, "We won because we used Kira's weapons..."

"In short, a win is a win!"

"Bishka is amazing!" Alzak, who was standing to the side, was so immersed in the joy of his lover's victory that he felt no sense of the fact that the two of them were no match for him and that he had lost and whose score was only a fraction of Bishka's.

People's joys and sorrows are not shared. In a corner, a few people with neither points nor strength huddle together for warmth.

Pikitta: "Why am I the only one with 0 points...?"

Warren: "Forget it, we're just there for show."

Marcao: "Exactly! Look at Nob, he didn't do anything in Kira's team and still got 6 points, but he still failed to make the cut like us."

Norb: "Take it easy, nothing is insurmountable."

Kira stared at the rankings on the screen, deep in thought: "They specifically listed the top sixteen names. My opponents in the upcoming matches must be related to this ranking, right?"

As if to answer his question, Dispel, sitting among the judges, announced: "The rules for the next battle are as follows..."

The sound rang out, and everyone stopped arguing and turned their attention to it.

"The first place team plays against the last place team, the second place team plays against the second-to-last place team, and so on, to determine the top eight. Then, the same method is used to hold the semi-finals, finals, and finals. The last person left is the champion."

As he explained, a pyramid-shaped pattern appeared on the screen, representing the eight battles of tomorrow:

Kira vs. Levy

Gray vs. Cana

Erza VS Mystergan

Fred vs. Abba Green

Bisca VS Natsu

Biguslo vs Marcus

Mira vs Wakaba

Elfman vs. Rocky

Upon seeing the matchups, Kira's expression immediately became quite interesting: "Looking at it this way, my next opponents are Levy, Gray or Cana, Erza or Mystogan, Mira or Natsu... These won't be easy."

If I go too far, won't I get yelled at? But I definitely can't hold back against Erza or Mira.

"Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I've fought them, and I'm getting a little itchy..."

It's true that Gray has become stronger, but Cana has her own cards to back her up, so she might actually win. After all, even Bisca could defeat Loki, so what's impossible for her?

Thinking this, Kira turned to look at the two of them. The expected tense scene did not happen, because Cana was already half drunk, and Gray was still arguing with Natsu.

"Hahaha, Gray, your ranking is really pathetic. What's the use of high points? You're destined not to make it into the top four!"

"Huh? You're just fighting one more match. You'll lose to Mirasan anyway, so what's the difference between you and me?"

"That's different; there's a prize for making it to the semifinals!"

On the other side, Erza was in high spirits and full of fighting spirit: "I didn't expect to have to fight you again tomorrow, Mystogan."

Mystergang: "..."

What's going on?! You want to fight me again?!

"Next up is Kira, and if we're lucky enough to win, there's Mira next. They're all formidable opponents!"

Mira: "First Natsu, then Kira? This is going to be tricky!"

Although Mira spoke with a worried tone, her words revealed an inexplicable confidence, as if she had already foreseen that she would defeat Natsu and that Kira would defeat Erza.

Elfman: "Go, sister! A real man takes first place with his fists!"

He and Rocky are about the same strength, and even if he wins, he still can't beat Mira.

But Mira still encouraged her brother, saying, "Let's cheer each other on, Elfman!"

Marcus: "These guys are totally disregarding us..."

Bisca pounded the ground in frustration: "After all, the difference in our strength is too great. It seems that second place is useless!"

Wakaba smoked a cigarette, looking dejected. "Forget it, it's better to just participate in a battle that's obviously unwinnable."

Levy sobbed, "Just as I suspected, my hunch was right. Even if we make it to the semifinals, we'll be eliminated tomorrow. Now I just hope Kira will go easy on us..."

Upon hearing this, the two guardian wolves jumped out.

"Levy, don't be sad, we'll take care of you!"

"For you, we're willing to beg Kira to show mercy!"

Levy: "You two should just be quiet..."

Chapter 163 The Beginning! This punch, the culmination of 20 years of hard work!

The following morning, at the same time, the stadium was packed with people.

"The first Fairy Tail Magic Tournament, Round of 16, is about to begin! Please enter, sixteen contestants!!"

Dispel remained on stage as host, while Maklov, Mayor Magnolia, and a reporter continued watching the performance.

"What do you think of today's match, Chairman Maklov?"

The old man chuckled and said, "I don't know either! But for me, who wins or loses isn't important. What's important is that Fairy Tail has a successor..."

This answer was so honest that the reporter couldn't refute it at all; he could only silently take photos and record the details.

Amid cheers, applause, shouts, and background music played by the organizers through loudspeakers, sixteen figures entered the contestants' waiting area.

"These sixteen contestants, through their own strength and wisdom, have overcome numerous obstacles to reach this point, passing through the preliminary rounds and the initial competition. They are the most outstanding mages in Fairy Tail. Let's give them a round of applause!"

"Go for it, 'Sage'!"

"Defeat them, Fire Dragon!"

"Fairy Queen!! You must win!"

"I love you, Mirasan!"

"..."

Without a doubt, among these sixteen people, these four have the most fans and the highest popularity because they have nicknames.

Of the eight battles to be fought today, the one with the least controversy is the fight between Killer, Freed, Natsu, Biggleslow, and Mira. The two sides are vastly different in strength, and it can almost be said to be one-sided.

The most exciting battle is between Erza and Mystogan, two S-class mages. Although we saw them fight yesterday, there was no clear winner then. Today, there might be an even more exciting performance.

Between Gray and Cana, Gray should theoretically have a better chance of winning, but both of their strengths have improved by leaps and bounds recently, and Cana has received Kira's card assistance, making the outcome uncertain;

Elfman and Rocky are evenly matched, one strong and the other fast, so the outcome is hard to predict. But barring any surprises, today should be their last moment of glory in this competition. The winner between the two will face Mira tomorrow, but his chances of winning are slim.

The eight matches will be played in sequence, with Kira vs. Levy being the first.

Just before going on stage, Kira was blocked by Dhorel and Jet. In front of everyone, the two of them hugged his legs and cried out, "Kira, please, please be gentle with Levy!"

Levy blushed and tugged at their clothes with her little hands: "Don't do this, it's so embarrassing!"

The two said in unison, "No! Levy, we'd do anything, no matter how shameful, for you!"

"Let me go, you two! Don't you feel disgusted doing this?"

The two shouted in unison again, "We won't release you! Unless you agree to our demands!!"

I can't be bothered with you!

Not wanting to say another word, Kira strained, preparing to pull his thigh out, but... he couldn't.

Kira: "..."

Simps are really something else!

He couldn't help but look up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, sighed, and said, "Alright, I agree. Now you can let go, right?"

"Thank you so much, Kira! From now on, you're our benefactor!"

"Ha ha……"

Levy is 17 years old this year, 3 years younger than Kira. The magic she uses is three-dimensional text magic, which can create three-dimensional text and realize the meaning of words, and then throw it at the opponent to attack. She is not strong, but she is good at supporting.

Words and speech magic, one is to achieve magic through writing, and the other is to achieve magic through speaking. Both have a wide range of uses. From this point of view, the two magics have a certain similarity. It can be said that Kira is a high-end version of Levy.

For this reason, Levy often asked Kira for advice on magic within the guild, and the two could be considered half master and apprentice.

The two stood on the competition platform.

On one side, Kira, with his red hair and white clothes, exudes heroic spirit. His bright, sky-blue eyes reveal endless confidence and composure, and his platinum cape billows in the wind, showcasing his masterful demeanor.

On the other side, Levy's eyes darted around, her hand gripping the magic pen trembling, showing no confidence whatsoever.