A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Moreover, this wasn't even END's full power; it was just a casual punch that sent Etelias's most perfect masterpiece flying. This shocked Zeref, but also made him very gratified.

"What terrifying power..."

Behind Zeref, Timalia and the others were all shocked. Larcade's physical strength was almost the strongest among all the Twelve Shields. Not to mention August, who had entered the stage of old age and physical decline, even Irene in her human form might not be able to compare with him. And now he was actually punched away and even burned to a bloody mess. How could they not be shocked?

"If I were to take a punch like that, I would probably lose my fighting ability immediately..."

For some reason, Timalia suddenly felt a pain in her face, as if she had been hit by something in the dark. When she turned her head, she realized that she wasn't the only one who felt this way; Neinhart was also acting strangely.

After sending Larcade flying with a single punch, Natsu didn't stop. Instead, he pressed his advantage, his body leaping out like lightning once more. Perhaps because he was in END mode, he didn't use Dragon Slayer Magic techniques, but instead used the most direct fire-wrapping attack. The pure energy amplified his destructive power, making each of his punches incredibly terrifying.

Bang!Bang!Bang!

The dense fist shadows created sonic booms, and as the air exploded, the fire pulsed even more violently.

"That's right! That's exactly it! The stronger you are, the more meaningful it is to defeat you!"

Seeing this, Larcade, contrary to his usual self, revealed an excited and joyful smile, "Peace of Death!!"

Dark white magical turbulence formed tentacles that surged toward Natsu. The Desire Magic, though different in effect, was just as powerful, causing the 20-year-old boy to let out a trembling groan.

Sleep is a desire inherent in all living beings, because during sleep, living beings can restore their physical and mental strength to the greatest extent possible, and restoring physical and mental strength is for the purpose of better survival. In addition, the desire for sleep is also related to sloth, one of the seven deadly sins, and sloth is essentially a behavior of life that seeks to benefit and avoid harm.

Therefore, it is said that the desire for sleep, like the desire for reproduction, is an irresistible desire for all living beings, because their essence is the desire for survival.

In this magical world, sufficient sleep is essential for mages to restore their magical power to the greatest extent. Therefore, mages crave sleep even more, not only in terms of duration but also in terms of quality.

The higher the quality of sleep, the more attractive it is to life. Larcade's desire magic activates this super-high quality sleep desire that is extremely attractive to life. If he wanted, this quality could even be so high that it would prevent the other party from ever waking up again.

Of course, the END in front of him, or rather Natsu, is not his enemy, but his uncle, someone Zeref explicitly ordered to 'exchange and improve with each other, but not to kill each other'. Therefore, Larcade would definitely not let Natsu sleep to death, and thus did not use 'Death's Sleep' at full power.

Nevertheless, this biological instinct is enough to give Natsu a run for his money.

Flames soared, intending to incinerate the oncoming tentacle monsters as before, but this time Natsu underestimated the power of 'Death's Rest'. Although he used the flames to attack instead of defend, burning away 70-80% of these attacks, some still managed to escape and entangle Natsu's body at the last moment.

"We succeeded!!"

Larcade was overjoyed and "pulled the magic even harder, trying to make the urge to sleep take over Natsu's body and make him unable to continue fighting."

However, just as Natsu underestimated the power of sleep magic, Larcade also underestimated Natsu's fire.

"Hooohoo!!"

But then Natsu's eyes turned pitch black, and he let out a long roar. His magical power surged, and dark red flames surged once more, this time with greater intensity, higher heat, and a darker nature. If Natsu's previous flames were like the sun high in the sky, then these flames were like flames crawling out of hell, filled with all negative emotions such as darkness, evil, chaos, fear, and cruelty.

The flames once again incinerated the maggot-like attack, waking Natsu from his slumber. He then pressed forward again, engaging Larcade in combat.

Relying on their fighting instincts and powerful physiques, the two engaged in a tense and exciting close-quarters battle. Heads, fists, elbows, knees, kicks—every part of their bodies was used as a weapon, and they used it to the fullest. The battle was extremely intense, shocking the audience, who cheered and encouraged them.

"Natsu looks completely different from usual..."

With a sharp tongue but a kind heart, Gray watched Natsu's figure fighting from afar and asked worriedly, "Hey, Kira! Is Natsu really okay? It looks like he's about to be consumed by the will of END!"

"Natsu isn't being consumed by the will of END; he is END itself!"

Kira corrected Gray's statement, confidently replying, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Nothing will happen! At most, Natsu will just be swallowed by darkness..."

"What did you say?! Swallowed by darkness?!" Gray immediately panicked upon hearing this, growling at Kira, "You call this knowing your limits?! You call this nothing?!"

"Ahem... For some reason, the Demon Seed within Natsu is actually in a state of suppressed growth, unable to mature at all. Only a tiny bit of END's power has leaked out. He'll be fine once he uses it up. The probability of him being devoured by darkness is very low!"

"What, don't you trust Natsu?"

"This...this..."

Gray pursed his lips. "Of course I believe Natsu, but this is still very dangerous! No matter how you look at it, there's no need to activate the END power, right? What if he really becomes END?!"

"It doesn't matter, I'll take action!"

If it really comes to that, then the only option left is to rewrite the book of END.

In the original work, Lucy and Gray were both able to rewrite the Book of End. Now, in addition to the two of them, there is also Zeref, the creator of the END, as well as Mavis, Precht, and August, three well-read magical geniuses. Successfully rewriting the Book of End will be a piece of cake.

Boom!!

Finally, amidst a deafening explosion, Natsu unleashed the leaked END into a single Flame Smash, a devastating attack that destroyed ninety percent of the arena. Larcade, however, avoided the brunt of the attack, using his powerful physique and extensive experience to find an opening in the crimson sea of ​​fire. He withstood the flames and broke through, taking advantage of Natsu's magic cooldown to invade his body with countless Death Sleep magical tentacles.

But the moment Natsu closed his eyes, all the flames around him vanished, the arena returned to calm, leaving only Natsu lying in Larcade's arms and Ultear fast asleep in the ice coffin.

Chapter 744 The Banquet

July 6, X786, the first Grand Magic Games of the Kingdom of Fiore, day six.

After four thrilling battles, the four finalists of this Grand Magic Games were finally determined. Kira Hopelight, Laxus Dreia, Jura Regis, and Larcade Dragneel became the most sought-after legendary figures in Crocus in just half a day.

According to previous reports from the organizers, the Fiore royal family hosted a grand banquet and invited the winning team of the previous 11-person finals. However, what was unexpected was that not only the eleven members of Kira's team were invited, but also the other eleven members of Laxus's team, who were in the loser's bracket.

As night fell, the Fairy Tail members—Kira, Natsu, Cana, Laxus, Erza, and Mira—who had been invited to the banquet, arrived at the royal palace together.

The banquet was a typical European affair, held in a palace. The palace was lavishly decorated, with stained glass windows, crystal chandeliers, stone gallery murals, green plants, and red carpets—everything was the most expensive and luxurious in the Kingdom of Fiore. Every inch of the palace exuded a nobility and elegance that made the roughnecks of Fairy Tail uncomfortable.

The only thing that felt familiar to them was the way the banquet was conducted.

Several dining tables were set up in the palace, laden with various delicacies, exquisite fruits and pastries, and wines and beverages. Invited mages could enjoy the food and chat freely while listening to soothing and elegant music.

Because it was an invitation from the royal family, everyone dressed up in their finest attire, which was quite unusual. Erza, Mira, and Cana, of course, wore their favorite gowns and dresses, standing in the crowd like three noble princesses, attracting the attention of many people.

In contrast, Kira, Laxus, and Natsu's outfits conveyed very different vibes: Kira, with his handsome looks and elegant demeanor, appeared as a courteous gentleman in his white shirt, brown vest, and striped tie; Natsu's white suit was quite nice, but his boisterous movements and impulsive speech made him seem like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world; and finally, Laxus, who also wore a suit, looked more like a bodyguard than someone attending a banquet.

Kana staggered into the small group of people, carrying a half-empty bottle of liquor, and complained, "If we had known we'd be invited regardless of winning or losing, why did we play so seriously yesterday and today? We could have just played casually and still had a great meal. It was so much easier, less stressful, and more enjoyable!"

Erza shook her head seriously and retorted, "You can't say that. Maybe they made an exception and invited us because they saw how hard we were working in the competition?"

Kira chimed in, "Exactly! The fact that you can say things like that shows you're still a long way from becoming a great mage!"

Upon hearing the words "become an excellent mage," Natsu immediately perked up: "Hmm? Why do you say that?"

At this point, Mila, acting as a confidante, explained: "It's just like at work. Whether you do the work, how you do it, and how well you do it are all up to you, but how much you get paid is up to the client. When it's time to settle the payment at the end of the work, the other party can give you more, but you can't take it for granted that they should give you more, or even become passive and unmotivated because of it!"

Natsu seemed to suddenly realize something: "Hmm... I see! I get it! It means that you should just give it your all in whatever you do!"

Laxus retorted speechlessly, "You completely misunderstood..."

"Speaking of Natsu, are you really alright?" Erza looked at Natsu again, her words full of concern, like an older sister who cares about her younger brother's health.

"Don't worry! I took a nap this afternoon, and when I woke up I felt refreshed and didn't feel uncomfortable at all!"

Those who don't know the reason behind the special flames Natsu used in his battle with Larcade today might not be able to guess END's story, but anyone familiar with Natsu would definitely notice the unusual nature of the flames. After all, Natsu's state at that time was completely different from usual. How could shrewd people like Erza, Laxus, and Mira not see it?

However, even Natsu himself was unaware of this matter. Although they were concerned, they had no way of finding out the specifics and could only hope that Chairman Makarov and Mavis would discover something.

The banquet invited a total of 22 mages. Apart from the six members of Fairy Tail, the other guild members were mostly in their own groups. Only those who were slightly more sociable would make a point of interacting with members of other guilds.

After all, this banquet invited almost all of the top mages in the entire Kingdom of Fiore. Taking this opportunity to expand their network, make more friends in the magic world, promote friendship between different magic guilds, and inquire about information about new magic guilds would only benefit them.

So-called banquets, in fact, mostly serve this purpose.

At this moment, some whetstones approached the two previously unheard-of magic guilds, 'Emperor's Shield' and 'Heart of the Dragon'. The mages had long been curious about the origins and foundations of these two dark horses in the competition, but they had not had the opportunity to have in-depth exchanges with them for so many days. Now was the perfect opportunity.

However, the two mages who participated in this banquet were either clueless or unresponsive, either aloof, irritable, or slow-witted. Among all the participants, there were very few they could get along with.

Agil is arrogant, domineering, and lawless; Timalia is bold and flirtatious, teasing girls; and Imber is cold and unapproachable. None of them seem like people who can be communicated with properly.

As for 'Witch's Sin' and 'Raven's Tail', everyone knows that the former is under the royal family's command, and all mages are clear about his identity and background. The latter is a dark guild that has temporarily whitewashed himself and has gathered a group of wandering mages, so no one cares about him.

So in the end, only the three families of 'Blue Pegasus', 'Snake Princess Scale', and 'Four-Headed Hound' remained, comforting each other and taking care of the group of immature young people with Jura at the center.

After several rounds of drinks, the hosts of the banquet, King Thomas and Princess Emerald, finally made their grand entrance.

Old Thomas was over forty years old, but he was less than a meter tall, even smaller than Wendy, a little girl. He wore a red crown, and you could see that his hair under the crown was already white, but he stubbornly combed it in a middle part like a young man, with the ends of his hair sticking up playfully, which made him look a bit comical.

Old Thomas's face was covered in wrinkles, perhaps from the stress of official duties, or perhaps from being blasted by magic while secretly hosting a competition—he still had a small mustache, but he walked like a child.

Princess Emerald was over twenty years old. She had fair skin, a beautiful face, red lips and white teeth, and a delicate, jade-like complexion. The young girl wore a red agate headband, and her long emerald-colored hair hung down to her waist. The red and green colors complemented each other perfectly. Coupled with an elegant and sophisticated white dress, she instantly became the focus of attention.

"Hey, are we dressed up so nicely that we might steal the princess's thunder and then get killed?"

Kana must have been quite drunk by now. She was walking unsteadily and speaking incoherently, and she even dared to say things like, "Will I get punished for stealing the princess's thunder?" It's clear that she was very intoxicated.

Is this something that can be discussed openly?

Kira, exasperated, could only try to shut her up with another bottle of liquor: "Come on, reality isn't a fairy tale. How could something so outrageous happen?"

Now he seriously doubted what Kana did after returning to her dorm. Could it be that she borrowed fairy tales from Levy? Otherwise, how could she talk—a scene rarely seen even in fairy tales?

"Welcome, esteemed mages, to the banquet I have hosted. I am Thomas Fiore, King of the Kingdom of Fiore!"

"I am Princess Emerald Fiore of the Emerald Kingdom." Princess Emerald was poised and graceful, possessing the air of a ruler more than the childlike King Thomas.

Having served as bodyguards for the Emerald Princess before, Kira and Jura were not seeing the father and daughter for the first time, while the others were seeing them for the first time and acted with great trepidation, except for the members of the 'Emperor's Shield,' who had only one emperor in their hearts.

After making a perfunctory inquiry about whether the food was delicious and whether the dinner was satisfactory, King Thomas began to reveal the true purpose of the banquet.

Chapter 745 Semifinals Begin: Kira vs. Jura

"What I'm about to say may sound a bit bizarre, but please believe me and lend me a hand!"

Seeing old Thomas suddenly say these words with such a serious expression, all the mages present, including Kira, were somewhat surprised, and even Cana sobered up a bit.

What's going on? I thought it was just a regular dinner party, but now this has happened?

Indeed, there's no such thing as a free lunch!

"What can we do to help you with?" Jura asked.

"Here's what happened: a few nights ago, before the Grand Magic Games began, I received a letter."

Old Thomas sighed wearily and said, "The letter says that tomorrow night, July 7th, more than 7 dragons will invade the skies above Crocus. These dragons are extremely powerful and possess terrifying destructive power. They will become a disaster for the Kingdom of Fiore, and even the entire Ishgar!"

"Therefore, I want to gather all the mages currently in Crocus to resist the dragon horde and prevent this disaster from happening!"

Upon hearing this news, all the mages were stunned, exchanging bewildered glances and whispering amongst themselves.

Kira was also surprised. He was the only one present who knew that something might happen tomorrow, but his information came from Wendy, number 5. He didn't expect that King Thomas also knew, and that the source of the information was a letter from several days ago, earlier than his own!

"You...you said there are ten thousand dragons?! Really?!"

"It's unbelievable that such a thing could happen!"

Compared to the shock and doubt of the others, Natsu seemed quite excited: "Dragons... isn't that the hunting ground for Dragon Slayers?"