— — — — — — —
Natsu and Happy finally arrived.
With Natsu's sharp nose and Happy's high-speed mobility, they were able to track down Uchiha Kitaro's location. And sure enough, he had found the First Guild Master's grave.
"Natsu!!"
Makarov was a bit surprised. Natsu actually made it here? This stage of the exam might seem simple, but it was also meant to test one's intelligence.
"Huh? Who's she?"
Natsu looked at the unfamiliar girl standing there.
"Show some respect! This is our guild's First Master!"
"Wha—?!!"
Both Natsu and Happy froze in shock. The First Master?!
Fairy Tail had been around for over a hundred years. Shouldn't the First Master be centuries old? How was she a young girl?
And if she was really the First Master, then what was the deal with this grave? That only left one possibility…
"G-G-Ghost!!!"
Natsu and Happy clung to each other, screaming in terror.
BAM! BAM!
Makarov's arm stretched out, smacking them both on the head.
Sure, he'd thought the same thing when he first saw the First Master appear, but at least he had the sense to keep his mouth shut!
Just then, more people arrived.
"Cana! Over here!!"
Lucy called out.
She and Cana ran toward the group.
"We found it! We finally found it! Thank goodness!"
Cana was thrilled. This was the closest she had ever been to becoming an S-Class Wizard. She had passed both the first and second tests, and now only the third remained.
If she could clear this final stage, she'd become an S-Class Wizard.
Gray's voice rang out next: "Yeah! This is great!"
Moments later, Gray and Loki appeared as well.
"Gray! Loki?! What are you doing here…?"
Loki smirked. "We followed you."
"You what?"
"I figured Lucy's brain would be useful for this stage. This test isn't just about strength; it's about intelligence and cunning too. The best strategy was to follow the most likely winners."
"And since we couldn't track Uchiha Kitaro, we followed you instead."
"That's so underhanded!!"
"Wait, who's that girl?"
Everyone now turned their attention to Mavis. And when they learned that this young girl was none other than Fairy Tail's legendary First Master, they all looked like they'd seen a ghost.
"W-Wait… she's really… the First Master…?!"
"That's right."
After some explanations, the group finally understood Mavis's situation.
Makarov sighed, rubbing his temples. "I can't believe four teams made it through the second test. I thought the exam would end here."
If the second stage had eliminated everyone, they wouldn't even need a third.
"Now, only Elfman and Evergreen's team is missing."
"Gramps! Hurry up and start the next test!" Natsu urged, clearly itching to become an S-Class Wizard.
"Patience! The second stage isn't officially over yet. Elfman and Evergreen might still make it. For fairness' sake, we'll wait."
While waiting, the group chatted and soon learned that while they had been struggling with the second test, Uchiha Kitaro had already passed—and had taken down the strongest Dark Guild, Grimoire Heart, along the way.
Everyone was dumbfounded. Was this even the same exam?!
It was like they were all high school students taking a difficult exam, while Kitaro had already finished, aced a PhD test, and taken down a criminal organization on the side.
And all of this had happened without them even knowing there had been a crisis.
Time passed quickly. When the cutoff time arrived, Elfman and Evergreen were nowhere to be seen, meaning they had failed this stage.
"Well… time's up."
"The teams advancing to the third and final test are: Uchiha Kitaro, Natsu and Happy, Lucy and Cana, and Gray and Loki. Now, let's begin the—"
Suddenly!
"ROOOOAAAARRRR!!!"
A deafening roar echoed across the sky.
"What was that sound?!"
"That… that's…"
"That's the roar of a dragon…"
Natsu's expression changed. It had been years since he had heard that sound.
Uchiha Kitaro smirked. "So, it's finally here."
"There!!"
Happy pointed toward the sky. Everyone looked up.
"What the hell is that?!!"
"It's huge!"
"A… a dragon?!"
"No way!!"
"A real dragon… So dragons still exist in this world."
Natsu was overwhelmed with emotion. Ever since Igneel had disappeared, he had searched for him. But no matter where he looked, everyone told him that dragons were nothing more than myths—that they had vanished long ago.
He had scoured ancient texts, all of which confirmed that dragons had once roamed the earth… but that was over 400 years ago.
But he had been raised by Igneel! How could dragons not exist?!
Makarov, however, recognized the beast immediately. His face turned pale. "That's the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse… Acnologia."
This dragon was no myth. It was a living catastrophe. Whenever it appeared, destruction followed.
Countless nations had been wiped out by this monster. Every recorded encounter with Acnologia had ended in annihilation. It was a force of nature, a walking disaster.
"Hey! Do you know where Igneel is?! What about Grandeeney and Metalicana?!"
Natsu shouted desperately toward the dragon.
"Shut up, Natsu!!"
Makarov tried to stop him.
But it was too late. The Black Dragon had heard him.
It turned its gaze toward them and began its descent.
"It's coming down!!!"
"ROOOOOOAAAARRRR!!!"
Acnologia let out another earth-shaking roar. A deep, primal fear gripped everyone's hearts. Even Natsu, reckless as he was, realized he had just made a terrible mistake.
Acnologia charged straight toward them.
Makarov shouted, "RUN!!!"
He prepared to transform, ready to hold off the dragon and give the others a chance to escape.
But—
SWOOSH!!!
In an instant, Uchiha Kitaro drew his sword, unleashing a colossal slash aimed directly at Acnologia.
.
.
.