Chapter 276: The Gap in Talent
The Fiore Kingdom is a land blessed by the spirits of nature, a place where magic flourishes more vibrantly than anywhere else on the continent of Ishgar.
Consequently, it has produced far more powerful Mages than any neighboring country.
A testament to this martial superiority is the distribution of the Ten Wizard Saints.
Despite being a continental title bestowed by the Magic Council, Fiore holds a staggering number of these seats.
There is Fairy Tail's Third Master, Makarov Dreyar, a titan of the previous generation.
There was the fallen Master of Phantom Lord, Jose Porla, whose darkness once rivaled Makarov's light.
And now, rising to the prominence of the Fifth Rank, is Lamia Scale's Ace, the Iron Rock, Jura Neekis.
Rumors even persist that among the Four Gods of Ishgar—the deities who stand above the human realm—one or more hail from this very kingdom.
Because the Ten Wizard Saints born in the Fiore Kingdom alone occupy nearly half the seats, the Magic Council has found itself in a political bind. They are naturally hesitant to bestow the title upon Ren, despite his overwhelming power.
Granting another Saint title to a Fairy Tail mage—especially one as volatile and god-like as Ren—would tip the balance of power too drastically. It would effectively declare Fiore, and specifically Fairy Tail, as the capital of military might.
"Hmph! Those stiff-necked geezers," Ren scoffed internally, swirling a glass of juice as he leaned against the hotel balcony. "I don't know if they're Mages or politicians. In the magic world, strength is king. If someone is strong, they should be given the title. If they watch a 'Saint' get trampled by a non-Saint, the ones losing face are them, not me."
Indeed, the Ten Wizard Saints are the face of the Council's authority. If a sanctioned Saint is defeated by an unsanctioned mage, the Council's judgment is called into question.
The Ten Wizard Saints symbolize national power. It is precisely because the Fiore Kingdom possesses several of them, coupled with numerous S-Class Mage Guilds, that other nations dare not provoke it.
[Location: Mercurius – The Royal Palace]
In a dimly lit chamber, illuminated only by the glow of magical crystals, a short figure wearing a large, comical pumpkin mascot head paced back and forth.
"Your Majesty," a voice rumbled from the shadows. The Knight Squadron Commander, Arcadios, bowed low. "Do you have any requests regarding the combat portion of the second day of the Grand Magic Games?"
King Toma E. Fiore, his voice muffled slightly by the pumpkin costume, hummed thoughtfully. "Well... kabo... Although I really want to see Ren-dono's other fighting styles, he has already appeared in the Hidden event. It wouldn't be appropriate for him to appear again so soon. We need to maintain the suspense!"
The King paused, tapping his chin. "And we also need to balance the score differences between the teams. If Fairy Tail A dominates too much, the audience will lose interest."
"A wise observation, Your Majesty."
"Oh right! I want to see him! That wild drunkard!" The King's eyes lit up behind the mask. "Add Bacchus to the Duel Group! The Drunken Falcon needs to fly!"
"Understood," Arcadios noted down the order. "Which team would you like to see the ace of Quatro Cerberus fight? Perhaps Erza Scarlet?"
"No, no. That matches too perfectly. I want something... wilder." The King waved his hands. "That large man from Fairy Tail... the one who can transform into beasts. The one who shouts about being a man. I can't quite recall the name... E... E..."
"Elfman Strauss, of Fairy Tail Team B?" Arcadios suggested.
"Yes! That's the one! Elfman vs. Bacchus! A battle of pure testosterone! Make it happen-kabo!"
"I understand. I will make the arrangements immediately. If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave."
"Thank you for your hard work, Commander. Please rest well."
[Location: Honeybone Hotel – Fairy Tail's Lodging]
While the King plotted the schedule, the atmosphere inside Fairy Tail's dedicated tavern was raucous. The gloom of placing last in the preliminaries had vanished, replaced by the fire of competition.
"Bring it on!!"
Natsu Dragneel shouted excitedly, his fists wreathed in flames.
Opposite him stood Max Alors. The former broom-haired background mage had grown up. He wore a confident smirk, sand swirling around his feet like obedient snakes.
"Don't underestimate the Seven Years, Natsu-san! Sandstorm!"
Max thrust his palms forward. A vortex of abrasive sand erupted, filling the center of the tavern. It was a spell with density and speed far superior to what he could muster before the time skip.
"Whoa! He's fast!" Natsu grinned, crossing his arms to block the grit.
"Take this! Sand Rebellion!" Max commanded the sand to solidify, attempting to bind Natsu's legs.
"Not enough!!" Natsu roared. He expanded his magic power, the heat instantly turning the sand to glass. "Fire Dragon's... Roar!!"
BOOM!
A controlled blast of fire decimated the sand construct and sent Max flying. The sand mage tumbled backward, crashing into a pile of empty barrels.
"Gwah!" Max groaned, staring at the ceiling. "I... I lost?"
"Amazing, Natsu!!"
"You suck, Max!! You couldn't even last a minute!"
Macao and Wakaba cheered, clinking their beer mugs together, celebrating the return of their ace's strength.
However, not everyone was celebrating.
Warren Rocko and Vijeeter Ecor looked at their fallen comrade with expressions of shock and bitter disbelief.
"Why..." Vijeeter clenched his fist. "Why did he get so strong in just three months?!"
"What was our seven years even for!" Warren whispered, his voice trembling. "We held the guild together. We fought off creditors. We trained every single day while they were sleeping in a fairy sphere. Max... Max was supposed to be strong now."
They had trained diligently. They had swallowed their pride and worked hard to change the status quo of the fallen Fairy Tail. Yet Max, who could arguably suppress Natsu three months ago when the Tenrou Team first returned, now had no power to resist him.
The gap was widening again. It was too unfair.
Ren sat in the corner, nursing his drink, observing the scene with his sharp eyes. He shook his head helplessly.
'This is the gap in talent,' Ren thought, a tinge of sympathy in his gaze.
Natsu is the protagonist. Erza, Gray, Gajeel—they are the main cast chosen by the narrative. They possess the 'Second Origin,' yes, but more than that, they possess the latent potential that defies logic.
In just three months of training—aided by Ultear's arc of time, sure—they were able to surpass, and lap, seven years of blood, sweat, and tears shed by the ordinary members.
'Although Max isn't exceptionally strong compared to the monsters, he isn't weak either,' Ren analyzed. 'In other Mage Guilds, a mage of Max's current caliber would be a powerful, mid-level executive. But here... he's fodder.'
Ren took a sip of his wine. He had long been mentally prepared for this reality.
'My own magical talent... strictly speaking, it's average. Without the System, without the Character Cards, I would probably be sitting there with Warren, complaining about how unfair the world is.'
The System was his talent. It was his cheat. It allowed him to stay ahead of Natsu, to stand above Erza, and to look down on the Saints. If he had relied solely on his own biological limits, he might have just been a nameless weakling.
"Interesting. I'll be your opponent."
Gajeel Redfox cracked his knuckles, the sound like breaking metal. He stepped over Max's groaning body, his eyes locked on Natsu. "I'm itching for a fight."
"Stop!"
A large hand clamped onto Gajeel's shoulder. Laxus Dreyar, sparking with electricity, held him back.
"If you and Natsu fight here, the hotel will collapse. It won't be just a game."
Gajeel blinked, slightly surprised by the interference. He smirked and patted Laxus on the head—a gesture that would have meant death seven years ago.
"Oh! You've become obedient, Laxus. Playing the responsible leader now?"
"Don't do that, Gajeel!"
Seeing this, Levy McGarden shrieked. She quickly hugged Gajeel from behind, trying to pull him away before he signed his own death warrant. "Laxus is scary! Don't provoke him!"
Although Laxus was slightly weaker than Ren in the guild hierarchy, he was still a monster-level entity. If Gajeel truly angered the Lightning Dragon Slayer, he wouldn't get off easily.
"..."
Laxus didn't say anything. He swatted Gajeel's hand away, treating the disrespect as compensation for having beaten Gajeel to a pulp during the Battle of Fairy Tail arc years ago. He had mellowed out.
However, his fan club hadn't.
Freed Justine slammed his hands on the table, standing up with righteous fury. "You bastard! How dare you treat Laxus like that!! Laxus Royal Guard!! Thunder God Tribe, assemble!!!"
Freed shouted loudly, striking a dramatic pose. He waited for his backup.
Silence.
He looked down. Bickslow and Evergreen were already completely drunk, passed out under the table, muttering nonsense about "babies" and "fairies."
"Haha! How useless!" Cana Alberona laughed, pointing at the dismayed rune mage. She lifted a massive barrel of booze to her lips. "If you can't hold your liquor, you can't hold a fight!"
"This older sister is strong! How about a match with me?"
Just then, a strange voice cut through the guild's noise.
A tall, lanky man walked over. He had a wild, unkempt appearance, wearing Quatro Cerberus colors. He slammed a fresh bottle of high-proof spirits onto the table in front of Cana.
"Oh?" Cana wiped her mouth, her eyes gleaming with interest. "Although I don't know who you are, you want to compete with me in drinking capacity? You've got guts."
Cana was intrigued. When it came to cards, she might lose. When it came to combat, she wasn't the strongest. But when it came to drinking? She had never yielded to anyone in Fiore.
"Hey! Stranger! We don't know who you are, but you should still give up!"
"Don't judge her by her appearance; this Empress is a monster! She has a black hole for a stomach!"
Macao and Wakaba quickly tried to dissuade the newcomer, fearful for his liver.
However, the man ignored their warnings. He grinned, revealing a slightly unhinged expression. "I like monsters. Let's go."
They started drinking. Not cups, but bowls. Then bottles.
Glug. Glug. Glug.
The tavern went silent as the minutes ticked by. The stack of empty bottles grew into a tower.
Ten minutes later.
Thud.
Cana's eyes rolled back, and she collapsed face-first onto the wooden floor.
"No way—?!!"
"Seriously?!"
"Cana... lost? Cana lost a drinking contest?"
"This is the first time we've seen Cana collapse before the sun came up!"
"Just who is this guy?"
Everyone in Fairy Tail was greatly astonished. To see their Drinking Queen defeated was as shocking as seeing Natsu lose a fire-eating contest.
"Bacchus?"
Erza Scarlet, who had been eating strawberry cake nearby, stood up. Her expression was serious as she called out the man's name.
"Yo! Isn't this Erza?" The man turned around, his face flushed but his eyes dangerously sharp. "Long time no see, you're still a great beauty just like before! Your hips have gotten wider, haven't they?"
"Erza, you know him?" Lucy asked, hiding behind the armor-clad woman.
"Yes," Erza nodded gravely. "He is Bacchus Groh. The S-Class Mage of Quatro Cerberus. He uses a peculiar martial art called 'Drunken Chop.' I've run into him a few times while working on requests. We've fought over territory and rights... but we never settled the score."
"What?! He's actually Erza's equal?!"
Lucy couldn't help but be surprised upon hearing this. If he was evenly matched with Erza from seven years ago, how powerful must he be now?
"Why are you here, Bacchus?" Erza asked, her hand drifting toward her sword.
"Nothing much. I just heard that Fairy Tail had returned, so I dropped by to take a look," Bacchus hiccuped, leaning heavily on the table. "I watched today's match—it truly made my Soul boil! The one named Ren, right? That white-haired guy over there? He's incredible!"
Bacchus pointed a trembling finger at Ren.
"So, you want to challenge Ren?" Erza asked, raising an eyebrow.
Bacchus's face instantly paled, and he waved his hands frantically. "Are you kidding me! No, no, no! Although alcohol gives courage to cowards, even with all my guts, I wouldn't dare fight that monster after seeing today's match! Did you see how he toyed with everyone? I just came to look around, just look around. I didn't expect to meet such a heavy-drinking Miss, wahahaha."
He laughed it off, but sweat beaded on his forehead. Bacchus was wild, not suicidal.
"You don't seem to be participating in the Grand Magic Games this time," Erza noted. "I didn't see you at the opening ceremony."
The laughter died in Bacchus's throat. A dark shadow crossed his face.
"Wahahaha! I originally intended to leave it to the younger generation and not participate myself," he said, clutching the bottle tighter until the glass creaked. "But seeing War Cry's miserable state in the Chariot event... seeing my guildmates humiliated... I just couldn't stand by and do nothing!"
He looked up, a feral light in his eyes.
"That's what you call a Man's Soul, right? So I joined as a reserve member, hic~~~!"
He stood up, swaying unsteadily but radiating a pressure that silenced the room.
"If we meet in the arena tomorrow, Erza... or any of you fairies... let's continue the unfinished fight! My Soul is always..."
He raised a fist, waiting for his catchphrase.
"...Wild..."
He paused.
"...For..."
He waited for the guild to respond.
"..."
The Fairy Tail members stared at him in confusion.
"You're really not cooperating, hahahaha!" Bacchus laughed awkwardly, scratching his head. "Well, see you in the ring!"