"As expected of the Captain, never forgetting his duties no matter the situation."
"I will now announce the third day's competition event!" Chapati Lola's voice boomed through the stadium speakers.
"The event is called the Demon's Temple!"
"Demon's Temple? What's that?" Wendy asked, puzzled.
"A place where demons lurk... meaning a structure crawling with demonic creatures," Carla suggested.
"Could it be like a haunted house? Walking down a dark path, and then..."
"Monsters jump out at you!" Makarov made a terrifying face, sending Happy and Carla screaming.
"I... I'm scared too," Mavis whispered, clutching her skirt with trembling hands, tears welling in her eyes.
"Huh? A ghost is afraid of monsters?" Happy sweatdropped.
"Each guild will send one representative participant! Please select your champion!"
"I'll go!" Natsu clenched his fists, flames igniting around his knuckles.
Wendy glanced at Laxus, seeking his opinion.
"I don't mind," Laxus shrugged.
"Let the Salamander have it. He's too noisy," Gajeel conceded without hesitation.
"I went yesterday, so it's fine if you take today," Gray stepped aside.
That settled Team B's pick.
Team A made their decision just as quickly.
"I'll take this one," Erza volunteered, her eyes sharp and focused.
The Croix Knights were swift, deploying their final S-Class Mage who hadn't fought yet—the Giant Elephant Knight, nicknamed 'Titan,' Talant.
Clad in heavy golden armor with an elephant head emblem on his chest, he gripped a massive two-handed hammer.
Standing over 2.1 meters tall, his rugged face and burly build made him look like a walking fortress.
His heavy armor and hammer created deep tremors with every single step.
"Mermaid Heel has sent contestant Amelia!"
"Blue Pegasus's contestant is Hibiki Lates!"
"Wooo!!!" A crowd of fervent female supporters cheered behind the handsome mage.
"Sabertooth has sent Orga Nanagear!"
"Lamia Scale has sent Jura Neekis!!!"
"So Jura is stepping onto the field..." The camera focused on the Wizard Saint as he entered the arena.
Jura stroked his beard and nodded. "The Elder gave her orders. We must take first place this time."
"These are your contestants!"
After all the champions entered the arena, a colossal purple magic circle materialized high above Domus Flau.
A massive, ominous structure slowly descended from the glowing runes. It reminded the guild of how Raizel had appeared with Alpha Ouryuken.
"What is this?"
"Incredible!"
"Beginning analysis," Hibiki immediately started processing the structure with his Archive Magic.
BOOM—
The Demon's Temple slammed into the earth, sending a violent shockwave across the stadium.
The ancient structure stood over two hundred meters tall, towering over the arena like a dark monolith and taking up a third of the competition grounds.
"This is the Demon's Temple, where evil monsters gather, kabo!" Pumpkin Head raised his arms excitedly.
"So big..." Natsu craned his neck, examining the towering spire.
"The temple where monsters gather?" Jura lowered his head to inquire.
"Basically, that's the setting, kabo! One hundred monsters lurk within this temple, though they're all magical manifestations created by the structure itself. They aren't real monsters and won't attack the audience, so please rest assured, kabo."
The Pumpkin Head paced in front of the massive double doors. "The monsters' strength is divided into five combat power levels: D, C, B, A, and S. Fifty D-level, thirty C-level, fifteen B-level, four A-level, and one S-level."
"For reference, let me show you how powerful a mere D-level monster is."
A magic crystal screen flared to life above the mascot.
It showed a four-legged magical beast clad in iron armor. It let out a bloodcurdling roar that made many audience members shudder.
Accelerating in a blur, its claws struck, smashing a thick stone pillar to dust in a single swipe, demonstrating terrifying raw power.
"Yes, monsters like this—and far stronger ones—totaling one hundred are lurking within this temple, kabo!"
"Even though they're magical manifestations, you'd still get really hurt if struck by them, right?" Happy looked at Erza and Natsu with concern.
"Erza and Natsu, are you going to be alright?" Carla asked.
"The scale of this competition is huge!" Mavis marveled.
"I think they're going a bit overboard... How much money must this cost..." Makarov felt a phantom pain in his wallet. Lucy sighed.
"We can only hope these two won't push themselves too hard."
The pumpkin head raised a finger, his tone turning dead serious.
"Please understand that the monsters' combat power increases exponentially with each level, kabo. Even a Ten Wizard Saint isn't guaranteed to survive the highest-level S-class monster, kabo!"
"We'll have each of you select the number of monsters you wish to challenge in order. We call this the 'Challenge Right'."
"Challenge right?"
"For example, if a participant chooses to challenge three monsters, only three monsters will materialize in the temple. The selected individual must enter the temple alone, and if they defeat these three, that contestant earns three points. The next contestant must then choose their challenge from the remaining ninety-seven monsters, repeating this process."
"The competition ends when either the number of monsters reaches zero, or when everyone's magical power is exhausted. A friendly reminder: judging the situation after completing one full round will be crucial."
"However, as I explained earlier, the monsters are divided into different levels. Whether you choose one or five monsters, monsters of various levels will appear randomly."
Scratching his head, Hibiki asked, "In other words, we need to formulate a strategy to avoid encountering the S-class monster. Is that correct?"
Orga glanced at him. "Since it's random, what strategy can we take? We can't formulate any strategy."
Hibiki chuckled lightly, tapping his temple. "No, using probability theory and my Archive Magic, I can formulate a strategy to some extent."
"No matter what level of monster you encounter, you'll earn points equal to the number of monsters defeated. However, once you enter the temple, you cannot leave until you complete the challenge."
Jura asked, "What happens if we fall inside the temple?"
"You keep the points previously earned, but monsters defeated in that particular challenge won't count toward your score, and you must withdraw from the competition."
Makarov nodded from the stands. "So they can't be too greedy and try to take on too many at once."
"Finding the right number of beasts to handle while ensuring magical power recovery? Interesting." Ultear was quite intrigued by the brutal mechanics of the Demon's Temple.