The top 32 matches had begun, with four battles taking pce simultaneously. The scenes from each battlefield were dispyed on four rge screens on Sky Isnd, drawing the attention of both the eliminated participants and those still waiting to compete.

  Erza looked up at the screen showing the [Volcano Arena], where most of the spectators were focused on Nate and Freed's fight.

  "I think Nate will definitely win," one person said.

  "Freed still has a chance, though his odds are slim," another replied.

  "No way, I bet 1000 points that Nate wins!" Macao, always eager to start a betting pool, found plenty of takers. However, since everyone bet on Nate winning, the idea was quickly dropped.

  Bickslow, with his long tongue hanging out, asked, "Can Freed win?"

  "Are you saying something stupid? Of course, he can win!" Evergreen replied, though even she didn’t believe her own words.

  At that moment, a fsh of golden light appeared, and Makarov arrived in front of the crowd.

  "Master," Mirajane said in surprise, "You’re here too?"

  "Mira, how’s the tournament going?" Makarov asked, his voice filled with curiosity. It was his first time in the game, and he was amazed by the realism of the virtual world.

  "We’re in the middle of the top 32 matches. Look at the first screen on the left—that’s Nate and Freed’s battle."

  The old man looked up to see the intense scene unfolding in the [Volcano Arena]. A towering volcano was erupting, spewing molten va into the sky before it rained down like a fiery meteor shower, threatening to engulf the nd below.

  ...

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  Balls of va crashed into the ground, turning the [Volcano Arena] into a living hell. Lava flowed everywhere, leaving almost no safe pce to stand. Amid this disaster, only the area where Nate stood remained untouched.

  "Dark écriture: Wings!" Hidden behind a rock, Freed quickly inscribed dark magic runes onto his body. Bck wings of magic energy sprouted from his back, and he swiftly flew into the air. Gazing down at the va-filled arena, sweat trickled down his forehead.

  "Is this the power of Tremor Magic? He actually triggered a volcanic eruption!" he thought, thankful it was just a game world—such a thing in reality would be unimaginable.

  "Done with hide-and-seek?" Nate raised an eyebrow as he levitated, flying up to Freed’s level. He observed the captain of the Raijinshū, a group formed by Freed in admiration of Laxus.

  "Eliminating me won’t be easy. Show me what you’ve got," Nate said pyfully—after all, it was just a game.

  "You’re strong, Nate! Laxus regretted losing to you st time. I wasn’t there, but…" Freed, holding a rapier, spoke sternly, "I do have a chance. I’ve been watching all your matches since the first round. To defeat you…"

  Freed pointed his rapier at Nate. Instead of an energy bst, magic script appeared in front of Nate, written in glowing purple runes.

  "It’s a script magic barrier," Nate mused, reading the words. Freed expined, "The rule of this barrier is that the strongest person in terms of magic power is not allowed to leave."

  As he finished, Freed retreated several dozen meters.

  "Interesting magic," Nate commented, reaching out to touch the invisible wall formed by the Dark écriture. It felt solid—escaping wouldn’t be easy for most.

  With a casual punch, Nate struck the barrier. The air around them cracked as the force rippled outward, triggering the volcano to erupt again, sending rivers of va across the map, staining the ground red.

  Freed’s expression shifted, clearly shaken. His barrier cracked at the point of impact.

  "This guy… he’s a monster," Freed thought in arm. "Not even Laxus could break my barrier so easily, yet Nate almost shattered it with one punch!"

  Acting quickly, Freed swung his rapier again, mending the barrier before it could colpse completely.

  "It’s no use. As long as the barrier isn’t broken in one strike, I can keep repairing it!"

  Nate was impressed by the magic’s utility. The true strength wasn’t in the barrier’s durability, but in the rules that Freed could inscribe at will.

  "It’s a shame, though," Nate chuckled. "You’ve only written one rule? Why not more, like ‘no breathing,’ ‘no magic,’ ‘no flying,’ or ‘no teleportation’ inside the barrier?"

  'If I could do that, I’d be one of the Ten Wizard Saints by now!' Freed inwardly cursed, but kept a straight face. "You’re a sitting duck now, Nate! Take this!"

  Freed waved his rapier, summoning the script: ‘Dark écriture: Pain!’ The words shot toward Nate.

  Nate’s body glowed with pale white magic power, which quickly formed into a shield. The word ‘Pain’ collided with the magic shield and shattered instantly.

  "Any other tricks?" Nate teased, rexed. "There are over 200 people watching. Don’t disappoint them."

  Freed cursed inwardly again. 'Monster!' He had never seen anyone shatter his magic so effortlessly, not even Laxus.

  Up above on Sky Isnd, the Fairy Tail members watched in stunned silence.

  Levy gasped, "That’s a magic shield… only powerful mages like the Master can create those, right?"

  Even Makarov was impressed. "His control over his magic is more precise than mine."

  He expined to the guild members, "Magic shields consume a lot of magic power, but Nate used just the right amount to block Freed’s attack without wasting any. That level of control is extraordinary."

  ...

  Back in the [Volcano Arena], Nate, feeling the fight was dragging, shrugged.

  "Nothing else? What a shame." He split off a Thought Projection of himself, lowering its magic to three stars.

  "There’s a fw in your rule. The strongest can’t leave, but if I’m not the strongest, I can."

  Leaving behind the projection, Nate’s real body became a golden fsh, covering the distance between him and Freed in an instant.

  "A Thought Projection!?" Freed was stunned. 'Even a projection is counted as a ‘person’? Damn it, there’s a loophole in my rule!'

  Before he could react, Nate’s glowing fist smashed into his face. With a thunderous crash, Freed plummeted from the sky like a meteor, nding in the volcano’s molten crater, sending va spshing everywhere.

  ‘Dark écriture: Darkness!’ As he fell, Freed quickly inscribed runes on himself, transforming his body into a demonic form. With a roar, he burst from the va, charging at Nate like a bck comet.

  "Forbidden magic, huh?" Nate smiled, raising his foot to meet Freed’s punch head-on.

  Boom!

  The tremor magic cshed violently with Freed’s dark magic, creating a massive shockwave that tore through the volcano. However, the csh sted only a second before Freed was overpowered, sent crashing down once more.

  Nate darted forward, turning into a golden fsh. Grabbing Freed by the head, he smmed him into the molten ground again.

  Boom!

  Another explosion of molten rock and va followed.

  Meanwhile, the spectators on Sky Isnd watched in stunned silence, their mouths agape.

  Suddenly, new text appeared on the screen.

  [Volcano Arena: Nate vs. Freed!]

  [Winner: Nate!]

  [Warning: The Volcano Arena has been destroyed. Repairs are in progress…]