Chapter 71: Let The Hunt Begin.
As Chapati Lola’s voice echoed across the stadium, a massive lacrima monolith rose smoothly from the dirt floor, coming to a halt at the center of the arena. Glowing runes flickered across its dark stone surface, etching out the tournament’s official rules, point distributions, and selection parameters for the upcoming battle rounds.
Erza stepped forward, her sharp eyes scanning the glowing text. "An integrated scoring system," she mused.
"So the higher-ups get to handpick the matchups for the battle phases?" Gray muttered, cracking his knuckles as he read through the fine print. "That means they can pair us against whoever they want."
Lucy grimaced, crossing her arms nervously. "Worse than that... if you burn through all your magic in the main event, you might get dragged right into a duel without any time to rest. They’re trying to wear us down."
"Careless management will cost teams dearly," Jura added softly, his solemn voice carrying a heavy weight.
High above, Chapati Lola thoroughly walked the crowd and contestants through every single rule, detailing the point breakdown for victories, draws, and severe violations. After a brief pause to ensure no guild raised an objection, he leaned into his lacrima microphone, his tone bubbling with dramatic flair.
"Now then, folks! Let’s kick off this year’s Grand Magic Games with a brand-new opening event! Prepare yourselves for... HIDDEN!"
Uncertain murmurs immediately rippled through the stone bleachers.
"Hidden?" a spectator in the front row asked, scratching his head. "What kind of event is that supposed to be?"
"How should I know?" his friend replied, leaning over the railing to get a better look at the empty floor. "They’ve never run anything called that before!"
"The intricate mechanics of the game will be revealed momentarily! For now, we require every competing team to select exactly one representative to step forward and participate!" Chapati Lola’s voice boomed across the colosseum.
Down on the arena floor, the eight guilds immediately huddled to decide their strategies.
Quatro Cerberus was the first to make their move. A burly, muscle-bound mage stepped out from their line, cracking his massive knuckles. "Jäger’s taking the field for us! Time to get wild!"
From Mermaid Heel’s ranks, a petite young girl with vibrant orange-brown hair tied in pigtails stepped forward, clutching her wooden carrots. "Leave it to me, everyone! I’ll do my best!" Beth Vanderwood cheered, offering her squad a bright smile.
Raven Tail’s selection was far more unsettling. Out glided Nullpudding, a weird, pale-violet creature of a man with spiky blonde hair and a bizarrely long, blue chin. He let out a rasping chuckle, sending a subtle shudder through the adjacent teams.
Blue Pegasus kept things theatrical as usual. Eve Tearm stepped up, flicking his fringe out of his eyes with practiced elegance. "Allow me to handle the opening act, gentlemen," he said smoothly, sparking swoons from the crowd.
Lamia Scale made their choice without hesitation. Lyon Vastia stepped up, tossing his light jacket over his shoulder. "I’ll take the lead on this one," he said, offering Jura a quick, confident nod before stepping onto the sands.
Over at Sabertooth, the reigning champions operated with cold precision. Rufus Lore adjusted his aristocratic mask, his long, straight blonde hair shifting over his crimson coat. "I shall represent us," Rufus murmured, his voice calm and melodic. "A memories-of-the-future kind of performance, perhaps?"
"Make it memorable, Rufus," Sting called out, throwing a sharp glare toward Fairy Tail Team B. "Show them that sweeping some lucky preliminary round doesn’t mean they can stand against us."
"Consider it done," Rufus replied, stepping gracefully toward the center of the field.
Lamia Scale made their choice without hesitation. Lyon Vastia stepped up, tossing his light jacket over his shoulder. "I’ll go," he said, offering Jura a quick nod before glancing toward Team A.
Fairy Tail Team A was locked in a brief debate.
"I’m burning up! Let me at ’em!" Natsu shouted, punching his palm.
"Not a chance, flame-brain," Gray snapped, shoving Natsu aside. "It’s called Hidden. It’s clearly a stealth and tactical event, not a senseless brawl. I’m going."
"Don’t blow it, Gray," Erza warned, crossing her arms. "Set the tone for us."
"Yeah, yeah. Trust me," Gray replied, stepping into the lineup.
Seeing Gray step out, Juvia’s eyes instantly transformed into giant hearts. She gasped, clutching her cheeks in utter adoration. "Gray-sama is going?! Then Juvia must go as well! It is fate calling for our hearts to intertwine on the battleground!"
She took an eager step forward, ready to volunteer for Team B, when a low, calm voice cut through her romantic delusion.
"Juvia. Stand back."
Rudra stepped past her, his hands resting casually in his jacket pockets. "This one is mine."
Juvia froze, turning around to protest. "B-But Rudra-san! Gray-sama is out there! Juvia’s love requires her to—"
"Don’t worry," Rudra murmured, stepping out into the sunlight with the other seven representatives. "It won’t take long."
A murmur rippled through the stadium as the contestants gathered on the arena floor. Above them, the massive lacrima screens flickered to life, displaying their names and faces in glowing runes.
In the commentary booth, Chapati Lola leaned into his microphone. "Now that all eight teams have locked in their representatives, let us move on to the rules of—"
"Hold on a moment."
The shift in the air was immediate. Jura Neekis stepped forward from the line of representatives, his sudden presence heavy enough to silence the surrounding stands. His gaze locked straight onto Rudra.
"I wish to change our guild’s chosen player," Jura said, his voice easily carrying across the quiet arena. "I will take the field myself."
"What the hell, Jura?!" Lyon barked, spinning around in utter disbelief. "We already decided I was going!"
Jura offered no response, keeping his solemn gaze fixed on Chapati Lola instead.
Chapati blinked, adjusting his oversized toupee before coughing awkwardly into his fist. "Ah... unfortunately, Wizard Saint Jura, once a representative has been officially registered on the stadium lacrima, no roster changes are permitted."
Jura let out a quiet sigh and gave a polite nod. "I see. My apologies for the interruption." He turned his attention back to Rudra, catching his eye. "Rudra-dono... I ask that you please go easy on them. They are all still young."
Rudra offered a wry grin, placing a hand over his chest. "Hey now, Jura, don’t say things like that out loud. You’re going to make the stadium think I’m some kind of demon."
Newsflash, boss: technically, you are half-demon, the System deadpanned in his head.
Rudra ignored the voice, but before he could step into line, a voice called out to him from among the representatives.
"Rudra."
He turned to see Kagura Mikazuchi. She maintained her usual stern demeanor, though her dark eyes lingered on him for a beat longer than necessary.
"Do me a favor," Kagura said quietly, nodding toward her teammate. "Go easy on Beth."
Rudra’s smirk widened, his eyes glinting with mischief as he rested a hand on his hip. "Now, now, Kagura... is that really how you ask someone for a favor?"
Kagura blinked, genuine confusion breaking her rigid composure. "What?"
"Where are the magic words?" Rudra teased, tilting his head with an exaggeratedly expectant look. "A proper request requires proper manners."
A faint dust of pink bloomed across Kagura’s cheeks. She clenched her jaw, darting a quick glance at her guildmates before looking back at him. Leaning in slightly, she muttered under her breath, "...Pretty please."
Rudra dramatically clutched his chest, staggering back half a step. "Ah, my heart! How could I possibly refuse such magical words from my beloved, stoic Kagura?"
Kagura snapped her head away, crossing her arms tightly as her blush deepened all the way to the tips of her ears.
Rudra chuckled, enjoying her reaction, but before he could tease her further, two exaggeratedly sharp coughs echoed from the sidelines.
"Ahem. Ahem."
Mirajane stood near Team B’s entrance with a picture-perfect, radiant smile—though the air around her felt noticeably colder. Beside her, Erza had her arms crossed, raising a single, highly suspicious eyebrow.
Rudra rubbed the back of his neck, giving a faint cough of his own. "Right... back to the game."
A dense puff of white smoke erupted right beside the lacrima monolith. As the haze cleared, a comical, short figure wearing a massive pumpkin head bounded forward, waving energetically at the crowd.
"Greetings, one and all! It’s your favorite pumpkin head host, Mato!" he squeaked, his voice muffled by the giant gourd. Turning toward the center of the field, he gestured to the eight mages. "Participants, step right up!"
,The contestants gathered around the monolith, and Mato gave a sharp nod that made his pumpkin head wobble. "Now then, let the game of Hidden begin!"
He snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the vast dirt floor shimmering with complex magic circles. Massive stone buildings, twisting cobblestone alleyways, and grand clock towers materialized, transforming the empty arena into a sprawling replica town. Before the participants could process the shifting landscape, eight separate pillars of light engulfed them, teleporting each mage into random corners of the labyrinth.
Above, Chapati Lola’s voice echoed over the lacrima speakers, guiding the crowd through the floating projection screens.
"Allow me to lay out the rules of this tactical trial!" Lola announced. "In Hidden, every player is both hunter and hunted! The objective is simple: track down your rivals and land a successful strike!"
The audience leaned in, watching the floating screens intently.
"Landing a clean hit on an opponent earns your team one point," Lola explained. "However, launching a failed attack or striking a target that isn’t a real player will cost you a penalty point! And to make matters far more interesting..."
Another flash of light rippled across the miniature city. Hundreds of magically generated clones of all eight participants materialized, walking the streets, ducking into alleys, and blending seamlessly into the urban crowd.
"There you have it, folks!" Lola cheered. "Distinguishing real mages from false illusions is the true core of this game!" He turned toward the guest chair. "Yajima-san, who do you favor in this game of hide-and-seek?"
Yajima stroked his white beard, scanning the screens. "The crowd favors Rudra from Fairy Tail Team B and Rufus from Sabertooth. Given their unique skill sets, either could easily dominate this layout. Though... we shouldn’t overlook Gray from Fairy Tail Team A. His analytical combat style makes him a dangerous dark horse."
Lola turned to his left. "And what about you, Miss Jenny?"
Jenny offered a bright, confident smile. "My money is on Eve! Blue Pegasus mages excel in elegance and precision. He won’t let those fake illusions fool him for a second."
"Bold predictions from our panel!" Lola boomed into his microphone. "The stage is set, the hunters are deployed! Let the hunt begin!"
A bell tolled, and the Games began. Some participants scattered for cover; others took to the rooftops, watching the streets below for a target worth the risk.
Rudra strolled casually down a cobblestone street, hands buried in his jacket pockets. Around him, dozens of magical copies of the other contestants drifted through the fake town—a sea of silent, moving illusions. He didn’t even glance at them. With his Observation Haki fully active, every soul on the battlefield burned like a distinct beacon in his mind. He knew exactly where every real mage was hiding.
"This is boring," he muttered, tilting his head back to study the artificial sky.
If you’re so bored, why don’t we jump that weird jaw guy from Raven Tail? the System chimed in, dry amusement in its tone. Isn’t punishing them the whole reason you stepped out here?
Rudra huffed through his nose. "Nah. No need to waste energy looking for him. That rat will come crawling straight to us on his own—"
"Well, well, well," a rasping voice sneered from behind a stone pillar. "If it isn’t a lost little Fairy Tail rat—"
Nullpudding didn’t get to finish the insult.
Rudra vanished from his spot and reappeared directly in front of him. His open palm caught Nullpudding’s jaw with a crack like thunder—and in the same instant, a glowing black sealing formula flared to life, burning itself into the mage’s cheek. The blow sent Nullpudding blasting through three consecutive stone houses, walls crumbling to rubble before he skidded to a halt in a cloud of dust.
"And we have our first strike!" Lola’s voice echoed above. "Rudra lands a clean hit! Nullpudding of Raven Tail loses one point!"
Magic flared around Nullpudding’s battered body, teleporting him to a random alleyway across the city.
He shoved himself up, clutching his swelling jaw. "That bastard... he’s dead. He’s fucking—" He caught himself mid-sentence, magic already gathering in both fists, and spun to strike whatever direction Rudra might come from.
He guessed wrong on all four.
Rudra was already behind him. This time he didn’t bother with a hit—just a hand closing around the back of Nullpudding’s collar, hauling him off his feet, and slamming him face-first into the cobblestones hard enough to crack them.
"Another point off for Raven Tail!" Lola called. "Rudra scores again!"
The teleport light swallowed him before he could even wheeze out a word.
He hit the ground in an empty plaza, and this time he didn’t try to fight. He scrambled backward on his hands and knees, chest heaving, the fear finally outrunning the anger.
"Get up," a voice said, bored and close. "We’re nowhere near finished."
Nullpudding’s head snapped up. Rudra was already crouched in front of him, elbow on knee, watching him the way a man watches an insect he hasn’t decided whether to squash.
"Wait—stay back! I’m warning you—"
He never got the chance to warn anyone of anything. Rudra’s foot caught him square in the stomach, folding him in half and driving what remained of his breath out of him, and he launched backward through a row of storefronts before the teleport light took him again.
"Incredible speed! Rudra secures a third point!" Lola shouted over the crowd’s roar.
Standing in the wreckage of the plaza, Rudra cracked his knuckles once. A slow, cold smile crossed his face.
"Let the hunt begin."