Chapter 23: FTRJ: Chapter 23

Three days later, a ship flying the Fairy Tail flag sailed across the sea.

In the distance, a deserted island was faintly visible. Makarov, seeing that their destination was near, called everyone forward. “I will now announce the specific rules for the Fairy Tail S-class exam.”

“This exam is called ’24-Hour Survival’. You must survive on this island for one night and day.”

“During this time, you will have no supplies whatsoever. This means you must secure your own food and shelter.”

“That doesn’t seem too difficult,” Mirajane questioned, considering that it was only a 24-hour survival test; even without food, it shouldn’t be too problematic.

“Of course, being an S-class mage isn’t just about survival; there’s combat involved!” Makarov said with a chuckle.

“I’ve also placed numerous magical beasts on the island. They will attempt to drive you off, and your only recourse is to defeat them. You are also permitted to engage in combat with each other, but remember, you can only attack each other after 12 hours have passed.”

“I should be the one saying that, Mirajane. I was worried that I might not find you on such a large island, but now there’s no escaping,” Erza retorted smoothly.

Finn, beside them, facepalmed and muttered under his breath, “Here we go again, Natsu and Gray 2.0…”

Before Makarov could finish explaining the rules, he added, “Secondly, during the final two hours, Finn and Laxus will join the hunt. If you are captured and defeated by them, you will be immediately eliminated.”

“And what if we defeat Finn or Laxus?” Erza asked, her eyes filled with fighting spirit as she looked at Finn and Laxus.

Makarov chuckled. “If you manage to do that, you will immediately be promoted to S-class mage.”

“I can monitor all your movements on the island, so if any of you become incapacitated, I will immediately declare you a failure.”

“After 24 hours, the last person standing will be promoted to S-class mage.”

Makarov raised a single finger for emphasis. “Remember, only the last person standing becomes an S-class mage. If no one survives the full 24 hours, then no one will pass this exam.”

“Alright, I’ve explained all the basic rules. Now, get ready to disembark,” Makarov stated as the ship arrived at the edge of the deserted island.

“Take Over: Satan Soul.”

A pure black magic circle appeared above Mirajane’s head, and pixel-like particles materialized on her body, instantly transforming her appearance.

Wings sprouted from her back, a demonic tail extended from her rear, demonic claws adorned her hands, and crack-like markings appeared on her face. Her overall appearance exuded a wild and untamed aura.

“Hmph, Erza, see you on the island. Don’t get eliminated first,” Mirajane issued a parting threat before spreading her wings and departing from the ship, flying towards the island.

“You should be worried about yourself, Mira!” Erza retorted.

“Requip: The Knight.” A pink magic circle flashed, enveloping Erza in silver armor, and the armor’s wings fluttered as she flew towards the island.

Cana, watching the two depart, looked dumbfounded. “Wait, I can’t fly…”

Ultimately, she took a leap into the sea and swam towards the island.

Fortunately, the ship wasn’t far from the deserted island, and Cana reached the shore after a short swim. Watching the three successfully land on the island, Finn pulled Laxus towards the monitoring room.

The monitoring room was filled with numerous magic crystals, displaying images from various locations on the island.

Three of the crystals specifically showed the three candidates and their current activities.

Finn watched them with rapt attention, a bag of snacks in hand, offering some to Laxus. “Come take a look.”

Laxus glanced at Makarov standing beside them and then said, “Nah, this is pointless. I’ll be off. Call me when it’s almost time.”

With that, Laxus left the monitoring room.

Finn looked at Makarov, whose mood seemed somewhat low.

Finn offered a word of comfort. “Master, that’s just Laxus’s personality. You know how he is.”

Makarov nodded wryly.

“Speaking of which, I’ve noticed a significant rift between Laxus and you. Could you tell me about it?”

Makarov sighed. “Laxus wasn’t always like this. Ever since his father’s incident, his relationship with me has been at a freezing point.”

Makarov then began to recount the events that led to their strained relationship.

Meanwhile, Cana found herself facing an incredibly large, monstrous bird, leaving her speechless.

However, the monstrous bird gave Cana no time to contemplate. It opened its gaping maw, letting out a deafening shriek that echoed across the sky.

“Damn it,” Cana cursed under her breath, before swiftly throwing three cards. “Summoning Lightning’s Fate!”

The cards began to glow with electricity, and a bolt of lightning struck the monstrous bird just as it was about to attack.

“Boom—” A deafening explosion rocked the island, signaling the start of the three candidates’ battles.

Not far away, Erza and Mirajane were also engaged in their respective battles, with the sounds of explosions continuously echoing across the island.

…

Cana sat down, clutching her wounded arm, the corpse of the enormous bird lying before her.

“Injured right from the start. How am I going to survive the rest of this?” Cana felt a wave of uncertainty wash over her. She was so close to achieving her lifelong dream of becoming an S-class mage, yet reality had dealt her a harsh blow.

Why was she so determined to become an S-class mage? Perhaps it was to get closer to that man; after all, how could she possibly reunite with him without possessing sufficient strength?

With these thoughts in mind, Cana gritted her teeth, stood up, and headed deeper into the jungle.

Time passed quickly, and night fell. Cana, battered and bruised, found refuge in a tree hollow. It was fortunate, really; not long ago, the magic barrier enveloping the entire island had undergone its first contraction.

This contraction was the most significant yet, shrinking the island’s area by roughly half, and, by sheer luck, Cana’s chosen tree hollow fell within the newly reduced perimeter.

After checking her wounds, Cana breathed a sigh of relief. Her injuries were superficial; nothing too serious, and she could still endure.

The sounds of battle continued to echo from the distance.

“Those two are really strong,” Cana mused, noting that Erza and Mirajane’s fighting had been almost incessant throughout the day.

Their ability to sustain such intense combat earned her genuine admiration. Even if she managed to reach the final stage, Cana knew she stood no chance against those two powerhouses.

“But, I won’t give up,” Cana silently vowed to herself. She might not be able to win, but she wouldn’t let fear paralyze her before the battle even began.

As night gradually gave way to dawn, the sun rising majestically from the horizon, a new day began, signaling that this S-class promotion exam was entering its final stages.

Cana cautiously made her way through the jungle, constantly vigilant against any potential dangers. The ever-shrinking magic barrier behind her fueled her growing anxiety.

She might encounter Erza or Mirajane very soon. And based on the time, the active S-class mages would be deployed within the next two hours.

The sounds of Erza and Mirajane’s battle had ceased sometime in the middle of the night, leaving Cana unable to determine their location through sound alone.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the jungle, Erza and Mirajane found themselves facing each other—the two most likely candidates for promotion had finally met.

“Heh, Erza, didn’t expect to meet you here. Looks like you’ll be eliminated first,” Mirajane said with a confident laugh, her body radiating self-assurance.

She was completely unscathed, indicating that the island’s magical beasts hadn’t posed much of a challenge for her.

Erza, however, shook her head thoughtfully. “Mirajane, do you want to become an S-class mage?”

“Of course! And I’ll become one before you! What are we waiting for? Let’s continue our fight,” Mirajane declared, a magic circle flashing above her head.

Demon Mirajane made her reappearance.

“Wait, Mirajane, if we fight now, neither of us will pass this exam, you know,” Erza called out, halting Mirajane’s advance.

Mirajane stopped and looked at Erza, taking a moment to consider her words before understanding Erza’s intentions. “You mean, if we fight each other here, we’ll both be severely weakened.”

“And then we won’t be able to survive the final two hours against the S-class mages, right?”

Erza nodded. “Exactly. And if we defeat Finn or Laxus, we both become S-class mages.”

With that, Erza extended her right hand. “So, let’s form an alliance. We’ll continue our rivalry after we survive the 24 hours.”

Upon seeing this, Mirajane’s form shimmered with light, reverting to her usual tomboyish appearance. She extended her right hand and clasped Erza’s.

“Fine, I’ll reluctantly form an alliance with you. But my target is Finn. I’m going to beat him to a pulp, hmph!”

She recalled their first encounter; she’d been annoyed by Finn’s seemingly close relationship with Erza, and not just Erza, but Finn himself. Why was he so kind to all the girls? It really bothered her.

So, she would often pick fights with Erza. This time, though, she had the opportunity to team up with Erza to give Finn a good beating, a prospect that filled Mirajane with a certain amount of anticipation.

“Good, my target is Finn too,” Erza’s thoughts drifted back to the evening Finn had given her strawberry cake, the sweetness still lingering in her memory.

That’s why she frequently teamed up with Finn; those were the happiest days since she’d awakened from her nightmare.

But then, she heard that Finn had brought a girl back to the guild, and that he’d even held the girl’s hand? Erza had stormed off to confront the girl.

Only to find that the white-haired girl was surprisingly beautiful, and seemed to have a very good relationship with Finn? Erza, with her strong competitive spirit, couldn’t stand it, especially since the white-haired girl had dared to challenge her.

And so, the guild’s second Natsu-Gray pairing was born. Although Erza often questioned herself, was it really just because of Finn? Perhaps it was simply a clash of personalities.

Under the bright sunlight, two individuals who were absolutely incompatible formed an alliance. Perhaps the only thing that could bring two naturally conflicting people together was a common enemy.

If Finn were to witness this scene, he would undoubtedly be astonished, his mouth agape, because it was simply illogical.

Unfortunately, Finn wouldn’t be able to see this, because, as the guild master had stated, to ensure fairness, the live feed from the magic crystals would be cut off three hours before the active S-class mages were deployed. This was to prevent the S-class mages from knowing the candidates’ locations upon arrival, making it considerably more challenging for those remaining on the island to survive the final two hours.

At the edge of the magic barrier encircling the island, Finn looked at the slowly contracting barrier and couldn’t help but mutter, “Seriously, this thing is moving way too slowly. There are only two hours left, and there’s still this much area to cover.”

“Tch, why do you care? Find the people, then take them down. Our job’s done. I’m off; you can take your time,” Laxus said, stepping into the shrinking magic barrier and disappearing into the jungle.

“Sigh, fine. Let’s find them slowly,” Finn followed suit, stepping into the barrier.

…

In the jungle, Cana cautiously made her way towards the center of the island. Just one more hour to go, and the 24-hour survival challenge would be over.

Just then, she sensed some movement in the jungle ahead. Cana instantly drew her cards, preparing for battle as she watched the jungle’s disturbance.

“Is it Erza? Mirajane? Some kind of magical beast? Or, worst-case scenario, one of the S-class mages who have already begun their hunt?” Countless possibilities raced through Cana’s mind.

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