Lisanna and Wendy burst into the suite; arms loaded with snacks.
"Supply runs complete!" Lisanna chirped.
"Plenty of fuel for tomorrow," Carla noted, folding her paws.
"We'll be your cheering squad," Wendy added with a bright smile.
*Gong!*
The clock struck midnight.
Outside, searchlights painted the night sky. A gigantic pumpkin‑hooded figure—pure projection—floated above Crocus.
"Good evening, guilds of Fiore! Welcome to the Grand Magic Games!
This year **113** teams have gathered—far too many for the audience to enjoy.
Therefore, we'll cut the field from 113 to **eight** with a brand‑new event:
**THE QUALIFIER**!"
"Qualifiers?!" voices echoed through every inn. In previous years all teams had entered the main bracket directly.
A hush fell… then gasps:
Each hotel shuddered, gears grinding as entire buildings rose on lifts—now towering a story above the streets. Wooden bridges unfolded, linking every inn to a massive, half‑finished sphere floating over the city.
"Your hotels are the starting blocks.
Destination: Domus Flau, at the heart of that airborne maze.
Any magic, any tactic—five members, top eight teams advance.
Fail to get even one member across? You're out.
Oh, and the committee bears no responsibility for injury—or death.
**Sky Labyrinth begins now!**"
Natsu's eyes blazed. "Sounds awesome! LET'S GO!"
Erza raised a hand. "East is the stadium—head that way."
Lucy produced a silver key. "Open, Gate of the Compass—Pyxis!" The little bird‑spirit twirled, its compass beak pointing east. "Confirmed!"
The five dashed onto the wooden ramp, Lisanna and Wendy shouting after them, "Do your best!"
---
### Inside the Sky Labyrinth
The interior was a three‑dimensional tangle of corridors and shifting floors.
Gray whistled. "Giant maze… great."
"I'm terrible at these!" Natsu groaned, already dizzy.
Erza kept them moving east. Yet every passage looked the same. "Should've marked the walls," Lucy muttered. "Or drawn a map."
Footsteps—five mages from Twilight Ogre appeared ahead.
"Those Fairy Tail punks!" one snarled. "We owe you!"
Natsu cracked his knuckles. "Perfect warm‑up."
A short brawl later the Ogres lay out cold. The floor lurched; the whole labyrinth rotated.
"Now what?!" Lucy yelped as they slid.
When it settled, Gray scooped up a crumpled sheet. "Ha! Ogre's map. Combine it with our sketch and we'll know the layout."
Erza's eyes gleamed. Natsu's grin matched hers. Gray chuckled.
Lucy stepped back. "Your faces are scary…"
"New strategy," Erza declared. "Collect every other team's map."
"Snatch and smash!" Natsu cheered.
"And we're *very* good at smashing," Gray added.
They set off at a run, Su Yan strolling behind with an amused smile. One by one rival guilds fell, maps seized, Fairy Tail's chart growing more complete.
*First eight to the goal, * Su Yan thought. *With this crew, we'll make it look easy. *