“Precht, do you disagree?” Evan asked, noticing Precht’s pale face, dry lips, and the sweat beading on his forehead.
“Disagree? If I agree, I’ll be dead…” Precht thought silently. He wouldn’t dare to voice his thoughts, fearing it would anger Evan, who might then kill him with a single punch.
“Cough, cough, after all, I am a senior member, the second master of Fairy Tail!” Precht began, trying to compose himself. “I can be considered your elder. You, Evan, hold the title of one of the Ten Wizard Saints, making you my peer. Us fighting would be a fair match between equals. But if I were to fight your sister or other members of the guild, it would be bullying the younger generation. So, how about we postpone the fight with your sister until she reaches the level of a Ten Wizard Saint? Then, I can spar with her or other members and guide them on their magical paths.”
Precht, pale and sweating, racked his brain for reasons to avoid a deadly battle.
“Ah, that makes sense,” Evan nodded lightly. To Evan, Precht’s words did hold some truth.
As Precht mentioned, the strength of Erza, Laxus, or even Mirajane, who was close to the level of the Ten Wizard Saints, would be insufficient against the current Precht. Fighting a serious Precht would require the level of strength of at least the fifth-ranked Wizard Saint, otherwise, they wouldn’t even withstand a single move from him.
“Phew, glad you understand…” Precht exhaled slowly, thinking he had narrowly escaped the situation.
“But I promised my sister that she could exchange a few blows with you. I can’t break my promise, right?” Evan leaned closer to Precht, lowering his voice. “How about this? You go easy on her, just as if you’re playing a game with kids. What do you think?”
Precht’s eyes widened slightly, feeling the cold glint in Evan’s eyes. “Evan is too cunning to be easily dismissed,” Precht thought, realizing his earlier relief was premature.
“Well, uh, let me think…” Precht stammered, then quickly came up with an idea. “I’ve found many talented youngsters on this continent over the years! How about we let them have a friendly match? Let the kids have a friendly competition.”
Evan’s eyes gleamed with interest, nodding slowly. “Alright, but I need to ask my sister. I don’t mind, but if she disagrees, it’s all for naught.”
Evan vanished in a flash of dark light, reappearing beside Erza, the red-haired girl eagerly warming up by the guild’s central arena.
“That girl must be Evan’s sister,” Precht muttered, observing Erza from a distance. Her muscular physique stood out, making Precht suspect she was a Dragon Slayer due to her impressive physical conditioning.
While Precht speculated, Evan returned in a flash of dark light.
“Well? Did your sister agree?” Precht coughed lightly, feigning weakness.
“My sister has no objections,” Evan said. “Instead of just one fight, how about a more extensive match? You pick a few members from your guild, and I’ll pick a few from ours. We can have a friendly competition between Fairy Tail and Grimoire Heart.”
Precht breathed a sigh of relief at not having to fight personally. “A friendly competition? I’ll think about it… Okay, how about five people from each side for a five-on-five match?”
“Five-on-five, huh? Alright, let’s do it,” Evan agreed, seeing Precht’s nod of approval.
Precht pondered, “Excluding Ultear, who betrayed me and joined Fairy Tail, I still have five key members: Bluenote, Azuma, Rustyrose, Kain, and Zancrow.”
“Of these, Bluenote is particularly strong, potentially as strong as a Wizard Saint. He could help gauge Fairy Tail’s current strength, apart from Evan’s monstrous power,” Precht thought, strategizing for the upcoming match.
“Those two women give me an unsettling feeling… No, it must be my imagination,” Precht glanced at Irene and Selene, who were still pummeling Gildarts. Without sensing their magic, Precht dismissed his earlier thoughts as remnants of his fear from fighting Evan.
“Five people, huh?” Evan mused, thinking five might be too few for the entire guild. Nonetheless, he decided on the five participants.
“Alright, I’ll call our participants,” Precht said. “We’ll send Vice Master Bluenote and four of our strongest: Azuma, Rustyrose, Kain, and Zancrow. Be cautious, Evan. Bluenote’s strength rivals the Ten Wizard Saints.”
“Ah, Bluenote, the gravity user…” Evan recalled.
Since Evan’s power had reached its peak, he hadn’t paid much attention to Grimoire Heart. In his eyes, everyone in Grimoire Heart except Precht was insignificant. Even so, he vaguely remembered Bluenote from his battles in the original series.
“Alright then! We’ll send Gildarts, Erza, Mirajane, Laxus, and Kuronugi,” Evan decided, carefully selecting the participants.
Besides wanting to see a rematch between Gildarts and Bluenote, he chose Erza and Mirajane to fulfill his promises. Laxus and Kuronugi were selected to ensure a solid victory over Grimoire Heart’s members.
With the participants decided, Evan and Precht prepared for the friendly duel between Fairy Tail and Grimoire Heart, each side ready to prove their strength.