Zongman: All Heavens and Worlds Begin with the Devil's Curse

Chapter 351 The Kingdom's Grand Gathering Begins!

The discussion revolves around Zhou Lan serving as mentor, who will provide special training to the dragon-slaying mages of this world.

To what extent can we enhance them within a month?

As a month passed through the branches and leaves of the forest, Gajeru and Wendy showed a noticeable increase in confidence.

As for Laxus, he was originally very confident, but he was somewhat stunned by Westwood before, and now he has simply regained his confidence.

Gerald and Simu are not included in this list.

One who is proficient in celestial magic, whose strength is not a concern. Even as a thought form, he was already qualified to join the Magic Council. The only concern is how to hide himself.

As for the other one, Ximu has been relatively well-behaved lately.

He patiently digested the vast amount of diverse magical power he had "tricked" from Fairy Tail when they parted ways.

Of the three demon wizards, his scientific research ability is the most outstanding, largely due to his personality.

So, when the three Dragon Slayer Mages emerged from seclusion, when their eyes revealed confidence and unparalleled respect for Zhou Lan, they were ready to act.

The first Grand Magic Games, which caused a sensation throughout the country, also began its ceremony in the kingdom's capital at this moment.

In fact, a month ago, Zhou Lan did not use any enchanting magic or threats to promote the Grand Magic Games.

From any perspective, the Grand Magic Games are a good thing for the kingdom's power structure.

Countless guild mages flocked to the capital, which not only corresponded to the Dragon King Festival hundreds of years ago, but also boosted consumption and even created a prosperous image, attracting the interest of other forces on the continent.

More importantly, the kingdom's centralized power was also demonstrated in this grand event, which was exactly what the kingdom's nobles wanted.

Simply explaining the stakes can sometimes be more effective than coercion or bribery.

The capital of the Kingdom of Fiore.

Countless figures walked toward the center, toward the circular building that resembled the Colosseum in Rome.

This arena, specially designed for the Grand Magic Games, is magnificent, and its audience consists mostly of tourists from all over the country and other places that come to admire it. Countless forces are focused on this place.

In a packed arena, an opening ceremony is underway.

The allure of vying for the title of the number one guild in the Kingdom of Fiore is simply too great.

Being the number one guild means that there's no need to worry about the guild's ranking or attracting new members in the future.

This is a world of magic, where the strong become strong and the weak perish—a rule known to everyone.

The dueling arena was packed with people, every seat filled with their presence.

To demonstrate the importance attached to this Grand Magic Games, the opening ceremony was hosted by dignitaries from the Kingdom of Fiore.

"Let our friends in the Magic Council demonstrate our impartiality, and let you, the audience, demonstrate our passion—"

"It is hereby announced that the first Grand Magic Games of the Kingdom of Fiore have officially begun!"

As the exciting opening remarks faded, the dueling arena instantly erupted in cheers. This was a completely new and unprecedented mode, and everyone wanted to come and see what the excitement was all about.

With the aid of magic, the focus of the screen in the center of the dueling arena shifted to the three announcers in the distance.

Although it's a magical world, everything is surprisingly advanced.

"Today's grand event has 114 participating teams/guilds. Now, please welcome them to the stage!"

On the ground of the dueling arena, the gates that should have once unleashed lions and gladiators suddenly rose, and figures emerged from the shadows of the passageway.

These are the guild teams participating in the Grand Magic Games, and they are also competitors.

No guild with a reputation would miss this grand event.

Reputation is the heart of the Archmage Guild.

Profit is the lifeblood of its operation.

Here, you can find both!

The old host couldn't help but sigh as he watched the archmage emerge from the passageway into everyone's view.

"Speaking of which, this Grand Magic Games has really inspired a lot of progress in mages and guilds."

"How so?" another host, sporting a pumpkin head, chimed in.

"Putting everything else aside, just during this period alone, many powerful mages who were previously hidden have begun to emerge, trying to win each other over and forming guilds, all in an effort to compete for first place. According to rumors, the Kingdom's council has received dozens of guilds for nominations during this time alone."

"As for those familiar guilds, they are putting in a lot of effort to attract new members and rebuild their reputation. It seems that everyone came prepared."

"That's going to be really interesting."

The hosts for the Grand Magic Games were quite professional, with one playing the straight man and the other the comedian.

The two hosts' voices were amplified and filled the dueling arena, ensuring that every one of the tens of thousands of spectators present could hear them clearly.

Just then, someone in the arched stands raised their arm and shouted, "Hurry up! Fight! I want to see rivers of blood!"

"Uh..." The host was speechless for a moment, then quickly added, "Of course, some viewers came expecting a bloody duel, haha."

"Now!" he suddenly said in a deep voice, "Let us welcome all the participating guild teams with the warmest applause and anticipation!"

Looking from the audience seats, one after another, slightly small figures walked in with confident strides.

In the very center of the dueling arena, the projected magic swept over the many contestants, making their faces clearly visible to everyone.

"That's... Raven's Tail, a guild supposedly founded by those who betrayed Fairy Tail. Their guild leader is apparently Makarov's son!"

Some viewers who already knew a bit about the guild acted as commentators, and even knew more about certain secrets and rumors than the commentators themselves.

"What about Fairy Tail? If they come too, wouldn't that be quite a show?"

"Let me see... Azure Pegasus, Serpent Scale, Four-Headed Hound, Mermaid Heel... these are all powerful guilds that were once well-known or have just reorganized their forces..."

"Found it! Fairy Tail!" someone suddenly shouted.

Following the gaze, Natsu stood with his hands on his hips in a corner of the arena, a confident smile on his face.

"It sounds like an event full of fighting, how could we be left out!" Natsu laughed heartily.

"It looks like Fairy Tail has a pretty impressive lineup too."

"Natsu the Fire Dragon, Gray the Ice Shaping Mage, Erza the Fairy Queen, Lucy Heartfilia the Celestial Spirit Mage, and Mirajane the Demon!"

"What a perfect and powerful lineup!" Many insiders couldn't help but exclaim.

In fact, while the grand event was officially underway, information about the mages of the participating guilds and the resulting betting schemes were also quietly unfolding behind the scenes.

Fairy Tail naturally ranks among the top.

Of course, along with Fairy Tail, there is another guild that was temporarily established but is equally noteworthy.

Chapter 352 Bring the Guild Closer!

"It's a Saber-Biting Tiger!"

A gasp erupted from the audience.

"A sword-biting tiger? Never heard of it." Someone looked puzzled.

"Duh, it's a guild that's been making waves lately, temporarily created for the Grand Magic Games. They say their team has two extremely powerful Dragon Slayer Mages, who are also big favorites in this competition. Come to think of it, this is their first appearance!" someone explained from the side.

"Um... speaking of emerging guilds, I did follow one before, called Devil's Tail, but I don't seem to have seen it?"

A little boy peeked out and peered into the dueling arena, seemingly searching for something.

"Huh? Devil's Tail? Sounds like some kind of bootleg, haha." The middle-aged mage next to him laughed, then shook his head and said earnestly, "Young man, not all emerging guilds have the strength of seeded players. Most of them are just first-round losers."

"Like this time, even though there are more than a hundred teams, only eight teams can actually enter the main competition. Most of them are just guys who come to show their faces and are eliminated."

"No, no..." the boy hurriedly waved his hands, his face showing urgency, "The Grand Magic Games newspaper published their information, I even saw it..."

"It sounds like some kind of Fairy Tail clone, maybe not even as good as Raven's Tail. After all, I still have high hopes for Makarov's son," an elderly man joined the discussion.

"It's said that the founder of their guild left Fairy Tail and created the new guild, but I'm not really sure..." The boy's voice trailed off.

For most people, this event is either for entertainment or for some private betting.

There are always some adult thoughts hidden inside.

For the children, their purpose in sitting here is even more straightforward.

It's like watching a spinning top competition; you subconsciously choose one of the fastest spinning tops and hope it will be the winner, knocking all the other tops off the track.

There was no particular reason; I just happened to like the look of the top I had chosen.

Similarly, the boy only saw it by chance in the newspaper, and then chose this team as his favorite spinning top, that's all.

Upon hearing the adults' objections, he couldn't help but feel guilty and muttered to himself with his head down:

"The newspaper said that their guild's strongest member is a boy about my age, and he's incredibly powerful. He even defeated some Dominator guild before..."

He silently read aloud the story Ximu had published in the newspaper to promote himself and the guild.

But no one could hear his voice anymore; the hall was drowned out by the clamor of the crowd.

Everyone was cheering for the guild they had chosen.

On the ground, people argued and eagerly awaited to find out who was truly number one.

Just then, a commentator on the judges' panel suddenly spoke up: "One hundred and fourteen teams..."

His gaze swept across the arena floor, and he said with a puzzled look, "It seems one is missing and hasn't arrived yet."

"Who?"

"Let me see. It's called Devil's Tail, a newly formed guild. Shall we disqualify them?"

The narrator's voice entered the audience's ears through amplification magic.

At the very first event, someone was absent, and everyone's face immediately showed disdain.

"Over a hundred teams, and they're the only ones not showing up? Let's just start!"

"Agreed, let's get started! What's the point of waiting for a latecomer!"

……

"Could it be that he's scared?!"

"Boring, I want to see rivers of blood."

……

Such comments are numerous.

In a corner of the audience, someone looked at the boy who had just spoken and said with a smile, "So this is the guild you were talking about. What a pity."

The boy lowered his head even further, his face flushing with embarrassment.

Similarly, on the commentary stage, after consulting with those backstage, the elderly commentator cleared his throat and said, "After discussion, the organizers have decided to cancel Devil's Tail..."

His voice hadn't even completely faded.

Suddenly.

A deep, resounding noise gradually rose and filled the entire dueling arena.

The sound gradually grew louder as it approached, until finally it became a deafening roar.

"What is this?!" Panic suddenly erupted in the arena.

Everyone looked around, trying to find the source of the sound, until someone suddenly stood up, raised their hand, and pointed to the distant horizon.

"There it is! What is that, a dark cloud?"

Following the direction indicated by the former, everyone unanimously focused their gaze on the distant horizon.

There, a dark shadow was churning through the clouds, drifting in.

It grew bigger and heavier.

Until, in everyone's eyes, it transformed into a pitch-black floating continent.

The arena fell silent instantly.

Even the mages of the numerous guild teams who had been swaggering around on the ground remained silent.

"An enemy attack!" A gasp erupted from the commentary booth.