Fairy Tail: Strongest Creature

"Contestant No. 3, the guild's signature girl!! Her beauty intoxicates the entire continent—Mirajane!!"

"Been looking forward to this!!" 

"She's the top contender!" 

"She's even cuter in person!" 

The moment Mira walked onstage, the crowd exploded with cheers, demonstrating her immense popularity.

"I specialize in Transformation Magic, so here's my performance!" 

"Commence talent show!!"

"Little Nurse!" 

Mira morphed into a nurse's outfit, pink and adorable.

"Ooooh!" came the excited cries.

"Now a schoolteacher!" 

She turned into a bespectacled teacher in a tight leather skirt, wielding a pointer.

"Woooaaah!"

"And next, a maid!"

"Aaaaaooo!"

Observing from the wings, Lucy felt hopeless. Mira was working much too hard, leaving no chance for contestants like her.

"Contestant No. 4! A mage both strong and beautiful—the Fairy Queen, Erza Scarlet!!"

"She's here—!" 

"Erza!" 

"So cool—!!" 

"The strongest woman in Fairy Tail."

Erza's entrance was nearly as popular as Mira's. She was famously gorgeous, and her formidable strength only enhanced her appeal.

"Let me show you a treasured Requip of mine."

After a burst of light, Erza appeared in a Gothic Lolita–style outfit. 

"A Goth-Loli Erza?!" 

"Totally different from her usual vibe!"

"Contestant No. 5: a little fairy, cute and brainy—Levy McGarden!!"

Levy displayed her Solid Script Magic by summoning flowery letters. She looked both adorable and refined.

"Contestant No. 6: the sexy sharpshooter from the west—Bisca Mulan!!"

Bisca demonstrated her accuracy by hitting targets one by one. Her Magic was a form of Requip specialized in summoning different guns, boosting their firepower significantly. She was another powerful female mage in the guild.

"Contestant No. 7: the guild's super rookie…"

Though Lucy had only joined Fairy Tail recently, many feats had been pinned on her: toppling an earl with Natsu, singlehandedly destroying Eisenwald, derailing a train, etc. All of it was somehow credited to Lucy's involvement.

"Her brilliance lights the way for Celestial Spirits—Lucy…!"

"Don't say my last name!" Lucy burst out. 

"I'm going to do a Celestial Spirit cheer routine!"

But abruptly, another voice boomed out: "Contestant No. 8!"

"Wait a minute, I haven't started my talent show yet—!"

"The guild's beauty? The guild's talk? That's obviously me. The contest is pointless now, so I'll just end it. Evergreen's your winner, done deal."

"Whaaa—?!" 

"Evergreen!!"

"When did she come back?!"

Several recognized Evergreen right away—although withdrawn and unsociable, she was a Fairy Tail mage.

Lucy bristled. "Quit messing around! This contest is my livelihood!"

Evergreen adjusted her glasses and sneered at Lucy. "What did you say, little girl?"

"Lucy!! Don't look in her eyes!!" Gray yelled.

Too late. Lucy stiffened into a stone statue where she stood.

"What…what's going on?!" 

"She turned to stone!" 

"A talent show?!"

Max, at the front, hollered, "It's dangerous! Everyone, get out of here!!"

"Waaah!" 

People screamed and fled in chaos.

Makarov glared, his expression dark. "Evergreen! Are you trying to ruin the festival?!"

"A festival wouldn't be complete without a sideshow," Evergreen replied. She waved a hand, and the curtain behind the stage slid aside, revealing the backstage. Everyone who'd entered the competition—Erza, Mira, and the others—had also been petrified.

"What?!" 

"They all turned to stone!" 

"Big Sis!" 

"Even Erza!"

Om—!

Su Tan's body radiated an intense wave of Conqueror's Haki, turning all eyes on him.

"Evergreen, restore them immediately, and we'll pretend this was just a joke. Otherwise, don't blame me for what happens."

"Su Tan…" Evergreen hesitated. Plenty in the guild either didn't like her or didn't care. But Su Tan was different—his power was beyond measure, and she knew she couldn't handle him.

Crack—! 

Boom—!!

A golden bolt of lightning blasted down onto the center of the stage.

"The festival for dealing with Fairy Tail's fools is about to begin."

"Laxus!!" 

"Freed and Bickslow?!" 

"The Thunder God Tribe—Laxus's guards!"

Laxus grinned. "Come play, old man."

"Stop this nonsense!!" Makarov roared. "We're preparing for the magic parade. Undo your spell on everyone at once!"

"That parade's scheduled for tonight, but who knows how many of you will still be standing by then."

Suddenly, a lightning bolt shot down from the ceiling, aimed straight at Lucy's stony form.

"Stop!!"

Su Tan dashed to Lucy's side, raising his hand to block the golden thunder.

Boom—!

The lightning shattered against Su Tan's defense, vanishing into nothingness. Conqueror's Haki surged around Su Tan again, and he looked ready to attack Laxus.

Laxus casually stepped behind the petrified girls and spoke in a mocking tone. "Careful there—if you and I seriously fight here, these women are gonna break into pieces."

"You're playing with fire, Laxus," Su Tan growled, eyes brimming with rage.

"These ladies are my hostages. If you break the rules, I'll smash them one by one. Think of it as our little sideshow."

Makarov glowered. "Some games aren't meant to be played, Laxus. Stop it."

But Laxus merely smirked. "I'm dead serious. Today we find out who's the strongest in Fairy Tail."