Chapter 449: Dragons Seem Easier

"Was Titania really that good?"

"..." Finn chose to remain silent.

It was the final day of the Grand Magic Games. The stadium was practically shaking with the roars of the crowd, and the competing teams were burning with fierce determination for the ultimate battle about to unfold. Yet, instead of focusing on the tournament, Finn was currently occupied with handling four deeply jealous women. He honestly couldn’t blame them for their resentment—he had abandoned them for an entire day to stay in a hotel room with the Fairy Queen.

"Finn-sama, my hair is far more beautiful than scarlet hair." Flare leaned in close, letting her crimson locks cascade directly over his face so he couldn’t look at anything else.

Actually, she was using her Hair Magic to wrap her fiery locks tightly around his head.

"Flare! Flare, I can’t breathe!" Finn rapidly tapped her shoulder, silently begging for air.

He knew he had gone a bit overboard. He had left his own guild completely unattended, focusing entirely on Erza, who had clearly been on a mission to drain him dry. Yet, was that her grand strategy to defeat him? Tying him to a bed and spending twenty-four hours doing incredibly naughty things certainly felt like a targeted assassination attempt on his stamina.

Unfortunately, for Erza, it was an impossible victory. After using his Take Over magic on the Archangel Michael, Finn had evolved into the Enlightened, or into a demi-spiritual lifeform due to his connection with Suzuki of Tensura. His body was steadily approaching the realm of a Saint, granting him an inexhaustible well of stamina. By the time the impending climax of this arc fully erupted, his power would only increase further.

To think that he would achieve the status of a Saint even before Suzuki from the Tensura universe managed it was somewhat surreal. Still, the stronger he became, the more knowledge and unique secrets he could integrate into the power system of this world, benefiting everyone.

"When this tournament is over, we are absolutely not letting you go." Ultear grabbed him by the collar, her dark eyes flashing with a dangerous, seductive light. Her hand drifted brazenly toward his lap, subtly pulling him in. She was already mentally booking him for their private victory celebration.

"Yeah."

Sorano, Meredy, and Flare chimed in in absolute unison. They had no intention of sharing him once the games concluded.

Surrounded by Ultear’s mature allure, Sorano’s uninhibited lewdness, Flare’s obsessive devotion, and Meredy’s relentless energy, Finn realized he was probably not going to see the sun for a week after the finals. They were fully prepared to bleed his stamina dry.

Meanwhile, over in the Fairy Tail camp, Erza was dealing with the immediate fallout of her marathon session. While Finn had used his healing magic to magically restore her physical stamina—a gesture that left her feeling deeply guilty, considering her plan had been to exhaust his magic reserves right before the finals—she hadn’t expected reality to hit her the moment she returned to her guild.

"Lucy was captured by the royal army?!" Erza gasped, her eyes widening.

"Yes," Makarov replied grimly.

"..."

Erza hadn’t expected everything to escalate so drastically in a single day. Her chest tightened with worry, but the grim reality was that their hands were currently tied. The Grand Magic Games’ final event was looming directly ahead of them.

"How is she? Should we storm the palace and save her?" Erza demanded.

"No, she is fine for now. There is no need to panic," Makarov assured her, shaking his head. "More importantly, we need to focus entirely on the Grand Magic Games. The perfect chance to slip in and rescue her will present itself during the chaos of the event."

Makarov understood Erza’s protective instincts, but rushing blindly into the royal palace would only spell disaster. He narrowed his eyes slightly. "On a related note... where exactly have you been?"

Erza had completely vanished on their rest day. While Mavis had happily assured the guild that everything was perfectly fine, the recent kidnapping of Lucy had left everyone on edge.

"I..." Erza’s voice caught in her throat. Her mind raced, desperately searching for an excuse.

"Don’t worry about the minor details!" Mavis suddenly chimed in, stepping forward with a bright, commanding smile. "Let’s focus our energy on the final event. We have to win this!"

"OOOOOOOOOOOH!!!" The guild roared, easily swept up in the First Master’s boundless enthusiasm.

"Thank you, Master Mavis," Erza whispered secretly once the rest of the guild had dispersed to prepare. A deep blush of shame colored her cheeks; she knew perfectly well that the First Master was fully aware of exactly how she had spent her day.

Bisca had also figured it out, judging by the knowing, silent look she had given Erza, but thankfully, the sniper had kept her mouth shut.

"No problem at all." Mavis waved her hand dismissively. She had once fallen deeply in love herself, so she completely understood the intense, messy emotions Erza was in. Frankly, Mavis fully supported the romance between Erza and Finn—especially considering Erza would become the next Guild Master.

Was it a little impure to think about the political and magical benefits of aligning Fairy Tail with a monster like Finn? Perhaps. But Mavis was a tactician first and foremost; she couldn’t simply turn off her strategic mind.

"So, is he severely weakened now?" Mavis asked, flashing a knowing, mischievous smile.

"P-Probably..." Erza averted her eyes, knowing full well that Finn was likely perfectly fine.

"...No way." Mavis stared at Erza’s flustered reaction in pure disbelief. She instantly realized that Finn had not been drained in the slightest. "W-Was he really that good?!"

"First Master!" Erza hissed, her face burning as red as her hair.

"Sorry, sorry," Mavis giggled before letting out a soft sigh. "But you need to be careful, Erza. He has a lot of lovers in his own guild. Even if you hold a special place in his heart, the others will absolutely take any chance they get to monopolize him."

Erza fell silent, knowing Mavis was entirely correct. Yet, deep down, she didn’t believe she would lose. The way he held her, the way he surrendered his entire day exclusively to her despite his crowded harem—it made her feel irreplaceably special.

"Still, what should our strategy be for this final battle?" Erza asked, forcing her mind back to the tournament. When it came to Fairy Tail, she would discard all hesitation and fight with everything she had.

"You don’t need to overthink it. Just fight with every ounce of strength you have," Mavis said, her eyes gleaming with a sudden, sharp light. "As for the strategy? Leave that entirely to me."

"Understood, Master Mavis."

"Go now. Prepare yourself, Erza."

"Yes!"

As Erza hurried off to join her team, Mavis stood alone, her mind working a mile a minute. If they didn’t win this tournament, they wouldn’t be Fairy Tail. She knew her methods occasionally veered into underhanded territory. Despite her cute, angelic appearance, the Fairy Tactician was perfectly willing to fight dirty.

And her grand strategy to defeat the unstoppable Heavenly Blue?

It was simple. She just needed to manipulate every other team in the arena into forming a massive, temporary alliance to hunt down Finn’s guild at the same time!

Hehehe... let’s see if you can fight all six teams at the exact same time, Finn, Mavis chuckled, a thoroughly villainous aura radiating from her ghostly form.

Unfortunately, for the Fairy Tactician, her brilliant web of manipulation had a fatal flaw. She didn’t know that Minerva of Sabertooth—and Kagura of Mermaid Heel—had already surrendered their loyalty to Finn.

"Finn-sama, Fairy Tail has covertly contacted us. They want to form a grand alliance to defeat you," Minerva reported smoothly as she stepped into the Heavenly Blue waiting area.

But she wasn’t alone.

"Fairy Tail is planning to gather every guild in the arena to coordinate a massive strike against you," Kagura announced, stepping into the room from the opposite side.

"Huh?"

Minerva and Kagura both froze, their eyes locking onto each other. The air in the room instantly plummeted by ten degrees.

Behind them, the remaining members of Sabertooth and Mermaid Heel glared fiercely at one another, violently silently supporting their respective queens in this sudden, unstated battle for Finn’s favor!

And what kind of battle was it?

It was the kind of battle that caused Ultear, Meredy, Flare, and Sorano to step forward, all of them wearing identically sweet, gentle, and utterly terrifying smiles.

"..."

Looking at the absolute chaos of territorial waifus erupting in his waiting room, Finn released a long, incredibly tired sigh.

Suddenly, facing the invasion of ancient dragons that would come at the end of this arc seemed easier than surviving this.