FTRJ: Chapter 25

The smoke gradually dissipated, revealing Finn, his clothes torn but otherwise unharmed.

"No way! That was my full power!" Mirajane stared at Finn in disbelief.

"Ouch, that really hurt, Mira!" Finn rubbed his swollen face; the attack had landed squarely on his face.

Looking down at his tattered shirt, with shreds fluttering in the wind, Finn sighed. "This shirt was expensive, Mirajane. You're paying for this."

Mirajane's face turned a mixture of green and white. "In your dreams!"

"Should we add your pants to that?" Erza said through gritted teeth.

Finn suddenly felt a wave of killing intent wash over him. He looked around curiously. "Whoa, where's that coming from?"

He dismissed it. The exam was almost over. Erza and Mirajane had already proven they were worthy of S-class. Even if Finn had been holding back, Makarov wouldn't say anything; he'd seen their performance.

But rules were rules, and Finn intended to give Erza and Mirajane a true taste of the brutal reality of S-class.

He ripped off his now-shredded shirt, revealing his well-defined muscles and a physique that was the epitome of perfect proportions. He wasn't overly muscular or skinny, just right—the ideal physique for a normal person's aesthetic.

"Mirajane, watch out, Finn seems to be getting serious," Erza warned, noticing Finn re-equipping Ryūjin Jakka and the surge of powerful magic emanating from him. She knew he was about to get serious.

However, there was no immediate response from Mirajane, prompting Erza to turn her head.

Mirajane, whose face had previously been fierce, now wore an inexplicable blush. She stared at the ground, though her bright eyes kept darting towards Finn.

Erza knew exactly what Mirajane was thinking and her face darkened. I don't even have time for this, and she's already smitten?

Erza's irritation towards Mirajane grew stronger.

Seeing Mirajane remain unresponsive, Erza moved in front of her, blocking her view. Mirajane tried to turn her head, but Erza firmly held her in place.

"Mirajane? What are you doing? Snap out of it!!" Erza shook her frantically.

"Stop it, stick-in-the-mud, what are you doing?" Mirajane, disoriented from being shaken, blurted out.

"What? Finn is the enemy right now! What are you thinking?!" Erza shouted, pointing at Finn.

Finn, being some distance away, couldn't hear their conversation, but seeing them start to bicker, he sighed and shouted, "Can you two stop arguing already?!"

Finn's shout cut off their argument.

Mirajane glared at Erza. "Let's get through this first, then we can talk."

Finn continued, "There are only a few minutes left of the 24 hours. I'm going all out with one final attack. If you survive, you pass."

Erza's eyes hardened. "Is it coming? The world-destroying flames."

"Mirajane, Finn's getting serious. Are you okay?" Erza looked at Mirajane.

Although they were rivals, they were also comrades. Because they constantly argued and fought, they understood each other better than anyone.

"Yeah, I know," Mirajane's expression turned serious. The pressure emanating from Finn was overwhelming, leaving Mirajane no time for anything else.

Finn slowly drew his sword. As the blade left its sheath, the surrounding temperature began to rise steadily.

A bead of sweat trickled down Mirajane's smooth skin. She acutely perceived the changes around her: the leaves on the trees were drying, curling, and finally igniting under the extreme heat, turning to ash and dissipating into the air.

But then a second, a third leaf ignited, one after another.

"The temperature is rising rapidly," Mirajane said to Erza.

"That's Finn's true magic, Ryūjin Jakka. Master called it the ultimate flame, like the power of the sun," Erza said gravely, recalling information about Finn's magic.

"If Finn wanted to, he could turn Magnolia into a fiery inferno in a matter of seconds!!"

"Millions could die instantly. Master believes this power will only grow stronger—it's world-destroying power."

"Master strictly forbids its use. That's why Finn often practices other fire magic."

Mirajane's brow was now slick with sweat, whether from the rising temperature or something else, she couldn't say.

"Are you kidding me? Is that even humanly possible?" Mirajane asked, genuinely shocked.

Erza shook her head. "Strictly speaking, Finn might not be human. He's a monster!!"

As Finn fully drew Ryūjin Jakka, the surrounding temperature reached unimaginable levels.

The very air around them seemed to warp and distort.

A butterfly, freely fluttering in the distance, ceased its flight. Overwhelmed by the extreme heat, it lost its life, plummeting downwards, its body instantly consumed by flames. Quickly, the flames devoured the butterfly's body, leaving only a pile of ashes on the ground.

"Reduce all creation to ash, Ryūjin Jakka!!"

"Boom~~" A colossal torrent of flames erupted from Finn as the epicenter, producing a deafening roar, engulfing everything in its path. The temperature, which Mirajane had thought had already reached its peak, began to climb even higher.

"Wh…what in the world is this...?"

Laxus, slacking off in the distance, saw the sky once again ablaze in red, the familiar flames and intense heat.

Laxus touched his chest, where he bore a scar from Finn's attack. Though long healed, a dull ache now throbbed in that spot.

"Heh, Finn, you've gotten even stronger. Looks like I need to step up my game; otherwise, I might not even be able to see your back," Laxus clenched his fist, a renewed determination hardening his resolve. He then turned and headed towards the shore, knowing that the area was about to be transformed into a fiery inferno.

Upon reaching the shore, he saw Makarov pacing anxiously, muttering incessantly, "Finn using this level of power…he won't accidentally kill Erza and Mirajane, will he?"

Cana, having already regained consciousness, stood beside Makarov, her eyes wide with disbelief as she witnessed the scene unfolding before her—the flames that threatened to engulf the entire island. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Master! Is Finn trying to completely destroy this island?!"

Laxus chuckled. "Don't worry, Finn knows his limits." He then ignored the anxious pair and boarded the ship, finding a comfortable spot to lie down while contemplating his own path to greater strength.

Despite knowing that Finn would absolutely never kill Erza and Mirajane, the apocalyptic scene before her was impossible for Cana to ignore. What if he truly did make a mistake? In the midst of such a hellish inferno, it wasn't entirely inconceivable.

Forcing herself to remain calm, Cana turned her head away, unable to bear looking in the direction of the ongoing battle.

"Master! Master!" Cana reached out, grasping Makarov's sleeve, her mouth agape as she pointed towards the sea with her other hand. "The sea…the sea is boiling…"

Makarov turned his head to look, and indeed, the seawater near the shore was bubbling furiously, with numerous fish floating lifelessly on the surface, their flesh already cooked.

"Has this child's power reached such a level? Even from tens of thousands of meters away, his magic is able to boil the sea?"

Erza's pupils were completely dilated, her vision filled with nothing but red—a sea of unrelenting flames!!

This was the first time she had ever experienced Finn's power at such close range. In the past, during missions, when they encountered formidable opponents, Finn would always ensure she was kept at a safe distance. This time, however, she was directly facing Finn, and the feeling was…

Like staring directly into the sun!!!

Finn gently swished Ryūjin Jakka, causing the surrounding flames to dance and swirl.

Waves of intense heat relentlessly crashed over Erza and Mirajane.

"Ryūjin Jakka, Ennetsu Jigoku!!" With Finn's command, a colossal fire tornado completely enveloped the two women, the fiery vortex reaching far into the heavens.

It even dispersed the dark clouds in the sky, as if the heavens themselves were powerless to contain its might!!!

The flames appeared and dissipated quickly, and the violent magical power gradually subsided.

Erza stood alone, Mirajane no longer able to maintain her demon form, having reverted to her original appearance and collapsing to the ground, unconscious.

Erza was left standing, clad in her now-shattered red armor.

The "Emperor Armor," possessing the ability to withstand high temperatures, had nonetheless been completely destroyed, its pieces scattered across the ground. In her hand, she held a massive shield—the shield from Erza's strongest defensive armor, the "Adamantine Armor"—which was now riddled with cracks, seemingly on the verge of shattering.

Despite her unsteady stance, Erza was the sole survivor standing.

"Erza, you've truly become much stronger," Finn remarked, his voice filled with genuine admiration.

"Congratulations. Time's up. You're the only one left standing. You are…now an S-class mage," Finn declared with a warm smile.

At that moment, Erza could no longer maintain her composure and collapsed to the ground.

"Master, the flames have subsided," Cana called out from the shore, watching as the surroundings gradually returned to a state of calm. "I wonder who actually passed the exam?"

Makarov closed his eyes, lost in thought. "I don't know either. Let's wait for them to come back," he said. The video transmission crystals had been damaged when Finn unleashed Ryūjin Jakka's full power. Even Makarov was unsure of the situation.

Finn quickly ran to their side, swiftly checking their injuries. He discovered that even Erza had fallen unconscious, but thankfully, neither of them had sustained any serious injuries. They would be fine after some rest, and Finn's heart was eased.

"Sigh, let's get them back," Finn said, picking them both up and heading towards the shore.

…

A Fairy Tail ship, bearing the guild's flag, sailed across the vast ocean, carrying Finn and the others back to Magnolia.

Inside the ship's cabin, two figures lay quietly in their respective beds. Finn sat between the two beds, an apple in hand, meticulously peeling it with his knife.

With a series of swift and precise movements, Finn skillfully peeled the apple, creating a long, unbroken strip of peel.

Gazing at the perfectly peeled apple, Finn nodded in satisfaction, just about to take a bite.

Erza's eyelids fluttered slightly.

Noticing Erza's movement, Finn carefully placed the apple on the table.

"Erza, how are you feeling? Can you hear me?" Finn gently shook Erza.

After a short while, Erza opened her eyes, her gaze settling on the cabin ceiling. The vivid image of the sea of red flames flooded back into her mind, along with the memory of herself standing as the sole survivor.

Turning her head to see Finn looking at her with a worried expression, she asked, "Finn? Did I pass?"

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