CHAPTER 597: BLUENOTE

Happy couldn’t even lift his head, his body feeling like it was about to be flattened into the ground. "What is this? Gravity Magic?" he managed to gasp.

Natsu planted his hands against the dirt, forcing his upper body upward with great effort. Every muscle in his arms trembled; it felt like a mountain had been dropped onto his back. Even training with a giant boulder during workouts hadn’t been this bad.

"You... are..." he panted, "...who?"

The air itself felt heavier, and even the falling raindrops struck harder, stinging as they hit his skin.

"Who I am doesn’t matter. Who you are doesn’t matter. And I have no interest in where Zeref is," the man replied coolly. "There’s only one thing on this island I care about."

"Tell me... where is the tomb of Fairy Tail’s First Master, Mavis?"

Natsu clenched his teeth, pushing himself upright to glare at him. "So that’s it... you came for the First Master’s tomb."

"Natsu," Happy tried to speak, but Natsu cut him off.

"You want to become an S-Class Mage too?! Forget it! Only members of our guild can take the exam! And I’m the one who’s gonna pass!"

Flames burst from Natsu’s body, his eyes burning with fierce determination.

"—"

Happy was speechless. ’Was Natsu actually serious right now?’

Without a word, Bluenote lifted his right hand and pressed it downward. The crushing force doubled instantly.

"Urgh!" Natsu, who had just gotten to his feet, was slammed back into the earth as the ground around him sank several inches.

"Natsu, he’s wearing the mark of Grimoire Heart...he’s the enemy..." Happy groaned, his body now so flat that even his ears were pinned against the dirt.

"Fairy Glitter... a spell said to rival Fairy Law, one of your guild’s Three Great Magics. I want that magic," Bluenote stated calmly. "It’s said to be sealed in Mavis’s tomb. Tell me where it is."

Happy wheezed, "I’ve never heard of that."

Wait... Didn’t the Master say that finding the First Master’s tomb was part of the S-Class exam? Could there really be magic there too? And how did this guy even know?

"I have no idea what you’re talking about!" Natsu snarled, trying to rise again, only for the gravity to spike a second time.

With a thunderous boom, the earth caved in, forming a pit several meters deep and dozens across. Natsu and Happy were crushed to the bottom.

Happy’s body was so squashed he couldn’t even make a sound this time.

"Happy!" Natsu shouted, worry fueling his strength as he fought to hold himself up.

Flames roared from his hands and feet, blasting against the oppressive weight. Using the fire’s thrust to counter the gravity, Natsu pushed himself to his feet and lunged forward.

The fire beneath his boots flared even brighter, launching him from the bottom of the pit. He shot upward, fist blazing, and aimed a punch straight at Bluenote.

The Grimoire Heart mage simply extended a palm, and a wave of overwhelming magic power surged out.

Natsu was hurled back with such force that a loud sonic boom cracked the air, a shockwave rippling through the rain.

"Whoa!" His body slammed headfirst into the dirt, carving out another crater at the bottom of the first one.

For the first time in this battle, a flicker of fear appeared in Natsu’s eyes as he stared at Bluenote.

It was the same crushing aura he had felt from Gildarts during the S-Class exam, that suffocating certainty of being utterly outmatched. That feeling had branded itself deep into his heart the moment he first learned what fear was.

"Are you listening to me?" Bluenote’s voice was calm but laced with authority. "Where is Mavis’s tomb?"

Natsu’s unfocused gaze sharpened. "No."

"What?"

"You’re not invincible!" Natsu growled, planting his fists into the ground to push himself up. "You’re nothing compared to Gildarts! I’m going to beat you!"

He staggered forward, one step, then another, before breaking into a run. Fear still churned inside him, but right now all he wanted was to land a solid punch on this guy.

Before he could get close, the crushing weight of Bluenote’s Gravity Magic increased tenfold, slamming Natsu flat into the ground.

"I see," Bluenote said coldly. He could tell Natsu wouldn’t talk. Raising his hand, he prepared to end it.

"Natsu! Happy!" Lucy’s voice rang out from the distance. "Open, Gate of the Archer, Sagittarius!"

Evergreen swooped in next, wings beating fast. "Fairy Machine Gun!"

"Sky Dragon’s Roar!" Wendy unleashed a swirling vortex of wind and magic.

Gray hefted an ice cannon into place. "Ice Make: Ice Cannon!"

"Water Slicer!" Juvia’s hand swept forward, releasing razor-sharp blades of water that grew in size as the rain fed them.

But with a single punch, Bluenote unleashed a wave of magical power that shattered every incoming attack, arrows, bullets, hurricanes, ice shells, and water blades all blasted apart in an instant.

"Take Over: Beast King Soul!"

"Animal Soul: Bird!"

Elfman charged from the ground, Lisanna diving from the sky in her large blue bird form. They timed their strikes to hit from above and below.

They never made it. Lisanna’s wings locked under a sudden surge of gravity, sending her crashing into the earth.

"Ah!" she cried, struggling but unable to move.

Elfman’s legs buckled under the pressure, the ground sinking beneath his feet. "Manly... Man!" He roared, forcing his heavy limbs forward, muscles straining as he tried to swing at Bluenote.

The Grimoire Heart mage simply turned, thrust out his palm, and a fresh wave of Gravity Magic slammed into Elfman. He was thrown back like a ragdoll, carving a deep trench in the mud.

Juvia summoned a towering wave to crash down, while the raindrops around her condensed into gleaming water blades that darted toward Bluenote from all sides.

He waved his hand lazily, reversing the pull of gravity on the blades. They spun midair and hurtled back toward her.

The massive wave loomed overhead, but Bluenote only lifted his right hand, and an empty gap split the water in two, leaving a dry corridor straight through its center.

"Gray-sama!"

"Freeze!"

Juvia forced the rushing water to converge on Bluenote, while cold air surged from Gray’s hands. The stream solidified in an instant, forming a jagged iceberg that encased the Grimoire Heart mage completely.

Wendy and Lucy seized the opening, sprinting toward Natsu, Happy, and Lisanna to pull them free.

"Don’t go over there!" Gray barked, panic lacing his voice.

But his warning came too late. The iceberg detonated with a deafening crack, scattering countless shards of ice in every direction.

Sagittarius loosed a flurry of arrows, shattering several deadly shards before they could reach Lucy and Wendy, but there were far too many. His shots barely made a dent in the incoming storm.

"Defense Up!" Wendy’s voice rang out as she cast her enchantment, raising a protective barrier around her allies.

The icy projectiles slammed into them in rapid succession. The strikes weren’t strong enough to cause serious injury, but the sheer force knocked everyone off their feet.

Bluenote stepped forward and pressed both hands downward. The ground beneath them gave way with a thunderous rumble, sinking two or three meters in an instant.

"Whoa—!"

"Ah!"

Except for Elfman, who was already sent flying, and Gajeel, lying unconscious some distance away, everyone else was pinned face-first into the dirt alongside Natsu and Happy, crushed under the intensified gravity.

Sagittarius drew again, firing three arrows at Bluenote, but they bent unnaturally mid-flight and buried themselves harmlessly in the soil before reaching him.

With a lazy wave of Bluenote’s hand, the arrows twisted around, shooting back toward their summoner at even greater speed than before.

"Uh...I’m sorry, I..."

The Celestial Spirit vanished into golden light before he could finish his apology.

Bluenote folded his arms, his expression cold. "Now... who can tell me where Mavis’s tomb is?"