Chapter 546: MPF
The soldiers gossiped among themselves for a while before remembering something important, this wasn’t just Mirajane’s fiancé. This was also a mage who had rendered notable service to the Magic Council.
Still, it was ironic. Rhodes’ accomplishments hadn’t garnered half the attention that his relationship with Mira had.
Perhaps his contributions hadn’t yet reached a level worthy of widespread recognition.
As Rhodes stood waiting, a group of nine individuals approached slowly from the far side of the platform. They varied in size, age, gender, and demeanor, but all had a powerful presence. These were no ordinary visitors.
They were Thought Projections, magic duplicates created through a high-level spell that allowed distant Council members to observe events without being physically present. And yet, even with just a superficial application of the technique, their appearances were so lifelike it was impossible to distinguish them from real people at a glance.
The captain who had just been leading training drills now followed behind them stiffly, clearly uneasy. The frog-man, upon seeing the Councilors arrive, immediately knelt on one knee and bowed low, not daring to meet their gaze.
Rhodes didn’t quite understand the protocol. He simply walked forward calmly and came to a halt about ten meters from the box the soldiers had set out earlier.
The Councilors stopped at an equal distance, facing him in a semicircle.
In the center stood Gran Doma, the Speaker of the Council. He wasted no time with formalities and addressed him directly.
"Magician Rhodes of the Fairy Tail Guild, Fiore Kingdom.
"Some time ago, Jura of the Ten Wizard Saints submitted your nomination to become one of the Ten Saints yourself, to fill a currently vacant seat.
"After thorough deliberation, the Council agrees that your public reputation and contributions qualify you for consideration. However, your raw magical strength remains uncertain.
"Therefore, today you have been summoned for a formal evaluation. Your performance in this test will be a critical part of our final decision.
"Do you have any objections or questions regarding this process?"
Rhodes asked evenly, "What are the methods and standards for this test?"
Gran Doma turned to the captain with a glance.
The captain stepped forward and opened the box. From within, he carefully lifted a peculiar-looking device.
From Rhodes’ angle, it resembled a small anchor mounted with a glowing crystal, its overall shape not unlike the Council’s own emblem or headquarters.
"This is the MPF, Magic Power Finder," the captain explained. "You simply need to unleash a magical attack against it. The crystal will absorb the strike and measure its intensity, outputting a numerical value.
"To give you context: a child who’s just begun learning magic usually scores between 1 and 5.
"A score of 100 or so qualifies someone to be the squad leader of a five-to-ten-man unit in our Enforcement Division, and also marks them as a core-level mage in a smaller, non-elite guild.
"If someone scores above 300, they’re capable of competing for my position as Captain.
"As for higher scores... well, I’ve only heard rumors. Some top-tier mages in powerful guilds are said to reach over 1000.
"In fact, the criminal Erigor, the one you subdued, may have been capable of that range. But for what it’s worth, no one has ever registered numbers that high here on our training grounds."
When the captain mentioned "certain guilds," he was probably referring to smaller, lesser-known ones.
After all, no one would come to the Council just to test themselves out of boredom, and the Enforcement Unit certainly wouldn’t waste resources dragging criminals over just to see a number on a dial.
So, it was no surprise they hadn’t seen results in the upper ranges.
Rhodes figured that quite a few members of Fairy Tail could probably match or exceed Erigor’s level anyway.
This method of testing, focused solely on burst magic output rather than stamina, actually suited him quite well.
He asked calmly, "What sort of reading is expected from a Wizard Saint?"
"There’s no fixed benchmark yet," Gran Doma replied without hesitation or shame, despite being the official in charge.
Gran Doma added, "Based on the captain’s earlier standards, over 300 is worthy of a division commander. So for a Wizard Saint... maybe ten times that?"
The number was arbitrary, and Gran Doma seemed to realize it himself. To make it sound more credible, he added, "We’ll consult the other Wizard Saints later for comparison. In any case, you’ll be allowed three attempts. Your highest score will be taken into account."
Rhodes began considering which form to use. Should he summon a Rift Herald? Or go with something flashier, like the Purgatory Dragon?
Then another thought struck him. He raised his hand.
"What happens if it breaks?"
Gran Doma chuckled, "The MPF is equipped with a specialized magic crystal. Not even legendary Super Magic can destroy it."
’Seriously? A crystal that can tank Super Magic?’ Rhodes blinked.
If something like that could be turned into armor, wouldn’t it outclass even Erza’s Adamantine Armor?
He wondered if there were some technical limitations or maybe the crystal couldn’t be mass-produced. But that wasn’t what he meant.
"I meant," Rhodes clarified, "what happens if the building breaks?"
Silence.
The Councilors exchanged glances.
It was a valid concern. The mages of Fairy Tail were infamous for leaving wreckage in their wake, even during routine jobs.
And if someone truly fit to be a Wizard Saint let loose here, it wasn’t just the tester they needed to worry about.
"Let’s change locations," Gran Doma said immediately, choosing pragmatism over pride.
The Council had already drained their budget recently and couldn’t afford another reconstruction bill. Better safe than sorry.
Org looked at Rhodes with newfound admiration. ’As expected from Fairy Tail’s most dependable man. Not a reckless brawler like the others.’
They relocated the MPF a full kilometer away from the Council Branch. Luckily, there was plenty of open land nearby, wild, rugged terrain perfect for destructive demonstrations.
The nine Councilors followed, their Thought Bodies floating effortlessly across the field. Captain Lahar came too, along with nearly a hundred of his Enforcement Unit soldiers.
Perhaps he wanted to teach them a lesson in humility, show them what true power looked like.
Rhodes stepped forward, his voice steady: "Take Over: Purgatory Dragon Soul."
Flames swirled around him. His body changed, wings sprouted, and red scales shimmered beneath the sun. Horns curved from his forehead, and molten energy rippled through his limbs.
His appearance stunned the crowd.
They had heard Rhodes specialized in Summoning Magic, some even nicknamed him the "Beast Tamer." So what was this?
Take over Magic?
’Since when does falling in love with a women with take over magic gives you take over magic?!’ someone in the back thought, bewildered.
But watching the crimson form standing there, wrapped in lava and radiating pressure, they couldn’t deny, this brutal, dragonic aura somehow fit him. It suited him as perfectly as it suited Mirajane.
Rhodes didn’t waste time preparing for the first strike. He had three tries, after all.
With a single flap of his wings, he launched forward like a meteor. His fist, glowing with volcanic fury, smashed straight into the MPF crystal.
A deafening boom shook the field.
The crystal was instantly engulfed in flames, lava bursting from Rhodes’ fist like an erupting volcano. Fire and molten rock streaked across the ground, carving a trench that stretched dozens of meters behind the device.
The soil beneath the trench blackened and split. Stones were incinerated, crumbling into ash, and the air grew so hot that nearby soldiers instinctively shielded their faces.
In their eyes, Rhodes’s figure appeared somewhat distorted.
That shimmering, distorted figure was the result of light refraction, caused by the sudden surge in air temperature when it reached a certain threshold.
And it was winter.
The soldiers, stunned, couldn’t believe what they were seeing. The frost-laced ground around them had turned into a scorched battlefield in seconds.
Meanwhile, the Councilors’ Thought Bodies remained calm, immune to the heat, their gazes fixed on the top of the Magic Power Tester.
Four large numbers floated above it:
3644
The soldiers’ ranks broke into murmurs of disbelief.
Four digits?
It was really four digits!
And not just any four-digit number, it started with a three!
This was the power of someone nominated for the Wizard Saints?
It felt like a chasm separated them from that level. No matter how hard they trained, the difference seemed insurmountable.
Captain Lahar began to feel a little uneasy. He had intended to inspire his men by showing them what elite magic looked like, not crush their spirits.
Rhodes, on the other hand, studied the Magic Power Tester with keen interest.
It was... impressive.
He had just slammed into it with his Purgatory Dragon Soul form, his most explosive physical transformation, and not only did the crystal remain unscathed, it didn’t even wobble.
In fact, the ground behind the tester had been blown into a trench, the earth charred and split wide open, and the surrounding terrain warped from the heat. Yet the tester itself hovered there, completely undisturbed.
Not even a millimeter out of place.
Rhodes squinted. So this crystal could not only resist Super Magic, but had some kind of absolute positioning?
This thing... could it really not be forged into armor?