In the end, it was Makarov who personally stepped in and managed to subdue the raging Natsu.
With magic-sealing handcuffs on their wrists, Chase and Erza were taken away by the Council envoy, escorted back to the nearest Council branch.
Far away, perched on the edge of a wind-swept cliff, two silent figures watched the members of Fairy Tail retreating toward Magnolia, their expressions filled with gloom.
"What a waste of strength. He's clearly no pushover, yet he always gets tangled up in these pointless acts."
Laxus sat half-crouched on the cliff's edge, one arm resting on his knee, the fur-lined cloak on his shoulders fluttering gently in the breeze. His sharp gaze lingered on Chase's retreating figure, lips curled in a sneer.
He couldn't make out the words from such a distance, but the outcome was clear enough to piece things together.
"The Council's trial will just be a formality," said a cool, composed voice beside him.
Laxus turned slightly, his eyes narrowing at the tall figure clad in a travel cloak and carrying a set of mysterious staffs on his back. Mistgun stood calmly at his side, his face obscured beneath a mask, aura completely restrained.
"The fight back there was interesting enough. Still, Erza didn't push Chase hard enough to make him go all out."
As he spoke, electricity began to crackle faintly around Laxus's clenched fists.
"After watching that match, I'm itching for a little warm-up. What do you say, Mistgun? Care for a quick spar?"
"Not interested," Mistgun replied coldly.
Then, after a pause, he added, "Besides, Erza is far from weak."
"Hmph. That's exactly why you and I don't see eye to eye."
Laxus let out a scoff but didn't press the issue. He understood Mistgun's temperament well enough to know when to back off. With a flick of his wrist, he dispersed the current around his body and casually brushed off the dust clinging to his clothes as he stood.
"Still, I'm surprised to see someone like you show up," he remarked. "Someone who can't even reveal his face to his guildmates."
Mistgun's voice remained level. "When a massive surge of magic erupts right outside the guild's borders, it would be stranger if I didn't come investigate."
His masked eyes followed the retreating guild members in the distance. "After all, I'm part of Fairy Tail too."
"Tch. Another sentimental speech about bonds?"
Laxus clicked his tongue, irritated. "Whether it's Erza or Chase, it's because of your soft-hearted ideals that weaklings keep flooding into the guild!"
His face darkened, his voice turning venomous.
In his eyes, this stubborn leniency from the old man and others like Mistgun was the very thing holding Fairy Tail back. If the guild had just focused on gathering true powerhouses, if Makarov had taken his advice seriously, they'd have crushed the other guilds by now. Fairy Tail would've reigned supreme not just in Fiore, but across the entire continent.
Mistgun didn't respond immediately. He stood still, his cloak fluttering in the wind, simply letting Laxus's frustration spill into the open.
Only after the outburst faded into silence did he speak, calm and composed as ever.
"So, Laxus. You, who still runs around doing commissions…"
"Why are you here too?"
Buzz!
That short, piercing question struck Laxus straight through the heart, detonating like thunder inside his mind.
He stood there frozen, golden hair rustling in the mountain breeze, fists clenched, and unable to come up with a response.
Then, face turning red, he snapped, "Old man, I just happened to be passing by! Who gives a damn about that bunch of losers?!"
"I don't recall saying anything about you caring for Erza or the others, did I?"
Mistgun narrowed his eyes. And then uncharacteristically he smiled.
"Try facing your own heart, Laxus. Maybe grow up a little."
"You bastard...!"
Laxus exploded.
Without another word, he thrust out his hand, launching a crackling thunderbolt at Mistgun.
Boom!
The lightning obliterated the ground where Mistgun had been standing.
But Mistgun had already dissolved into mist vanishing without a trace.
"Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!!!"
Laxus roared into the empty sky. Thunder raged wildly around him, crashing into the rocks and lighting up the cliff in violent arcs. The fury swirling in his heart surged like a storm with no end.
Meanwhile, in Magnolia...
The Fairy Tail guild hall, usually bustling with laughter and brawls, was now filled with an uncomfortable silence.
Natsu had transformed into a tiny, furious version of himself like a mini Charmander trapped beneath an overturned glass on the table. He flailed and shouted, spitting out tiny flames from his mouth in protest.
Lucy, Gray, and Happy were arguing passionately, all of them demanding to go testify on Chase and Erza's behalf.
"They protected people! They saved lives!" Lucy's voice cracked with frustration.
"They're the last people who deserve to be punished!" Gray added with clenched fists.
Around them, other guildmates shared their frustration. Cana sipped irritably from a mug. Elfman slammed his fist against the table. Even the usually easygoing Jet and Droy sat with tight jaws and dark looks.
But not everyone was so restless.
The veterans like Wakaba barely stirred. He simply exhaled a puff of smoke and raised a hand at the bar. "Hey Mira, another round."
Mira, expression unreadable, nodded and quietly began pouring drinks.
"Don't act on impulse," Makarov said suddenly, his voice calm but firm.
He sat cross-legged on the bar counter, gaze sharp as he addressed Lucy, Gray, and Happy directly.
"Just wait for the verdict. That's an order."
Even though every part of them resisted, they stopped. None of them could disobey their master. But their eyes still burned with worry and helplessness.
Then, suddenly
The "mini Natsu" beneath the glass started twitching violently. His face turned blue, and he grabbed his throat like he was choking.
"Eh?! What's happening to Natsu?!" Lucy cried out.
Makarov raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Then, with a wave of his hand, he cast a spell.
Bang!
A puff of smoke exploded from under the glass and when it cleared, the one crouched there was no longer Natsu.
It was Makao, wide-eyed and gasping for breath.
"Ahaha… ahahaha… I owed Natsu one from that Snow Mountain Gorilla job,"
Makao scratched his head, still sitting cross-legged on the floor, laughing awkwardly as everyone stared at him with deadpan faces.
Meanwhile, at the Magic Council branch...
In the long, echoing stone corridor leading to the Court of Inquisition, Chase and Erza walked slowly under escort.
The clinking of their magic-sealing handcuffs echoed with each step.
The Toad Man from earlier waddled stiffly behind them, his wide mouth tightly shut, still nursing a bruised gut and bruised pride.
Suddenly, a tall figure blocked their path.
Leaning lazily against a stone pillar, the man had windswept blue hair, strange crimson marks etched across his right cheek, and wore the ornate robes of the Ten Wizard Saints.
The moment the Toad Man saw him, he dropped to one knee with panic in his eyes.
"Z-Ziklein?!"
Erza froze. Her expression shifted from confusion to stunned disbelief.
"Ziklein!"
The last time she had seen this man was when she accompanied Master Makarov to apologize on behalf of the guild. Back then, she was shocked to learn that he was supposedly the "twin brother" of her childhood friend... or rather, her greatest tormentor Jellal.
Of course, that was all a lie.
The truth was that "Ziklein" was just one of Jellal's false identities, a projection of his magical power meant to manipulate the Council while he carried out his plans in the shadows of the Tower of Paradise.
"Long time no see, Erza."
Ziklein stepped forward with a soft smile. But his gaze shifted just as quickly to the young man standing calmly beside her.
"...You're Chase Lin Edogan, aren't you?"
The name echoed in the corridor.
The recent Demon Ruins Island incident had left the entire Council in disarray, with Chase's name raised in an emergency meeting. His actions were nothing short of legend. Ziklein recognized him immediately.
"What's going on?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "Wasn't Erza Scarlet the only one who was supposed to be brought in?"
The Toad Man, still kneeling, responded without raising his head, though his voice trembled with resentment.
"Your Excellency… this man attacked a Council envoy in public. I requested authorization from the Speaker on the way here to detain him as well…"
His hands trembled slightly as he recalled the fist sinking into his gut. That damned Chase…
He'd heard rumors that Fairy Tail's S-Class wizard was unpredictable but he hadn't expected this level of madness.
Who voluntarily punches a Council envoy just to get arrested?!
He was still groaning about it inside: If you just wanted to get detained, say something! I'd have done it! Why hit me for free?!
"Hahaha! That's even crazier than the rumors!" Ziklein burst out laughing, genuinely amused.
"Nice to meet you," Chase said casually. "Hello, Ziklein."
The Toad Man immediately panicked.
"You you! Mind your tone! Do you even know who this man is?!"
Chase just shrugged and spread his hands.
"Yeah, I know. He's just another scumbag from the Council."
The air dropped a few degrees colder.
Ziklein's smile froze for a split second then slowly curved again, darker this time.
Erza broke out in cold sweat.
Chase… please, for once… shut up!
If it had been any other Councilor, Chase might've shown a shred of respect after all, these were the people who could influence the fate of his guild.
But Ziklein?
No.
Because Chase knew exactly who this man really was.
To him, Jellal Fernandes, the one hiding behind this illusion of power, was nothing more than a threat with a ticking clock. Whether he wore the title of Councilor or not didn't matter.
He wouldn't give him face.
Not now. Not ever.
Jellal, for his part, dared not act out of line. With all his hopes tied to the Tower of Paradise, he couldn't risk anything going wrong. Everything needed to stay perfectly in place.
And Chase… was an unpredictable variable.
The Toad Man, still standing nearby, turned pale. He opened his mouth, about to bark out another reprimand
But Ziklein raised a hand, silencing him without a word.
"It's fine," he said with a lazy shrug. "I'm just a projection. A thought-body. The old men sitting in the chamber are the same. You think I rushed here from Era just to deal with something this minor?"
He gave a faint smirk, as if the idea itself were laughable.
But Erza's sharp gaze never left him. Her crimson eyes burned with suspicion and restrained fury.
"Ziklein… Are you the one pulling the strings?"
There was no hesitation in her voice.
The memory of Jellal still haunted her. She hadn't forgotten the Tower. The past never truly vanished.
Ziklein looked surprised, then chuckled softly.
"Don't get the wrong idea," he said lightly. "I'm protecting Fairy Tail."
Then he turned serious.
"The other Council members are just scared of being held responsible. That's why they pushed all the blame onto your guild."
As he spoke, he casually stepped forward too close for comfort and tilted Erza's chin upward with two fingers.
His face leaned in, close enough for a whisper.
But before he could say anything discreet
He froze.
Because right next to their faces, only inches away… was Chase.
This guy had actually leaned in with his neck craned and ear tilted forward, eavesdropping without a hint of shame.
"Eh? What was that? Go on, don't let me stop you," Chase said with a bright, innocent smile, nodding as if he were a fascinated listener at a tea party.
Ziklein's eye twitched.
Even Erza looked like she was about to combust with secondhand embarrassment.
Who does that?!
It was so shameless, so Chase, that even the Toad Man watching in the back almost forgot to be angry.
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