Chapter 59: Battle of Fairy Tail, The Beginning of the Duel (5)
Kardia Cathedral, at the heart of Magnolia.
Laxus sat calmly inside, watching the battle unfold through Freed's enchantments.
"Erza revived… Mystogan joined in as well… That makes three of Fairy Tail's top wizards gathered here, counting me. But who's the fourth?"
He knew Erza and Mystogan had entered the fight. But the sudden rise of another name was puzzling even to him.
For a moment, he wondered if it could be Gildarts. But no—Gildarts had left on a 100-Year Quest, weighed down with guilt over Ciel's death, swearing not to stay long in the guild. He'd been gone three years with no word. There was no way he'd miraculously appear now.
"Well, it doesn't matter who that last one is. Soon… the Fairy Tail I've dreamed of will be mine. Ciel… I'm not like you. I won't protect by sacrificing myself. I'll crush everything with my own power. That is the Fairy Tail I want."
Laxus's vision was different from Gildarts's.
To him, Ciel had died because everyone was too weak—Ciel, Gildarts, even himself.
If weakness led to death, then Fairy Tail must become a guild of only the strongest, where no one would ever fall again.
For three long years he had prepared for this plan. And now, at last, the moment had come.
"Ciel… watch closely. I'll show you the Fairy Tail I will create."
With that, Laxus leaned back and observed the battle's progress in silence.
....
Southern streets of Magnolia.
Erza raced down the roads, scanning for the Thunder God Tribe.
Villagers spotted her in armor and called out, grumbling.
"Erza, where are you running off to dressed like that?"
"Never mind that—your guild's youngsters are brawling all over town, causing nothing but trouble."
"…I'm sorry. It's all because of the parade preparations."
"Quite the unique preparation…"
"That's not all! Whether they're from Fairy Tail or not, some weirdo's carrying around a coffin decorated with creepy statues, heading toward Kardia Cathedral. If that's one of yours, maybe deal with him?"
The townsfolk trusted Erza, though complaints lingered. Fairy Tail might cause chaos, but they were still Magnolia's protectors—the guild the whole town relied on.
Feeling the weight of their words, Erza pressed harder. She had to stop Laxus quickly.
Her destination: Kardia Cathedral.
She didn't know who this "weirdo with a coffin" was, but if they were heading the same way, it only confirmed her path.
She sprinted on—until a spear-like javelin crashed down from above.
"…Tch?!"
Erza dodged lightly, her eyes snapping upward.
On a rooftop stood Evergreen, clad in her fairy-like outfit, fan spread open, a smug expression on her face.
"How curious—you somehow broke free of the stone curse. Not that it matters. If anything, it just means I'll have more fun tormenting you."
"…Evergreen."
"What a joke. Fairy Queen, you call yourself? Hah! The greatest fairy in the world… is me!"
With a dazzling spin, Evergreen leapt down, scattering sparkling powder from her fan above Erza.
The glitter rained down, detonating into a chain of explosions.
"Fairy Bomb: Gremlin!"
"This won't be enough!"
From within the blasts, Erza emerged with swords drawn, vaulting high and slicing a chimney clean in half.
"As expected of Erza."
"I didn't think you'd be the one to appear first. So if I defeat you… everyone will return to normal, won't they?"
"Think you can manage that?"
Evergreen had petrified Lucy and the other women.
If Erza could take her down, the spell would break, and her friends would be freed.
Before going after Laxus, Erza changed her priority—she had to take down Evergreen first.
Evergreen, unwilling to be ignored, removed her glasses and tried to petrify Erza again with her magic eye. But Erza closed her real eye, staring her down with her prosthetic as she pressed the attack.
["Lebrahorn! Very well… so it's a prosthetic. I hadn't realized. Then how about this spell—Fairy Machine Gun!!"]
Around Evergreen, magic scattered into needlelike shapes, forming hundreds of glowing darts that rained down on Erza.
Yet Erza blocked them all.
Shocked at Erza's monstrous skill, Evergreen doubled the number of magic darts, unleashing a storm of glowing needles. Victory seemed certain.
"Ahahahaha! From today forward, I will bear the name of Fairy Queen! I am the true fairy!"
"Not a chance!!"
"W-What?! Impossible…!!"
But Erza was no ordinary opponent. Drawing blades even with her toes, she unleashed her Four-Sword Style, parrying every last dart in a dazzling sword dance.
As Evergreen reeled, Erza hurled two of her blades, pinning Evergreen's arms to the wall and binding her in place.
"Even for someone like you, you're still a comrade of Fairy Tail. And as for the title of Fairy Queen you covet… that name came to me as Ciel's partner, the Phantom King. It's not something I intend to hand over to anyone else."
"…."
"Stop this foolishness. Return everyone to normal. I won't hurt you."
Evergreen had nearly fainted when the blades pinned her, but hearing Erza wouldn't kill her, she smirked. She still had one card left.
"Ufufu… aren't you being naïve? My Petrifying Eyes have another ability… remote control."
"…."
"Strip! Get down on your knees before me, naked! If you don't, I'll shatter every last stone statue of those girls right now!"
"…."
In answer, Erza's clothes vanished into light, transforming into her mainstay armor—the Heaven's Wheel. In an instant, hundreds of swords appeared, all aimed at Evergreen.
"So that's your choice. Victory over life itself. Admirable."
"Eh?"
"I already told you. I'm Ciel's partner. Together, we crushed and killed countless dark guilds with these hands. Do you think I'd falter at such a childish threat?"
"N-No way…"
Erza's voice dropped to a chilling tone, her expression cold as steel, her gaze treating Evergreen like nothing more than an insect. The killing intent pouring off her froze Evergreen's blood.
Erza had faced far worse intimidation during jobs with Ciel. Compared to that, Evergreen's threats were nothing more than a spoiled child's tantrum.
"The souls of the girls you endangered… I'll cleanse them with your life if I must."
"W-Wait… wait, please…! S-Stay away! Don't—Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
Evergreen shrieked as Erza closed the distance, her fist slamming into Evergreen's face.
And with that single blow, the duel of the two "fairies" came to its end.
From the start, Erza had never intended to kill Evergreen.
Instead, she chose to end things with advice for the girl who had been caught in her own bluff.
"If you're going to bluff… at least do it properly."
"I… I lost."
....
Meanwhile, inside the Fairy Tail guild, the moment Erza defeated Evergreen, all the petrified members began to awaken.
Lucy, Mirajane, Cana, Juvia, Levy, Bisca… every contestant from the Miss Fairy Tail contest returned to normal.
The three men, who had been completely useless up until now, erupted in cheers at their revival.
"Huh? What's going on?"
"Juvia, what just happened?"
"We…"
"Hm?"
"Whoa! We're back to normal~!!"
"Lucy~!"
"Eh?! What the—?!"
As Natsu and Happy leapt onto Lucy, Makarov read the updated battle results showing Erza's victory and let out a deep sigh of relief.
With Erza's win, the hostages were freed.
There was no longer any reason for the Battle of Fairy Tail to continue.
....
Magnolia – South Street
Mystogan, still enduring the villagers' jeers, came face to face with Bickslow.
"YA-HA!!! Well, if it isn't Mystogan~!"
"…"
"I heard a ruckus, came to check, and it turns out it's you… Huh…?!"
Bickslow had charged over, excited by the thought of fighting an S-Class wizard, but then he noticed the coffin Mystogan was dragging behind him. His expression froze instantly.
The hostile jeers of the townsfolk only made the atmosphere more unbearable.
"Good heavens, is that wizard from Fairy Tail?"
"Tch tch tch… no matter what, shoving a corpse in that thing is disgraceful…"
"The world's going downhill, I tell ya—downhill!"
"Mommy, what's 'Master Bob's Gravure 100 Poses'?"
"Oh my goodness! Don't look at that, sweetie! Bad! Bad!!"
Mystogan endured the heckling with his face burning red, while Bickslow, who had been trying to provoke him, suddenly felt an odd pang of guilt.
Reading the flow of his soul, he could tell Mystogan hadn't brought that hideous contraption by choice.
Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, Bickslow muttered, "Uh… well… sorry. I didn't mean to draw that much attention to you."
"…What?"
"…Didn't you say not to ask questions?"
"Huh, what do you—KUHEEEEH?!!"
The instant Bickslow let his guard down, Mystogan swung one of the staves strapped to his back, smashing it full-force into Bickslow's jaw.
The solid blow from the staff left Bickslow crumpled on the ground, unable to cast even a single spell, his brain rattling from the impact.
With Bickslow down, even the villagers' jeers began to quiet.
Everyone was silenced by the trembling in Mystogan's clenched fist.
"...Do not… question me."
Re-hoisting the chains over his shoulders, Mystogan resumed dragging the coffin toward the cathedral.
Behind him, the whispers and jeers of the townsfolk continued to follow.
....
"Evergreen VS Erza" – Winner: Erza
"Bickslow VS Mystogan" – Winner: Mystogan
Watching the updated results floating in the air, Laxus's face contorted with rage, and he smashed one of the cathedral's pillars in fury.
His vision of a new Fairy Tail, forged from the strongest, was already faltering.
His Thunder God Tribe—supposed to be the cornerstones of this new guild—had fallen to the so-called S-Class wizards under Makarov.
That Erza and Mystogan—mere brats—had defeated his chosen warriors infuriated him.
"How the hell could Evergreen lose to the likes of Erza?! Huh?! And Bickslow, beaten by Mystogan of all people! When did you two get so damned weak?!"
"They're simply too strong. At the very least, I should have gone myself."
Freed returned when he should have still been fighting, drawing a sharp glare from Laxus.
"Why are you back, Freed?"
"The game is over. With the hostages freed, the Master won't act any further."
Because Evergreen had fallen to Erza, the petrified hostages had been released. There was no longer a foundation for continuing the battle.
Freed had come to declare the end.
But an enraged Laxus hurled a bolt of lightning with such precision that it only grazed Freed's cheek.
"Laxus…"
"It's not over. If you can't follow me, then get lost. My Fairy Tail has no place for the likes of you."
"..."
"I've already set Thunder Palace in motion above Magnolia."
"What…?! Laxus!!"
The words froze Freed's blood.
Thunder Palace.
A supreme large-scale spell where lacrima filled with thunderous magic encircle the sky above the designated target.
When the appointed time arrives, countless bolts of destructive lightning rain down without mercy.
Laxus had just taken the entire town hostage.
As the weight of the situation sank in, Freed swallowed hard.
"Wahaha! How's that, old man?! This time the hostages are every single citizen of Magnolia!"
"Laxus… this has gone too far…"
"Too far? I decide my limits. This is life or death! The battle won't end until one side is completely wiped out!"
"..."
Freed stared at Laxus, torn apart inside.
He understood Laxus's yearning for strength.
He even respected his ambition to become Fairy Tail's Master.
But this—taking innocent townsfolk as hostages—this was beyond forgiveness.
Should he stop him? The question gnawed at Freed's mind.
Laxus's eyes burned with madness as he turned back to Freed and gave his command.
"What are you waiting for, Freed? Your hunt isn't over. I'll deal with the old man's hopes—Erza and Mystogan. You take Cana and that girl. Neither has a place in my Fairy Tail. Kill them if you must."
"Kill them?! They may be our enemies right now, but they're still guildmates—"
"Didn't you hear my order?!"
Laxus's roar snapped Freed back to his senses.
He knew full well that what they were doing was wrong. These were comrades—fellow Fairy Tail wizards, even if temporarily cast as enemies.
And yet, after everything they'd already done, there was no turning back.
Freed clenched his jaw, steeling himself.
"There's no road back once we've come this far. I'll follow you, Laxus. Even if it leads to hell… I'll carry out the mission. I'll kill them—don't regret it later."
"That's better. Show me your true power, Dark Freed."
Receiving his master's command, Freed left the cathedral.
....
Time passed. Six minutes remained before Thunder Palace would activate.
As Laxus brooded, recalling the past, the sound of wheels grinding against stone echoed behind him. He turned, expecting Mystogan—and there he was.
But the sight gave Laxus pause.
Mystogan's body trembled with embarrassment, and behind him he dragged that cursed glass coffin—adorned with a hundred grotesque statues of Master Bob in gravure poses—within which lay yet another coffin.
Laxus widened his eyes at the absurdity, then quickly regained composure, shaking his head.
"…I never thought you'd actually join this game, Mystogan."
"…Laxus. I'll give you a choice."
"A choice?"
"Cancel Thunder Palace right now, and take one hit from me. Do that, and I'll end this as just 'entertainment.' But if not… then I'll beat you down. And I'll smash the man in this coffin while I'm at it."
"Hah. So you even beat corpses now? Didn't take you for that kind of pervert. Still—you know, don't you? Who the strongest in Fairy Tail really is? Everyone whispers it: it's either you… or me."
"I've no interest in such talk. If you ask me, Gildarts—or my predecessor as S-Class, Ciel—are more deserving of the title."
"They're finished. They're never coming back. Erza isn't bad, I'll admit, but she's still just a child."
"Erza… weak? Are those eyes of yours just for show?"
"I recognize you, Mystogan. Right now, the title of Fairy Tail's strongest belongs to either you or me."
Mystogan no longer thought words worth wasting. The choice was already clear.
He slammed his staves into the ground, the air thickening with magic.
"You're the one wasting breath, Laxus. The choice is made."
"Then let's settle it—once and for all. For the title of strongest… Though I have to ask—what is that ridiculous coffin? Don't tell me you dragged it all the way here?"
"Do not… question me!!"
With Laxus's taunt, the clash of Fairy Tail's strongest candidates began.
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