Old man, you were a little reckless just now.
Makarov patted himself up and down, checking carefully. To his shock, his body was fully healed—no more pain, not even the lingering old ailments he had carried for years.
And yet, turning back, he couldn't help but feel that Paipai's move had been too rash.
It wasn't that he thought Paipai was wrong to deal with Jose. The problem was how directly he had done it.
Jose regarded Fairy Tail as a mortal enemy, even willing to use the entire city of Magnolia as a hostage. A dangerous man like that could easily leave behind hidden traps, waiting to strike back when no one expected it.
Killing him outright without first uncovering all of his secrets… was risky. But the rest of Fairy Tail clearly didn't understand Makarov's meaning. They thought he was scolding this mysterious elder who had suddenly appeared to aid them with such overwhelming power.
Even Erza felt his words were ill-timed. Her expression grew complicated.
"Master, you…"
"I know what you mean," Paipai cut in calmly. "Ghost's branch guilds across Fiore have already been dismantled. As for their main headquarters—another me is there already."
"Another you… You mean an astral projection?" Erza asked after a moment of thought.
"Not exactly. My true self is only one—focused, undistracted, devoted to a single task. Not even the destruction of the world would easily disturb him. What you see here—these 'selves'—are born from his stray thoughts. They are me, and yet not me. You may call them fragments." Paipai did not elaborate further.
"I see…" Erza nodded slightly and fell back into silence, though no one could tell if she truly understood.
At Phantom Lord's headquarters, within the colossal magic machine Phantom MK II, three of the Element 4—Juvia of Water, Sol of Earth, and Aria of Air—sat together with Gajeel the Iron Dragon. They were hesitating.
Jose's final orders lingered before them: continue bombarding Magnolia with Jupiter Cannon.
This was Jose's contingency plan. He had personally gone to confront Fairy Tail, hoping to lure Makarov into letting down his guard and strike him by surprise. If that failed, he would unleash Abyss Break and hold the city hostage.
And if even that failed, there were only two possible outcomes:
Fairy Tail's strength far exceeded expectations, defeating Phantom before Jose could even react.
Fairy Tail proved slightly stronger and refused to bow to threats. In that case, Jose wouldn't destroy Magnolia—he'd be caught in the blast himself. He might survive one hit of Abyss Break, but barely, and certainly crippled. In such a situation, he would redirect the spell, aim it at Fairy Tail, and use the chaos to escape.
Either way, Phantom Lord would be humiliated. And so Jose had prepared a third plan: if Plans A and B failed, Phantom MK II would unleash Jupiter Cannon upon Magnolia in revenge.
Just now, however, the life-link magic circle connecting Jose to the machine had gone dark. (Not only could death sever the circle—Jose could also choose to dissolve it himself.) And with it, his last command had been triggered: Fire Jupiter Cannon. Destroy Magnolia.
The Element 4 wavered. If it were only a battle between mage guilds, that would be one thing. Mage dueling mage, however bloody, was still acceptable. But to deliberately target a city full of ordinary people…
That crossed the Council's bottom line. Even the royal army would be dispatched to punish them.
Phantom was the #1 guild in Fiore. Even if Fairy Tail had surpassed them, they still stood among the strongest, widely respected. Was it truly worth throwing all of that away—becoming a dark guild, hunted criminals—just to carry out Jose's bitter grudge?
"No, no, no. What's there to hesitate about? Phantom is Master Jose's guild. We are Phantom's members. Since Lord Jose has made his decision, what right do we have to question it?"
It was Sol who spoke first, his body sinking and twisting unnaturally into the ground like a worm.
His words immediately drew fire from Totomaru, the Fire Element. "Hmph. I am myself, Phantom is Phantom. I may be a member, but I'm not Phantom's slave."
"No, no, no, Totomaru-san. Master Jose is the Guild Master. As gentlemen, it is only proper that we follow his leadership. For you to say otherwise… If Jose were to hear you…" Sol's glasses flashed coldly. His voice trailed into an ominous chuckle.
He then sank silently back into the ground.
"You—!" Totomaru's face twisted with anger.
Unpleasant though Sol's words were, they carried a kernel of truth. The nature of a leader revealed itself in his guild. A strong master bred strong subordinates; a coward produced fearful ones. Phantom Lord's nature was cruel, ruthless, and domineering.
That alone spoke volumes of Jose's character. If he returned and discovered their disobedience, Totomaru might very well be purged from the Element 4.
Juvia and Gajeel both remained silent, deep in thought.
Execute Jose's orders—and Phantom would fall, branded a dark guild, their futures shattered.
Defy them—and face Jose's wrath, perhaps death.
Neither path was desirable.
"Argh!"
Totomaru suddenly screamed, collapsing in agony. Behind him, Sol retracted his hand as if nothing had happened. He even bowed politely toward Juvia and Gajeel, as though apologizing for the disturbance.
"Gajeel-dono, Juvia-dono, please do not refuse to be gentlemen as Totomaru-san has. It would make Master Jose very angry."
Gajeel's face twisted in disgust. He cracked his neck with a sharp pop.
"You bastard… are you threatening me? What if I refuse to listen, huh?"
"Gajeel-san, that attitude is not befitting of a gentleman," Sol replied, retreating once more into the earth with a sorrowful sigh, as if genuinely heartbroken.
"Trying to run, are you?!"
Gajeel's right arm morphed into a massive blade. He slashed the ground, the blow exploding outward in a crater. Sol was dragged out with the debris, only for Gajeel to leap down and press the edge of his blade against his neck.
"Still think you can threaten me?"
But Sol only smiled, as though victory were his.
"Gajeel-dono, it's already too late."
"What are you talking about?" Gajeel frowned, then felt a surge of energy behind him. He whipped his head around.
The Jupiter Cannon was glowing brilliantly, fully charged and ready to fire.
"You—! How did you even gain access!?" Gajeel roared.
"Does it matter now?" Sol dusted himself off, standing tall, solemn. "We no longer have a choice."
The next instant, a flash of light.
The cannon's core—and Sol himself—vanished without a trace.
"You've done well," came a calm voice.
Paipai stood before the stunned Juvia, Gajeel, and Totomaru, his eyes sharp as he regarded them.