"Extra! Extra!!!"
"Special Extra!!!"
"The Mage Guild Fairy Tail challenges the Mage Guild Phantom Lord!"
"What?!"
"Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord?!"
"Are these two guilds going to fight?"
"Give me a copy, quick!"
"Me too! Me too!!"
It was already nearing evening, and this evening paper suddenly made every city bustling. Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail, these two were arguably the strongest guilds in Fiore, constantly a topic of discussion. No one expected these two strongest guilds to actually be on the verge of fighting.
Everyone immediately began reading the newspaper.
"To the esteemed Master Jose of the Phantom Lord Guild, to thank you for your care of Fairy Tail, to deepen our friendship, and to promote mutual progress, we, Fairy Tail, sincerely invite you and your Phantom Lord to a friendly sparring match. The time and place are set for three days from now at the Onibas Arena. Both sides will send out six individuals for one-on-one battles. The winner can choose to directly spar with the next opponent or forfeit, until all six individuals from both sides have been defeated. We wonder if you dare to accept."
So, Fairy Tail was inviting Phantom Lord to a sparring match.
"Why would Fairy Tail challenge Phantom Lord to a sparring match?"
"What sparring match? That's just a nice way of saying they're declaring war! I heard Phantom Lord destroyed the Fairy Tail Guild last night. Fairy Tail can't swallow that insult and wants revenge."
"Then why don't they just go fight them directly?"
"The Magic Council doesn't allow infighting between Mage Guilds, so they must be retaliating this way."
"I see!"
At this moment, Gajeel, the Iron Dragon and main culprit behind the destruction of the Fairy Tail Guild, also looked at the newspaper report, a sinister smile appearing on his face: "I originally planned to severely injure a few of Fairy Tail's trash, but I didn't expect these guys to be so impatient. Still, things are getting interesting now."
The news in the newspaper naturally reached the Phantom Lord Guild.
"Hah! Those trash from Fairy Tail are desperate!"
"They even dare to declare war on us, Phantom Lord? They really don't know their place!"
"We, Phantom Lord, have the famous Four Elements and the Iron Dragon Gajeel!"
"That's right! That's right!"… At the top of the Phantom Lord Guild, Master Jose of the Phantom Lord Guild and all of the Four Elements were present.
"Hmph hmph! This is quite unexpected, Big Brother Makarov."
"Although it doesn't align with my plan, this works out perfectly. It's a good chance to let everyone in this country see the difference between those trash from Fairy Tail and my Phantom Lord."
"All of you, perform well and completely crush those trash from Fairy Tail!"
"Yes!!"
Soon, Phantom Lord released a statement, accepting Fairy Tail's request for a sparring match.
Upon receiving this news, the entire Kingdom of Fiore erupted. While Mages' duels could be seen in arenas on a daily basis, the two parties in this match were completely different.
Both sides were the top Mage Guilds in the Kingdom of Fiore, and their Mages were naturally the best. The Mages from both guilds were all famous, so how could such a battle not be exciting?
This made many people restless, and they rushed to Onibas overnight, fearing they wouldn't be able to buy tickets if they arrived late.
In the evening, after the guild closed, Qi Yan escorted Mira home as usual. When they arrived at Qi Yan's doorstep,
"Mira, Phantom Lord attacked the guild this time, and they might attack individuals. Why don't you come to my place? That way, I can feel a bit more at ease."
Mira's face flushed slightly: "This… isn't that good…"
"What's not good about it? Come on!"
Qi Yan took Mira's hand, and Mira didn't refuse. They were both adults, and they both knew each other's feelings. And although Cana's words had a joking element, Mira knew that if it weren't for herself, Cana would genuinely pursue Qi Yan, which gave her a slight sense of crisis.
Noticing Mira didn't refuse, Qi Yan's heart couldn't help but leap with joy. Dad, Mom, your son is finally going to grow from a boy into a man.
Creak!
The door opened.
"Welcome home."
Qi Yan froze as soon as he opened the door, seeing Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, and Happy, who had appeared in his house at some unknown point.
"What are you doing at my house?! And how did you get in?! This is illegal entry!!"
Happy said, "Isn't your house key always under the flowerpot by the door?"
"Thieving cat!!"
Erza said, "It's because of Phantom Lord. The fact that they attacked us shows that our residences might also have been investigated. To prevent ambushes when we're alone, it's safer for us to stay together for now."
Natsu said with a grin, "And the best place to stay together is Qi Yan's house, so we came."
"You really do whatever you want. You should at least ask for the opinion of me, the owner, shouldn't you?"
Happy noticed Qi Yan and Mira walking in hand-in-hand, and he looked suspicious: "Qi Yan, you brought Mira back. Are you planning to do something naughty?"
"They're having an affair~~~!!"
Qi Yan panicked: "No! Nothing of the sort! I just thought Mira, as a girl, wouldn't be safe, so I brought her home. Yes, that's it."
Lucy couldn't help but retort, "You're the most unsafe one!"
However, no one paid much attention. Even Lucy, a newcomer who had only recently joined the guild, could tell that Qi Yan and Mira were involved, let alone the others.
"Let's have a sleepover here tonight!"
"Aye~!!"
Mira smiled gracefully and said, "Then I'll make something to eat." The guild was destroyed today, and the kitchen was also damaged, so none of them had eaten anything yet.
Lucy quickly said, "I'll help too."
Erza, with her arms crossed, said seriously, "Qi Yan, the reason we came here this time, besides preventing a surprise attack, is to discuss the lineup for the match. Phantom Lord has already responded, so we need to prepare in advance."
This matter concerned the honor of the entire guild, and if they failed, the entire guild might never recover, so they had to be even more cautious.
Natsu gritted his teeth and said, "What preparations do we need? I'll just go out there and take them all down!!"
Natsu was furious remembering the destruction of the guild today, wishing he could just rush to the opposing guild and smash it to pieces.