"What?!"
Everyone in the Guild was stunned when they heard Takeshi's words.
"Takeshi... even you..."
Makarov hadn't expected Takeshi to also want revenge on Phantom Lord.
"Old man, I know you want to smooth things over, but how can you be sure that they will stop after this attack and not attack again?"
"What if we just rebuild the Guild, and Phantom Lord ambushes it again?"
"Are you going to guard the Guild every night?"
"..."
Makarov was about to say that, but Takeshi spoke first, "There's a saying, 'a thief can steal for a thousand days, but you can't guard against a thief for a thousand days.' Sometimes you think enduring for a while will bring peace, and taking a step back will open up new possibilities, but in their eyes, you're just showing fear and cowardice."
"What?! I'd be afraid of that idiot Jose?!" Makarov's voice immediately rose.
He might be afraid of anyone else but he wouldn't be afraid of that idiot Jose.
Takeshi said, "Perhaps you're not afraid, but in others' eyes, you are, and many in the Guild might also think so."
Makarov's gaze swept over the Guild members. Everyone avoided his eyes, except for Natsu, who, oblivious to the danger, kept nodding his head.
"Not only that, if you don't respond this time, this matter will quickly be widely publicized. Soon, the entire Kingdom of Fiore will know. You represent not just yourself, but the entire Fairy Tail."
"When we go out, walking on the streets, people will point at us and say: 'Look everyone. That's Fairy Tail, the cowards whose Guild was smashed by Phantom Lord and who didn't dare to retaliate.'"
Makarov's eyes widened. "They dare?!"
"Of course they dare. After all, what they say is the truth. They won't care about your emotional journey, they only care about the outcome."
"..."
"Let me think, what else will happen then? Clients will gradually lose trust in Fairy Tail, Guild requests will drastically decrease, Guild members won't dare to announce their affiliation when they go out, and they'll cover up their Guild emblem."
"Out of necessity, everyone will have to find their own way, and then Guild members will be lost in large numbers. Within a few months, the Guild will only have twenty or thirty people left..."
"Stop talking! Is it really that exaggerated just because I endured it once? If he dares to attack the Guild again, I definitely won't let him off." Makarov was somewhat speechless.
Takeshi asked, "Master, you might think enduring once is a small matter, but for us, it's a big deal. If you don't dare to take the lead, what should happen if a Guild member is bullied by Phantom Lord?"
Makaraov said, "What else can happen? Of course, we'll beat the hell out of him."
"Perhaps, but I think more ordinary Mages would choose to endure it. After all, if Master doesn't dare to resist, what do they have that they can't endure?"
"..."
"Sometimes, sneak attacks are like infidelity, there's only a zero time and countless times. One act of forbearance only makes others think you're easier to bully. This time they smashed the Guild, next time it might not necessarily be the Guild they smash."
Makarov's eyes widened. "He dares?!"
"Why wouldn't he dare?"
"..."
"Master, sometimes it's better to guide than to block. Endurance and concession will never bring peace. True dignity only lies on the edge of a blade."
"..."
"Phew... Brat, tell me what you want to do." Makarov let out a helpless sigh.
This kid's ability to sway people was strong, he felt so stifled he was about to explode.
Everyone in Fairy Tail also looked at Takeshi, wanting to know what method he had in mind.
Takeshi knew Makarov had relented. A slight smile appeared on his lips as he said, "It's simple. Since the Magic Council doesn't allow Mage Guilds to fight each other, we can spar with them."
"Spar?!"
Everyone was stunned when they heard Takeshi's words.
"Fighting violates the Magic Council's regulations, but sparring doesn't. We'll say it's for mutual progress, to promote friendship between both sides, and to have a friendly, amicable spar."
"Let's set the location in a relatively large arena for a six-on-six showdown. With this number of people, it won't be considered a fight by the Magic Council, right?"
"We can also collect ticket money. As long as we completely crush them in this showdown, then no matter what dirty tricks Phantom Lord pulls, even if Master endures and doesn't move this time, others will only think Phantom Lord is despicable, and won't think Fairy Tail is cowardly."
Everyone in Fairy Tail's eyes lit up when they heard Takeshi's words.
"That's right. Then the Council Members will have nothing to say."
"And we'll stomp Phantom Lord underfoot in front of countless people. They'll never be able to hold their heads up again."
"Exactly. Phantom Lord has always thought they were the number one Guild in Fiore. This time, let them know who the strongest Guild in Fiore is."
"Wait, will Phantom Lord agree?"
Takeshi said, "We can declare war on those guys through the newspaper. If they don't dare to accept..."
"They'll be ridiculed as cowards."
"Master. You decide."
"Yes, Master. I don't want to be ridiculed by others when I go out, especially by those Phantom Lord bastards."
"If they dare to ridicule me, I will definitely kill them."
...
Everyone in the Guild chattered, and Makarov actually knew what kind of treatment Guild members would face if this matter was endured.
But for the safety of everyone in the Guild, he chose to endure. However, if the other party really escalated things, he would regret it deeply, and he was also a little puzzled as to why Phantom Lord would choose such an aggressive way to destroy the Guild.
Makarov stood up, raised his fist, and shouted, "Good! Then let's do as Takeshi said! Declare war on Phantom Lord!!!"
"Ohhhhhhh!"
Everyone in the Guild cheered when they heard this.
How many good-natured people join a Mage Guild? Being hit and not fighting back is not the style of Fairy Tail.
Mirajane smiled and said, "I'll contact the reporters."
Mirajane had been a cover girl for Weekly Sorcerer, so she naturally had many reporters' contact information. Moreover, a Mage Guild is a semi-commercial organization that often needs exposure so that clients are willing to send tasks to the Guild.
Soon, the reporters, upon hearing the news, immediately became excited.
A showdown between Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail—this was a super major event, and this news would definitely be a huge hit.
The news agency immediately had all reporters stop their current articles and work full-time on this story.
In less than two hours, the new front-page headline was out.