Chapter 168: Expelled from the Guild
In the sterile quiet of the guild's infirmary, the only sound was the ticking of the clock and the faint, herbal scent of Madam Porlyusica's potions. Makarov sat on a small stool, his form small and weary, looking at his grandson.
Laxus's body was a geography of bruises and bandages, a testament to the overwhelming power that had defeated him. He was awake, and Makarov knew it.
Makarov sighed, the sound heavy with the weight of eighty-eight years, and a decision he never wanted to make. "Alas! You truly are a clumsy fellow, Laxus."
Laxus remained perfectly still, his eyes shut, feigning sleep.
"If you would just ease the pressure on your own shoulders for a moment," Makarov continued, his voice a low, gravelly rasp. "If you would just... look around you... you would see sights you've never seen before. You would hear words you've never heard. Life would be so much happier that way."
The old man's voice was thick with a sorrow that went beyond the battle, beyond the ruined guild hall. "For me, protecting your growth, watching all of my children grow... that has been the meaning of my life. I don't need you to have immense, world-breaking power. It doesn't matter if you're not clever enough, or even if you are. As long as you grow up healthy... as long as you understand what it means to have a family... I would be perfectly content."
"..."
Laxus's body, for all its stillness, trembled. When he heard that his grandfather was critically ill, an indescribable, cold panic and fear had seized his heart. It was a feeling he had never experienced before. It was only then, in that moment of potential loss, that he realized his seemingly strong and invincible grandfather, the man who was a pillar of the world, would also face the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death.
But his stubborn, arrogant pride wouldn't allow him to bow his head. It had forced him to say those terrible things, things against his true feelings.
It wasn't until that arrogance and pride were so ruthlessly, so casually, trampled and ground into the dust by Ren that he truly repented. He finally realized how many wrong, unforgivable things he had done.
Makarov stood up, his small form casting a long shadow in the afternoon light. "Laxus... you are hereby expelled from the Fairy Tail Guild!!"
Makarov announced the judgment, his voice quiet but absolute.
Laxus's eyes snapped open. His pupils constricted. He couldn't believe it. He stared at the ceiling, his mind reeling. Expelled?
He had been beaten. He had been humiliated. But expelled? His grandfather... after all the mischief, all the trouble he had caused before, his grandfather had always, always protected and forgiven him.
At this moment, Laxus saw his grandfather's trembling, clenched fists. Makarov was not looking at him, but at the floor, his shoulders shaking. And Laxus suddenly felt a strange, hollow sense of relief. This was it. This was the punishment. It was real.
Laxus, wincing in pain from his shattered ribs and bruised organs, slowly, agonizingly, got to his feet. He picked up his discarded, torn coat, wincing as he slid it over his bandaged shoulders. He limped, each step a wave of pain, towards the door.
"Thank you," he said, his voice hoarse, "for all your care over the years."
He paused at the door, his back to the old man.
"Please take care of yourself... Grandpa."
"Get out..." Makarov whispered, his voice choked.
Laxus stepped out of the infirmary, leaving the old man alone. Makarov finally turned around, his composure breaking, and tears streamed continuously down his wrinkled face.
Laxus appeared on the second-floor landing, his steps heavy. He looked down at the guild hall below. It was a chaotic mess of construction, half-built walls, and... everyone. All the guild members saw him.
The lively sounds of hammering and shouting died instantly.
"Laxus! You bastard!"
"It's all your fault that we fought amongst ourselves!"
"How could you threaten your comrades' lives! You're scum!"
Yesterday, when they saw Laxus beaten half to death and dragged back by Ren, no one said anything. He was a defeated, broken enemy. But today, seeing Laxus awake, seeing him walking... all the resentment, all the fear and anger from the "Battle of Fairy Tail," came bubbling to the surface.
Natsu, his arm in a sling, and Gajeel, his head wrapped in bandages, both stood up, their eyes blazing with a desire to finish the fight.
"Alright! That's enough! Get back to work!"
Ren's voice, calm and authoritative, cut through the rising tension. He was standing on a ladder, hammering a rafter into place.
"While it was Laxus's fault for starting this," Ren called down, not even looking at them, "it was wrong for you all to fight amongst yourselves. You didn't even defeat one of the Raijinshuu and ended up injured and fighting each other. Are you not ashamed?"
"Ugh..."
The guild members all fell silent, lowering their heads to their work. Indeed, Ren was right. Although they had fought fiercely, let alone Laxus, they hadn't even defeated a single member of Laxus's personal guard. The root cause, as Laxus had so cruelly pointed out, was their own weak strength.
Ren hopped down from the ladder, his tools disappearing. He frowned, looking at Laxus, who was still standing on the stairs. "What are you doing down here? If you're injured, just lie down for a few more days. I hit you intending for you to be laid up for at least a month."
"..."
Originally, seeing Ren speak up for him, stopping the guild from ganging up, Laxus had felt a strange, unfamiliar sliver of goodwill towards him. But upon hearing Ren's subsequent words, he completely extinguished that tiny bit of goodwill. This guy was indeed as annoying as ever.
"Let's talk," Laxus said to Ren, his voice a low growl.
"Alright."
Ren put down his work and walked out of the guild hall first. The two of them, the two strongest mages in the guild, walked together into the open, ruined plaza in front of their home.
"Let's talk here. What do you want to say?" Ren said directly, turning to face him.
Laxus stared at him, the man who had so effortlessly dismantled his ambition, his power, and his pride. "How much strength... did you use yesterday?" Laxus looked at Ren seriously and asked.
"Yesterday? Hmm..." Ren rubbed his chin. "Ninety percent, I guess!"
"Don't lie to me!"
Laxus clearly didn't believe Ren's words. Ninety percent? If Ren had only a 10% advantage, it should have been a fair, brutal fight, not... not that. Not him being unilaterally crushed, toyed with, and humiliated.
Yesterday, Ren hadn't even ruffled a corner of his clothes, while he had been beaten half to death.
"What's there to lie about?" Ren said with a shrug. "Look, I'm not as strong as you think, and you don't need to belittle yourself. Your strength is very formidable. Your Dragon Slayer Magic is the real deal."
Ren wasn't lying... entirely. His Gojo Satoru Take Over was a mechanical nightmare. Laxus's lightning magic, especially in his Dragon Slayer form, was raw, overwhelming power. It was a terrible matchup for Laxus.
"If you hadn't focused on just offense," Ren explained, "and instead had played cautiously, defensively, focusing on draining my magic... I wouldn't have been able to do much to you for a while."
Ren's Gojo Satoru form, while possessing god-like techniques, was still fueled by his magic power. And his magic power, while S-Class, was not infinite. The Limitless and Blue and Red all consumed a huge amount.
"Your mistake wasn't a lack of power," Ren said, his voice flat. "It was that you were sloppy. You were swayed by emotions during the battle, you telegraphed every move, and you made quite a few unnecessary mistakes. You were predictable. That's why you lost."
Laxus felt a little better after hearing Ren's words. He had been completely demoralized by Ren this time, truly believing there was a world of difference in strength between them.
Now, thinking back carefully, he had been swayed by emotions. He had been so focused on proving his "strength" that he had just charged in, again and again, against an opponent who was untouchable. He had been an idiot.
"Thanks," Laxus muttered.
"What? Is that all you wanted to ask?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes! This is quite important to me."
"No, what I mean is," Ren said, gesturing back at the guild, "you could have just asked directly in there. There was no need to come out here specially for it."
Laxus glanced back at the half-built Fairy Tail Guild hall, and a strong, painful sense of reluctance welled up in his heart. In the past, he rarely returned to the Guild because he couldn't stand the weaklings there. But now... now he wanted to go back, and he couldn't.
"The Guild... I won't be going back."
He turned, his back to Ren, his shoulders slumped. "Please... apologize to everyone for me. And... take good care of the Guild... and the old man... for me."
"If you want to apologize, go yourself. That shows sincerity."
Before Ren could finish speaking, he saw Laxus staggering away, his figure appearing both desolate and lonely against the backdrop of the town he had almost destroyed.
Ren frowned, then remembered something. "Could it be..."
He suddenly recalled the plot; after this, Laxus was supposed to be expelled from the Guild by the Master. He had just heard it happen.
Ren wanted to call out to Laxus, to stop him, but even if he did, he didn't know what to say.
Given Laxus's actions this time, threatening his comrades, holding the entire town hostage... expulsion from the Guild was actually a light punishment. However, the other party was, after all, the old man's only grandson. Separating from his grandson was somewhat cruel for an old man approaching ninety.
'Never mind,' Ren thought, sighing and putting his hands back in his pockets. 'Don't think so much about it. This is their family's business. And anyway... Laxus will be back soon enough.'
"Laxus!!"
Laxus, who was several meters away, heard Ren call his name. He stopped, but he didn't turn around.
"Next time you come back, let's have a drink together!" Ren called out, a smile in his voice. "Your treat!"
Laxus was stunned. He stood frozen for a long second. An indescribable, warm feeling surged in his heart. His eyes, which had been cold and hard, suddenly felt moist.
He didn't turn. He just raised one hand, giving a small, almost imperceptible wave, and replied loudly, his voice thick:
"Okay—!!!"