The air in the guild hall grew heavy, saturated with a terrifying, dark magical pressure.
Gajeel felt the sweat beading on his forehead as he stared at the woman—no, the monster—before him.
Her hand was still clamped around his iron fist, her grip unyielding as bedrock.
Panic, cold and sharp, spiked in Gajeel's chest.
He wrenched his arm back with all his might, the metal grating as he barely managed to free himself from her grasp.
He stumbled back, twisting his body to put distance between himself and the ghostly, demonic aura that was beginning to envelop Mirajane.
He had to act now!
If he hesitated for even a second, he would be crushed.
"Iron Dragon's Club!"
Gajeel roared, seizing the fleeting moment before Mirajane could build up momentum.
He slammed his palms onto the wooden floorboards.
A dark green magic circle, complex and glowing with ominous light, instantly illuminated the ground beneath Mirajane's feet.
The floor exploded upward.
Dozens of hollow, extendable iron pillars shot up like a rapidly growing forest of steel.
They curved and locked together, instantly forming a dense, impenetrable prison around the white-haired mage, completely blocking her line of sight and sealing her movement.
"Try getting out of that!" Gajeel shouted, though his voice wavered slightly.
For a heartbeat, there was silence.
Then, the air vibrated.
A dark, cruel flash of energy swept horizontally outward from the center of the cage.
CRASH!
The sound was deafening.
The iron bars, hard enough to withstand cannon fire, were shredded like wet paper.
Metal shrapnel flew in every direction, embedding itself into the walls and tables.
Through the cloud of dust and twisting metal, Mirajane tore through the remains of the cage, her silhouette flickering with demonic energy.
She burst out of the debris, her eyes glowing, ready to strike down the intruder.
But the moment she cleared the dust cloud, she froze.
Her hand swiped at empty air.
"Where is he?" she whispered, her voice echoing in the sudden silence.
She scanned the hall, then the open doorway.
The night breeze drifted in, carrying nothing but the scent of the canal.
'He escaped that quickly?'
Mirajane walked to the guild entrance and stared out at the empty street.
Her mind struggled to process the sequence of events. From the moment he cast the cage to the moment she broke it, only a second had passed.
Yet, the street was deserted.
"That escape speed... it really was astonishing," she murmured, a hint of begrudging praise in her tone.
"Like a rat scurrying into the sewer."
She stood there for a moment longer, the adrenaline slowly fading from her veins.
As she exhaled, a soft, golden fragmented light began to shimmer around her body.
The heavy, oppressive atmosphere of the 'Demon' gradually receded, the dark aura dissolving into the moonlight. Within moments, the terrifying demon vanished, replaced once again by the gentle facade of the lovely barmaid of Fairy Tail.
Mirajane breathed a sigh of relief, smoothing down the front of her crimson dress.
She decided not to dwell on Gajeel's escape.
"Killing him here would have been... problematic," she reasoned to herself.
The commotion caused by the shattering iron had likely already drawn the attention of the nearby citizens.
If the town watch or the neighbors rushed over and discovered a corpse inside the famous Fairy Tail guild—especially the corpse of a rival guild member—the Council would launch an investigation.
The organization would be thrust into a negative spotlight, and Master Makarov would be drowning in paperwork.
"It's better this way," she decided after a brief contemplation.
She cast one last look at the shadows of the night, turned around, and stepped back into the guild to clean up the iron shards.
...
Meanwhile, in a narrow, damp alleyway several blocks away, a figure slumped against the rough brick wall.
Gajeel slid down until he hit the cobblestones, letting out a long, ragged exhale of relief.
His chest heaved as he gulped down the night air, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird.
His face was grim.
He clutched his side where a piece of shrapnel from his own shattered club had grazed him.
He gritted his teeth, the physical pain nothing compared to the blow his pride had just taken.
"That bastard Jose..." Gajeel hissed, his voice trembling with rage. "He never mentioned the Demon would be this strong!"
Thoroughly humbled, Gajeel felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
He squeezed his eyes shut, recalling the sheer pressure radiating from that woman.
He had completely forgotten the arrogant boast he'd made in front of Jose just the day before.
He had called Fairy Tail weak. He had called them prey.
'Prey? She looked at me like I was an insect.'
"Demon Mirajane..." Gajeel muttered the name like a curse. "She is undoubtedly the strongest mage in Fairy Tail."
Gajeel firmly believed this in his heart.
Though he was highly confident in his own abilities as a Dragon Slayer, his limited exposure to the wider world had somewhat narrowed his perspective.
He had never met Gildarts.
He had never seen Mystogan or Laxus fight seriously. To him, being utterly crushed in a single exchange was an experience almost unheard of in his growth history.
Therefore, in Gajeel's estimation, Mirajane—who had caught his iron fist with her bare hand and shattered his strongest defense with a wave of her arm—stood far above everyone else in the enemy guild.
"If the rest of them are even half that strong, a frontal assault is suicide," he whispered.
Staggering to his feet, Gajeel began plotting his next move.
He limped deeper into the shadows, his silhouette blending with the darkness.
As a member of Phantom Lord, he still had to complete the mission assigned by Jose.
He couldn't return empty-handed.
The goal was to provoke Fairy Tail into initiating a full-scale guild war, allowing Phantom Lord to crush them legally in self-defense.
"But after tonight's events... attacking their guild again is impossible," he analyzed coldly.
"She'll be waiting."
He needed to change targets. He needed something softer.
Something that would hurt Fairy Tail emotionally without requiring him to face the She-Devil again.
Gajeel's eyes narrowed as a cruel idea began to form.
He disappeared into the night, leaving a trail of blood drops on the cobblestones.
...
The chaotic and violent night passed, the darkness eventually giving way to a brilliant, sun-drenched morning.
The streets of Magnolia bustled with life.
Merchants shouted their wares, boats drifted lazily down the canals, and the air smelled of fresh bread and blooming flowers.
Walking down the main avenue, the members of Fairy Tail's "Strongest Team" moved with enthusiastic energy—well, most of them.
Natsu Dragneel marched with his hands behind his head, a wide, toothy grin plastered on his face.
Gray Fullbuster walked beside him, looking cool and collected.
Erza Scarlet strode ahead, her armor clanking rhythmically.
Trailing behind them, however, was a blonde Celestial Mage who looked like her soul had left her body.
Lucy Heartfilia looked utterly defeated.
Her shoulders slumped, and she was on the verge of tears as she stared at the small pouch of coins in her hand.
"Three hundred and fifty thousand Jewel..." she wailed, her voice cracking. "The reward was three hundred and fifty thousand! And after deducting the compensation fees for the damages, only fifty thousand remains! That's barely enough for rent! Why does this keep happening?!"
Happy flew to her side, hovering near her ear as he shrugged helplessly. "Aye! Don't look at me, Lucy. Everyone was just so fired up!"
"Fired up?!" Lucy snapped, turning on the blue cat. "That's not an excuse for destroying a historic bridge!"
Natsu turned around, cheerfully patting Lucy's trembling shoulder with enough force to make her stumble.
"Hey Luby, don't look so glum! We finished the job, didn't we? That's what counts!"
"I'm not glum, I'm destitute! And my name isn't Luby!" Lucy yelled, flailing her arms. She glared at the pink-haired Dragon Slayer.
"You're definitely doing this on purpose, Natsu! You can't even say my name right!"
Gray shoved his hands deep into his pockets, looking unconcerned as he gazed at the passing shops.
"Don't be so stingy, Lucy. Mission complications are normal for Fairy Tail mages. You gotta learn to roll with the punches."
"Complications?!" Lucy scratched her head in frustration, messing up her hair.
She sounded genuinely depressed now.
"But you two were clearly setting things on fire and freezing things on purpose! It wasn't 'complications,' it was vandalism! You terrified the citizens! I saw an old man fainting because you froze his fruit stand!"
"He needed to cool off," Gray said simply.
"And that bandit needed to be roasted!" Natsu added, blowing a small puff of fire from his mouth.
"You guys are hopeless!" Lucy cried out, clutching the measly fifty thousand jewels to her chest as if it were her last lifeline.
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