Ankh stood in the middle of the first floor, looking at the absolute mess around him.
The guild hall, which had been perfectly fine just an hour ago, was now a disaster zone of splintered wood and twisted metal.
He looked at Mirajane.
She was standing in front of him, looking down at her feet like a child who had just broken a vase.
She looked so sorry for herself, with her big blue eyes full of guilt, that Ankh found he couldn't be angry at her.
"I... I didn't mean to go that far," she whispered.
Ankh sighed and scratched the back of his head.
He had just stared at her speechlessly for a full minute, but in the end, he let her get away with it.
She was just too adorable to yell at.
According to the story he knew, Gajeel was supposed to destroy the guild hall completely.
Ankh had thought that by sending Mirajane to scare Gajeel away early, he could save the building.
He didn't expect that the result would be almost the same.
Between Gajeel's iron pillars and Mirajane's explosive magic, the place was a wreck.
'Oh well,' Ankh thought to himself, looking at a hole in the ceiling.
'At least the guild's reputation is safe. And honestly, this building was getting pretty old.'
A sneaky thought crossed his mind.
In the original story, after the guild gets destroyed, they rebuild it much bigger and better. The new guild even has a swimming pool and a cafe.
'A swimming pool does sound nice,' Ankh admitted to himself. 'Maybe this isn't so bad.'
"Come on," Ankh said gently. "Let's go downstairs. Everyone is waiting."
He followed Mirajane into the temporary underground hideout.
It was a large basement used for storage, but now it was packed with noisy wizards.
When they walked in, they saw all the guild members gathered there.
In the original story, everyone was sad and angry because their home was destroyed.
But here? It was different.
The mood was weird—people didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Ankh scanned the room and spotted the Master.
Makarov was sitting on a barrel, drinking a mug of beer as if nothing special had happened.
Ankh walked over to him. "Master, you must have heard about what happened with Phantom Lord by now, right?"
Makarov put down his glass slowly.
He let out a long, heavy sigh.
"I know Jose," Makarov said, his voice sounding tired. "The members of Phantom Lord usually only have a little bit of courage. They like to show off, but they don't usually pick real fights. But this time... they seem to have crossed a line."
Ankh nodded.
"A few days ago, I caught a spy watching us," Ankh explained quietly. "He was from Phantom Lord. I suspect they aren't just playing around. They are planning a big move against us very soon."
Makarov frowned.
The wrinkles on his forehead deepened. "That Jose... would he really break the peace treaty between guilds? The Magic Council would never allow that. It doesn't seem like him to take such a big risk..."
Ankh leaned in closer.
He glanced over his shoulder at Lucy, who was sitting at a nearby table chatting with Levy.
She looked happy, completely unaware that she was the center of this storm.
Ankh lowered his voice to a whisper. "I looked into it. It's all related to Lucy's father."
"Lucy's father?" Makarov looked confused.
He blinked his eyes. "What connection does a girl's father have with a dark guild like Phantom Lord?"
Ankh gave a small, knowing smile.
"Lucy's father is Jude Heartfilia," Ankh stated. "He is a massive business tycoon in our Kingdom of Fiore. I wouldn't say he is rich enough to buy the whole country, but he definitely has enough money to buy a small city without blinking."
Pfft!
Makarov nearly choked on his beer.
He coughed and wiped his mouth. "That powerful?!"
Ankh nodded seriously. "Yes. But their relationship is terrible. Before she joined us, her father tried to force her into an arranged marriage for business reasons. Lucy couldn't take it anymore. She ran away from home and found her way to Fairy Tail."
Ankh paused, his expression hardening. "But recently, her father lost patience. He paid Phantom Lord a huge amount of money to capture Lucy and bring her back. Since we are her family now, Phantom Lord has developed a grudge against us."
Ankh shook his head. "That kind of father... is truly rare in this world. He treats his daughter like an object."
Makarov bowed his head.
He sat in silence for a moment, thinking.
Then he asked, "How bad is it? Between Lucy and her father?"
Ankh thought about the original story.
He chose his words carefully. "Let's just say that right now, it is impossible to fix. Unless her father changes who he is completely, Lucy will probably never want to go back."
Makarov slowly set his glass down on the table.
The drunk, silly look on his face vanished. Through the haze of alcohol, a sharp, cold light flashed in his eyes.
"If Lucy wants to leave," Makarov said in a low, gravelly voice, "even if she leaves the guild, I won't say a word. Everyone has their own path."
He stood up, looking taller than his small size. "But... if she wants to stay, and they try to use force to take one of my children away..."
Makarov's voice became firm as stone.
"Then we fight!"
"No one can force a child of this guild to do something they don't want to do!"
Ankh smiled.
He had expected the Master to say exactly that.
Logically speaking, this was a family argument.
Even the police or the government usually stayed out of family disputes.
A wizard guild really shouldn't interfere.
But logic didn't work here.
The people in Fairy Tail didn't care about "rules" or "logic."
Fairy Tail was unapologetic.
They were wild.
Conventional rules couldn't tie them down.
They only listened to their own hearts. They ignored the gossip of outsiders.
In this crazy place, protecting their family was the only thing that mattered.
Ankh leaned against the wooden table and chuckled. "Jose probably has a greedy plan. He wants to use Jude's money to destroy us. Then, he will capture Lucy to threaten Jude for more money. He wants to kill two birds with one stone."
"And about the peace treaty," Ankh continued. "If they provoke us enough, we will attack them first. If we strike first, and then Phantom Lord wipes us out, they can claim self-defense. There would be no evidence against them. We would be the ones breaking the rules."
Makarov tapped his finger on the table. "So... Gajeel attacking last night. That was just to make us angry. To make us attack blindly."
"Exactly," Ankh said. "If it didn't work last night, they will try a second time."
Makarov looked at Ankh.
He saw how calm the young man was.
It made the old master feel reassured. "It seems you already have a plan?"
Ankh smiled confidently. "Master, if you trust me, let me handle the setup. I will make Phantom Lord pay for looking down on us."
Makarov crossed his arms. "Phantom Lord is strong. They have Jose, who is one of the Ten Wizard Saints, just like me. They also have the Element 4—their elite team. Can you handle them?"
Ankh sneered with a look of disdain crossing his face.
"With Erza and Mirajane on our side? It's more than enough."
He paused for effect. "Besides... I've already sent a message calling Mystogan and Laxus back."
Makarov's eyes widened slightly. "Ah..."
With a full five S-Class Mages—Erza, Mirajane, Mystogan, Laxus, and Ankh himself—joining the fight, the balance of power shifted completely.
"Then it's settled," Makarov said, nodding.
The only real difference between Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail was the quality of their top-tier fighters.
Phantom Lord might have more members, but their best fighters were weak compared to Fairy Tail's monsters.
"You handle the arrangements," Makarov said. "I won't interfere until the end. If a war really breaks out and two of the Ten Wizard Saints start fighting, the Magic Council will go crazy."
Ankh nodded. "Don't worry. I won't give the Council any reason to arrest us."
After the Master finished giving his permission, Ankh turned to the room.
The members were drinking, wrestling, and playing cards.
Clap! Clap!
Ankh clapped his hands loudly.
The sound echoed off the stone walls and the basement immediately fell silent.
Everyone turned to look at him.
Ankh looked at his family. He kept his face serious.
"Listen up!" he called out. "This attack proves that Phantom Lord is watching us. They aren't going to stop with just one attack. They will likely try to find our weaknesses."
"To make sure everyone is safe," Ankh instructed, "for the next couple of days, do not walk alone. Stay in small teams. Watch each other's backs."
The guild members pumped their fists in the air.
"Understood!"
Lucy shouted along with the crowd.
She turned to Levy, looking impressed. "Wow. Ankh is really popular in the guild, isn't he? And the Master really trusts him."
Levy giggled softly. "Of course! Ankh is basically the Master's top choice to be the next leader of Fairy Tail."
Lucy sighed, remembering how chaotic everyone else was.
"I guess that makes sense. Among everyone in this crazy guild, only Ankh seems somewhat steady and normal."
But no sooner had the words left her mouth than Ankh's demeanor changed.
He raised his fist high into the air, his eyes burning with a wild fire.
"After we find their weakness," Ankh roared at the top of his lungs, "WE WILL STRIKE THOSE SHIT ASS! WE WILL BEAT THEM INTO THE DIRT!"
The crowd, hungry for a fight, exploded with excitement.
They raised their mugs and weapons.
"BEAT THEIR ASS! YEAAAH!"
Lucy and Levy stood there, stunned.
"..."
"..."
'Never mind,' Lucy thought.
'I'll pretend I never said anything. He's just as crazy as the rest of them.'
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