Under the ancient tree in the courtyard, Gajeel's solitary figure stood tall, facing the three members of Shadow Gear.
"Let's go!"
Jet and Droy activated their Magic, charging at Gajeel with faces flushed red and lingering resentment.
"High Speed!"
Jet activated his Speed Magic, darting forward like a blur.
Gajeel's eyes instinctively tracked the so-called "High speed" movement—to a Dragon Slayer, it was trackable—but his body showed no reaction.
He didn't dodge.
BAM!
Gajeel was sent flying by Jet's impact without putting up any resistance.
Immediately after, Droy's magically enhanced plant vines formed a massive fist, slamming hard into his body mid-air.
CRASH.
Though sent flying backward, Gajeel's stance remained firmly rooted to the ground the moment he landed.
His iron boots carved two long, deep trenches in the grass as he skidded to a halt.
Gajeel grunted, looking somewhat disheveled.
He half-knelt on the ground, wiping dirt from his face, but offered no further words.
He simply stood up again.
Jet glared angrily at Gajeel, panting. "Why won't you fight back? Are you looking down on us?!"
Gajeel pushed himself up, staring coldly at the two. "I'm not interested in fighting right now. Get it over with."
"Ganging up on someone?"
Just as the two sides remained deadlocked in confusion, another arrogant, crackling voice came from behind them.
The air grew heavy with static.
A fierce-looking young man with a lightning-bolt scar gazed down at everyone, his eyes filled with unmistakable disdain.
"Looks like you didn't die completely, kid," Laxus sneered at Gajeel. "Then let me send you to hell myself!"
Laxus's tone shifted from measured to urgent, finally erupting into a furious roar.
Surging magic power summoned a thunderclap from clear skies.
BOOM!
A golden flash struck Gajeel directly!
"Guh-AAAAH!"
Gajeel cried out in immediate pain, thick black smoke of electrocution rising from his entire body as the lightning scorched him.
"That old man..." Laxus growled, sparks flying from his fists. "Why would he recruit the guild's enemy into Fairy Tail?! Has he gone senile?!"
"This is exactly why people look down on us!!"
Growing more agitated with each word, Laxus roared with bulging veins.
Both of his fists smashed violently into the ground.
"Raging Bolt!"
A massive ring of lightning surged across the earth like a tsunami toward Gajeel.
Yet, the battered Gajeel showed no intention of evading. He stared fixedly at the approaching lightning ring, gritted his teeth, and took it.
The golden thunder contained devastating power unlike Jet and Droy's magic—every strike was lethal sorcery.
After being attacked in turn by several people, and now taking a direct hit from an S-Class mage, Gajeel finally couldn't support his body anymore.
He collapsed awkwardly to the ground, smoke rising from his tunic.
Meanwhile, Jet, seeing Gajeel's pitiful state, began feeling his anger turn to unease.
He wiped cold sweat from his forehead.
"Laxus! This is going too far!" Jet shouted.
Droy seemed to realize something, gazing at the fallen Gajeel nearby and muttering.
"Even with Laxus's strength, he shouldn't be completely unable to fight back... unless he's doing it on purpose..."
Gajeel expressionlessly rose to his feet again. He was breathing heavily, his hair disheveled and scorched, as he stared at Laxus.
Joining Fairy Tail wasn't just a career choice for Gajeel—it represented his resolution.
In Gajeel's view, if he wanted others to accept him, he'd use this simple, brutal method: let them personally reclaim the grievances they'd suffered.
"Shut up... bastard!"
Hearing the discouragement and hesitation from Shadow Gear behind him, Laxus inexplicably grew more irritable.
"Fine! If you won't fight, I'll make you!"
Turning around angrily, Laxus threw a punch that released a dazzling blast of lightning—not at Gajeel, but toward Levy, Jet, and Droy!
"Watch out!" Gajeel's eyes trembled.
His hidden power suddenly erupted. Ignoring his injuries, he swiftly rushed before Levy and the others.
"Iron Dragon's Scales!"
His arms transformed into iron pillars as he crossed them to block the blast!
But moments later, Gajeel didn't feel the expected pain on his arms.
Laxus's eyes narrowed slightly as the explosive dust cleared.
The smoke revealed Gajeel raising his iron arms to protect Levy's group. But in front of Gajeel stood another figure.
Erza, having changed into her massive Adamantine Armor, stood shielding all of them with two halves of a giant shield.
Erza lowered the great shield formed by her arm guards. Her pretty face was cold as she speak sternly.
"Laxus! Using lethal force against comrades is a grave crime in our guild!"
Laxus slowly lowered his hand. He gazed indifferently at them, sneering.
"Erza... it's because you constantly mingle with this trash that you'll never catch up to your brother."
Erza's face instantly darkened.
Light shimmered across her body as she instantly completed her requip into the Lightning Empress Armor, which provided resistance to his magic.
She shouted, pointing her spear at him, "If you're looking for a fight, Laxus, I'll gladly oblige!"
But Laxus didn't engage further with Erza.
After glancing at her Lightning Empress Armor and clicking his tongue, he turned and left with complete indifference.
"Boring."
Only when Laxus had disappeared from view did Erza remove her armor, turning to examine Gajeel's injuries.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
Gajeel merely waved her off. He staggered toward the street, limping slightly.
"I'm going to work..." he stated hoarsely, not looking back.
Jet and Droy's gazes were somewhat complicated, their anger replaced by confusion and grudging respect while Levy watched Gajeel's retreating figure with an inexplicable worry in her heart.
...
Meanwhile, in a secluded alleyway outside the guild.
After Laxus had moved out of the others' sight, he could no longer restrain the furious rage within him.
He turn around and slammed his fist into the brick wall!
CRASH!
The wall exploded with a deafening sound, bricks and debris flying everywhere.
Laxus's back arched as he heaved with ragged breaths, his lightning crackling erratically.
"Well now, Tsundere-san? What's got you so worked up and look like this?"
Just then, a teasing voice rang out from behind Laxus.
Laxus immediately recognized the voice. He didn't turn fully, but he fixed a cold side-eye stare on the newcomer.
"Ankh," Laxus growled low. "Erza... didn't you send her to protect them?"
Leaning against a nearby tree trunk with his arms crossed, Ankh nodded. "Of course. Did you really think I'd let you harm our comrades just because you're throwing a tantrum?"
Crossing his arms, Laxus lowered his sharp brows slightly and said, "I know my own strength. I wouldn't have killed them."
"Cut the crap." Ankh rolled his eyes dramatically.
"At our level, Laxus, unless we restrict ourselves to pure hand-to-hand combat, using Magic can easily cause serious harm. Accidents happen."
Ankh gestured in the direction of the guild.
"Besides, your targets weren't tough guys like Natsu or Gray who can bounce back easily. Levy's all slender arms and a tiny waist, while Jet and Droy are as skinny as monkeys. One hit from your magic could've crippled them all! Or worse."
Laxus shot Ankh a sharp glance, then petulantly closed his eyes, leaning back against the broken wall.
He clearly refused to engage further in that line of logic.
Ankh couldn't help but chuckle softly before reassuring him.
"Alright, I get it. You targeted Gajeel because you wanted to stand up for Levy and the others, and for the guild's reputation. You hated seeing the guy who hurt them wearing our mark."
Ankh pushed off the tree and walked closer.
"But now, Gajeel has become our comrade. You've seen it yourself just now—he's atoning for his past actions. He took the beating without fighting back. Didn't he just jump in to protect Levy from your blast earlier?"
Hearing this, Laxus opened his eyes. He held a different view and remarked coldly:
"A leopard never changes its spots. Trash is trash."
Ankh facepalmed, sighing inwardly.
'This guy's stubbornness is truly something else… And incredibly childish.'
Ankh suspected that Laxus' grudge against Gajeel was temporary.
Once Gajeel fully integrated into the guild, Laxus would eventually accept him as one of their own—Laxus respected strength and loyalty above all else, and Gajeel had both.
As for attacking Shadow Gear at the end? It was probably because Levy and the others "didn't appreciate" Laxus' attempt to avenge them, instead begging him to stop.
It bruised his ego.
Though his methods were admittedly a bit extreme.
So, watching the lightning mage, from certain perspectives, Laxus seems emotionally stuck in a rebellious phase—both immature and hard to understand.
Deep down, he yearned for companionship and the guild's strength, but to prove himself to Makarov, he maintained a tough, ruthless exterior.
Now, he was trapped in this act, unable to back down without looking weak.