On the second floor of the Fairy Tail Guild, several S-Class Mages (Master Makarov, Zorn, Laxus, Erza, Mirajane) were holding a meeting.
Ur had gone to the northern part of the kingdom a few days prior to undertake an S-Class mission and investigate some matters.
"Old man, I remember you said there shouldn't be fighting between guilds, and not to initiate war with Phantom Lord. After getting news about Phantom Lord, I immediately rushed back."
Laxus leaned against the second-floor railing, squinting at the still-thinking Master, emphasizing that he was very obedient, though his tone still held some resentment.
Zorn heard these words from Laxus and didn't believe them one bit. Given Laxus's personality, he probably would have already rushed into the Phantom Lord Guild for a brawl. It seemed Mirajane must have been holding him back, pulling him all the way home.
Zorn glanced at Mirajane, who looked helpless and unwilling to expose him, and some other thoughts formed in his mind. It seemed something must have happened between the two of them.
"Well, you did well, Laxus. If we had initiated the war, and the Council investigated, we wouldn't be in the right," the Master slowly said after a moment of contemplation.
"Then, are we just going to wait to be passively attacked and then counterattack, Master?" Erza was the first to stand up and protest.
"Yes, Master, what are your thoughts now?" Mirajane also looked at the Master anxiously.
"Acts of armed conflict between guilds are forbidden; this is something legitimate guilds must adhere to. Therefore, all we can do at the moment is issue a warning."
The Master said in a deep voice.
The final outcome of the meeting was that during missions, at least two S-Class Mages must remain in the Guild to guard against any sudden emergencies. This arrangement also aligned with Zorn's thoughts.
Although it was unknown when the Phantom Lord Guild would suddenly cause trouble, with this arrangement, the Guild would be able to handle it.
...
For several days, the Guild was calm and quiet, with no movement. Even Zorn wondered if Jose knew his Guild could no longer rival the Fairy Tail Guild, and thus didn't dare to start a war.
However, what Zorn didn't know at the moment was that Jose was plotting how to attack Fairy Tail.
Evening, at the Phantom Lord Guild's location.
The Guild Members of the Phantom Lord Guild were gathered in the main hall, looking fearfully at their Master, Jose, who was seated high above.
Jose was completely covered by a large cloak, and his seat was perfectly shrouded in shadow, preventing them from seeing his expression.
All they knew was that when the Master returned some time ago, he exuded a terrifying aura, and his magic felt more sinister. He also demanded extremely high standards for them to perfectly complete mission requests.
He had also inexplicably dealt with a few Guild Members, an action that directly caused them to now greatly fear the Master.
"Master, Jude Heartfilia has issued a request, hoping that we can bring Lucy back to him!"
"Oh, then this is a good opportunity. Mr. Gajeel, and the Four Elements, come with me." After Jose's cold voice rang out, his figure flashed and he vanished from his spot.
The Four Elements, who had been called, exchanged glances and simultaneously looked up. Gajeel was standing on the rooftop at that moment.
"Don't look at me. It seems the Master has something big planned, and I've been wanting to stretch my bones for a while now."
Gajeel rotated his head, saying excitedly.
————Separator————
For a long time, nothing happened, and Laxus also wondered if Phantom Lord had deliberately let him hear some news, otherwise there wouldn't have been any movement for such a long time.
The other Guild Members also noticed the abnormality of the Guild's S-Class Mages. Ever since Zorn and the others returned from the Demon Island mission, they had not taken on any S-Class missions again.
They only took on simple missions on the first floor, which made the Guild Members confused, as the number of S-Class missions completed was a hard indicator of the Guild's strength.
There was no other way but to have the S-Class Mages take turns accepting missions. And just the day before, the Council suddenly issued a mission, specifically instructing Laxus to complete it.
So, in the Guild, only Zorn, Erza, and Mirajane, three S-Class Mages, remained to guard it.
On a normal afternoon, Zorn was shopping with Cana in the streets, picking out everyday items.
On the way, Zorn suddenly sensed a never-before-seen magic reaction on the highest rooftop on the east side of town. He immediately knew that the Phantom Lord arc should be starting that day.
Zorn did not alert anyone, but quietly waited for nightfall, when he could catch them red-handed.
Nightfall, Fairy Tail Guild.
"Damn it, the Master only let me come to Fairy Tail to cause destruction in the middle of the night. Hmph, you guys got off easy."
Gajeel infiltrated the Fairy Tail Guild and saw the empty scene. He felt a bit disgruntled, as he had originally thought he could cause a big ruckus, but the Master didn't agree.
"Iron Dragon Slayer Magic - Iron Dragon's Club!" Just as Gajeel activated his magic, a sword of light pressed against his throat, stopping his next move.
"I wonder who gave you the guts to dare to destroy Fairy Tail. It seems Jose still hasn't learned his lesson."
"*Clap*" The Guild suddenly lit up.
Zorn stood on the second floor, looking down at Gajeel, who was now bound by the sword of light.
"Finally, someone's here. Ten Wizard Saints Zorn, I want to see how strong you are." Gajeel looked arrogantly at Zorn. This expression reminded him of Gray's senior, Lyon, who had the same arrogant expression back then.
"You still don't understand the gap between us. Let me show you."
Zorn's entire magic power instantly filled the entire Guild, fully used by Zorn to press down on Gajeel.
"*Bang*"
The ground where Gajeel stood instantly cracked. Gajeel was clenching his teeth, his knees trembling, desperately suppressing the fear in his heart, enduring the mountain-like pressure, still holding on.
"Impossible, this kind of magic power, no human can possess it!"
In Gajeel's eyes, Zorn had now completely transformed into a monster. The magic power filling the entire building made it impossible for him to breathe.
Seeing that Gajeel was about to suffocate, Zorn withdrew his magic power. Gajeel then collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, trying to calm the fear in his heart.
"How was it? Do you understand now?"
Zorn flashed next to Gajeel and asked, looking down.
----------------------------------
I've already uploaded over 40 new chapters on Patreon!
If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead, feel free to check it out.
Your support truly means a lot to me!
patreon.com/Kazenova223
Thank you so much for being here!
And if you're having fun with the story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone for me!