Chapter 91: Isn't This a Slap in the Face?
After Dino left the Fairy Tail guild hall, he found himself in a bit of a predicament. Magnolia wasn't exactly a small town, but it wasn't huge either.
He'd just acted all confident in front of Gramps Makarov, claiming he'd wrap this up in thirty minutes. If Laxus was actually hiding somewhere, finding him in that timeframe might be… optimistic. But when you talk big, you've got to follow through, even if it kills you.
"Dino! Have you seen Laxus anywhere?!" Alzack came running toward him, looking frantic.
Dino shook his head. "Nope. If you spot him, fire off a signal flare so I know where—"
Suddenly, a green magical barrier erupted around them, trapping both Dino and Alzack inside a glowing dome.
Letters materialized on the shimmering wall:
"Only the strongest may leave. Two enter, one departs!"
Alzack's face went pale. "What?! This is Freed's jutsu shiki… he set one up here too? Only one person can get out?" His fists clenched. "The rules of these enchantments are absolute…"
Alzack's expression twisted through a dozen emotions in seconds. He clearly wanted to rescue Bisca himself, but he was also painfully aware of his own limitations. And Dino—the guy trapped here with him—was probably their best shot at taking down Laxus. What kind of man lets someone else save the woman he loves?
But then again… for Bisca's life, what did his pride matter?
Alzack's hand moved to his holster. In a flash of green light, his gun materialized, and he raised it toward his own temple.
CRACK!
The barrier fractured like breaking glass. The supposedly "absolute" barrier shattered into glittering fragments and vanished.
Dino spun around just in time to see Alzack holding a gun to his own head. He blinked. "Uh… Alzack? What the hell are you doing? You're way too young for a dramatic exit, man."
Alzack's face turned bright red as he quickly dismissed his weapon. He stood there looking like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole, unable to meet Dino's eyes.
"…Anyway, let's get a bird's eye view of this mess."
Dino stomped the ground hard with both feet, launching himself skyward. Then, impossibly, he continued stepping upward through empty air itself, each footfall sending out ripples of vibration that propelled him higher and higher.
The technique looked similar to Geppo from his memories of another world, but the principle was different—he was using high-frequency vibrations from his Tremor-Tremor abilities to create platforms of compressed air. The effect was the same, but the method was all his own.
From above Magnolia, Dino quickly spotted multiple fights breaking out across the city. Apparently Laxus's taunts had hit their mark.
Fairy Tail mages weren't the type to just take insults lying down. These were people who solved most of their problems with their fists. You don't survive in a guild like this without power, and people with power tend to have equally large egos. Being called weaklings by Laxus—even if he was stronger—was like waving a red flag at a herd of bulls.
Even knowing the gap in strength, they'd still charge in swinging.
"EVERYBODY KNOCK IT OFF ALREADY!"
Dino's voice boomed across Magnolia, carried by vibrations through the air itself, reaching nearly every corner of the town.
"That's Dino's voice!"
"He's out too?"
"Maybe he can handle Laxus, but that doesn't matter right now—I've got a score to settle!"
Inside one barrier, Wakaba glared at Macao. "You bastard! You've been laughing at me behind my back for years! Said my wife wasn't pretty! Said you were stronger than me! Well, today we finally settle who's the better mage!"
"Oh, that's rich coming from you, Wakaba!" Macao shot back, flames already gathering in his palms. "You never shut up about my love life! And after that whole possession incident with Vulcan, you wouldn't stop giving me crap! We joined Fairy Tail at the same time, and we've never actually settled this. One of us is walking away from this, and the other's gonna be eating dirt!"
Elsewhere, Jet faced off against Droy. "I know we both like Levy," Jet said, his magic already accelerating his movements. "And now she's been turned to stone by Evergreen. Laxus called us useless. Called our team weak. Even if I can't beat him, I'm gonna make damn sure he regrets underestimating Shadow Gear!"
Droy cracked his knuckles, seeds already sprouting between his fingers. "You think you're the only one pissed off? I'm taking down Laxus, I'm saving Levy, and then I'm finally gonna confess to her!"
The pattern repeated itself across Magnolia. Even the closest friends had accumulated small grievances over the years—careless words, thoughtless actions, minor slights that had been forgiven but not quite forgotten. Now, in the pressure cooker Laxus had created, everything was boiling over.
"These idiots! Why aren't they stopping?!" Makarov watched the numbers on the tracking lacrima update rapidly. Even after Dino's warning, people were still fighting, and the count of active participants kept dropping.
Laxus laughed triumphantly. "Hahaha! See that, old man? This is your precious 'family'! You treat them like your kids, but they don't give a damn about each other! Dino's ordering them to stop, and nobody's listening! Some guild master he'll make—no authority whatsoever! How's someone like that supposed to lead Fairy Tail into the future? Hahaha!"
Then, Dino's voice rang out again across the city.
"FINE! YOU WANT TO FIGHT SO BAD?! GO RIGHT AHEAD! Just try not to wreck the town too much—the citizens don't deserve to deal with your crap! And whatever damage you DO cause, you're paying for repairs out of your own pockets!"
"So if you think you can afford it, GO WILD! Punch each other in the face for all I care! Actually, I'm kinda looking forward to seeing you all with black eyes and fat lips tomorrow!"
Sweatdrop.
Makarov and Laxus both froze, matching expressions of disbelief on their faces.
One had just been arguing that Dino would never let his guildmates hurt each other. The other had been mocking Dino's supposed soft-heartedness. And now here he was, basically giving everyone permission to beat the crap out of each other.
Talk about a slap in the face.