— — — — — —
"Enough! All of you, stop!"
"This is the guild! Messing around is one thing, but if you're really going to fight, I can't just stand by and watch!"
Erza stepped forward, her armor gleaming—a lightning-resistant set this time. Her expression was hard as steel.
"Erza, you too? Fine! I'll take down both of you today!"
Laxus' fury only grew when he saw her intervene. Lightning crackled wildly around him, his power rising to a storm.
"Erza, you don't have to handle this. Go tell the guild members to evacuate the townspeople." Kazuma's voice was cold and sharp. "And have the master get ready to compensate for property damage."
He was dead serious.
Outside the guild, over a hundred magical Cannons were locked on target, humming with power. All it would take was Laxus' first move—or the civilians clearing out—and Kazuma would unleash everything.
At full power, those cannons could vaporize even an S-Class mage. Even a Wizard Saint wouldn't walk away from that blast.
Of course, Kazuma wasn't planning to kill this yellow idiot.
"NO!"
"If you two insist on fighting, I can't just let it happen!" Erza's voice trembled with anger. "Guildmates do NOT fight each other to the death! If you won't listen, I'll knock you both out myself!"
She looked between them and sighed inwardly. Peace wasn't an option anymore—she had no choice but to join in.
But before anyone could move, a strange drowsiness swept through the guild. One by one, everyone slumped over, unconscious.
Everyone except three—Kazuma, Laxus, and Erza remained standing.
A calm, low voice echoed from the entrance. "If you're going to fight… count me in."
Mystogan had returned. He'd only come back to pick up a new mission—but walking into this scene, he couldn't just ignore it.
As a member of Fairy Tail, he couldn't turn away. With him and Erza together, maybe they could stop the other two.
"Mystogan, huh? You came back too." Laxus frowned slightly. What a day—everyone was showing up. Was the old man next?
"...So this is Mystogan." Erza studied the man wrapped head to toe in cloth, his face completely hidden. She'd never actually seen him before. Usually, his magic put everyone in the guild to sleep before he appeared—but this time, maybe because she was in combat mode, she managed to resist it.
"Well, isn't this perfect?" Kazuma said with a smirk. "Looks like all the top fighters in the guild are right here. Forget the S-Class trials—how about we settle it right now? Last one standing gets to call themselves number one in Fairy Tail."
Laxus grinned. "Heh. You annoy me to no end—but that's actually not a bad idea."
"Both of you, shut it!"
A booming voice cut through the tension as the doors flew open.
"I leave for a short while, and you two start trying to tear down my guild! Do you even remember that I'm the Master?"
Makarov stormed in, face red with fury. He'd just gone out to enjoy the nice weather when he felt the massive surge of magic from afar. Now, seeing the four of them facing off, he nearly exploded.
"No, old man, you should've retired ages ago," Kazuma said bluntly. "Laxus has been like this for years. Today he even insulted Mira—said she was useless and should be kicked out. I say he's long overdue for a beating. You know what they say—'A crooked tree won't straighten with age.'"
He rolled up his sleeves. "Don't stop me this time. I'm making him learn who the real boss of this guild is."
"Old man, you really should retire," Laxus growled. "You've gone soft. Hand over the guild to me. First thing I'll do is throw out every useless weakling holding us back. Under my lead, Fairy Tail will become the strongest guild in the world!"
"You… you two…" Makarov's face turned purple with rage. "So you want a fight, huh? Fine! I'll fight both of you myself!"
Magic power surged around him as his body expanded, muscles and height swelling until he became a towering giant.
But before he could move, Erza and Mystogan stepped in front of him.
"Master, please, calm down!" Erza pleaded. "If we're going to fight, let's do it outside the city—somewhere empty. That way, no property damage."
"And if you really insist on fighting," Mystogan added, "let us help. Three against two—we'll win for sure."
"Uh…" Makarov blinked. For a moment, he wondered if he'd heard wrong. He'd been expecting them to talk him out of fighting, not join in!
He just wanted to look tough, not start a damn brawl! But now he was cornered—if he didn't fight, he'd look weak, but if he did, he'd be beating his own kids!
What a mess.
Everyone stood frozen, glaring at each other. Tension filled the air, one spark away from chaos.
Then, quietly, a soft voice broke through it all.
"Stop it… please."
Mira slowly regained consciousness, pushing herself up. She looked at everyone—the tense faces, the furious master—and instantly understood what had happened.
"We're all family here," she said gently. "No matter what happens, Fairy Tail can't fall into fighting itself."
"Master, I know you're angry, but please… calm down. As our guild master, your job is to stop fights, not join them."
Makarov stared at her, eyes softening. Ah, good girl—finally someone giving him a graceful way out.
He cleared his throat loudly. "Ahem. Since Mira says so, I'll let it go this time. But this is your last warning, both of you."
He shrank back to normal size and adjusted his coat, trying to look dignified.
"I don't need you to 'let me off,' old man," Laxus snapped. "If it's a fight you want, then—"
"Laxus."
Makarov's voice was firm, cutting him off. "If you still recognize me as your grandfather, then shut your mouth."
Laxus froze. After a long moment, he snorted, letting the lightning around him fade away.
"Tch." Without another word, he turned and walked out.
Fairy Tail's guildhall fell silent once again—save for the faint hum of fading magic and the echo of Laxus' retreating footsteps.
.
.
.