Rowan and Mirajane didn't join the frontline fighting. After Rowan explained to Makarov how Gajeel had been defeated, he was assigned to guard the unconscious Dragon Slayer alongside Mirajane. Gajeel was irrefutable proof that Phantom Lord had launched the first attack. If he were taken back, the Magic Council's investigation would become a mess.
Lucy and Happy stayed with them as well. Lucy's strength lay in summoning her spirits, not direct combat, and most of her spirits preferred acting on their own terms. Once they were out, Lucy usually stayed behind, cheering and worrying in equal measure. As for Happy, aside from flying Natsu around, his combat ability was… optimistic at best.
"Hit them harder!"
"Nice one, Natsu!"
"Everyone be careful!"
Mirajane, Lucy, and Happy ended up acting as an enthusiastic support squad, watching Phantom Lord's mages fall one by one.
While observing the battle, Rowan was already analyzing which spells and fighting styles might be worth studying later. That was when he noticed Makarov advancing alone, swatting Phantom Lord mages aside with casual, overwhelming force as he headed for the stairs to the second floor.
"Erza, Natsu, Gray, stay with the Guild Master! Don't let him go up alone!"
Rowan amplified his voice with magic, snapping the three out of their battle frenzy.
Up to now, neither Jose nor any of the Four Elementals had shown themselves. If they were waiting upstairs and decided to gang up on Makarov, even the Guild Master could be in real danger.
Fairy Tail was powerful, but the situation wasn't ideal. Phantom Lord had four mages on par with S-class. Fairy Tail, tonight, effectively had only Erza. Mirajane couldn't fight, and Natsu and Gray weren't there yet.
Rowan had noticed this before. Fairy Tail's biggest flaw wasn't lack of strength. It was momentum. Once they started fighting, everyone, including the Guild Master, tended to charge ahead without thinking about the bigger picture.
From Rowan's perspective, a safer option would have been handing Gajeel over to the Council or waiting for reinforcements like Mystogan or Laxus. But Makarov had chosen this path, which meant he was confident in his own strength.
Erza, Natsu, and Gray immediately broke off and followed Makarov upstairs.
"We should go too," Rowan said.
Holding Gajeel in place with magic, Rowan led Mirajane, Lucy, and Happy after them. The battle downstairs was already decided. What mattered now was the fight above.
If Makarov won, Fairy Tail won. If he lost, nothing else would matter.
They reached the second floor just as Makarov's furious voice echoed through the hall.
"Jose! You'd better explain yourself, or I'll make you regret this just like six years ago!"
The matchups were clear. Makarov faced Jose. Erza clashed with Sol. Natsu went head-to-head with Totomaru. Gray confronted Juvia.
Rowan glanced around, frowning. One was missing.
"Strange. Where's Aria?"
Jose's eyes flicked toward Gajeel, immobilized under Rowan's control. Understanding dawned immediately.
"How disappointing," Jose sneered. "Captured alive? I thought better of you."
He turned back to Makarov, hatred spilling from his voice.
"No explanations, Makarov. Six years ago, you won by luck. Tonight, I'll kill you, wipe out Fairy Tail, and erase your guild from this world. Everyone will know Phantom Lord is the strongest."
"Then die."
Makarov's fist swelled to monstrous size and crashed toward Jose with enough force to shatter a mountain.
Jose laughed coldly and met it head-on, condensing his magic into a solid mass that collided with Makarov's punch.
The impact shook the building.
Without hesitation, Makarov punched straight through the ceiling and rose into the air, carried by raw magic.
"Up there," he said grimly. "Unless you want your guild reduced to rubble."
Jose smiled strangely and followed.
He'd expected this. That was why Aria was already hidden above the guild, waiting.
The moment the two Ten Wizard Saints faced each other in the sky, the air itself changed. Thunder rolled. Lightning tore across the clouds. Even before a spell was cast, their clashing magic distorted the heavens.
Below, Rowan stared upward, awed despite himself.
"So this is the level of a Ten Wizard Saint…"
He had thought Erza was terrifying. This was something else entirely.
"Dark Stream!"
Jose struck first, torrents of deathly black energy lancing toward Makarov.
"Circle of Light!"
Radiant magic flared in response, holy sigils forming as beams of light blasted back.
"Death Storm!"
"Light Burst!"
Darkness and light collided again and again above the city. The shockwaves alone made buildings tremble.
Across Oak Town, people woke screaming and fled into the night, knowing only one thing.
Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord were at war.