"That depends on whether you even get a chance to step on stage,"
Gray said, leaning back.
"Besides, even if you do, beating just one of them would be a miracle for you. You actually think you're taking down their whole team? Get real."
Lucy, listening to their bickering, grew curious.
"Is Phantom Lord really that powerful?"
Natsu grit his teeth.
"Those guys aren't even worth worrying about!"
Mira stepped in, her voice calm but serious.
"Phantom Lord is incredibly strong, Lucy. If it came to an all-out war, both sides would suffer heavy losses. That's why the Master tried to avoid a direct conflict for so long."
"They have the Element 4,"
Mira continued, "and each of them is roughly on the level of an S-Class wizard. Then there's an even more dangerous individual: Gajeel Redfox, the 'Iron Dragon.' He's the primary suspect in the attack on our guild, and he's a Dragon Slayer—just like Natsu."
"Another Dragon Slayer?!"
Lucy gasped. She knew how destructive Natsu's magic could be; the idea of an enemy with similar powers was unsettling.
Erza crossed her arms.
"Those five are trouble, but the real threat is their Master, Jose Porla. He's one of the Ten Wizard Saints."
"Ten Wizard Saints?"
Lucy echoed.
"The title is given to the ten most powerful wizards on the continent, as chosen by the Chairman of the Council,"
Gray explained. "Our Master and Jose both hold that title."
"Whoa… so the pervy old man we see every day is actually a living legend?"
Lucy muttered, eyes wide.
"Exactly,"
Erza said. "That's why we need our strongest representatives. Normally, it would be our S-Class wizards, with the Master as the anchor."
"Then why don't we just send all the S-Class wizards?"
Lucy suggested.
Erza shook her head.
"It's not that simple. Gildarts is away on a long-term mission. Mystogan is… well, Mystogan. He never shows his face, let alone in a public arena full of people. And then there's Laxus."
"Laxus? Why can't he do it? He's a member of the guild, isn't he?"
Erza sighed.
"Laxus has become… difficult. He's powerful enough to guarantee a win, but whether he'd actually agree to fight for the guild's honor is another story."
Natsu slammed his fist onto the table.
"I don't care about them! I'm going on stage for sure!"
"If Natsu gets serious,"
Erza mused, "he can certainly hold his own."
"If he's going, then I'm going too,"
Gray added. "I'm not letting him have all the fun."
Happy chimed in,
"That still leaves us one person short."
"Ugh… I guess it's finally my time to shine,"
Lucy said, standing tall. "As a top-tier wizard of Fairy Tail, I suppose I have a duty to take on this responsibility."
The group stared at her for a beat.
"Hm… how about Loke?"
Gray offered.
"Or Cana?"
Erza suggested. "She's quite capable."
"Hey! Don't ignore me!"
Lucy shouted, face turning red. "I'm standing right here! I'm strong too!"
Kael finally spoke, voice cool and confident.
"There's no need to stress over the roster. This isn't a standard 'best-of' match—it's a tag-team format. As long as I'm holding the fort, we won't lose."
Erza frowned slightly.
"But Kael, your endurance…"
It was common knowledge in the guild by now: the stronger Kael's transformation, the shorter it lasted.
"My time in those forms might be short,"
Kael said with a smirk, "but I'll make sure the time those guys spend standing in front of me is even shorter."
"So cool…"
Natsu and Gray muttered under their breaths.
After a hearty dinner prepared by Mira, the group settled in for the night. Kael's house was big enough to accommodate everyone comfortably. The three girls shared one room, Natsu and Happy took another, and Gray and Kael each had their own—mostly to prevent Natsu and Gray from destroying the place in a late-night brawl.
In the girls' room, the atmosphere was soft, full of whispers. Naturally, the conversation drifted to romance.
"Mira-san,"
Lucy whispered, "do you… do you like Kael?"
"I do,"
Mira admitted without a second of hesitation. Her honesty caught Lucy and Erza off guard.
"Since when?!"
Lucy leaned in, eyes sparkling with gossip.
"I can't pinpoint an exact moment,"
Mira said, a dreamy smile on her face. "Love isn't always 'love at first sight.' Sometimes it just builds over time. You notice the little things he does, the way he cares, and eventually you realize you've fallen for him."
"So… did he ask you out, or was it the other way around?"
"I was the one who went after him,"
Mira giggled.
"WHAT?!"
Lucy and Erza blurted—then Mira quickly hushed them.
It was hard to imagine: Mirajane, a literal national idol, taking the initiative to chase a boy. From the outside, it usually looked like Kael was the one trying to impress her.
"What's so surprising?"
Mira whispered. "When you meet a good man, you have to take the initiative. Honestly, if I hadn't staked my claim early, half the girls in the guild would've pounced on him by now."
Erza nodded solemnly.
"Mira is right. Kael is very popular. Most of the girls back off simply because they know they can't compete with her."
Erza stared at the ceiling, lost in her own thoughts. She remembered the Eisenwald incident, when Kael had casually mentioned that marrying someone like her would be a dream. It was the first time anyone had ever offered her such sincere, straightforward praise. It had moved her more than any flowery poem ever could.
While the girls whispered, Kael lay awake in his room, watching the clock. Before leaving, he had asked Cana to divine when his luck would be at its peak. Her answer: exactly midnight.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
As the clock struck twelve, Kael took a deep breath and opened his system interface.
[Do you want to perform a Ten-Pull?]
"Confirm,"
Kael whispered.