The guild collapsed!

However, this matter did not end there.

After everyone had left, in the actual Magic Council chamber, the nine councilors and Speaker Crawford engaged in a heated discussion about something else.

"Gentlemen, we have reached a conclusion regarding the death of Jose Bora, the guild master of the Phantom Lord: it was caused by Makarov Dreyar's Super Magic 'Fairy Law'."

"But now, an even more difficult problem lies before us."

Speaker Crawford rubbed his temples and projected a battle report onto the center of the conference table.

"That is, before Chairman Makarov made his move, Jose, one of the 'Ten Wizard Saints Mages,' was defeated by a young mage without any Ten Wizard Saints title, in full view of everyone, with overwhelming power."

"This person is Jiang Bai from Fairy Tail."

Upon hearing this, the entire council chamber fell silent.

The title of the Ten Wizard Saints Mages is a symbol of the authority of the Magic Council, representing their highest assessment of the strength of all mages on the continent.

Now, this assessment has been overturned by an unknown kid, which is undoubtedly a blatant slap in the face to the Magic Council.

"It's him again!"

"This... this is utterly absurd!"

An elderly councilor with a hooked nose was the first to slam his fist on the table and stand up.

"Our authority is facing an unprecedented challenge! How will the public view us?"

"They'll think the 'strongest' chosen by the Magic Council are nothing but a bunch of undeserving charlatans!"

"Oge, calm down."

Another, younger female councilor advised,

"We've all seen the magical recordings of that battle. That Jiang Bai, his strength... didn't we already know that?"

"This is indeed far beyond our understanding of S-Class Mages."

"To be honest, who dares to say they can definitely beat him?"

This question silenced most of the people present.

So what?

Oge remained relentless.

"Fairy Tail already has Makarov! Are we going to give them another spot in the Ten Wizard Saints?"

"This will disrupt the balance between guilds! Moreover, Jiang Bai's eccentric and reckless behavior will further enhance his reputation, which Magic Council in the slightest!"

"I think this matter can be handled quietly."

A congressman who always looked sleepy yawned and said,

"In the end, it was Makarov who killed Jose."

"We can publicly claim that Makarov defeated Jose alone, as for Jiang Bai..."

"Just say he was only assisting, and make up any excuse to get rid of it."

"No!"

This suggestion was immediately rejected.

"There were thousands of people present at the time; the news couldn't be kept secret!"

"The more we try to cover it up, the more guilty we appear! This will completely destroy the credibility of the Magic Council!"

"Then what do you suggest we do? Are we really going to award him a place among the Ten Wizard Saints?"

"This won't work, that won't work! This is really a headache!"

The lawmakers argued endlessly, unable to convince each other, and the entire meeting reached a stalemate.

Just then, a young voice that had remained silent throughout suddenly rang out.

"In that case, let's just name him one of the Ten Wizard Saints."

The one speaking was the youngest and most promising genius among the newly elected councilors— Siegrain, who was Jellal's Thought Projection.

He stood up, and beneath his azure, tousled hair, his eyes seemed to see through everything.

"Gentlemen, the root of our problem lies not in how strong Jiang Bai is, nor in whether Fairy Tail will gain another Ten Wizard Saints."

"The problem is that our 'strongest' list has proven to be 'inaccurate'."

He looked around, his voice not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"The people and mages aren't challenging the Magic Council, but rather that 'inaccurate' ranking."

"Since the list is wrong, we only need to do one thing—correct it."

"Put qualified people up and remove unqualified people. This is the best way to uphold the authority of our Magic Council."

A single word awakened me from my dream.

"That's right! Siegrain right!"

"Instead of trying to cover it up, just admit it openly!"

"Jose is dead, and one of the Ten Wizard Saints' positions is now vacant. Let Jiang Bai fill that spot; it's perfectly legitimate!"

Once someone took the lead, the other council members followed suit, feeling that the proposal was simple, direct, and could also demonstrate the Magic Council's magnanimity.

The voting results came out quickly.

It passed unanimously.

The Magic Council officially decided to strip the late Jose Bora of his title Ten Wizard Saints and bestow the title of "Ten Wizard Saints Mages" upon Fairy Tail mage Jiang Bai.

Meanwhile, when Makarov and his group of children finished dealing with the Magic Council's affairs and dragged their weary bodies back to Magnolia, it was already dawn.

The joy of victory was still on everyone's faces. They looked at the guild building, which was dilapidated but still stood firm, and their hearts were filled with the warmth of returning home.

But at that moment, something unexpected happened.

Perhaps due to the magical fluctuations from too many battles, the guild building structure, already pierced by the iron pillar, was already overburdened and finally reached its limit.

With a deafening creak, the house that had held countless joyful moments collapsed before everyone's astonished eyes!

Dust billowed, and in an instant it turned into a true ruin.

The smiles of the crowd, who were cheering just a moment ago, froze on their faces.

Everyone stared blankly at the rubble; it was their home... now, completely gone.

"Waaaaah--!"

A suppressed sob suddenly rang out.

Everyone turned around in astonishment and discovered that the crying was coming from their most respected chairman, Makarov.

This one of the Ten Wizard Saints, who had never backed down in the face of any formidable enemy, was now like a child, sitting on the ground and wailing, tears streaming down his face.

The crowd instantly broke down and swarmed around her.

"President... please don't cry."

"It's alright, Chairman, we'll just rebuild the house!"

"Yes, as long as everyone is here, home is still home!"

Everyone offered their words of comfort.

Jiang Bai walked over and patted the old man on the shoulder.

"It's alright, sir, don't cry."

He pointed to the ruins and said, "To be honest, I've always felt that our guild is too small."

"Look, the guild has grown so much over the years, it's almost overflowing."

"This is a perfect opportunity, let's just tear it down and build a bigger and more impressive one!"