The Fairy Tail Civil War Begins!

Hearing the thunderous roar coming from the backstage area, everyone in the guild hall couldn't sit still any longer.

Marcus forgot his lines, Lucy rushed backstage, lifting her skirt. Even Wakaba and Macao, who were watching the show, dropped their drinks and followed the crowd.

The scene backstage made everyone gasp.

The ground was covered with charred marks from lightning strikes, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of ozone.

Jiang Bai stood expressionless at the front, behind him were Erza and Mirajane, both with equally angry faces, and a group of female contestants who were still shaken.

Opposite them, Laxus stood there indifferently, next to Evergreen's face was deathly pale, clearly still reeling from Jiang Bai's merciless killing intent.

"Jiang Bai, are you angry?"

Laxus spoke first, his tone laced with provocation.

Jiang Bai didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, his voice as cold as if it came from the deepest hell. "Laxus, is this all you've got? You're too scared to fight me, you only know how to attack your guildmates. Do you even deserve to be called a man?"

"Hmph! It's none of your business how I am."

Laxus's expression turned ferocious.

"I'm completely disillusioned with this guild!"

"A bunch of good-for-nothings who do nothing but laugh and joke all day, yet they're always hanging around outside under the guise of 'Fairy Tail'!"

"Do you know what people outside are saying about our guild? So, I'm going to rebuild this guild and clean out all those bastards!"

"What did you say?!"

"Who are you calling trash?!"

Laxus's undisguised taunt instantly ignited everyone's anger.

"Trying to prove you're not just a nobody?"

Laxus grinned maliciously, spreading his arms wide like an evil king.

"Then I'll give you a chance! The battle of the strongest in 'Fairy Tail' begins now!"

"The rules are simple: the last person standing is the sole winner! The battleground is the entire Magnolia!"

Then, his gaze swept past everyone and fixed intently on Jiang Bai.

"Jiang Bai, you can participate in the battle, but you are not allowed to stop it in any way. Otherwise..."

He suddenly pulled back a huge curtain beside him.

Behind the curtain were statues of more than a dozen guild members, their faces still bearing expressions of astonishment or bewilderment, lifelike in their detail.

"I can't guarantee what will happen to these people."

Laxus had little hope from the start that he could successfully petrify Erza and the others right under Jiang Bai's nose.

Therefore, he had already instructed Evergreen to target the weaker members of the guild.

The reason they still attacked Erza and the others was to test Jiang Bai.

He feared that Jiang Bai didn't care about the lives of these "small fry."

However, it seems that although the plan was not completely successful, judging from Jiang Bai's appearance, he was clearly held back by these stone statues.

That's enough.

Evergreen had recovered by now. She put her glasses back on, a malicious smile on her face, "If you want to save them, defeat us within three hours."

"Otherwise, they'll turn into a pile of sand. Oh dear, there are so many of you, while we 'Thunder God Tribe' only have four people. This is really disadvantageous for us, ahahaha!"

"Alright, let the game begin!"

Laxus roared, his entire body erupting with dazzling lightning; the blinding light caused everyone to instinctively close their eyes.

When they opened their eyes again, Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe had already vanished.

"Laxus, that bastard!"

Makarov was trembling with rage. He said to Jiang Bai,

"Hey kid, what are you standing there for! Go stop them!"

"Old Master," Jiang Bai slowly turned around, his expression eerily calm.

"I'm going to be really rough this time. Don't be too upset later."

Looking into Jiang Bai's calm eyes, Makarov knew that Laxus's actions against Mirajane and Erza had truly touched a raw nerve with this man.

He sighed deeply, as if he had aged ten years in an instant. "Fight without worry, Jiang Bai... Just leave me a breath."

With permission, Jiang Bai looked at the other indignant members of the guild.

"You all, go out and have a fight too." His voice regained a hint of its usual languor.

"Isn't that guy just looking for a civil war within Fairy Tail? This is the perfect opportunity to settle scores and settle old scores. Leave the rest to me."

"Don't underestimate us, Jiang Bai!" Natsu the first to jump out.

"Yeah, how can we let you shoulder everything alone!" Gray rarely chimed in.

"Everyone, let's go! Maybe we'll find Laxus faster than Jiang Bai!"

"No, this is still too difficult..."

The guild members exchanged glances, instantly understanding each other's intentions, and rushed out of the guild to find their own opponents.

"I'll go and lend a hand too!"

Makarov was about to rush out when he said that.

"Bang!"

With a dull thud, he felt as if he had hit an invisible wall, and he fell to the ground, clutching his head.

What's going on?

As he finished speaking, a line of golden text appeared in mid-air:

[Those over eighty years of age and the stone statues are not allowed to leave this area!]

"It's Freed's spell!" Erza's expression changed.

"Damn it! They had everything planned out long ago!"