At the same time.
Magic Council, temporary cell.
The walls here are made of Magic-Suppressing Stone, which can suppress all magic fluctuations.
Lu Chongwei is sitting on the sofa, with a cup of cooled black tea in front of him.
He looked at the reflection in the cup with heavy eyes.
Click.
The heavy iron door of the cell was slowly pushed open.
A graceful figure walked in quietly, and the sound of high heels hitting the ground was particularly harsh in the silent corridor.
Lu Chongwei raised his head and looked at the person.
"Ultear, what are you doing here again?"
He asked calmly.
His fingers tapped lightly on his knees.
Ultear did not answer immediately, but elegantly walked to the sofa opposite Lu Chongwei and sat down.
She looked at Lu Chongwei.
"I have news you may not want to hear."
She leaned forward slightly and stared at Lu Chongwei.
"About your president."
Lu Chongwei's fingers tapping his knees suddenly paused.
It was quiet in the cell.
"What's wrong, old man?"
Lu Chongwei asked in a deep voice.
He stared closely at Ultear's face.
"President Makarov led people to fight Phantom Lord for the sake of his comrades who were attacked."
Ultear spoke slowly, his voice echoing in the empty cell.
She looked at Lu Chongwei with some pity in her eyes.
"But he was plotted, and his magic power was drained by the guy named Aria."
"What did you say?"
Lu Chongwei crushed the porcelain cup in his hand.
Broken pieces of porcelain fell from his fingers and hit the carpet.
He originally thought that he was sure of victory with the strength of the president, but he didn't want to encounter such a change.
He stood up suddenly.
"Phantom Lord...Jose..."
Lu Chongwei gritted his teeth and squeezed out these two names.
He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
Ultear Seeing this, he quickly reached out to hold his excited shoulders.
"Calm down, Lu Chongwei."
She felt an amazing amount of heat in her palms.
Her expression changed and she looked serious.
"The key is that Phantom Lord is preparing to fully attack your guild!"
Ultear lowered his voice and spoke quickly into Lu Chongwei's ear.
"The Speaker suppressed all the information, and Magic Council's senior officials now have no knowledge of it."
Lu Chongwei was stunned.
He turned his head sharply and stared at Ultear.
"You mean, that old guy is covering for Phantom Lord?"
His voice became colder.
The anger reached its peak at this moment, and his eyes were faintly tinged with gold.
"I suspect that he has colluded with Phantom Lord, and locking you here is also part of the plan."
Ultear nodded, with a solemn expression.
She withdrew her hand, feeling the remaining warmth on her fingertips, and her heart was filled with shock.
This man's power was stronger than she expected.
"Thank you, Ultear, I must go back!"
Lu Chongwei stood up suddenly.
His movement brought up a strong gust of wind, rattling the pages in the cell.
His heart was burning with anxiety, and his mind was filled with images of his fellow guild members being attacked.
"Don't worry, you will only be defined as a fugitive if you rush out like this!"
Ultear's figure flashed and stood in front of him.
She stretched out her hands and pushed Lu Chongwei back onto the sofa again.
"At that time, Magic Council will have reason to officially ban Fairy Tail, do you understand?"
She looked directly at Lu Chongwei.
Lu Chongwei stared at her, his chest rising and falling violently.
His fists clenched loudly, and his nails dug deeply into his palms.
"Then you want me to sit here and wait to die?"
Lu Chongwei roared in a low voice.
His magic power rushed wildly inside his body, and the Magic-Suppressing Stone wall actually let out an overwhelmed moan.
"I have a solution."
Ultear smiled.
She slowly approached Lu Chongwei.
"As long as it can be proven that Phantom Lord made the first move, the evidence I collected will allow you to be legally released."
Ultear stretched out his slender fingers and gently straightened Lu Chongwei's messy collar.
She helped Lu Chongwei straighten her collar.
"Just think of it as... doing your best for the guild I want to join in the future."
Lu Chongwei looked at the woman in front of him, and the golden light in his eyes gradually faded away.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
"How long will it take?"
He asked in a deep voice, his voice regaining its former calmness, but with an added determination.
"One hour."
Ultear stretched out a finger and waved it in front of Lu Chongwei.
She turned around and walked towards the cell door.
"Wait for me here. I'll be back soon."
As the iron door closed, the cell fell into dead silence again.
Lu Chongwei closed his eyes, and the weak appearance of Makarov and the angry faces of Natsu and Erza kept appearing in his mind.
His heart was bleeding, it was a kind of severe pain after being touched by the inverse scale called home.
Time passes by minute by minute.
To him, every second seemed like a century.
Finally.
An hour later.
The cell door was pushed open again, but this time it was not Ultear who came in.
Instead, they were several Magic Council officials who looked panicked and were sweating profusely.
"Road... Mr. Lu Chongwei."
The leading official trembled and opened the restraint device on Lu Chongwei.
His face was pale, and his eyes were full of fear and respect.
"After investigation, it was found that you acted in self-defense, and now you can be officially released."
Lu Chongwei ignored his flattery.
He slowly stood up and moved his somewhat stiff joints.
The aura radiated at that moment made several officials subconsciously take a few steps back.
He walked straight out of the cell and walked through the long, dark corridor.
The moment he walked out of the Magic Council headquarters door.
The dazzling sunlight shone on his face, but it could not melt the frost in his eyes.
"Phantom Lord Guild."
Lu Chongwei looked up in the direction of Magnolia and sneered.
His body suddenly shook.
Boom!
A golden flame soared into the sky and instantly enveloped his entire body.
The flames were hot and violent, burning and cracking the surrounding stone floors.
His whole body turned into a burning stream of light.
Like a meteorite that cuts through the night, it carries the fury of destroying everything.
Speeding towards home.
In Magnolia's temporary base, the air was as heavy as lead.
Outside the window, fine strands of rain beat against the simple wooden window frame, making a snapping sound, and every sound seemed to hit everyone's heart.
Due to the serious injury of President Makarov, the entire guild fell into an unprecedented downturn.
Natsu clenched his fists tightly, not noticing that his nails were embedded in his flesh. He squatted in the corner, with a suppressed flame lingering around his body. Gray leaned against the cold wall, usually with a disdainful smile on his face. At this moment, only bottomless gloom remained.
"I'm sorry..."
A small, trembling cry broke the dead silence.
Everyone looked up and saw Lucy lowering her head, her golden hair covering her eyes, and big tears falling down her chin, splashing tiny water splashes on the floor.
Her shoulders were twitching violently, bearing some huge, unspeakable pressure.