"Cough cough."
Gajeel cleared his throat.
"This song, <Shooby Doo-Bop>, was written by myself."
He strummed the strings of the electric guitar.
"Clang--!"
A piercing noise tore through the air.
Then, Gajeel spoke.
"Shooby Doo-Bop! My Iron Fist! Shooby Doo-Bop! Crush everything!"
The sound was like rusty nails scraping against glass, or like hundreds of ducks being choked at the same time.
It was so awful it was outrageous.
"My ear! My ear is bleeding!"
Lucy covered her ears in agony and rolled around on the ground in agony.
"Make him stop! Is this a sonic weapon?!"
Gray covered his head with both hands, feeling as if the top of his head was about to be ripped off.
Members of the guild collapsed one after another, their cries of agony echoing throughout the guild.
"What kind of rubbish are you singing, you bastard!"
Natsu couldn't take it anymore. He jumped onto the table, pointed at Gajeel on the stage, and started cursing.
"If you don't like it, then get down here!"
Gajeel's singing was interrupted, and his expression darkened.
He slammed the electric guitar down on Natsu like a sledgehammer.
" Fire Dragon, you're asking for death!"
Natsu dodged the guitar to the side, his fists blazing with flames, and charged forward without hesitation.
The two men wrestled on stage.
The dull thuds of fists colliding echoed continuously.
"Hahaha! Well done! Natsu, smash that iron block!"
Gray stood to the side, laughing gleefully.
However, as Natsu retreated, he kicked Gray in the face.
Gray was sent flying backwards, and by sheer coincidence, he crashed into the table in front of Erza.
On the table sat a limited-edition strawberry cake that Erza had been looking forward to all afternoon.
Time slowed down at that moment.
Erza watched helplessly as the exquisite strawberry cake traced an arc through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.
"Smack."
Cream splattered everywhere.
Erza froze on the spot.
Her eyes lost their luster, and her entire being was shrouded in a dense, malevolent aura.
"A man... a real man!"
Elfman, who was swinging his fist in preparation to join the fight, took a large step back.
One foot landed squarely on the strawberry cake that had already fallen to the ground.
It was completely mashed into a paste.
"Boom!"
An incredibly terrifying magical power erupted from Erza's body.
She drew her longsword, her eyes bloodshot, like a demon crawling out of hell.
"You bastards... give me back my cake!"
Erza roared, and her longsword transformed into a whirlwind, sweeping Gray and Elfman away together.
This completely ignited the fuse.
"Get out of my way!" Cana lifted the barrel and smashed it wildly in all directions.
The entire guild hall descended into an unprecedented melee.
Tables and chairs flew everywhere, magical light flashed all around, and screams and curses mingled together.
Lu Chongwei sat on the second-floor railing, holding a glass of juice, helplessly watching the farce below.
Just then, a chair engulfed in flames came hurtling toward his face.
"Bang!"
Lu Chongwei casually waved his hand, and the chair turned to ashes in mid-air.
He sighed, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
"What a bunch of troublesome idiots."
Lu Chongwei's body erupted with dazzling golden flames, and he leaped into the air, joining the battle below.
"Quiet down, all of you!"
A golden sea of fire exploded in the crowd, sending several members who were fighting each other flying.
Half an hour later.
The guild hall was now a complete mess.
Natsu had dark circles under his eyes and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
He lay sprawled on the floor covered in wood shavings, staring at the ceiling.
"Ha ha ha ha..."
Natsu suddenly burst into laughter.
He looked at his companions around him, who were also bruised and battered but still bickering with each other, and felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
"This is Fairy Tail is all about."
Natsu exclaimed.
The setting sun cast long shadows on the trees.
Magnolia, South Gate Park.
Gajeel was forced to stand under a thick oak tree.
"Bang!"
Jet delivered a powerful flying kick, slamming it into Gajeel's abdomen.
Gajeel groaned as his body slammed into a tree trunk, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"You bastard! Weren't you so arrogant when you nailed us to the tree?!"
Droy brandished his thick plant vines, lashing them repeatedly at Gajeel like whips.
The sound of flesh being torn apart echoed in the empty park.
Faced with the two's relentless attacks, Gajeel tightly protected his head with both hands.
He didn't fight back, nor did he use any magic at all.
He silently endured it, letting the blood stain his white suit.
"Stop! Stop it now!"
Levy ran over from a distance.
She looked at Gajeel, who was covered in blood, and tears welled up in her eyes.
" Jet! Droy! Stop hitting him! I've already forgiven him!"
Levy lunged forward, trying to stop the two of them.
Just then...
The once clear sky suddenly became overcast with dark clouds, and thunder rumbled.
The air was filled with a pungent smell of ozone.
"Boom!"
A massive bolt of lightning, as thick as a bucket, struck down from the sky without warning, slamming into the middle of Gajeel and the Cartway Engine Squad.
The violent shockwave from the lightning blasted Jet and Droy away.
"What a disgusting bunch of useless trash."
An arrogant voice came from within the lightning.
Laxus, draped in his fur coat and crackling with golden lightning, strode out.
He looked down at Gajeel lying on the ground, his eyes full of disdain.
"You trash have completely disgraced Fairy Tail."
Laxus raised his right hand, and violent lightning gathered wildly in his palm, emitting a piercing chorus of Chidori.
"Since the old man can't bring himself to do it, then I'll clean house."
Laxus's eyes flashed with a cruel killing intent.
He waved his hand, and the bolt of lightning, powerful enough to char a person, shot straight towards Gajeel's head.
Gajeel closed his eyes.
At this critical moment...
A golden streak of light ripped through the air like a meteorite.
"Clang--!"
The crisp sound of a sword being drawn echoed through the sky.
The Ryujin Jakka.
An extremely compressed golden Flame Sword shot into the sky and struck the ball of lightning without fail.
"Boom!"
The lightning was Crush by the raging flames, turning into countless tiny sparks that dissipated into the air.
Holding a long sword, Lu Chongwei resembled an unshakeable war god.
He stood firmly in front of Gajeel.
The golden flames remaining on the blade of Ryujin Jakka scorched the surrounding grass to a golden brown.
He turned around, his eyes fixed on Laxus in front of him.