Guild brawl

Bang! The guild's front doors groaned under the strain as a foot clad in a black leather boot brutally kicked them open.

Having taken off her cloak, Mirajane planted her hands on her hips and swaggered into the hall as though she owned the place. Two little shadows followed close behind her: Lisanna, her eyes sparkling with admiration, and Elfman, half a step slower and looking rather nervous.

The three sat down at a reasonably intact table and set out the food they had just bought, ready to enjoy a peaceful lunch.

Yet barely had they settled in when a wave of heat suddenly burst through the air. Half a charred chair back whistled past Mirajane's silver hair and slammed into the wall behind her with a crash, shattering to pieces.

Natsu waved his flaming fists. "Gray!!!"

"Natsu!!!" Gray had somehow lost his clothes again, and an ice blade formed in his hand.

As the two fought with furious enthusiasm, a pale right hand carrying terrifying strength suddenly shot in from the side and clamped squarely over Natsu's entire face.

Under Natsu's horrified gaze, Mirajane slammed him down with an expressionless face!

Boom!!

Natsu's spiky pink head was driven deep into the wooden floor, leaving a crater webbed with cracks.

"Huh?!"

Gray stared, dumbstruck. Before he could swing his ice blade, Mirajane used the momentum of her downward slam to pivot sideways. Her left elbow fired like a cannonball, landing squarely in Gray's lower abdomen!

"Urgh-!"

Gray's eyes bulged as he flew backward and crashed through several large barrels beside the hall. Liquor and wood splinters spilled across the floor.

The sounds of their successive falls echoed through the guild, and the hall instantly fell deathly silent.

The formerly boisterous wizards all stared at the white-haired witch who had entered less than three minutes ago, their brains freezing for two full seconds.

Then a tidal wave of cheers erupted!

"Whoaaa-the new kid's strong!"

"Pfft, hahaha! Those idiots Natsu and Gray got taken out in one hit again!"

Behind the counter, Guild Master Makarov spat out a mouthful of liquor. His jester's hat slipped sideways as he wailed in utter heartbreak, "My booze!"

"Phew..."

Mira clapped her hands, brushing off dust that wasn't there. Then she boldly lifted one long leg and planted her foot on a crooked stool.

Her white hair slipped off her shoulder as she lowered her head slightly. Her clear eyes blazed with wild ferocity, filled with the long-missed exhilaration of having control over her body again.

"You dare fight while I'm eating?" she snorted. "You're asking for a beating!"

"Ptooey!" Natsu struggled up out of the hole in the floor, smoke pouring from his nostrils and veins throbbing at his temples. "Damn it! What's so great about a sneak attack? Come at me again!!"

"I just let my guard down! I'm not losing again!!" Gray wiped his mouth and charged back in, still shirtless.

Two figures attacked at once, one from either side. Scorching flames came from the left, freezing cold from the right.

Faced with their pincer attack, Mirajane didn't retreat. Instead, fierce fighting spirit flared in her eyes. She stepped forward, magic instantly coating both fists, and punched hard!

Bam! One punch sent Gray flying, ice and all, smashing through three solid wooden tables along the way.

Thud! Another punch battered Natsu's flames clean apart and launched him like a cannonball into the distant bar, where countless bottles of expensive liquor shattered across the floor.

Lisanna covered her mouth with both hands, stars shining in her eyes. "Mira... you're amazing."

Beside her, Elfman turned pale and shakily took half a step forward. He glanced at the terrifying currents swirling around Mirajane, then timidly withdrew his outstretched hand. "S-sis, the tables..."

"Who's next?!" Mirajane stood with one foot on a bench, looking down on everyone.

"-That's quite enough."

A steady female voice, carrying unquestionable authority, suddenly rang out. It wasn't loud, but it briefly silenced the noisy hall again.

Erza slowly rose from her seat by the window. A half-eaten slice of strawberry cake still sat in front of her.

Her signature scarlet hair shone like fire in the sunlight, and her knight's armor clinked softly as she moved. Her gaze fixed on Mirajane, sharp as a freshly drawn sword.

She frowned at the cracked bar, then looked at Natsu and Gray sprawled on the floor.

"Are you trying to tear the guild down?"

"Boohoo... Erza!!" Guild Master Makarov wept tears of gratitude, as though he had finally seen the guild's savior.

In the center of the hall, the atmosphere grew strangely tense.

One was an arrogant witch in a daring punk outfit, radiating wildness and rebellion; the other was a stern, upright knight clad in armor, devoted to discipline.

Their gazes met in midair, like the ultimate clash of ice and fire, good and evil. Even the air seemed to crackle with electricity.

"Huh? Who the hell are you to stick your nose in?" Mirajane lifted her chin defiantly, a reckless sneer on her lips. "Stop looking down on me like that. Don't underestimate me, armor girl!"

"This isn't meddling. These are the guild's most basic rules! As your guildmate, I have a duty to correct your violent behavior!" Erza's expression was earnest, and her right hand had already settled on the sword at her waist.

"You want to teach me a lesson? Fine!" Arrogance flashed across Mirajane's face. She stamped down hard and shot straight toward Erza in a blur. "Then try beating me with your fists!!"

Erza raised her hands to meet her head-on. Fists flew as the two darted around the hall.

During their exchange, Mirajane seized an opening and charged like a raging bull, driving Erza, armor and all, hard into a distant wall. Great sheets of plaster and chunks of rubble came tumbling down.

"Don't get cocky!" Refusing to give ground, Erza returned the favor with a heavy elbow strike from amid the wreckage. It struck Mirajane precisely on the shoulder, sending her flying back into the guild hall, where several more innocent tables and chairs were torn apart.

"So fast..." Macao didn't even notice his wineglass tilting. Liquor spilled onto the floor, but he remained oblivious, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.

"How is this stopping a fight? This is two damn demon kings going to war!" Wakaba, the old chain-smoker, blew a smoke ring and whistled excitedly. "She's actually fighting that monster Erza on equal footing. Hey, who do you think'll win?"

"My wall!" Guild Master Makarov was beyond tears. He couldn't even be bothered to straighten his crooked hat as he sprawled over the counter and pounded it frantically.

The two girls traded blows throughout the guild, demolishing everything in sight. The destruction they caused and the area caught up in their fight were several times worse than Natsu and Gray's!

"So strong..." Natsu lay amid the rubble of the broken bar, his head covered in lumps, yet his eyes shone fiercely as he stared at the battlefield. "Damn it... I wanna fight too!"

Gray refused to back down either. Struggling out of the wreckage, he shouted, "Hey, I haven't admitted defeat yet!"

But no one paid them any attention anymore.

Blanc decided to make a run for it when a table they had sent flying sailed past him.

He had originally been sitting far enough away, happily enjoying the show. But as the fight escalated and a chair brushed past him, his expression shifted from This is fun to watch to If I don't leave now, I'm going to become part of the show.

This place is too dangerous. It's completely lawless!

Blanc took a deep breath and pressed himself against the cold wall. Like an agile gecko, he slowly crept toward the doors, trying to hide himself completely amid the swirling sawdust and dust.

"Let's settle this!! Blanc!!"

An incredibly shrill roar, tinged with an almost deranged excitement, exploded behind Blanc without warning.

Blanc stiffened. Before he could turn his head, he heard the terrifying howl of scorching heat tearing through the air.

The pink-haired idiot who had been lying in the bar had somehow gotten fired up and charged over.

He hadn't even picked a clear target. He had merely happened to spot a familiar black-haired figure leaving and instinctively pounced like a hungry tiger!

"[Fire Dragon's-Claw]!!"

Blazing flames coiled around Natsu's right foot. Carried by the momentum of his full-speed charge, his powerful flying kick struck the unsuspecting Blanc squarely in the lower back!

Boom!!

"Pwah-!"

Caught completely off guard, Blanc let out a miserable cry. Natsu's blatant "sneak attack" sent him flying like a human cannonball.

Worse still, he flew straight toward the eye of the storm, where Mirajane and Erza's battle was fiercest!

Bam! Bam!

Locked in their fierce exchange, Mirajane and Erza saw a dark figure suddenly hurtling toward them.

Both girls instinctively raised a leg, each landing a powerful flying kick squarely on Blanc.

With a crack, Blanc traced a miserable arc through the air before crashing heavily into Guild Master Makarov's counter, smashing the Guild Master's last intact bottle of liquor to pieces.

The hall fell eerily silent for a second.

Natsu stood by the doors with his hands on his hips, laughing smugly. "Hahaha! See that, Blanc? My attack hit you! This time, I wi-"

"Win? Heh... what did you win?"

From amid the wreckage, a low, gentle voice that seemed to drift up from the depths of hell slowly interrupted Natsu's boast.

Blanc tilted his head slightly, a chilling sneer on his face.

The brawl finally ended with the Guild Master's roar. But looking at the guild hall, now reduced to a complete ruin, Guild Master Makarov fell to his knees and shed tears of poverty.