Chapter 48: Phantom Lord's Provocation (Please Favorite and Send Flowers)
After heading down to the first basement level and greeting the others, Xi Feng and his companions saw Makarov sitting on a barrel, with Erza standing beside him.
Noticing their return, Makarov held his mug in one hand and waved with the other. "Hey, you're back!" He acted as though nothing had happened.
"Xi Feng!" Erza immediately dismissed her armor and threw herself into his arms.
"Erza, are you all right?" Xi Feng asked hastily.
"I'm fine." Erza shook her head. "Phantom Lord attacked at night, so only the guildhall was damaged. No one was hurt."
"Gramps, this isn't the time to drink!" Natsu shouted at Makarov.
"Yes, you're right." Makarov nodded and set down his mug, then suddenly pointed at Natsu. "Natsu, Happy, Lucy! You three dared to take an S-Class Mission without permission. You're going to be punished!"
"This isn't the time for that either!" Unable to stand Makarov's attitude, Natsu roared. Makarov ignored him completely, stretching out his arm to give Natsu and Happy a smack each. Lucy received a smack on the backside as well.
"I know you're upset, but this isn't such a big deal. Don't let it get to you," Makarov said quietly after taking a sip.
"Gramps, how is this not a big deal? Our guildhall was wrecked!" Makarov's words made Natsu explode.
"Those Phantom Lord idiots, right? This is about all fools like them can manage. They only dared attack an empty guildhall in the dead of night. What's there to be proud of?" Makarov waved dismissively.
Crash! Natsu smashed the table beside him with a punch and roared, "I won't accept this! I won't be satisfied until we've wiped the floor with them!" There was a wild edge to his voice.
"Whether you accept it or not, behave yourself. Until the upstairs is repaired, get out there and do your jobs."
"Forget jobs! I'm going to storm Phantom Lord!" Natsu bellowed.
"Natsu, didn't you hear me? I said we're leaving this matter here. Enough talk. Know when to stop, hmm?" After warning Natsu, Makarov noticed Ur standing beside Xi Feng. He couldn't help asking, "Who are you? You look very familiar."
Seeing Makarov looking at her, Ur stepped forward. "Hello, Master Makarov. I'm Gray's teacher, Ur Milkovich."
"What?!" Makarov exclaimed at her introduction. Those who knew of Ur also stared at her in shock.
"But ten years ago, didn't you..."
"I have Xi Feng to thank for being able to return." Ur turned toward Xi Feng, gratitude in her eyes.
"You really are a capable lad. But you'd best be careful with an ability like that," Makarov said slowly, glancing at Xi Feng.
"Mm." Xi Feng nodded without saying anything else. He understood Makarov's meaning. An ability that could bring back the dead was enough to drive people mad.
"All right, I'm heading out. Behave yourselves and don't cause trouble. Especially you, Natsu. Xi Feng, keep an eye on him." Makarov hopped off the barrel and headed outside.
"Gramps!"
"Calm down, Natsu." Natsu tried to follow Makarov out, but Gray held him back.
"How can Gramps act like nothing happened?" Natsu lowered his head, his fists clenched and his voice full of frustration.
"Natsu, the master feels just as frustrated as you do. But the Magic Council strictly forbids armed conflict between guilds." Watching Makarov leave, Mira could see the dejection weighing on him.
"What's there to be afraid of? They attacked first! Besides, we've got Xi Feng. Why should we be scared of the Magic Council? If it comes to that, I'll go raise hell there with him next time!" Natsu declared.
"It's not as simple as you make it sound." Xi Feng rolled his eyes at him.
"Natsu, calm down," Lucy urged again. She was genuinely worried he would lose his temper and charge off to wreak havoc at Phantom Lord.
"Let's leave it here for now and wait for Gramps's instructions," Xi Feng told Natsu before addressing everyone in the guild. "Stay alert over the next few days, especially at night. Avoid going home alone whenever possible."
"Right!"
Night gradually fell, and the guild members left one after another.
"I'm so jealous of Xi Feng, living with all those girls. Even Levy's there." Troy and Jade were walking down an alley toward their apartment.
"What can you do? You know how strong Xi Feng is."
After hearing Troy's words, Jade said quietly, "Those Phantom Lord scumbags only dare launch sneak attacks when no one's around. If Xi Feng had been there, they wouldn't have stood a chance."
"Who are you two calling scumbags?"
"Who's there?!" Hearing the icy voice, Jade and Troy hurriedly stood back-to-back and scanned their surroundings.
"Where are you looking, you two pieces of trash?"
Hearing that, Dorel and his companion looked up. They saw someone with long, spiky black hair and metal-studded clothing, though the darkness concealed his face.
"Who the hell are you?!" Troy demanded.
"I'm the great Gajeel, that's who. I'm a little bored, so I'm looking for some fun." Gajeel leaped down from the rooftop.
"Troy!"
"Got it!" At Jade's call, Troy immediately sprang into action.
"Fighting back? I'll show you just how useless that is!"
Magnolia South Gate Park
A crowd of residents had gathered, chattering among themselves.
"Excuse us, please let us through. They're members of our guild."
When Xi Feng and the others squeezed through, their eyes widened.
Seeing the two men pinned to a tree, Levy and Lucy covered their mouths.
"Jade! Troy!"
"Phantom Lord!"
The sight of the two battered men filled Natsu and the others with fury.
Footsteps approached.
Makarov walked over, his expression grim. Looking at Jade and Troy on the tree, he said coldly, "I could tolerate them destroying our guildhall. But daring to hurt my children? That, I cannot forgive... Everyone, listen up! We're going to make them pay!"
Fairy Tail
Chapter 49: Raising Hell (Please Subscribe)
Mage Guild-Phantom Lord
"Hahaha! Priceless!"
"Fairy Tail really got crushed this time."
"I heard Gajeel took down two of their members all by himself."
"By the way, who was that person the master mentioned earlier?"
"No idea."
"He even told us not to attack him."
"Who cares? Let's drink to the sorry state of Fairy Tail!"
"They must be trembling in some corner right now."
Phantom Lord's lackeys laughed and joked, all of them mocking Fairy Tail.
Boom! Just then, the entrance blasted apart, and flames flared up.
"What?!"
"What's going on?!"
The sudden explosion at the entrance left Phantom Lord's lackeys stunned. When the smoke cleared, they saw a furious crowd.
"It's Fairy Tail!"
"Children..." Makarov stepped forward and said evenly, "We're going to war!"
"Right!"
At Makarov's command, Fairy Tail's members answered with a shout and charged.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu's cheeks swelled before he unleashed a scorching torrent of dragon breath.
"Avenge Jade and Troy!"
"Ice-Make: Reaper Scythe!"
In an instant, the entire Phantom Lord guildhall descended into chaos.
"Take out Fairy Tail's master, Makarov, first! We'll get all the credit!" a Phantom Lord member shouted viciously to his companions.
"Take him down!"
"Everyone, attack together!"
"Take him out, and we'll be heroes!"
The Phantom Lord members surrounding Makarov bared their teeth, eyeing him like a delicious lamb. They all had the same thought: take Makarov down.
"You... have made me very angry!" Makarov glared at the Phantom Lord members eyeing him hungrily. Golden light suddenly blazed from his eyes, and his body expanded into an enormous giant. One sweeping kick cleared away the entire mob.
"A m-monster... A monster!"
Pinned beneath the giant Makarov's foot, Phantom Lord's lackeys broke into cold sweats. Their faces twisted in pain, and their hearts filled with terror.
"You dared lay a hand on this monster's children. Don't dream that human laws will protect you." Makarov's eyes burned with rage as he glared furiously at the figures beneath his foot.
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