Recaps

Bai Yu arrived at the Fairy Tail Guild with Erza and announced that he wanted to join, drawing the guild’s attention with jokes about being her fiancé and challenging Mirajane. After Mirajane offered him a drink, she pointed him toward Natsu, Gray, and Elfman to handle the newcomer’s test.

• Erza brought Bai Yu to Fairy Tail and warned him not to let the guild believe they were involved.
• Happy told the guild members that Bai Yu had gotten Erza pregnant, so Erza kicked Natsu across the hall.
• Bai Yu approached Mirajane at the bar, and Makarov asked why he had come to the guild.
• Bai Yu said he wanted to join Fairy Tail and joked that he could take a dozen trials against Mirajane.
• Mirajane apologized for misunderstanding him, gave him a glass of rum, and indicated that Natsu, Gray, and Elfman handled newcomer tests.

Bai Yu asked to join Fairy Tail and challenged Natsu, Gray, and Elfman to fight him together. Makarov approved the test, while Erza predicted the trio would be wiped out.

• Natsu introduced himself and offered Bai Yu a guild assessment against himself, Gray, or Elfman, while Makarov warned Bai Yu about their strength.
• Bai Yu asked to fight all three at once, and Makarov agreed to the challenge outside the guild hall.
• Bai Yu followed Natsu, Gray, and Elfman outside, hoping to use them to grow stronger.
• Makarov asked Erza whether Bai Yu was her fiancé, and Erza denied having any connection to him.
• Erza asked Makarov whether he believed Natsu and the others would be wiped out, leaving Makarov and Mirajane stunned.

Bai Yu overwhelmed Natsu, Gray, and Elfman with a terrifying burst of killing intent and a swift sword strike, revealing a power beyond his apparent magic. Makarov recognized him as a possible Dragon-Slaying Magic Swordsman and began explaining the ancient title.

• Erza told Makarov and Mirajane that Bai Yu had defeated her and warned that he was no ordinary newcomer.
• Bai Yu faced Natsu, Gray, and Elfman, then unleashed his killing intent and froze them in place.
• Bai Yu drew his katana and swept it past the three mages' throats before sheathing it, leaving them shaken and unharmed.
• Erza explained that Bai Yu's attack had been a Mental Shock of will, not magic, and said it was why she had recommended him to Fairy Tail.
• Makarov recalled an ancient account and identified Bai Yu as a possible Dragon-Slaying Magic Swordsman, a warrior who fused blades and magic to fight dragons.

Bai Yu collected Attribute Fragments after defeating Natsu, Gray, and Elfman, gaining Upward Slash skill points and Draw Sword. When the three challenged him again, he accepted on the condition that they share a round of drinks first.

• Makarov explained that an ancient text described Dragon-Slaying Magic Swordsmen and speculated that Bai Yu might be one.
• Bai Yu collected three Attribute Fragments from Natsu, Gray, and Elfman, receiving ten Upward Slash skill points and Draw Sword LV1.
• Natsu, Gray, and Elfman said their first fight did not count because they had not used their magic, and challenged Bai Yu again.
• Makarov welcomed Bai Yu to Fairy Tail and said he could accept the renewed challenge.
• Bai Yu agreed to fight again, but said only a round of drinks could make him bow.

Bai Yu accepted the possibility of a second challenge, demanding drinks as payment, when Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe arrived. After Laxus insulted Bai Yu and questioned his admission to the guild, Bai Yu challenged him for a year of free drinks, and Laxus threatened to kill him.

• Makarov told Bai Yu he could accept a second challenge, and Bai Yu said a round of drinks would make him agree.
• Natsu, Happy, and Elfman had no money to offer Bai Yu for drinks.
• Bickslow's attack smashed a nearby tree, and Erza recognized it as a sign that Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe had arrived.
• Makarov introduced Bai Yu to Laxus, who insulted Bai Yu and called him dead weight.
• Bai Yu demanded a year's worth of free drinks to fight Laxus or the Thunder God Tribe, and Laxus threatened to beat him to death.

Laxus challenged Bai Yu to a wager, offering him three years of drinks if he could defeat one member of the Thunder God Tribe. Bai Yu accepted and overwhelmed Bickslow with a rapid sword combo, while Laxus, Freed, and the third member disappeared as immense magic power swept across the square.

• Laxus offered Bai Yu a wager: defeat one Thunder God Tribe member to earn his approval and three years of drinks.
• Bai Yu accepted, and Bickslow attacked him with eight magic dolls.
• Bai Yu blocked the dolls, then used Forced Upward Slash to launch Bickslow into the air.
• Bai Yu followed with Silver Light Falling Blade, smashed through Bickslow's defensive dolls, and drove him into the ground.
• Erza warned Bai Yu about a possible sneak attack, but Laxus, Freed, and the third member had vanished as powerful magic swept across the square.

Bai Yu used a lightning-fast sword draw to cut everything within twenty-three meters and force Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe to retreat. As Laxus prepared to attack again, Makarov intervened with overwhelming magic and suppressed the lightning.

• Laxus charged Bai Yu, but Bai Yu opened his eyes and drew his sword so quickly that no one saw the strike.
• Bai Yu's sword wave sliced objects within twenty-three meters, while Laxus escaped and Freed and Evergreen were kicked away.
• Bai Yu praised Laxus for running away and judged that he could not defeat him in a real fight.
• Laxus erupted with golden lightning and gathered Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow for another attack.
• Makarov transformed into a giant and suppressed Laxus's lightning with his immense magic.

Bai Yu passed Fairy Tail’s entrance test after Makarov stopped Laxus from escalating their clash. The guild welcomed Bai Yu with a banquet, and he settled into the family even as he realized the instance still had no main quest.

• Makarov’s show of force made Laxus back down, and Freed threatened to fight Bai Yu before leaving with the Thunder God Tribe.
• Makarov announced that Bai Yu had passed the entrance test, and Natsu asked how he would fare against Laxus.
• Bai Yu said he had little chance of beating Laxus that day but might become much stronger by tomorrow.
• Makarov declared Bai Yu family and proposed a banquet, then tried to make the new member pay for it.
• Bai Yu offered to cover the banquet expenses on Makarov’s tab, leaving Makarov worried about his dwindling money.
• Bai Yu joined the celebration and reflected that he still needed to grow stronger and find a way to trigger the instance’s main quest.

During the banquet, Bai Yu watched Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe from the bar as they discussed their plans for Fairy Tail. Laxus intended to let an emerging conflict weaken the guild before stepping in, hoping to challenge Makarov’s leadership and take control.

• Makarov initially counted the banquet’s expenses, but eventually abandoned his calculations and joined the celebration.
• Bai Yu looked toward the second floor, where Laxus, Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow discussed the earlier confrontation.
• Bickslow complained that Bai Yu had humiliated him, while Evergreen told him to stop disgracing the Thunder God Tribe.
• Freed inferred that Laxus planned to let an approaching conflict expose Fairy Tail’s weakness and make Bai Yu regret joining.
• Laxus confirmed that he wanted Makarov to see how his ideals had weakened the guild, and planned to intervene after the conflict had caused enough damage.

Bai Yu joined the Fairy Tail party, teased Erza about sharing her bottle, and learned the guild had bet on whether he could coax Mira out of her room. He considered taking up the challenge, while Evergreen and Bickslow secretly worried that he could ruin their ambitions.

• Evergreen and Bickslow silently suspected Bai Yu was the obstacle to their ambitions, while Freed told them to wait for Laxus's plan and promised to take revenge for them.
• Bai Yu reflected on his stronger Draw Sword ability and decided to learn how far the story had progressed so he could trigger the main quest.
• Erza brought Bai Yu a half-empty bottle of rum, and he joked that drinking from it meant they had indirectly kissed.
• Happy and Natsu retched at the thought of sharing kisses through cups and bottles, while Makarov praised Bai Yu's thick skin.
• Erza told Bai Yu that the guild had bet on whether he could invite Mira out of her room and how long he could stay there, and Bai Yu considered the challenge.

Bai Yu used Erza’s bet as an excuse to enter Mirajane’s room, claiming he could make her cry out willingly and earn himself a place to stay. Mirajane let him in despite her suspicions, while Bai Yu hoped their conversation might reveal a way forward in the nightmare-level instance.

• Erza told Bai Yu about the bet, and he proposed a new wager: he would stay in Mirajane’s room and make her cry out willingly in exchange for temporary lodging from Erza.
• Erza told Makarov and the others that Bai Yu had turned the bet into making Mirajane cry out willingly.
• Bai Yu knocked on Mirajane’s partly open door and said he had come to repay her for covering his drinks and invite her to the banquet.
• Mirajane started to send Bai Yu away, but his blunt explanation made her curious, so she let him enter and warned him not to get any other ideas.
• Bai Yu entered Mirajane’s room and noted that Wendy had not yet appeared in the guild, helping him gauge how far the story had progressed.

Bai Yu entered Mira’s room and offered her a foot massage to ease her insomnia and exhaustion. As Mira surrendered to the massage and let out a soft hum, the people eavesdropping in the corridor were stunned.

• Bai Yu teased Mira until she relaxed and let him into her room.
• Bai Yu explained that he wanted to massage Mira’s feet to help her sleep, and she reluctantly took off her shoes.
• Bai Yu kneaded Mira’s feet and gradually eased the tension from her body.
• Bai Yu pressed the Yongquan point, and Mira finally let out a soft hum despite trying to stay quiet.
• The people listening in the corridor heard Mira’s sound and stared in shock.

Bai Yu won his bet with Erza after helping Mira sleep peacefully, and he learned that Fairy Tail had almost no missions available because Phantom Lord had underbid them. The chapter left Bai Yu asking why Phantom Lord had suddenly begun competing so aggressively.

• The guild members burst into Mira's room and found her asleep while Bai Yu sat nearby rubbing his legs.
• Bai Yu won his bet with Erza, and she and Elfman thanked him for helping Mira sleep peacefully for the first time since Lisanna died.
• Erza suggested that Bai Yu join an experienced mage for his first mission, and Levy offered to take him along with her team.
• Bai Yu asked why Fairy Tail had so few missions, and Makarov explained that Phantom Lord had been undercutting Fairy Tail's prices and taking its work.

Bai Yu realized that Phantom Lord’s aggressive job poaching might precede an attack on Fairy Tail, and exposed Laxus’s reason for staying at the guild. Makarov warned everyone just as Phantom Lord’s assault began, leaving Levy and the others facing a fast-moving iron pillar.

• Makarov told Bai Yu that Phantom Lord had been stealing Fairy Tail’s jobs, but expected the Magic Council to stop them.
• Bai Yu asked whether Phantom Lord had ever acted so aggressively and suggested they might attack Fairy Tail soon.
• Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe revealed their alarm at Bai Yu’s deduction, and Bai Yu guessed Laxus had stayed to guard against an attack.
• Makarov warned Levy and the others that someone was attacking as the guild doors shattered.
• An iron pillar hurtled toward Levy and the others, who could not react in time.

Bai Yu saved Levy from Gajeel’s iron pillar attack and stopped Fairy Tail from rushing to retaliate without proof. He proposed ambushing Phantom Lord’s attackers if they came again, leaving Makarov wary of how far the guild conflict might escalate.

• Bai Yu blocked Gajeel’s iron pillar before it could hit Levy and knocked it back outside, but the attacker had disappeared.
• Makarov suspected Phantom Lord’s Gajeel had attacked Fairy Tail and realized Bai Yu had reacted faster than he could.
• Erza tried to pursue Gajeel, but Bai Yu warned that acting without evidence could give Phantom Lord an excuse to attack Fairy Tail.
• Bai Yu urged the guild to endure the insult rather than storm Phantom Lord, and Makarov said he would report the attack to the Magic Council.
• Bai Yu suggested ambushing Phantom Lord members if they came to Fairy Tail, leaving the guild members shocked by his scheme and Makarov concerned about a guild war.

After Phantom Lord’s attack disrupted Fairy Tail, Makarov reassured Levy that she could go on her mission and said he would complain to the Magic Council. With Bai Yu’s dorm room unfinished, Erza arranged for him to stay temporarily at Lucy’s place, leaving Lucy reluctantly resigned to the plan.

• Levy asked Bai Yu whether she and her teammates could still go on their mission, and Makarov assured her Phantom Lord was unlikely to attack again while the Magic Council was watching.
• Bai Yu comforted Levy and promised he would come to her aid if trouble arose, while Jet and Droy resented his affectionate head pat.
• Makarov told the guild he would go to the Magic Council the next day, and Erza said Bai Yu would need to stay at Lucy’s place until his dorm room was ready.
• Lucy reluctantly agreed to let Bai Yu stay with her for the night, and Bai Yu thanked her while saying he did not snore.
• Levy glanced back at Bai Yu before leaving, then denied Jet’s suggestion that she wanted him to stay in her room.

Phantom Lord celebrated its impending war with Fairy Tail while Gajeel boasted that his iron pillar attack had left the rival guild helpless. When he learned a new Fairy Tail recruit had slashed the pillar away, Gajeel attacked the informant and vowed to test the newcomer with a barrage of iron pillars.

• Jose praised Gajeel at Phantom Lord’s banquet as members celebrated Gajeel’s attack on Fairy Tail.
• A guild member reported that someone had knocked Gajeel’s iron pillar away with a single slash.
• Gajeel suspected Erza had intercepted the attack, and Jose agreed she was one of Fairy Tail’s few worthy opponents.
• The informant revealed that a newcomer had slashed the pillar away, prompting Gajeel to crush his glass and strike the man with an iron fist.
• Gajeel declared that he wanted to see whether the newcomer could withstand ten or a hundred iron pillars.

Bai Yu accompanied Lucy to her apartment, where she accidentally summoned Aquarius after dropping her key in a puddle. When Aquarius attacked, Bai Yu released his overwhelming killing intent and Sword Intent, leaving her terrified and ready to protect Lucy.

• Bai Yu walked with Lucy to her apartment and reassured her that he had no improper intentions.
• Lucy dropped her Celestial Spirit Key into a puddle, summoning Aquarius.
• Aquarius emerged angrily and began forming a waterspout to attack Lucy.
• Bai Yu released his aura, stopping Aquarius’s waterspout and filling her with despair.
• Aquarius shielded Lucy and urged her to run without looking back, while Bai Yu asked Lucy to explain.

Aquarius mistook Bai Yu for Lucy’s live-in boyfriend before learning he was a new Fairy Tail member who had nowhere else to stay. Bai Yu gave Lucy a magic-limiting wristband to help her train, and Aquarius recognized its value while teasing Lucy that Bai Yu would make a good boyfriend.

• Aquarius arrived and assumed Bai Yu was Lucy’s boyfriend, but Bai Yu explained he had joined Fairy Tail that day and was only staying the night.
• Aquarius mocked Lucy’s strength, and Lucy admitted she still struggled to open even one gate.
• Bai Yu gave Lucy a wristband and said it could help her learn to open two gates at once.
• Lucy put on the wristband, which drained and suppressed her magic power, and Bai Yu explained that it would strengthen her through training.
• Aquarius sensed the wristband’s effect and told Lucy that a man who gave away such a valuable magic item would make a good boyfriend, though Bai Yu was not interested in her.

Bai Yu restored his Armament Haki and successfully awakened his Observation Haki while Erza demonstrated how her Clear Heart Clothing could cut through an iron pillar. He sensed many unfamiliar auras approaching Lucy's apartment and warned Erza that Phantom Lord had made its move.

• Bai Yu awakened his Armament Haki and reflected that it strengthened his swordsmanship.
• Erza used her Clear Heart Clothing and twin katanas to cut the iron pillar in half, then offered to lend Bai Yu magical weapons.
• Bai Yu declined Erza's offer and successfully extended his Observation Haki across a wide area.
• Bai Yu sensed unfamiliar auras near Lucy's apartment and told Erza that Phantom Lord was approaching.

Bai Yu saved Lucy from a Phantom Lord assassin and revealed that the guild was also under attack. With Gajeel intercepting Levy and her team, Bai Yu and Erza faced a race to break through the attackers.

• Lucy woke to find that Bai Yu had left without touching her, and Aquarius teased her before ending their magical connection.
• A Phantom Lord assassin broke into Lucy’s apartment and attacked her, but Bai Yu appeared and stopped the dagger with his ink-black hand.
• Bai Yu revealed that seven or eight assassins and twenty or thirty dark puppets had gathered outside, while Erza recognized them as Phantom Lord forces.
• Bai Yu told Erza that over a hundred enemies had appeared at Fairy Tail’s guild, and Erza realized the attacks were meant to keep them occupied while Levy and her team were targeted.
• The assassin taunted Bai Yu that Gajeel had gone to intercept Levy’s team and challenged him to break through before they were harmed.

Bai Yu stayed behind to protect Erza and Lucy while Erza planned to reach Levy and the others, then wiped out Phantom Lord’s attackers with a single sword strike. A lookout fled to warn Gajeel after seeing Bai Yu cut through an iron statue, hoping he would arrive before Gajeel faced him.

• Erza recognized Gajeel as an S-Class Mage and urged Bai Yu to hold off the attackers while she went to find Levy and her companions.
• Bai Yu refused to leave, telling Erza and Lucy to stay back as he used Soru to appear in the middle of the Phantom Lord assassins.
• Bai Yu drew his sword and killed the attackers and severed dozens of dark puppets with one slash, leaving Erza and Lucy stunned.
• Erza saw that Bai Yu had also cut an iron statue in half and realized he could cut iron with an ordinary weapon.
• A Phantom Lord lookout fled to warn Gajeel, fearing what Bai Yu’s sword could do to the Iron Dragon Slayer.

Levy, Jet, and Droy were ambushed by Phantom Lord puppets outside Magnolia and defeated them with coordinated magic. Gajeel then struck Jet down and faced Levy and Droy as they tried to restrain him.

• Levy noticed the town gate was unusually quiet and shielded Jet and Droy when dark puppets attacked.
• Jet distracted the puppets, Droy bound them with plants, and Levy destroyed them with lightning.
• Gajeel appeared and smashed Jet into a tree with his Iron Dragon Club.
• Levy and Droy attacked Gajeel with chains and vines, hoping to restrain him and escape as he mocked them as Fairy Tail weaklings.

Gajeel defeated Droy and Jet and cornered Levy, but Bai Yu arrived in time to block his attack. After sending Levy to help her injured comrades, Bai Yu challenged Gajeel to stand still and let him slash him, and Gajeel agreed.

• Gajeel broke free of Levy and Droy's restraints, defeated Droy, and taunted Levy while Jet and Droy urged her to run.
• Levy refused to abandon her comrades and attacked Gajeel with Solid Script: Thunder, but he shattered the spell and struck at her.
• Bai Yu appeared before Levy and caught Gajeel's Iron Dragon's Club with one hand.
• Bai Yu told Levy to tend to the injured and challenged Gajeel to stand still while he slashed him.
• Gajeel agreed to Bai Yu's bizarre challenge, stunning Levy.

Bai Yu’s Draw Sword slash broke through Gajeel’s Iron Dragon Mode and forced him to retreat. After stopping Erza from chasing him, Bai Yu advised her to train her body alongside her Requip Magic.

• Gajeel activated Iron Dragon Mode and dismissed Bai Yu’s challenge as harmless.
• Bai Yu used Draw Sword, slashing Gajeel’s abdomen and sending him crashing through a city wall.
• Gajeel accused Bai Yu of arrogance, then fled as his dark puppets scattered.
• Bai Yu stopped Erza from pursuing Gajeel and explained that the wounded Dragon Slayer could recover by eating iron.
• Bai Yu told Erza to improve her physical abilities alongside her magic equipment.