You Blew Up the Guild as Soon as You Arrived?

Flames rose from Hughes, solidifying and bursting forth to engulf him, transforming him into a raging man of fire.

The wooden floor beneath Hughes's feet was instantly scorched black, and the burn spread.

Before long, the guild floor in the small area around him had been completely burned away.

The disturbance at the guild entrance and the scorching heat in the air made Erza, Natsu, and the others turn to look.

At the sight of the guild being destroyed like this, everyone's expression changed abruptly, their brows knitting tightly.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

As the angry shout rang out, a pink-haired boy with a checkered scarf wrapped around his neck rushed up to Hughes.

He leaped into the air, blazing flames erupting from his fist.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Hughes stood his ground, contempt written all over his arrogant face, and watched with a mocking smile as the boy passed through his body.

"Trash!"

He seized Natsu by his trailing ankle, lifted him high, and slammed him down with a sharp whoosh.

Bang!

Natsu made intimate contact with the floor, which instantly shattered and cracked. He lay helplessly on the ground, his eyes rolled white, unable to get up.

"Natsu! You bastard!!"

Gray stared in disbelief at Natsu, who lay motionless on the ground. Though the two of them quarreled, he would never allow anyone to hurt Natsu.

"Ice-Make: Hammer!" Gray roared, his right hand clenched into a fist against his left palm at his waist.

Magic surged through him, and a frosty mist appeared around him, condensing into a hard, gigantic ice hammer.

Gray gestured with two fingers, sending the giant ice hammer speeding through the air under his control. In an instant, it reached Hughes and came crashing down with tremendous force.

"Bang!"

The giant ice hammer scattered Hughes's body, then fell to the ground, destroying the floor with a thunderous crash.

Hughes, who had kept his body in its elemental form the entire time, reassembled himself. He glanced at Gray with a vicious grin and picked Natsu up from the ground in malicious amusement.

Whoosh!

Hughes held the raging flames on Natsu's body, turning him into a ball of fire.

Hughes twisted his body, his arm muscles bulging as he gathered strength and hurled the flaming Natsu like a stone.

The flaming Natsu flew through the air amid the crackle of fire and scorching wind pressure, smashing through the crowd ahead and sending them flying as he hurtled toward Gray.

"Ice-Make: Ice Wall!"

A thick wall of ice appeared abruptly, shielding Gray behind it. The flaming Natsu stalled against the wall for a moment before ice crystals flew amid creaking cracks. Having broken through, he sent Gray flying.

Natsu, who had the fate of an unkillable cockroach, rose unsteadily to his feet, puffed out his cheeks, and sucked in hard, swallowing the flames Hughes had covered him in.

"Once I eat it, I get power!"

His belly round and full, he let out a comfortable burp. A little flame escaped his mouth, and his body slowly returned to normal.

"This is the first time I've tasted such delicious flames, but that really hurt~~"

Natsu stood with his legs bent, rubbing the back of his head and glaring with slanted eyes. His furious appearance delighted Hughes, whose illness had flared up.

Hughes stretched out his arm and beckoned to Natsu with his index finger. His meaning was clear.

A vein bulged on the provoked Natsu's forehead. "You bastard..."

He stomped his right foot down, drew a long breath, and puffed out his cheeks. With both fists held in front of his mouth, an intricate crimson magic circle formed before him.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

A torrent of fierce, raging fire roared toward Hughes, carrying tremendous destructive power.

Hughes planted his feet and widened his eyes, the hot wind from the roaring flames blowing his hair back.

Imitating Natsu, he opened his mouth wide and swallowed the mass of fire, which was even bigger than his entire body.

Amid the silence and shocked stares, Hughes very rudely spat on the ground.

"Ptooey! Your flames don't look as good as mine, and they stink!"

Natsu: (╬◣д◢)

"What the hell are you talking about? These are flames only a dragon can use..."

Hughes rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then answered him with a serious expression. "Oh! Oh! I get it. You must have too much internal heat lately, so your breath stinks a little, and it made your flames stink too."

"Bastard, what dragon gets too much internal heat?!!"

As the two argued in earnest, the other guild members quietly moved into position around Hughes, surrounding him.

Mira and the other two behind Makarov watched the chaotic scene ahead, where magic flew everywhere, their hearts nearly in their throats.

"Mira, why did Hughes suddenly have an episode? Will something happen to him?" Lisanna asked nervously, rising on tiptoe with her little fists held before her chest.

Mira shook her head. If she understood, she wouldn't be standing here. Hughes had said that even he didn't know when his illness would flare up.

But she had seen that scarlet-haired woman stab Hughes with her sword many times. She would remember that...

Makarov was groggy with drink and still drunk, completely undisturbed...

Inside the Fairy Tail guild, chaos reigned as all kinds of magic flew about.

"Ice-Make: Lance!"

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

"Purple Flare!"

"Smoke Attack!"

"Requip Magic: Heaven's Wheel Armor!"

Magic of every color poured in from all directions in succession. Hughes picked his nose and dodged it all by turning elemental.

The various attacks passed through his body, wrecking the guild's floor, walls, and furniture.

Makarov was still drunk...

"You're the ones wrecking this guild. It's got nothing to do with me!" Hughes kindly reminded them.

Letting himself go completely made him feel wonderfully at ease.

"Use sealing magic against him. Natsu, stay out of it. Your flames have no effect on him, and they'll only endanger us."

"Damn it, Macao, what are you talking about?!!"

"He said you should just watch and stop getting in the way, slant eyes."

The well-informed Macao took command, and at his order, smoke rose from the pipe in Wakaba's mouth and trapped Hughes firmly.

"Gray, use your cold air to solidify his body of fire."

"Everyone, get ready to attack. We'll only have an instant!"

As the Fairy Tail members prepared to strike, Hughes looked around in the thick smoke. As the cold air seeped in, he raised an eyebrow thoughtfully.

Perfect-Level Tekkai activated...

"Quick! Gray can't hold him for long. Hit him with your strongest attacks!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Macao struck first, lashing out with the purple flame whip in his hand.

"Heavenly Body Wild Dance!" Dozens of magic swords floating around Erza hurtled down.

"Ice-Make: Hammer!" The giant ice hammer once again crashed down on Hughes from above.

"Boom!"

The Fairy Tail guild tilted and collapsed under the bombardment. Amid the swirling dust, Hughes brushed himself off.

Makarov, jolted awake by the tremendous noise, stared dumbfounded. Where had his enormous guild gone?

Hughes, completely unscathed, deliberately made a little noise and stepped out of the smoke with extreme arrogance.

"You'll be strong someday, but right now, I'm the strongest!"

Behind Hughes, Makarov's small body slowly filled out.

His muscles bulged, and his enormous body gradually rose above the surrounding houses. His furious eyes were like streetlights, and his gigantic hand scooped Hughes up and held him in its grip.

"Bastard, were you the one who destroyed our guild?"