Don't Mess with a Spectator for No Reason
"Come on, Makarov, let's have a drinking contest! It's been a year since we last met, I, Goldmine, want to see if your drinking capacity has declined!"
Hughes, standing in the corner, glanced to the side and saw Goldmine and Makarov, their arms wrapped around a massive barrel, gulping down wine into their mouths; the wine overflowing from their lips flowed like a stream down their bodies onto the ground.
The two men passed bucket after bucket so quickly that Hughes could hardly tell whether they were drinking or wasting it.
A puddle of liquor quickly formed on the ground, enough to get several burly men drunk. If Cana saw this in the future, she would be so envious she'd cry.
Perhaps to avoid being overshadowed by Goldmine's height, Makarov even jumped onto the table halfway through his drinking session.
Hughes shook his head, utterly humiliated. It was a disgrace, a complete disgrace to the guild.
Hughes was ashamed to associate with such people.
Unable to bear it any longer, Hughes bent down, picked up a napkin, and covered the guild crest on his arm... that way he could watch with a clear conscience!
On the other side, Jose Bora, the leader of the Phantom Lord, frowned deeply, feeling quite displeased!
Phantom Lord is clearly the number one mage guild in the Kingdom of Fiore, so why are more and more guild leaders surrounding Makarov?
Is this a sign of disrespect towards Jose, or is he trying to side with Makarov?
What future do you have hanging out with an old-fashioned "Ten Wizard Saints" like Makarov? Nearly a century has passed, and Fairy Tail is still holed up in Magnolia Town, unable to even open a branch. Do you think you can make a living by associating with Makarov?
"Makarov, I heard that Gildarts has completed several 'decade' missions in a row this year?"
"Four, a full four! That bastard Gildarts is as strong as a monster; the Ten-Year Quest is just like a regular S-Class Mission to him. I think it won't be long before I have to give up my ' Ten Wizard Saints ' position to him!" Makarov said, his tone full of pride, as if he were showing off.
"Impressive, impressive! I think the title of the strongest mage of the younger generation belongs to Gildarts!"
A tipsy Makarov nodded repeatedly. "Of course, among the younger generation, Gildarts has no rivals!"
The guild leaders surrounding Makarov laughed and cheered, "So, Fairy Tail will have two ' Ten Wizard Saints ' warriors! I think it won't be long before Fairy Tail becomes the number one mage guild in the Kingdom of Fiore!"
"Haha, Fairy Tail is the strongest, the best!" shouted the drunken Makarov.
Makarov's voice was so loud that it reached Jose Bora's ears...
Jose Bora, dressed like a gentleman, was anything but gentlemanly, and angrily slammed his wine glass to the ground!
"Smack!"
The noise in the conference hall vanished instantly, abruptly plunging the room into silence.
In the corner, Hughes ' eyes immediately lit up, and he quickly picked up the fruit plate on the table.
"Finally, I've waited for you! I'm so glad I didn't give up!"
Hughes, now a mere spectator, was excited, his gaze constantly shifting between Makarov and Jose Bora.
Fight! Fight!
Jose Bora stood up, his voice cold and indifferent. "Fairy Tail, a third-rate guild that can't even leave Magnolia Town, dares to call itself the strongest guild!"
Given the fact that Phantom Lord was the number one mage guild in the Kingdom of Fiore and Jose's strength as one of the "Ten Wizard Saints," no guild master dared to answer Jose Bora's question.
Except for a certain drunken old man...
"How could a fairy be confined to one place? When a fairy flaps its wings, its figure will appear in the entire sky!" Makarov retorted with a burp, his words revealing a shocking ambition.
War correspondent Hughes straightened his back and shifted his gaze to Jose Bora...
Jose sneered at Makarov's remark, "Even a fairy needs wings to flap its wings!"
The next instant, Jose unleashed a chilling aura, his magical power so intense it seemed to freeze space itself.
Black mist filled the entire conference hall, an aura of dark and terrifying Darkness Magic.
This is Jose's Darkness Magic: the Death Breath.
Anyone within the range of the black mist would feel nauseous and fearful.
As expected, some weaker guild leaders were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground, trembling.
"Hey, hey! Jose, this is the Guild Alliance meeting place, put away your Darkness Magic now."
"Jose, are you going to the Magic Council?"
Jose ignored the questions from these weak guild leaders, and with a wave of his arm, the Death Breath in the hall grew even heavier.
Jose, unleashing his magic with unbridled abandon, walked slowly toward Makarov, a mocking smile on his lips and a contemptuous look in his eyes.
The fairy is about to take flight, huh? Then the Phantom Lord breaks off the fairy's wings, just in time to avenge the skeleton.
The atmosphere in the hall was clearly tense, with the air itself seeming to freeze.
Only the two of them remained calm.
With rosy cheeks, Makarov took another sip of wine; war correspondent Hughes, on the other hand, popped a piece of the sweetest watermelon into his mouth—a good show deserves a good melon.
Suddenly, Hughes's eyes darted to his right; there, he sensed something different...
Hughes's lips twitched. He had deliberately hidden in a corner to watch the show, yet someone was still causing him trouble!
No, can't even people be entertained anymore?
Tekkai + Elementalization activated... Wait, why is Elementalization already enabled?!
Ahem... Hughes isn't 98% certain; he just forgot to turn it off earlier.
Using the Wind Depletion Magic, the wind elemental Aria, who had concealed her form, quietly approached Hughes after Jose made his move.
A hand, several times larger than a normal person's, quietly opened behind Hughes, radiating a magical glow.
Once everything was ready, the wind elemental Aria appeared, her eyes, which had been closed to seal her powerful magic, now brimming with tears.
"How pathetic, Fairy Tail brat!"
"Airspace Annihilation!"
A dazzling light shone from beneath Hughes' feet and to his left and right, its intensity directly dispelling the Death Breath created by Jose's Darkness Magic.
"It's Aria, the wind elementalist and the leader of the Element 4 under the Phantom Lord! That's alright then, you can sit a little longer..."
Hughes, who was inside the "Void Annihilation" area, regained his footing, but had to close his eyes because the magical light was too dazzling.
He crossed his legs, calmly picked up another piece of fruit, and tossed it into his mouth.
Watermelons in July are so sweet!
Hughes admitted that Aria's "Void Annihilation" was very powerful, as it could drain all of an opponent's magic power, rendering them unable to fight or even causing their death. Even Makarov, a few years later, was tricked by Aria.
But would that work for him? He doesn't have any magic power.
As the light faded, the scene Aria had imagined —Hughes collapsing in agony—did not occur. Instead, Hughes's size 44 foot landed directly on Aria's face.
"Bang!"
After smashing through countless seats, Aria became embedded in the wall and remained motionless for a long time!
"What were you thinking, having to come out and steal the spotlight from the ' Ten Wizard Saints '? Getting beaten up makes you so happy?" Hughes quipped.