...
Laxus lay in the dirt, staring blankly at the sky.
Just an hour ago, he wanted nothing more than to force the entire guild to bow to his ideals. He never expected a monster of that caliber to suddenly appear and effortlessly crush him.
Even Laxus knew the harsh truth now. He wasn't just outmatched—he was insignificant.
That kind of power simply did not belong in this world. The absolute dominance he had been chasing his entire life was viewed as worthless trash in the eyes of that silver-haired girl.
'Was I wrong?' Laxus thought, his chest aching. 'Is this not what true power looks like?'
The realization hit him like a physical blow. He had been completely foolish. Even if he successfully took over the guild by force, what would it actually accomplish? He would just be ruling over a pile of broken bonds.
He glanced around. The very guildmates he had threatened and trapped in his rune barriers were now surrounding him, their eyes filled with complex emotions.
A bitter taste filled his mouth. "Why aren't you attacking me?" Laxus rasped, pushing himself up onto one knee. "Oh, right. Because I am the Master's precious grandson. You wouldn't dare lay a hand on me, would you?"
His voice cracked with sudden, explosive frustration. "That pisses me off even more! In your eyes, am I just the Master's grandson?? Is that all I will ever be?? I didn't want this! I just wanted to prove my own worth!"
Suddenly, a hand grabbed his arm and hoisted him to his feet.
Natsu stood there, a serious expression on his usually goofy face. "To me, you definitely act like a spoiled grandson sometimes."
Natsu grinned, his fiery aura flaring slightly. "But you already proved your strength to us a long time ago. You aren't just Makarov's grandson. You are an incredibly strong mage, and more importantly... you are our comrade. Right, guys?"
A murmur of agreement washed over the crowd.
"He's right," Wakaba sighed. "I guess we misunderstood what was really driving you, Laxus. If that is how you felt, we get it."
Hearing the sheer forgiveness from the people he had just tried to crush, Laxus felt a heavy knot untie in his chest. This was the real Fairy Tail. This was the true source of their strength.
He lowered his head. "I understand now. Natsu... I made a massive mistake. If you want to punish me, then do it."
"Heh, you asked for it!" Natsu yelled, his fist instantly igniting with blazing flames. "Since you put it that way, I am going to hit you with my absolute strongest move!"
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!"
Natsu lunged forward and planted his flaming fist squarely into Laxus's jaw.
However, the blow carried absolutely zero magic power. It was just a regular, solid punch between friends. Laxus didn't even flinch, a faint, resigned smirk crossing his bruised face.
The rest of the guild let out a collective breath, chuckling at Natsu's antics.
"Well," Gray sighed, looking around at the pulverized town. "Since the rebellion is over, I guess we need to focus on rebuilding the guild—again."
Gray's expression darkened. "But what are we going to do about those three? You all saw their power. They are absolute monsters. But... they killed innocent people. I really don't know how to handle this."
Just as Gray finished speaking, a massive groan echoed from the rubble behind him.
The townsfolk who had been caught in the epicenter of Shin's attack began to stir, slowly pushing the debris off themselves. Miraculously, their magic energy began to stabilize.
They weren't dead. Shin's [Shinra Tensei] hadn't been an execution—it had simply knocked everyone unconscious and blown them away to shatter the rune barrier.
Gray's eyes widened. He had completely misunderstood the situation. They hadn't murdered anyone.
Natsu clapped Gray on the back, nearly knocking the ice mage over. "See? I told you there was no reason to get so worked up!"
"When they come back, we just give them a massive apology," Natsu laughed. "If they really want to be our comrades, they won't hold a grudge. And if they can't handle a simple apology, then they aren't fit to join our family anyway—heh!"
Watching Natsu's carefree smile, Gray shook his head and let out a long sigh. He still couldn't tell if Natsu was genuinely stupid or secretly a genius. Naturally, it was impossible to figure out.
"Yeah, whatever," Gray muttered. "I get it."
—————
Meanwhile, far away from the ruined town, Shin had successfully extracted his group. He knew he needed to explain the situation to Alice and Lucy before things got even more complicated.
"It looks like no one is around," Shin said, his boots clicking against the obsidian floor of his personal dimension. "Alice, Lucy, stay close."
Using the power of [Kamui], Shin had transported them into a pocket dimension. The space was completely devoid of human life, filled with endless rows of geometric, floating blocks that gave off an incredibly eerie, isolated vibe.
"This is my personal dimension," Shin explained, seeing their hesitant looks. "Don't be alarmed."
Alice looked around, her brow furrowed. "Shin, is this really the Spirit World? Because from what I saw back there, they were all using standard human magic."
She crossed her arms. "And honestly... if those people are supposed to be Spirits, they are incredibly weak. I really don't know what to make of this place. But you look like you already figured out what is going on."
Shin nodded, a serious look crossing his face. He knew exactly what had happened.
"Since you asked, I will lay it all out for you. The situation is a bit complicated," Shin began, pacing slowly. "To answer your question... no, this is not the Spirit World. We are actually back in our own world."
Lucy gasped, her eyes widening in pure confusion. "Wait, did we land in a different country?? I never imagined other nations could be this fascinating! There are so many things here I have never seen before! But the mages here are so weak..."
Lucy tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I always thought our country was the weakest, but apparently, I was wrong. I really don't know what we are supposed to do now. But honestly? It is kind of exciting—heh."
"You are both looking at this the wrong way," Shin interrupted smoothly. "Lucy, did you get a good look at that blonde girl in the guild?"
"Didn't she feel incredibly familiar to you?"
Lucy tilted her head, clearly completely lost. But since Shin was the one asking, she tried to humor him.
"Okay, yes, I noticed her. I know what you are getting at, but honestly, there are some things I just can't accept. Yes, that woman looks exactly like me. But what does that actually prove? The world is massive."
Lucy shook her head stubbornly. "I refuse to believe she has any connection to me. Do you know how many doppelgängers exist in the world? It doesn't mean anything."
"Under normal circumstances, you would be right. It wouldn't mean anything," Shin said, his voice dropping an octave. "But this isn't a normal circumstance. The truth is far more complicated than you think."
Alice, who had been quietly observing the strange floating blocks, finally snapped her attention back to Shin. "You called us here for a specific reason. What is it?"
Shin stopped pacing and looked directly at them.
"I need to tell you both something important," Shin said slowly, letting the weight of his words settle in the silent dimension. "Have either of you ever heard of time travel?"
Alice frowned, utter confusion flashing in her eyes. "Time travel? What does that mean? Are you talking about magic that can actually alter the flow of time?"
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