Bang!
A sharp, clean impact echoed through the guild hall.
Just as Natsu was preparing to charge in again, Ches moved first.
With lightning speed, he delivered a Friendship Face-Breaking Punch straight to Natsu's cheek.
With a shout of pain, Natsu was launched like a cannonball, crashing hard into a tavern table behind him.
Though Ches mainly relied on his cards in battle, as a true S-Class Mage of Fairy Tail, his Magic Power was deep and refined and his physical strength wasn't lacking in the slightest.
On the other end, the collision sent wood splinters flying and a cloud of dust into the air. A few unfortunate souls who had been drinking peacefully at the table were caught in the blast and sent tumbling.
"You idiot birthday cake lighter! You trying to die?!"
Gray climbed to his feet, clearly annoyed. He stomped over, grabbed Natsu by the collar, and yanked him up until they were nose to nose.
Their foreheads pressed together as Gray scolded him, face full of irritation.
"You bastard pervert," Natsu snapped back, "you saying that to me?! You looking to throw down?!"
Faced with Gray's sharp-tongued taunt, Natsu naturally didn't take it well. He stretched his neck forward, glaring right back at him.
"If you're that weak, quit embarrassing yourself. At your half-baked level, you think you can even touch Ches?"
"I'll throw that line right back at you! If you hadn't gotten in my way, I would've already knocked Ches into the stratosphere!"
"What was that, you reckless flame freak?!"
"I said you're a coward who doesn't even have the guts to fight Ches head-on! You're just hiding in the back and shaking!"
"…I can't pretend I didn't hear that."
And just like that, their classic daily brawl began fists flying, tempers flaring, and furniture suffering.
After exchanging a few satisfying punches, Gray pulled back from the scuffle with a fire still burning in his eyes.
He cracked his knuckles, clenched his right fist, and strode toward Ches with confident steps.
"Now it's my turn. Watch closely… and see how I take down Ches "
Midway through his heroic declaration, a sudden chill crawled up his spine.
Gray's eyes narrowed.
He looked down.
His expression froze.
At some point somehow his shirt and pants had fallen neatly to the floor several feet behind him.
"…My clothes? When did ? What the hell?!"
Gray's face was filled with disbelief. He didn't even care that he was practically naked as he looked straight at Ches across the room.
"Hey! Ches! Just how strong did you get while you were away from the guild?!"
Nearby, Lucy, still new to Fairy Tail, went bright red. She yelped and quickly covered her face with both hands, peeking through her fingers.
"A-Ara ara…"
At the bar, Mira stood gracefully with a gentle smile on her face. Resting against her tilted forehead was a lone flip-flop one of the items that had flown off Natsu when he was punched across the guild.
She didn't even blink at the sight of Gray's bare backside. She was completely used to it by now.
The rest of the guild members, also unfazed, simply raised their hands to their foreheads in a collective facepalm.
"Gray," Ches said, rubbing his chin as he looked him over, "while I have gotten a lot stronger and could probably strip you in an instant… I don't have that kind of pervy hobby."
Then, with a smirk, he added, "You took them off yourself."
"Eh?! I I took them off… myself?!" Gray gasped, completely baffled.
His face twisted in confusion, like he had just woken up in someone else's body.
"Hey, you shameless exhibitionist," Natsu grumbled from the sidelines, cracking his knuckles. "Suddenly, I've got a really good idea."
Natsu slowly stepped up beside Gray, the corners of his mouth lifting into that signature, fiery grin.
"How about we team up and take on Ches together?"
"Team up with you, you flaming idiot?" Gray scoffed. "Just thinking about it makes me sick."
He spat in mock disgust, then glanced up at Ches, who stood confidently with his arms crossed and a calm smile on his face.
But then Gray's lips curled into a grin.
"Still… if the opponent's Ches, who's basically a walking monster, then maybe that's not such a bad idea."
And just like that, ice and fire found common ground.
Standing shoulder to shoulder, Gray and Natsu chuckled darkly and began advancing toward Ches.
Their alliance sparked a ripple of excitement.
Macao, Cana, and the other guild members who had been mocked or KO'd earlier suddenly saw a glimmer of hope.
They jumped in, one after another.
"Hahaha! Don't blame us for ganging up on you! It's your fault for being way too strong, Ches!"
"This time, I'm putting a flip-flop print on your smug face!"
"Manly!"
…
Evil, mischievous grins spread across their faces like wildfire.
Magic circles flared to life in every direction as they slowly closed in on Ches, forming a chaotic pincer attack.
After being suppressed for so long, the guild members had long been itching to give this smug bastard a proper beating.
"Oh? That's some serious fighting spirit," Ches said with a smile, watching the chaos gather around him. "In that case… I guess it's fine if I get a little serious, right?"
Rather than advance, Ches took a single step backward.
Then he stomped the floor hard.
"My turn. Draw!"
He reached into the air, his hand slicing through the void with a sharp, practiced motion. A glowing card flew out, spinning in a wide, elegant arc before landing firmly in his grip.
Buzz!!
The air trembled.
With the card's appearance came an overwhelming pressure thick and suffocating.
A swirl of brilliant red and black light burst from the ground and swept across the entire guild hall. The spiraling beams wrapped around one another, converging into a glowing, ancient Magic Circle inscribed with forgotten runes.
From the center of it, a phantom magician slowly took form.
He wore a flowing black-and-purple robe, his tall figure cloaked in power. In one hand, he held a long, shining staff. His presence alone distorted the air.
Lucy's eyes widened, her pupils trembling.
She instinctively raised her head, staring in stunned silence at the phantom beside Ches.
From that flickering silhouette, she could feel it a colossal wave of Magic Power, so vast and deep it was beyond anything she could comprehend.
The newer guild members?
They were frozen.
Pale-faced, wide-eyed, and trembling, they huddled in the corners of the guild like scared little sheep.
Just as the Seven-Star Card: [Black Magician] was about to descend in full force, a firm voice rang out across the tense atmosphere.
"Stop it, Ches. This guild building won't survive the strain of your magic."
On the second-floor balcony stood Makarov, small in stature but full of authority. He wore his usual top hat, arms folded, staring down coolly at Ches.
"Oh? Guild Master, you were here too?" Ches asked, putting on a deliberately surprised face.
"Don't play dumb, you brat! You're just itching to blow this whole place apart, aren't you?!"
Makarov's voice roared through the guild, dripping with both frustration and familiarity.
After all, no one in Fairy Tail knew Ches's destructive tendencies better than Makarov the poor man had spent years cleaning up after the Council's complaints every time Ches got too "enthusiastic."
"Ahaha, you're misunderstanding me!" Ches laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "How could I possibly have such dangerous intentions?"
As he spoke, the looming figure of the Black Magician, which hadn't fully materialized, faded quietly into mist.
The oppressive magic that had filled the guild vanished with it.
The air lightened. Tension eased.
Makarov didn't answer Ches directly. Instead, he shifted his gaze toward Natsu, Gray, and the other fired-up members of the guild.
His eyes narrowed with subtle threat, silencing the fiery spirit in the room almost instantly.
Only after the guild members had finally settled down did Makarov shift his gaze back to Ches.
His tone turned serious, his voice low and steady.
"That ten-year quest… the one no challenger has ever completed how did it go?"
The moment those words fell, a hush swept across the room.
Ches let out a long breath.
Without answering right away, he walked past Natsu, Gray, and the others, heading toward the bar where Mira stood.
The moment their eyes met, Mira understood.
She turned gracefully, her signature soft smile on her lips, and began preparing a cup of coffee just the way Ches liked it, with a touch of sugar.
Ches took the cup in both hands and brought it to his lips.
The warm blend of gentle sweetness and subtle bitterness ran through him like a quiet memory.
Mmm… as expected, Mira-chan knows me best.
After savoring the familiar taste, he set the cup down slowly.
Then he leaned back, scratched his head with a light laugh, and looked up at Makarov.
"Sorry, Guild Master. That ten-year quest…"
He paused.
"…I failed."