It wasn't a simple retaliation.
It was a declaration.
By morning, every member of Fairy Tail stood assembled before their guild, armor polished, weapons ready, magic flaring faintly in the dawn light. Even the ones who normally sat out battles—Reedus, Nab, Max, Vijeeter—were there, standing shoulder to shoulder with the core fighters.
Makarov didn't have to say much. His presence was enough.
Shinra stood near the front—his arms folded, expression unreadable.
Erza enquired, "Shinra, you are coming right?"
"No, someone needs to be here to protect Lucy and Mira", he replied calmly.
"I see", Erza nodded, with a thoughtful expression.
Erza looked like a crimson knight ready for war. Gray wore an expression colder than his ice. Natsu cracked his knuckles, a firestorm dancing in his eyes.
And somewhere behind them, Mira watched quietly from the rooftop, her hands clutched to her chest.
" Master...be careful, when you confront Jose", Shinra added solemly.
Hearing this, Makarov smiled, " Brat, don't underestimate these old bones. I can handle 10 Jose with my eyes closed. Now...."
Makarov stared at his children with a look of resolve.
When Makarov spoke, it wasn't loud.
"Fairy Tail… let's go."
---
Phantom Lord's base was less a building and more a fortress—black stone walls reinforced with iron, towers outfitted with magical cannons, and a perimeter lined with their own guild mages like sentinels.
But Fairy Tail didn't hesitate.
The first wave hit like a thunderclap. Natsu led the charge, tearing through the iron gates with a flaming roar. Gray followed, freezing defensive seals before they could activate. Erza took the front line, slicing through multiple Phantom mages with one sweep of her Heaven's Wheel Armor.
She didn't waste energy—moved from one blind spot to another, neutralizing guards with precision strikes, disabling magic circles before they could fire.
It wasn't long before she and Makarov reached the throne chamber.
Jose Porla, Master of Phantom Lord, sat atop an elevated dais like a dark king.
"You dare bring a mob into my house?" he said with mocking amusement. "Such poor manners, Makarov."
"We came to return the favor," Makarov said, stepping forward, his magical aura growing larger with each word. "You went too far, Jose. You hurt my children."
Jose's smile widened.
"That was just the beginning."
---
Makarov raised his hand, his magic surging. The room trembled under the sheer pressure of his power. Even Jose's confident grin wavered slightly.
But before the first spell could be cast, a blur of motion passed through the shadows.
Erza's eyes widened.
"Master—!"
It was too late.
A pulse of pure, invisible magic—*air so dense it cut like blades*—struck Makarov from behind. The old man gasped, staggered forward, and dropped to one knee.
The chamber went still.
And emerging from the shadows, floating like mist, was a tall man with long white hair and cold, dead expression behind a blindfold.
Aria of the Elemental Four.
"Master Makarov!!" Erza shouted, rushing forward—but a barrier of wind slammed her back.
"Fools," Aria said. "You came without knowing the strength of the Elemental Four?"
Erza moved instantly, appearing at Makarov's side, grabbing his shoulder before he could fall entirely.
"Hold on."
But Makarov's magic was already fading.
Aria had stolen it.
Jose raised a hand. "I believe this little visit is over."
His magic surged—and the entire guild began to tremble.
Natsu and Gray arrived right at that moment pulled Erza up. Natsu was roaring, trying to break through the barrier with fire. But Erza knew—this was no longer a winnable battle.
"We're retreating!" she shouted.
"But—!" Natsu snarled.
"Do it, or we lose everything!"
Elfman arrived and blocked Natsu before he could do anything reckless and pulled him back with a well-placed hold to his waist, disrupting his motion and dragging him out.
Gray grabbed Erza. Loke carried Makarov.
They ran.
---
Back in Magnolia, Lucy had been ordered to stay behind at Shinra's suggestion.
"Too dangerous," he had said. "You're their target. Let us draw the attention."
She hated sitting idle.
But as she prepared tea in her apartment, a sudden chill ran down her spine.
A knock.
No... not a knock.
A *ripple* in the air.
Water dripped from her window.
Then the door burst open.
Juvia Lockser stepped in—her blue eyes swirling with lifelessness.
"You belong to Master Jose now," she said with a poker face.
And beside her—emerging from the floor—was Sol, the earth manipulator with a cracked laugh.
Lucy grabbed her keys—but water rushed around her, cutting her off. Juvia's water body slithered forward, tendrils wrapping around her wrists.
"No!" Lucy shouted.
And then—air snapped.
*CRACK.*
A blue flash cleaved through the room—slicing the water apart in a single precise motion.
Shinra stood at the door, his eyes burning like a storm.
He was in front of Lucy in less than a blink.
"Get away from her."
Juvia's smile faltered.
"You're fast," Sol muttered.
In the next second, everything *exploded*.
---
Shinra didn't use raw force.
He used control.
His cursed technique shimmered around him—reality distorting as he channeled *Infinity Flux*. Juvia's water struck him—*but never reached*. Every attack halted inches from his skin, suspended in frozen frames like time had stuttered.
He blinked forward, grabbed Sol by the collar, and *flung* him through the wall like a meteor.
Juvia tried to trap him in a water prison—only for the entire structure to collapse under the pressure of his Domain.
"Your magic," Shinra said calmly, stepping forward as the world warped around him, "relies on overwhelming others."
He raised a hand.
"But you can't overwhelm me."
He snapped his fingers.
A cascade of compressed air shattered the floor, knocking Juvia into unconsciousness.
---
Back at the guild, Makarov lay in bed, his magic almost gone.
Erza paced like a lioness. Gray stood watch. Natsu sat with arms crossed, jaw clenched.
Shinra returned quietly, Lucy leaning against his side, safe.
"She's fine," he said. "They'll try again."
"They already declared war," Erza said. "What more could they want?"
"Jose's playing long," Shinra murmured. "He wants to break us, thats why he allowed you all to escape. And if we don't act smart, he might succeed."
"But this is personal now," Natsu growled. "He hurt Master!"
Shinra looked toward Makarov's unconscious form.
Then he looked at the Fairy Tail banner fluttering overhead.
"No."
He clenched his fist.
"This time… we hurt them"