— — — — — —
"Gajeel has gotten careless."
"Guess being called the strongest guy in the guild for so long made him start believing it."
"Sigh… looks like I'll have to be the one to clean this mess up."
Aria walked forward with a look of false compassion, raising both hands as magic gathered around him.
"Airspace · Metsu."
He used wind magic, but unlike normal wind mages, cutting wasn't his specialty.
'Metsu, huh? Still the same sneaky bastard. Sounds like an attack, but it's really just bait to draw attention.'
'He wants to drain away my magic. Because once a mage loses their magic, they die.'
Sol's face twisted into a sinister, gloating grin, his "keh-keh-keh" laughter grating in the air. "You are about to die, kid..."
Kazuma felt the invisible wind swirling around him, trying to drain his magic—but it didn't do a thing.
All his years training the Six Powers and Life Return had hardened his body and massively increased the density of his magic. This flimsy breeze couldn't move a single strand of it.
And with Armament Haki coating his magic like armor, this so-called Airspace spell was useless against him.
Kazuma simply walked straight through Aria's magic and punched him flat to the ground.
Sol stared, horrified, as Kazuma strolled over like nothing was happening.
"You—what did—?!" Sol stammered.
Kazuma didn't even let him finish. One punch, and Sol hit the ground.
"B-Bastard…"
Totomaru pulled out his katana, planning to go all-in for close combat.
"Pffft."
Kazuma threw a punch so fast that Totomaru didn't even see it, let alone dodge. The gap between them was absurd—practically a different dimension.
"A… As expected of Fairy Tail's ace mage," Aria groaned, struggling back to his feet. "You really are strong. Looks like we'll have to go all out!"
He lifted a hand and tore off the black cloth covering his eyes.
"My magic is too powerful, so I keep it sealed most of the time."
"But now I have no choice but to unseal it. Next, you'll—"
Aria froze mid-sentence. Then, with a dull thud, he dropped to his knees. All that arrogance evaporated.
"As if saying your magic spell name isn't bad enough, you even say your plan out loud before doing it," Kazuma said calmly. "Such unqualified villains."
His magic pressure burst outward in an instant, flooding the entire area. He stood over Aria, looking down.
"I'll ask one last time. Where is your guild headquarters? Where is your master?"
"I— I…" Aria trembled, drenched in sweat. The overwhelming magic crushing him was terrifying beyond belief.
Weren't the Four Elements supposed to be on par with Fairy Tail's S-Class mages?
So why was he getting beaten four-on-one? Why hadn't Kazuma even bothered using spells?
Terror bloomed in Aria's heart. Under the influence of Kazuma's Conqueror's Haki, that fear swelled until his mental defenses shattered completely.
"O-Our master is at headquarters. That woman—Lucy—she's there too. Headquarters is on the hill not far from here!"
Aria bowed his head. In his terror, Kazuma had morphed into a pitch-black monster—twisted and horrifying.
"Oh? In that case, you can die now."
"W-Wait! I—I told you everything you wanted! Why kill me?!"
Aria stared at him in disbelief. Didn't he say he'd let him live if he talked?
"When did I ever say that? Anyone else might get to live. But you? No way."
"You're the leader of the Four Elements. You even know details about Lucy. That means you're one of Jose's trusted men."
"Jose has to die. His inner circle has to die. And you have to die. Well, it's a matter of principle… maybe unreasonable to you, but it's my code."
Kazuma hadn't killed the regular guild workers—they were just earning a paycheck. Today they worked for Phantom Lord, tomorrow they could easily join Fairy Tail.
But people like Aria? They were Jose's personal loyalists—true enemies. And enemies don't get mercy.
"N-No… wait—!"
Kazuma didn't bother listening. He killed Aria instantly, then gave each of the Element 4 a "finishing punch" and turned to leave.
Right then, a fully armed Erza arrived, shouting, "Stop!"
"Huh? Stop? Me?"
Kazuma blinked and looked around. It was just him here. Was Erza telling him to stop?
Wait—no way. Had Erza defected?!
"Kazuma, I came to help y— huh? Where are the Four Elements? Weren't you being surrounded by them?"
Erza charged in, sword drawn… then froze at the sight of Phantom Lord's elites lying all over the ground.
She suddenly felt like she'd drawn her sword for nothing. Who was she even supposed to fight now?
"I took care of them already," Kazuma said. "That one is Air Element. That's Earth. Fire's over there. Water switched sides, kind of, and became the Iron Dragon guy—yeah, he's over here."
"W-Wait, what?!"
"I heard each of the Four Elements had S-Class-level power!"
"And Aria was supposed to be insanely strong! His magic was terrifying!"
"You fought four at once—not only won, but won this fast?!"
Erza looked at the sword in her hand, at the bodies on the ground, then at Kazuma—who didn't have a scratch.
When had he become this strong?
If she fought them, she'd be lucky to survive, and even then only after an exhausting battle.
Kazuma shrugged. "S-Class my ass. They're around Natsu and Gray's level, tops."
"Phantom Lord only looks intimidating because there's a lot of them. In a real fight, none of them are worth much."
In the original story they seemed tough, but that was just because Fairy Tail wasn't fighting seriously.
Their strongest—Gildarts, Mystogan, Laxus—were all out of town. Mirajane was half-disabled. Erza got blown up at the start and still nearly one-shotted Aria even half-dead.
And these guys were supposed to rival S-Class? Yeah, right.
"Still… your strength is reassuring," Erza said, finally exhaling. But she didn't actually believe Phantom Lord was weak. A guild that famous wouldn't survive long if they were useless.
Kazuma saying they were weak only meant Kazuma was too strong.
"Master and the others are arriving soon," she said. "Until they get here, I'm keeping an eye on you."
Erza pulled out a pair of handcuffs and stepped forward. Without hesitation, she cuffed herself to Kazuma. She really was afraid he'd bolt the second she blinked.
"Erza, our friend's been captured. I already got the location. You think I'm just gonna sit here and wait for the old man to stroll over?"
He tightened his hands on her shoulders, expression turning serious.
"And tell me this—if something happens to her during the time we waste standing around, are you responsible, or am I?"
"This…"
Erza let out a helpless sigh. "Fine. I can't just wait here either. But I'm going with you. If something happens, at least we can help each other."
"That's more like it. Let's go."
Kazuma knew her too well. She acted rigid and uncompromising on the surface, but once you spoke to her seriously, she was softer than anyone—always willing to compromise.
He summoned his motorcycle, and the two of them sped toward Phantom Lord headquarters.
"By the way, Erza," Kazuma called over the wind, "why do you even carry handcuffs around?"
"They came as an accessory with one of my outfits. Since it was part of the set, I stored it in my requip space."
Erza answered completely straight-faced as she began contacting the guild. A moment later, the connection went through.
"That outfit definitely wasn't normal." Kazuma grinned.
"Be quiet, I'm reporting to Master," Erza scolded.
"Erza? Erza, is that you? Did you find Kazuma?"
Mirajane had barely answered when Makarov rushed over and shoved his face into the crystal orb. Finally—finally—someone competent.
"Yes, Master. I've found him. Everything is… going smoothly."
Erza paused, then nodded to herself. Honestly, things had gone smoothly. Enemies defeated, Lucy's location confirmed—all smooth enough.
"Good, good. No enemies on the way? You didn't run into the Four Elements, right?"
Makarov assumed "smooth" meant "nothing happened." He exhaled in relief, his poor heart getting a break.
"We ran into them."
"You did?!"
"But they've been dealt with."
"Dealt with? As in you avoided them? Or negotiated…?"
"No. Dealt with in the literal sense. Kazuma took care of all of them. By himself..."
Silence.
Makarov and Mirajane all froze.
Then—thud.
"Master! Medicine, take your medicine!"
"I-I'm fine. Help me up… I still have questions…"
With Mira's support, Makarov wobbled upright. "Is Kazuma still with you?"
"Yes. To keep him from running off, I handcuffed myself to him. We're still together."
Makarov let out a breath. "Good. Good. Keep an eye on him. I'll head over immediately. You're still at the Phantom Lord branch gate, right? I'm coming."
He started shouting for guild members and contacting an old friend, already preparing for the Magic Council fallout.
"No need, Master. We're not there anymore."
"You're not? Then where are you?"
A bad feeling crept into his voice.
"Kazuma found Phantom Lord's main headquarters. We're heading there now to rescue Lucy."
Erza finished calmly.
Makarov collapsed again.
"Master!"
"Don't shout, I'm fine. I just… need a moment. Mira… do you think it's time I retired?"
"And who will be the next Guild Master?" Mira asked gently.
"..."
"You all never give me a break… damn it. Gather everyone! Tell them—this is war!"
He lay still for a second, then suddenly sprang to his feet. He might be old, but he wasn't useless.
He didn't want trouble, sure, but that didn't make him a coward.
He snatched the crystal orb from Mira's hands and roared: "Kazuma, you little brat, I know you can hear me. Listen up!"
"Things are what they are. Fairy Tail is not a guild that lets others walk all over us. You keep saying you want to be guild master, right?"
"Then knock Jose flat. If you can do that, I'll consider giving you the position!"
Kazuma burst out laughing at the old man's booming voice.
"As long as I beat Jose you'll step down? Then go ahead and warm the bed for retirement!"
"I said consider, you little—! Don't you dare hang up on—"
The crystal went dark mid-sentence. Makarov stared, then hurled it at the floor, smashing it.
"Everyone, move out!"
"Master, are we really going to war? What about the Magic Council?" Mira asked.
"Fuck the Magic Council!" he snapped.
Mira couldn't help laughing. It had been over ten years since she'd seen him like this—fiery, loud, ready to fight.
"I've disliked Phantom for a long time anyway."
"Yeah, Master! Show them what Fairy Tail's really made of!"
"That'll teach them which guild is actually worthless!"
Morale exploded through the hall. Following Makarov, everyone shoved open the guild doors and marched out.
The war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord had officially begun.
One of these guilds wasn't walking away.
...
After they left, Mira grabbed a new crystal orb and started calling others. First Mystogan—no answer. Then Laxus—this time it connected.
"Laxus, Lucy from our guild was taken by Phantom Lord. Master asked me to notify everyone."
"Lucy… that little girl Kazuma brought back? If she got caught, that just means she was weak," Laxus replied coldly. "I'm not helping. I still have my own job to finish."
He was already annoyed before the call; now he was even worse. All this mess was the old man's fault. Everyone thought they could walk all over Fairy Tail now.
"Laxus… I know you have issues with Master."
"I'm not calling to ask for help. You're one of our guild's strongest. You deserve to know what's happening."
"Kazuma and Erza are attacking Phantom Lord's headquarters. Master is leading everyone else to war."
"What you do is your choice."
Mira sighed. She remembered when Laxus admired Makarov. Something had changed over the years, and their relationship only grew worse.
"He isn't afraid of Council punishment this time?" Laxus asked.
"Master said, 'Fuck the Magic Council.' Funny, isn't it?"
"Not funny at all."
He hung up—but after staring at the sky for a moment, a faint smile tugged at his lips.
So the old man still had a spine.
And Kazuma was storming Phantom Lord alone? He couldn't let himself get shown up.
Laxus headed off toward the nearest Phantom Lord branch.
Once Mira finished contacting everyone, she hurried after the master and the guild.
---
"…Huh? Why is the guild empty?" Mystogan stared at the deserted hall.
Once again, it seemed he'd been left behind.
.
.
.