"Extra! Extra!!"
"Breaking news!!!"
"The Fairy Tail Guild has officially challenged the Phantom Lord Guild!"
"What?!"
"Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord?!"
"Are those two guilds about to go to war?!"
"Give me a copy!"
"Me too! I want one too!!"
It was already nearing dusk, and this evening paper immediately stirred up a storm in cities across the land. Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord—two of the most powerful guilds in all of Fiore—had always drawn attention. No one expected these titans to actually go head-to-head.
People dove into the papers at once.
"Dear Guildmaster Jose of the Phantom Lord Guild: In appreciation for the attention you've given Fairy Tail, and to further strengthen the friendship and mutual growth between our two guilds, we, Fairy Tail, hereby invite you to a friendly sparring match.
The event is to be held three days from now at the Arena in Oshibana.
Each side will send six participants for one-on-one battles.
The victor may continue to face the next challenger, or choose to step down.
The match ends when all six members of one side are defeated.
The question is: do you dare to accept?"
So it was Fairy Tail issuing a sparring challenge to Phantom Lord.
"Why would Fairy Tail challenge Phantom Lord to a spar?"
"'Spar' my ass—it's a declaration of war! I heard Phantom Lord trashed Fairy Tail's guild last night. Now Fairy Tail wants revenge."
"Then why not just go beat them up?"
"The Magic Council forbids direct conflict between guilds. That's why they're retaliating like this instead."
"Makes sense!"
Meanwhile, Gajeel Redfox—the one who'd destroyed Fairy Tail's guild—was reading the paper with a cruel grin.
"I was planning to seriously injure a few more of those Fairy Tail scumbags. But look at them, already losing their cool. Heh… this just got interesting."
Naturally, the news reached Phantom Lord's guild.
"Hah! Those Fairy Tail mutts are cornered and lashing out!"
"Still daring to challenge us? What a joke!"
"We've got the great Totomaru and Iron Dragon Gajeel on our side!"
"Damn right!" …
At the very top of Phantom Lord's guild, Guildmaster Jose and Totomaru were gathered.
"Heh heh… Now this is unexpected, Brother Makarov."
"This isn't what I planned, but it works out. Now the whole country can witness the overwhelming gap between those Fairy Tail trash and my Phantom Lord."
"You lot—make sure you put on a good show. Crush them completely!"
"Yes, sir!!"
Soon after, Phantom Lord issued an official response—they accepted the challenge.
The entire Kingdom of Fiore erupted.
Sure, you could see mage duels in arenas now and then…
But this? This was different.
These were the top two guilds in the country. Their mages were among the elite of Fiore. Every name was legendary. The anticipation was electric—how could the battle not be epic?
Crowds immediately began rushing to Oshibana. No one wanted to miss the fight of the century, and tickets would soon sell out.
As the evening settled in and the guild closed its doors, Kaien walked Mirajane home as usual. When they reached his doorstep—
"Mira, Phantom Lord attacked the guild. There's no guarantee they won't go after individuals too. Why not stay at my place? I'd feel better knowing you're safe."
Mira's face flushed lightly. "I… I don't know if that's a good idea…"
"What's not good about it? Come on."
Kaien gently took Mira's hand. She didn't pull away. They were both adults. Both knew how the other felt. Even though Cana joked about it, Mira knew deep down—if not for her, Cana really might've chased after Kaien. That made her feel just a little uneasy.
Realizing Mira didn't resist, Kaien felt his heart leap.
'Dad, Mom… your boy is finally becoming a man.'
Creak—
The door opened.
"Welcome back."
Kaien froze at the doorway.
Standing in his house were Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy… and Happy.
"What are you all doing in my house?! And how did you even get in?! This is breaking and entering!!"
Happy replied, "Isn't your spare key always under the flowerpot outside?"
"You damn thief-cat!!"
Erza crossed her arms and explained, "Because of Phantom Lord's attack, it's safe to assume they've already investigated our homes. If we get caught alone, we might be ambushed. Staying together is safer."
Natsu grinned. "And the best place for that… is your house, Kaien. So we came over."
"You guys really just do whatever you want, huh? Couldn't even ask the actual homeowner first?"
Happy eyed Kaien and Mira holding hands with suspicion. "Kaien, bringing Mira home with you… you weren't planning to do something naughty, were you?"
"You've got a thing going on~~~!"
Kaien panicked. "No! Of course not! Mira's a girl, she's vulnerable—I just brought her here for safety, that's all! That's it!"
Lucy couldn't help but mutter, "Pretty sure you're the least safe person here..."
But no one made a fuss. Even Lucy, who had only recently joined the guild, could see Kaien and Mira had something going on—let alone everyone else.
"Let's make it a sleepover tonight!"
"Aye~!!"
Mira smiled warmly. "I'll make something to eat then."
The guild had been wrecked, including the kitchen, so they hadn't eaten yet.
"I'll help!" Lucy chimed in quickly.
Erza crossed her arms and said seriously, "Kaien. Besides safety, we also came here to discuss our lineup. Phantom Lord has already confirmed. We need to be ready too."
After all, this was about the guild's honor. If they lost, it could crush Fairy Tail's spirit. They had to be fully prepared.
Natsu clenched his fists. "What more is there to prepare? I'll go up first and wipe them all out!!"
Just thinking about the destroyed guild made his blood boil. He was itching to charge into Phantom Lord's guild and wreck the place.