— — — — — —
"Ahh! Fresh air is the best! So good! So amazing!"
"We're free! This is the best! FREEDOM!!!"
As soon as they were released, Natsu shouted in excitement. Even though they hadn't directly participated in the battle, they were still detained for three days as witnesses while the Magic Council investigated the incident.
Gray scoffed, clearly annoyed. "You're so damn loud. Honestly, they should've kept you locked up a few more days."
"I'm sorry, everyone! The moment I heard what happened, I rushed back as fast as I could, but I still didn't make it in time. Go ahead, punch me!" Erza said, looking remorseful.
She had just completed a mission when she saw the news about Fairy Tail's guild being destroyed in the papers.
Without hesitation, she immediately rushed back, only to arrive when everything was already over and the entire guild had been taken in for questioning.
Fortunately, things had ended on a good note. No one in Fairy Tail was hurt. If something had happened to them, she would've never forgiven herself.
"Alright, alright, it's over now," Makarov said, trying to ease the tension.
Soon, everyone from Fairy Tail arrived at the front of their guild hall.
At this point, the building was in complete ruins. It had barely held together during the fierce battle, but Gajeel's earlier rampage had been too much. The damage was beyond repair.
"Um… Master… I'm really sorry…" Lucy said, looking guilty. She hadn't expected that Fairy Tail was attacked because of her.
"It's not your fault. You don't need to blame yourself, Lucy. If anything, this whole thing started because of me."
"Six years ago, at a regional guild meeting, I got a little drunk and beat the crap out of Jose. Ever since then, he's held a grudge against us. So really, everyone in the guild is suffering because of me."
Suddenly—
BOOM!!!
With a thunderous crash, Fairy Tail's guild hall finally collapsed, the last of its structure giving way before their eyes.
"The guild…"
"How did this happen…?"
Makarov, however, remained calm. "This place was old. We've been patching it up for years. After everything it's been through, I'm honestly surprised it lasted this long."
"A guild hall can be rebuilt. As long as we're all safe, that's what matters."
"Fairy Tail isn't just a building—it's the bonds we share with each other. As long as those bonds remain unbroken, our guild will never fall."
"Now, let's get ready to build a new one!"
"YEAHHHH!!"
The members of Fairy Tail, reinvigorated by Makarov's words, cheered loudly.
After a few days of hard work, the framework of their new guild was starting to take shape.
"So… heavy…!" Natsu groaned, staggering under a massive pile of wooden beams. Sweat poured down his face as his legs trembled from the effort.
Gray, casually carrying a single beam, smirked. "That's what you get for trying to carry too much at once. You really are an idiot."
"Haha! You're just weak! This is nothing for me!"
"Oh yeah? If I really tried, I could carry twice as much as you!"
Determined to prove his point, Gray grabbed twice the amount of wood Natsu had and struggled to move forward.
"Ugh… huff… see…? No… problem…!"
Then, Uchiha Kitaro casually walked past them, holding a pile of wood twice the size of Gray's—single-handedly.
"Huh? WHAAAT?!"
Gray's eyes nearly popped out of his head in shock.
"UOOOHHHH!!!"
Distracted, Gray didn't notice the rope holding his load together snap. The heavy beams collapsed on top of him, crushing him into the ground.
"HAHAHAHAHA! That was pathetic! Did you see that, Happy?!"
"Aye, sir!"
Just then, karma struck. A nearby table suddenly toppled over, crashing right onto Natsu's head and knocking him flat.
"AAAHHHH!!!"
And then came an angry voice—
"Say that again, I dare you!!"
"Erza?!"
Everyone turned to see Erza, looking absolutely furious. It had been a while since she'd been this enraged.
She was glaring at Laxus.
"Now that we're all here, let's make something clear—our guild doesn't need weaklings."
"You…"
"I'm embarrassed to even show my face after how weak we looked to the Phantom Lord."
Happy gasped, "Laxus is back?!"
"That bastard... He comes back and immediately starts acting all high and mighty," Gray muttered, still pinned under the wood.
"Our guild was only attacked because we had too many weaklings. If we were all strong, Phantom Lord wouldn't have dared to mess with us!"
"Once I take over this guild, all weaklings will be kicked out. And anyone who dares defy me will be thrown out as well! I'll create the strongest guild in history—one that stands above all others!"
"After all, I'm the strongest, as everyone knows. And just think: when people realize I'm the leader, they'll come begging to join me."
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
"That's right—who doesn't know that, haha."
With that, Laxus spread his arms dramatically and let out a theatrical, over-the-top laugh before striding away.
Uchiha Kitaro watched the scene unfold and couldn't help but cringe. Damn, that was embarrassing.
Thinking back, he wondered—had he ever said anything so cringeworthy?
Hmm... maybe a few things. But at least he only said them to his enemies. And, well... most of his enemies were dead, so technically, no one was around to remember.
That was a relief.
"Inherit the guild? Yeah, right."
Lucy huffed in frustration. She hadn't interacted with Laxus much, but every time she did, he gave off an arrogant vibe. The guy was way too full of himself and acted like everyone else was beneath him.
Mira chuckled and said, "Well, you never know. Laxus is actually the master's grandson."
"Whaaat?!"
Lucy practically jumped in shock. Laxus... was Makarov's grandson?! They didn't seem alike at all!
Mira continued, "So if the master ever steps down, there's a good chance Laxus could be the next Guild Master."
"N-no way...!" Lucy stammered. "I don't like him! Someone who doesn't care about his guildmates' feelings shouldn't be in charge!"
"That's why people say the master can't retire yet."
"So he's waiting for Laxus to grow up?"
"That's just a rumor. Master never talks about his successor, no matter how many times people ask."
.
.
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