Chapter 147: The Terrifying Wizard Saint
George and Mirajane did not participate in the battle. After explaining to Makarov how he had defeated Gajeel, George was assigned to guard the unconscious Gajeel alongside Mirajane.
Gajeel was the evidence that Phantom Lord had attacked Fairy Tail first. If he were taken back by Phantom Lord, they wouldn't be able to prove their case when the Magic Council investigated.
Of course, Lucy and Happy were also with them.
Lucy was a Celestial Spirit Mage—her combat ability relied entirely on summoning spirits, who often had their own personalities and rarely followed her orders in battle, preferring to act freely.
So, after summoning her spirits, she usually ended up cheering from the sidelines.
As for Happy, aside from helping Natsu fly, his combat ability was even worse than Lucy's bare-handed fighting.
"Beat him up! Beat him up!"
"Nice one, Natsu!"
"Everyone, keep it up—but stay safe!"
As Phantom Lord's mages fell one after another, Mirajane, Lucy, and Happy became the cheer squad.
"Erza, Natsu, Gray—follow the Master! Don't let him go up alone!"
While analyzing the combat effectiveness of various mages to decide which magic to prioritize learning later, George noticed Makarov swatting aside Phantom Lord mages like flies as he marched straight toward the second floor. He immediately shouted at Erza, Natsu, and Gray, who were already deep in battle.
So far, none of Phantom Lord's top fighters—Master Jose and the Element Four—had appeared. They were likely all waiting upstairs.
Makarov was undoubtedly strong, but Jose was also a member of the Ten Wizard Saints. If Jose decided to fight dirty and ambush Makarov with the Element Four, the situation could turn dangerous.
If Makarov lost, the tide of battle would shift, and Fairy Tail's advantage would disappear.
In a guild war like this, recklessness was a luxury they couldn't afford.
After all, Phantom Lord had four S-Class mages, while Fairy Tail only had Erza present today. Mirajane couldn't fight due to her psychological issues.
Natsu and Gray were strong, but they weren't S-Class yet.
George had noticed that while Fairy Tail's mages were exceptional in many ways, they often lost themselves in battle, leading to unnecessary destruction and collateral damage.
And surprisingly, Makarov, who usually seemed calm and collected, was actually the most reckless of them all.
In George's opinion, the smarter move would have been to hand Gajeel over to the Magic Council first, letting them sanction Phantom Lord. At the very least, they could have recalled Mystogan and Laxasus—both S-Class mages—to balance the high-tier combat power.
But since Makarov had chosen to storm Phantom Lord directly, he must have had confidence in his own strength. George guessed that Makarov was significantly stronger than Jose, enough to offset the difference in top-tier fighters.
It certainly wasn't because of George—he wasn't S-Class level, and he had already explained to Makarov how he had defeated Gajeel.
Since George had amplified his voice with a Sonorus Charm, Erza, Natsu, and Gray immediately snapped out of their battle frenzy and rushed after Makarov.
"Let's go check it out too."
Seeing the three of them follow Makarov, George levitated Gajeel and led Mirajane, Lucy, and Happy upstairs.
The battle downstairs was under control—it was only a matter of time before Fairy Tail won. The real deciding factor was the fight above.
If Makarov won, Fairy Tail would emerge victorious. If he lost, even a victory downstairs wouldn't matter.
A Wizard Saint could easily wipe out every mage below.
"Jose, I demand an explanation—or I'll make you regret this just like six years ago!"
As soon as they reached the second floor, George heard Makarov's furious roar.
The battle lines were drawn:
- Makarov vs. Jose
- Erza vs. Sol
- Natsu vs. Totomaru
- Gray vs. Juvia
"Wait, one's missing. Is he not here?"
George scanned the room and realized Aria, the leader of the Element Four, was absent.
"Pathetic. To think I actually admired you."
Jose glanced at Gajeel, now under George's control, and immediately understood what had happened. He turned back to Makarov with a sneer.
"No explanations are needed, Makarov. Just because you got lucky six years ago doesn't mean you're stronger than me. Today, I'll kill you—and every last mage in Fairy Tail. I'll erase your guild from existence and prove that Phantom Lord is the strongest!"
"Then die!"
Makarov's fist instantly enlarged, smashing toward Jose with enough force to shatter a mountain.
"An attack like this won't even scratch me."
Jose smirked, condensing his dense, tangible magic into a fist and clashing directly with Makarov's strike.
Makarov wasn't surprised. He knew exactly how strong Jose was.
"Let's take this outside—unless you want your guild reduced to rubble!"
With that, he punched through the ceiling and used his magic to levitate into the sky.
At their level, even without specialized flight magic, hovering with raw magical power was trivial.
Makarov wasn't concerned about damaging Phantom Lord's guild—he just didn't want their battle to endanger the mages fighting below.
Jose grinned eerily. "I knew you'd say that."
He had anticipated Makarov's concern for his guildmates and had already positioned Aria—invisible—in the skies above.
BOOM!
As the two Wizard Saints faced off in midair, their sheer magical pressure alone began altering the weather. Thunder rumbled, and lightning crackled across the darkened sky.
An ordinary mage standing nearby would likely have been immobilized just by the oppressive aura.
"So this is the power of a Wizard Saint?"
George stared upward, awestruck.
He had thought Erza was strong—but this was on another level entirely.
"Darkness Stream!"
Jose, a master of dark and death magic, struck first. Tendrils of black energy shot toward Makarov like spears.
"Light Formation!"
Holy magic circles flared to life, unleashing beams of radiant energy that met the darkness head-on.
Makarov's light magic was every bit as formidable as Jose's dark arts.
"Death Storm!"
"Light Explosion!"
Spells collided in midair, their shockwaves making the entire city tremble.
The citizens, jolted awake, quickly realized what was happening—Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord were at war.
Panicked, they fled the city in droves.
(End of Chapter)