Chapter 55: FTRJ: Chapter 55

Gajeel froze. The pain from his countless wounds served as a brutal reminder that Finn’s words were true.

With that, Finn left Phantom Lord with Lahar.

Watching them leave, Jose said, “Mr. Gajeel, you wouldn’t be scared, would you?”

Gajeel composed himself. “No…ouch…” The words sent a jolt of pain through his facial wounds, causing him to grimace.

Jose said, “Fear is fine. He won’t be back. This was part of my plan. Only by drawing Finn away can we attack Fairy Tail without fail.”

“Once Fairy Tail is destroyed, the Council, who already dislikes them, won’t interfere. Finn won’t be able to return.”

Jose spread his arms, as if embracing the throne of the strongest guild, his expression dreamy. “All preparations are complete. We’ll crush Fairy Tail, and everything will be ours, hahaha!”

Gajeel was doubtful. “What if the Council shows up again when we attack Fairy Tail? Will we openly defy them?”

“Haha, of course not. Openly defying the Council will bring the wrath of all the legitimate guilds. The Council won’t interfere while we attack Fairy Tail,” Jose shook his head.

Gajeel was startled. “You bribed Council members?”

Jose laughed. “Not bribery, a shared objective. Some Council members desperately want Fairy Tail gone, but they’ve lacked the opportunity. Our appearance provides that opportunity.”

Gajeel nodded.

“Alright, Mr. Gajeel, go heal. You’re fighting tomorrow. Finn’s gone; no one can stop you in Fairy Tail. Don’t disappoint me.”

Jose vanished before Gajeel could respond.

Gajeel touched his face, recalling Finn’s words before leaving. He shook his head. “Seriously, I’m scared of him? After tomorrow, he’ll be completely out of the picture.”

“Why would I be scared of him?”

With that thought, Gajeel limped towards the hospital.

The next day arrived.

Early in the morning, Mirajane and Erza arrived at the Fairy Tail guild. Finn hadn’t returned all night, and they were worried sick.

“Master, do you know where Finn is?” Mirajane found Makarov sitting in a chair, looking at a letter with a serious expression.

He looked up at Mirajane. “This is a letter from the Council this morning. It’s about Finn. Last night, he single-handedly crushed Phantom Lord, but the Council arrested him.”

“What?!” Mirajane and Erza exclaimed in disbelief.

They quickly snatched the letter from Makarov and read it.

“Mira,” Erza steadied Mirajane, who was about to collapse.

Mirajane was frantic. “Finn challenged Phantom Lord alone last night! He might be injured, and he’s arrested!”

Erza comforted her. “It’s alright, Mira. Trust Finn. With his strength, he definitely won’t be seriously hurt.” She then turned to Makarov and asked, “Master, what’s the Council’s stance?”

Makarov sighed. “They’re only holding him temporarily. Once the investigation clarifies that Phantom Lord initiated the conflict, Finn’s actions will be considered legitimate self-defense, and he’ll be released.”

Mirajane calmed down. She knew Finn wouldn’t be at a disadvantage, even with the Council. Her earlier worry had clouded her judgment.

“Damn it, Finn went to Phantom Lord alone! Why didn’t he take me?!” Natsu was furious. They didn’t even call him?!

“But Finn seemed to have beaten Phantom Lord easily. It would’ve been about the same with or without you,” Lucy quipped, as usual.

“Master, bad news!” Macao burst in, panicked.

“What is it, Macao?” Makarov asked, puzzled.

Macao, gasping for breath, pointed outside the guild. “Master, at South Gate Park, Levy, Jet, and Droy were attacked, injured, and hung from a tree.”

“What?!” Everyone exclaimed in disbelief.

They quickly arrived at South Gate Park.

A massive crowd had gathered. Levy, Jet, and Droy were hung high on a tree, covered in wounds, and the Phantom Lord mark was branded on Levy’s abdomen.

“Someone get them down!”

“But did you see that mark? It’s best not to interfere,” people whispered amongst themselves.

“Excuse me…”

Erza and the others pushed through the crowd to see the scene.

Lucy and Happy took a deep breath and covered their mouths. “Levy-chan!”

“Jet, Droy,” Gray felt a surge of anger.

Natsu’s face was grim; his teeth clenched, barely restraining his fury. “Phantom Lord did this!”

A small figure with a cane appeared from behind—Makarov.

But Makarov wasn’t wearing his usual clown costume.

He wore the Ten Wizard Saints’ robes; the Ten Saints emblem on his back looked incredibly serious.

Thud. His cane struck the ground with a dull sound, revealing the depth of his anger.

“Master…” Erza sensed the immense magic welling up within the old man.

Makarov looked at the scene, his body trembling slightly. “When a tiger has its jaws clamped on your head, you can’t reason with it, and you certainly shouldn’t hope it won’t bite.”

Finn’s words from yesterday echoed in Makarov’s mind.

He hung his head, regretting his earlier decision that led to this situation, and feeling heartbroken for his injured children.

“If they’d only wrecked the bar, I could’ve endured it. But no parent can watch their child bleed without doing anything…”

Crack~~ Makarov crushed his cane in a fit of rage.

Lucy watched Makarov fearfully. She’d never seen this side of him before—the wrath of a giant…

Boom~~ Makarov’s magic erupted, golden light illuminating his grim face.

All of Magnolia seemed to tremble from the sheer power of his magic.

“Brats, this is war!!”

“War—” Makarov’s words ignited the fury of all Fairy Tail members. This was a fight to the death.

…

In Magnolia’s hospital, equipped with specialized magical medical equipment, Levy, Jet, and Droy were receiving treatment, though they remained unconscious.

Lucy was left to care for them while the others had gone to Oak Town to exact their revenge on Phantom Lord.

Looking at Levy’s bedside, Lucy fell silent.

“Levy-chan…you can’t be hurt. You promised to be the first reader of my novel.” She turned to look at the destroyed guild.

“I never imagined they would be so cruel, those Phantom Lord people…” Lucy clenched her fists tightly.

…

Lucy walked down Magnolia’s streets, carrying food and supplies.

Suddenly, a raindrop fell on Lucy’s head.

“Huh? Is this a sudden downpour?” Lucy reached out to feel the increasingly heavy rain.

“Pitter-patter.” A woman in blue clothes, a blue hat, and blue curly hair walked calmly towards Lucy.

What stood out most wasn’t her blue attire, but the white sunny-day doll hanging around her neck.

Seeing this strange person, Lucy immediately became wary. “Who are you?”

The woman calmly replied, “Pitter-patter, that’s right, Juvia is the Rain Woman, pitter-patter.”

“Huh?” Lucy was completely baffled by the response.

“NO, NO, NO!” Suddenly, the ground next to Juvia began to strangely churn, and soon a humanoid middle-aged man emerged from the earth.

Lucy’s expression grew even more serious. “Another strange person.”

“Juvia,” the middle-aged man adjusted his monocle. “My glasses tell me our target is this cute young lady.”

“Ara, so it’s this girl,” Juvia said expressionlessly.

The middle-aged man, twisting his body in a strange manner, introduced himself. “I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Sol, one of Phantom Lord’s Four Elements. People call me Sol of the Great Earth.”

“You’re…Phantom Lord?” Lucy was shocked. And they were Phantom Lord’s Four Elements; their strength was undeniable. She secretly reached for the keys at her waist; her Celestial Spirits were her only comfort.

Sol continued his strange twisting movements, pointing towards Juvia. “And this is Juvia of the Sea, also one of Phantom Lord’s Four Elements.”

“The two of us have come from Phantom Lord to take you,” Sol said, spreading his arms wide.

Lucy’s supplies dropped to the ground. She drew the keys from her waist, her face filled with rage. “You’re the ones who hurt Levy-chan…”

Before Lucy could finish her sentence, she found herself unable to speak. A torrent of water had completely enveloped her body, cutting off her air supply. The sensation of suffocation overwhelmed her brain, and she eventually fell unconscious.

“Don’t worry, Juvia won’t take your life. We’re just taking you back to the Master,” Juvia said expressionlessly.

“Wonderful! That completes the mission,” Sol cackled strangely.

“Pitter-patter.”

…

Inside Phantom Lord’s guild in Oak Town,

Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord were locked in a fierce battle.

However, Fairy Tail clearly held the advantage, pushing back Phantom Lord’s forces relentlessly.

“Manly!” Elfman swung his monstrous, magically enhanced arm, knocking down several opponents with a single blow.

“Come on, manly men don’t retreat!” Elfman roared. Suddenly, an iron rod flew out from the shadows, striking Elfman hard in the abdomen.

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