Chapter 56: FTRJ: Chapter 56

A powerful force sent Elfman flying, plowing through a crowd of both Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord members.

“That guy’s hitting his own people?” Gray asked.

The iron pillar retracted, reforming into a normal arm as Gajeel emerged from the shadows.

“That’s…the Iron Dragon Slayer, Gajeel,” Erza said, her expression serious. His reputation was well-known; he was considered Phantom Lord’s strongest mage besides Jose.

Erza couldn’t help but be serious.

“But why is he like that?” Happy asked, confused.

Gajeel looked worse for wear, completely bandaged, like a patient who’d just escaped from the hospital.

“Heh heh,” Gajeel let out a sinister laugh, noticing Loki charging nearby. He spun, delivering a roundhouse kick, his right leg instantly transforming into an iron pillar that extended towards Loki.

Loki couldn’t dodge. Boom! He touched his body, finding no damage or pain. Loki stared blankly ahead.

Natsu had firmly grasped the extending iron pillar.

“Heh heh, you’re fighting me,” Natsu said, flinging Gajeel’s iron pillar aside, flames erupting from his hands. “I’m Fairy Tail’s Dragon Slayer.”

He turned to Loki. “Leave this guy to me.” Loki nodded and charged off in another direction.

Gajeel’s iron pillar retracted, reforming into a leg. He grumbled, “Flame again? You dare show your face before me? You should be prepared to die.”

Natsu looked at the bandaged Gajeel, smiling. “A patient like you should worry about yourself first. How did you get those injuries?” Natsu stroked his chin thoughtfully.

At those words, Gajeel’s temples throbbed with rage.

Natsu snapped his fingers, a sudden realization dawning on him. “I remember now! I know Finn came to see you last night. Those injuries…were from Finn, weren’t they? Hahaha, what a mess!”

“You—” Gajeel, unable to bear Natsu’s taunts any longer, instantly charged, engaging Natsu in battle.

Both used Dragon Slayer Magic, known for its destructive power, and the shockwaves of their battle wildly impacted the surrounding crowd.

Just as their fight reached a fever pitch, the entire castle began to shake violently.

“Ara ara, it’s beginning. The giant’s wrath,” the Fairy Tail mages exclaimed, their faces alight with excitement, their gazes fixed on the familiar magical energy emanating from above—the magic of their most trusted person, Master Makarov.

However, after only a short time, Makarov’s scream echoed through the air, followed by a figure crashing heavily from the upper floors.

The moment Erza clearly saw the figure in the crater below, her eyes widened in shock. “Master—”

“This is truly tragic, the sorrowful demise of such a powerful mage,” a man in green clothing, his eyes covered by bandages yet tears still streaming down his face, cried out in grief from the rooftop.

“Master, are you alright?” Erza rushed to Makarov’s side, examining his condition. Makarov’s skin had taken on a strange greenish hue. Sensing Makarov’s life force, Erza exclaimed in disbelief,

“Master’s magic…it’s gone?”

Meanwhile, within the Magic Council, Finn was leisurely enjoying some fruit in his five-star suite when, suddenly, the sound of boots striking the floor echoed from behind him.

Finn turned his head, instantly setting down the apple in his hand. “Ultear, what brings you here?”

Erza supported Makarov. “Master, hang in there.”

“What the heck happened?!” Cana, witnessing Makarov’s distress, was at a loss for what to do.

“My…magic…” Makarov said weakly.

“It’s Phantom Lord’s Aria’s magic. It drains magic, turning it into nothingness,” Erza gritted her teeth.

“Er…Erza, get everyone back. We can’t win now. Wait…for Finn,” Makarov said painfully before collapsing to the ground.

Erza clenched her fists but stood, shouting, “Fairy Tail, retreat! Back to the guild!”

“Erza, what are you saying? We can’t just do that!” Loki exclaimed, after delivering a powerful punch that sent a small fry sprawling.

“Manly men don’t retreat!” Elfman, surrounded by several opponents, still managed to shout out his defiant stance.

“I can still fight!” Macao, supported by Cana, also chimed in.

“No, without the Master’s power, we can’t defeat Jose. Retreat! This is an order!” Erza’s commanding voice echoed through Phantom Lord’s guild.

On Phantom Lord’s upper floor, Gajeel jumped onto a railing. “Aria, you really did it! You actually found a way to subdue that old geezer!”

Tears streaming down her face, Aria replied, “It was all part of the Master’s plan. It really was perfect, woo woo.”

“But are we just going to let them retreat like this?” Gajeel whispered.

Aria, still weeping, said, “The Master’s not here; the two of us can’t hold them off. But the Master is already making preparations; this is just letting them gasp their last breaths.”

Gajeel looked down at the retreating Fairy Tail members. “By the way, did they catch that Lucy woman?”

“It’s a shame, but that little Lucy girl has already been imprisoned,” Aria replied.

Natsu, having overheard their conversation, looked up and glared at Gajeel. “What did you do to Lucy?!”

Gajeel glanced down at Natsu, a sneering smile playing on his lips. “Fire Dragon, we’ll fight again next time.”

With that, Aria waved her hand, and the two of them vanished from their spot.

Natsu hung his head, lost in thought. “Happy, come with me,” he said, grabbing a Phantom Lord member and running off.

Happy quickly followed. “Natsu, where are we going?”

“We’re going to save Lucy,” Natsu roared without looking back.

…

Inside a small cabin in the eastern forest of Magnolia,

The weakened Makarov lay in bed, struggling to even breathe.

Porlyusica, having prepared the potion, approached Makarov’s bedside. Without any warning, she slapped him across the face.

“Ah! What…what are you doing?!”

“How could you do that to the Master—no, I mean, to a patient?!” Bisca and Alzack, who had escorted Makarov, cried out in shock.

“At your age, being so reckless! This is what happens! I can’t stand it! You’re such a stupid man!” Porlyusica was furious.

She then explained, “This is most likely wind-attribute magic. ’Exhaustion’ is a type of magic that causes the opponent’s magic power to drain away. The forcibly expelled magic power dissipates into the air and eventually vanishes.”

Porlyusica’s eyes were filled with worry as she looked at Makarov. “If we could recover the magic power Makarov lost at that time, he might recover more quickly.”

“But if it’s left too long, it’ll take a very long time. Given Makarov’s physical condition, without magic power, he might not live much longer.”

“What?!” Bisca and Alzack exclaimed in surprise.

“We’ll go back and tell everyone,” Bisca said gravely.

Seeing Bisca and Alzack still standing there, Porlyusica couldn’t help but yell, “Why haven’t you left yet?! Get out of here! Humans are so stinky!”

Having never witnessed such a display before, Bisca and Alzack immediately ran out.

…

Meanwhile, inside the Magic Council, in Finn’s temporary five-star cell,

Finn was about to greet Ultear when she placed a finger to her lips, signaling him to remain silent.

Finn quickly nodded in understanding.

Ultear approached Finn and whispered, “I’ve come to bring you some news, concerning Fairy Tail.”

Finn’s expression immediately turned serious upon hearing this.

“This morning, Master Makarov, upon discovering that members of your guild had been attacked, in his rage, led Fairy Tail to confront Phantom Lord.”

Finn understood immediately that it must have been the people Gajeel had attacked.

Finn wasn’t surprised at all that Makarov would lead a retaliatory strike against Phantom Lord; the guild members were Makarov’s weakness.

Ultear continued, “But Fairy Tail was ambushed by Phantom Lord, and Master Makarov’s magic power was completely drained. He should have been rescued and brought back by Erza and the others by now.”

“What?!” Finn’s hand tightened, causing the cup in his hand to shatter into pieces and fall to the ground.

He had assumed that with the guild’s strength, victory was practically guaranteed. Others might not know, but Finn was well aware of just how powerful Makarov was.

But now Makarov had been ambushed?

Ultear quickly covered Finn’s mouth. “I know you’re furious right now, but please let me finish.”

Finn nodded slowly.

Ultear continued, “The crucial point is that Phantom Lord is now preparing a full-scale assault on your guild. However, this major event has been suppressed by the Chairman, preventing the Council members from even knowing about it.”

“It’s only thanks to my other informants that I was able to discover this.”

“Therefore, I suspect that Phantom Lord is colluding with the Chairman. After all, the Chairman is the one who most desperately wants your guild to disappear, which is also the reason why you’re being held here.”

Upon hearing this, Finn couldn’t help but express his gratitude. “Alright, I understand. Thank you very much, Ultear.”

Finn was about to leave when Ultear stopped him, pressing him down onto the sofa. “Calm down first. If you rush out like this, do you know what you’ll be labeled as?”

Ultear’s entire body was practically pressed against Finn’s, and as he caught a whiff of her faint perfume, Finn instinctively turned his head away.

Ultear forcefully turned Finn’s head back towards her. “You’ll be branded a fugitive.”

Finn shrugged indifferently. “Whether I’m a fugitive or not, I have to go back and save my family. What does it matter if I’m a fugitive?”

Hearing Finn’s unwavering tone and the intense anxiety etched across his face, Ultear paused for a moment, murmuring softly to herself, “Family, huh?”

Ultear then looked directly at Finn, her expression serious. “I can help you get out of here.”

Finn’s eyes widened in surprise.

Ultear continued, “Your current predicament hinges on whether you’re seen as the instigator of the conflict or as someone who was forced to retaliate. This entire matter was suppressed by the Chairman, but I’ve secretly gathered evidence.”

“As long as we can prove that Phantom Lord made the first move, you can be released immediately. After all, it’s simply the Chairman’s one-sided concealment. With sufficient evidence, the other council members won’t deliberately offend you over such a minor matter.”

Finn stared at Ultear, who had been consistently thinking of ways to help him, speechless for a moment before finally speaking. “Ultear, I don’t even know what to say for all your help.”

Ultear smiled. “I remember you once said you’d invite me to join your guild. So, helping my own guild is perfectly reasonable, wouldn’t you say?”

Finn laughed. “So, that means you’ve agreed?”

Ultear shook her head. “Not yet. I’m still investigating a few things. Once everything is settled, if I’m still around, and your guild is still standing, then I’ll join.”

Finn nodded. “You can rest assured, Fairy Tail will always welcome those who strive for the light.”

Ultear stood up. “Then I’ll go prepare. If everything goes as planned, you’ll be released in an hour. Make sure you wait patiently during that time. And don’t worry about Fairy Tail; Phantom Lord won’t be able to act that quickly.”

__________________

for more advance Chapters visit patreon.com/bars45.

For 10$- All advance Chapters.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep