Chapter 80: FTRJ: Chapter 80

“This song’s one I wrote myself,” Gajeel said coolly, still wearing his sunglasses. “’Bestfriend.’ Listen up, everyone.”

He began to sing. The reception was…less than enthusiastic. His music sounded like clashing metal, utterly unappealing to most, except perhaps Elfman.

“Get off the stage! It’s awful!” someone shouted.

“Help me! I think the world’s ending!” another voice cried out.

The pleas and the barrage of pots and pans flying onto the stage didn’t deter Gajeel’s passionate, if tone-deaf, performance.

“Shubi dubah, charara~~” Gajeel sang, completely lost in his music.

Natsu covered his ears. “I’ve never heard anything so terrible!”

Bang! A guitar smashed into Natsu’s face.

“You want a fight, you idiot?!” Gajeel roared.

“Shubi dubah!” Natsu and Gajeel instantly started brawling.

During the fight, a beer mug flew and hit Natsu in the face.

“Who threw that?!” Natsu yelled.

Gray, clearly annoyed, stood up and unceremoniously knocked over Erza’s strawberry cake. Completely oblivious to the destruction he’d caused, he continued to grumble, “Natsu, what the hell are you doing?!”

Erza’s eyes widened in horror, her mouth agape. “My…my strawberry cake…”

Before Erza could even begin to lament the loss of her dessert, a large foot landed squarely on top of the ruined cake. Elfman, completely unaware of the devastation he was causing, bellowed, “You brats! Act like men and stop this nonsense!”

“This is unbearable!” Erza, her face contorted in a furious grimace, unleashed a powerful kick that sent Elfman flying across the room.

The unfortunate Elfman, still airborne, managed to crash into a group of unsuspecting guild members, causing a chain reaction of chaos.

Meanwhile, Finn was engaged in a conversation with Mirajane when suddenly a blur of motion flew past them, the resulting gust of wind ruffling Mirajane’s white hair. Snapping out of her conversation, Mirajane looked around in confusion. “Eh? Where’d Finn go?”

“Damn it!” Finn, having been unceremoniously tackled by the airborne Elfman, flung the large man off of him with surprising ease. “Will you all just knock it off already?!”

Finn rolled up his sleeves, his expression turning grim as he launched himself into the fray, a wolf among sheep.

Mirajane watched the unfolding scene with an amused smile. “Ara ara~” she murmured.

“Here we go again,” she added with a sigh.

“Love~~”

Lucy and Happy, displaying remarkable foresight, had already wisely taken refuge behind the bar, silently letting out a collective sigh of resignation.

Makarov frantically attempted to catch the various tables, chairs, and other assorted items that were being flung across the room during the melee, but the sheer volume of flying debris proved too much for even him to handle.

The destruction was costing him a fortune! Makarov’s face crumpled as he began to weep openly, his heart aching at the sight of his beloved guild hall being reduced to a battleground.

Natsu, observing the chaotic scene unfolding around him, a wide grin spreading across his face, let out a hearty laugh. The initial unease he had felt upon entering the newly renovated guild hall completely vanished in this moment of exhilarating, familiar chaos. “Now this is Fairy Tail!” he exclaimed with unrestrained joy.

At Magnolia’s South Gate Park.

“Why the hell did you drag me out here? I was about to start work,” Gajeel grumbled, addressing Jet and Droy, who stood before him with grim expressions.

“Work? The guy who destroyed our guild dares to talk about work?!” Jet’s eyes blazed with resentment and anger, his gaze fixed intently on Gajeel.

Gajeel remained silent in response to Jet’s accusation.

From behind a large tree, Levy cautiously poked her head out, her voice soft and hesitant. “Please…stop. It’s okay. I…I’ve already let go of what happened.”

“We need to settle this,” Droy declared, adopting a fighting stance, his body tense and ready for action.

“Hmph,” Jet let out a cold snort, his body instantly accelerating with a burst of speed. Jet’s magic enhanced his speed, granting him a significant advantage in terms of both agility and striking power.

Bang! Jet’s powerful kick connected squarely with Gajeel, who appeared to be caught completely off guard by the sudden attack.

Gajeel was sent flying backwards, crashing heavily to the ground.

Seizing the opportunity, Droy swiftly flung several seeds onto the ground. A magical formation flickered into existence, and the seeds rapidly sprouted into thick vines, each tipped with a fist-like bud, relentlessly pummeling Gajeel.

“Iron Dragon’s Roar!” Jet reappeared before Gajeel, delivering an even more powerful kick than before, striking Gajeel with full force.

The immense force of the blow sent Gajeel sliding uncontrollably across the ground, leaving two deep gouges in the earth in his wake.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Jet demanded, his voice laced with suspicion and a hint of anger, as he watched Gajeel remain strangely passive, making no attempt to defend himself against the relentless assault.

“Is this a two-on-one fight?” Just then, a figure emerged from the shadows—a man with long, yellow hair, clad in a long coat.

“Laxus!” Jet and the others cried out in surprise and alarm at the unexpected arrival of their guild master.

Laxus’s eyes, filled with a mixture of disdain and barely suppressed fury, swept over Gajeel. “So this is the guy who destroyed my guild,” he stated, his voice dripping with contempt.

Approaching Gajeel, Laxus continued, his tone laced with a biting sarcasm, “The old man decided to make you a member to keep you out of trouble, huh?”

A simmering rage erupted within Laxus, fueled by a long-suppressed fury. “That’s why you’re looked down upon…”

“I’ve been hearing some infuriating things at every tavern I’ve stopped at on my way back,” Laxus growled, the veins on his temples bulging with barely controlled anger.

“Fairy Tail isn’t all that special. That guild is pathetically weak,” he sneered, the electricity crackling around him intensifying with his rising fury.

Rumble—

A massive bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, striking Gajeel with devastating force.

“Aaaaah!!” Even Gajeel could only cry out in agony as he was engulfed by the powerful electrical current.

“It’s all because of you!” Laxus slammed his fist into the ground, unleashing a torrent of lightning that formed a swirling vortex of energy, hurtling towards Gajeel.

The blinding flash of lightning rendered Jet and the others momentarily unable to see what was happening.

When the light finally subsided, Gajeel lay defeated and helpless on the ground, his body covered in numerous grievous wounds that spoke volumes of the brutal punishment he had endured.

“Laxus, this is going too far,” Jet protested, his voice filled with concern and disapproval, unable to stand by and watch Gajeel suffer such a brutal beating.

“Even if Laxus is strong, Gajeel should have been able to fight back,” Droy added, his voice expressing his confusion and disbelief at Gajeel’s complete lack of resistance.

“Could it be…?” Jet’s eyes widened as a sudden realization dawned upon him.

“From the very beginning, Gajeel wanted us to accept him as one of us, so he didn’t fight back,” Levy whispered from behind Jet and Droy, her hands covering her mouth in a mixture of shock and understanding.

“It’s because of you that the guild is looked down upon!” Laxus’s rage intensified as he looked down at the trembling Gajeel, his voice thick with fury.

“You will atone with your life! Anyone who dares to defy Fairy Tail will pay the ultimate price!” A lightning bolt, as thick as a barrel, and shimmering with a brilliant golden light, hurtled towards Gajeel.

Boom—A wall of flames erupted, shattering the lightning bolt before it could reach its target.

“Finn…” Gajeel managed to lift his head weakly, his gaze fixed on the approaching figure.

Gajeel stared at Finn, utterly bewildered by his unexpected intervention.

“It’s Finn!” Levy and the others cried out in relief, their voices filled with a mixture of gratitude and hope.

“Thank goodness! He’ll stop Laxus,” Levy and the others murmured, a collective sigh of relief escaping their lips. Their intention had been to reconcile with Gajeel, not to inflict further harm upon him.

They had witnessed Gajeel’s deliberate lack of resistance, understanding his unspoken plea for acceptance.

Gajeel’s only desire was to earn the genuine acceptance and respect of his new comrades.

“Why are you stopping me?” Laxus asked calmly, his gaze fixed on Finn.

“Did you forget? This guy destroyed our guild,” Laxus reminded Finn, his voice cold and devoid of emotion.

“I haven’t forgotten. I destroyed theirs too, and he’s already paid the price,” Finn responded, his gaze unwavering as he met Laxus’s intense stare directly.

“He’s joined our guild now. He’s one of us. You went too far, Laxus!” Finn stated firmly.

“Comrade…” Gajeel stared at Finn in disbelief. He wasn’t stupid. In Phantom Lord, the concept of ’comrade’ didn’t exist. The strong dictated the rules, and the weak were forced to endure.

To avoid being bullied, Gajeel had relentlessly pushed himself to become stronger, because if he wasn’t strong, he would be the one being victimized.

Finally, he became one of the strongest in Phantom Lord, transforming into the very person he had once despised.

But that was simply a product of his harsh environment; the twisted concepts he’d learned in Phantom Lord were deeply ingrained within him.

However, since joining Fairy Tail, Gajeel had experienced a complete paradigm shift. He found a sense of camaraderie and genuine warmth within the guild.

Despite the occasional arguments and boisterous disagreements, Gajeel could feel the genuine connection between the members.

He realized that everyone in Fairy Tail communicated from the heart, a realization that filled him with a sense of longing and envy for the first time in his life.

He yearned to belong, to experience the warmth and acceptance of a true family.

Yet, he was acutely aware of the damage he had inflicted upon Fairy Tail in the past, the pain he had caused to its members. He carried the weight of his past actions, a heavy burden of guilt.

Therefore, when faced with the relentless attacks from Jet and Droy, he had chosen not to defend himself, hoping that his passivity might somehow appease their anger. He hadn’t dared to hope for true acceptance.

But in this moment, hearing the word ’comrade’ uttered by Finn, a profound sense of belonging washed over Gajeel, leaving him deeply moved and his heart filled with a sense of peace he hadn’t known before.

Laxus let out a derisive scoff. “Comrades? Such things are utterly useless.”

“Even strong people can be weakened by such things, just like you, Finn,” Laxus sneered, his gaze shifting to Levy and the others. “And weak people become even weaker clinging to such illusions.”

A simmering anger flickered in Laxus’s eyes, seemingly fueled by Finn’s decision to intervene.

“I’ve told you before, my beliefs are diametrically opposed to yours. Comrades make you stronger,” Finn retorted, his gaze locking with Laxus’s, the air between them thickening with the palpable tension of their conflicting ideologies and the subtle thrum of their magical power.

“Uh oh, are those two about to start a fight?” Jet nervously asked Droy, his eyes wide with apprehension.

“How would I know?” Droy replied with a shrug, his voice equally laced with concern.

“Please, please don’t let them fight here! This is South Gate Park; it’s so crowded!” Levy whispered a silent prayer, her heart pounding in her chest.

Sensing the immense pressure emanating from both Finn and Laxus, Gajeel understood that both men were powerful figures, far beyond his current capabilities.

His gaze drifted towards the bustling crowd of people passing by in the park, and Laxus, seemingly sensing the potential for collateral damage, finally decided to suppress his surging magical power.

“Finn, I’ll prove you wrong very soon,” Laxus stated, his eyes fixed intently on Finn, before turning and striding away.

No one noticed the expression that flickered across Laxus’s face as he turned to leave—a ferocious, almost beast-like grimace of barely contained rage.

“This is utterly pointless,” Laxus muttered to himself, his voice laced with bitterness and disillusionment. “Fairy Tail…I don’t want that kind of guild…”

His fists clenched tightly, the air around him crackling with the energy of his uncontrolled lightning magic. “I’ve reached my limit!!” he roared inwardly.

“Fairy Tail will be mine!!”

Watching Laxus’s retreating figure, Finn let out a long, weary sigh, his voice barely a whisper. “Master…Laxus has lost his way. Perhaps one day we will face each other as enemies. Don’t blame me then.”

Turning to Gajeel, who lay weakly on the ground, Finn extended a hand. “How are you? Can you get up?”

Gajeel, using his arms to support himself, struggled to his feet, his eyes filled with a mixture of gratitude and confusion.

“Why did you help me?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, his desire for an answer burning within him.

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