'Is this guy serious?!' Gajeel thought, confused by Allen's words. To Gajeel, Allen was stronger than him. But the difference between an S-Class wizard and a Saint Wizard was immense.
There could be a hundred S-Class mages in Fiore, but there were only ten Saint Wizards—and not just in Fiore, but across the entire continent of Ishgar. Only ten people had been given that title. Of course, many powerful mages hadn't received such a classification, either because they were dark mages or because the Council was unaware of the extent of their powers. Some didn't want the title. Even so, anyone with that title… was a monster from the perspective of any other mage.
Even someone as aggressive, selfish, and arrogant as Gajeel knew to show a certain degree of respect to his master, Jose.
"You're insane…" Gajeel said.
"I didn't ask for your opinion. You still haven't answered my questions…" Allen's gaze turned cold once again.
"Haha! If you want to know so badly, I'll tell you! It's because we hate the fairies!" Gajeel said nervously. He was still in a humiliating position—defeated—but he held onto a bit of stubborn pride.
"Our rivalry has gone back and forth for years, and that hasn't changed!"
"And just for that, you go this far?!" Levy shouted in anger. "Attacking our guild, hurting my friends just because you don't like us—that's a cowardly and disgusting act! I won't forgive you!"
"Haha… what nonsense are you spouting?! You won't forgive me?! Like I care!"
"You sure talk a lot for a loser…" Allen narrowed his eyes, making Gajeel go pale and fall silent.
Still, Allen sensed this guy was hiding something.
"Hmph, in the end, all you know how to do is bully those weaker than you—and lower your head like a coward to those who are stronger…" Levy mocked without mercy.
"..." Gajeel clenched his fists in frustration, but didn't dare respond—not to the monster standing before him.
He didn't understand why he was so scared. Allen was just a human. Gajeel had been raised by one of the strongest creatures in the world, and yet here he was, kneeling before an insignificant human… while he was the son of a dragon.
'Why did I give up?'
Gajeel couldn't understand his own actions. It wasn't like he couldn't fight anymore. Even if his attacks didn't work, the way he simply admitted defeat was something even he didn't expect.
He felt that somewhere, Metalicana must be disappointed in him—wherever he was. 'Damn it… Someday I'll make you pay for this!'
"This is strange…" Allen held his chin, deep in thought. No matter how he thought about it, something didn't add up.
"...!?" Gajeel tensed. When he looked into Allen's eyes, he felt immense pressure.
What was odd was that he couldn't sense even the slightest trace of magic from Allen. On the contrary, even with his enhanced Dragon Slayer senses, Allen just seemed like a regular human.
That bizarre inconsistency between his essence and his power… that contradiction made Gajeel afraid.
"Is something wrong?" Levy leaned forward curiously.
This action left Gajeel speechless. Did this brat not realize the kind of monster standing in front of her?!
How could she act so casually?!
Allen shook his head with a frown, looking up at the night sky. "Two major legal guilds being at odds—that's nothing unusual. But for one of them to make a bold, unprovoked attack like this, even targeting its members without fear of Council retaliation or a guild war… that's strange... From what I heard from Mirajane, Jose Porla isn't the impulsive type. At the very least, he wouldn't do something without gaining from it.... So that leaves me thinking only one thing: they're trying to provoke a war—but with an objective that's not just about destroying Fairy Tail…"
"…!" Gajeel trembled, unable to hide it—and Allen's eyes seemed to laugh, as if to say, "Got you."
"Looks like you hit the mark!" said Levy.
"You think a metal head like you can fool me? Say one more lie and I'll break every bone in your body..."
Gajeel fell from the sword breaking the ground when Allen pressed his foot down on Gajeel's throat.
"Now answer my question: why does Jose Porla want a war?!"
"You..."A chill ran down Gajeel's spine. Allen wasn't like the rest of the fairies. He could feel it in his bones—his life was in real danger. Maybe the only reason he wasn't dead yet was the blue-haired girl watching in silence, clearly worried.
BAM!
"That's enough, Allen!"
Makarov appeared, slamming his staff into the ground. Gone were his flashy clothes and jester's hat—he now wore a white mantle that radiated dignity.
"Old man…"
Allen backed off and let Gajeel breathe.
"Master!" Levy turned happily, seeing Master Makarov and many other guild members behind him.
"I guess it was inevitable…" Allen clicked his tongue. Their "fight" had drawn too much attention, and now too many people were aware.
Allen could've ended this with one strike, but he had done it deliberately—he wanted to teach Gajeel a lesson. And there was no better way than by crushing his pride.
Makarov had a dark expression and veins bulging from his forehead as he looked from Gajeel to Jet and Droy. While they weren't in danger of dying, they were clearly hurt. Laki and Mirajane rushed to help them without hesitation.
"Thought I smelled something rotten!" Natsu growled, glaring at Gajeel—then at Makarov. "Gramps, you're not gonna stop us this time, right?!"
"I was holding back…" Makarov walked slowly toward Gajeel. The iron mage no longer showed signs of resistance, but he still looked pressured by the overwhelming magical energy pouring out of Makarov Dreyar.
'He's a Saint Wizard… just like Master Jose…' Gajeel realized immediately that any resistance would mean his end. So he did the only thing he could—brace himself against the crushing pressure.
Levy, frightened, moved behind Allen. She quickly noticed he didn't seem affected by the master's magic at all.
"It's one thing to break furniture or smash tables…" Makarov declared with eyes full of fury, "But no parent can look at their injured children and stay calm! NO MATTER JOSE'S REASON—THIS IS WAR!"
The rage and will of everyone surged, but Allen remained silent.
...
Diana – That old man is letting his anger take control.
Barbara – Allen has a point... Understanding the reason behind these attacks is crucial.
Anissa – You can't think clearly when you're consumed by rage… That man's making a mistake.
The Emperor – Emotions are often a human weakness… but it's understandable. His love for his children is clouding his judgment.
Athena – This Jose guy seems to want Fairy Tail to attack him.
Wednesday – You could say he's setting things up so that when Fairy Tail attacks his territory, no one will blame him for wiping them out…
Rebecca – Tsk. Still, we don't have enough information about Jose's personality. What if this is part of a bigger plan—or worse, a trap?
...
'Too strange...' Allen closed his eyes and put his hands in his pockets.
This wasn't his decision to make. His original plan was to seek out Jose Porla himself, and depending on what he discovered, he might've ended the whole conflict alone. But now that Makarov and most of the guild were here, that was no longer an option.So he decided to trust Makarov's judgment. After all… he was the Guild Master.
"Everyone, go back to sleep. First thing tomorrow, we head to Oak Town!"
With Makarov's words, everyone began to disperse.
"Master, what should we do with him?", Macao asked with a scowl, referring to Gajeel.By now, everyone knew he was responsible for this whole situation. But after what Allen did to him, Gajeel was injured and no longer a threat.
"We'll lock him up for now. Our top priority is Phantom Lord…"Makarov glanced at Allen. 'I'm sorry…'
"...!" Allen opened his eyes as Makarov's message reached him telepathically. It was somewhat similar to Menscaligo—the "Mind in the Mist" spell he'd used back in Web Valley.
Allen smiled. He knew Makarov was skilled in magic—no surprise there, he was one of the strongest.But he was surprised the old man had stolen one of his spells. Then again, considering Allen had also stolen Makarov's Giant magic, maybe now they were even.
[Main Quest: Guild War – Conflicts between guilds are common. There's no rule forcing them to get along. But Jose Porla has gone too far. Take part in this war, no matter the outcome.]
[Side Quest: Prevent Deaths – Because of Lucifer, the plot armor has weakened. That means many people who weren't supposed to die... might. Luck is cut in half, and there's a real chance Fairy Tail could lose this war—or worse, that someone could die…]
[Emergency Quest: The Danger of a Saint Wizard – Jose is extremely powerful. Outside of Makarov and you, no one can face him one-on-one. On top of that, the devil's conditions have increased his threat level. There's a 90% chance someone will die if the rest of the guild fights him alone…]
Allen opened his eyes in surprise as new quests suddenly popped up from nowhere. With the Deliora incident, Allen had been unmotivated for several days and hadn't even checked the rewards from the previous missions—and now more were appearing. This made Allen more serious, as he saw that what Jose Porla had was extremely dangerous. With Lucifer's interference, it could even end in someone's death.
"Allen…" Erza walked toward him with a stern look. Once in front of him, she scanned him from head to toe. "Are you alright?"
Allen coughed before smiling. "Yeah…"
Erza smiled back—then punched him in the stomach. But Allen stopped Erza's fist mid-air.
"Miss Scarlet, to what do I owe this aggression?" Allen asked with a sarcastic smile.
"You still have the nerve to ask?! Do you think I wouldn't notice that you were planning to go to Phantom Lord alone?!"
"…" Allen didn't know what to say that was his plan. He was used to handling things with minimal help, so his first instinct was to go solo. However, he had changed his mind.
"I'm sorry…" Allen could only apologize with an innocent eyes.
"Hmph! That's not going to work!" Erza huffed and crossed her arms, unmoved by his apology. Erza had begun to understand how Allen worked and would not fall for sweet words.
"Oh, come on…"
From an outside perspective, they looked like a couple arguing, which made several onlookers jealous. Even Levy, who had been quietly standing nearby, felt a sharp pang of jealousy, especially since the moment Erza arrived, Allen's attention had been completely focused on her.
'Is it because of her chest?' Levy glared at Allen with venom in her eyes. Until now, he had only seemed interested in girls with large breasts, which made her angry. 'Wait, why am I even angry?!' Levy's eyes widened as she placed a hand on her own chest.
"Levy?" Allen noticed the blue-haired girl had gone quiet and turned to look at her.
"Huh?! No! It's not what it looks like!"
Levy's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't expected this, so she could only flee in embarrassment and panic. Allen and Erza watched as Levy ran toward Elfman and Wakaba, who were carrying Droy and Jet.
"Tsk…" Erza elbowed Allen.
Allen blocked the redhead's strike in confusion. Was this his fault? There's no way Levy was falling for him just because he saved her, right? This wasn't a romance manga…
---
(The Next Day – Oak Town)
Oak was an old fortified town. Built on a hill, surrounded by forests and mountains, with a river flowing nearby. The city was historic, full of turrets and battlements. It sat atop a round hill and was famous in Fiore for being the location of the Phantom Lord guild.
Inside the guild, laughter and mockery echoed through the building, as news of Gajeel's attack on Fairy Tail had already spread.
"That Gajeel's something else! Destroying the whole guild?! Hahaha!"
"I wish I could've seen the looks on those fairies' faces!"
"By the way, why hasn't Gajeel returned yet?"
"Who knows? With his personality, I wouldn't be surprised if he stayed behind to keep smashing fairies on his own!"
"Totally~"
Anyone watching the scene would find it hard to believe this wasn't a dark guild. However, the Magic Council's requirements only stated that guilds must follow the law. Who they took jobs from or what their personalities were like wasn't something they regulated.
A trio of mages walked toward the front doors, ready to head out on a new mission. One of them even joked that if they ran into any "fairies" along the way, they'd teach them a lesson. But as they neared the door—BOOM! It exploded.
Everyone in the guild tensed up as the figures of several Fairy Tail mages appeared before them.
"We're here to return the favor!" Natsu shouted as he rushed forward to fight.
A large number of mages had come, including Cana, Levy, Gray, Elfman, Wakaba, Reedus, Macao, Nab, Alzak, Loke, Bisca—even Laki. And of course, Allen and Erza. Mirajane stayed behind since she wasn't a combatant, and Allen had asked Lucy to stay and watch over Mirajane in case of a surprise attack from behind.
"Ice-Make: Lance!" Gray used his ice magic to strike, his eyes glowing with determination.
"Bastards! How dare you destroy my favorite drinking table?!" Cana pulled out a card, launching a projectile at a mage, then used another card that flashed, blinding a second mage before kicking him square in the groin.
"You'll regret trying to hurt a cutie like Levy-chan!" Loke tapped his ring, conjuring a fire orb that sent several enemies flying.
"Manly!!" Elfman transformed his arm into a demon's and smashed into the fray.
"I'm too old for this…" Wakaba grumbled as smoke in the shape of a fist shot from his pipe, slamming into a group of mages.
"Haha! Quit whining!" Macao punched a mage in the face barehanded.
Erza slashed one mage with her sword and kicked another before turning to see Allen, who stood still, not engaging in the battle. He was watching Makarov slowly walk up the stairs.
"Allen, I'm leaving this to you. I'm going to have a word with Jose!" Makarov said as he walked.
His voice left no room for argument or protest, though some were surprised Allen had been chosen to take charge instead of someone more senior like Erza or Macao.
"…" Allen frowned. He knew the quests had warned that people could die if he faced Jose, but that didn't apply to Makarov, who had to be on a similar level.
"Requip: The Knight!" Erza changed into her Flame Empress Armor and charged in.
This armor was primarily deep red, with orange and black accents. The orange parts resembled flames, and the rest evoked the limbs of a dragon. The breastplate had no shoulder pads and left her legs exposed, resembling a one-piece swimsuit. Black decorations ran across the design. A pair of dragon wings extended from the back. Her gauntlets had small claw-like spikes, and her greaves were shaped like dragon claws with orange kneepads. While wearing it, Erza's hair was tied into two high pigtails.
Several mages paused to gawk at the surprisingly sexy armor—which was a mistake, as they were immediately engulfed in flames from Erza's sword. Allen wasn't sure if he should praise or punch the blacksmiths who made her gear.
After defeating several enemies, Erza approached Allen. "What's wrong?"
She'd noticed he seemed distracted, like his mind was somewhere else.
"It's nothing…" Allen shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and focus on the present. "Let's end this quickly…"
Just as Allen was about to move, he froze. He could feel Lucy was in danger through the pendant he'd given her. In that moment, everything connected.
"They wanted to draw us away from Magnolia from the very beginning!" Allen shouted, filled with rage. He glanced at Erza—and she understood immediately.
Allen vanished from the battlefield, back to Magnolia…
Unaware that doing so had placed every Fairy Tail member in deadly danger.