Rhode asked himself whether, if Mira really turned into a statue now, susceptible to being shattered or turned into dust at any moment, he could even predict what he would do.
Moreover, the few words Laxus said before leaving were also sharp, leaving Rhode unsure if he truly hoped Rhode would lead an attack, or if he was intentionally using words to divide them.
In any case, these hot-blooded and enraged individuals could no longer care about such matters.
The most extreme reactions naturally came from Alzack, Jet, and Troy, who muttered a quick response and rushed out of the guild without looking back.
Then the majority burst out of the guild, scattering to search for the Thunder God Tribe and Laxus.
Whether concerned for the girls' safety or unable to tolerate Laxus's taunts, they acted as usual, following their first thoughts without hesitation.
The ones who stayed in the guild were only Makarov, Mira, Elfman, Gray, Wolian, Laki, and a few others who were either calm enough or trusted Rhode enough.
Aside from them, Natsu had just been knocked down by Laxus and hadn't gotten up yet, with Hapi looking after him.
Gajeel was munching on iron utensils, looking as if it had nothing to do with him.
Onstage, Rhode checked the girls' condition; all six of them appeared as cold as stone, showing no signs of ever having been alive.
He asked, "President, is there no way to lift the Petrification Magic?"
"I can't do it. Aside from Ibarglin herself who might be able to undo it, maybe Porlyusica might have a potion to lift the petrification."
Mira bit her lip and apologized, "I'm sorry, if I had been backstage then…"
"If you were backstage, there would likely be one more statue here."
Rhode indicated that she shouldn't feel guilty, "Even Erza fell victim to it; you probably wouldn't have been able to avoid it either.
Ibarglin probably exploited their trust in not guarding against comrades to succeed in her sneak attack. You can tell by their shocked expressions."
Mira fell silent; indeed, she wouldn't specifically guard against Ibarglin, even knowing her eyes could use Petrification Magic.
To take advantage of comrades' trust...
The person who came up with this plan, it's hard to say whether he's despicable or if he knows Fairy Tail too well.
In any case, he's definitely not easily forgivable.
"Indeed, this is not your responsibility, Mira, but mine!" Makarov stormed towards the door, regretting he didn't catch up to Laxus to punish him last time.
"You all make a trip to Porlyusica's place to see if there's a potion to lift the petrification. I'll go now and teach Laxus a lesson, this time I'll give him the heaviest punishment, and definitely not be lenient!"
The old man marched forward with large strides, his stern expression, the magic power exuding from his anger, and his billowing coat emphasizing his extraordinary presence.
The majesty of the Ten Wizard Saints was fully displayed.
However, the impressive scene abruptly stopped when he reached the door.
For he collided with an invisible wall with a bang, as though pressing against a glass wall, his cheek squashed.
"What is this?" Makarov pressed his hands against the invisible wall ahead, unable to move it even an inch no matter how hard he tried.
The people remaining in the guild showed amazed expressions: "President? What's the matter?"
"Something's blocking me!" Makarov tried again but still couldn't advance a step.
"Are you kidding? Didn't everyone just run out freely?"
Suddenly, lines of dark purple text with strange patterns appeared in the air: "No statues or people over 80 years old allowed entry or exit."
"Technique?!"