"Extra! Extra!!!"
"Special Extra!!!"
"Fairy Tail challenges Phantom Lord!"
"What?!"
"Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord?!"
"Are these two guilds going to fight?"
"Give me a copy!"
"Me too! Me too!"
It was almost evening, and this evening paper instantly made every city lively.
Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail, these two were arguably the strongest guilds in Fiore, always generating discussion. No one expected these two strongest guilds to actually fight.
Everyone immediately started reading the newspaper.
"To the esteemed Guild Master Jose of Phantom Lord, to thank you for your care of Fairy Tail, to deepen our friendship, and to promote mutual progress, we, Fairy Tail, sincerely invite you and your Phantom Lord to a friendly spar. The time and place will be three days from now at Onibus Arena. Both sides will send six people for one-on-one battles. The winner can choose to spar with the next person or to forfeit, until all six people from both sides have been defeated. We wonder if you dare to accept."
So, Fairy Tail was inviting Phantom Lord to a spar.
"Why would Fairy Tail challenge Phantom Lord to a spar?"
"What spar? That sounds good, but it's actually a declaration of war. I heard Phantom Lord destroyed Fairy Tail's building last night. Fairy Tail can't swallow this, so they want revenge."
"Then why don't they just go and fight them directly?"
"The Magic Council doesn't allow conflicts between Mage Guilds, so they're probably retaliating in this way."
"I see."
At this moment, Gajeel, the Iron Dragon and main culprit behind the destruction of Fairy Tail, looked at the newspaper report, a sinister smile appearing on his face.
"I originally planned to heavily injure a few of Fairy Tail's trash, but I didn't expect these guys to be so impatient. However, things have become interesting."
The news in the newspaper naturally reached Phantom Lord.
"Ha! Those trash from Fairy Tail are desperate."
"They actually dare to declare war on us, Phantom Lord? They really don't know their place."
"We, Phantom Lord, have the famous Element 4 and Gajeel, the Iron Dragon."
"That's right."
At this moment, at the top of Phantom Lord, Jose and all of Element 4 were there.
"Heh heh. This is quite unexpected."
"Although it doesn't align with my plan, this is also good. It's a perfect opportunity to show everyone in this country the gap between those trash from Fairy Tail and my Phantom Lord."
"All of you, perform well for me. Completely crush those trash from Fairy Tail."
"Yes."
Soon, Phantom Lord released news that they had accepted Fairy Tail's request for a spar.
Upon receiving this news, the entire Kingdom of Fiore erupted. Although some Mage duels could be seen in the arena on a daily basis, the two sides in this duel were completely different.
Both sides were the top Mage Guilds in the Kingdom of Fiore, and their Mages were naturally also the top ones. The Mages of both guilds were all famous, so how could such a battle not be exciting?
This made many people unable to sit still. They rushed to Onibus overnight, fearing that if they were late, they wouldn't be able to buy tickets.
In the evening, the guild closed, and Takeshi escorted Mirajane home as usual. When they arrived at Takeshi's doorstep—
Takeshi suggested, "Mirajane, Phantom Lord attacked the guild this time, and they might attack individuals. Why don't you come to my place? That way, I'd feel a little more at ease."
Mirajane's face flushed slightly. "This... this wouldn't be good..."
"What's not good about it? Come on."
Takeshi took Mirajane's hand, and Mirajane didn't refuse. They were both adults and knew each other's feelings. And although Cana's words had a playful element, Mirajane knew that if it weren't for her, Cana would really pursue Takeshi, which gave her a sense of crisis.
Noticing that Mirajane didn't refuse, Takeshi's heart couldn't help but leap with joy.
'Dad, mom, your child is finally going to grow from a boy into a man.'
Creak!
The door opened.
"Welcome home."
Takeshi froze as soon as he opened the door, seeing Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, and Happy appear in his house at some unknown time.
"What are you doing at my house?! And how did you get in?! This is illegal entry!"
Happy said, "Isn't your house key always under the flower pot by the door?"
"Thieving cat!"
Erza said, "It's because of Phantom Lord. The fact that they attacked us shows that our residences might also have been investigated. To prevent ambushes when we're alone, it's safer for us to stay together for now."
Natsu said with a grin, "And the best place to stay together is Takeshi's house, so we came."
Takeshi said, "You guys really do as you please. At least you should ask for my opinion as the owner, shouldn't you?"
Happy noticed Takeshi and Mirajane holding hands as they entered, and he had a suspicious expression. "Takeshi, you brought Mira back. Are you planning to do something naughty?"
Takeshi panicked. "No. Nothing of the sort. I just worried about Mira's safety, so I brought her home. Yes, that's it."
Lucy couldn't help but retort, "You're the most unsafe one."
However, none of them paid too much attention. Even Lucy, a newbie who had only recently joined the guild, could tell that Takeshi and Mirajane were together, let alone the others.
"Let's have a sleepover here tonight."
"Aye!"
Mirajane smiled graciously and said, "Then I'll make something to eat."
The guild was destroyed today, and the kitchen was also damaged, so none of them had eaten anything yet.
Lucy quickly said, "I'll help too."
Erza, with her arms crossed, said seriously, "Takeshi, the reason we came here this time, besides preventing a surprise attack, is to discuss the roster. Phantom Lord has already responded, so we need to prepare in advance."
This matter concerned the honor of the entire guild. If they failed, the entire guild might never recover, so they had to be even more cautious.
Natsu gritted his teeth and said, "What preparation do we need? I'll just go up there and take them all out."
Natsu was furious thinking about the guild being destroyed today. He wished he could just rush to the opposing guild and smash it to pieces.