Chapter 49: The Phantom lord Incident
"Fairy Tail?" The members of Phantom Lord Guild spotted the familiar emblem on Dino's sleeveless vest.
"How dare Fairy Tail destroy our door?! You've got some nerve! Brothers, get him!"
"Buzz~!" A pale white spherical aura rapidly expanded around Dino's body.
"BOOM!"
The entire Phantom Lord guildhall shook violently as the ground beneath Dino's feet splintered into fragments.
"GYAAAAAAH!!"
"UWAAAAH!!"
Every guild member except Dino was sent flying backward, slamming into the walls with bone-crunching impacts. "CRACK!" Spider-web fractures spread across the stonework.
"M-Monster!" someone whimpered.
"Now then," Dino said calmly, "can someone kindly tell me where your Guild Master is?"
"W-We don't know! We were just called here this morning!" one terrified mage stammered, sweat pouring down his face.
Dino could tell the man wasn't lying. His frown deepened. What was Jose planning?
"Iron Dragon's Club!"
Without warning, an iron rod shot toward Dino from behind. He didn't even turn around. A white halo materialized around his fist as he casually raised it and punched backward.
"CRACK CRACK CRACK!"
The very air itself shattered like glass.
"BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!"
A massive hole exploded through the wall, and the iron rod disintegrated into metallic fragments.
"Gajeel!" The Phantom Lord members cried out in relief, as if their savior had arrived. Gajeel was, after all, Phantom Lord's ace.
Hearing that name, Dino finally turned around. Before him stood a young man dressed entirely in black, wild ebony hair framing a face decorated with multiple metal studs. He radiated rebellious energy from every pore.
The name alone would have meant little, but seeing the real person triggered Dino's memory. So the story had already progressed this far.
"Looks like you're the one who trashed our guild," Gajeel said with a savage grin. "Though I've got no idea what you're babbling about. All I know is you waltzed into Phantom Lord, beat up our members, and wrecked the place. I'm just here to stop you." His grin widened. "How about we settle this right here? Let's see which guild has the strongest mage—Fairy Tail or Phantom Lord."
"Stop me? Just you?" Dino shook his head. "You'd better call out your Guild Master Jose. Since you're still a legal guild, I'll only go after the one pulling the strings."
The grin vanished from Gajeel's face. Though this confrontation was just an assignment from the Master, he despised being underestimated. And he could clearly see this guy wasn't taking him seriously at all.
"You dare look down on me?! Die!!"
"Iron Dragon's Club!" Gajeel roared as his leg transformed into a massive iron rod, swinging it at Dino with tremendous force.
A white halo appeared around Dino's fist as he punched the empty air.
"CRACK CRACK CRACK!"
"GYAAAH!!!" Gajeel howled in pain as fractures spread across his iron-transformed leg. The iron reverted to flesh, blood streaming from the damaged limb.
"Iron Dragon's Roar!"
Gajeel's cheeks bulged before he unleashed a devastating silver tornado of metal shards directly at Dino.
Dino casually punched the air again.
"CRACK CRACK CRACK!" Space itself fractured.
"BOOM!!!"
The metal storm's trajectory reversed completely, tearing a gaping hole through Phantom Lord's ceiling.
"Whoosh!" Using the explosive force generated by the vibrations, Dino instantly appeared before Gajeel. The Iron Dragon Slayer's eyes widened in shock—before he could even react, Dino's fist buried itself in his stomach.
"GUAH!"
Dino unleashed a devastating combo, each strike landing with pinpoint accuracy. Gajeel screamed in agony. Even transforming his body into iron scales proved useless—under the vibrations from Dino's Tremor-Tremor Fruit powers, even steel shattered like glass.
"You might not be the mastermind," Dino said coldly, "but you're the one who destroyed our guildhall. That deserves punishment."
With that, he grabbed Gajeel and hurled him skyward. "Buzz!" His fist charged up, the white halo intensifying, then he smashed it toward the airborne Dragon Slayer.
"CRACK CRACK CRACK!" The sound of shattering space echoed through the hall as visible fractures spread through reality itself.
"BOOM!" A terrifying shockwave erupted and slammed into Gajeel.
"AAAAARGH!!!"
"BOOM BOOM BOOM!!"
Gajeel's scream trailed off as he rocketed through building after building, leaving a path of destruction.
Suddenly, as Dino lowered his fist, the ground beneath him began shifting, hardening around his legs to trap him in place.
"CRACK!"
"BOOM!!!"
The earth exploded outward as all the debris clinging to Dino's legs shattered into dust.
A tall figure materialized behind him—Aria, the "Great Sky" and leader of Phantom Lord's Element 4. His eyes snapped open as he pressed his palms together. "Metsu!" he cried out. "Zero!"
"Buzz~!" The spell activated instantly, with Dino caught directly in its area of effect.
"So sad! So sad! Why am I so sorrowful?! Is it because a great mage is about to perish—"
"SHUT UP!" Dino snapped. "You're so damn noisy! All that crying—is this Jose's grand strategy? Crying people to death? I'm disappointed."
"Geh…!" Aria's wailing stopped abruptly.
He stared at Dino in disbelief. "I-Impossible! I've drained your magic power completely! Why are you unaffected?!"
Dino raised an eyebrow. So that's what that tickling sensation was. He'd thought it was just his natural defense kicking in. "Magic power? I never had any to begin with."
Before Aria could process that statement, Dino swung his fist through the air.
"CRACK CRACK CRACK!" Space fractured visibly.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"