Dust billowed through the town streets. The procession of mages advanced with intimidating force, leaving devastation in their wake.
Jiemon walked at the front of the group, his expression tense.
The purple magic aura emanating from his body was fierce and oppressive, causing residents in the buildings lining the streets to hastily close their windows and doors, afraid of attracting unnecessary trouble.
Sabertooth had not mobilized its full forces this time—only elite troops had followed Jiemon into battle. Young Minerva and the others were not among them.
Not because Jiemon had experienced a change of heart and couldn't bear to involve children in this conflict between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord.
Simply because those brats were too weak. Bringing them along would only embarrass Sabertooth!
For Jiemon, this was a critical battle to establish Sabertooth's reputation.
No matter how foolish he was, he could still figure out that Jose was using him.
But once an arrow is loosed, it cannot return. Under Phantom Lord's immense pressure, if he didn't see this path through now, only destruction awaited him in the future.
Moreover, putting aside his personal grudge against Chase, the greater the risk, the greater the reward.
If he could annihilate Fairy Tail in one fell swoop, Jiemon's name would resound throughout Fiore, and he would finally shed the title of third-rate guild master!
In this regard, Jiemon and Jose were cut from the same cloth.
Except that compared to the cunning Jose, Jiemon clearly had a lot more muscle packed into his head.
"This magic power feels really unpleasant and kind of scary..."
At the guild entrance, rookie Lucy watched the approaching mage procession, a sense of urgency rising within her.
Since joining the guild, this was her first time participating in such a large-scale conflict. Feeling a little nervous was only natural.
"Nothing to be afraid of. Those guys aren't even on Chase and Erza's level, let alone the old man's!"
Natsu stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Lucy, and smiled reassuringly.
The others also showed no fear. Battle-hungry types like Elfman were practically itching for the master's order to charge in and start fighting.
As for Chase, Mira, and Erza, they were utterly relaxed. They had no intention of getting involved just yet, watching indifferently as Sabertooth's group stopped just a few meters away.
"We meet again, Master Makarov."
Jiemon slowly lowered his crossed arms, his voice heavy.
Makarov glanced at him casually, smiling as he said, "Bringing your people all the way to Magnolia to see me—are you here to help us rebuild our guild, Jiemon?"
As a senior figure in Fiore's magical community, he had always been tolerant toward the younger generation, willing to give them a chance to return to the right path.
So, if the manipulated Jiemon could understand the situation and wisely retreat, he was willing to let bygones be bygones.
"You must be joking."
"I'm not here to reminisce with you, let alone help you rebuild your guild. I'm here to—"
Jiemon's gaze sharpened. The magic aura surrounding him instantly turned fierce, stirring up powerful winds.
"—declare war on Fairy Tail!"
Hum!
The moment the words left his mouth, golden light flashed and a magic circle spun.
A fist wrapped in dense magical energy descended from above, smashing toward Jiemon and Sabertooth's group.
Jiemon's expression drastically changed as he hastily channeled all his magic power to counter the blow.
BOOM!!
The giant fist crashed down, shaking the entire street and sending plumes of dust into the air.
As the tremors subsided and Lucy cautiously peered forward, she gasped and covered her mouth.
Lying sprawled in a crater littered with rubble was Sabertooth's group, completely incapacitated.
The arrogantly swaggering Master Jiemon himself lay foaming at the mouth, unconscious like a pathetic clown!
"I've wanted to do this since the last Guild Masters' Meeting."
Makarov calmly retracted his elongated arm and snorted coldly, not even sparing Jiemon a glance.
When it came to matters concerning his children, he held a grudge.
"Ooh! That's our master!"
"Damn it! The old man stole my kill—I was gonna burn that bastard's beard to ashes!"
"This is the power of our master! How manly!"
The Fairy Tail members cheered loudly. Having witnessed Makarov's strength before, none of them were surprised by this outcome.
"J-just one punch... and he took down a regular guild master and a bunch of elite mages?"
Lucy knew Master Makarov was powerful, but this was ridiculous!
"Aye! Lucy, our master is one of the Ten Wizard Saints, you know~" Happy piped up.
If Makarov is one of the Ten Wizard Saints... then just how terrifying is Phantom Lord's master, who also holds that title?
It was only now that Lucy deeply understood the true meaning of Erza's words last night: "When Ten Wizard Saints clash, the world shatters."
But despite her worries, not a trace of fear showed on her face. Everyone is here. In the end, victory will belong to Fairy Tail!
"Don't worry, Natsu. You'll get your chance soon enough."
Makarov sighed softly, his expression growing serious and solemn as he addressed everyone: "Don't let your guard down. The real battle has only just begun!"
Now that Sabertooth had appeared in Magnolia as a pretext for war, it meant that young Jose was truly determined to bring about a full-scale conflict between the two guilds!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth trembled under the weight of massive footsteps, confirming Makarov's suspicions.
Hearing the commotion, the Fairy Tail members turned to look.
On the lake behind the guild, through the thin mist, Phantom Lord's banner swayed violently.
A towering castle loomed faintly in the distance, slowly advancing toward them!
Six massive magically-powered legs stomped across the lake's surface, sending waves crashing onto the shore and causing the already battered guild building to partially collapse.
Led by Makarov, everyone hurried to the shore.
"That's Phantom Lord's headquarters—the mobile fortress, the Six-Legged Walker!" Mira announced.
The towering behemoth perched on a small island came into clearer view.
Almost simultaneously, a window in the central castle slowly opened.
The mechanical sound of gears turning filled the air as a massive magic cannon emerged from the window. Its dark muzzle gathered highly concentrated magical energy, forming a menacing black-purple vortex.
"Let's greet those accursed fairies with this."
Inside the command room, Jose sat in the main seat, his expression cold as he issued the order. "Magic Condensation Cannon: Jupiter. Fire."
"That bastard Jose... is he trying to destroy Magnolia?!"
Makarov shouted in outrage. Golden light gathered at his fingertips as he prepared to block the devastating blast.
"Master, let me handle this!"
Erza reached out and stopped him. Not because she thought she was stronger, but because she wanted Makarov to conserve his magic power.
It was the optimal decision she could make based on the overall war situation.
***
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