Kaien let out a loud shout and swung a blazing fist toward Bora. His arm instantly stretched, transforming into a giant flaming limb that smashed forward.
Bora sensed something and turned his head—only to see a massive fire fist flying right at him.
"Nooooo—!!"
Bora screamed in terror as the giant flaming punch crashed into him without mercy.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
The enormous fire-arm smashed straight into the cliffside within the town, blasting a massive crater shaped like a fist into the mountain.
The thunderous impact echoed across the entire town, and the ground trembled from the shockwave.
"Wha—aaaaa!!"
Lucy stood frozen in shock, her jaw nearly hitting the ground. She had thought Natsu eating flames was absurd enough, but Kaien's magic was something else entirely.
This guy was basically a monster!
"Oops… that might've been too much power."
Kaien quickly dispersed the fire fist. Only after truly gaining powerful strength did he finally understand why Natsu always caused such trouble.
Even when trying to hold back, it was still way too easy to cause massive damage.
Just then, the sound of marching footsteps echoed in the distance. Kaien's ears twitched slightly.
"What the hell happened here—?!"
A squad captain came charging over with troops behind him.
Seeing the soldiers, Kaien's face shifted, and he quickly shouted at Natsu, who was still beating someone up:
"Natsu! That's enough! The army's here—we gotta run!"
Without waiting, he grabbed Lucy's arm and bolted.
The military meant the authorities, and getting caught would be a pain in the ass. He'd made that mistake once before—back when he was younger. Didn't run in time, got caught, and wasted several days.
He'd learned his lesson since then: never stand around like an idiot after wrecking things. First step—run.
"The army!? Run for it!!"
Natsu froze for a second and then quickly followed in panic.
"Wait, why am I running too?!"
Lucy was utterly confused—after all, she was the victim!
Kaien looked at her and said,
"Didn't you want to join Fairy Tail? Then come with us!"
Lucy's face lit up in surprise—she didn't think she'd actually get a real chance to join Fairy Tail.
"Yes!!"
Overjoyed, she ran after them without hesitation.
Magic Council – ERA Headquarters
BAM!!
Councilor Org, the second seat of the Magic Council, slammed a newspaper onto the table.
"Those damn idiots from Fairy Tail again!!"
"This time they destroyed half a port! Absolutely outrageous! At this rate, they'll level a whole town one day!"
Councilor Reiji added,
"Don't jinx it… they might actually do that."
Honestly, with the kind of chaos Fairy Tail caused, it wouldn't be surprising if one day they really did tear a town apart.
"We've already reported it to the government. Claimed it was during the capture of a criminal named Bora. With testimony from the rescued girls and Bora's own confession, this case is officially closed."
Councilor Yakima let out a sigh. He had been close friends with Makarov, and while those kids weren't bad at heart, they were a bit too lively. He just hoped Makarov's health could take it.
Even though it was technically a good deed this time, Org was still furious.
"They're always making a mess! We're basically stuck cleaning up after them!"
Councilor Siegrain chuckled,
"Aw, come on… I kinda like those idiots."
Org snapped,
"Shut it, you!"
"They may be a bunch of fools, but quite a few of them are seriously talented."
"Which makes it even more of a headache."
"Really caught between a rock and a hard place, huh?"
The other councilors also looked unsure about how to handle things this time.
Siegrain let out a breath.
"Let's just do what we always do… turn a blind eye."
"You—! You brat, don't say that out loud!!"
Sure, they'd often looked the other way before, but that didn't mean you could say it out loud!
"How about we start by praising them for bravely rescuing citizens… then discuss how to punish them?"
The councilors, sitting at the top of the magical world's power structure, all wore expressions like they'd just swallowed a fly.
Praising Fairy Tail—the same guild that kept causing endless trouble and giving them migraines?
Sure, punishing those idiots might bring temporary satisfaction, but praising them? That'd hurt for life.
"Hehehe."
Ultear couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle at the sight.
Siegrain smiled slyly,
"Well then, looks like we're all in agreement. Case closed. On to the next topic."
Fairy Tail Guild Hall
"Woooow… it's huge."
Lucy stood in front of the Fairy Tail Guild building, eyes sparkling with disbelief. It felt like a dream.
She had admired Fairy Tail for as long as she could remember. It had always been her dream to one day join the guild.
And now, that dream was about to come true.
Fairy Tail was right in front of her.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail."
Inside, the guild was bustling with life. Some mages were scanning the job board, others were singing or dancing, and most were just drinking, chatting, and having a good time.
For a freelance mage, every job was a story—and every story meant endless conversations.
"Mirajane!! Three beers over here!!"
"Coming right up!"
Mirajane carried a tray over and placed the drinks on the table.
"Please enjoy~"
"Hey, Mira!"
Wakaba waved her over.
"Coming, coming! What is it?"
Wakaba took a puff of his cigarette and blew out heart-shaped smoke rings.
"Go on a date with me next time."
His teammate York chimed in,
"You've got no chance. Mira's dating Kaien."
Mirajane's cheeks flushed pink.
"Wh-What are you talking about?! I-I'm not dating Kaien!"
"Really? But you two go home together every night, and show up to the guild together every morning. I thought you were already living together."
Mirajane panicked.
"D-Don't be ridiculous! We just live close by—that's all!"
Another mage teased,
"Even if you live nearby, you don't have to walk together every single day."
Mirajane's face turned redder by the second.
Seeing her reaction, the guild burst into laughter.
BANG!!
The guild doors slammed open.
"I'm baaaack!!"
Natsu stormed in at full volume like a maniac.
Kaien and Happy followed behind, waving casually.
Mirajane's eyes lit up the moment she saw Kaien.
"You're back!"
"Hahahaha!"
Laughter erupted around the guild at the sight of them.
Krov grinned at Natsu,
"You guys caused another scene, huh? That port incident in Hargeon made the newspaper an—whoa!"
Before he could finish, a giant foot slammed into his face.
"Gaaah!!"
Krov was kicked so hard he smashed into a table, breaking it apart.
"You bastard!! You lied! The Fire Dragon's location was fake!!"