The terror attack during the Guild Masters' conference by Iron Forest spread across the entire Kingdom of Fiore overnight.
It was the first time anyone had dared target local guild masters in such a brazen assault.
The name "Tyrant" resurfaced once more—and only now did people realize that the infamous "Tyrant" of the Ishgar continent was actually a member of Fairy Tail. This revelation shocked many across the nation.
In an unprecedented move, the Magic Council publicly commended Fairy Tail, letting Kaien off the hook for the destruction he caused. The damages from the battle would even be covered by the Council itself.
Truth be told, Kaien felt a bit embarrassed. With his abilities, he could've easily just slipped onto the train and pulled off a Hong Kong-style stealth mission, catching all the Iron Forest guys and handing them over to the military at the next stop.
But once he activated Take Over Magic and took in Toji Fushiguro, it was like another personality had awakened inside him. He lost control a bit—and even he couldn't predict what he'd do in that state.
It wasn't just with Toji. Every time he used Take Over Magic to receive another character, their personality left a subtle impact on him.
At that moment, Lucy was in her bedroom writing a letter. In it, she detailed all the experiences—big and small—she'd had since joining Fairy Tail.
Overall, Lucy was extremely satisfied with becoming a part of Fairy Tail. She'd already made many close friends.
Suddenly—
A small blue cat burst through her window, flailing frantically.
"It's bad!! Lucy!! Natsu's in serious trouble!!"
"What?!!"
Lucy's face changed dramatically when she heard Happy's words.
"What happened?! He was totally fine earlier! His body's tougher than a monster's—how could something suddenly go wrong?!"
"Looks like it's motion sickness. He got hit with it so many times yesterday, now he can't recover! He's on the verge of collapsing! Come on, you've gotta see this!"
"Motion sickness did him in?!"
Lucy had never heard of anyone dying from motion sickness… though to be fair, it does feel like death when you're in the middle of it. Yesterday, Natsu had taken a train, then a wildly speeding Magic Four-Wheeler multiple times, and finally a carriage. Come to think of it, he hadn't left any vehicle all day.
"Okay! Let's go!!"
Lucy quickly followed Happy, and before long they arrived in front of a house.
"Natsu!! Are you okay—"
Lucy pushed open the door and rushed inside.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Tiny party fireworks exploded in her face.
Lucy froze.
Inside the house, a crowd had gathered—familiar faces from the guild, all people she knew well.
What… what was going on?
Levy smiled brightly at her.
"Hey, Lucy! Welcome to Fairy Tail! This is your official welcome party!"
"Welcome party?"
Lucy blinked in confusion.
"Yep! It's our tradition here at Fairy Tail. When you first arrived, everyone was still getting to know you. Now that we've all warmed up to each other, of course we had to throw a party for you."
Lucy's face lit up with surprise and gratitude.
"Everyone…"
"Hmph! You call this a welcome party? If it really were one, why didn't you throw it somewhere else? You're all just using this as an excuse to freeload."
Kaien called them out without hesitation.
That's right—this was Kaien's house. These people had used Lucy's welcome party as an excuse to crash at his place and stuff their faces.
Cana laughed, hugging a barrel of booze.
"Everyone's just used to coming here! Besides, not many homes are as secluded, spacious, and well-decorated as yours."
Mirajane chuckled.
"Now, now. Let's not nitpick. As long as everyone's having fun, it's fine!"
"Party!!"
Everyone raised their hands and cheered.
Soon, the whole place was buzzing with activity. Kaien's earlier comment didn't faze them—thick-skinned as they were—and they knew full well that despite his words, Kaien wasn't really upset. In fact, he was often the one to initiate group gatherings.
The party atmosphere heated up quickly. Anyone with a hidden talent was showing it off to liven the scene. The crowd kept cheering.
Lucy, for the first time in her life, was experiencing such a joyful environment.
She was falling more and more in love with this guild.
At the peak of the celebration—
Erza suddenly stood up.
Swish!
She pulled a longsword from her storage space, spun it through the air, and drove it straight into the floor in front of Kaien.
Her gaze locked onto him.
"Kaien, fight me. Let's settle this once and for all!!"
"…"
The room went quiet.
Kaien calmly pulled the sword from the floor.
"If that's what you want, then let's do it."
He didn't hesitate. Truthfully, he also wanted to test how his swordsmanship measured up to Erza's now.
And then—
BOOM!!
"OHHHHHHHHH!!"
"Kaien versus Erza!!"
"It's been so long since we've seen this!!"
"This is amazing!!"
"I'm fired up now!!"
Everyone erupted in excitement. A duel between two S-Class Mages—the thrill was off the charts.
"N-no way…?! Those two?! Are they serious?!"
Lucy's eyes widened.
Kaien and Erza—those were the strongest people she'd met in Fairy Tail.
If they fought, wouldn't the entire world shake?
Elfman crossed his arms and said,
"Of course it's serious. A man doesn't hold back in a real fight!!"
Mirajane smiled gently.
"Erza's a woman, you know."
Marcus deadpanned,
"A monster of a woman."
Gray chimed in,
"If we're talking monsters, Kaien is the real one."
He remembered how Kaien had already shown S-Class power when he first joined the guild—and after that, his rise had been nothing short of terrifying.
Elfman added eagerly,
"A clash of monsters! This is gonna be epic!"
"I don't want this!! I don't wanna see either of them lose!!"
Lucy shut her eyes and waved her arms, unwilling to witness the clash.
Gray quipped,
"Wow, she's surprisingly pure-hearted."
But Lucy's sentiment couldn't stop the duel.
The crowd quickly made space for the two of them to battle freely.
Kaien looked at Erza.
"When was the last time we fought?"
Erza replied,
"Half a year ago. You beat me with a single strike. It was perfect—one sword. That fight taught me a lot."
It had been just after they completed an SS Rank Mission together. Erza had challenged Kaien, and he had instantly defeated her using Take Over Magic: Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
That battle had shaken the entire guild. They already knew Kaien was strong, but no one expected that level of strength—especially not against Erza.
Since then, Erza had devoted herself to rigorous sword training outside of her regular missions. Her skills had improved drastically.
"You think you can beat me now?"
"No… but I want to see just how wide the gap still is between us."