Chapter 95: Pre-War Preparations
"Extra! Extra!!! Read all about it!"
"Special Extra!!! Weekly Sorcerer's biggest scoop!"
"The Mage Guild Fairy Tail challenges the Mage Guild Phantom Lord!"
It was almost evening, and this evening paper, hot off the magic presses, landed like a bomb. It instantly made every city in Fiore lively. In bars, homes, and on street corners, conversations stopped.
"What?!"
"Fairy Tail... and Phantom Lord?"
"Are those two guilds finally going to war?"
"Give me a copy! Now!"
"Me too! Me too! I need to see this!"
Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail—these two were arguably the strongest, most famous, and most infamous legal guilds in the entire Kingdom of Fiore. They had been rivals for years, always generating discussion, always competing for the top spot.
No one expected these two strongest guilds to actually, publicly, fight.
Everyone immediately started reading the newspaper, their eyes scanning the front-page article.
"To the esteemed Master Jose Porla of the Phantom Lord Guild:
To thank you for your recent 'care' of Fairy Tail, to deepen our... friendship... and to promote mutual progress between our guilds, 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 the Onibus Arena. Both sides will send six people for one-on-one battles. The winner can choose to directly spar with the next person or to forfeit, until all six people from one side have been defeated.
We wonder if you dare to accept."
The entire kingdom was stunned. So, Fairy Tail was inviting Phantom Lord to a spar.
"A spar? Why would Fairy Tail challenge Phantom Lord to a spar?" a civilian in a pub asked, confused.
"You idiot, don't you know?" another replied, his voice low. "That's just the 'official' reason. That sounds good, but it's actually a declaration of war! I heard from a friend in Magnolia that Phantom Lord attacked and destroyed the Fairy Tail Guild last night! Skewered it with iron pillars!"
"What?! Seriously? Then why don't they just go and fight them directly? That's what Fairy Tail does!"
"They can't. The Magic Council doesn't allow conflicts between legal Mage Guilds. Fairy Tail is just retaliating in a way the Council can't punish them for. This... this is genius."
"I see! So it's a deathmatch disguised as a friendly game!"
In Oak Town, at the massive, fortress-like guild hall of Phantom Lord, the atmosphere was one of mockery.
Gajeel Redfox, the Iron Dragon Slayer, also looked at the newspaper report, a sinister, 'Gihi' laugh escaping his lips as he leaned back in his chair, his feet on a table.
"So the rats are fighting back. I originally planned to go back and 'accidentally' injure a few of Fairy Tail's trash, just to hear them scream. But I didn't expect these guys to be so impatient. They're actually challenging us?"
He crumpled the paper in his metal-studded fist. "However... things have become interesting."
The news in the newspaper naturally reached the top floor of the Phantom Lord Guild.
"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 we have Lord Gajeel, the Iron Dragon!"
"That's right! That's right!"
At this moment, at the top of the Phantom Lord Guild, Master Jose Porla and all of the Element 4 were gathered.
Jose, a tall, ghost-like man, smiled. "Heh heh! This is quite unexpected, my dear, little Makarov."
"Although it doesn't align with my original plan," he mused, "this is also good. It's a perfect, public opportunity to show everyone in this country the unbridgeable gap between those trash from Fairy Tail and my Phantom Lord."
He looked at his elite team—Aria of the Great Sky, Sol of the Great Earth, Totomaru of the Great Fire, and Juvia of the Great Deep.
"All of you, perform well for me! Completely... utterly... crush those trash from Fairy Tail!"
"Yes!!" their voices echoed.
Soon, Phantom Lord released their own official statement: They had accepted Fairy Tail's "friendly" request for a spar.
Upon receiving this news, the entire Kingdom of Fiore erupted.
Although some Mage duels could be seen in local arenas 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—Titania Erza, Salamander Natsu, the new and terrifying 'Tyrant' Ren... and on the other side, the Element 4 and the Iron Dragon Gajeel—were all famous. How could such a battle not be exciting?
This made many people unable to sit still. They rushed to Onibus overnight, by train, by carriage, by any means necessary, fearing that if they were late, they wouldn't be able to buy tickets. This was going to be the biggest event of the year.
In the evening, the Fairy Tail guild's basement "bar" closed, and Ren escorted Mira home as usual. The streets of Magnolia were quiet, the townsfolk still unnerved by the massive, ruined guild hall that loomed over the town like a skeleton.
When they arrived at Ren's doorstep, he paused.
"Mira," he said, his voice quiet. "Phantom Lord attacked the guild this time. That means they're desperate. They might... they might attack individuals next. Why don't you... come stay at my place? That way, I'd feel a little more at ease."
Mira's face, illuminated by the porch light, flushed slightly. "This... this wouldn't be good, Ren..."
"What's not good about it? It's just safer," he said, his voice still gentle, but he took her hand. "Come on."
Ren took Mira's hand, and... Mira didn't refuse.
They were both adults. They both knew, in the unspoken way that had been building for months, each other's feelings. And although Cana's words at the party had a playful element, Mira knew that if it weren't for her, Cana would really pursue Ren. That, and the very real threat of Phantom, gave her a sense of crisis, and a reason to stop denying her own feelings.
Ren's heart couldn't help but leap with joy. He opened his door, his hand still holding hers. 'Dad, Mom, wherever you are... your child is finally going to grow from a boy into a man.'
Creak!
The door opened.
"Welcome home, Ren!"
"You're back!"
Ren froze. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, and Happy, all of whom had appeared in his house at some unknown time and were making themselves comfortable.
Natsu was on his couch, Gray was in his kitchen (shirtless, of course), and Erza was examining his training equipment in the corner.
Ren's romantic, life-changing moment evaporated.
"What... what are you doing at my house?!" he yelled. "And how did you get in?! This is illegal entry!!"
Happy, who was sitting on Ren's dining table, said, "Isn't your house key always under the flower pot by the door? Everyone knows that."
"Thieving cat!!"
Erza, ever the voice of reason, said, "Ren. It's because of Phantom Lord. The fact that they attacked our guild means that our residences and routines might also have been investigated. To prevent ambushes when we're alone, it's safer for us to stay together for now."
Natsu, his mouth full of food he'd found in Ren's kitchen, said with a grin: "And the best place to stay together is your house, Ren, since it's the biggest! So we came!"
"You guys really do as you please," Ren grumbled, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "At least you should ask for my opinion as the owner, shouldn't you?"
Happy, noticing that Ren and Mira were still holding hands as they entered, suddenly had a suspicious, knowing expression. "Heeeey, Ren... you brought Mira back with you. Are you two... planning to do something naughty?"
"They're... they're together~~~!!" Happy sang.
Ren and Mira instantly panicked, dropping each other's hands as if they were on fire.
"No!" Ren said, a little too quickly. "Nothing of the sort! I just... I just felt Mira wasn't safe as a girl, living alone, so I brought her home! Yes, that's it!"
Lucy, who was sitting at the table with Happy, couldn't help but retort, "With you? You're the most unsafe one!"
However, none of them paid too much attention. Even Lucy, a newcomer who had only recently joined the guild, could tell that Ren and Mira were, for all intents and purposes, together. The others had just been waiting for it to be official.
"Alright! Let's have a sleepover here tonight!" Natsu declared, his mouth full.
"Aye!"
Mira, her composure regained and her face a mask of graceful hospitality (though her cheeks were still pink), smiled graciously and said: "Then I'll make something to eat for everyone." The guild was destroyed today, and the kitchen was also damaged, so none of them had eaten a proper meal yet.
Lucy quickly said: "I'll help too!"
The two girls headed to the kitchen, leaving the S-Class Mages and the "boys" in the living room.
Erza, her arms crossed, said seriously: "Ren. The reason we came here this time, besides preventing a surprise attack, is to discuss the roster for the spar."
The mood in the room instantly shifted, becoming heavy and serious.
"Phantom Lord has already responded. They accepted," Erza continued. "So we need to prepare in advance. This... this is a battle for the honor of the guild."
This matter concerned the pride and honor of the entire guild. If they lost this public showdown after their guild was destroyed, Fairy Tail might never recover. They had to be even more cautious than usual.
Natsu, however, gritted his teeth and said, his fists igniting: "What preparation do we need? I'll just go up there and take all six of them out myself!"
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. This "spar" was too slow for him.
[Akarin Note:
Your Support Keeps This Story Alive!
If you're enjoying this novel, your support means the world to me. Simple actions like leaving a review, power stone, comment, or sharing the story let me know you're out there. It's the greatest motivation for me to keep updating until the very end and ensures this project continues.
For those who wish to support me more directly, you can join my Patreon at [patreon.com/AkarinTL]. As a thank-you, you'll receive access to 50 advanced chapters.
As a special offer, I've opened a few limited-time tiers at a discounted price! You will get all the benefits of "The Founding Pillars" (normally $20), but at a much cheaper rate.
These slots are extremely limited:
"The Plot Uncoverer": $4.99 (Save 75% / $15.01) - Only 3 slots
"The Dedicated Fan": $9.99 (Save 50% / $10.01) - Only 7 slots
"The Lore Diver": $14.99 (Save 25% / $5.01) - Only 15 slots
I hope I am still worthy of your support. My life truly depends on this... haha, I know I'm so shameless.]