Chapter 90: How Are You Better Than Him?
After Laxus's speech and demonstration, Dino's memory clicked—he recognized this plot from the anime.
In the original story, this whole mess was just a farce born from Laxus's childish insecurity and desperation for recognition.
Since Dino had only paid casual attention to guild affairs over the years, his recollection of these events was somewhat hazy. He wasn't entirely sure if Laxus's motivations matched the anime exactly, but that didn't matter right now.
What mattered was teaching the lightning mage a lesson—one that would make crystal clear which lines you could cross and which you absolutely couldn't.
"Dino, I'm leaving this in your hands," Makarov said, visibly relaxing after hearing Dino's confident response.
Laxus was his grandson, after all. While Makarov didn't know the exact extent of his grandson's current power, he understood that Laxus had surpassed most of the guild. Only a handful of members could match him anymore.
Even Makarov himself wasn't certain he could defeat Laxus reliably at this point. The only person in Fairy Tail who could definitively put Laxus in his place was Dino.
Five years ago, Makarov could barely gauge Dino's strength. Now? He had no idea how terrifying the power of that "little monster" he'd picked up had become. Someone who could nullify the Etherion superweapon—if Dino himself hadn't confirmed it, Makarov would never have believed it possible.
"Gramps! What're you talking about?! I'm here too, ya know! Leave beating up Laxus to me!" Natsu bellowed, charging toward the guild entrance.
THUD!
Natsu slammed face-first into the magical barrier, just like Makarov had moments earlier.
"What the—?! Why?!"
"Wait… is Natsu secretly over eighty years old too?!" Happy exclaimed.
More like over four hundred, Dino thought wryly, considering Natsu's true birth year. Perks of being a time-traveling dragon slayer, I guess.
Dino walked to the guild entrance and pressed his hand against the barrier. His palm passed through without resistance. Apparently, even after his dimensional journey, he still counted as "young."
"Old man, try to keep the guild in one piece while I'm gone. Some of these kids don't know their own strength." Dino cracked his knuckles. "I'll be back soon."
"Dammit! I wanna join the fight for strongest too!" Natsu shouted, still clawing uselessly at the barrier.
Makarov bonked him on the head. "Quit your whining, you hothead!"
Suddenly, the spell text on the barrier shifted, displaying battle information and a countdown of remaining participants.
"What's this now? A battle report?! Why are guild members fighting each other?! Someone stop those brats!" Makarov's expression darkened.
Laxus's voice echoed through the hall. "It's all part of the festival, old man. I told you—the guild needs to shed its dead weight. The weak get devoured by the strong. That's nature. Incompetent trash has no place in Fairy Tail."
Makarov, Natsu, and Happy turned toward the source of the voice. Laxus's magical projection materialized before them.
"A Thought Projection!" Happy gasped.
The Thought Projection was a spell that created a visual and auditory avatar using immense magical power. While it could communicate, it had no combat capability—and maintaining one significantly reduced the caster's available power for actual fighting.
"Laxus, what's the point of all this?!" Makarov demanded. "The guild members are family, not disposable tools!"
"Family?" Laxus scoffed. "What kind of 'family' isn't bound by blood? In this entire guild, I'm the only one who's actually your grandson—your real family, right?"
"Of course you're my family, but family isn't defined by blood alone! Even without blood ties, people can be as close as any relatives! Now end this senseless battle and release everyone—including the city!"
Laxus's projection smiled coldly. "Sure. I'll dispel the enchantment over Magnolia and return everyone to normal. But I have one condition."
"What condition?"
"You announce—in front of everyone—that you're naming me the next Master of Fairy Tail!"
Makarov's eyes widened. "So that's what this is really about…"
"Laxus, you're the worst!" Natsu roared.
"Give it up," Makarov said gravely. "With your current mindset, you're completely unsuited to lead Fairy Tail. Besides, I've already decided that Dino will be the next guild master."
"In fact, I tried to officially pass the title to him a week ago, but he refused."
Natsu and Happy both did a double-take. They'd never heard about this—but thinking it over, Dino really was the only logical choice for the next master.
When Laxus heard Makarov's words, his expression twisted into something ugly and venomous. Betrayed. His only blood relative had betrayed him for an outsider.
"YOU DECIDED TO GIVE FAIRY TAIL TO SOME OUTSIDER?!" Laxus screamed. "NOT TO ME—YOUR OWN GRANDSON?! HOW THE HELL AM I WORSE THAN HIM?!"
"You want to know how you compare to Dino?" Makarov's voice was ice-cold. "In strength, reputation, and character—you don't surpass him in a single category."
"Strength?! That was years ago!" Laxus snarled. "Yeah, I admit I was weaker than him back then. But I've been training relentlessly ever since! Meanwhile, that guy's been lounging around doing nothing! I've long since surpassed him! I'm the strongest mage in Fairy Tail now!"
"I think the gap probably got even bigger…" Happy muttered.
Happy was one of the few who'd witnessed Dino neutralize the Etherion. Even if Laxus had gotten stronger, there was no way he'd surpassed that.
Laxus's glare snapped toward the Exceed, who quickly ducked behind Natsu with a nervous "Aye…"
"At the very least," Makarov said quietly, "Dino would never do something that hurts his family and comrades."
Laxus's fury suddenly evaporated, replaced by a chilling smirk. "You say Dino wouldn't hurt his comrades? Let's put that to the test, shall we?"
Makarov felt dread coil in his gut. He spun toward the barrier.
The spell text now read:
"DINO MAXIM vs. ALZACK CONNELL"