"Sigh, I knew you wouldn’t be able to hold back." A sigh came from nearby.
Finn turned to Makarov; his eyes burned with fury.
"Master, do we really need to be so concerned about the Council?"
Makarov sat down, speaking earnestly, "Finn, we have to be. The Council is already very unhappy with us."
"If they get hold of any evidence against us," Makarov said, his gaze serious, "they might use it as an excuse to disband us. Do you understand?"
Finn took a deep breath. "That’s no reason not to retaliate. Are we just going to take this lying down?"
Makarov said, "Don’t worry about it. They won’t dare do anything more drastic. They’ll just wait for the Council to mediate. War is impossible, you understand?"
Finn crushed the armrest of the chair. "Master, when a tiger has its jaws clamped on your head, you can’t reason with it, and you certainly shouldn’t hope it won’t bite down." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novèlfire.net
Makarov stared at the empty doorway, lost in thought.
Levy, Jet, and Droy walked the streets.
"Is this wise, Levy? You should be with Erza and the others," Jet said worriedly.
"Yeah, Levy, didn’t the Master say everyone should stick together these days?" Droy said.
"It’s fine, we’re a team," Levy said nonchalantly.
The other two were overjoyed.
"That’s right, we’re a team! We know each other well."
"That’s right, I’ll protect Levy."
They walked, chatting, unaware that someone in the shadows was watching them intently.
"Heh heh." A sinister laugh echoed. A figure charged at them.
Two muffled groans followed.
Levy turned and gasped.
Mirajane rushed downstairs. "Erza, have you seen Finn? I haven’t seen him since he left the guild."
Erza, just returning, was startled. "He’s not in his room?"
Mirajane shook her head. "I thought he was, but I knocked for ages, and there was no answer."
"Then I went in and saw his room was untouched. He didn’t come back."
Erza sat down, thinking. "He wouldn’t have gone to get revenge, would he?"
Mirajane sat beside her, worried. "Maybe. But alone? It’s dangerous."
Seeing Mirajane about to cry, Erza put an arm around her. "Mira, relax. You know how strong Finn is?"
"Even Jose couldn’t stop him."
"Or maybe he’s just upset and went somewhere alone. He might be back soon."
"Let’s look for him tomorrow if he’s not back."
Mirajane felt slightly better and nodded.
Oak Town, in northern Fiore, was an ancient city. The large building in its center was the Phantom Lord guild.
The guild was dimly lit, unlike a typical light guild.
In a corner, piled with iron, a man with nail decorations on his face was devouring the metal.
Sounds of metal being bitten and swallowed echoed.
"I heard, Gajeel, you attacked Fairy Tail. Impressive!"
"They must’ve been terrified. Serves them right, haha," a cloaked man laughed.
Gajeel glared at the cloaked man. His arm turned into an iron pillar, striking the man’s face.
The cloaked man flew away, his fate unknown.
The others grinned, showing no concern, only mockery.
"That fool dared to disturb Gajeel-sama’s meal," someone said.
The iron pillar retracted.
"Didn’t I say not to talk to me while I eat, you trash?" Gajeel stood, disdain in his eyes. "Fairy Tail? So what?"
"We’re still stronger."
"The fire’s lit. Good job, Mr. Gajeel," a long-haired man in a top hat appeared from the shadows above.
"Master? It’s a thought projection," Gajeel said nonchalantly.
This was Jose Porla, Phantom Lord’s Master.
"We destroyed Fairy Tail’s guild. Why attack their members?" Gajeel asked.
Jose laughed. "That wasn’t enough to make them act. I’ll give them a bigger gift, heh heh."
"Heh heh~~" Gajeel grinned.
"I just wanted to see if your mission went smoothly. I have things to do," Jose’s projection vanished.
Outside Phantom Lord,
Finn stood with a map, looking at the large castle-like building.
"This is Phantom Lord."
He heard voices inside.
"Haha, great! Gajeel really plucked Fairy Tail’s feathers!"
"He taught three of them a lesson! Haha! I’ll pluck some feathers tomorrow, haha!"
Such boasts reached Finn’s ears. His map burst into flames and turned to ash.
His temples throbbed. "They hurt three of our people? Damn them!!"
Inside Phantom Lord, everyone was praising Gajeel. Suddenly, a loud crash came from the entrance. The iron gate smashed into a wall.
Everyone stopped. They looked towards the entrance, where a young man with a sword walked in.
A bald man who’d been boasting about plucking Fairy Tail’s feathers strode forward.
"Hey, you! Know what you’re doing? This is Phantom Lord...Oof..." Before he could finish, Finn grabbed his face and lifted him high.
"You were talking about plucking Fairy Tail’s feathers?" Finn’s emotionless voice echoed.
The bald man’s mouth was shut; he could only make muffled sounds.
Finn slammed the bald man to the ground with a deafening crash, cracking the floor.
Everyone stared. The bald man was covered in blood, unconscious.
Finn’s red Fairy Tail mark glowed like a blood-soaked fairy.
Finn’s fierce gaze swept the room. Everyone lowered their heads. His eyes were filled with killing intent.
"You’re Fairy Tail’s Sun God, Finn?" Gajeel stepped forward, looking down at Finn.
"Yeah, what are we afraid of? We have Gajeel-sama!" The others gained confidence.
Gajeel was Phantom Lord’s strongest mage besides Jose.
Finn wiped the blood off his hand. "You’re Gajeel. Sun God doesn’t matter." Finn’s tone darkened.
"You destroyed our guild and hurt our people, right?"
Gajeel laughed. "Yes, I did. I destroyed your guild and hurt your people. So what? Haha."
"And there was a blue-haired girl. Her screams were delightful, haha."
"Blue-haired girl? Levy!" Finn’s anger flared.
Ryūjin Jakka ignited. Gajeel said, "They say you’re Fairy Tail’s strongest, and I’m Phantom Lord’s strongest."
"Strongest vs. strongest? It’ll be one-sided. You’ll be hunted by a dragon, haha!" Gajeel laughed maniacally.
"Let’s see if you’re still laughing," Finn said, swinging Ryūjin Jakka.
A terrifying explosion rocked Phantom Lord. Flames engulfed the castle.
Intense heat engulfed Phantom Lord that night.
The flames subsided. Gajeel dug through the rubble, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"How...impossible?" There was no trace of the former luxury. Only ruins, burnt wood, and flames.
Everyone lay on the ground, burned. Only a few struggled, terrified, screaming.
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