Waking up to a new day.
The big news on the newspapers ignited public opinion across the entire continent.
Mages and ordinary people alike were fervently discussing yesterday's and last night's headlines over breakfast.
Headline One: Fairy Tail stormed into Phantom Lord's guild, blowing up the guild master's office and injuring many.
Conflicts between two powerful guilds were indeed rare.
But the second headline was just as explosive.
Headline Two: Various branches of Phantom Lord guilds were attacked by mysterious figures. Magic experts analyzed that it must have been the work of two S-Class mages from Fairy Tail.
"Mystogan got the message."
"Laxus, that guy is really brutal."
Inside the guild.
Everyone was discussing the newspaper.
Last night, several branch offices of Phantom Lord were wiped out, with all members severely injured.
Reporters captured images of lightning filling the sky.
It was clear that Laxus had struck.
"Jehfrit, your plan worked perfectly," Gray couldn't help but say.
"Get ready. The second battle is about to begin," Jehfrit said with a serious expression.
"Jehfrit." Guild Master Makarov approached holding a letter. "The Magic Council wants me to explain what happened."
"Master, it's a trap!" Gray quickly interjected.
"Of course." Makarov nodded. "This means Phantom Lord is serious."
"Is the Magic Council also compromised?" Erza frowned.
"Not exactly." Makarov shook his head. "They're just some self-righteous deaf and blind fools."
"Old and conservative!" Gray commented.
"Prepare for battle," Makarov said seriously.
"Master." At this moment, Jehfrit called out.
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Go ahead," Jehfrit said.
"What?" Makarov looked at him in surprise.
"Jehfrit, it's clearly a ploy to lure the master away and attack our guild!" Everyone was confused.
"I know that," Jehfrit said, rubbing the purple gem at the top of his cane. "Rather than letting Phantom Lord come up with more vicious plans and attack the guild in ways we can't control, we might as well play along and let the master pretend to leave."
"Jehfrit, this matter cannot be taken lightly. A slight mistake could lead to disaster!" Makarov said sternly.
'Knock knock'
Jehfrit tapped the newspaper with his fingers. "The route Laxus took to destroy the Phantom Lord branches is heading towards our guild. Clearly, he knows that Phantom Lord will attack us, and he wants to confront Jose."
"With Laxus around, delaying Jose for a while shouldn't be a problem."
When it came to Laxus, although everyone found his difficult personality annoying, they couldn't deny his impressive strength.
"Indeed." Mirajane nodded. "Laxus and Jehfrit together should be enough to take on Master Jose."
"Miss Mirajane, you flatter me too much. You're always so kind and gentle," Jehfrit modestly smiled.
"Jehfrit." Mirajane looked at him and smiled. "If you can protect everyone this time, I'll agree to what you mentioned last time."
"Really?!"
Jehfrit rarely showed such excitement.
This surprised Lucy greatly. What could possibly make Jehfrit act like Natsu!
"Of course." Mirajane nodded.
"Haha!" Jehfrit laughed loudly, hands on his hips, just like Natsu.
"..." Everyone was speechless.
Jehfrit did occasionally act like this.
Only then did everyone remember that he was less than a year older than Natsu.
"Jehfrit." Makarov still had some concerns. "Can you control Laxus?"
"Master." Jehfrit smiled. "Laxus isn't a wild beast. If even you don't trust him, he really might go down a dark path."
"And—"
Jehfrit changed the subject, smiling. "Don't worry, I have a secret weapon that will definitely make Laxus listen to me."
Laxus—
Seeing Jehfrit's obviously mischievous smile, everyone suddenly felt a strong sense of sympathy for Laxus.
Phantom Lord guild.
"Did that old man Makarov really fall for it?" Jose was somewhat unsure.
He had prepared several troublesome but higher success rate plans and didn't expect the first one to succeed.
"Master, Fairy Tail also wants to fight us. They're using our plan against us, deliberately exposing their weaknesses. But this is indeed our goal," a somewhat intelligent mage said.
"That's right. As long as Makarov can't return in time, the rest are no match for us!" Jose nodded.
That old fool wouldn't actually think that sneaky brat has any chance against him, would he?
Ridiculous!
Afternoon.
The sun was high in the sky.
A perfect time for a fight.
'Boom'
'Boom'
'Boom'
The ground trembled.
"Phantom Lord is here!"
Bisca and Alzack, the gun-wielding couple, ran into the house to report.
"Let's go." Jehfrit said.
Everyone went outside.
Behind the guild was an open space, beyond which was a cliff facing the sea.
On the sea, a massive object approached.
Phantom Lord's headquarters was a giant mobile fortress.
From the top room, a huge barrel extended, aiming directly at Fairy Tail's guild.
"Magic Convergence Cannon — Jupiter?!" Cana exclaimed in shock.
"Hey hey, if they fire that thing, our entire guild will be completely wiped out!"
"Phantom Lord has gone mad!"
The once-confident members of Fairy Tail now stood frozen, their expressions shaken, their bravado shattered.
Lucy felt her newly gathered courage drain away like sand through her fingers.
Then—Jehfrit stepped forward.
"Lucy," he said softly, his voice calm and warm. "Fairy Tail was never just about magic or power."
"In the beginning, it was formed by people who longed for love, for friendship... and somewhere along the way, they built a family, a guild."
"We protect you—and you protect us."
"When one person stands up, when they choose to be brave, that bravery spreads. It's contagious."
"And when everyone is brave together, it gives you the strength to go beyond who you were yesterday."
"That's when Fairy Tales become real. That's when the impossible starts to fall apart."
"Why are you trembling? Look—"
"Natsu is excited, isn't he?"
Hearing Jehfrit's words, Lucy looked at Natsu.
'Whoosh whoosh whoosh'
Hot air rose, making people instinctively move away.
Natsu was covered in raging flames, distorting light and obscuring his face. Only through the fluctuations of magic could one tell—he was full of fighting spirit!
"Be brave."
Jehfrit patted Lucy's shoulder.
Then he slowly walked to the front.
'Tap'
'Tap'
'Tap'
Jehfrit's crisp footsteps gradually quieted the somewhat noisy scene.
By the time he reached the front, the venue was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Everyone was watching his back.
'Thump'
He planted his cane on the ground, stirring up some dust.
He looked up at the Phantom Lord guild, past the ominous cannon, to the topmost building where the formidable enemy—Jose—was located.
'Hum—'
Phantom Lord's Magic Convergence Cannon began to charge. A terrifyingly powerful magical energy contracted, forming a massive cannonball resembling a black hole.