Chương 96: Chapter 96: The Fairy Tail Magic Council Branch Plan Begins!
"Ice Dragon's…"
"…Roar!!!"
Ur took a deep breath, and a massive amount of magic power gathered in her mouth. With a rising magic circle featuring the dragon's head, an endless freezing mist, accompanied by ice blades sharp enough to tear a person to shreds, shot forth from her mouth, heading straight towards the giant treant that Warrod had turned into.
"Boom!!"
With a deafening explosion…
The treant Warrod had transformed into took a direct hit to the chest, a hole a hundred meters wide punched through by Ur's roar. The destructive power continued to infiltrate, freezing the treant from the chest outward.
Ur's idea was simple: if she couldn't freeze the treant from the outside, then she'd do it from the inside and freeze it entirely.
"Uh…"
Warrod, controlling the treant, noticed something wrong. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he struggled to think of a way to break the impasse.
"One decisive strike!"
Ur said, her magic power surging once more. Her eyes glowed red, and transparent scales began to form subtly on her delicate cheeks.
"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Frozen Rose Impact!"
Ur used the Dragon Slayer's secret art she had trained for months to master. A terrifying freezing mist swept through the entire Fairy Tail Guild's back mountain.
"Ugh, ugh, ugh…"
A layer of frost formed over the Fairy Tail members who were watching, their bodies shivering violently, their hands reddened from the cold as they rubbed them together, their feet stamping, teeth chattering as frosty breath hung in the air.
Even so, their determination to witness Ur and Warrod's battle did not waver.
Nothing could stop the Fairy Tail members from watching a fight.
Even in Magnolia Town, several kilometers away, Ur's attack had an impact. In the middle of July and August's summer heat, residents in short sleeves walking the streets suddenly felt a coolness from above, bringing an autumnal chill to the sweltering summer, making them feel refreshed and comfortable.
"What's Fairy Tail up to again?"
"Not sure how they did it, but…"
"This time, they really did something right!"
Some older residents of Magnolia knew well enough that this sudden chill was probably related to Fairy Tail's mages again. Still, this time it had actually worked out well, so they didn't have much to say or bother to complain to Makarov.
Yes, the older residents of Magnolia were used to going straight to Makarov, the Guild Master of Fairy Tail, whenever they had grievances. They knew that Magnolia's prosperity was tightly linked to the guild, and they were willing to turn a blind eye to some of Fairy Tail's antics. They certainly wouldn't escalate matters to the Magic Council unless absolutely necessary. The last thing they wanted was for Fairy Tail to be forced out of Magnolia, which would significantly hurt the local tourism and security industries and the town's overall economy.
Back on the back mountain…
"Boom!"
The massive treant, thousands of meters tall and as large as a mountain, was entirely frozen from the inside out. Under the shockwave generated by Ur's Dragon Slayer's secret art, it shattered into countless fragments, scattering like ice dust across the sky.
For a brief moment…
The entire Fairy Tail back mountain, and even the nearby Magnolia Town, experienced a sudden snowstorm. At their level, their magic power was capable of influencing the weather itself.
In that moment…
The Magnolia residents who had been praising the Fairy Tail mages for bringing a bit of coolness to the summer found themselves regretting their earlier compliments. The sudden drop in temperature made them sneeze as they stared at the raging snowstorm. Some townspeople grumbled, "Give us back our praise! Damn it, it's just like Fairy Tail. If they don't cause trouble, they're uncomfortable."
Yes, as the saying goes, a child making a ruckus is normal. But when the child is too quiet, that's when you should worry about what kind of trouble they're brewing!
"I lost."
Back on the back mountain, Warrod, covered in frost, admitted defeat. Though he looked disheveled, Warrod was actually happy deep inside. Ur's strength meant Fairy Tail's strength, and while Warrod had reached the peak of his path, Ur's future was still bright.
"Ur, from today onwards, you're the third seat of the Ten Wizard Saints."
Warrod gently brushed his frost-covered chin and said.
"That's amazing! Gray, Ultear, look! Ur won, and now she'll rank even higher among the Ten Wizard Saints, to the third place! It's incredible. She's truly the teacher I've chased after my whole life…"
Lyon pumped his fist excitedly, looking like it was his own victory over Warrod, cheering as though vindicated.
"But Ur didn't use Ice-Make magic to defeat Warrod."
"She used that detestable Dragon Slayer magic instead."
Gray frowned, still struggling with the fact that Ur had abandoned Ice-Make magic in favor of Dragon Slayer magic against Warrod.
Ur had said it herself—Ice-Make magic was the strongest and most versatile magic in the world, with limitless possibilities.
But she had turned her back on it to train in Dragon Slayer magic, just like that irritating Natsu.
"Why does that matter, Gray?"
"Magic is never just about convenience!"
Lyon looked at Gray, puzzled. Magic, in his view, was only as important as its strength, regardless of the category.
It was always the mage behind the magic that truly mattered, not the type of magic.
To that, Ur responded: "Gray, you're right. Ice-Make magic indeed has limitless potential! But training in Dragon Slayer magic brings only one certainty—it makes you stronger, with no other options. Slayer-type magics are simply at the pinnacle of their elemental types, with inherent advantages over others."
"No matter what! I'll never train in Dragon Slayer magic…" Gray muttered, brows furrowed, vowing never to betray Ice-Make magic.
At the same time, after five long years, Gray's father, Silver, finally discovered a magic in this world specifically used to slay demons—Devil Slayer magic.
Yes, just like Dragon Slayer and God Slayer magic, it was part of the Slayer category.
Again, nobody escapes the allure of the absolute. Gray may resist now, but fate works in strange ways.
Time flew by, and another month passed.
Now it was September.
"Happy birthday~"
"Happy birthday to you~"
This day, the atmosphere in Fairy Tail Guild was particularly friendly. Erza, Mirajane, and even Laxus had set aside their usual conflicts, standing harmoniously together.
Today was Lisanna's birthday.
It seemed that, for Lisanna's sake, they had all declared a temporary truce.
Lisanna, thanks to her incredible social skills—surpassing even her elder sister Mirajane—and her optimistic and gentle nature, had become the guild's sweetheart. On her birthday, the entire guild showered her with gifts.
Incidentally, among the entire Fairy Tail Guild, only two people and two Exceeds received this kind of treatment—Lisanna, Wendy, Carla, and Happy.
For others, Laxus would celebrate privately with the Thunder God Tribe.
During Erza's birthday, her parents Irene and Ian would give their most heartfelt blessings and lavish gifts, then leave her to spend quality time together.
Erza: "So, I'm purely an accident, right?!"
On Mirajane's birthday, her celebrations often turned into a battle with Erza.
"Damn you, Erza! Go die!!"
That was usually when the entire guild would get swept into their chaos, transforming the day into a chaotic battlefield.
Elfman, being the reserved one, would celebrate with just his sisters. Ultear would take time to retreat and reflect, encouraging herself privately. Others, due to various reasons, often ended up celebrating alone.
Only the cheerful Lisanna and young Wendy enjoyed everyone's goodwill.
Oh, right, and Cana...
Cana would often be drunk before her party even started, sleeping until the next day.
To Cana, every day was a party.
Returning to the present…
"Lisanna, here's my birthday gift to you, a sword forged from the horn of an S-Class magical beast…"
Erza handed over the five-meter-long greatsword crafted from an S-Class beast's horn, a proud look on her face.
"Th-thank you, Erza-nee…"
Lisanna was visibly sweating; she couldn't imagine wielding such a weapon!
"Inside is sealed the animal soul of the S-class magic beast I hunted!"
"I think you'll find it useful, Lisanna…"
"Remember, this is an 'S-Class' magical beast~"
Erza patted Lisanna's shoulder with satisfaction, especially emphasizing the "S-Class."
"Tsk~"
"When I become an S-Class mage, I'll hunt one for you every week…"
"No! Every day, even!"
Mirajane muttered, biting her lip. She vowed to pass the S-Class exam no matter what.
"Lisanna, I got you a lightning attribute magic crystal."
Laxus silently approached Lisanna and placed the crystal next to her, then put his hands in his pockets, and walked off without another word.
"Laxus-brother, I love it~"
Lisanna smiled happily at his retreating back.
"Hmph~"
"I'm glad you like it."
Laxus blushed, giving a prideful scoff.
Yes, the law of blondes being tsundere was vividly displayed on Laxus.
As Laxus grew older, his personality remained unchanged—he just became even more of a tsundere.
Ahem…
Next, Cana offered flowers, while Wakaba and Macao, the two adults, gave Lisanna expensive gifts, showing off a little of that adult spending power! Although, truth be told, they were running out of money—not bankrupt but not far from it either.
Makarov, Ur, Warrod, Ian, Irene, Selene, Gildarts, Cornelia, and the other adults all gave Lisanna gifts before departing, leaving the guild to the kids.
Today was a day for the kids, after all, so the adults decided to take a rare break, heading to a nearby inn to unwind and relieve their weary nerves.
"We'll be gone for just two hours…"
"Could the guild's brats possibly destroy the guild in that time?!"
"Besides, Mavis is still in the guild, isn't she?!"
"As long as she's there, nothing could go wrong…"
Makarov spoke confidently.
And so, the guild caught fire.
The trouble began with Natsu and Gray fighting over a chicken drumstick, and it ended in a duel—Natsu's Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame missed Gray and accidentally ignited the roof. A plume of smoke rose over Magnolia.
By the time anyone else in the guild noticed, it was too late.
"My guild!"
"Look what you've done!!"
Makarov returned from drinking with Gildarts and the others to find the guild reduced to a heap of ruins. He was on the verge of collapse, crying and shouting in anger.
"Master, let it go!"
"The guild was due for rebuilding anyway…"
"The old building was falling apart…"
Ian patted Makarov's frail shoulder. He hadn't expected Fairy Tail to need rebuilding so soon.
"We're sorry!"
Lisanna, Mirajane, Laxus, Erza, Natsu, Gray, Ultear, Laki, Wendy, Cana, and even Mavis—all the young guild members who'd been at Lisanna's birthday party—bowed deeply to Makarov, apologizing.
"I can understand it from the rest of you…"
"But, Master Mavis, why were you joining in on the chaos?!"
Makarov was at his wit's end as he looked at Mavis.
"I'm sorry."
Mavis bowed her head; even her angelic earrings seemed to droop as if she were an elementary school kid being scolded.
"Good grief…"
Makarov wiped away a few tears.
"I'll foot the bill!"
In response, Ian looked at the exhausted old man Makarov, who seemed to have lost his soul. In the end, he couldn't bear it and decided to sponsor Makarov one more time.
"I knew you wouldn't abandon me, Ian..."
Makarov cried, clutching Ian's leg, a mix of snot and tears streaming down his face.
"Why do I feel like I've been tricked…"
Ian eyed Makarov's suddenly gleaming eyes, feeling a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.
"In that case, I plan to rebuild Fairy Tail into a fifteen-story building!"
Upon hearing that the entire cost of rebuilding the guild would be covered by Ian, Makarov started to push his luck.
"You've gone too far, old man!"
Ian's eye twitched slightly, and he really wanted to kick the greedy little old man into the river behind him. Honestly, this was getting to be a bit much, old Makarov...
Still, Ian decided to expand the Fairy Tail guild a little bit. Fifteen floors was definitely overdoing it, but five floors would be just fine.
After all, the number of mages in the guild was growing, and the old guild was starting to feel too small—especially when considering these kids were only getting stronger and more destructive...
Time passed, another half month gone.
The Fairy Tail guild, which had been reduced to ashes, now stood tall once again, with Warrod's help and Ian funding all the new furniture…
However, there was no time to dwell on the reconstruction.
Up next was…
The Fairy Tail Guild's Autumn 24-Hour Endurance Race.
However, before the race could begin, Warrod left the Fairy Tail guild and headed for the distant Magic Council ERA.
"Warrod, have you finally come around?"
In the council chamber, the current Chairman of the Council, Hyberion, looked at the late-arriving Warrod, gently swirling the milk in his glass as he spoke elegantly.
"I've made up my mind."
"Starting today, I'm resigning from my position as Fairy Tail guild advisor, and dedicating myself fully to serving the Magic Council ERA…"
"Just as you said, at our level, we shouldn't be tied to any particular mage guild. We should fight for the Kingdom of Fiore and the entire continent of Ishgar."
Warrod spoke with an air of unwavering righteousness.
"Hmph!"
"I'm glad you finally understand…"
Wolfheim nodded slightly.
The truth was, both Wolfheim and Hyberion had called Warrod back from Fairy Tail out of sheer necessity.
First of all, they needed to balance the power between the various mage guilds!
Warrod's power was on par with theirs—"Heavenly King" level strength—and having him in one of these guilds was simply overpowered.
And let's be real, Warrod, a hundred-year-old elder, competing with a bunch of kids for jobs—it just didn't look right, did it?
On top of that, both Hyberion and Wolfheim were severely understaffed. They found that under the previous council chairman, Crawford, the council was riddled with corruption and holes.
Before joining, they couldn't believe that such a grand council could be filled with freeloaders and people abusing their positions.
They urgently needed capable people to help them bear the load, and there was no one more suitable than Warrod.
Indeed, this time in roping Warrod in, they were achieving two goals at once—
Weakening Fairy Tail's strength, while also bolstering the Magic Council ERA's strength.
Of course, they were also aware that Warrod might help Fairy Tail behind the scenes, his body in the council but his heart in Fairy Tail…
Using his position to benefit Fairy Tail.
Which is why they were sending Warrod to the eastern side of Ishgar, ensuring that he would have no hand in anything to do with Fairy Tail, which was based on the western side of the continent.
What Hyberion and Wolfheim didn't know was that a glint flashed in Warrod's eyes. He thought to himself: 'The plan to infiltrate the Magic Council ERA begins.'
Yes, Warrod joining the council was a part of a grand plan—to cultivate a faction within the council that would work in favor of Fairy Tail, ensuring that the guild wouldn't face trouble from the council.
At this stage, Warrod had no intention of vying for the position of Council Chairman.
But years passed—three years, then another three…
In addition to infiltrating the council, Warrod had another motive: to deal with a particular person—the second guild master of Fairy Tail, Precht. Warrod was well aware of Precht's creation of the Grimoire Heart guild. However, he deliberately kept this information from Makarov and Mavis. He didn't want them to feel sorrow or heartbreak. Precht, that old scoundrel, was someone Warrod had resolved to handle on his own.
Elsewhere…
Under the autumn sky, Fairy Tail's 24-hour endurance race had officially begun.
Ian, Gildarts, and Ur were all ready.
The "little angel" Erza leisurely stretched her waist, her determination for victory evident.
Laxus, Erza, Mirajane, and Ultear were raring to go…
Natsu, Gray, Lyon, Elfman, Cana, Lisanna, and Laki—each one was brimming with competitive spirit, unwilling to yield to the others.
"The rules are the same as always, so I won't waste time repeating them," Makarov said with a smile.
"You've all participated in at least one race before…"
"So you should already know them."
"But let me reiterate again, this is not the Fairy Tail Guild 24-Hour Brawl, it is NOT a 24-hour brawl, NOT a 24-hour brawl!"
"I said it three times because it's important!"
"And now the Fairy Tail 24-Hour Endurance Race officially begi—"
Makarov held up the signal gun, ready to fire.
"Ahhh~"
"Such a fun event, and no one thought to invite me?!"
At that very moment, just as everyone was gearing up, Irene appeared behind them, dressed in athletic wear. With a cheerful smile, she exclaimed her playful complaint.
Everyone stared wide-eyed in shock, exclaiming in disbelief: "Eh?! Irene is joining this year's Fairy Tail Guild's 24-Hour Endurance Race, is this for real?!"
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