Chapter 429: The Strongest Battle of Fairy Tail?

Chapter 429: The Strongest Battle of Fairy Tail?

"Huh? It turned into stone, what is that?"

"How strange."

"Is this part of the performance?"

The audience murmured, unaware that this was an unexpected turn of events.

Fairy Tail's antics were always chaotic, and turning themselves or their companions into stone could very well be part of their act.

But Marcus, as the host, recognized this as Erza's magic, and from her expression, it didn't seem like a joke.

He had a hunch that chaos would soon ensue within the guild, so he immediately shouted to the audience, "Citizens, please evacuate immediately!"

He even used his Sand Magic to create directional arrows, urging everyone to leave quickly.

The ordinary people in the audience, seeing his seriousness, began to flee in a panic.

Although they didn't know what was happening, it seemed dangerous, and that woman might be here to carry out a terrorist attack.

Chaos erupted below the stage, and Makarov couldn't sit still. He jumped up and shouted at the stage, "Erza, what are you doing? Do you want to ruin the festival?"

"Consider it an after-party for the festival."

Erza snapped her folding fan shut and lightly flicked it with her right hand, igniting the curtain behind her with a blazing fire.

As the curtain quickly burned away, five stone statues were revealed to the crowd: Kana, Juvia, Levy, Bisca, and... Erza.

The audience had just witnessed Lucy's transformation into a stone statue, so they immediately realized that these statues were the girls themselves.

All the female participants of the Miss Fairy Tail contest, except for Mira who had jumped off the stage earlier, had been turned into stone statues by Erza while they were in the dressing room.

Mira covered her mouth in shock, "How could this..."

Rod also looked stunned. Could it be that even Erza couldn't withstand that petrification magic?

"What are you doing? Turn them back to normal this instant!" Makarov's tone was stern, as this seemed to go beyond a simple joke.

A golden thunderbolt, accompanied by a roaring sound, struck the center of the stage.

Fried and Bickslow appeared beside Erza, while Laxus, cloaked in a windbreaker and with his arms crossed, stood in front of the trio.

"Yo, folks from Fairy Tail, the festival has just begun!" Laxus greeted the crowd with a flippant tone.

The audience was filled with astonishment and confusion.

Could it be that Laxus had led the Thunder God Tribe to sneak into the guild's backstage, attacking the resting contestants, and turning them into stone statues?

The current scene seemed to suggest as much, and the crowd struggled to process this information.

In everyone's eyes, Laxus, despite being a bit rebellious and foul-mouthed, was still a member of the guild, the guild master's grandson, and would never harm his fellow companions.

What was going on?

Laxus savored the crowd's expressions, breaking into a triumphant smile. He turned to Makarov and said, "Let's play a game, old man!"

"Stop this nonsense, Laxus!" Makarov scolded, "Even as a joke, this is too much. Turn them back to normal immediately!"

A golden lightning bolt grazed Lucy's stone statue and struck the stage, shattering a piece of the floor amidst the anxious expressions of the crowd.

"I'm not joking, old man!" Laxus placed his hand on Lucy's stone statue shoulder,

"These women are now my hostages. If anyone breaks the rules of the game, I'll smash them all to pieces!"

With the speed of his lightning magic, unless someone could predict Laxus's moves, there was no stopping him from shattering any of the statues from such close range.

Makarov's face turned grim, "What are you trying to achieve?"

Laxus spread his arms, "It's simple. We'll determine who is the strongest in Fairy Tail. Starting now, I'm initiating the Strongest Battle of Fairy Tail, and the last one standing will be the winner!"

"Right up my alley!" Before anyone else could react, Natsu was the first to respond to Laxus's challenge.

He took a large stride and charged directly at Laxus, "Take this, Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

"I appreciate your eagerness..." Laxus easily caught Natsu's fist, "...but I don't like your unrefined personality."

He threw Natsu away and released a powerful lightning bolt, enveloping Natsu's entire body.

"Waaah..." Natsu charged forward and flew back, face down on the ground, with smoke rising from his body.

"Natsu!" Happy rushed over to check on him.

Fortunately, it seemed like Natsu had only suffered a beating and was unharmed.

"Impatient fellow," Erza smiled,

"In any case, to restore these girls, you must defeat us. The time limit is three hours. If you fail, they..." Erza trailed off.

The crowd couldn't believe their ears, "What did you say?!"

"Even if you want to have a battle of the strongest, there's no need to go this far, is there?

"Are you serious?!"

No one responded, and Freed stepped forward to continue explaining the rules, "The battle range is the entire city. As long as they can find us, the fight can begin immediately."

Bickslow stuck out his tongue and cackled, "We only have four people, and you have nearly a hundred. The odds are against us, hahaha!"

"Unfavorable!"

"Unfavorable!"

The five bucket-like dolls floating beside him echoed his words, chattering in agreement.

At this moment, the black Fairy Tail emblem on Bickslow's tongue seemed particularly glaring.

After saying what they had to, the three members of Team Raijinshuu retreated behind Laxus and left the guild.

"What are you doing?!" Makarov wanted to transform into a giant to stop them.

But Laxus had placed his lightning-infused hand on Lucy's neck, saying, "Don't be hasty, old man. I'm not finished yet."

Not only Makarov, but Alzack had his gun aimed at Laxus, and many others were ready to cast their magic at any moment.

However, everyone hesitated, fearing that they might accidentally harm the girls who had turned into statues on stage.

Rod's eyebrows were furrowed so tightly they seemed to form a knot. He couldn't understand what Laxus was trying to accomplish.

If he wanted to organize the strongest battle, he should have just said so. With so many battle-hungry members in the guild, there would be an overwhelming response.

If he truly wanted to compete for the title of the guild's strongest, he could simply challenge the S-Class mages or even the Guild Master directly.

Why go to such lengths, taking hostages and setting up a battle royale? Was he worried that others wouldn't give their all, thus failing to showcase his strength?

Rod stared intently into Laxus's eyes, trying to discern if he truly didn't care about his comrades' lives or if he was merely using them as leverage, knowing that even if no one could defeat him, he wouldn't be harmed.

Regardless of his intentions, the situation had escalated to the point where everyone was filled with righteous indignation. It wouldn't be as simple as saying 'I was wrong' or 'I was just joking' to make things right.

With Reby's incident a few days ago and today's events, he was practically forcing the Guild Master to expel him from the guild.

Rod couldn't fathom Laxus's logic or what benefit he could possibly gain from this.

At that moment, Laxus also fixed his gaze on Rod.

Ever since their confrontation at the construction site, Laxus had taken a particular interest in this man. He believed that Rod had inherited the old man's will and methods.

Not only that, but he had also inherited the title of the First Guild Master's Tactician, leading a group of 'rabble' to victory against the Ten Great Archmages.

Additionally, according to Freed's investigation, this man had been tirelessly studying various subjects since joining the guild, as if determined to inherit the vast knowledge of the Second Guild Master.

—Freed had initially thought highly of Rod and considered recruiting him into Team Raijinshuu, so he conducted a background check.

The title and strategies of the First Guild Master, the knowledge of the Second, and the will of the Third...

Laxus believed that if anyone in the guild had the potential to become the next Guild Master, it could only be this man.

The only thing Rod might lack was experience and strength.

Therefore, this man would be his greatest obstacle in becoming the Guild Master, and he must be thoroughly defeated!

Laxus stared at Rod, and through his rough perception, he sensed that Rod's magic power wasn't particularly strong. It barely met the minimum standard for an S-Class mage, and such a person...

"The Tactician, huh? In the upcoming game, show me your wit and command your 'soldiers' to defeat me! I'll make you realize how weak your power is before me!"

He glanced at the agitated crowd and scoffed, "But let me remind you, even with a thousand of those useless people, it's still futile!"

"You bastard, Laxus!"

"Who are you calling useless?!"

At a time like this, what else is there to say?"

"That's right, let's find them and teach them a lesson first."

"It's just four people, we don't need your tactics!"

The surging crowd paused for a moment, but voices of dissent rose.

Loudly, Rod said, "The more this happens, the more we need to stay calm. If we get angry now, we'll only be led around by the nose by Laxus and his group!

The Guild Master is here, Mira is here, and Mystogan could appear at any moment. Laxus and his gang aren't fools; how could they possibly confront the entire guild unprepared?

There's definitely an unexpected trap outside. Calm down, all of you, and think this through!"

"I don't care! I'm going to save Bisca right now!"

"Reby is also waiting for us to rescue her!"

"Don't talk so lightly, buddy. If Mira had turned into a statue, could you still remain this calm?"

"Hey, don't treat us like your soldiers!"

The more they cared, the more chaotic their thoughts became, especially when it came to the safety of the girls on stage.

If Laxus's intention was to provoke the guild members, his plan was working. Many had stopped listening to what Rod was saying.

Rod asked himself, if Mira had truly turned into a statue and was in constant danger of being shattered or turned to dust, he wasn't sure how he would react.

Moreover, the words Laxus had spoken before leaving were powerful, and Rod couldn't tell if he genuinely wanted Rod to lead a mob against them or was intentionally using words to divide them.

Regardless, these hot-blooded and angry individuals were not thinking clearly.

The most agitated were Alzack, Jet, and Troy. They responded with a few words and rushed out of the guild's doors without a backward glance.

Soon after, most of the members burst out of the guild, scattering in search of the Thunder God Tribe and Laxus.

Whether it was concern for the girls' safety or frustration with Laxus's taunts, they acted on their first impulses, just like they always did.

The only ones left in the guild were the Guild Master, Mira, Elfman, Gray, Wilhelm, Rachel, and a dozen others who were either calm enough or trusted Rod implicitly.

Additionally, Natsu had just been knocked down by Laxus and hadn't gotten up yet, with Happy watching over him.

Gajuru was busy gnawing on metal tableware, seemingly unconcerned.

Rod inspected the girls on stage; all six of them were as cold and lifeless as stone, showing no signs of their former vitality.

"Guild Master, is there no way to dispel the petrification magic?" Rod asked.

"I'm afraid not," the Guild Master replied. "Only Erza herself can probably dispel it... Babaya might have a potion to reverse petrification."

Mira bit her lip, apologizing, "I'm sorry. If I had been backstage then..."

"If you had been backstage, there might be one more statue here."

Rod signaled for her not to feel guilty, "Even Erza was affected. You might not have been able to avoid it either.

Erza probably took advantage of the fact that they wouldn't be on guard against their companions, which is why she succeeded in her ambush. Look at their surprised expressions."

Mira fell silent, knowing she wouldn't have been on guard against Erza, even though she was aware of her petrification magic.

To think someone would exploit the trust between companions...

The mastermind behind this plan was either despicable or had a deep understanding of Fairy Tail.

Regardless, they couldn't be easily forgiven.

"That's right, this isn't your fault, Mira. It's my responsibility!" Makarov stormed towards the door, furious with himself for not chasing after Laxus to punish him earlier.

"You all go to Babaya and ask if she has a potion to reverse petrification. I'm going to teach Laxus a lesson. This time, I'll give him the harshest punishment and won't let him off easily!"

The old man strode forward with large steps, his stern expression, the magic emanating from his anger, and his slightly fluttering coat exuding an extraordinary aura.

The dignity of one of the Ten Great High Mages was on full display.

However, this cool moment came to an abrupt halt as he reached the door.

He slammed into an invisible wall, his face squished against it as if pressed against a glass wall.

"What's going on?" Makarov braced himself against the invisible wall, but no amount of strength could move it even a little.

Those who remained in the guild looked on in astonishment. "Guild Master? What's wrong?"

"Something's blocking me!" Makarov tried again, but he couldn't take a single step forward.

"This is ridiculous. Everyone just walked out a moment ago!"

Suddenly, lines of dark purple text with intricate patterns appeared in the air: "Entry prohibited for petrified individuals and those over 80 years old."

"A spell?!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end