Phantom Lord, Mobile Fortress Headquarters.
Jose sat in a high seat. Below him, the S-Class Element 4 had gathered. In the corner, a strange man noisily gnawed on iron.
"Master, Sabertooth—that nobody guild we've never even heard of—probably can't even match the strength of our branch offices. Is cooperation really necessary?"
Totomaru, the Fire Element 4 member, arrogantly spread his arms, utterly dismissive of the so-called Sabertooth.
He couldn't understand why their master would seek out such a low-tier guild.
If they wanted to destroy Fairy Tail, Phantom Lord alone was more than enough!
"Jiemon's magic power as a guild master is barely passable. Of course, that's not the point."
"The recent Demon Ruins Island incident gave Fairy Tail a boost in reputation."
Jose propped his cheek on one hand, a sinister smile curving his lips. "If only we go to war with Fairy Tail, there will be some complications. But if we act for the sake of an ally, that's a different matter."
Formal guilds were not permitted to engage in large-scale conflicts.
In his original plan, he had intended to use various minor clashes to force Makarov to start the war. That way, he could seize the advantage and counterattack.
Ultimately, he would annihilate his longtime rival Fairy Tail, capture the Heartfilia Konzern heiress, amass great wealth, and secure his position as Fiore's number one.
After all, Fairy Tail's reputation had always been poor. Outsiders would only assume they had broken the rules first. Even if towns were destroyed, all the blame could be shifted onto them.
History was written by the victors. The justification would be solid.
Even if the Magic Council was dissatisfied afterward, they wouldn't do much to Phantom Lord—at most, some meaningless punishment.
But now, the sudden media coverage of the Demon Ruins Island incident had earned Fairy Tail widespread praise. It also gained them supporters within the Magic Council, adding unexpected resistance to his otherwise perfect plan!
And so, Jiemon—who had clashed with Chase at the Guild Masters' Meeting—caught Jose's attention and became part of his scheme.
Small guilds had little involvement. Once used, they could be discarded without any burden.
"Fighting for an ally—how chivalrous of you, Master. No No No~"
Sol, the Earth Element 4 member, squirmed like a worm, muttering his nonsensical catchphrase.
"Fairy Tail's downfall... how sad Truly sad"
Aria, the leader of Element 4, clasped his hands together. Tears streamed endlessly from his bandaged eyes, rather like crocodile tears.
"Pitter-patter..."
Juvia, the Water Element 4 member, held her umbrella, her gaze low as she stood in the shadowy rain curtain. She showed no intention of joining the conversation.
"Mystogan, Laxus, Erza... and now Chase."
Jose slowly withdrew his smile from his high seat. His eyes blazed with intense jealousy and resentment. "Damn Makarov. Damn Fairy Tail. Just how powerful must they become before they stop?!"
"Gajeel. How goes the task I assigned you?"
Hearing this, the man in the corner stopped gnawing on iron and let out a proud, cold laugh.
"Heheh. That run-down guild is now a steel porcupine. Too bad it's late at night—didn't catch any stray fairies."
"Well done."
Jose leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs, and chuckled sinisterly. "If Makarov can endure this—no, that old man can definitely endure."
"Then, you and Sabertooth together will deliver a great gift to Makarov."
"A gift—one that will make him completely lose his mind!"
Gajeel brushed off his clothes and stood, speaking arrogantly: "Just attacking a few fairy trash—I'm more than enough by myself!"
Jose's mouth twitched: You didn't listen to a word I just said, did you?!
"Ah Gajeel How sad~" Aria's tears flowed even harder.
"Remember, Gajeel—direct Fairy Tail's hatred toward Sabertooth." Jose instructed coldly.
"Got it. Such a hassle!"
Once Gajeel agreed, Jose turned to the Element 4.
"Aria, go ahead to Sabertooth and prepare. Once Makarov appears, I'll create an opening for you to drain his magic."
"When Fairy Tail and Sabertooth clash, Juvia and Sol, find an opportunity to capture Lucy Heartfilia and bring her to me."
"Understood. Pitter-patter..."
"Master, 'capture' is too rough for a lady. If it were me, I'd use the three-three-seven rhythm to say 'please.' No No No~"
Jose ignored his subordinates, each with their eccentric personalities. He narrowed his eyes, gazing at the magical projector placed before him.
There, a complete map of the Fiore Kingdom was displayed.
"It's time to erase it from this map... Fairy Tail."
The next day.
After a simple farewell on Galuna Island, Ur departed for the northern continent to visit old friends and relatives, as she had planned.
Ultear returned to the Magic Council to begin her path of atonement.
Lyon, persuaded by Sherry, Yuka, and Toby, finally decided to join Lamia Scale.
As for Chase and the others, they naturally set off on their journey back to their guild.
After many twists and turns, they arrived back in Magnolia in the afternoon.
The setting sun cast a heavy, dusky hue over the peaceful, bustling town.
This time, Chase didn't summon Rock Giant Soldier for transport—he keenly noticed the complex looks the townspeople gave them, different from usual.
Combined with his knowledge of the original story, the source of this whispered was self-evident.
Phantom Lord had likely begun to move!
Natsu and the others didn't seem to notice anything unusual. They were still discussing the S-Class request.
"7 million Jewels! That's 7 million Jewels!"
"Aye~ I can't even figure out how many fish that would buy."
Completing a request without authorization meant they couldn't accept the client's payment—one of the guild's few hard-and-fast rules.
Still, Lucy was overjoyed to receive the Sagittarius key, one of the Twelve Golden Keys.
It wasn't a request reward, but a gift from the demon village chief as thanks to a friend.
"Well, we were the ones who broke the rules in the first place. Don't worry so much about the reward~" Lucy said magnanimously.
Such a shameless remark immediately drew protests from Natsu, Gray, and Happy.
"You got a gift, so of course you don't care..."
"Exactly! We put in all that sweat and hard work for nothing!"
"Aye~! Why don't we sell Lucy's key for money?"
Happy's words perked up Natsu and Gray instantly.
"N-no way! This is an ultra-rare Gold Key! You can't buy it even if you have the money!"
Lucy hurriedly hugged the Sagittarius key, taking a defensive stance.
Seeing Natsu and the others closing in, she quickly slipped over to Chase's side, giving him a pleading, watery-eyed look.
"I don't really have a sense for money, but before you sell the key to improve your lives, shouldn't you be worrying about another problem?"
Chase raised a hand to stop Natsu and the others. His expression suddenly grew rather intimidating. "The punishment for privately accepting an S-Class request... will probably be that."
What punishment that was, even the transmigrator himself didn't know—the original story never mentioned it.
Though he was one of the more unruly members in the guild, that was only for outside requests. He had never broken serious rules like privately accepting an S-Class request.
But given Fairy Tail's style, it was probably something like restricting requests or doing community service in town, right?
"AAAAH! It's over, it's over! That is not something ordinary people can handle!"
"Damn it! It's that? I feel like I'm gonna die!"
"Lucy, when I'm dead, bury me by the sea. That way, it'll be easier to get fish..."
The more they talked, the more terrifying it became. Lucy's face turned pale. "If even Natsu and Gray are scared... just how scary is that punishment?!"
"Wait! You were the ones who privately accepted the S-Class request. Chase and I came to stop you!"
Gray suddenly brightened and firmly stood beside Chase.
"H-how cruel! Some member of the strongest team you are!" Lucy retorted with disdain.
"Exactly! Unlike me—I was threatened by Natsu and Lucy~"
Happy seized the opportunity, flying over to stand behind Chase and positioning himself on the moral high ground.
"That's enough, you stupid cat! That's the second time you've betrayed us!" Lucy cursed fiercely.
"If I remember correctly, you joined Natsu and Lucy's side halfway through, didn't you?"
Chase's cold, merciless remark instantly petrified the two. "Don't worry. I'll report the full details to the master truthfully."
"Noooo!!"
The group continued noisily bickering as they walked forward.
Until, at the end of the street, the guild appeared before them—punctured by giant iron pillars, reduced to a battered wreck!
***
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