"Heiress to the Heartfilia Konzern, princess of the country, or whatever else—to me, Lucy is simply a positive, cheerful, good kid."
"Handing her over to you Phantom Lord? What kind of pipe dream is that!"
Makarov stepped forward. Even without releasing his magic power, his piercing gaze alone sent shivers through the Phantom Lord members.
"No, no, no. This isn't my idea."
Jose's expression remained arrogant, unbothered by Makarov's warning. "The request to bring back Lucy Heartfilia was issued to Phantom Lord by her own father, Jude Heartfilia. We're simply following proper procedure."
A request from Lucy's own father?
Makarov frowned.
"Old man, don't let that purple-haired bastard fool you! Lucy's father would never do something like this!"
Having caught on, Natsu clenched his fiery fists, his expression darkening. The rage in his eyes was barely contained.
Gray, Happy, and the others felt the same. Even Erza was furious, requesting Makarov give the order to engage Phantom Lord immediately.
No matter what, even if it cost their lives, they would never let Lucy fall into the hands of such scum!
"Damn Phantom Lord! If you want a fight, just say so—don't use Lucy as an excuse!"
"Lucy is a member of Fairy Tail! If you want to take her, you'll have to step over my dead body!"
"Go to hell! Selling out a comrade is something only scum like you would do!"
The guild members didn't care whether Lucy was some conglomerate heiress. They hurled insults directly at Phantom Lord's castle on the lake.
Yet, without a word, they all moved in perfect sync, forming a protective wall around Lucy.
But the more they protect her, the harder it was for Lucy to suppress her guilt.
She never imagined this conflict had been caused by that man—by an identity she never wanted.
If she had never joined Fairy Tail, the guild that felt like home wouldn't have been destroyed. Everyone wouldn't have to be on edge.
Levy and the others wouldn't have been targeted, nearly suffering unimaginable torment.
All of it was her fault.
Overwhelmed by guilt toward the guild, moved by her comrades' unconditional trust, and terrified of that cold place she once called home, Lucy's body trembled uncontrollably. Tears streamed down her face, soaking her collar.
"E-everyone..." Lucy's voice wavered as she took a tentative step forward.
She had grown so accustomed to having her comrades by her side. She couldn't imagine what life would be like without them.
But if going back with Phantom Lord could prevent a full-scale war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord, if it could bring everyone back to their easy, joyful days, she would do it without hesitation.
Before she could voice her thoughts, a figure blocked her path.
Through her tear-blurred vision, she recognized who it was. "Chase..."
"Lucy. This isn't the time for defeatist talk." Chase's voice was firm.
"But... but this is all because of me..."
"It's not Lucy's fault. Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail have always been enemies. War was going to happen no matter what."
Sensing the situation, Mira came over and gently cut her off. "If you want to go home, after this is over, Chase can take you back!"
Looking at Mira's warm, gentle smile, the last of Lucy's emotional restraint gave way. Tears flowed freely.
"Mira... Chase... I don't want to go back to that cold, heartless place. I want... I want to stay with the guild!"
Mira smiled and opened her arms, pulling Lucy into an embrace. "Then stay with the guild. You don't have to go anywhere. No one can take you away."
Lucy cried even harder.
Their guildmates, still hurling insults at Phantom Lord while keeping one eye on Lucy, all wore relieved smiles.
Once her emotions had settled, Chase spoke up. "Lucy, do you remember the promise I made you that night?"
Lucy blinked as she pulled back from Mira's embrace.
"If you start talking about being polite at a time like this, I'll have Gray give your backside some physical cooling!"
Lucy wiped the tears from her face, her weak voice tinged with exasperation. "Don't say something so perverted with such a serious face..."
If she could still complain, she was going to be okay.
Her gaze passed through the crowd of cheering comrades and landed on Jose, standing atop the castle with his sinister expression. Lucy clenched her fists tightly.
Finally, she chose to trust Chase. To trust her comrades. To trust the guild.
"Chase... please help me. Drive those bastards out of Magnolia!" she shouted.
"You got it. This request is officially accepted—on behalf of Fairy Tail."
Chase grinned, then turned to face all his guildmates. "Hey! You all heard her! We've got a request from Lucy. And the mission is—"
"Protect our guildmate! And beat the hell out of Phantom Lord!"
"OOOOHHH!!"
The morale surged to an unprecedented peak.
Satisfied that Lucy was in good hands, Makarov finally relaxed.
When he turned his gaze back to Jose, the gentleness in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a burning fighting spirit.
"Sorry, Jose. We've taken a request too. So if you've got what it takes, feel free to try your luck!"
"Stubborn old man. Whatever happens next will be entirely on your head!"
Seeing that taking Lucy Heartfilia wouldn't be simple, Jose's expression darkened. He swept his hand forward, signaling the countless Phantom Lord troops packed inside the castle.
Receiving the order, Phantom Lord mages howled like mad dogs as they leaped from the castle.
With Aria's Wind Magic propelling them, they dove straight toward the shore.
Alongside them came countless purple Phantom Soldiers, radiating a chilling aura.
The army stretched across the lake, their momentum overwhelming.
Despite being vastly outnumbered, Fairy Tail showed no fear.
Unable to hold back any longer, Natsu, Gray, Elfman, and others charged to the front, unleashing fierce magical clashes against Phantom Lord's vanguard.
The war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord had fully erupted!
"Well then, I suppose I'll—"
Makarov began gathering his magic, his target clear: Jose, who had retreated inside the castle with the Element 4.
Just as he was ready to join the fray, Chase walked up.
"Master, leave the dirty work to us young folks. You're old and creaky—go back to the guild and have some tea."
He had said it before: with the old man at full strength, the outcome of this war was already decided.
This was a chance for Chase to gauge the gap between himself and an established Ten Wizard Saint.
Not like his sparring matches with Erza, which were more about sparring—but a full-powered, no-holds-barred fight.
***
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