BOOM!
The blazing flames shot out, making the already lively guild atmosphere even more heated.
"WAHAHA! This is why the guild is the best! An environment like this is just awesome!"
Natsu laughed heartily while spewing fire, running around like a spoiled brat and setting many people's clothes on fire.
Although this guy is always this excited and hyperactive during every banquet, he was clearly even more rambunctious than usual this time.
Aside from the fact that Lisanna's "return from the dead" was truly worth celebrating, there was another reason—
He had been utterly crushed by the Destruction Dragon last night!
The Destruction Dragon wasn't kind-hearted like Erza or Gildarts, who would just knock him out with one punch and leave it at that. Instead, it repeatedly beat him down. Every time Natsu lost consciousness, a heavy slap would wake him back up, and the battle would continue, over and over.
Even Natsu, who feared nothing in heaven or earth, felt his legs go weak whenever he recalled that hellish beating that lasted over ten hours.
That was why he said things like "the guild is the best."
Looking at it from another angle, this guy really had incredible stamina. After being tortured like that last night, he still had this much energy left.
Lucy was a lucky woman.
"Shut up, you bastard Natsu!"
"If you want to cause trouble, go pick a fight with Chase! What kind of skill is it to spew fire all over the place?!"
"It's, it's burning! Juvia's beloved coat!"
Of course, his comrades weren't about to give Natsu any friendly looks. They hurled insults at him from all directions.
Some of the more hot-tempered ones even began stirring up their magic power, ready to step in and have a little "heart-to-heart" with Natsu.
Juvia watched as the coat that carried her great hopes gradually turned to ash in her hands, the killing intent in her eyes so thick it was terrifying. She genuinely wanted to kill Natsu.
Elsewhere, in a corner far from the center of the commotion, Lisanna was hanging out with Kinana, Éclair, Momon, and the other guild service staff.
"So what was Edolas Natsu like?" Éclair asked curiously, glancing at Natsu as he bounced around.
Having once despised mages with every fiber of her being, she had now completely grown accustomed to the guild's atmosphere and had come to think that a little noise wasn't such a bad thing after all.
"Edolas Natsu, huh—"
At the mention of this, Lisanna immediately covered her mouth and laughed. After thinking for a moment, she mimicked Edo Natsu's pathetic tone and said,
"S-so scary! Lucy, please don't hit me anymore! M-my neck is about to break! I'm sorry, I'll get lost right now!"
"Yep, something like that."
"Pfft, HAHAHA!!" Max and Bickslow at the next table couldn't hold it in any longer. They clutched their stomachs and slammed the table, roaring with laughter.
"That sounds like it would be a lot of fun. Didn't Chase and the others say they were going to build a spatial-temporal portal? Hey, Éclair, can we go check out Edolas sometime?" Momon looked at Éclair with an expectant expression.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Éclair's lips, and she nodded. "Not a bad idea. We can bully Edo Natsu a little while we're at it."
Having spent a long time in the guild, the Phoenix Priestess, who usually wore an indifferent expression, had clearly become much more cheerful and had also absorbed some of Mira's mischievous nature.
"Too bad Edolas Fairy Tail doesn't have an Éclair. If there was one, I feel like she'd have a similar personality to Natsu..."
Lucy walked over slowly and sat down beside Éclair.
The center of the banquet would probably erupt into the daily brawl soon, so she had come over here to take refuge.
"Uh... that's actually kind of scary..."
Éclair briefly tried to imagine herself in the shoes of the rowdy Natsu, and a cold sweat immediately broke out on her forehead.
Good thing there was no counterpart of her over there. Otherwise, she'd probably have to cancel her plans to visit Edolas!
"I think being more energetic would be nice, though," Momon said with a serious expression, clearly wanting to see Éclair full of vitality.
As they chatted, the atmosphere on the guild floor grew even more heated. Even the Thunder God Tribe, led by Freed, announced that they were going to raise some hell for the first time in a while.
Happy flew out from the chaos and found Gildarts sitting at the table in front of Lucy.
"Hey, Gildarts, here's the deal. Could you please step in and beat up the guys who are making all this noise and ruining the banquet?"
"Haha, the atmosphere is so lively for once. Just let them be for now."
Gildarts glanced at Natsu with a chuckle, then immediately shifted his gaze and looked at Cana beside him with adoring eyes. His voice was unbearably saccharine. "Don't you agree, Cana-chan? And at your age, you really shouldn't be drinking so much. It's bad for your health. Why don't you switch to milk? Or juice would be fine too—"
"How disgusting! Stay away from me, you damn old man!" Cana moved her hips away with extreme disgust, causing Gildarts, who had opened his arms for a hug, to lunge at nothing.
Ever since they had finally acknowledged each other yesterday, Gildarts had been sticking to her like a plaster, saying he wanted to make up for all the paternal love he had missed out on.
It absolutely disgusted her. She had this terrible feeling—like standing outside a fence, desperately wanting to get in, but once she got inside, she couldn't help wanting to escape.
Milk and juice, indeed! That was stuff for old-timers like the master!
Meanwhile, Makarov was huddled in a corner of the second-floor corridor, sipping fine wine and flipping through a photobook. What a dark conversation. And isn't Gildarts being way too cringey?
Lucy had clearly heard their exchange and muttered quietly, "And besides, Cana looks like she's having a blast!"
Cana suddenly turned her head, shook the barrel of alcohol in her arms, and said with extreme boldness, "Hah? Lucy, wanna go for a barrel?"
"No thanks! Go drink with your precious dad!" Lucy refused without hesitation.
Just then, Panther Lily, Carla, and Wendy also came over to "take refuge."
"But seriously, this is one noisy place. So this is what a mage guild in Earthland is like?" Lily said, looking like he had never seen anything like it.
Unlike his muscular, ferocious giant form, now that he had reverted to a normal Exceed, he looked oddly cute, black as a lump of coal.
"To be more precise, it's specifically Fairy Tail that has this kind of atmosphere."
As the more experienced one, Carla spread her paws and sighed. "Wendy and I felt the same way when we first got here. It's fine once you get used to it."
"It's really loud, but everyone looks so happy!" Wendy said with a nod and a smile.
She really liked the guild's current atmosphere.
"Hey, you brats over there! Have your white cat and that idiot Fire Dragon's blue cat fight my black cat! Though my black cat would obviously win anyway!"
Gajeel's fierce, intimidating face suddenly appeared, making Wendy jump in surprise.
This guy had once been depressed and insecure for a while because he didn't have a cat of his own. Now that he had Lily, he was naturally insufferably arrogant.
"You've gotten yourself noticed by quite the character too," Lucy said, coming over to Wendy's side and teasing her sympathetically.
"Ah... haha..." Wendy smiled bitterly, looking utterly resigned to her fate.
"Bring it on! Happy is the strongest of the strong!" Natsu's defiant shout rang out.
"Hmph, you've already lost! My Lily is the cat among cats, an absolutely invincible being!" Gajeel whipped his head around and shot back at him.
But Happy, who had seen Lily's battle form firsthand, immediately raised his paw in strong opposition. "I'm not bringing it on. I'd lose badly."
If they actually fought, this cat would die!
"Saying such defeatist things before you've even fought. How pathetic," Carla said disdainfully.
S-she's expecting something from me?
Happy was instantly pumped full of adrenaline and looked at Lily with fierce fighting spirit.
"Forget it. Pointless fighting will only lead to unnecessary injuries," Lily said, raising a paw to stop Happy, who was getting carried away.
Unlike Happy, who had raised his paw in surrender, Lily's paw raise wasn't an admission of defeat—it was a message: You still need more training, little buddy.
"A bit more composed than I expected," Lucy remarked.
She then pointed at Natsu and Gajeel, who had already started passionately brawling. "So why did you guys start fighting first?!"
No sooner had she finished her complaint than a flying sandal came hurling toward her face, smacking her square in the forehead.
Elfman, Gray, Macao, and the others, who had been itching for action, also joined this sudden outbreak of fisticuffs.
Everyone clumped together in a massive brawl. Barrels, plates, fruit peels, and all sorts of objects flew through the air, turning the entire guild hall into a complete mess.
"Ahhh! A fierce collision of flesh against flesh with Gray-sama! Juvia wants to join too!"
Thick steam billowed from Juvia's nostrils as she grabbed the hem of her top without hesitation.
"Don't undress!" Lucy lay on the ground, the little spirit figure emerging from her mouth screaming at the top of its lungs.
After stopping Juvia, that lovesick fool driven mad by her obsession, Lucy saw that the situation had spiraled completely out of control. She whipped her head around to look at Wendy. "Wendy, quick! Go to the bar and get Erza!"
"Ah, no, Erza is probably with Chase right now. We can't interrupt them."
"I don't think we need to worry about that. Chase has already joined in," Éclair reminded her with a knowing smile.
"Oh, good. Wait—Chase is in there too? Then it's way too dangerous to stay here, ahhh!"
Lucy suddenly snapped awake. Her little spirit figure dragged her dazed, battered body backward in a frantic retreat.
BOOM!
An explosion rang out from the Fairy Tail guild, making nearby residents stop in their tracks.
Another noisy day, huh—
This troublemaking, good-for-nothing guild!
***
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