The headquarters of the Phantom Lord guild was a dark, gloomy castle. Inside the main hall, the air was thick with tension.
Jose Porla stood tall, his long wizard robes trailing on the floor.
He stared down at the man sitting on the ground before him, his face as dark as coal.
"Gajeel," Jose rasped, his voice filled with confusion and anger. "Are you telling me... that your attacks for the past two nights have failed?"
Jose leaned closer, his eyes narrowing. "And... are you saying you got beaten up twice in a row?"
Gajeel Redfox, the Iron Dragon Slayer, looked like a mess.
He was covered in bruises and bandages. He sat gloomily on the cold stone floor, holding a thick iron bar in his hand.
Crunch. Snap.
Gajeel bit into the metal as if it were a chocolate bar.
The terrible sound of grinding steel echoed in the silent room.
"Shut up," Gajeel grumbled, chewing angrily. "That Demon Mirajane... and that masked guy in the black robe... their strength was way higher than we expected! I wasn't prepared."
Jose frowned.
A sinister look crossed his face. "Fairy Tail truly has so many hidden trump cards..."
In his mind, Jose began to recalculate the threat.
He knew Makarov and Ankh were the two "Wizard Saints," making them his biggest headaches.
Aside from them, only Erza Scarlet, the famous "Titania" was usually worth worrying about.
"However," Jose muttered to himself, "it seems that Mirajane, the 'Demon' who had long vanished from the scene, is also a problem we need to fix."
He turned his gaze toward a flat patch of stone floor nearby.
"Sol," Jose called out. "You go deal with her. I shouldn't need to explain the details, should I?"
The floor began to ripple like water.
A man slowly oozed out of the earth, his body twisting and stretching until he took human form.
It was Sol of the Element 4.
He was dressed in a green suit and wore a monocle over one eye, trying to look like a gentleman. But his body was weirdly flexible, and his sly, shifty face made him look slimy and untrustworthy.
"Oui, oui!" Sol let out a strange, cackling laugh. He pinched the tip of his thin mustache. "Don't worry, Master Jose. Leave it to me! I will twist her up nicely!"
Jose smirked.
He looked around the room, ready to give the next order.
But before he could speak, the temperature in the room dropped.
The air became damp and heavy.
Drip... drip... drip...
A mournful, low sound of water hitting stone echoed through the empty hall.
Jose chuckled softly. "Juvia, so you're here."
Standing in the large doorway was a woman.
She was beautiful, with deep blue wavy hair, but her eyes were empty and sad.
She wore a thick blue coat, rain boots, and held a pink umbrella open, even though she was indoors.
Strangely, even though she wasn't doing anything, a feeling of deep sadness radiated from her body like a fog.
Juvia stared vacantly at the wall. She didn't say hello.
Jose didn't mind her strangeness.
He simply pointed a finger.
"Juvia," he commanded. "Go find the eldest daughter of the Heartfilia family. Her name is Lucy. Capture her and bring her back here unharmed."
Drip... drip...
Juvia's eyes slowly swept over Jose. "Juvia understands."
She turned around slowly and walked out of the guild.
As she moved away, the stormy, overcast clouds that had been hanging over the castle seemed to follow her.
The rain outside stopped, and the sky began to clear up just a little bit.
Sol tilted his body to the side at a crazy angle, sighing in amazement.
"Truly worthy of being the 'Rain Woman.' What a fearsome power. She brings the weather with her wherever she goes."
Jose waved his hand casually. "Don't worry about her. You go ahead, Sol. Stick to the plan."
"Yes, Master Jose." Sol sank back into the ground and vanished.
After the two elemental mages departed, the room fell silent again, except for the annoying sound of Gajeel chewing on his iron bar.
Crunch. Crunch.
Jose looked toward the shadows in the corner of the room.
Two other figures were sitting there.
"Aria, Totomaru," Jose said with a light laugh. "You two should prepare as well. The enemy will be here soon."
He walked to the window and looked out at the sea.
"And make sure the 'Jupiter Cannon' is ready to fire," Jose added, his voice cold. "Those Fairy Tail fools will probably be here any minute. We will blast them into dust."
Just as Jose was finishing his strategy, a deafening sound shattered the peace.
ROAAAAAR!
It wasn't a beast. It was a person screaming with pure rage.
"PHANTOM LORD! GAJEEL! GET OUT HERE, ALL OF YOU!"
BOOM!
A massive explosion shook the foundation of the castle. The heavy front gates were blasted off their hinges, flying into the courtyard.
Down below, at the entrance, a wave of magic power surged forward.
Natsu Dragneel, covered in fire, led the charge.
Behind him, Ankh and the rest of the Fairy Tail guild poured in like an angry tide.
In the upper room, Gajeel stopped eating.
He lifted his head from his pile of scrap metal. He took the steel bar in his mouth and bit through it with a violent snap.
Clang.
Flames of anger flickered in Gajeel's red eyes.
He stood up, spitting out a piece of metal.
"Damn fairies!" Gajeel growled. "They dare to come here directly! They don't know when to quit!"
Jose stood up calmly
He smiled, looking down at the chaos below.
"It is time, Gajeel," Jose said smoothly. "You may go. Show them why you are the ace of Phantom Lord."
Gajeel cracked his neck and rotated his shoulders
The iron studs on his face caught the light menacingly.
"Heh," Gajeel sneered. "Let's see how many strong fighters Fairy Tail has left!"
In his mind, Gajeel made a quick list.
'I can't defeat Mirajane or that masked guy right now,' he admitted to himself.
'And I haven't fought Erza or the Grim Reaper yet...'
He walked to the balcony and looked down. He saw a boy with pink hair surrounded by flames, wrecking everything in sight.
"So..." Gajeel grinned, revealing his sharp teeth. "I'll start with you, Fire Dragon!"
He leaped over the railing, falling toward the battlefield below.
Jose watched him go, then adjusted his collar.
He calmly walked toward the stairs to follow.
He reached out with his senses. He tried to feel for Makarov's massive magic aura.
Nothing.
"I can't sense Makarov," Jose thought, surprised. "That means the leader of this attack is that young man, Ankh."
Jose smirked.
He felt a wave of relief and arrogance.
'Dealing with such a greenhorn rookie... I can't be bothered to use dirty tricks,' Jose decided.
'Why waste Aria's special ambush magic on a kid?'
He decided to save Aria's strength for Makarov later.
'How much skill could a young Wizard Saint possibly possess? He is just a child who got lucky with a title.'
Jose clenched his fist, feeling his own dark power.
'Could an established, experienced Wizard Saint like me possibly lose to a brat like Ankh?! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!'
....
Downstairs, the battle had turned into a full-scale riot.
"CHARGE!"
Ankh led a force of over a hundred Fairy Tail members. They blasted through the broken gates and stormed the main hall.
The Phantom Lord members were eating breakfast or relaxing. They were caught completely off guard.
"It's Fairy Tail!"
"They're attacking!"
Panic spread instantly.
The Phantom Lord mages tried to fight back, but they were disorganized.
Fairy Tail had brought everyone.
Nearly all the members, from the strongest to the weakest, were fighting with burning passion. Even though they were on enemy territory, they didn't hesitate.
Leading the pack were Natsu and Gray.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
"Ice Make: Lance!"
Natsu and Gray were far stronger than the average wizard.
In a battlefield full of small-fry enemies, they were like two dragons let loose in a small fish pond.
They sent bodies flying left and right. Just the two of them turned the Phantom Lord lobby into a disaster zone.
Above them, Erza Scarlet was a blur of silver and gold.
"Heaven's Wheel Armor!"
She led the vanguard, her magnificent armor shining brightly.
Dozens of swords circled around her, striking down enemies with precision. Even in the messy, dirty battle, she looked noble and dazzling.
Ankh walked through the middle of the fight. He watched his family displaying their might.
He smiled. "Everyone is working hard..."
He looked up at the high stairs leading to the guild master's office.
"I should go find my own fun too," Ankh said.
Erza descended from the sky, landing lightly next to him. She looked worried.
"Brother," she warned him. "They say Jose possesses magic power equal to our Master. Please be careful. Don't underestimate him."
Ankh shook his head calmly. "Magic power is one thing, Erza. Actual fighting strength is another."
He looked at her with confident eyes.
"As for dealing with Jose... I am enough on my own."
Erza nodded. She trusted him. But then she realized something was missing.
"But why didn't you bring Mirajane to this battle?" Erza asked curiously. "She is one of our strongest."
"She has her own battlefield," Ankh said mysteriously.
He didn't explain any further.
He spread his hands out to the sides. Two purple magic circles floated above his palms.
BOOM!
An invisible force of gravity blasted outward.
Countless Phantom Lord enemies were sent flying through the air, screaming as they crashed into the walls.
Ankh easily cleared a wide path to the stairs.
"I'm going up," Ankh said.
Erza watched him ascend the stairs.
Her elegant brows furrowed slightly.
She suppressed the unease in her heart, turned around, and threw herself back into the chaos.
On the other side of the hall, Natsu was on a rampage.
"Fire Dragon's ROAR!"
A massive torrent of fire erupted from Natsu's mouth. It blasted away ten Phantom Lord members who were trying to gang up on him.
The enemies stared at Natsu in terror.
They were shaking.
"This kid..." one of them stuttered, backing away. "He is basically a fire dragon in human form!"
"How could we... possibly win against such a monster?"
Phantom Lord's morale was sinking fast. They were losing hope.
But then—
CLANG!
A clear, sharp metallic sound echoed amidst the roaring flames.
Natsu's eyes widened.
He had thrown a punch that should have knocked anyone out. But his fist had stopped.
Everyone looked over.
Natsu's unstoppable iron fist had been caught bare-handed.
Standing there was Gajeel. He was wearing iron gauntlets. He gripped Natsu's fist with one hand, his grip tight as a vice.
Slowly, Gajeel lifted his head.
The iron studs on his face caught the firelight. He revealed a terrifying, brutal smile that stretched from ear to ear.
"Natsu Dragneel," Gajeel growled, his voice rasping like sandpaper. "Fairy Tail's Salamander, huh..."
He squeezed Natsu's fist harder, the metal creaking.
"I'm Gajeel," he announced. "The Iron Dragon of Phantom Lord. And I am stronger than you."
Gajeel leaned in close, his eyes burning with challenge.
"Kid... this sky isn't big enough for two dragons!"
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