"Evergreen, what do you think you're doing?"
Makarov leapt onto the judges' table, his mustache bristling with fury. "Undo the spell. Now!"
Evergreen hid her smile behind her fan, eyes gleaming with amusement. "Master, I'm only adding a little excitement to the festival."
Her voice lifted theatrically. "Fairy Tail, the real celebration is only just beginning!"
Lightning slammed down onto the stage.
A tall figure stepped out of the flash, coat draped over his shoulders, electricity crackling around him. Laxus had arrived.
Near one of the hall's pillars, two more figures emerged. Freed and Bickslow of the Thunder God Tribe, watching in silence.
"Let's play a game, old man," Laxus said, grinning.
"Laxus, you idiot!" Makarov roared. His body began to swell as his magic surged. "Stop this nonsense and restore them immediately!"
Instead of answering, Laxus hurled a bolt of lightning past the stone statue of Lucy, the blast scorching the floor beside her.
"Careful," he said coldly. "They're my hostages now. So here's the game. Fairy Tail's strongest showdown. Last one standing wins. The battlefield is the entire city of Magnolia. You have three hours."
His smile sharpened. "If there's no winner by then, they all turn to dust."
A scream cut through the tension.
Evergreen shrieked as something yanked her ankle. A striped cat's tail snapped out of the floor, wrapping around her leg and dragging her straight down as if the ground had swallowed her.
Before anyone could process what they'd seen, the petrification shattered.
Lucy gasped as color rushed back into her body. Erza and the others in the waiting area froze, then collapsed to their knees as stone turned back to flesh.
A section of the floor rose like a platform.
Rowan Mercer emerged from it, hauling an unconscious Evergreen by the collar. Her glasses hung crooked, her fan dropped somewhere below.
"The strongest showdown sounds interesting," Rowan said calmly, setting her down. "But threatening hostages is a cheap way to start it."
The truth was simple.
The instant Lucy had been petrified, Rowan had expanded his perception across the hall. Laxus, Freed, Bickslow, the already-stoned contestants. He'd seen it all.
He had whispered to Gray, asking him to coat the floor with a thin sheet of ice.
Then Rowan slipped into his mirror magic.
While Laxus made his dramatic entrance, Rowan was already beneath Evergreen's reflection. One pull, one strike, and her concentration broke. Without her control, the spell collapsed on its own.
Evergreen's magic was terrifying when it worked. One glance could end a fight before it began. Even someone like Erza could be caught off guard.
But it had a weakness.
Knock her out, and everything unraveled.
"Well done, Rowan!" someone shouted.
Relief swept through the hall as the last traces of petrification vanished. Lucy and the others staggered back to their feet.
Laxus frowned. Freed and Bickslow exchanged looks. Without hostages, their leverage was gone.
"So Laxus was right," Bickslow muttered. "That cat really is trouble."
"Enough!" Makarov thundered, shrinking back to normal size as he pointed at Laxus. "This ends now. You and the Thunder God Tribe will apologize and accept punishment until everyone you hurt forgives you!"
Laxus burst out laughing, veins bulging at his temples. "Looks like I underestimated you. Fine. Then let's make it bigger."
He pointed skyward.
A bolt of lightning pierced through the guild roof and shot into the clouds. High above Magnolia, dozens of glowing orbs flickered to life, suspended over the city like silent stars.
"I've activated the Thunder Palace," Laxus declared. "Now everyone in Magnolia is my hostage. Play the game, or the city disappears with them."
"Laxus," Freed said hesitantly, doubt flashing across his face. "Isn't this going too far?"
Freed knew him well. Laxus loved the guild. He wanted to prove himself. To take the master's seat and make Fairy Tail stronger.
But this… this crossed a line.
"This is war," Laxus snapped, lightning wrapping his body as his eyes hardened. "Until one side is crushed, it doesn't end. If you can't follow me, then get out. Fairy Tail doesn't need cowards."
Freed exhaled slowly, then bowed his head. "Whatever you decide, we'll follow."
"Thunder Palace…" Makarov whispered. His face drained of color, rage and fear twisting together. "Laxus, have you lost your mind?"
Rowan glanced at Mirajane, who had joined them, her expression grim. "What is the Thunder Palace?"
"It's forbidden lightning magic," she said quietly. "Three hundred magic crystals are planted across the city and charged in advance. Once activated, they can erase a town in an instant. And you can't destroy them beforehand. Break one, and the lightning backlash hits the attacker instead."
Rowan stroked his chin. "Yeah. That's annoying."
"Old man," Laxus said, his voice echoing through the hall, "I'm not crazy. I'm doing this for the guild. Just like you did when you drove my father out."
He spread his arms. "Want this game to end? Simple. Hand the master's position to me right now. I'll rebuild Fairy Tail into a guild no one dares challenge again."
The pressure of his presence crashed down on everyone, heavy enough to steal the air from their lungs.
Makarov trembled, fury shaking his entire body. "Never. Even if I die, I will never pass the guild to you."
"Then let the game begin—"
"Wait."
Rowan's voice cut through the tension.
"There's something you should know, Laxus," he said evenly. "Your father wasn't expelled on a whim. He was working with dark guild mages behind Fairy Tail's back. The master kept it from you because he didn't want to hurt you."
If the misunderstanding could be broken, that was better than fighting.
If not…
Rowan's tail flicked once.
They could always settle it the hard way.