With a confident nod from Erza and Rhodes, Natsu eagerly dashed forward, his enthusiasm and fiery presence making it seem like he alone was enough to handle all thirty opponents.
Erza swiftly followed, not bothering to equip her special armor this ti. Instead, she effortlessly switched between swords, axes, and other weapons mid-fight, dispatching her foes with precision and grace. Occasionally, she even dropped her weapons to rely solely on her fists and kicks, easily overpowering anyone daring enough to challenge her.
Rhodes moved a bit slower initially, summoning several magical beasts to protect the driver and ensure a safe retreat before plunging directly into the lee himself. His fists, kicks, and well-tid use of take over magic quickly overwheld his foes.
Even Happy joined the fray enthusiastically, leaving paw prints on many faces and, in an especially comical mont, knocking a grown man unconscious using a rather large fish.
"It's the Salamander! He's really a Fire Dragon!"
"Oh my god! Is that the legendary Fairy Queen? She's unstoppable!"
"Wait, isn't that guy a Beastmaster? Why's he fighting up close?!"
"Watch out for that cat—it's humiliating!"
"Faru! Star! What kind of people have you idiots provoked?!"
In re monts, all thirty adversaries lay sprawled and groaning by the roadside, completely defeated.
"Co on! Get back up, I'm not done yet!" Natsu shouted excitedly, flas flickering from his mouth, clearly itching for more action.
"Where's your courage now? There are only three of us," Erza challenged, slamming her sword dramatically into the ground, the tip barely grazing a trembling man's nose.
Happy chid in weakly, "Aye... Erza, don't forget ... I—I knocked soone out, too."
Those still conscious could only groan and lant their terrible luck. They realized far too late they'd challenged actual monsters. Next ti, they'd need at least three hundred n to even stand a chance.
Rhodes carefully examined the fallen attackers until he found two familiar faces: "Hey, wake up! Care to explain why you blocked our way?"
"Don't pretend you don't know!" one protested angrily.
Rhodes shrugged casually.
"Damn you!" Star growled, thoroughly irritated. If he hadn't seen the strange giant crab in Sorcerer Weekly magazine, he'd still believe it was just bad luck.
Faru added stubbornly, "Don't celebrate too soon! We're only a small branch. When our headquarters hears of this, you're done for!"
Rhodes raised an amused eyebrow, "Really? You think headquarters will be impressed that thirty grown n got trounced by three people and a cat? Do you honestly plan to report this embarrassnt?"
The two n flushed with embarrassnt. Of course, they couldn't report this humiliation, doing so would undoubtedly lead to their branch being shut down.
Rhodes sighed in relief. He had been worried, but this encounter was actually sowhat satisfying. Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord had never been on friendly terms anyway.
At worst, they'd inform the Magic Council that they had been ambushed or claim self-defense. Or perhaps they'd just let the guild master handle it, Makarov always seed eager to reprimand Jose.
After dealing swiftly with these troublemakers, the group's mood significantly improved as they continued toward Magnolia.
Even the driver escorting them back marveled at the extraordinary security of this journey. After all, it only took three Fairy Tail wizards, and a particularly feisty cat, re minutes to defeat thirty assailants.
He shook his head, amused and slightly bewildered. Even the poor, car-sick young man was incredibly strong when it ca to fighting.
...
Bang!
A porcelain plate fell to the floor and shattered into several pieces.
Mira seed startled, quickly squatting down to pick up the larger fragnts before sweeping away the smaller pieces with a broom.
"Wow~ That's rare, Mira. Even you break plates sotis?" Cana teased, nursing her half-full wine glass. She'd been carefully controlling her drinking lately and didn't want to finish the last of her wine too quickly. Besides, her usual drinking buddies, Macao and Wakaba, weren't around, leaving her chatting with Mira at the counter instead.
Mira smiled gently, "I just got distracted for a mont."
Cana rested her elbow on the counter, chin propped in her hand, giving Mira a knowing look. "Distracted, huh? Or were you thinking about soone special? You've seed absent-minded all day."
"Stop joking," Mira replied with slight worry. "I just suddenly had a bad feeling, that's all."
With a flourish, Cana conjured several tarot cards into her hand. "Want a fortune told? Like when your special soone will return? That's my specialty, you know."
"What special soone?" Mira blushed slightly, quickly adding, "Elfman already ca back two days ago."
"I wasn't talking about Elfman," Cana teased with a sly grin, laying out the cards slowly and deliberately on the counter.
Busy with serving dishes, taking orders, and keeping the guild's accounts, Mira couldn't help glancing at Cana each ti she passed the counter, impatiently waiting for the results. It was the first ti she'd ever found Cana's fortune-telling so agonizingly slow.
Finally, Cana placed her hand on the last card. "By the way, how long has he been gone?"
"Eight days—nearly nine," Mira answered without thinking, assuming it was relevant to the divination.
"Ah..." Cana nodded thoughtfully, before suddenly looking up mischievously, "Wait, who exactly are we talking about?"
Mira froze for a second, face turning bright red, and threateningly raised her serving tray.
"Alright, alright, I give up!" Cana laughed, flipping the last card over and studying it intently. "The reading says he'll return soon but leave on another journey shortly after."
Joy flashed briefly on Mira's face, followed quickly by confusion. "Another journey so soon?"
"Maybe... Elfman's heading out on another job again?" Cana deliberately teased.
Mira's expression beca sweet yet frighteningly calm. "If Elfman tries to leave on another journey today, perhaps I should break his legs."
"Ah!" Cana shivered, glimpsing the formidable Demon Mirajane once again.
Across the guild, Elfman, who had just finished arm-wrestling Nab twice, suddenly felt a cold chill down his spine. He stretched nervously. "What a weird feeling. Maybe I've been idle too long. A real man shouldn't waste his days. Perhaps it's ti to take on another mission."
The guild hall buzzed cheerfully until the front door was abruptly kicked open.
"We're back!"
"Aye, sir!"
Erza's stern voice imdiately followed, "Natsu, stop kicking the door!"
Sweating nervously, Natsu quickly apologized, "Aye! Sorry, got carried away again!"
"Don't let it happen again," Erza instructed, swiftly shifting into her disciplinary mode. "Vijeeter, stop dancing on the tables! Loke, I've heard complaints about you flirting again, behave yourself! And Gray..."
Despite the bandages wrapped around her wrist and a bandage plastered on her cheek, Erza's commanding presence remained unshaken.
In just monts, the guild hall transford from bustling chaos into a library-like silence, though everyone knew it wouldn't last very long.
Rhodes, thoroughly accustod to such scenes, calmly followed his companions inside. After days of traveling and adventures, nothing felt better than returning to Fairy Tail.
Walking directly to a familiar figure behind the counter, he said warmly, "I'm back."
"Welco ba—" Mira paused, worry flickering across her face as she hurried over to Rhodes. Her fingers gently brushed against his bandaged forehead, concern evident in her voice. "You're so badly hurt... what happened?"
...
Thank you all so much for your Powerstones last week! Thanks to your amazing support, this fic made it into the Top 5! 🙌 I'm truly grateful for every read, vote, and comnt, your encouragent keeps going. Let's keep the montum alive together!
Bonus Chapter @400 PS 💎💎
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