Merry Christmas everyone! I apologize for the delay, but the final chapter of GMG is here! I'd like to thank you all for putting up with it for so long and I hope you'll stick around for future updates.
If you like my work, please consider supporting it on kofi. You can find my link on my profile. There is no pressure whatsoever, I am not writing this for money. You'd be simply showing support and appreciation to me.
I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Makarov thanked the conductor who helped him onto the train and moved over from his wheelchair onto his seat. He looked at Domes Flau through the window. He could feel the vibrations from way over there. With a heavy heart he looked away and apologized to his kids for not being there for them. Matters much more important were at stake.
He reached out into his pocket and pulled out the newest communication lacrima given to him by Smith. He clicked the buttons as instructed and put it against his ear.
"We must go, now." he said upon being connected.
The Captain sighed. "I was hoping he would at least wait until the end...I'll see what I can do. I might be late."
"That is fine." said the elder. "I'm already on my way."
"All right. I hope we're wrong."
"As do I."
Makarov ended the call and took a deep sigh. The train started to move, taking him directly to Magnolia. He was all alone in the wagon, with his anxiety and dreadful thoughts as the only companions. The next couple of hours were bound to be some of the worst in his life.
"This tension is unreal!" Chapati Lola said as he wiped the sweat off his forehead with a napkin. Just like everyone present at the arena, his eyes were glued to the screens following the three men locked in battle several kilometers away.
The two members of Fairy Tail were violently charging at their opponent, who had the widest smile of excitement and joy on his face. He readied his stance and prepared for the blows that were undoubtedly going to rain down upon him within a matter of a second.
Natsu and Laxus pulled their right arms back and punched Jura as hard as they could, the former in the jaw and the latter in the stomach. Jura slid back on the balls of his feet and grinned through pain, a sensation he had grown to forget over the years. He decided to retaliate and knocked Natsu away with an earth pillar that was erected directly beneath him, which he followed by raising an avalanche of soil that began to swallow Laxus up. The man blew it up with his lightning and made a swift escape out of the spells range, but Jura did not fall too far behind. He ran after him and managed to slap Laxus across the face with the back of his palm, effectively knocking him down to the ground.
Just as he stood tall over Laxus, Natsu crash down from above and threw an axe kick at Jura's head, which he blocked by crossing his arms over his head. Natsu's flames mostly spilled to the sides and began to gently scorch the Wizard Saint's skin. His feet that have sunk into the ground from the pure power behind the kick have stopped in their tracks, which allowed Jura to regain his balance. He sent Natsu a glance from behind his guard, who immediately jumped back and avoided being caught by hands made out of earth that rose up from under Jura's feet. He landed next to Laxus and readied his stance yet again, awaiting another move.
"Neither side can set the pace!" Lola said.
"It is far too early to talk about setting a pace." Yajima added calmly. "Both sides seem to size each other up for the time being."
"Size each other up?" Macao repeated. "There's nothing to size, that guy is one of the strongest mages on the continent!"
"It's not that." Lucy said. "One mistake can result in defeat. They are using Jura's tendency to start out slow to learn his habits and tricks."
"You sound like a battle veteran." Juvia told her, surprised.
Lucy smiled sheepishly. "Well, I did fight alongside them a few times..."
"I don't think you could consider taking out everyone he's walked into in one hit as starting slow..." Wakaba said nervously and scratched his beard.
"I guess we'll just see." Cana said and leaned over her seat. "Where the hell is Master, anyway?" she asked and looked around.
"He'll be fine." Max said and dismissed her worries with a shake of his hand.
Back in Fairy Tail's tent, Erza, Gray and Gajeel watched Natsu and Laxus rushing Jura in another charge.
"What do you think?" Gray asked Erza.
The knight sighed anxiously. "I don't know. No matter how much I'd like to, I cannot think of a scenario where they manage to overpower Jura by themselves. This man is most likely as strong as Hades, if not more, and not even seven of us could put a deeper dent on him."
Gray's face dropped. "So you think they'll lose?"
"No." Erza shook her head. "But it won't be easy."
"I think they have a chance." Gajeel said from his bed and prompted himself up on his elbow. "It was short, but when I fought him...It felt like he was lookin' for a challenge, something that would make him put some work into. Unless he's worried about his status, he won't go all out. That'd kill his hopes for a challenge."
"You think he will purposefully hold back?" Erza asked with a frown.
"If it gives him a challenge, probably." Gajeel nodded and hissed from pain after a nurse sterilized one of his wounds. "He's been testing people all day. If you're still standing after he hits ya, yer worth his time. That's what I got out of it. I might be wrong, though."
Erza shifted her eyes back to the screen and clutched her blanket in a tight grip, as she watched Natsu bombard Jura with hits. Give him hell.
Natsu's head was blown back by an uppercut that lifted his feet off the ground. He grit his teeth and quickly dodged a following strike, before jumping back to where Laxus was, who had gotten kicked away just a second prior and was currently on his one knee.
"Any ideas?" he asked the older Slayer.
Laxus spat aside and wiped his mouth. "My legs are gone, we gotta stay away for a moment. You got anything long-ranged?"
"Yeah, but I didn't get to practice too much. I'll buy you some time, just make sure to aim right."
Laxus grinned. "Don't get too cocky." he said jokingly and raised his right hand. He started to mold something out of his lightning and threw it at Jura as hard as he could.
LIGHTNING DRAGON'S HEAVENWARD HALBERD!
Jura clapped his hands and raised a rock golem that successfully blocked the weapon He smirked from behind it and was just about to strike back, but Natsu managed to circle around him and raised his hand in similar fashion to Laxus.
LIGHTNING DRAGON'S SPEAR!
Natsu threw a very primitive looking spear at Jura's back, which he was forced to dodge by stepping aside. Impressed and very much intrigued, he turned his body towards Natsu and met his fists with his own, as the two clashed with enough force to make the ground shake.
Natsu threw a roundhouse kick over Jura's extended fist, which the man caught with his left hand. Natsu then clicked his tongue and shifted his weight toward the ground, which he pushed himself off with his hands and kicked at Jura's head with his other leg. This strike connected, and made Jura take a step back to regain his footing. Natsu then bent his knees and pushed them out as hard as he could, with a massive torrent of flames coming out of his soles. The flames have swallowed Jura whole, which gave Natsu a moment to regain his stance.
Jura then walked out of the flames with a slightly scorched robe and very gentle burn marks on his body and threw a punch that caused Natsu's arms to gently creak upon blocking it. He let it slip on his guard and threw a counter that Jura blocked with a rock wall. He then pushed Natsu away with said rock wall and stepped in so fast he managed to catch Natsu on the stomach with a flush palm strike. The Dragon Slayer gasped and was blown back, but did not fall, his feet scraping the ground as he slid back. The Wizard Saint then pointed his fingers at his opponent and sent dozens of rock spikes in his direction, which he dodged despite his limited breath. One of the spikes caught him on the shoulder and left a gentle cut that would most definitely have been worse had his body not been more durable due to his magic.
Recovered Laxus tried to attack Jura from the back but was stopped by a rock dragon that pushed him back and forced him to turn into lightning. He appeared next to Natsu and the two Dragon Slayers prepared for another attack.
"This is..astonishing." Jura said with a wide smile on his face and fire in his eyes. "Long has it been since my blood boiled this much!"
Laxus smirked. "Don't let it burn you too much." he taunted.
"That is entirely up to you, young ones." Jura said and began raising his magic power.. "This shall be my last test before the main event."
The air became unbearably heavy and dense. The ground began to split and shake. All of a sudden, whatever the two Slayers were feeling was replaced with dread and fear. The already darkening sky began to grow darker, with thunder roaring high in the clouds. Any will to fight back or counter the inevitable spell left before it was even born.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm!" Lola tried to calm the crowd down, startled by the shaking that reached all the way to the arena.
"I don't like this..." Max whined and gulped loudly.
"Will they really be okay? This magic power..." Wendy asked quietly. Nobody had the heart to lie to her.
"I feel like my head it gonna burst." Gajeel growled and clutched his already damaged head.
Erza bit her lip and stared into the screen with faith, but also dread.
Jura raised his hands and joined them before his torso. As he did, both Slayers threw themselves in mad run, knowing full well that being hit by whatever was coming meant utter defeat. Jura smiled sinisterly at the sight of his fleeing opponents and focused his magic power in one spot, before finally releasing it.
RUMBLING MT. FUJI!
The entire area was swallowed by a massive pillar of pure, accumulated magic power that annihilated everything it touched. The spell began to expand and swallowed everything in its path, growing to be at least the same size as Domus Flau. The pillar reached high towards the sky, seemingly reaching the clouds, and after a brief moment the pillar subdued and raised a mushroom shaped dust cloud so enormous it easily towered over fake Crocus.
The crowd and the guilds simply watched the spell through the lacrimas that managed to survive in disbelief and silence. In her tent, Erza slowly stood up from her bed and simply stared at the screen, her face as white as the sheets behind her.
"Ladies and gentlemen..." Lola broke the silence with a uneven voice. "I am getting reports of a shockwave making its way towards the arena. Please brace for impact!"
As he said, the wave reached the town itself. The entire arena began to shake, with winds so strong they knocked over a couple trees outside, ripped tiles off the roofs, and shattered windows into thousands of pieces. The crowd, although disturbed, did not fall into panic, and instead focused on not getting knocked out of their seats. After a longer moment, the winds have subdued, and as everyone looked up, they could clearly see the cloud in the distance.
Lucy slowly raised her hand and covered her mouth in shock. "Natsu...Laxus..." she said quietly.
"Ladies and gentlemen..." Lola cleared his throat and tried to remain professional despite what just happened. "New projecting lacrimas are being deployed as we speak, please remain calm and await their arrival at the scene."
Gray, who'd finally managed to knock himself out of shock, quickly snapped his head towards the free beds in their tent.
"Erza..." he called out to the knight with a weird choked out noise of both relief and remaining shock. "Erza!" he tried again upon not getting through to her.
The redhead blinked and looked at him with a confused look. His nervous, but firm smile managed to knock some sense back into her dull mind, and as he shifted his head towards the beds, her eyes followed on their own, albeit slowly as if dreading what they might fall upon.
They were empty.
Jura lowered his hands and breathed out heavily. He looked around the wasteland he had just created, his eyes unable to spot anything other than some larger pieces of rubble and rocks in close proximity. Every building, decoration, bench, tree or fountain that surrounded them has been reduced to nothing but a pile of ash and sand sprawled over the even ground, granting the area an illusion of an extremely flat desert. The dust was still raised in the air, making breathing uncomfortable.
The boulders nearby began to move, and soon enough toppled to the ground, pushed from underneath. A hand reached out from the well that was covered by the rubble, followed by the rest of Natsu. He pulled himself up to put his bare feet on the wasteland and looked at Jura. His head was bleeding, both his shoes were now gone and his jacket stayed on his torso by just a few threads, torn to bits. His scarf flowed in the gentle wind, dirty, but unscathed.
The Wizard Saint could not hide his shock, his mouth slightly open at the sight of the practically unharmed Dragon Slayer. Just when he was about to speak, his second opponent materialized just behind him, also barely injured.
"I am at loss for words." Jura admitted with a dry throat and smiled.
"Don't." Natsu told him.
"We got lucky." Laxus added with a shaking voice. If I hadn't turned into lightning fast enough...
"They are fine!" Lola boomed into his microphone, just as the crowd exploded in cheers. "The fight continues!"
"Don't you go scaring us like that!" Macao, Elfman and Wakaba yelled at the screens while rest of the guild celebrated.
Droplets of rain began to fall on fake Crocus, thunder gently rumbling in the clouds above. Natsu exhaled through his nose and cracked his stiff neck. "I guess there's no other choice." he said and began raising his magic power.
Jura's eyes raised on their own upon feeling the young man's magic, his own responding accordingly by rising as well. Behind him, Laxus threw his coat aside and joined the two, as the area began to shake once more.
A thunder stroke right next to Natsu and lit up his face with almost white light, which didn't seem to startle him at all. A second one struck not too long later, this time closer. The third one struck him directly in the top of the head, and coated him in a cloak of lightning that was then enhanced by flames. Natsu's body blew up in an aura of fire and thunder, each element wrapping around the other and blending in together in destructive harmony that made Jura's hair stand up.
"To think your magic could still double in size..." he said, thrilled. "Let us fight until we drop!"
Both Slayers bared their fangs and kicked the ground as hard as they could. Natsu closed in much quicker than Laxus and threw the first strike, which Jura blocked with his arm. He then used the same, now numb arm, to counter Laxus, who ducked underneath and punched Jura in the gut. Natsu then kicked the Saint in the head and knocked him back.
Jura landed back on his feet and pointed his fingers at the charging dragons.
IRON ROCK DRAGON!
A giant dragon spiked toward Natsu and opened its jaws wide. Natsu clenched his fist and smashed it into the roof of its mouth, shattering it into smithereens with an explosion of fire and lightning. Although taken back, Jura didn't allow himself to remain startled for too long and successfully pinned charging Laxus to the ground with an earth hand. He motioned his hands to advance the spell even further, but Laxus twisted his neck just enough to launch a Roar which Jura had no other choice but to block with a rock golem.
With nothing but a zap, Natsu circled around Jura's defenses and kicked him in the back with enough force to make the older man crash through his own creation straight into the torrent of lightning that swallowed him whole. Laxus freed himself and ran after Jura, with Natsu doing the same on the other side.
IRON ROCK MOUNTAIN!
With a clap of his steaming hands Jura erected a giant mountain that successfully split the Slayers and lifted them high in the air with separate cliffs. Deeming Laxus the smaller threat, he motioned his hands and created several smaller, but nimbler rock golems that chased after Natsu through the hills. Jura himself charged directly at Laxus, who had no other choice but to meet him head on. Their fists clashed and shook the entire mountain, but Laxus was on the receiving end of this exchange, his right fist going numb upon impact. Jura began to bombard Laxus with strikes that left heavy toll on his body and finished his barrage with a kick to the ribs. Laxus crashed to the ground and managed to avoid being skewered by rock spikes at the last second.
Meanwhile, Natsu made his way through the golems and tore them one by one. Upon destroying the final one, he spotted Jura and focused magic in his legs, before launching himself at the man like a bullet. Jura reacted fast enough to meet Natsu's fist, but failed to counter it successfully, as his head was blown back by the blow. Natsu followed with a barrage of punches that rained down on the Wizard Saint and finished it off with a point-blank torrent of flames and lightning that blew Jura away into a neighboring hill, which he snapped in half upon impact.
"What in all that is holy is this fight?" Max asked quietly, his eyes wide and unable to leave the screens.
"A battle between monsters, that's what." Macao replied, just as shocked.
"Jura is still not using his full strength." Obaba grumbled to herself. "Do you wish to be challenged this badly?"
Jura dug his way out of debris and laughed out loud with his cut lips. "It's been so many years since I've felt this good!" he boomed and clapped his hands together. "Let us take this to yet another level!"
The mountain began to shake and soon more pillars and giant spikes began to rise up. Natsu and Laxus dashed forward and began to jump, run and circle around all of them, as they made their way through the deadly terrain at speed so incredible Jura's creations couldn't keep up. With the path towards the Saint now clear, they both pushed the ground and charged at him while roaring, before all three men engaged in a wild exchange of blows that was so fast the lacrimas could not keep up with capturing them.
Fire, thunder and rock splattered all over the place as the three mages battled in hand to hand combat on top of a small hill that was shaking and breaking down as they went. Jura was on the receiving end of multiple punches and kicks, but he wasn't too far off, with Natsu and Laxus finding themselves being nailed with powerful blows every now and then. Sensing that the situation was slipping out of his hand a little too much, Jura created sent dozens of giant boulders at Laxus, which sent him back and buried him underneath. He then focused solely on Natsu and the two continued to battle, with the Dragon Slayer coming out on top in terms of speed.
"Such power...However, can you keep it up for much longer?" Jura asked him with a devilish grin on his face after being punched with a right cross and answered with a chop of his own.
Natsu grit his teeth from pain, but gave Jura a twisted smile of his own. What is this feeling?
He responded by smashing his joined fists into Jura's head, bending him down so much his chin almost touched his knees. Natsu then kicked him underneath the chin and blasted him with both elements, which Jura shook off and followed with a gut punch that took all the wind out of Natsu's lungs. My instincts are screaming at how strong this guy is, and yet...I feel happy.
Jura struck Natsu in the face with a palm strike and clapped his hand together, which helped him mold an avalanche of dirt. Natsu grinned through the pain and dispelled it with his own magic. I felt it before...Is this what it feels like to be excited by a fight?
"To be able to feel my strength contested without the fear of death looming in the air...How long I have awaited this moment!" Jura said with passion and excitement in his voice.
Natsu's face twisted into that of a smiling demon. He headbutted Jura in the chin and nailed him with a right overhand, which the older man shook off rather quickly. He raised his left arm to block an incoming kick from now free Laxus and used his right to stop Natsu from digging his fist into his liver.
They stayed in this power struggle for a moment, neither side giving in even an inch- The ground shook and cracked under their combined magic power and the storm above their heads went crazier by the second.
The Dragon Slayers looked to the side, guided by their noses, and pulled away from Jura, who found himself being hit in the back by a torrent of dark purple energy. He jumped out of the spell and turned his head in the direction of its caster.
Mirajane stood on top of a boulder, panting and injured, but still raring to fight. She grit her teeth and flew away in order to regroup.
"Mirajane joins the fight!" Lola exclaimed. "The entirety of Team Fairy Tail is now present on the battlefield!"
"What took you so long?!" Natsu called out to her as he landed below her.
"Shut up and focus on what's in front of us!" she retorted just as Laxus joined up with them.
Jura faced the trio and raised his hand in front of his chest with a wide, but menacing smile on his face.
"I say we keep things the same. Us two provide offense, you stay on the outside. In your condition one hit from this monster could be fatal." Laxus told Mira and blasted his aura of lightning all the way.
"Break everything he makes to keep us away." Natsu added and cranked his cloak of flame and lightning up as well. "He knows we're burning through a lot of magic, whenever his feet get hot, he stalls."
Laxus scoffed. "Bastard could beat us whenever he wanted yet he still pulls this crap...It must be really lonely up there."
"Up where?" Mira asked him, genuinely confused.
Natsu bent his knees. "Where the real monsters sit." he said and dashed at Jura alongside Laxus, who was just a few meters behind him.
Their fists collided with Jura's rock golem and effectively stopped their attacks. Jura motioned his hands behind his creation and cast two giant gauntlets made out of rock that struck the Dragon Slayers and knocked them back. The golem was then shattered by a long-ranged spell from Mirajane, which cleared the way for the other two to land with their strikes. Jura slid back on the balls of his feet and grimaced in pain and gentle annoyance. "This is becoming a little bit too much." he growled gently and kicked the ground.
In the time it took Mira to blink, Jura closed the distance between them and raised his fist in an attempt to knock the demon down. She helplessly watched the giant's fist close in to her face, and just when it was about to reach it, it vanished.
Laxus struck Jura in the back with his joint hands and knocked him down to the ground, where Natsu was.
LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON'S BRILLIANT FLAME!
He smashed Jura with a combination of fire and lightning with everything he had and grimaced. His body was slowly getting tired and the strain of all the magic around him didn't make it too comfortable.
Jura broke out of the spell with moderate injuries and smashed Natsu with a rock punch right in the face, effectively knocking him away. Laxus tried to attack him from behind, but was stopped and kicked away.
EVIL EXPLOSION!
Jura's knees buckled upon taking yet another explosion to the back. His whole body was steaming and battered, with small bruises and cuts all over his body. Blood was dripping from his lip and down his hands, and his robe was torn beyond belief. Although the damage itself was not fatal, it was building up, and the man felt its toll.
The Dragon Slayers regrouped with Mira, who looked like she was about to collapse herself. They were injured past their limit as well, and didn't have much fight in them left.
"This is the last." Cana said and straightened herself in her seat. "This will decide it."
"They gotta go all out now, or it's a loss." Gajeel said.
"Old man's damage is nowhere near theirs. If they don't hit him hard..." Gray said and clenched his fist nervously.
"We will lose." Erza finished as she glanced over the scoreboard, with Sabertooth on first place. They were 2 points behind.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we might be nearing the climax of Grand Magic Games!" Lola announced to the excited crowd.
"This next minute will be the most crucial." Yajima added.
"You ready?" Natsu asked his friends.
"After you." Laxus cracked his knuckles.
"Come!" Jura yelled at them. "Let us battle until none of us can stand any longer!"
Mira roared and began raising her leftover magic power. The other two joined her and dashed forward, their elements crackling dangerously all over the place.
Jura took a deep breath and joined his hands.
Natsu and Laxus retracted their arms and channeled their magic into them, putting everything they had left into the spells.
DRAGON SLAYER'S SECRET ARTS:
ROARING THUNDER!
CRIMSON LOTUS: EXPLODING LIGHTNING BLADE!
GANZAN!
The Dragon Slayers' spells crashed against a giant humanoid shield clad in Eastern armor erected by Jura. The shield immediately began to crackle and chip thousands of small pieces, but was thick enough to successfully stop them from reaching him. The duo roared on top of their lungs and flexed both their bodies and magic to pierce through Jura's defenses, but the man's determination was just as high as theirs. Veins began to pop out on his forehead and an inhuman growl escaped through his grit teeth.
"It's no use, they can't go through!" Macao lamented and grabbed his head in despair. "He'll tire them out!"
"That's what you get for trying to mess with the strongest man!" Obaba yelled out into the distance.
"They're too tired." Erza bit her lip in frustration. "Jura's shield is too strong."
Natsu and Laxus found themselves being pushed back. Their muscles cried out in pain and their magic was slowly running out, but neither of them gave up. Their throats were tearing yet they would not stop screaming, a testament to how much they wanted to beat this man.
SOUL EXTINCTOR!
A torrent of black and purple energy smashed into the shield from above, as Mirajane put almost every last bit of her magic into the spell. Although a mere shadow of its usual strength, the spell was powerful enough to tip the tide in Fairy Tail's favor just enough. Jura's shield began to break and before the man could even react, both the Dragon Slayers and Mira's spell broke through, hitting him simultaneously in a giant explosion of Dark and Dragon Slaying Magic. Mira' who had no strength left to fly, landed on top of Jura's mountain and tried to not get knocked off by the wind.
"Is this it?!" Lola stood up from his seat and boomed into his microphone. "Has Fairy Tail managed to defeat the 5th Wizard Saint?!"
After what felt like a minute, the dust finally began to settle. It revealed Natsu, Laxus and Jura, all still standing in the middle of the crater they had just created. Jura's back was buckled, his head facing the ground. Natsu and Laxus stood in front of him, rid of any new damage, out of breath and barely conscious from fatigue and pain.
Suddenly, Jura began to topple forward, seemingly falling over. At the last possible moment he'd regained his consciousness and grabbed Natsu by the face and Laxus by the throat, before looking them in the eyes with his damaged and grimacing, but satisfied and grinning face.
"It's not over just yet!" he announced and unleashed his remaining magic power. "All of us are still standing!"
RUMBLING MT. FUJI!
In a last ditch effort he used the same attack as prior, only this time it was laughable in comparison. Regardless of that, it swallowed all three men and shook the entire area even more, rocks and debris breaking off left and right.
After yet another long moment of uncertainty, the dust settled down and showed all three men yet again, only this time even more damaged, yet still standing. That did not last for long, however, as all three of them fell to the ground at the same time, unconscious and beaten.
"F-Fairy Tail!" Lola yelled into his microphone, but was barely audible because of the crowd. "They are the winners of 7th Grand Magic Games!"
"They did it!" Macao cried as he hugged everyone around him.
Lucy was crushed by Elfman, who gathered all the women that sat around his sister into a bear hug and squeezed all of them to the point their ribs began to squeak. That being said, they were too overjoyed to care, and simply let themselves be crushed as they screamed and laughed in happiness.
The scoreboard appeared on the screen for the last time and showed the final score:
Fairy Tail 77 points
Sabertooth 74 points
Raven Tail A 60 points
Lamia Scale 51 points
Mermaid Heel 40 points
Raven Tail B 26 points
Blue Pegasus 26 points
Quatro Cerberus 18 points
Mirajane stood in the wasteland, exhausted and confused. She watched the three before her vanish in thin air, joining them very soon afterwards. As soon as she appeared in the tent she was greeted by loud voices and laughter, combined with medics immediately filling the tent up.
"I knew you guys would do it!" Gray exclaimed and slapped his knee.
"Not bad." Gajeel chuckled from his bed and gave the three a thumbs up.
Mirajane finally realized what just happened, and with a wide smile on her face she collapsed on her bed, unconscious and exhausted beyond belief.
Erza positioned herself on Natsu's bed and lifted his head to put it in her lap. She gently caressed his sleeping, but peaceful face with her thumb as she clutched the sides of his head and smiled at him so warmly even his magic wouldn't save him from its warmth. She gently lowered her head and pressed her forehead against his.
"Welcome back." she had told him and stayed like that for what felt like forever, feeling at peace and comfort, as the medics began to treat his wounds.
Back in Lamia's tent, everybody gathered around Jura's bed. The man was out of it, but his smile did not fade even a little bit.
Lyon stared at his face for a long while, before giving him a wide smile of his own. "Seems like you're finally satisfied, huh?" he asked the man quietly.
"I can't believe he lost! Do they take his title?!" Toby asked in panic and clutched his head.
"Obviously not." Yuka told him calmly.
Sherria smiled and began to heal the man's wounds. "Good job, Mr. Jura." she said. "You made us proud."
Back in the stands, Obaba released a very deep sigh. "You better have found what you were looking for, Jura. I won't accept any other excuse." she said bitterly, but chuckled after a second. "Well done, Makarov. You have raised yourself quite the beasts."
"So, this is it." Orga sighed and lowered his head. "They got us."
Sting bit his lip, The frustration of losing burned deep inside his chest, but there was no malice behind it. The fight he had just witnessed was one of the best he'd ever seen, and if he were to lose, this was the way to do it. He reached out to Lector, who'd arrived recently and gave him a scratch on the head.
"Keep your head up, Lector." he told him with a smile. "It's not the end of the world."
Minerva clicked her tongue and looked away from the screen, unwilling to face everybody else.
Rogue's nose twitched. "He's here." he said and sit up in his bed.
The flaps of the tent were pushed aside by Jiemma, who stormed inside the tent with fury. His face was red in color and full of veins, his fury emitting like bad energy all over the tent.
"You absolute disgrace." he growled through his teeth. "You brought shame to the name of Sabertooth!"
Nobody said anything. They lowered their heads bitterly and awaited the rant that was inevitable. Jiemma walked deeper into the tent and stood over Minerva's bed.
"Master!" Lector jumped to the ground and walked up to him. "Sting and everyone gave their best! They did great! Perhaps you could let them off the hook?" he asked.
Jiemma looked at the Exceed with pure hatred. "Out of my way, you filth." he boomed and kicked Lector aside. Sting's fists clenched on their own. It took him every fiber of his willpower to not throw himself at his Master in blind fury. Thankfully, the blow was not fatal, and Lector managed to sit up with the help of Frosch.
"You." he said to Minerva while grinding his teeth. "You embarrassed me more than anyone ever before. You dare soil my name by losing to a low-grade swordsman from a poor excuse of a guild?"
Minerva faced her father with utmost fear in her eyes. "Father, I-"
"Silence!" he said and struck her with the back of his hand. Minerva fell on her bed, her wounds reopening and staining the bed. "You are no daughter of mine. Perhaps I ought to discipline you even more!"
Jiemma raised his fist at Minerva, who cowered in her bed. She awaited the strike, but it never came, and upon opening her eyes she felt them widen in pure shock.
The rest of Team Sabertooth was currently standing by Jiemma, their magic power on full throttle. Sting and Rogue, both in Dragon Force, held their sharpened claws by Jiemma's throat, Orga cocked his right arm to struck him in the stomach with his black lightning, and Rufus conjured dozens of swords that hovered above the giant like death.
"What do you pieces of scum think you're doing?" Jiemma asked in a quiet voice. "Do you have any idea what this means?"
"Be gone." Sting hissed and pressed his claws against Jiemma's throat even more, which started to gently bleed. "Leave this place and never come back."
"You are no Master of ours." Rogue told him. "A guild is a place of comradery, not tyranny."
"You're not going to terrorize anyone ever again." Orga said.
"My memories contain every member you have casted aside." Rufus added. "Their pain will stay with me and help me remember why you have been overthrown."
Jiemma began to shake from rage. "Do you think you can-"
"Leave." Sting growled and raised his magic power alongside everybody else. "Otherwise we will kill you."
Jiemma stared Sting deep in the eye. With a roar of pure fury, he freed himself and stormed out of the tent. Sting relaxed his magic and picked up Lector, who was still groggy from the kick.
"Do you have any idea what you have just done?" Minerva asked them with a whisper.
"Yeah." Sting said. "We freed our guild." He placed Lector back on his bed and faced Minerva. "If you wish to leave with him, go. We won't hold it against you."
Minerva stared at him with her eyes wide open. For the first time in her life she felt like opposing her father would not mean more pain and suffering. With a heavy heart, she shook her head and began to quietly sob into her hand.
Sting smiled at the sight and faced the rest of his friends. "Let's rest and then congratulate Fairy Tail. I also want to ask around town before we leave."
"What for?" Rogue frowned.
"Yukino." Sting said. "We're gonna get her back."
Orga, Rufus and Rogue simply smiled at him and nodded in approval.
Rorge entered the first team's tent and sighed deeply. "It's over." he said and sat down on Svenar's bed. "Soon we can finally go home."
Ellia scoffed. "Don't count on that." she said.
"We know what awaits us." Emilia added.
"I don't think you'll have anything to worry about." Rorge said and scratched his messy beard. "I, uh...I made a deal with the right people. Right now Ivan is rushing to get to Magnolia, with a garrison of Councilmen right behind him."
Emilia blinked, surprised. "What for?"
"The task he gave us? We were all a part of it. Had we succeeded he would have sacrificed us as well." Rorge said bitterly. "Especially you guys. That was the only reason he took you in. He fed you stories about Fairy Tail to make you hate them, making it easier to manipulate you. I cooperated with Fairy Tail and the Council to expose Ivan and take him down before he could hurt anyone."
The guild stared at him in pure shock. Leord stood up from his bed. "So, does this mean...?"
"We'll definitely get hit, but they won't jail us. Or at least you. I knew about the original plan, and learned about you guys recently."
Rorge tousled his own hair in frustration and groaned. "And to think I actually believed his plan..." he lamented.
Raven Tail said nothing, each to their own thoughts. They simply sat in their tent, awaiting whatever next came to stand before them. But, as they proudly proclaimed, they would do it together. As they always have been.
Several hours later
Makarov pushed the very familiar wooden door and entered the guildhall. It smelled just like he remembered, of oak soaked with ale and candles. The interior itself, although slightly different, still felt very close to the elder's heart and made him choke up a little bit. Dwelling this rush of emotions, he made his way trough the hall on his crutches and headed straight to the spiral staircase heading downstairs. Each taken step was heavier than the last, and by the time he'd arrived by the open steel door, he felt as if he tripled in weight.
Makarov entered the room and his old eyes immediately fell on the back of his son's head, which was pressed against the crystal, its green light casting light on the entire room.
"It's over, Ivan." Makarov told his son and took a few steps. "Your plan has failed. Both teams were defeated."
Ivan raised his head. "I know." he said, his voice dry. "I watched."
"It was an impossible plan to begin with." Makarov continued. "There is no way these ten young men and women, no matter how skilled, could have potentially abducted this many powerful mages for you to use."
Ivan chuckled. "I never thought of it as a certainty. That being said, I was fully prepared to attempt the impossible had it given me even a ghost of a chance at success." he admitted.
"You were fully prepared to sacrifice dozens of innocent lives, some of which you saved, to commit yourself to something you weren't even sure would work?" Makarov asked and furrowed his brow.
Ivan turned around and looked the elder in the eyes, his filled with determination and conviction worthy only of a man, who had absolutely no doubt in himself. "Yes." he replied shortly. "I'd try anything, no matter what it would be."
Makarov stared into his son's eyes for a short while, before sighing. "It is true that Fairy Heart requires a tremendous amount of magic of activate. However, even if you did wake it, there's no guarantee it'd listen to your call. It has a mind of its own, something that cannot be bound by anything or anybody. But you must have known that already."
"I did." Ivan said.
Makarov stopped walking. "Nurturing children in hatred, pain and lie for your own benefit, forcing your will onto those known for powerful beliefs and ideals, dragging our name through the mud to secure your own position...You have stooped down so low I am having trouble finding others just as bad as you. And yet, on some level, I really understand your pain, Ivan. You truly loved her, didn't you?"
Ivan's stone face broke, revealing the first sign of true emotion. He stared at his father in gentle disbelief and uncertainty, but quickly composed himself.
"I really tried to be better, father." Ivan said with a smile that truly contradicted his empty eyes. "I thought with her by my side, I could be who you've always wanted me to be. I really did."
"I know." Makarov said, his voice getting choked up. "And you were. For a moment."
Both men stood there in silence for a moment. Makarov managed to get a hold of his emotions and cleared his throat.
"In your anger and hatred, you have missed your son's gallant battle." he broke the ice. "So have I, actually. The son you've cursed his whole life, the very son you blamed for your tragedy and deemed a failure has defeated one of the strongest mages in the continent. With the help of the artifact you wanted to rip out of his chest in pursuit of your wish. A wish that would have backfired in your face had she learned what you've done to her beloved son."
Footsteps began to echo around the room, and soon dozens of soldiers clad in white armor and weapons of all kinds stormed the room and circled the two men in a formation. Behind them was the ever so tired Captain Rickard Smith, who yawned upon his arrival and scratched his ear. "Sorry for being late, you took off way before us."
Makarov nodded and turned back to his son. Ivan was too empty on the inside to care about current events and simply turned back to the crystal to look at it one last time. "It appears I have been wrong about a great deal of things." he admitted with a snort and turned away from Mavis' body, now heading towards his father. "Seeing as this is the end, I might as well not try to cause you trouble this one, final time. Pull on the lamp on the wall to the left. That way they won't have to take the entire room apart."
Makarov nodded. Ivan allowed two soldiers to cuff him and as he was being escorted out of the room, he turned to his father one last time. "Would it succeed?" he asked.
Makarov closed his eyes. "No." he replied shortly.
Ivan exhaled gently. "I see." he said with a voice so dead it seemed to have lowered the temperature in the room. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye, my son."
Ivan vanished in the darkness of the staircase. As he walked up the stairs, he passed a hooded figure heading downstairs. He kept his eyes on them for a split second, before looking away and walking towards his punishment in silence, his expression just as hollow as usual.
"All right, boys, you heard the man." Rickard said. "Lamp on the wall to the- For God's sake, Heavens!"
Jellal took his hood off and approached the moaning Captain. "I'm sorry for being late."
"There's nothing to be late for, you can't be here!" said the redhead. "I could get my head chopped off if they saw you here!"
"I wasn't seen by anybody." Jellal said shortly. "I have to be here for this."
Rickard sighed tiredly and signalized his man to pull on the lamp. The wall began to descend down into the floor, dust flying everywhere. Makarov, Rickard and Jellal all approached the wall and looked what awaited them behind, their hair standing up on its own.
There sat a scrawny, malnourished man with long, tangled and dirty black hair that rested on top of his bony face and shoulders. His eyes were slightly open, and so was his mouth, with drool dripping down onto his ragged shorts. On the top of his head sat a device with wires and pipes coming out of it and connecting into a unit with multiple knobs, levers and buttons. On top of the unit stood an IV with a light-blue fluid that was being pumped into the man at continuous pace.
"What in God's name am I looking at?" asked wide-eyed Makarov.
Rickard scowled in anger. "Our missing prisoner. 7th Commandent: The Mind. Luppi." he declared and motioned to his men. "Cut him out of this and give him first aid, hurry!"
The soldiers rushed to the man and quickly began to unplug him from the machinery. Jellal walked up to his old guildmate and looked at him with a sorrowful look.
"Blue Lily." he said upon looking at the IV.
"Yeah." Rickard said solemnly. "A numbing drug that takes away motor functions and turns people into mindless puppets. Combined with a common mind spell to tip over his already weak will. He's been Raven Tail's personal brainwashing machine for at least a few months."
"Rustyrose was correct." Jellal said. "He used Luppi's magic to take control over him and his team. The only people immune to this were me and him. That's why I didn't know something was wrong when I infiltrated their ranks."
"Thank your cute companion for stirring your brain with a spoon for years." Rickard tried to crack a joke. "She probably made you immune and in result saved your life."
Jellal gave the Captain a look that clearly stated he did not appreciate the joke. He then faced Makarov. "Thank you for letting me a part of this. I've wanted to repay my debt to your guild for a long time."
"You've done more than enough." the elder told him and waved his hand. "Thank you. All of this would have gone unnoticed if it wasn't for your intervention."
Jellal nodded and left the building. Rickard approached Makarov as his men escorted Luppi out of the basement on a stretcher.
"thank you for your cooperation, Master Makarov." Rickard said. "Needless to say, I will support your side against the Council. Granted you leave some parts of our deal out." he winked.
"Of course."
"Then again, I'm pretty sure delivering this guy will keep me off the hook for a while." he added. "It seems no matter how much reforming is done, some things are just bound to happen."
"What will be of Raven Tail's members?" Makarov asked.
"They will be questioned." Rickard said and rested his hand on the pummel of his sword. "We have no reason to throw them in jail immediately, granted what we've just witnessed. Since we unplugged him, the mind control ought to wear off by now..." he said and just as he did, the secret room blew up, with pieces of the machine flying all over the basement. "And if not, then that should do it. Even if they weren't controlled, all we need is their honesty."
Makarov nodded and massaged his tired eyes.
"We could arrange to have you carried." Rickard said.
"No, I am quite fine here. There's still some business that needs attending."
Rickard looked at Fairy Heart. "Right. I'm expecting you to be honest as well, Master. I'm not judging you, but in terms of weird, this is only a step behind what we've just found here."
Makarov chuckled gently. "That seems to be everyone's reaction."
With a gentle bow, Rickard left with his soldiers and left the elder alone with his thoughts.
Afternoon of November 28th, Magnolia
Fairy Tail approached its old town with laughter and joy. The Grand Magic Games trophy was being passed from one to another all the way from the station, with everyone wanting to hold it for at least a moment.
Natsu, Laxus, Gajeel, Gray, and Erza were helped by one person each, none of them fit to travel by themselves just yet.
"I'm kinda nervous of going back..." Lucy said from under Erza's arm. "Last time they didn't greet us too warmly..."
"Magnolia is our home. They may not want the guild back, but we have the right to go back to our homes." said Gray, who didn't really need being helped. He simply allowed Juvia to give him a hand to have some peace, and make her feel appreciated.
"That's right." Levy groaned from underneath Gajeel's giant body. "We must come back!"
Gajeel looked down. "Why won't ya just switch with someone?" he asked her in confusion. She ignored his question.
"I'm still annoyed Master just bailed on us like that." Bickslow shook his head in annoyance. "He missed Laxus' fight!"
"I'm sure he had his reasons." said Erza, although the disdain in her voice was hard to hide.
Laxus raised his head. "Here goes nothing." he said, as he spotted a crowd of people by the gates. Unlike before, they were cheering and laughing, the complete opposite of three months prior.
"I'll take it." Natsu said and adjusted his arm around chuckling Mirajane.
"Welcome back!" said the mayor and spread his arms in a welcoming gesture. "We've been awaiting you!"
"Color us surprised." Mirajane said before she was nudged in the ribs by Cana.
"Oh, I understand. I'd like to offer my sincere apologies for the incident that occurred last time we met. I'm sure you can understand, granted the circumstances." said the mayor. "We have already discussed it with Master Makarov, and-"
"I've already told you, I'm not the Master anymore."
Makarov squeezed his way past the crowd and rolled up to his kids, his eyes looking at them with pride and joy. "If you wish to speak to the Master, please address my grandson, Laxus."
Laxus, as well as everyone else, blinked several times. "What?"
Makarov grinned. "Congratulations, Fourth!" he laughed out loud.
Laxus' jaw hit the floor. "Old man, what are you-"
"No objections from me." Erza said with a smile.
"None from me." Gray added with a smirk.
"Me neither." Macao and Wakaba threw in.
Laxus stared at his friends in pure shock and confusion as they all laid down their support for his new title. He looked at his grandfather in a mix of confusion and irritation, but said nothing. Instead, he sighed and turned to the mayor, who was just as confused. "You heard it. Might as well tell me what you've told him."
The mayor cleared his throat. "Well, yes, as I've been willing to say, with Raven Tail being most likely disbanded, and the guildhall being rightfully yours, I see no other way but to allow you to reestablish your businesses in our town. We would like to welcome Fairy Tail back!"
Laxus' face dropped. He looked at his grandfather, their eyes conveying more than words ever could.
"Disbanded?" Lucy frowned. "Did something happen?"
"I'll tell you about it later." Laxus said and took his arm off Freed to stand on his own two feet. "Mayor." he began. "Thank you for the opportunity, but I don't think we will return to Magnolia."
The mayor and the guild looked at him in surprise. "I'm sorry?" he asked.
"If past events are anything to go with, there's just too much history against us. Even if we came back, there's no guarantee things will not turn sour again." Laxus explained his decision. "So, no, we will not return into the town. With your permission we would like to build a new guildhall on the outskirts of Magnolia, where our presence will not cause the town folk trouble. We will still live in our homes inside the town, but the guild itself will be outside the gates."
The mayor blinked, confused, and so did the guild. Nevertheless, nobody had any complaints and upon second thought, everything they just heard made perfect sense.
"I see." the mayor cleared his throat. "Very well, feel free to pick any spot you want."
"Thanks." Laxus bowed gently. "As for the old guild, I'd like to keep it. We can pay for its preservation."
"No issues from my side." the mayor raised his hands. "Well, uh...Welcome back, Fairy Tail!"
The guild smiled and entered the town in the company of cheers.
"Your real thoughts?" Erza asked Laxus with amusement.
"You know them." he grumbled and plopped back on Freed's willing shoulder.
Makarov drove behind his grandson and looked at him with pride.
"Must feel nice to finally get a moment of peace, eh?" Macao joked at the elder.
"Oh, yes." Makarov laughed. "I am going to thoroughly enjoy the next couple of weeks."
"So, will you tell us why you ran off like that?" Natsu asked him. "You missed the best part."
"Oh I heard all about it, my boy." Makarov said. "Words cannot express how proud I am. I will tell you everything in time, for now get some well deserved rest."
The guild approached the main town square and began to split. Macao and Romeo went home, Max, Wakaba, Warren, Elfman, Mira, Lisanna and Laxus with his team decided to go for a drink, Levy and Juvia decided to visit Fairy Hills with hope that at least some of their stuff still remained. Gray went to check on his old home and Erza and Natsu decided to limp somewhere nice, where they could be just by themselves.
"Well, I'm off." Lucy waved at them. "I want to check if my old landlord has any of my old stuff. Although I doubt it..." she laughed.
"We'll be nearby if you need us." Erza told her with a smile.
Lucy nodded and watched the couple limp away. With a heavy sigh, she started to make her way toward her old home, marking every new addition to the town in her mind while on the way. A few minutes later she found herself in front of her old door and pulled on the doorknob.
"You've got some nerve coming back here."
Lucy jumped at the voice booming behind her. As she turned around she was met with the usual, toad-like appearance of her landlord, who stared at her from behind her thick glasses.
"It's...a very long story you will probably not believe." Lucy laughed sheepishly and scratched her chin.
"Don't care for it." said the landlord. "Have you come for your stuff?"
"Yeah, but to be honest, I was hoping you'd let me live here again...Unless the place is occupied."
The landlord adjusted her glasses. "Of course it's occupied. It has been by the same person for 8 years."
Lucy blinked in confusion. "What?"
The landlord opened the door to Lucy's apartment. It was dusty, but looked exactly the same as the day she left it for Tenrou Island.
"What is the meaning of this?" Lucy asked in disbelief and walked in. She dragged her hand across the back of her writing chair, doubting what was in front of her eyes.
"Ever since you disappeared, on the 25th of each month I'd receive the exact amount of your rent." the landlord explained. "Not even a penny was missing, despite the inflation. For 6 and a half years this place has been paid off religiously."
"By whom?" Lucy asked in shock.
"By the very same person who sent you these."
The landlord pointed at Lucy's bed, where she found 7 wrapped gifts, each meant for her.
"Are these...?" Lucy gasped.
"Your birthday gifts. Haven't touched them once, I'd just put them in your room and leave."
Lucy walked up to her bed and grabbed a card that was stuck to one of the gifts. It wrote To Lucy. Love, Dad.
"Dad?" Lucy whispered.
"There's a latter that came with the last one." the landlord said and reached into her pocket. "I figured I'd keep this by myself, for safekeeping. Once I saw you on the lacrimas I knew you'd be back here soon, so I kept it on me."
Lucy reached out for the letter and opened it. Inside was a short, but beautifully written letter.
"I'll leave you alone for a moment." said the landlord and left the apartment.
Lucy sat down on her bed and started reading the letter.
Dear Lucy.
It has been almost 7 years since you'd disappeared in the ocean with your guild. Despite the time that has passed, my confidence in your return is just as strong. As you can see, I have been sending you a birthday gift each year you've been away, and each of them was meant to come with this very letter. Unfortunately for me, 7th time the charm is not a saying.
I'm afraid I won't be able to wait for you any longer. Last year I have been diagnosed with an illness that I am bound to be beaten by, I'm afraid. An end suitable for a man of my reputation, as I've been told.
I shall not make any excuses about how big of a coward I am. It took me looking death in the eye to reach out to my only daughter, who's currently not even present. Regardless of that, I wanted to apologize for everything I've done. Both to you, and your mother. I never deserved to have such wonderful women in my life. The gifts you see before you are in no way meant to make up for all the pain I had caused you. I do not expect to be forgiven.
I do want, however, to tell you how much I love you. It tears me apart, not knowing what has become of you and where you are right now. However, I am certain, that if you are still out there, with your guild by your side, then no danger will ever reach you. I wish I had come to acknowledge that this is where you truly belong in a different way. I'm sorry.
I will love you forever. Happy 25th birthday, my daughter.
Dad.
Lucy lowered the letter. Tears began to fall on it like droplets of rain. "It's not fair..." she choked out and wiped her eyes. "It's...not..."
"Before his death he sent me enough money to cover your rent for 12 more months." the landlord said upon returning. "That was 8 months ago. "
Lucy looked at her. "I see. So I wouldn't get to see him anyway..."
The landlord frowned. "Come to me whenever you feel ready. I'll help you clean this place up." she said and started to walk out the door. "Congratulations on your victory." she said and closed the door behind her.
Lucy looked back at the letter, tears flowing down once again. "I love you too." she choked out and began to sob, not caring who could hear her. She needed to let everything go, and there was years of it.
November 28th, Magnolia
Emilia, and her friends stood by the gates of Fairy Tail's guildhall. Natsu, Laxus, Erza, Lucy and Mirajane walked out to meet them.
"We're here." Laxus proclaimed.
"Thank you." Emilia bowed gently. "We'll be out of your hair shortly, we would simply like to collect our things and be on our way."
Laxus arched an eyebrow. "Is that all?" he asked.
"Yes. Our business is concluded, in all possible ways." said the woman and adjusted her glasses. "Although our guilds were meant to hate one another, I see no further point in baring fangs. Whatever business we had with each of you has been talked through in every way imaginable. The past cannot be changed."
"We're not saying we forgive you." Ellia added. "But we also don't want you dead."
"We'll take it." snorted Natsu.
"We wanna focus on the future and what we can do, now that we're free." Albert said with his deep voice. "We're going to travel the country in search of our new place."
"Will you carry Raven's name on?" Mira asked them.
"No." Svenar replied. "We'll stay together, but as just people, not a guild. Makes no difference to us, as long as we're together."
"Well said." Erza said with a smile and nodded.
Leord looked Natsu in the eye. "Thanks." he said with a wide smile.
Natsu gave him a smile of his own and nodded.
"What about B Team?" Lucy asked.
"They went their separate ways, now that they are no longer being controlled." Emilia said. "We barely avoided a bloodbath. This was the best outcome possible."
Lucy frowned sadly. She of all people knew all too well what it felt like to be under influence of Luppi's magic. To endure it for months must have been an experience leagues above hers. She looked at Ellia, who looked at her back. The hatred in the girl's eyes was gone, and now Lucy thought to herself how pretty her eyes truly were. Ellia sucked her lips in and gave Lucy a gentle nod of acknowledgement, which the blonde took with a smile.
"Follow me." Laxus motioned at the guild with his thumb. "You know this better than we do, I guess."
"I hope we meet again one day." Erza told Emilia as she passed the knight.
Emilia looked at Erza and smiled. "I'll have my blade by my side, just in case." she said.
Erza shook her head with a smile and watched Emilia vanish behind the door, the leftover weight on her chest finally gone.
Few hours later
Natsu groaned and dropped the pile of logs and boards he'd been carrying on the ground. They decided to build their new hall just outside of town, on the edge of the forest.
"I still don't get why we couldn't wait until at least tomorrow." he moaned to Gray, who dropped his own pile next to his.
"Because Laxus is just as sadistic as Erza, and now we have to listen to him." he sighed.
"Speak for yourself, I don't have to do anything-" Natsu smirked.
"Well, nobody else has that leverage," Gray snapped at him, annoyed. "So just keep trouble away from us."
Natsu blinked. "I was just kidding, man."
Gray blinked. "Oh. Sorry, still not used to that."
"No problem."
Everybody in the guild brought their last materials to the site and stretched.
"Let's get to building, shall we?" Erza cleared her throat and whipped out blueprints to their new guildhall. For some reason she was wearing a full suit of construction clothes, helmet included.
Everyone agreed with a loud cheers and started building. They still had plenty of problems to solve, but none of them mattered for the time being. It was a new start for their guild, and nobody was going to mess with it. They deserved this.
End of Chapter 49. To be continued in Chapter 50: Foresight
The long awaited ending to Grand Magic Games. I'm as glad to be done as you guys. Next chapter will be a small slice of life one, similar to blank period between first two arcs, then I will get to Tartaros. It will be much better than GMG, that I promise.
I will probably end up adding a few lines of dialogue later like I usually do, so be sure to check in in a week or so!
Have a merry christmas and a happy new year everybody!