While the Battle of Fairy Tail was occurring, off in the distance, far away from Magnolia, Cooper had just arrived at Acalypha Town, and he was currently a human-shaped ball of rage.
Stepping into Acalypha, Cooper, still enhanced by his magic, expanded his senses, enveloping the entire town within them as he searched for Vijeeter and Zato, which wasn't tricky for him. 'Found you.' Displaying a bloodthirsty smile of pure fury, Cooper dashed through Acalypha in a straight line, destroying everything in his path.
"So, when is Cooper coming, Zato?" Tossing a bottle at Vijeeter, who growled back, refusing to break, the man glanced at Zato, who was sitting at the only seat, holding the end of the rope that bound Vijeeter. "Heh, who the hell knows. That brat might even end up too scared to come!" Sadistically smirking, Zato propped his head up on his armrest and glanced at Vijeeter while the rest of the dark mages in the vicinity laughed.
"Haha, unlikely boss, isn't Cooper pretty stupid? I heard he's just a muscle-brain fool." "Yeah, I've heard the same. I also heard he adores his guildmates. So with us having a hostage, he won't be able to do a thing!" As other mages chimed in, their baseless confidence grew; even when they'd soon face Cooper, who was now publicly acknowledged to be on the same level as a Wizard Saint, they weren't afraid.
"Exactly! He'll become our punching bag! Haha, why hasn't anyone else thought of this? Heh, didn't realize dark guilds were filled with such stupid people. At this rate, I'll become the leading figure among Dark Mages!" Zato, high on excitement and his future success, yanked Vijeeter, dragging him across the ground to his feet before he reached down and ungagged him.
"Brat, how does it feel to know you'll be the downfall of one of your own?" Arrogantly looking down at Vijeeter, Zato leaned back, expecting a form of pleading, yet all he did was chuckle. "Hehehe, dumbasses… You guys are all so fucking dumb, you know that?" Gazing at Zato in contempt, Vijeeter raised his head, his eyes scanning every last dark mage present, upsetting them.
"Huh, who the hell are you calling stupid!?" "Tch, fucker is asking for a beating! Let me take a few swings at him, I'll set him straight!" While his words easily riled the narrow-minded mages, Zato clicked his tongue in annoyance and glared at Vijeeter.
"Oh, we're stupid? Elaborate. How are we so stupid, then, oh hostage?" As his mocking voice escaped his mouth, Vijeeter just shook his head. "You're picking opponents far out of your league. If you'd chosen Nab, Laki, Reedus, Warren, Levy, Jet, or Droy, then maybe I'd be slightly worried. Hehe, but you arrogantly decided to anger one of the 3 strongest in Fairy Tail."
At Vijeeter's words, some of the mages, despite how narrow-minded they were, started to get a little worried, but Zato, assured of their victory, laughed. "Hahaha, so what!? I have YOU! Even if Fairy Tail's strongest came, they could do nothing!"
Just as Zato finished speaking, faint rumbling, like that of a locomotive, could be heard, at first, nobody mentioned it, but the sound only rapidly grew, causing everyone to furrow their brows. "Hey, what's that noise?" "I don't know. Sounds like a freaking train though." "Is there a train in this town?" "No dummy." "Hey, doesn't it sound like it's getting awfully close?"
As everyone stared at the wall with furrowed brows, it suddenly burst open, knocking away numerous mages while others that were further away were able to protect themselves.
"F-Fuck, what was that!?" "S-Shit, we're under attack!?" "Cooper! It must be Cooper!" While still mostly disoriented, the mages regained their bearings and fought back, slinging spells at the obscured figure.
"Vijeeter, close your eyes." Hearing that familiar voice that caused him to flinch in fear, Vijeeter shut his eyes, knowing it was foolish to argue against a rage-filled Cooper.
Zato, quickly grabbing Vijeeter, lifted him and placed a blade against his neck, confidently threatening Cooper. "Take another step and he'll—" However, Zato's threat was cut short as five, caramel-colored fingers stabbed into his skull; clenching his fist, crushing Zato's skull, Cooper gently set Vijeeter down.
Following that, Cooper practically flew through the building, enacting rage-filled violence that would petrify most mages; filling Vijeeter's ears were screams of agony and torn flesh, yet, he didn't dare open his eyes. After not even a minute, the building descended into silence, unrecognizable corpses scattered across the floor, while Cooper, drenched in blood, flesh, and other organic matter, used his finger to cut the ropes binding Vijeeter.
"You okay, Vijeeter?" Unlike previous, when his voice carried the promise of untold violence, it was soft and full of concern as Cooper helped Vijeeter to his feet. "Y-Yeah, I'm alive. Thanks, big bro." Trying to ignore the carnage that encircled him, Vijeeter looked at Cooper, who mirrored the incarnation of violence.
"What happened? How'd they capture you? I know you're not that strong, but you're not this weak either." Although offended at Cooper's remark, given the sheer difference in their strength, he couldn't do much but accept it. "Tch, no way in hell those punks could take me. It was Laxus! While walking back home, he attacked me for no reason and then handed me off to these bastards!" Clicking his tongue, Vijeeter kicked the ground, angry at Laxus.
"W-What? Laxus attacked you?" Furrowing his brows, Cooper looked at Vijeeter, confused as to why Laxus would do such a thing; however, he immediately broke free from his thoughts when he sensed someone behind him. Standing protectively in front of Vijeeter, Cooper spun around, staring at Laxus, who stood with his arms crossed, amusement on his face.
"Heh, seems you found my present. Took longer than I thought; I expected you to arrive five minutes ago. Guess the hype of Wizard Saint Slayer is undeserving." At his mocking words, Cooper lunged, punching him, but his fist and body went straight through him, causing Laxus's figure to blur.
"Heh, you knew this was a mere thought projection." Turning around, Laxus looked at Cooper, who punched him again, though of course, his fist went through him. "Tch, yeah, I know, I just had the urge to punch you." Clicking his tongue, Cooper folded his arms, glaring at Laxus. "Did you appear to explain? If you did, save your breath. I don't care why you did it, but you've gone too far this time. Fighting amongst ourselves is one thing, but selling out your own family is too far."
Despite Cooper's words, Laxus seemed not to care as he shrugged his shoulders, completely unbothered. "Hmph, such weaklings aren't my 'family'." Cooper promptly narrowed his eyes before shaking his head and sighing. "No point in arguing with you, I'll just have to beat some sense into you; I'll do so on behalf of Gramps since he failed to do so."
"Hehe, aggressive as always." "That's rich coming from you." "Anyway, don't keep everyone waiting too long; our little game needs to end with a climax." Arrogantly smirking, Laxus vanished, leaving Cooper and Vijeeter alone.
"What did he mean by game?" Vijeeter looked at Cooper in confusion, though he only shook his head while turning around. "I've got no clue. Anyway, can you get home by yourself?" "Yeah, so long as Laxus doesn't sneak attack me again… Where are you going? This wasn't their base, it was just temporary." Scoffing, Vijeeter nodded, only to look at Cooper in curiosity.
"Returning home first. I have a bad feeling Laxus is doing something to the Guild. After all, with Gildarts absent, I'm the only one who can keep him in check, and seeing how he baited me out here, he definitely took his chance to do as he pleased." Displaying his hidden intelligence, Cooper sported an ugly expression while rubbing his head, causing Vijeeter's eyes to widen in worry.
"Laxus has always wanted the guild master position, right? D-Do you think he attacked Master?" Immediately thinking the worst, Vijeeter raised his eyebrows as he looked at Cooper. "No, unlikely, unless he's a dumbass and not just an ass. Gramps isn't a pushover, besides, he's not alone; Erza, Mira, and the rest of the guild would be there. Even he wouldn't be able to defeat all of them." "But what about Thunder God Tribe?" "That's what I'm worried about… Anyway, I'll be leaving. Don't get captured."
Deeply frowning, Cooper glanced at Vijeeter and filled his body with magic power, enhancing his physique to the limit as he dashed out the same way he'd arrived, returning to Magnolia to confront Laxus, who was currently sitting in Magnolia's cathedral, watching the various battles amongst Fairy Tail mages.
"When will Cooper arrive?" Fried, standing adjacent to Laxus, glanced at him. "Beyond three hours." Faintly smirking, Laxus confidently leaned back, releasing a contented sigh as he watched Alzack face off against Jet and Droy, Nab vs Elfman, Warren vs Max, and Macao vs Wakaba.