"Hey, it's Lucy! And everyone else!" Natsu grinned, waving enthusiastically. "I took down a whole guild's worth of goons! Just one left—gimme a minute, and I'll finish him off!"
"Looks like Natsu's made some real progress lately," Erza remarked, surveying the Eisenwald members sprawled across the ground.
Kira, strolling over, couldn't resist a jab. "Seriously, Natsu? You unleashed your Dragon Slayer Secret Art and still haven't wrapped this up? And you think you can challenge Erza with that?"
Happy swooped in to defend him. "That's because Natsu used up a ton of energy taking out the others!"
But Gray wasn't about to miss a chance to pile on. "So you're saying he's been dragging his feet and still hasn't beaten their boss? Lame, Natsu. Step aside—three moves, and I'll have him down!"
Nothing like a good old-fashioned taunt to light a fire.
Natsu's eyes blazed. "No way! Nobody interferes—this is my fight, and I'm taking him down solo!"
Just as Natsu's flames flared up, ready to charge in and end it, Kira decided it was time to steal the show.
"Alright, Natsu, you've done enough. Leave the rest to us."
You've had your moment—now let me take the final hit!
With their current lineup—maxed-out physical and magical damage, a mage, a warrior, a summoner, and even a cute mascot pet—this five-person team was practically begging for Kira, the all-purpose support, to claim the boss's head.
Natsu fumed. "No way! He's my opponent!"
After all that fighting, who'd willingly hand over the glory?
"Your big move's spent, Natsu. How long are you gonna make us wait? I wanna get back and relax!" Kira tossed out a flimsy excuse before activating his magic. "Word Spirit Modeling: Bind!"
Magic surged, and glowing words of power materialized, forming a solid energy that pinned Natsu to the ground. He couldn't move or tap into his magic, completely immobilized.
Teammate down—time to snag that kill!
"Damn it, Kira! Let me go!" Natsu thrashed like a cocooned caterpillar, making Gray and Happy snicker.
"You've had your fun," Kira said, patting Natsu's pink head. "I'll take it from here."
He stepped forward, calling out to Erigor in the air. "Hey! Time to switch opponents!"
Unfortunately for Erigor, he didn't know Kira and assumed Natsu had tapped out, thinking Fairy Tail was resorting to a tag-team strategy. Smirking arrogantly, he floated higher, looking down on them. "What's the point of switching? Fairy Tail trash—bring ten more, and it won't—"
Before he could finish, Kira struck. "Word Spirit Enhancement: Gravity!"
It was like a mountain crashed from the sky. Erigor plummeted, slammed into the ground by an invisible force that carved a massive circular crater. He lay face-down, unable to lift even a hair.
"How is this possible?!" Erigor's mind reeled, but with his face pressed into the dirt, he couldn't utter a word. This gravity magic… who is this guy?
Before he could process it, the pressure vanished. Kira raised his right hand lightly. "Buoyancy!"
Erigor shot up dozens of meters, completely out of control. He still couldn't move or cast magic—it was as if the entire space around him was under Kira's command.
Sensing what was coming, Erigor screamed with all his might. "Stop! Stop it!!"
But his desperate cry didn't carry as usual, instead drifting upward with the buoyant force.
Kira swung his hand down. "Gravity!!!"
In less than a second, a torrent of crushing force slammed Erigor back down, smashing him into an even larger, deeper crater. He passed out cold.
"Done!" Kira dusted off his hands and released Natsu's bindings with a wave.
"You jerk, Kira! That was my enemy!" Natsu roared, flailing in frustration. Then something clicked. "Wait—Lullaby! Where's Lullaby?"
He lunged to search Erigor's body, but Gray stopped him. "Idiot, didn't you listen? We already got Lullaby."
"So the Guild Masters are safe?"
"Yup."
Natsu high-fived Happy. "Awesome!"
"So… what now?"
"Since the enemy's down and we've got Lullaby, we can head back to the guild, right?"
Natsu lit up like he'd been injected with adrenaline. "Hell yeah! Let's go! I'm still gonna challenge Erza when we get back!"
But Erza shook her head. "Not yet. We can't go back just yet."
"Huh? Why not?" Natsu asked, confused. Happy tilted his head. "Is there another problem?"
"Oh, there's a problem, alright," Kira said, clapping Natsu's shoulder and pointing behind him. "The damage to this place and the repair costs? That's on you, Natsu."
"WHAT?!?!" Natsu's face fell.
He'd just taken down the enemy and saved the Guild Masters, and he was supposed to get a shot at fighting Erza. This was supposed to be triple the fun! How did it come to this?
"What do we do, Natsu? We didn't even get a reward for this job!" Happy wailed.
Natsu hugged Happy, and the two of them stared at their meager savings, tears streaming down their faces. A barely-adult working-class kid and his six-year-old cat, fighting the mob for love and justice, only to wreck public property with no one stepping in to help. If this were a drama, it'd leave guys silent and girls in tears.
They'd have to pay for the damages—Fairy Tail might be chaotic, but they were law-abiding citizens. Compensation was non-negotiable, though how much would depend on the court's ruling.
We stopped a dark guild's rampage! The costs should come out of Eisenwald's coffers!
Even if they had to pay, the bill would go to the guild, and Natsu would foot it… maybe Erza would chip in a bit since she led the charge. As for Kira? No one saw him fight. He just stood there and said a few words—no destruction on his part! The crater? Pfft, Erigor did that himself in a frenzy!
But Erza wasn't talking about damages. "Since we're already here, why don't we swing by Clover Town to check on the Guild Masters? We can also ask what to do with Lullaby."
"I'll hold onto it for now," Kira said with a dismissive smirk. "If the Magic Council wants it, they can come get it themselves. If not, it's mine."
Erza frowned, uneasy. "That's not exactly a harmless trinket. If the Council finds out you have it, you'll be in big trouble."
Gray agreed. "Yeah, Kira, just destroy it. It's a demon created by Zeref!"
"Ugh, you guys are such a headache," Kira groaned. "I'm a magic item merchant. Asking me to give up a rare find like this is like asking Erza to hand over her prized armor, Lucy to give up her Celestial Keys, or Natsu to ditch his scarf. Or Gray to… well, you get the idea. It's not happening!"
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Gray snapped.
"What? The only thing notable about you is your clothes, and you don't even want those half the time…"
Erza cut off Gray's brewing outburst. "Fine, if you're keeping it, you'd better make damn sure no one else can use it. Otherwise, you're in for a world of trouble. I'd suggest asking the Master's opinion."
That's Fairy Tail for you—always looking out for our own, even when it comes to keeping shady stuff.
Kira grinned and nodded. "Got it!"
With that, the group set off for Clover Town.
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