Gray gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and turned to rush toward the door, his footsteps heavy and hurried.
He had to go find Evergreen; as long as he defeated her, the petrification could be undone.
Makarov stood in the center of the hall, his hands clasped behind his back, pacing back and forth with heavy steps. His brows were knit into a tight knot as he calculated rapidly in his mind.
"Who else can defeat Laxus now? Erza, Mirajane, Riyao—these three just happen to be petrified..."
He stopped, let out a long sigh, and his white beard trembled with his breathing.
Behind a pillar to the side, a large shadow tried to shrink into the darkness, trembling as it peeked out half of its head.
Makarov spotted it at a glance and frowned.
"Reedus, what are you doing there?"
Reedus shivered all over from this shout, almost sliding out from behind the pillar. He clutched his arms tightly, his voice as small as a mosquito's hum.
"I... I'm a little afraid of Laxus..."
Makarov had no heart to dwell on Reedus's cowardice. He strode over, jumped up, and patted him on the shoulder with enough force to nearly flatten Reedus.
"Help me go to the forest on the eastern outskirts to find Porlyusica. She might have a potion to undo the petrification. Go, quickly!"
Reedus, as if granted amnesty, nodded repeatedly and took off running toward the back door, faster than anyone.
Just then, a muffled groan came from the corner of the hall.
Natsu crawled out from under an overturned table and stood up unsteadily, his head still spinning, one hand pressing against the spot on his chest where he had been struck by lightning.
He looked around blankly and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Where is everyone? Where did everyone go? And where did Laxus go?"
Makarov turned to look at Natsu, his cloudy old eyes flashing as he thought rapidly.
Natsu might also be able to defeat Laxus; furthermore, defeating Evergreen to undo the petrification would also work. One more person was better than one less.
He slapped his thigh hard and shouted loudly at Natsu.
"Natsu! The festival has begun, and Laxus is somewhere in Magnolia! It's best to prioritize defeating Evergreen to undo the petrification! Go, Natsu!"
Natsu's eyes instantly lit up, flames ignited on his fists, and he let out an excited howl.
"Oh! No problem!"
Before the words were even out of his mouth, he had already charged toward the door like an arrow released from a bow, the floorboards beneath his feet creaking under his thrust.
Bang!
Natsu slammed into an invisible wall, his face distorted by the impact, his limbs splayed out against the invisible barrier, looking just like a flattened gecko.
Makarov, Happy, and Reedus, who was just about to leave, all froze, their eyes wide round.
Makarov's mouth twitched as he pointed at the Natsu stuck to the wall, his voice changing pitch.
"What on earth is going on! Natsu, are you eighty years old? Are you a stone statue?"
Natsu pushed forward desperately, his face contorted, trying to use his hands and feet to squeeze through a gap in the invisible wall, but the wall didn't budge at all.
Happy flew in and out leisurely, his wings flapping, passing through the door with ease each time. He flew back, flew out, and flew back again, deliberately hovering in front of Natsu.
Natsu was sweating profusely in his anxiety.
"How would I know! Why can you go out and I can't!"
At this moment, the Runes above the door frame flashed again, and lines of new text appeared:
"Jet vs Droy vs Alzack"
"Bisca vs Nab"
"Warren vs Max"
"Macao vs Wakaba"
"Mayonnaise Samurai vs Shameless Samurai"
"Nine-Bag Noodles vs Evil Marshmallow"
"Loves Beast Milk vs Unpaid Parking Fees"
Throughout Magnolia, Rune barriers were activated one after another. The guild members trapped inside were forced to fight each other, and the light of magic and the sounds of explosions came from every corner of the town, one after another.
Natsu, splayed against the invisible wall, listened to the sounds of battle from afar and shouted, his face full of confusion.
"Why are our own people fighting each other?!"
Happy flew above Natsu's head, propping his chin with his little paws, and explained earnestly.
"Runes have been set up all over Magnolia, and those trapped inside are forced to fight each other. This is what Laxus called the Battle of Fairy Tail."
Makarov was trembling with rage, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles creaked, the veins on his forehead bulging, and his teeth grinding audibly.
Natsu gritted his teeth, the flames on his fists flickering, and his voice squeezed out from between his teeth.
"What on earth is this, I can't understand."
This wave of angry emotion resonated slightly with Makarov and Happy nearby. Both fell silent for a moment, thinking that Natsu had finally grasped the absurdity of this civil war.
But the next second, Natsu slammed the invisible wall and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"I want to go out and join the fight too! I can't understand why I can't get out!"
Makarov almost choked, his beard crooked with anger, and he and Happy retorted in unison.
-_- ||
"That's what you meant! You idiot!"
Makarov jumped up and slapped the back of Natsu's head.
( ▼ ヘ ▼ # )
"What's the idea of you going out to join the melee, you brat! Everyone is being played by Laxus!"
He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and his voice deepened, his tone unprecedentedly serious.
"If we can't stop Laxus within the limited time, Riyao and the others will turn into gravel and never be restored."
The hall went quiet for a moment.
Natsu, however, suddenly put away his angry expression, tilted his head, and grinned, revealing his signature row of sharp teeth.
"Although he's infuriating, he definitely wouldn't hurt his comrades in the guild."
Makarov was stunned. Looking at the carefree smile on Natsu's face, his lips moved, wanting to say something, but he swallowed it back.
A golden flash of lightning struck out of thin air.
Laxus's Thought Projection appeared in the center of the hall, his translucent body floating in mid-air, lightning crackling around him, a cold sneer hanging on his arrogant face.
"Do you think I'm bluffing, Natsu."
Happy was so scared his wings stiffened, and he nearly fell out of the air.
"Laxus!"
Laxus ignored Happy, his gaze sweeping across the entire hall, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Natsu, why are you still here? And where is that bastard Riyao? This time I will defeat him completely."
His tone carried a paranoid obsession, and he clenched his fists, electricity dancing between his fingers.
Happy flew in front of Laxus, pointing his little paw at the small dragon-person statue on the platform, his voice timid.
"Riyao has turned into a stone statue."
Laxus's gaze followed Happy's paw.
The stone statue maintained a half-smiling expression, its dragon horns standing proudly, its dragon tail slightly curled, looking just like an exquisite work of art.
Laxus's mouth twitched.
It twitched again.
He was silent for three seconds, the veins on his temple throbbing, and he squeezed a few words out from between his teeth.
"...That idiot, of all times to cross-dress, he had to pick now."
He was even wondering if he should just let Evergreen undo the petrification; after all, he still had the Thunder Palace as a backup plan.