Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master

Gray and Elfman both stepped toward the door and walked out without any problem.

The two exchanged a look and nodded, then each grabbed one of the Master's arms, one pulling, one pushing, with absolutely no hesitation.

Poor Makarov found himself hoisted between them, plastered against the invisible barrier, unable to even stretch a finger beyond it.

"Stop! Stop!" Makarov protested, flailing slightly. "This is a barrier spell! Even I can't break it from the inside with brute force."

Gray and Elfman let go, helping him stand upright again.

Elfman grumbled, "Is this Freed's magic? Not even the Master can bypass it? He's that powerful?"

"It's because the runes follow absolute rules," Makarov explained grimly. "As a trap, this is top-tier magic. Spell runes are extremely difficult to master. And Freed… he's inscribed not just one, but a double-layered rune trap, one with physical and age-based conditions. That's far beyond most rune mages."

Freed rarely returned to the guild. In fact, the last time anyone had seen him was nearly half a year ago. Even Makarov wasn't fully aware of just how strong he had become.

If there was any hope of breaking the spell, it would have to come from someone who could use rune magic themselves, and that ruled out nearly everyone in the guild.

If Levy weren't turned to stone, there might have been a chance. But now… no one here could undo it.

"So the Master can't get out, and we can't bring the petrified girls to Porlyusica either," Gray said, eyeing the room.

Seeing Rhodes, Mira, Elfman, and a now-recovered Natsu standing firm gave him a bit of relief. 

"That idiot Laxus isn't going to get away with this!" Natsu shouted as he leapt to his feet. He was already fired up again, eager to charge out.

Gray raised a hand to stop him. "Cool it, Natsu. Things are already a mess out there. Just listen to the Master and Rhodes for a second."

"Fine..."

But the moment Gray dropped his hand, Natsu smirked and bolted. "Later! I'm going to pound Laxus and prove I'm the strongest in the guild, ack!"

With a loud thud, Natsu slammed into the same invisible barrier as Makarov.

Magical text appeared again, glowing ominously in the air: "Stone statues and those over 80 years old are prohibited from entering or leaving."

"What the heck?!" Natsu groaned, trying to push his face through the barrier. His cheeks squished comically.

Everyone stared, stunned.

"Are there more restrictions? But the rule didn't change..."

"Seriously, what is this?" Gray sighed.

"Don't ask me!" Natsu shouted, punching the wall. All he got was more glowing script.

Happy fluttered over, blinking. "Wait, Natsu… are you over 80?"

"What?! No way!" Natsu snapped, then blinked at the other rule. "Wait… am I a stone statue?!"

Elfman shook his head solemnly. "Stone statues are manly, but you're clearly not one."

"Heh… You're hopeless, Salamander," Gajeel snorted as he crunched down the last of his spoon. He leaned on the table with one hand and leapt forward in style. "If you're stuck, guess I'll take over."

He was always looking for a chance to one-up Natsu.

"What did you say?! I'm not useless!" Natsu roared, but Gray grabbed him in a headlock to stop another brawl.

"Cool it, both of you," Gray sighed.

Elfman folded his arms. "Yeah, we need to stay calm."

He was trying to follow his brother-in-law's advice.

Gajeel sneered, glancing at Rhodes. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not helping because of your little strategy talk. I just have a bone to pick with that spiky blonde jerk."

He cracked his knuckles. "The guild rules say it's fair to beat him up now, right? Works for me. I owe him anyway."

He stepped forward confidently.

And just like the others, smacked headfirst into the invisible wall.

The entire room blinked.

"Huh?!"

"Gajeel too?!"

Natsu burst into laughter. "Ahahaha! You can't leave either! Who's useless now?!"

Gajeel's face burned with frustration as his own taunt got thrown back at him. He punched the barrier in fury.

"What the hell is going on?!"

Seeing this, Warren, Laki, Reedus, and the others gave it a try too. Whether they were heading out or coming back in, they passed through without issue.

Rhodes worried for a moment about whether his own age would count against him, but when he tested it, he passed through easily.

So it could only be Natsu and Gajeel who were being blocked.

Neither of them looked anywhere near eighty, and they definitely weren't stone statues. Their most defining trait was that they were Dragon Slayers. Could Freed have secretly included a condition that restricted them?

But there was no time to ponder. New glowing runes suddenly appeared in the air above the guild's entrance.

"Alzack vs. Sarusuke vs. Droy."

"Winner: Alzack."

"Sarusuke and Droy have lost the ability to fight."

"Fairy Tail remaining members: 82."

Everyone stared, dumbfounded, taking a few seconds to realize who "Sarusuke" actually was. They'd been using nicknames so long they'd nearly forgotten his real name.

Makarov frowned. "Is this some kind of battle report? Why were those three fighting?"

"Max vs. Wakaba."

"Winner: Wakaba."

Mira looked baffled. "Again? Why would Max and Wakaba be fighting now?"

Their relationship was like that of two grumpy old friends, always arguing, sure, but just as often sitting down together for a drink. Internal conflict at a moment like this didn't make any sense.

"Krov vs. Niggy."

"Both have lost the ability to fight."

"Fairy Tail remaining members: 79."

Rhodes recognized them, Krov and Niggy were close friends, always pulling pranks, even on him once. He didn't hold a grudge against that buck-toothed prankster or the guy with the mushroom haircut.

Something was definitely wrong. Friends suddenly turning on each other and knocking each other out? That wasn't normal.

"It must be something forcing them to fight," Rhodes murmured. "Actually, maybe it's because they're close that they ended up in this situation."

"In the worst-case scenario, Freed's spells could already be set all over Magnolia."

If close friends were traveling together, it made sense they'd trigger the same trap at the same time.

And if the rule of that trap was something cruel, like "only the victor may leave" or worse, "only one person may leave after knocking the other unconscious,"

Then they'd be forced to fight, whether they wanted to or not.

Impatient ones might strike first, while the more tender-hearted might even offer themselves up to be defeated.

But calm people,

Well, there weren't many calm people out there right now. Anyone still thinking straight was still inside the guild.

That's what made Laxus so confident. That's why he wasn't concerned about being outnumbered and why he'd mocked Rhodes earlier, claiming numbers didn't matter.

This was his plan all along, to use Freed's spells to isolate the strongest. Even if people made it past the spells, they'd still have to face the Thunder God Tribe before getting to Laxus himself.

And those traps? Freed had likely laid them out well in advance, with precision.

Anyone not skilled in rune magic wouldn't even notice the spells until it was too late. But Laxus and his team knew exactly where they were. They could lure others into the traps or even use the locations to their advantage in battle.

With this setup, numbers meant nothing.

"Stop! Stop it, you idiots!" Makarov cried out in frustration. This wasn't a normal brawl anymore. This was forced infighting, friends being turned against each other in desperate attempts to save their petrified comrades.

No matter who won or lost, whether they were the one hurting a friend or the one being hurt, it was a heavy burden on their hearts.

But the one suffering the most was Makarov. He was forced to watch his children fight each other while Laxus continued his rampage unchecked, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

His body suddenly surged with power, growing in size. With a roar, he slammed his massive fist into the wall next to the guild's entrance.

The wall cracked and trembled from the impact, but his giant hand still couldn't break through the invisible barrier.

Freed's enchantment clearly covered the entire guild.

"Warren, use your magic and contact everyone outside right away. Tell them about Laxus's plan. Warn them not to group up, there are traps everywhere. They need to spread out…"

Rhodes cut himself off mid-sentence. But what would happen if they scattered?

Spreading out might prevent some of the forced duels caused by traps. But isolated like that, hardly anyone would stand a chance against the Thunder God Tribe, let alone Laxus himself.

"Forget that. Just stop the infighting first."

"Understood!" Warren nodded and got to work right away. But moments later, his expression twisted in frustration. The guildmates on the channel were bickering again. Almost no one was listening.

"Macao versus Wakaba."

"Both fighters have lost the ability to continue."

"Fairy Tail remaining members: 77."

Natsu clenched his fists, pacing. "Damn it! Let me out already! I want in on this too!"

Gray scowled and snapped, "You idiot. This is exactly what Laxus wants! Why would you join in?"

"Because it's a fight for the strongest! I want to beat Laxus myself!"

Gray grabbed Natsu by the collar and pointed to the stone statues on the stage. "That bastard is using Erza and Lucy's lives to force us into fighting each other! What part of this is a 'fair battle'? If we don't fix this in three hours, they'll…"

"No way! Not even someone as annoying as Laxus would go that far. He's just bluffing to scare us! Right, Master?"

Makarov looked at Natsu in surprise. Even after all that had happened, Natsu still believed Laxus wouldn't truly harm his friends.

But the others weren't so sure.

Rhodes couldn't take that risk. Laxus was still acting like a reckless teenager, and if Evergreen decided to destroy the statues on a whim, no one could stop her.

"Mickey versus Sally versus Izzy."

"Winner: Mickey."

"Fairy Tail remaining members: 75."

"Marcus versus Tono."

"Battle in progress…"

The reports flashed one after another. It was clear that many members had already walked into traps by the time Warren's message reached them. Others were already caught up in fights they couldn't escape.

Makarov's body slowly returned to its normal size. He clutched his chest, his expression twisting in pain.

Each line of battle report felt like watching another one of his children fall. His heart couldn't take it.

"Master?"

"Master!"

Rhodes rushed to his side to support him. "Mira! Quick, under the counter! Get the medicine!"

"I got it!" Mira quickly ducked behind the counter, pulled out a small medicine bottle, poured out three pills, and slipped them into the Master's mouth.

Ever since they found out Makarov had a heart condition, Rhodes had shamelessly pestered Grandma Porlyusica into giving them extra bottles of medicine.

Now there was a bottle in the infirmary, one behind the counter, and another upstairs in the second-floor room where the Master sometimes wrote his self-reflections.

Naturally, Rhodes had also handed one to Makarov himself, but the old man probably left it at home, like usual.

After taking the pills, Makarov's face began to regain some color.

Rhodes gently patted him on the back. "Easy now. Don't worry, don't worry. It's just a big fight, that's all. Maybe a bit of roughhousing, nothing we can't fix. We've got this. We'll sort it out right away. Deep breaths. In and out... slowly now..."

"Huff... huff..." Makarov's lips were pale, but the worst of the pain seemed to pass.

"Mira, take the Master to rest."

"Right."

Once Mira lifted Makarov and carried him off, Rhodes turned sharply. "Warren, can you pinpoint their locations?"

"Yes. They're not hiding their presence. Laxus is holed up in the cathedral, and the other three are constantly on the move. Current direction is..."

"Understood. Then we've got two top priorities: one, undo the petrification and get the girls out of danger. Two, break the spell and stop everyone from fighting each other."

Rhodes's voice hardened. "I don't care about proving who's the strongest. But once we're done with that, I'll be happy to break Laxus's legs and drag him back here so everyone else can deal with him."

The way he spoke was quick and calm, but the fire in his eyes betrayed his fury.

Everyone around him wore grim expressions. Rhodes had just voiced exactly what they were all thinking.

"We move now. Reedus, Vijeeter, one of you take the southeast route, the other go northeast. Circle around through the eastern forest and get to Grandma Porlyusica. Stay separated, keep your distance from everyone, and watch out for Freed's traps. If you can't get out of the city, have Warren notify us immediately."

Freed had claimed the entire city was part of the battlefield. He was always someone who stuck to his word and didn't bluff. It was very likely he had written a spell barrier along the edge of town, maybe something like "No entry for wizards."

Still, they had to try.

Warren's telepathic magic could cover the whole city, but Porlyusica's treehouse was simply too far.

"We understand." Reedus and Vijeeter nodded and left right away. To avoid triggering traps, they made sure to walk one behind the other with space between them.

"Gray, Elfman, you two go as well. One of you search for Freed, the other for Evergreen. Keep your distance from others. Mira and I will catch up later to assist."

Whether to break the spell or lift the petrification, defeating the caster was still worth a shot.

Gray said firmly, "Leave Freed and Evergreen to Elfman and me. You and Mira should focus on Bickslow and Laxus."

Rhodes shook his head. "Don't let Laxus steer the fight. Rushing at him solves nothing. Freed and Evergreen are the ones we need to stop."

"When we take care of the spell and undo the petrification, they'll have no choice but to face all of Fairy Tail. Right now, the guild is barely holding together. If we're too slow, there might not be anyone left to come back to."

The top priority was saving the petrified girls and putting an end to the chaos inside the guild.

Chasing down the troublemakers could wait.

And once Erza, Juvia, Cana, and the others were freed, and once Natsu and Gajeel got back out into the field, those problems would take care of themselves soon enough.

Gajeel, who had been standing quietly nearby, felt a little awkward. This guy's thinking was frighteningly clear, completely unshaken by what the enemy was doing.

Was this how Phantom Lord got completely wiped out by Rhodes and his team?

He was starting to wonder, if the hotheads who had stormed out earlier had just listened to someone for once and stayed calm, maybe this whole mess could've been avoided from the very start.