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

"Summon, Scuttle Crab! Go pick up Granny Porlyusica."

With the hostages safe and the spell interference gone, Rhodes' biggest concern was the old man's health.

As for Laxus, there was plenty of firepower to handle him. Two S-Class mages, Mira and Erza, and even a top-tier A-Class mage who could fight at near-S-Class level. One way or another, they'd find a solution. Worst case, they'd tear down the church. Sure, that was supposed to be the wedding venue in the future, so he'd rather not destroy it.

Freed was taken back to the guild by Gray, and Rhodes and Mira dashed off toward the cathedral.

The guild was in full swing. Warren was relaying updates on injured members' locations so others could retrieve them, and a tally was being made of the damages to local businesses and residents.

The girls who'd just recovered from being petrified also got to work. Bisca went to find Alzack, and since Levy no longer had to rewrite the spell, she left to search for Jet and Droy.

Juvia had wanted to chase after Gray but, learning he was on his way back, simply asked which way to go and rushed to meet him.

Cana figured enough people were going after Laxus already. Instead, she went to help bring back the injured, planning to check on the cathedral afterward.

Lucy stopped by the infirmary to check on Master Makarov, then joined the effort to gather everyone.

Despite the chaos at Fairy Tail, the rest of the festival wasn't too affected.

There had been some flashy fights, sure, but just like Laxus claimed earlier, people thought of it more like an over-the-top show. The only real concern now was whether the magic parade could still happen that evening.

Right at that moment, the person in charge of special effects for the parade Mystogan arrived at the cathedral, lugging a bundle of uniquely shaped magic staffs.

Laxus looked genuinely surprised. "Didn't think you'd be the first to show up. Mystogan, you into this little game too?"

Mystogan didn't respond to the provocation. He preferred unity in the guild and was hoping Laxus would listen to reason.

"Your three lackeys have all been taken down. It's time to stop this. Go back to the guild and own up to what you did. If you're sincere, I think everyone will forgive you."

"You're so naive." Laxus ignored his plea and spoke about what really excited him.

"You know what I care about? Who's the strongest in Fairy Tail? I've heard people talk about you and me as the frontrunners."

"I don't care about that," Mystogan replied flatly. "But if I had to pick, it's probably Gildarts."

Laxus scoffed. "That guy doesn't count. He hasn't been around in ages. As for the others…" He waved a hand dismissively. "If they're not even S-Class, don't bother. Erza's got potential, but she's still too green. Mira just got her power back, she's even weaker."

Mystogan frowned. "You seriously think those two aren't strong? What's wrong with your eyes?"

Laxus didn't flinch. "The only one I acknowledge is you. The title of Fairy Tail's strongest belongs to one of us."

Mystogan gripped his staff. "If that's what you really care about… I never realized how shallow you were."

"Let's settle it then. Let's see who stands at the top, Mystogan, or should I call you Je—"

Before he could finish, Mystogan had already raised his staff and cast the first spell.

A massive magic projectile blasted forward. Laxus met it with a wave of lightning.

An explosion rocked the cathedral. Every window on the first and second floor shattered. A powerful shockwave blew through the doors and windows, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.

People nearby quickly fled for cover.

Through the gaps in the wrecked walls, brilliant flashes of lightning and spell circles kept pulsing. The magic surging from the church was so intense that every wizard in the city could feel it, an all-out battle had begun.

"Erza!"

"Rhodes, Mira!"

The three of them met at the plaza outside the cathedral. None of them looked surprised, they'd been keeping tabs on each other's movements thanks to Warren's updates.

Since Erza had arrived a few seconds earlier, Rhodes casually asked, "Who's inside?"

Erza shook her head. "I'm not sure yet… but judging by the magic waves, I can only think of one person who could go toe-to-toe with Laxus."

Sure enough, as soon as the three of them entered the church, they saw Mystogan suspended mid-air, engulfed by crackling golden lightning surging from a magic circle below.

Opposite him stood Laxus, surrounded by five blazing magic circles, gold, blue, red, black, and violet, each one pulsating with terrifying power.

Rhodes take over the Brambleback form and cast red buff on Mystogan to enhance his magic, hoping it might turn the tide.

Unfortunately, Mystogan's spell, "Five-Layer Magic Circle: Melody of the Ancients", was nothing more than a powerful sleep magic. It could paralyze enemies, but didn't inflict any direct damage.

So Rhodes's buff? Wasted.

"Aaah…" Mystogan groaned as Laxus's electricity surged through his defenses, breaking the spell.

Erza, Mira, and Rhodes all shared a look. None of them could understand what Mystogan was thinking using sleep magic against someone like Laxus.

Rhodes didn't mince words: "Idiot."

Laxus was instantly infuriated. A bolt of lightning as thick as a tree trunk tore through the air, aimed directly at Rhodes.

"Requip! Lightning Empress Armor!"

Erza instantly appeared in a stunning light-blue armor, her long spear shimmering with an electric barrier. She leapt in front of Rhodes, twirling the spear to intercept the blast.

The golden lightning crashed into the spear's translucent shield, and vanished harmlessly.

"I'll take care of the offense. Take over- Satan Soul!"

Mira's voice rang out, calm yet fierce. She didn't block the attack not because she couldn't, but because she trusted Rhodes to hold his own. Instead, she soared forward with a feral grace, wings of darkness unfurling.

With a turn of her body, Mira leveled her right arm and unleashed three surging orbs of dark magic, one after another.

Laxus didn't hesitate. He extended his arm, firing bolts of golden lightning that collided with the orbs mid-air, detonating them before they could reach him.

The clash shook the entire church hall. Stone tiles shattered, and chunks of the floor exploded upward like geysers.

"Summon: Blue Sentinel! Brambleback! Red buff. Blue buff."

Rhodes moved fast, summoning two of his reliable summoned beasts and granting both red and blue buffs to Erza, Mira, and Mystogan.

With their enhancement duties complete, the Brambleback and Blue Sentinel rumbled out of the hall like a well-trained duo, off to refresh their magic auras before looping back.

"You really do live up to the rumors," Laxus sneered, eyeing Rhodes. "Always hiding behind others, especially the women. Should I call you clever, or just pathetic? Guess it fits the role of a so-called 'tactician,' huh?"

Rhodes couldn't help feeling curious. Just where had Laxus gotten such outdated information? In the recent battles at Phantom Lord and the Tower of Heaven, wasn't he the one always charging straight into danger?

"You really need to rehearse your trash talk before stepping onto the battlefield," Rhodes said, his tone light and mocking. "Come on, let's make this quick. Fast fight, fast finish. I'm exhausted just thinking about tonight's magic parade."

"You little—" Lightning flared violently around Laxus. "Quick fight? You think you can look down on me?! Who gave you that kind of nerve!"

Rhodes smirked. Now that was a proper reaction to provocation.

He remembered what Freed had said: the root of this mess was the last issue of Sorcerer Weekly that published a bunch of embarrassing guild gossip. People across Magnolia had been laughing over it, and Laxus… well, Laxus hated being laughed at.

Rhodes could tell Laxus cared about the guild, even if his methods were twisted. He clearly valued its reputation, maybe too much.

But that didn't excuse hurting his guildmates. And whether the punishment was expulsion or something else, Laxus needed to be stopped, right here, right now.

"It's about time you cut this out, Laxus!" Erza shouted, charging forward with the Lightning Empress's Spear in hand. The crackling weapon aimed straight for his chest.

Laxus caught the spear tip with one hand.

Erza pushed harder, and arcs of blue lightning burst from the spear and ran up his arm. But he didn't even flinch.

"This kind of weak lightning—" Laxus started to mock her, but then paused. The red light wrapped around the spear suddenly ignited into flame. Heat seared his palm.

"What… is this?"

His answer was pain. Furious, Laxus unleashed a powerful jolt of lightning that surged back down the spear, striking Erza.

"Ahhh—!" Erza cried out. Even though she wore the Lightning Empress Armor, which offered strong resistance to electricity, the sting still tore through her body.

"Erza!" Mira called out.

In an instant, black wings flared behind her. Like a cannonball, she rocketed toward Laxus and drove her fist toward his face.

Laxus released the spear and lifted his arm to block the blow.

But Mira was already swinging with her other fist.

Forced to block again, Laxus retaliated with a punch of his own.

Then it turned into a full-on clash. Fists flew. The air cracked with pressure. They were only two fighters, but it felt like a dozen arms were flying in every direction. Each blow from Mira came with raw force, each block from Laxus with burning electricity.

Their rapid-fire exchange was almost too fast to follow.

Then Mira spun and unleashed a powerful side kick.

Laxus crossed his arms just in time to block it, but even through his guard, he felt a burning pain.

At this point, both of Laxus's sleeves were shredded. He wasn't losing the fight by any means, but judging by the state of his clothes, he looked like he'd already been beaten.

Was it those strange red lights?

Laxus narrowed his eyes, trying to quickly analyze the situation. The red aura was clearly damaging, but what about the blue one?

Before he could finish the thought or counterattack, Rhodes appeared overhead.

From behind him extended a pair of crimson dragon wings. A long dragon tail curled behind his back. His limbs had transformed into fierce, scaled dragon claws, and from his forehead to his cheeks ran flaming dragon scales, forming a half-mask over his face, leaving only his mouth and nose exposed.

It was Laxus's first time seeing Rhodes in this form. Even Erza, who had fought beside him many times, had never seen this version before. While it resembled the Mountain Dragon Soul Takeover, there was no doubt it was something entirely different.

This was the Purgatory Dragon Soul.

Rhodes hadn't expected its first true battle, not a simulation or spar, to be against a fellow Fairy Tail member.

The thought left a bitter taste in his chest, and it made him throw his punch with just a bit more force.

"Purgatory Dragon's Collapse Fist!"

His clawed fist tightened and expanded as it came crashing down. From his knuckles to his elbow, the limb was engulfed in molten magma, surging like a boiling river.

The sheer heat and brilliant red flame seared the air and distorted the space around it.

Laxus's eyes gleamed. "So this is your real strength?" He didn't dodge. Maybe it was arrogance, or maybe he just wanted to test the weight behind the blow.

Golden lightning surged across his body as he raised his arms to meet the fist.

Boom!

The punch slammed down like a meteor, and magma exploded outward in all directions, blooming like a fiery morning glory.

"Gah—" Laxus grunted as the tiles beneath him cracked and gave way. A wide chunk of the ground sank several inches from the sheer impact.

Then came the second wave.

More purgatory flames and molten rock burst from Rhodes's fist, flooding over Laxus like a lavafall. It scorched the ground and blanketed the golden lightning in blazing red.

Unnoticed amidst the eruption were three faint red streams, tiny veins of concentrated flame, that hit Laxus's arm at the exact same time as the punch.

Rhodes, of course, didn't waste the opportunity.

"Mira, Erza! Now!"

"Take Over, Demon Soul: Halphas Form!" Mira's body transformed, hellfire swirling around her shoulders and cape as claws gleamed with infernal energy.

"Requip, Flame Empress Armor!" Erza rearmed herself in a blazing red armor lined with magma veins. She wielded a massive, serrated greatsword that matched the fiery theme of the battlefield.

Both women surged forward.

Before the purgatory flames could dissipate, Mira pierced through the lava curtain with her claw, targeting Laxus's chest. At the same time, Erza's greatsword followed a perfect arc, slashing horizontally through the burning mist.

Crack!

"Raaagh—!"

Laxus was thrown back violently. His coat was nearly incinerated. Burns scorched his arms, and deep claw marks raked across one side of his torso. A wide, clean gash ran across the other, left by Erza's sword.

Rhodes inhaled deeply, magma bubbling between his teeth. Then he roared:

"Roar of the Purgatory Dragon!"

A devastating wave of lava and flame exploded from his mouth, barreling toward Laxus.

But Laxus grinned through the pain.

"So this is what you've been hiding? Then let me show you mine."

He twisted his body mid-air, bracing with one hand against the stone floor and halting his slide.

Then he inhaled sharply.

Crackling golden lightning gathered at his throat and—

"Roar of the Thunder Dragon!"

A blinding storm of electricity burst from Laxus's mouth and clashed with the incoming inferno.

"Wha—?!" Mira's eyes widened.

"Wait, he's a—?" Erza's voice faltered.

Even Mystogan was stunned.

Laxus was… a Dragon Slayer?

None of them had ever heard anything about this.

...

Stones Plzzz