The three generations of grandfather and grandsons stepped off the train in Oak Town.

Laxus's complexion had finally returned to normal, though his steps were still a bit unsteady.

He'd managed to keep himself composed through the whole ride, but the combination of motion sickness and simmering anger had taken its toll.

Marco couldn't help but admire him—the man was an absolute beast.

"Shall we go straight there, or rest first?" Marco asked Makarov, deliberately not specifying who might need the break.

"Let's rest a while," Makarov immediately declared, clutching his lower back dramatically.

"At my age, these long journeys are exhausting!"

"Train rides are definitely tiring," Marco agreed, playing along as they moved to a roadside bench.

"We should recover our energy before dealing with Jose."

Both of them pointedly avoided looking at Laxus.

Laxus watched their performance in silence, fighting back an amused smile.

He didn't care whether they'd noticed his condition or not; this arrangement suited him just fine.

He settled onto the bench and began to regulate his breathing, his thoughts were already on the coming fight.

He didn't have permission to engage Jose Porla, but since when did he need it?

He'd just strike first when the time came!

.....

After a while, Makarov asked Marco, who was meditating.

"Feeling better?"

"What about you, Gramps?" Marco countered, opening his eyes and glancing toward Laxus.

"I'm rested," Makarov said, a subtle signal that Laxus had recovered.

"Then I'm ready, too," Marco replied, standing up.

"Laxus, you—"

"I'm fine," Laxus cut him off, rising to his feet with the impatience of someone who'd been kept waiting too long.

"Then let's move out."

Makarov took the lead, heading toward the Phantom Lord guild hall in the center of town.

Marco finally pulled down his hood.

He'd kept a low profile for the whole journey, a necessary burden of his fame.

As they walked, the townspeople began to recognize them.

Here in Oak Town, however, the stares were not of admiration but of hostility and suspicion.

This was Phantom Lord's turf, after all.

Even fans of The Great Detective Holmes didn't dare show their support openly.

"These people aren't very friendly," Laxus remarked with a dangerous grin.

The more hostile the crowd, the more excited he became.

"They'd treat Phantom Lord the same way civilians treat Fairy tail in Magnolia," Marco said, unsurprised.

Whispers rippled through the onlookers.

"What are they doing here?!"

"How dare they show their faces in Oak Town!"

"Can Phantom Lord even beat them this time?"

"Don't be stupid! Master Jose will definitely get his revenge!"

The whispers revealed their doubt.

Jose had been defeated once, and his elite Element 3 had been dismantled.

Phantom Lord's reputation was in tatters.

Still, no one dared to provoke the trio directly, especially not with the grim look on Makarov's face.

Reaching the guild's entrance, Makarov didn't hesitate and shouted.

"JOSE! COME OUT!" he roared, his magic erupting in a wave that shook the entire building.

The onlookers scrambled back, fearing the collateral damage of the war that was about to begin.

"MAKAAAROOOV!!!" A furious roar echoed from within, dripping with pure hatred.

A surge of violent purple magic burst from the gates as Jose Porla emerged, a killing intent radiating from him.

The oppressive force surged forward, only to be effortlessly shattered by Makarov before it could even reach the others.

A crowd of Phantom Lord members in their signature purple hats rushed out to stand behind their master.

Among them, Marco spotted a familiar face: Sol, the "Earth Element," who now mostly recovered.

He also saw Gajeel, who began to tremble the moment he saw Marco, his eyes wide with terror.

The trauma of the Scarlet Needle was carved deep into his bones.

'Aria's in custody, Totomaru is locked up by his own guild and only Sol is left of the Element 3' Marco thought, looking at the pitiful remnants of the once-great guild.

I really did a number on them.

"MARCO!!!" Jose Porla's eyes burned crimson the moment he spotted him.

The hatred he felt was so intense it was almost tangible.

"YOU DARE TO SHOW YOUR FACE IN FRONT OF ME?!"

He thrust out his hand and a terrifying dark magic bullet shot straight toward Marco.

"Hum."

Marco simply raised a finger.

A single Scarlet Needle formed and flew to meet the projectile head-on.

A violent explosion of magic erupted between them.

After shattering the dark bullet, the needle didn't stop, continuing its trajectory toward Jose.

Alarm bells screamed in Jose's mind.

He unleashed his own magic power to crush the needle before it could reach him.

Once bitten, twice shy.

Jose had learned his lesson and no longer dared to underestimate Marco's attacks.

"He really learned his lesson this time," Marco chuckled, watching Jose action.

After the last beatdown, Jose would never again underestimate an opponent's attack.

The man's hatred for him was practically a physical force in the air.

"Zzzzt!"

Before Jose could spew another threat, Laxus decided he'd waited long enough.

Crackling with raw magic power, he hurled a bolt of lightning directly at the Wizard Saint.

Jose had called out the old man and attacked Marco, but he didn't even spared Laxus a single glance.

The disrespect was infuriating.

If Laxus didn't force the issue, he'd be completely ignored.

"Humph!" Jose erupted with a surge of purple magic, contemptuously batting the lightning aside.

This was the real Jose Porla—unrestrained, powerful, and genuinely dangerous.

This was one of the Ten Wizard Saints.

"Laxus! Hold on!" Makarov shouted, trying to stop him.

He hadn't even had a chance to deliver his prepared speech.

They were here to demand answers, not to look like a gang of thugs who'd come to kick a man who was already down.

But Laxus had no intention of stopping.

His body erupted in a flash of lightning as he shot toward Jose like a cannonball.

He had to know.

He had to test his own strength against this benchmark, to feel the full power of a Wizard Saint.

His grandfather would always hold back in a spar, but Jose—an enemy who hated them—would fight with everything he had.

The sheer pressure radiating from Jose was immense, but Laxus felt no fear, only a savage thrill.

He transformed into a living bolt of lightning and plunged into the thick, purple darkness, delivering a vicious whip kick aimed straight for Jose's head.

"Whoosh!"

Jose vanished, dodging the attack with absolute precision.

Laxus darted through the air, electricity scattering wildly from his form, but his impressive speed was no match for Jose's teleportation.

He was always one step behind.

Against an enemy this fast, he had to change tactics.

"BOOM!"

Laxus unleashed his magic.

The skies shifted as dark thunderclouds gathered instantly above the Phantom Lord guild.

Countless bolts of lightning rained down, pounding the ground, shattering the guild hall, and sending the low-ranking members scattering in chaos.

Sol, the Earth Element, threw up a massive earth shield to protect the grunts, with Gajeel cowering uselessly beside him.

"You're asking for death!" Jose roared, his attention finally, truly on Laxus.

How dare this brat attack his guild hall!

Makarov's grandson was just as much of a bastard as the rest of them.

Fine.

He would make an example of this one first.

Ruthlessness flooded Jose's eyes.

Fairy Tail had pushed him to his limit.

If he didn't reassert his dominance now, he might as well disband the guild and retire his title.

"WHOOSH!"

Dark magic surged forth, blotting out the sky.

Jose unleashed his domain, a swirling vortex of darkness that threatened to swallow the entire world.

He no longer cared about conserving his power; he would keep the grandfather and his two grandsons here forever and restore the fearsome reputation of Phantom Lord.

Floating in the air, Jose spread his arms wide.

Countless spheres of dark magic formed above them and began to rain down in a true carpet-bombing assault.

The Wizard Saint had become a magical artillery battery, entering a mode of full-scale annihilation capable of leveling a city.

"All of you will die here today!" He roared, his eyes glowing a malevolent purple.

This was no longer a fight; this was extermination.

Even now, he was holding back just enough to not obliterate his own guild and the town of Oak Town entirely.

But for Laxus, who had only just become an S-Class Mage, it was more than enough.

He was finally getting his wish: to experience the full, unrestrained fury of a Wizard Saint.

"Zzzzt!"

Laxus gritted his teeth, channeling all of his magic into a crackling armor of thunder that stimulated his entire body.

He became a streak of pure, golden lightning and charged once more, pushing through the terrifying barrage of dark magic, aiming straight for the source of the overwhelming darkness in the sky.

-----------------------------

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