"Ahaha, I'm finally back! The air here is the freshest after all!" Natsu shouted, dancing around with joy and drawing the stares of everyone on the street.
"What are you so happy about? You're going to be in deep trouble once we get back to the guild. After all, you two violated guild rules, didn't you, Erza?" Chen Fan said bitterly from the side. Those two had been totally unreliable, running off at the critical moment and leaving him alone to bear the brunt of Erza's fury. When it came to payback, Chen Fan wasn't about to go soft.
"Mm. Although I've forgiven them, the final decision lies with the Master. Everything will be decided by him," Erza said after a moment of thought.
Hearing this, Chen Fan grew indignant. He yelled at Erza, "Then why didn't you hand me over to the Master back then? You used private punishment on me instead! My whole body still hurts even now!"
"Hmm? You have an objection?" Erza's brows furrowed as she spoke in a cold voice. Natsu and the others jumped in fright, quickly backing away for fear of getting blood splattered on them.
Chen Fan wilted instantly. He lowered his head and muttered, "No..."
"Good. Don't think I don't know about your history with the Master. It would be a miracle if he actually punished you, humph." That final light snort made Chen Fan's entire body go soft, and he decided not to argue further.
Suddenly, whispers from the roadside reached their ears.
"Those people from the Fairy Tail guild... they're so pitiful. They probably don't even know what happened yet."
"Yeah, true."
"Mm..."
Chen Fan and the others frowned, a bad premonition rising in their hearts. The joking mood vanished instantly. They quickened their pace toward the guild hall, only to stop short some distance away.
The Fairy Tail guild building had been impaled by several massive iron pillars.
"What the hell happened?!" Natsu yelled before sprinting toward the guild gates. Erza, Lucy, and Gray followed close behind.
Only Chen Fan stood still. His expression shifted rapidly at times savage, at times deceptively calm. A terrifying aura began to radiate from his body.
Natsu and the others, still running toward the gates, felt this chilling pressure and skidded to a halt, looking back in shock. The members inside the guild hall felt it too and came running out, staring in fear at Chen Fan, who stood there with his head bowed.
In short order, the earth began to tremble as if the end of the world were at hand. Nearby civilians began to scream, fleeing in every direction.
Even some of the guild members couldn't withstand the pressure and dropped to their knees. Makarov watched Chen Fan with a grave expression.
Chen Fan was muttering something under his breath, almost like a prayer or a curse. If one listened closely, they could hear: "The guild is destroyed... I changed nothing. The home I've lived in for ten years is destroyed... I changed nothing. I changed nothing!"
"Roar!!!"
Suddenly, Chen Fan threw his head back and let out a thunderous roar. The ground beneath his feet began to shatter, cracks spreading outward. The white clouds in the sky were pulled toward the space above him, swirling into a mass of pitch-black thunderclouds. Bolts of lightning flickered through the dark expanse.
The guild members who had still been barely standing were now forced onto their bellies. Only Erza, Natsu, and Gray managed to stay upright, though they were trembling. Only Makarov stood firm, though his face grew even more serious.
Suddenly, Chen Fan stopped roaring and turned his gaze toward Makarov and the others.
The hearts of every guild member jolted. What kind of eyes were those? They were blood-red amidst a deep darkness, steady yet flickering with madness.
"Tell me... who... did this?"
He had barely opened his mouth, yet his voice exploded in the ears of the guild members like a clap of thunder.
"It was Phantom Lord," Makarov replied, his voice the only one steady enough to speak.
"I'm going to kill them." A cold wind blew past, leaving everyone feeling a chill deep in their souls.
"No! you cannot go," Makarov said firmly.
"You can try to stop me." With that, Chen Fan turned to leave.
"Roar!" Makarov's fist suddenly expanded to a massive size, swinging down toward Chen Fan. The guild members couldn't help but cry out in alarm.
Boom!
A cloud of dust billowed up. Once the wind cleared the air, everyone's eyes went wide. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. With his back still turned to Makarov, Chen Fan had reached out a single hand and firmly caught the Master's giant fist.
Seeing that Chen Fan could catch his punch with one hand, Makarov didn't hold back. He began rain punches down on Chen Fan, one after another.
Boom! Boom!
The very earth seemed to shudder. Natsu, Gray, and Erza clenched their fists in excitement; they had never imagined Chen Fan was this powerful. The other members were equally thrilled. Makarov had rarely fought in recent years because no one in the guild was worthy of his attention not even Laxus or the others.
Suddenly, Makarov grew heated in the fight. His entire body became colossal, and he smashed down toward Chen Fan's head from above.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out. Makarov was sent flying backward. Everyone stared, eyes wide as if they had seen a god fall. In their hearts, Makarov was an invincible existence. The shock of seeing Chen Fan knock him back was immeasurable.
Crash!
The ground shook as Makarov landed, his body gradually shrinking back to normal size. Chen Fan's emotions finally stabilized, his eyes returning to their normal black as he withdrew his massive pressure.
Suddenly, Mira's anxious voice rang out, "Master! Master, what's wrong?!"
Everyone rushed over to see Makarov lying unconscious on the ground.
"Grandpa! Grandpa, wake up!" Natsu cried, shaking him frantically.
"Chen Fan, come here! Check on the Master, please! Waaah!" Mira's voice was thick with tears.
Chen Fan quickly pushed through the crowd and hurried over.
"Get away! You did this to him!" Natsu shouted, grabbing Chen Fan by the collar.
"Stop it, Natsu! Only Chen Fan can save the Master now!" others shouted, trying to pull them apart.
Chen Fan ignored Natsu, reaching out to check Makarov's pulse. He felt the heartbeat; it was dangerously weak.
"What happened to the Master?" someone asked Mira.
"The Master has had these sudden fainting spells before... but he always had Porlyusica prepare medicine for him. He wouldn't let me tell anyone because he didn't want you all to worry," Mira explained, before turning to Chen Fan with a pleading look. "How is he? Is he okay?"
"It's no good. My energy has too high a rejection rate against magic. Coupled with the Master's immense magic power and his aging body, if I try to forcibly suppress the condition, it will cause permanent damage. Our only option is to find Porlyusica," Chen Fan said grimly.
He picked Makarov up and looked Erza in the eye. "I'm taking the Master to see Porlyusica. The guild is in your hands now. Don't let the Master down. If Phantom Lord provokes us again... that means war!"
A rushing wind pushed everyone back as two small whirlwinds appeared beneath Chen Fan's feet. Holding Makarov, he took off into the sky.
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