Fairy Tail: Collapsing Stars

Chapter 312: In Battle, Never Use Iron Body

Inside the Fairy Tail guild hall:

"No surprise, it's Laxus!"

"Hahaha, that Grimoire Heart guy was no match for Laxus. He took him down with just one move, baby~"

"Piece of cake, piece of cake~"

"Laxus won, yay!"

The Raijinshuu trio—Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen—cheered as they watched Laxus walk down from the stage, looking as cool and composed as ever.

"You three don't need to get so excited. Isn't it obvious I'd win?" Laxus smirked slightly, feeling proud but maintaining a stern and serious facade. He had an image to uphold, especially now that he cared more about his public persona than before.

"Yes! Laxus is the strongest. Winning is inevitable," Freed said, clenching his fists in excitement. Although Freed usually appeared calm and composed as a rune mage, he always became a fervent fanboy around Laxus.

"Laxus is invincible, baby~" Bickslow shouted, crossing his arms, his tongue adorned with the Fairy Tail emblem sticking out.

"Invincible! Invincible! Invincible!" Bickslow's wooden baby dolls echoed in unison.

"Laxus is truly amazing, just as we expected," Evergreen said, wiping a tear from her eye and smiling brightly.

"Hmph~ Let's go, I'll buy you all a drink," Laxus said with a proud snort, glancing back at his team before heading to the bar.

"Yay!!" Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen cheered as they followed Laxus to the bar.

"Such a powerful man... Hahaha, it was worth fighting such a monster," Azuma, who had been saved from the stage by Precht's magical chains, was regaining consciousness. He watched Laxus's back, eyes brimming with battle spirit.

"I'm sorry, Master Hades. I have failed you," Azuma said, turning to Precht with a look of regret and apology. He felt remorseful for not fulfilling Precht's command and feared the punishment awaiting him for his failure.

"To lose to that boy is not a disgrace... It's not that you didn't try hard enough, but that the boy was simply too strong," Precht said with a gentle tone. "Today's defeat will be experience for your success tomorrow. Keep trying, kid! Your journey has just begun..."

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Azuma was stunned by Precht's unexpected kindness. The Precht he knew wouldn't have been so understanding.

"From now on, don't call me Master Hades. If you must call me Master, call me Master Precht," Precht said, deciding to let go of his past identity and ideals.

"Understood, Master Precht..." Azuma smiled slightly, realizing that the dark, abyss-like Master Hades was gone, replaced by the hopeful and bright Master Precht.

"How disgraceful. Hades has grown soft," Bluenote muttered disdainfully from the stage, his gaze on the defeated Azuma. "Rustyrose, you're up next! Wear down one of those two girls for me. Don't disappoint me," Bluenote ordered, arms crossed, his eyes fixed on Gildarts.

"Got it..." Rustyrose said with a stiff face, hands in his pockets as he walked to the center of the stage.

"Hey, you with the red hair, want to fight me?" Rustyrose called out, his eyes locking on Erza.

"Red hair? Hahaha... Gildarts, he's calling you. Aren't you going to fight?" Erza said with a smirk, looking at Gildarts.

"No, he's not talking to me. My hair isn't even red; it's more orange or auburn. Clearly, he means you, Erza," Gildarts replied, slightly annoyed.

"Eh?!" Erza stiffened, then turned to Rustyrose, who was standing in the center of the stage.

"Yes, you! I'm talking to you," Rustyrose said, pointing his chin arrogantly at Erza.

"Me?!" Erza asked, pointing at herself.

"Yeah, who else?" Rustyrose said, hands still in his pockets, looking smug.

"..." Erza stayed silent for a moment.

"Hahaha... Go on, Erza!"

"Yeah, don't hesitate!"

"Remember our agreement?"

"Don't back out now, Erza..." Gildarts and Mirajane egged her on, knowing that their pact meant she had to fight if chosen.

"..." Erza frowned but didn't protest. She moved to the center of the stage with a determined look.

"Alright, the third match: Fairy Tail's Erza vs. Grimoire Heart's... annoying kid with a hairstyle only a mother could love!" Evan announced, holding the mic and officially starting the match.

"Hey! My name is Rustyrose! And you, announcer, are unprofessional! You've been biased against us from the start!" Rustyrose protested loudly.

"Your complaints are useless. Erza, beat him up for me! How dare he criticize me!" Evan said, not tolerating any criticism.

"Got it, bro!" Erza gave a thumbs-up to Evan.

"Don't underestimate me! You may be strong, but you're not unbeatable," Rustyrose retorted, having judged from Laxus and Azuma's fight that the Fairy Tail mages weren't all as powerful as Kurunugi.

"Let the match begin..." Evan declared.

"I'll turn the tide for Grimoire Heart!" Rustyrose grinned, ready to use his clever tactics and magic.

"Soru!" But before he could act, Erza had already vanished from his sight.

"Huh?! Where did she go?" Rustyrose panicked, unable to comprehend Erza's speed.

"One-Sword Style: Quick-Draw Slash!" Erza's voice came from below, her sword already slashing.

"Damn it!" Rustyrose saw Erza below him too late, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Swish!" With a flash, Rustyrose's clothes and sunglasses were cut to pieces, deep purple cuts appearing on his body and face.

"Don't worry, I used the back of my sword," Erza said with a serene smile, but then...

"That's for calling my brother unprofessional! Take this!" She dropped her sword and beat Rustyrose with the sheath for half an hour, leaving him covered in welts.

"Fight's over!" Erza smiled at Evan after knocking out Rustyrose.

"Good job!" Evan grinned back.

"Just as I thought, the Belserion family is something else," Ultear muttered from the shadows, shivering at the sight of the sadistic queen, Erza.

"Pathetic!" Bluenote scowled at the beaten Rustyrose, tossing him off the stage with a gravity wave.

Gildarts and Mirajane's expressions sharpened at Bluenote's cruelty towards his comrade.

"Hey! That's your comrade! How can you treat him like that?" Erza shouted, veins bulging in anger.

"Comrade? What nonsense. They're just trash," Bluenote sneered.

"What did you say?!" Erza and Mirajane both erupted in anger, their magic shaking the stage.

"Kain, take care of the white-haired girl," Bluenote ordered the last member, ignoring the girls' rage.

"Y-yes, I'll handle her..." Kain stammered, stepping onto the stage to face Mirajane.

"Explain yourself!" Erza demanded, advancing on Bluenote.

"Is this how Fairy Tail operates? Ignoring the rules?" Bluenote taunted.

"You...!" Erza fumed, raising her sword.

"Erza, step back. We'll handle this," Gildarts intervened, his serious expression surprising Erza.

"Alright, I'll leave it to you two," Erza agreed, stepping down and giving Mirajane a challenging look, "Don't let me down, Mirajane."

"Watch and see," Mirajane smirked, confident in her abilities.

"The fourth match: begin!" Evan announced, even though he was displeased with Bluenote's treatment of his allies.

"I-I'm Kain, a Grimoire Heart mage. I use the lost magic, Ushi no Koku Mairi. I can manipulate dolls to strengthen myself, like this..." Kain nervously explained, demonstrating by attaching a strand of his hair to a doll and using a transformation spell to turn his body into metal.

"See? My magic makes my body as hard as iron," Kain boasted, showing off his metallic form.

"And this matters to me because...?" Mirajane asked, smiling sweetly.

"You can't hurt me. You should surrender," Kain said, blushing.

"How cute, little boy~" Mirajane's eyes glinted dangerously. "Satan Soul!"

"Boom!" With a flash, Mirajane transformed, her demonic form towering over Kain.

"So scary! You're not cute at all!" Kain stammered, terrified.

"Here's a tip: never use iron in a fight," Mirajane whispered, her voice chilling.

"What?!" Kain barely processed her words before her punch shattered his metal body, leaving him defeated.

"Knocked out, you're even cuter," Mirajane smiled, standing over the unconscious Kain.