Gray clenched his fist. "Yeah, I know."
"Zeref, the Black Wizard, the most evil mage in history. To think a legacy from four hundred years ago would appear in this era," Master Bob sighed.
"Whose soul should I eat first?" Lullaby's gaze swept over the crowd.
Finn stepped forward. "Erza, protect the Master. Everyone else, back off."
"He's going to…" Lucy stared in disbelief as Finn walked towards Lullaby.
"He's going to fight that demon alone? Impossible," Lucy thought. She was about to speak when she saw Erza nod.
"Be careful," Erza said, turning to lead the others away. She noticed the guild masters had already scattered.
Makarov rolled up his sleeves and shouted, "Go for it!"
Erza facepalmed.
The Royal Army arrived.
"That's just a scare tactic. Don't be afraid, attack!" the leader shouted.
"Ooh!!"
The commotion attracted Lullaby's attention. Lullaby scoffed; human souls were tasteless.
"Get lost, trash!" It opened its mouth, a purple magic circle appeared, and a highly concentrated magic cannon fired, hitting a distant mountain.
A flash of light, then a massive explosion.
"Captain, the…the mountain's gone!" a soldier said, sweating.
"Retreat! Emergency retreat!" the captain whistled.
"Which mage's soul should I eat first?" Lullaby lowered its massive head, looking at the remaining people.
"Aren't you afraid of bursting?" Finn quipped.
"Equip." A magic circle flashed, and the Ryūjin Jakka appeared.
"A little control should be fine," Finn thought. Using Bakudō on such a large body would cause massive destruction.
"I'll eat all your souls!" Lullaby roared, raising its head. A giant purple magic circle appeared above.
Noise filled the area.
"What's that sound?" Lucy covered her ears.
"The trees are withering!" She was shocked by the dying plants.
"It's noisy," Finn drew Ryūjin Jakka; flames spread across the blade.
"The flames that burn everything!" Happy exclaimed.
Finn tapped the ground, creating a huge sound. He instantly appeared in the air, kicking Lullaby's chin shut.
The magic circle dissipated. The noise vanished.
"Whew, we're saved," Lucy lowered her hands.
"What? Impossible?" Lullaby couldn't understand how someone could have such strength. The force made it stumble.
Finn didn't hesitate, raising his flaming Ryūjin Jakka and swung down.
With Ryūjin Jakka's Shikai, Finn could use high-temperature flames without Shikai, though weaker than Shikai. It was enough for this target.
Boom! A blinding light illuminated the sky. Lullaby was engulfed in flames.
The wooden body became fuel, carbonizing and turning to ash.
"No~~!" Lullaby roared in anguish. As a demon from Zeref's book, it hadn't even eaten one soul.
This was a disgrace, but Lullaby was helpless.
The symbol of death was consumed by flames. The absorbed plant life turned into countless points of light, returning to nature.
The flames vanished.
Finn landed gracefully, sheathing his sword, clapping his hands.
"Whoa!! Just one strike?!" Most guild masters gaped, looking at the figure in the flames.
So young, yet incredibly strong.
"See? This is my guild's mage," Makarov boasted, chest puffed out.
"Amazing, Finn. We felt the heat over here," Master Bob said, amazed.
"Such a strong mage should join my guild! I like you, Finn!" Master Bob swan-walked towards Finn.
"Ah!!" Finn jumped back in fright.
"Bob! I told you to stay away from Finn!" Makarov jumped in front of Bob, and they started a comical fight.
"Haha, we owe Fairy Tail a favor," Master Goldmine said, watching them.
Erza watched Finn, smiling, stars seemingly in her eyes.
"Lucy, how long will you stay like that?" Happy asked, seeing Lucy's shocked expression.
"How strong is Finn?" This was Lucy's second time seeing Finn fight. Each time was shocking; he seemed invincible.
"Very strong. You'll find out," Happy said. He didn't know, but he knew Finn was reliable.
…
Fairy Tail Guild.
The guild entrance was unusually crowded that day.
"So, Natsu's challenging Erza?" Finn said incredulously, listening to Mirajane.
"That kid's confident."
"Natsu's gotten much stronger," Mirajane smiled.
Finn nodded. "Natsu worked hard."
"Are they really fighting?" Lucy looked at the two facing each other. "Is this an intra-squad conflict of the strongest team?"
Gray looked confused. "Strongest team? What?"
Lucy explained, "You, Erza, and Natsu."
"Since when? Who said that? So boring," Gray shook his head.
Mirajane, smiling beside Finn, suddenly broke down, crying on Finn's shoulder.
"Gray~~" Finn's voice was chilling.
"Sorry!!" Gray instantly cowered.
"The strongest team means everyone's the strongest," Elfman said, approaching.
"Erza's the strongest woman, I agree. But the strongest man…first is Finn, he's undeniably strong," Elfman said, looking at Finn with admiration.
"Then Laxus and Mystogan. They're all strong mages. Then others, like me," Elfman patted his chest.
"Ha? It's me, Elfman, forget it. Then Natsu, then…" Gray interrupted Elfman's self-praise, starting his own ranking.
Lucy facepalmed. They were both unreliable. She'd have to see for herself.
"Heh, Erza, I'm not the same as before. I'm strong now. After I beat you, it's Finn. Then I'll be the strongest in the guild, hahaha," Natsu boasted.
Erza shook her head. "Honestly, I've seen your growth. I'm not sure I can win."
"Ready?" Makarov asked. Seeing them nod, he pointed at the sky. A small magic circle appeared, then fireworks.
"Equip: Flame Empress Armor." A light flashed, and Erza was encased in red armor.
"Let's go!" They clashed several times, exciting the onlookers.
Then, dong!
A gong stopped the fight. They saw frogs in Council uniforms.
A frog spoke, "We're messengers from the Council."
"The Council?"
"Why are they here?" The guild members whispered.
"What do you want?" Finn asked.
The frog messenger broke into a cold sweat. Finn's last Council raid was still fresh in their minds.
"Master Finn, we're here on the Council's orders," the frog said respectfully.
"Why are they so respectful?" Lucy asked Mirajane.
"Because Finn caused a ruckus at the Council. It's more fear than respect," Mirajane said, stroking her chin.
"Caused a ruckus at the Council???" Lucy was sweating. Even as a rookie, she knew the Council's power.
"Yes," Mirajane smiled sweetly.
The frog messenger looked at Erza. "For the recent Eisenwald incident, Erza Scarlet is under arrest for damaging railways and other infrastructure."
"Huh?" Erza pointed at herself.
The noisy guild fell silent. Everyone looked at the frog messenger in disbelief.
"What did you say?" Finn's voice was dangerously low, his eyes fixed on the frog messenger.
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