Chapter 33 : Lucy, I want to Stay!!!

Patrick's reaction was sluggish, leaving him no time to unleash his magic. He could only clumsily dodge backward and move to the right.

A scoff escaped his lips as a streak of sword light moved like a waning moon, narrowly missing Patrick's neck. Though it failed to draw blood, it did manage to scrape his left hand, the one clutching the brown book, before he could pull it away.

With a sickening 'thud', his hand was severed from his wrist, the book still gripped tightly as it fell to the ground.

Patrick's eyes widened in shock as Jose smirked triumphantly.

Suddenly, another explosion erupted, even more violent than before.

A deafening 'boom' echoed through the air as the force of the blast ripped through the ceiling of the Phantom Lord Building's ceiling, sending debris flying into the street below.

Startled bystanders turned to witness a mushroom cloud billowing from the building's top floor.

"Everit!" Makarov exclaimed, his expression one of disbelief.

Something whirled through the air, spinning rapidly before soaring out from the attic.

It was Patrick's severed hand. The bloody appendage landed at Makarov's feet.

All eyes turned to Everit, who stood silently beside Makarov, adjusting his glasses without a word.

The darkness of the attic dissipated, revealing Jose's grim expression. His smug satisfaction had turned to dismay as his office was blasted into the sky.

A spiked earth ball collapsed into sand, revealing Patrick within. He stoically retrieved the brown book and glanced toward the distant street, locking eyes with Everit.

Their gaze held no emotion, yet spoke volumes. Patrick turned away, tears streaming down his face, and began flipping through the book's pages with his remaining hand.

Each page bore a name, crossed out in turn until a blank page appeared.

Through tears, he uttered, "Fairy Tail mage - Everit de la Valliere, betrayer of peace. Such a villain must not be allowed to thrive. I will rid the world of this menace for the sake of peace!"

Jose's voice cut through the tension. "Do you seek my assistance?"

"No," Patrick sobbed, "you have no part in this. Ah, the great Anza has bestowed upon me the ultimate prophecy. As Anza's emissary, I shall conduct a peaceful trial against Everit!"

As if summoned by his words, Everit's name materialized on the blank page.

Meanwhile, on the street, Makarov sighed. "Everit, your impulsiveness knows no bounds."

"Yes, Master," Everit replied, nodding solemnly.

"This is a grave matter," Erza interjected. "Patrick is not one to be trifled with."

Makarov's tone grew serious. "Everit, I advise you not to stray far from the guild in the coming days."

"Yes, Master," Everit affirmed.

Observing the exchange, Makarov sighed, recognizing Everit's tendency to act independently.

"We must summon Laxus and Mystogan back," Gray suggested.

"Laxus is rebellious, Mystogan is a recluse, and Gildarts has been missing for three years," Makarov lamented. "And Mirajane is unable to fight."

With a heavy heart, Makarov acknowledged that Erza was the only S-Class mage capable of defending the guild.

Originally, facing only Phantom Lords might have been manageable. But with Patrick's intervention, the odds were stacked against them.

Patrick, despite his proclaimed love for peace, was a formidable mage whose alignment with light or darkness remained ambiguous to the Magic Council. Although not invited to join the Ten Wizard Saints, his strength rivaled theirs.

Makarov feared Patrick's vengeful nature after Everit severed his hand in a fit of rage. Yet, Everit harbored no regrets for his actions.

Neither Phantom Lord nor Patrick anticipated the chain of events that would unfold.

He can't either!

Everyone returned to the guild.

This time for battle.

No one perished.

But there were many wounded.

Natsu successfully rescued Lucy.

Only then did everyone learn the truth about Phantom Lord's assault on Fairy Tail from her -

Lucy's father had entrusted Phantom Lord with bringing Lucy home.

This triggered the events of this time.

Lucy felt deeply guilty.

She was surrounded by her comrades, continuously apologizing.

"I'm sorry, I never meant to conceal it from everyone, but I never imagined my father would stoop to such lengths!"

"He had shown no interest in his daughter who had been away for a year, but suddenly demanded her return, and he used such methods... What a despicable act!"

"But ultimately, everything that happened this time was because of me, causing Levy and everyone else to suffer injuries."

"I'm sorry!"

"I truly am. I'll go back."

"Okay," Natsu interjected, placing his hand on Lucy's head. He enjoyed it when Lucy did this to him before.

Lucy looked up at Natsu, tears glistening in her eyes.

Natsu, usually whimsical, now wore a solemn expression, appearing somewhat handsome.

"No need for further apologies, Lucy," Natsu said earnestly. "You are Lucy from Fairy Tail. As long as you recognize that, this is your home, and no one can snatch you away!"

"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed tearfully.

"Lucy," Everlith placed a cup of hot water in front of her, speaking softly. 

"Don't burden yourself excessively. The Phantom Lords are a major guild. They wouldn't engage in a conflict of this scale with us merely over petty reasons. They had it planned out; your situation was merely a pretext."

"The battle isn't over yet. Keep your spirits up."

"If you're unwilling, use your own strength to repel the Phantom Lord's mages."

"Show them, show your father. Look at your strength, your determination, and your growth!"

"Thank you, Everlith," Lucy nodded.

"Yes, Lucy, as long as you wish to remain here, we won't allow you to be taken away!" Cana declared.

"I've been sick of those Phantom Lord bastards for a long time. Once the master recovers and Laxus and the others return, we'll take 'em down fair and square!" Gray declared.

"That's right!"

"I'm so frustrated this time!"

"Sooner or later, I'll take him on!"

"Protect Lucy!"

"Protect our family!"

"Fairy Tail will never back down!"

Everyone cheered in agreement.

"Everyone." Lucy was on the verge of tears, overwhelmed by the support.

Seeing this, Everit nudged Natsu.

"Hey, Everit, what's up?"

Natsu was about to inquire further when he suddenly found himself wrapped in Lucy's embrace.

"Thank you, everyone. I want to stay with Fairy Tail!"

Lucy held onto Natsu tightly, tears streaming down her face.

Natsu placed a comforting hand on Lucy's head and grinned. "Then I'll make sure Lucy stays safe!"

"Heh, that's quite touching," Everit remarked with a shake of his head.

"Yeah, never thought I'd hear Everit say such heartfelt words," teased Cana.

"Hey, Cana, I still haven't forgotten about the prank you pulled on me, slipping me those sleeping pills. My head is still aching!" Everit fumed.

"Oops, my bad, I thought it was just beer," Cana apologized.

"Are you serious? You think a bottle of beer could knock me out?!" Everit's anger flared even more.

"On what grounds are you so confident about that?" Cana retorted, raising an eyebrow.

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