Chapter 277: Counterattack and the Hall of Divine Thunder (Third Update)

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"Evergreen, what are you doing? Undo your magic and restore them immediately!" 

Guild Master Makarov jumped onto the table, his beard bristling with fury. 

But Evergreen simply covered her mouth with her fan and chuckled. 

"Master, I'm just adding a little entertainment to the festival." 

"Fairy Tail! The festival has only just begun!" 

A bolt of lightning struck the stage, and Laxus made a dazzling entrance, his coat billowing behind him. 

Beside the guild hall's pillars, the remaining two members of the Thunder God Tribe—Fried and Bickslow—stepped forward. 

"Let's have some fun, old man!" 

"Laxus, you brat! Stop this nonsense and turn them back this instant!" 

Makarov was so enraged that his body began to grow larger. 

Laxus, however, immediately sent a bolt of lightning toward the petrified Lucy. 

"Old man, I suggest you don't make a move. They're my hostages now. 

So, let's play a game—the ultimate battle of Fairy Tail. The rules are simple: fight until only one person remains standing. The battlefield is all of Magnolia, and the time limit is three hours. 

If no winner is decided within that time… they'll all be reduced to dust!" 

"Ah!" 

The moment Laxus finished speaking, Evergreen let out a sudden shriek as a cat's tail coiled around her ankle and dragged her into the ground. 

Before anyone could react, Lucy, Erza, and the other petrified female mages instantly returned to normal, their stone forms crumbling away. 

Moments later, George emerged from beneath a table, dragging an unconscious, electrocuted Evergreen with him. 

"A battle for Fairy Tail's strongest sounds interesting, but Laxus, using hostages to force a fight isn't the way to do it." 

It turned out that when Lucy was petrified, George had already spread his mental energy across the hall, detecting the hidden Laxus, Fried, and Bickslow, along with the newly petrified Erza and others. 

Realizing Laxus was planning something, he secretly transmitted a message to Gray, instructing him to use ice magic to coat the guild hall's floor with a thin layer of ice. 

Then, George activated his Mirror Magic, stepping into the mirror dimension. 

While Laxus was grandstanding, George had already positioned himself beneath Evergreen's feet within the mirror world. 

With a swift flick of his tail, he yanked Evergreen into the mirror world before she could react, then electrocuted her into unconsciousness. 

Evergreen's petrification magic wasn't like a basilisk's; it didn't permanently turn people to stone. She had to consciously maintain control over it. 

She could also dispel it remotely or, if she wished, shatter her victims into dust from afar. 

However, if she were knocked unconscious and lost control, the magic would automatically be undone. 

To be honest, this ability was incredibly powerful—especially against enemies unaware of her eye-based magic. It made her a deadly ambusher. 

Even someone as strong as Erza had fallen victim when caught off guard. 

"Well done, George!" 

With the petrification lifted and Lucy and the others safe, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. 

Meanwhile, Laxus, Fried, and Bickslow frowned—this unexpected turn had completely disrupted their plan. 

Without hostages, it would be much harder to force the guild members into an all-out battle. 

"Laxus was right… that cat is a real problem." 

"Laxus, this ends here!" Makarov bellowed, returning to his normal size. "You and the Thunder God Tribe will apologize to everyone and accept the harshest punishment until they forgive you!" 

But Laxus clenched his fists, veins bulging—then suddenly burst into wild laughter. 

"It seems I underestimated you all. In that case, let's raise the stakes!" 

Laxus raised a hand toward the sky. A bolt of lightning shot through the guild hall, soaring high above the city. In an instant, the floating orbs of lightning that had been stationed across Magnolia's skyline sprang to life. 

"I have activated Thunder Palace. From this moment on, every single person in this city is my hostage. If you refuse to continue this game… then you'll all perish along with them!" 

"Laxus, do you really have to go this far?" 

Fried hesitated, uncertainty flickering across his face. 

He knew Laxus well—deep down, Laxus loved the guild. He only wanted to prove himself, to claim the position of Guild Master, and to make Fairy Tail stronger. 

But using Thunder Palace to take innocent civilians hostage… that was a step too far. If something went wrong, Fried feared Laxus would regret it. 

"Fried, this is war. It won't end until one side is completely annihilated. If you can't follow me, then disappear. My Fairy Tail has no place for weak-willed cowards!" 

Electricity crackled around Laxus as his reason slipped further away. 

Fried let out a heavy sigh and bowed to Laxus. 

"No matter what you decide, we will follow you." 

"Thunder Palace?! Laxus, have you lost your mind?!" 

Makarov's face twisted in horror the moment he heard those words. His veins bulged with fury, his entire body trembling from rage. 

Meanwhile, George turned to Mirajane, who had recovered and approached the group, and asked curiously, 

"What exactly is Thunder Palace?" 

A magic powerful enough to hold an entire city hostage—and something that could terrify Makarov—was clearly no ordinary spell. 

Mirajane's expression darkened as she explained, 

"Thunder Palace is a forbidden lightning magic. It involves pre-charging three hundred lacrima crystals with enormous amounts of lightning energy and activating them through a specialized magic array. Once triggered, it can instantly unleash a city-destroying explosion." 

"And worse… it cannot be stopped. Any attempt to destroy one of the lacrima results in the attacker being struck by an equal amount of lightning as backlash." 

George stroked his chin thoughtfully. 

"That does sound troublesome." 

Laxus smirked coldly. 

"Old man, I'm not crazy. I'm doing this for the good of the guild—just like you did when you drove my father out." 

"Want to end this game? It's simple—give me the title of Guild Master right now. 

Once I become Master, I'll transform this pathetic, weak guild into the strongest one in existence—one that no one will ever dare to challenge again!" 

A surge of pressure radiated from Laxus as his overwhelming magical presence crashed down on everyone, making it hard to breathe. 

Makarov, trembling with anger, roared, 

"Impossible! Laxus, I would rather die than hand the guild over to you!" 

Laxus's face twisted into a feral grin. 

"In that case, the game—" 

Just as he was about to leave to execute the next phase of his plan, George suddenly spoke up, cutting him off. 

"Hold on, Laxus. There's something you might not know. Your father, Ivan, wasn't exiled from the guild simply because of a disagreement." 

"He was banished because he betrayed Fairy Tail—secretly conspiring with dark guilds behind everyone's backs. 

The Master never told you because he didn't want to hurt you." 

At a time like this, it was best to try and resolve misunderstandings first. If that failed… then a fight could come later. 

(End of Chapter)