Chapter 278: George’s True Strength (Part 1)
Support me and be 30 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/Draco_
******
"What… did you just say?!"
Hearing George's words, Laxus froze. His body stiffened as he slowly turned to Makarov, disbelief written all over his face.
"Old man… is it true? Is everything he said real?"
Makarov sighed heavily, his expression weary. He sat down on the table, looking as though the weight of the situation had finally caught up to him.
"Laxus… it's true. I never told you because I was afraid you wouldn't be able to accept it.
But this ends here. Stop this nonsense now."
At this point, there was no longer any reason to keep the truth from Laxus. If he didn't learn it now, he would continue down the same misguided path as his father—one mistake leading to another, until there was no turning back.
In truth, when George brought up the matter earlier that morning, Makarov had already regretted his decision to keep it a secret for so long.
That was the problem with hiding the truth—it became harder and harder to explain the longer you kept it buried.
Laxus lowered his head, silent.
Something felt wrong.
Just as everyone thought the revelation would make Laxus abandon his plans, George frowned.
Something was off.
He could sense the violent surge in Laxus's magic power. And more importantly, the emotions radiating from him weren't remorse or clarity…
They were pure, seething rage.
"You've got to be kidding me. You're telling me this now?"
"Even if it's true, so what? My decision remains the same. The game continues.
And if you won't play by my rules… then not just this town, but all of you—every single one of you—will disappear!"
Laxus lifted his head. Veins bulged against his skin, his eyes burning with fury. The very air crackled with electricity, and the normally golden lightning surrounding him began to glow with an ominous red hue.
Then, in a flash, he and his Thunder God Tribe—Fried and Bickslow—vanished from the guild, carried away by bolts of lightning.
His voice echoed behind him.
"Fight! The last one standing will have the right to challenge me.
You have three hours. If no victor is decided by then… I will destroy this town and the guild, and build a new Fairy Tail from the ashes!"
George sighed.
"Looks like the only way to wake him up is by force."
Laxus was at a crossroads. There were only two possible outcomes for someone in his position.
The first, and most likely, was that he would eventually come to his senses, apologize to Makarov, and reconcile with him—restoring their grandfather-grandson bond.
But there was also a much smaller chance…
That Laxus would refuse to accept the truth. His pride, his obsession, and the years of resentment would keep him from admitting his mistakes. And if that happened…
Then there was only one solution: a beating.
A brutal, relentless beating—one that would force him to confront his true feelings, whether he wanted to or not.
This was what many stories referred to as the "friendship-breaking punch."
"What now, Master?"
All eyes turned to Makarov.
The old man inhaled deeply, steadying himself. His heart weighed heavy, but his mind was resolute.
At last, he made a difficult decision.
"I will handle Thunder Palace myself. George, you're skilled in tracking magic—take the others and find Laxus. Capture him."
"This time, he's gone too far. I have no choice… but to expel him from the guild."
Makarov had already made up his mind. With his Giant Magic, he could reinforce his body and withstand the backlash from destroying all 300 lacrima crystals. That made him the best candidate to take down Thunder Palace.
As for George, with his level of magic, he could lead Erza, Natsu, and the others in a coordinated effort to take down Laxus and the remaining Thunder God Tribe members.
This time, Laxus had crossed a line. He had threatened the entire town, the guild, and its very existence.
As Guild Master, Makarov had to be fair. There was no longer any other choice—Laxus had to be exiled.
"Understood, Master."
George waved his hand, casting a tracking spell:
"Reveal Direction · Laxus Dreyar!"
For him, the current situation wasn't much of a hassle.
Even if Makarov didn't step in, George had multiple ways to deal with the Thunder Palace magic outside.
The first option was to withstand it head-on. He also knew Giant Magic—while not as proficient as Makarov, it still greatly enhanced his defenses.
Moreover, his natural physique far surpassed Makarov's, and after fusing with a Dragon Crystal, he had inherited some of the Magic Dragon's resistance to magic. His overall durability was even higher than Makarov's after gigantification.
Most importantly, the Thunder Palace's counterattacks were entirely composed of lightning. Since he could control electricity himself, the damage would be reduced by at least 90%.
The second option was using Mirror Magic to pull the Thunder Palace into a mirrored dimension. That way, even if Laxus activated it, the attack wouldn't affect the real town.
The third option was using his current magic power, amplified by his staff, to set up a Super Ironclad Barrier over the entire town, directly neutralizing the Thunder Palace's assault.
The reason Thunder Palace could destroy an entire town was that it could launch 300 simultaneous lightning strikes, covering a massive area.
However, because the power was divided among those 300 bolts, each individual strike wasn't overwhelmingly strong. With his current defensive capabilities, he could easily block them.
As for capturing Laxus?
Even if he had to go alone, he could handle it.
This wasn't arrogance or overconfidence—it was simply the truth.
His overall magical prowess had already surpassed Makarov's, reaching the Saint Wizard level. And not just any Saint Wizard—he was the kind with no obvious weaknesses, an all-around powerhouse.
Recently, his strength had improved significantly. His meditation training, absorption of Magic Crystals, and infusion with the energy of the Space Gem had all contributed to his rapid growth.
His other selves across different worlds had been diligently training as well, and his fusion with the Magic Dragon had further increased his magical reserves.
Based on the Mage Apprentice World's power scale, his magic level had risen from 500 to over 800.
This considerable increase had noticeably boosted the power of his spells.
Additionally, he had learned more magic, deepened his understanding, and refined his techniques through relentless training and combat.
Even his psychic abilities—thanks to the experiments conducted by Accelerator—were nearing Level 5.
Lastly, by fusing with a Dragon Crystal, he had inherited a portion of the Magic Dragon's strength. His body had undergone further enhancement after absorbing multiple Fire Dragon Crystals from the Harry Potter World.
As a result, his overall combat ability had improved vastly since his battle against Jellal at the Tower of Heaven.
Jellal was already at the Saint Wizard level and wasn't considered weak among them. Given this, George was now at least at the same level—if not one of the strongest among the Saints.
Laxus, as a Lightning Dragon Slayer, could consume and absorb electricity, making it difficult for George's lightning-based magic and psychic abilities to be effective.
However, the same logic applied in reverse—Laxus's lightning magic would have little effect on George.
Furthermore, his abilities weren't limited to lightning. His electromagnetic powers weren't just about electricity—they primarily focused on controlling metal.
A golden magic arrow manifested before him.
George took the lead, with Makarov and the rest of the guild following closely behind as they headed toward the guild's entrance.
"Bang!"
However, just as George was about to step outside, he was suddenly blocked by an invisible barrier.
"A spell formation barrier!"
George frowned and reached out, instantly recognizing it.
Someone had preemptively set up a spell formation around the guild.
He had studied spell barriers before, though he wasn't particularly specialized in them.
But one thing was certain—whoever set this up was well-prepared.
(End of Chapter)