Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 336: The Strongest Fairy Tail

Sol had been beaten far too hard by Rhodes and still hadn't stirred. Juvia, on the other hand, was the first to regain consciousness.

Many of the Fairy Tail members glared at her.

After all, this woman was one of the key reasons the guild had ended up in its current state. If Rhodes and Mira hadn't arrived in time, Lucy would likely have been captured.

Still, no one took their anger out on Juvia or the unconscious Sol. Even now, Fairy Tail's kindness held strong, they gave their enemies the bare minimum of medical treatment and didn't just let them bleed out.

"It's good she's awake," someone murmured. "Now we can at least ask if she knows anything about Phantom Lord's next move."

Rhodes calmly distributed the potions he'd received from Polyusica and casted Red and Blue buff to restore the team's strength.

"She's not going to just spill the plan that easily... right?" Gray muttered, scratching the back of his head. Still, he walked over to the bed where Juvia lay and stood beside her.

"Hey. You awake?"

Juvia's vision was hazy, her thoughts disoriented. At first, she thought it had all been a dream, a nightmare filled with a terrifying woman who had pounded her into the ground, her expression murderous and merciless.

But then the pain in her battered body reminded her it was all very real.

Her dazed eyes slowly focused on the figure standing over her.

So... handsome.

The man was covered in bandages, across his arms, waist, and legs. His shirt was missing, and his scowl made him look annoyed and aloof. But...

Just looking at him made her heart pound. She couldn't look away.

Gray noticed the way she was staring and glanced down at himself. He quickly clarified, "These injuries aren't from Phantom. They're from my fight with my mentor."

Gray spoke with quiet pride. That battle had been important to him. The thought of anyone mistaking these scars as Phantom's doing genuinely irritated him.

He valued the meaning behind those wounds.

So cool!

"Juvia~!" she gasped dreamily.

"Huh? What?" Gray blinked. "Didn't catch that."

He sighed and repeated his question, this time a bit more gently. "I asked if you knew what Phantom's next move is."

So gentle!

"If... if it's you, Juvia will..." Juvia's cheeks flushed red as she shyly confessed the truth: Jose was planning to launch a direct assault on Fairy Tail.

To her, it didn't matter if she gave away the plan. After all, the most important part had already succeeded by the time she passed out. Whether she and Sol managed to bring Lucy back or not, President Jose would still find a way to remove Makarov, leaving Fairy Tail without a true counter to him.

So spilling the rest of the plan now felt pointless.

Watching her swoon, Rhodes leaned over and patted Gray on the shoulder. "Not bad. You pulled off the beauty trap like a pro."

Gray's face twisted. "I did NOT!"

"You're shirtless and charming. That's textbook beauty trap."

"When did I —?!"

Gray, of course, was only wearing shorts again.

Natsu lit up with a mischievous grin. "Hey, Happy, go distract Gray, and I'll grab his shorts."

"Aye, sir!" Happy chirped with a salute.

Before the plan could be executed, Lucy yanked Natsu's scarf and Happy's tail in tandem. "Can you not do that right now?!"

A little chaos to lighten the mood was fine, but not when they were on the verge of another serious battle.

Across the room, Rhodes had been quietly talking with Mira and Erza. After a few quick exchanges, he clapped his hands together—loud and sharp.

"Alright! That's enough chatter. Time for a combat meeting!"

It might've seemed odd for Rhodes to take command when Erza and Mira, two top S-Class mages, were present. But neither objected. In fact, they flanked him like trusted lieutenants. Erza's sword rested calmly by her side, and Mira nodded softly, offering her full support.

Everyone fell silent and turned toward him.

Rhodes didn't waste any time.

"Let's be clear, this war is one we have to win. Who are we up against? Phantom Lord. A guild that's just as well-known as we are."

"The enemy has two main objectives. First, they want to capture Lucy. Second, they want to destroy our guild. And they're using a bogus 'mission' as their excuse."

He let the statement hang for a moment before continuing.

"If we lose this war, Phantom will spin the narrative, accusing us of obstructing their mission. And with how the Magic Council operates, they'll reprimand Phantom for being a little 'excessive,' then turn around and order us to disband."

Gasps rippled through the group. Some fists clenched. Some brows furrowed. The air grew heavier.

Rhodes' voice rose, ringing clear.

"If that happens, we don't just lose the guild, we lose everything."

He took a breath, then pressed on.

"So what's our goal?"

"Number one: Protect Lucy."

"Number two: Protect the guild."

"Number three..." His gaze swept across the crowd. There were injuries, bandages, exhaustion, but there was also fury and fire. "We pay them back. For destroying our home. For ambushing our Master. For what they did to Levy and her team. For every single one of our wounded comrades."

He raised his voice and clenched his fist.

"We return every blow tenfold!"

"YEAHHHHHHHHH!!!" the guild roared in unison.

'Why we fight'—that question meant everything in Fairy Tail.

Rhodes began with the most important point, something even more vital than plans or logistics.

Because a Fairy Tail that fights with conviction is the strongest Fairy Tail of all.

Erza and Mira exchanged a knowing look and smiled. This kind of morale boost... it was exactly what they needed.

Once the cheers settled and the room grew quiet again, Rhodes continued, "Next, let's talk battle strategy. Now, I know the enemy outnumbers us, but in terms of real power, we have the advantage."

It was a paradoxical statement. But when Rhodes said it, no one doubted it for a second. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

"The Phantom's deadliest weapon isn't just their mages. It's their guild itself. Reedus?"

"Got it." Reedus stepped forward and unrolled a large schematic.

At first glance, it looked like a strange mechanical spider. But on closer inspection, it became clear, this was no beast. It was a fortress.

The infamous Six-Legged Walker.

Their mobile headquarters, capable of transforming and unleashing devastating firepower. Its primary weapon was Jupiter, their magic converging cannon. A single shot could level the Fairy Tail guild in an instant.

Rumor had it that it could transform even further, unlocking an even more powerful weapon. Gray had been tasked with digging up more information, but there was no time to wait.

"Our first objective is clear," Rhodes declared. "We cannot let Jupiter, or anything stronger fire. That's where some of you come in."

He grinned. "In short: sabotage. We blow it up before it gets in range."

The guild burst out laughing. The same trait that usually gave Master Makarov headaches, destructive impulsiveness was now being praised as a tactical specialty.

One person in particular looked way too excited.

"Ahahaha!" Natsu bellowed, flames leaking from the sides of his mouth. "This mission's mine!"

"Don't think you're the only one good at demolition, flame-brain!"

"Yeah, Natsu! Quit trying to hog all the fun!"

Amid the laughter and energy, Juvia sat quietly in the corner, watching the scene unfold. Her heart was full of questions.

'How... how can they laugh like this?'

Did they not understand the overwhelming power of Phantom Lord? Or worse... did they understand it perfectly, and still chose to fight head-on?

Were all Fairy Tail mages this reckless? This fearless?

This... radiant?

Her gaze lingered on Gray for a moment longer.

Back at the center of the guild, Rhodes raised his hand to settle the room.

"Now, don't be too eager. The enemy won't just sit there and let us sabotage their walker. There will be resistance."

He looked over at Mira and leaned in, whispering something into her ear while subtly nodding toward Juvia and the still-unconscious Sol slumped in the corner.

Mira's eyes narrowed slightly. She nodded, then turned to Gray.

"Gray, can I trouble you to take our two guests to another room?"

Gray sighed and moved to comply. "Got it."

The two Phantom members couldn't be present for the more sensitive parts of the strategy session.

If Juvia was willing to talk, great. If not, well, Mira had other ways of ensuring she got her rest.