Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 124: Damn, That Was Cool!

Two Krugs, one large and one small, rumbled forward across the forest clearing.

One of Zat brother, Bart held out his left hand, five gemstone rings glittering under the sun, and flashed a mouthful of gold teeth.

"You're underestimating me, huh? Typical of you goody-two-shoes from a legal guild. Makes me furious!"

Boom! The lead Krug suddenly staggered as if struck by an invisible force. It slid backward several steps before splitting into two smaller Krugs.

Now there were three stone-skinned beasts barreling forward.

Carter, the man with the ridiculous red cockscomb hairstyle, twirled his short staff. "Should I go in now, Bart?"

"You're asking that again, Carter?" Bart grinned wide. "If you wanna go, just go already!"

"Okay!" Carter replied in his usual slow, simple-minded tone, but his attack didn't lag behind.

With three precise strikes of his short staff, he knocked over all three Krugs. One bit down on his armor, but it only managed to leave a shallow scratch.

Then—crack! crack! crack!

The three Krugs split, fragmenting into six mini Krugs, each no taller than a meter.

"Oh? So the more you beat them, the more they multiply? These must be rare summoned creatures," Carter muttered with amusement. "But the weakness of all summoned creatures lies in their summoners... huh?"

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He blinked. Where is the summoner?

"Hiding, huh? Alright, I'll just take care of the other one first!" Bart's finger moved slightly, and one of the rings on his hand flashed with magical light.

"Waaagh!" Gray grunted as a blast of invisible force slammed into him, sending him flying backward and crashing hard into the ground.

Rhodes emerged from behind a tree and caught Gray just before he fell completely. "I told you to stay hidden! Why didn't you listen, you stubborn idiot?"

"Heh." Gray wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, grinning despite the pain. "I get it now. I figured out his magic. Leave this guy to me!"

"You—" Rhodes was speechless. He had specifically sent in his summoned creatures to act as decoys so Gray could observe. And now Gray just jumped in and took the hit himself?

Calm and cool most of the time, but when it came to a fight, Gray was just as headstrong as Natsu—maybe even worse!

"Screw it. If you get hurt, don't come crying to me." Rhodes raised his right arm. "Take Over: Scuttle crab!"

With a burst of light, his body shifted into a sleek, armored form modeled after the Scuttle Crab—his best pick for battlefield awareness and mobility.

Meanwhile, the six mini Krugs had burrowed underground.

Carter scratched the back of his head. "Bart, the little rocks are gone."

"I noticed, Brother Carter. Looks like that guy knows Take Over Magic too. This could get messy."

"Should I go in now, Bart?"

"You're repeating yourself again!" Bart laughed, loud and theatrical. "Just hurry up. We've got better things to do after this."

"Okay, Bart." Carter lumbered forward, short staff in hand. His eyes locked on Rhodes.

"That armor looks way cooler than mine."

"If you like it so much," Bart grinned, "defeat him and ask how he made it."

"I will!" Carter charged with surprising speed.

"Ice-Make: Hammer!" Gray shouted, slamming his right fist into his left palm.

A massive ice hammer the size of a small cart materialized above Bart's head and came crashing down.

Bart casually flicked his fingers. The ice hammer shattered into sparkling shards before it could land. He showed off his golden teeth again with a smirk.

"Ice-Make Magic? Useless against me. I don't care how fast you can shape it."

"Oh really?" Gray grinned, tossing his shirt aside dramatically.

He clapped his hands together, forming a stance ready for another spell. "Come and test that theory yourself!"

...

Carter roared as he swung his staff, each strike slicing the air with deadly force.

Rhodes nimbly dodged, his movements fluid and fast—almost leaving behind afterimages.

With a swift pivot, he landed a heavy kick to Carter's back, staggering the bulky man.

But Carter spun around and retaliated immediately, swinging his weapon again. Rhodes ducked low, narrowly evading the blow.

He was starting to get a feel for Carter's style. His footwork was clunky, but his reflexes were surprisingly sharp.

And that armor... tough as Erza's.

Rhodes glanced at the other side of the battlefield. Gray was holding his own against Bart, matching him strike for strike with confident ease.

As for the Krugs—they were off executing their secondary command: evacuating the wounded Council soldiers.

Considering the possibility of poison magic in the area, Rhodes had given them strict orders not to engage but to prioritize rescue and safety.

Whoosh! Carter swung again, but Rhodes ducked and launched himself backward with a snap-kick to Carter's ribs, flipping away gracefully.

Rhodes pressed his right hand over his chest—right where his pendant rested—and called out, "Answer the call—Murk Wolf!"

Who wanted to fight alone when you could bring the whole pack?

Six Murk Wolves materialized.

The two-headed wolves charged in first, spinning mid-run as they unleashed, "Double Fang Howl!"

The remaining four wolves flanked wide, preparing to lunge at Carter's limbs.

Clang!

The fangs and claws of the twin-headed wolves screeched as they scraped against Carter's armor, sparks flying in the mountain air.

"Tch. Can't even bite through this?" Carter sneered, swinging his short staff hard—sending one wolf tumbling before it could sink its teeth into his neck.

The other wolves clawed furiously, kicking with all four paws as it latched onto Carter's shoulder armor, digging its fangs in.

Carter swung again, knocking away two of the regular wolves—though one bit down on his wrist, refusing to let go.

Even with that weight dragging on his arm, Carter roared and bashed the other Murk Wolf. The stick missed its mark, but the twin-headed beast retreated and ripped off Carter's left shoulder guard with its teeth.

"Answer the call—Raptor!"

Rhodes wasn't going to waste the momentum. As soon as the Murk Wolves scattered to draw attention, he summoned a group of crimson Raptors.

A storm of razor-sharp feathers rained down.

With his left shoulder exposed, Carter took the brunt of the barrage. Dozens of cuts opened along his arm, staining his armor red.

The Raptors flapped aggressively and dove at him. Still holding the limp body of a wolf, Carter wildly swung his short staff, knocking down three of the smaller Raptors.

But a large Raptor and two smaller ones dove from different angles, their beaks punching through his chest plate, gouging into his left arm, and finally pinning the Murk Wolf clinging to his right forearm.

Chaos. Pure, calculated chaos.

In the chaos of close quarters, accidents always happen—Rhodes knew that. But it didn't matter.

Carter's armor was falling apart. He was wounded and bleeding, and there was no way he'd survive a continued onslaught from the summoned beasts.

Rhodes smirked. He liked opponents who didn't understand large-scale magic warfare.

He ordered the beasts to completely overwhelm Carter—disarming him, tearing off the remaining armor plates, and pinning him down.

Still not convinced it was over, Rhodes had a Krug rear up and slam Carter on the head with its massive stone limb—gently rocking him to sleep.

Now, it was time to help Gray—though it looked like he wouldn't need it anymore.

Gray stood confidently, ice magic flaring around him.

"You rely on rings to cast shockwaves, right?" Gray called out, voice sharp like steel. "And to make up for the recharge delay in your magic crystals, you brought ten rings—each storing a single pre-cast spell."

He pointed.

"Once those ten are used, you have to rotate through them, waiting for the crystals to refill naturally. That trick makes it look like you can cast constantly—but it's all an illusion."

Bart—the ring-using Zat brother—visibly hesitated. His confidence was cracking.

"No one can outpace my ring cycle! I'm the strongest Holding Wizard!" he shouted, though his voice lacked conviction.

"The strongest Holding Wizard?" Gray chuckled, low and cold. "Don't make me laugh. Ice Make: Scimitar! Spear! Broadsword! Halberd! Battle Axe!"

Weapon after weapon took shape, gleaming with frosted magic. One by one, Gray launched them from every direction—relentless.

Bart's rings lit up furiously, trying to keep up—shattering one weapon after another.

But it wasn't enough.

Once he was out of charges and forced to dodge, Gray surged forward, both elbows extended with gleaming ice blades.

"Ice Blade: Seven Dance!"

Gray spun like a whirlwind, slashing Bart seven times in rapid succession.

Bart screamed, blood spraying as the wounds froze instantly. He collapsed in a heap, ice creeping up his body.

Gray landed, half-kneeling as the twin ice blades shattered around him like drifting snow.

Rhodes casually walked over, grabbed Gray's discarded shirt, and tossed it on his head.

"Damn it, stop ruining the moment," he muttered.

Seriously, this guy was getting too cool for his own good.

...

$tonks