Chapter 335: You Guys Are So Used to This!
Chapter 335: You Guys Are So Used to This!
As for Gajeel, he was indeed the one who had destroyed the guild hall and attempted to assault their members. However, he had failed to inflict any real damage.More importantly, Makarov had officially invited him in. Gajeel was now a member of Fairy Tail, and as such, he needed to integrate with his new comrades.
If Gajeel continued to fear Noah, it would be detrimental to guild unity.
To fix this, Noah decided to personally help him overcome that fear.
Gajeel wasn't a fragile girl; he didn't need the slow, gentle acclimatization that Juvia had. Getting a bit rough with him was perfectly fine.
"Hahaha!"
Noah laughed as he gradually increased the force behind his blows. Each punch he threw was heavier than the last.
"Guh—"
Natsu and Gajeel grunted simultaneously. They were already struggling to withstand Noah's barrage.
"Iron Dragon's—"
Under pressure, Gajeel instinctively tried to use his magic. Seeing this, Noah immediately drove a fist into his stomach.
"Ugh!"
Gajeel gasped in pain, staggering back two steps. He bent over, his intended spell completely interrupted.
"No magic allowed," Noah said simply. He blocked a punch from Natsu with his right hand and immediately retaliated with a backhand that sent Natsu stumbling backward.
Without missing a beat, Noah stepped forward and threw another punch at Gajeel.
Seeing the fist coming, Gajeel fought through the pain in his stomach, straightened up, and raised his arms to block.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Noah, Natsu, and Gajeel were back at it, the heavy thuds of their fists echoing through the chaos.
Initially, everyone had been fighting their own separate battles. But gradually, the sheer intensity of the three-way brawl drew their attention. The surrounding guild members stopped fighting each other and formed a circle, cheering on the spectacle.
"Get him!"
"Come on, Natsu!"
"Go Natsu! Punch Noah in the face!"
"Yeah! Punch him right in his smug face!"
"Both of you, get him! You gotta hit his face!"
"That's right! Damn Noah, getting to hug beauties left and right!"
"So jealous! Hit him for us! Avenge our jealousy!"
The guild members roared their encouragement from the sidelines.
As Noah listened to their cheers while fending off Natsu and Gajeel, he realized something was terribly wrong with their commentary.
He turned his head to glare at the cheering crowd. "What the hell are you idiots talking about?"
"What do you think?!"
Macao, Wakaba, and the other male guild members were glaring at Noah with eyes burning with intense jealousy.
"Not only do you get to hug them, but you also went to the beach with them for ten whole days! Damn it! The beach, the sun, their swimsuits... Damn it all! We're so jealous!" Macao cried out, voicing the agonizing thoughts of every single man present.
Going to a beach resort with four breathtaking beauties... just thinking about it was enough to drive them mad with envy.
Their jealousy was completely unrestrained.
Noah finally understood their sudden hostility. Honestly, he couldn't blame them. Ultear, Mirajane, Erza, and Sorano were all stunningly beautiful. Having all four of them by his side was bound to attract some ire.
While Noah was internally quite pleased with himself, he knew he couldn't act too smug right now, especially with the girls watching. So, he simply offered Macao and the others a polite, radiant smile.
"Damn it! He's definitely mocking us! Look at that smile!"
Seeing Noah's smile, Macao and the others felt their rage skyrocket.
"Let's all gang up on Noah!" Wakaba yelled, instantly rallying the entire crowd.
It wasn't just the men; even the women cheered in agreement.
"Huh? Are you serious?" Noah was so surprised he nearly took a punch from Natsu straight to the face.
"Get him!" Macao roared, and the crowd surged forward.
"You're actually serious?!"
Noah swiftly knocked Natsu and Gajeel back with two quick strikes, then dodged a punch aimed squarely at his kidney from another guild member.
He absolutely could not afford to get injured there; it was directly tied to the future happiness of Ultear and the others!
"Take this!" another guild member lunged at Noah.
Noah caught the incoming fist, used the attacker's momentum, and casually tossed him away.
"Haha! Fine, come at me all at once!"
Seeing the entire guild swarming him, Noah's blood pumped with excitement. He raised his fists and waded into the mob.
BAM!
"Gah!"
"Ahhh!"
Noah knocked down Macao and Wakaba with single punches, tossing them aside. He then systematically knocked down several other members, one by one.
As he fought his way through the crowd, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Sorano? Why are you joining in?" Noah asked after tossing another guy away.
"Hehe! How could I miss out on something this fun?" Sorano grinned, looking eager to fight.
"Alright then," Noah sighed helplessly.
He and Sorano exchanged over a dozen rapid blows before he found an opening and used a gentle push to send her sliding backward out of the melee.
"Aww..." Sorano pouted after being pushed away. She was about to charge back in, but seeing Noah immediately engaged by several others, she blinked and decided to stay out of it. She hadn't fought to her heart's content, but it was enough for now.
Seeing Sorano's attempt, Ultear, Erza, and Mirajane also took turns stepping up to spar with him.
Each time, Noah would exchange a flurry of blows before gently pushing them away.
However, to the onlookers, this gentle sparring looked exactly like flirting. The crowd grew even more agitated and attacked him with renewed vigor. Even the members he had already knocked down scrambled back to their feet to throw themselves at him again.
Noah held back significantly against the women, mostly using throws and deflections to remove them from the fight.
But for the men, it was a completely different story. Those bastards were specifically aiming for his vitals with heavy blows.
Naturally, Noah showed them no mercy. He delivered heavy punches that sent them screaming in pain.
As the fight dragged on, the dynamics shifted once more.
The chaotic brawl devolved into utter pandemonium. While many were still trying to gang up on Noah, others accidentally hit the wrong person, sparking new fights until everyone was just fighting whoever was closest. No one even knew who their original target was anymore.
Despite the chaos, everyone was sporting massive, joyful grins. Accompanied by Mirajane's blazing rock music, the atmosphere in the guild reached an unprecedented level of excitement.
"Wahhh!"
Seeing the guild devolve into a massive free-for-all, Wendy-kun and the younger girls immediately and skillfully retreated to the safest corner of the hall.
Lucy and Happy quickly scrambled into the corner right behind them.
"You guys are so used to this!" Lucy exclaimed, watching how quickly and naturally Wendy-kun's group had found cover.
"Of course. If you stay here long enough, you naturally learn to do this," Carla sighed, looking at Lucy helplessly.
"Aye!" Happy agreed.
"What a terrifying survival instinct," Lucy shivered.
"Haha, but look! Everyone is having so much fun," Wendy-kun smiled, pointing at the brawling crowd.
"Of course they are. Can't you see how excited they look? They are completely used to this," Carla said, looking at the chaotic scene and sighing again.
"They really are," Lucy admitted, watching the flying bodies. The ecstatic smiles on their faces were completely genuine.
"That new guy is pretty strong. He managed to hold his own against Brother Noah for quite a while," Meredy-kun remarked, watching Gajeel, who was still fighting in the main group.
As essentially Noah's apprentice, Meredy-kun had a solid understanding of his true power. Even in a casual guild brawl, there were very few people who could last that long against him, even with Natsu helping.
"Well, he was the strongest mage in Phantom Lord next to their Master. It makes sense that he's strong," Lucy explained.
"He's from Phantom Lord?" Meredy-kun asked in surprise.
She hadn't been aware of Gajeel's infamy. Since she had never met him before and saw him getting beaten back by Noah, she hadn't realized he was a notorious, high-ranking mage.
"He's from Phantom Lord..." Yukino-kun murmured, suddenly looking fearful.
The memory of Phantom Lord's attack on Fairy Tail was still fresh. Hearing that he was one of them naturally made her anxious.
Wendy-kun and Meredy-kun quickly placed their hands on Yukino-kun's back to comfort her.
"Juvia is from Phantom Lord too, and look how nice she is," Lucy quickly pointed out Juvia to ease Yukino-kun's worries.
"But we've known Juvia-nee for a while now. We know her. He's different... and he looks really scary," Yukino-kun whispered.
"Ahaha, he does look pretty intimidating," Lucy admitted with an awkward laugh, looking at Gajeel's fierce, studded face as he fought.
"Don't worry, Yukino-kun. Since the Master let him join, he must be okay," Meredy-kun consoled her. She pointed at the ongoing brawl. "Besides, look! He can't do anything against Brother Noah. We can trust Brother Noah."
"Exactly! We can trust the Master and Brother Noah," Wendy-kun agreed.
"Mhm!" Hearing Meredy-kun's reasoning, Yukino-kun finally relaxed.
The dual endorsement of Makarov and Noah put her mind at ease. She then spotted her sister, Sorano, fighting enthusiastically in the crowd, which made her feel even better.
Both her sister and Noah were pillars of support for her. If they weren't worried, she didn't need to be either.
~~~
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